ITV

Category: Brands

  • Tupperware agency Pulp Strategy milks AIB post

    Tupperware agency Pulp Strategy milks AIB post

    MUMBAI: In today’s age of cutthroat competition, it is beyond a shadow of doubt that opportunities have become very scarce. However, if you keep your eyes on your target and ear on the ground, you can make wonders happen, and that’s precisely what Pulp Strategy a multi-award winning full-service marketing agency did.

    Recently content creator All India Bakchod (AIB) had a post on Instagram which created a buzz. AIB asks its followers a random question under #AIBJagraata. This time, the question was “What’s that one thing in your house that your mother loves more than you?”

    The replies naturally included Tupperware given the strong market positioning of the kitchen accessory brand. But, Tupperware India (with its end-to-end marketing managed by Pulp Strategy) left no stone unturned to tap into this now-prevailing opportunity. The agency’s social media listening team proactively participated in the ongoing discussion and further amplified the overall engagement by taking it off to its own Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram handles.

    Pulp Strategy founder and managing director Ambika Sharma said, “At Pulp Strategy, we do not merely create opportunities, but also ensure that we tap into every single one that surfaces anytime, anywhere. This all-embracive approach is what has helped us in staying ahead of the curve always. I’m proud that the team at Pulp Strategy has yet again upheld that culture.”

    Within 24 hours, Tupperware India reached out to more than 25,000 people on Facebook and 1,686 people on Instagram, and all of that, without spending a single penny. The whole activity also caught the attention of Tanmay Bhat, the co-founder of AIB, who retweeted the Tupperware India post.

    This year, the marketing agency had also conceptualised and executed the #PressForConfidence campaign for Tupperware around International Women’s Day. The innovative campaign effectively used Facebook’s newly-released ‘press and hold’ feature to create an interactive content series and received massive participation on the social media platform.

  • Zicom Electronic Security Systems partners INOX, Carnival Cinemas for Street Smart

    Zicom Electronic Security Systems partners INOX, Carnival Cinemas for Street Smart

    MUMBAI: One of India’s leading electronic security companies  Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd had recently partnered with INOX and Carnival Cinemas across metro cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Gaziabad and Noida for a brand engagement activity for its recently launched vehicle passenger safety solution, Street Smart.

    Street Smart, through the power of artificial intelligence and bot technology, caters to the safety concerns of the discerning road traveller.

    Speaking about this activity, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd manager marketing Forum Shah said, “Street travel has become the norm of the day today. Yet while most of us travel by road for work or leisure, not many of us are prepared for unfortunate situations that could arise. At Zicom Electronic Systems we believe that “Prevention is best”

    “Since we launched Street Smart, early this year, we have been confident about the value in terms of safety & security that our product will be able to offer travelers on the road. We are hopeful that our recent on-ground activation will help us to develop a better connect with our audience,” he added.

    At the movie screening, before the film begins and after the lights go out, there will be an audio announcement stating that a black sedan has been wrongly parked. The act will seem genuine to get the attention of the audience. This will be followed by the commentator highlighting how Street Smart can help a consumer against such inconvenient events.

  • Ola launches #RoadToGold, a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to enable India’s Gold medal dream at world sporting events

    Ola launches #RoadToGold, a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to enable India’s Gold medal dream at world sporting events

    MUMBAI: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing platforms, today launched a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to develop grassroots sporting talent – #RoadToGold. The campaign aims to support India’s collective dream to increase the chances of winning Gold medals at major global sporting events. To kick start this campaign, Ola has enabled its customers to contribute a sum of INR 1, per ride across the 110+ cities it operates in.

    The collected funds will be used to identify promising talent from India’s heartlands, and mould them into champion sportspeople through state-of-the-art infrastructure, professional training from international coaches, complemented by extensive sports science facilities and a structured academic program. These future sporting stars will also benefit from support and guidance from Indian sporting legends such as Sourav Ganguly, Mahesh Bhupathi, Abhinav Bindra and Yogeshwar Dutt, amongst others.

    Ola has partnered with JSW Sports’ Institute in Bellary, Karnataka to play an active role in the training and coaching of young athletes at the facility. Ola and JSW sports share a common vision to identify and nurture the latent sporting talent in grassroots India. By combining the widespread reach of Ola’s platform and JSW Sports’ expertise in developing sporting talent over the years, #RoadToGold is poised to catapult India’s medal-winning performances and increase the nation’s image as a champion performer. The campaign will also be bolstered by an awareness drive spearheaded by superstar Akshay Kumar, and the cast of the movie ‘Gold’.

    Speaking on this initiative, Pallav Singh, Senior Vice President, Ola said “We are proud to introduce #RoadToGold, a nationwide initiative towards supporting exceptional sporting talent in the country. The right encouragement complements sports professionals’ immense talent to win accolades at a global stage and together with a small contribution of INR 1, we can strengthen India’s chances of winning Gold medals globally.” He further added “We are glad to partner with JSW Sports and Excel entertainment who have been staunch supporters of sports in India through infrastructure and entertainment. Together, we share the dream to identify high calibre talent and turn them into medal winning performers.”

    Commenting on this initiative Mustafa Ghouse, CEO, JSW Sports, said “At JSW Sports, we have supported talented Indian sportspersons over the past few years and have seen the kind of impact that proper training and facilities can have on performances. Through our institute, we are attempting to take this initiative even wider by providing young talent across India access to world class infrastructure and sports science to help them realise their potential. We are proud to partner with a company like Ola to foster sporting talent and spearhead a generation of exceptional sportspersons.”

    Speaking on this occasion Ritesh Sidhwani, Producer, Excel Entertainment said “The initiative to enable India’s gold medal dream worked seamlessly with our film’s message of Free India’s first Olympic Gold. It’s great to see all of us coming together to sow the seed for India’s glorious future in sports.”

  • Accolades for ITC’s PR initiatives in the SABRE South Asia awards 2018

    Accolades for ITC’s PR initiatives in the SABRE South Asia awards 2018

    MUMBAI: ITC has received several accolades at the prestigious SABRE Awards South Asia 2018, which is considered one of the world’s largest and most coveted PR awards programme today. The SABRE Awards for South Asia this year was recently held in Delhi.

    ITC Foods, in association with its media partner Madison Public Relations, won the SABRE Diamond Award in ‘Superior Achievement in Reputation Management’ for its campaign – ‘A Viral Truth – As pure as a Blessing’. The campaign centred around managing the reputation of India’s No. 1 atta brand Aashirvaad in the face of malicious attempts to tarnish the image of the trusted brand through false videos on social media. Apart from this, a blogger-led PR campaign for ITC’s leading notebook brand Classmate won the SABRE Gold award, while an experiential media trail to showcase ITC’s “India First” philosophy won a Certificate of Excellence. Both these campaigns were driven in association with ITC’s media agency First Partners. Another campaign aimed at promoting women’s rights by ITC’s personal care brand Vivel, in association with PR Pundit, also bagged a Certificate of Excellence.

    The SABRE Awards, delivered by The Holmes Report, the authoritative voice of the global public relations industry, recognises superior achievement in branding and reputation in North America, EMEA, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, South Asia and Africa.

    The campaign titled ‘The Viral Truth – As Pure As A Blessing’, which won the SABRE Diamond Award for Excellence in Public Relations in the C-Suite focused on a 360-degree PR strategy to protect the reputation and trust of millions of Indian consumers on the Aashirvaad atta brand. Several mischievous videos, widely circulated in social media, made the false claim that Aashirvaad atta contained plastic, while in reality, the ‘plastic-like’ substance found in the atta was actually wheat protein – a naturally occurring substance in wheat flour.

    The campaign encompassed multi-dimensional PR initiatives, which included activities to prevent the spreading of false and misleading videos on social and digital platforms, making consumers aware of the truth and thereby alter perceptions, educating media and initiating favourable press coverages, building industry consensus leading to collective actions, and so on.

    ITC also won the SABRE Gold Award for an innovative PR campaign linked to its market leading ‘Classmate’ brand of notebooks in the ‘Consumer Products / Services’ Category. The campaign titled: ‘Classmate: Much more than a Notebook!’, was aimed at creating excitement around Classmate notebooks and elevating them as a showcase of child’s creativity and individuality. The challenge was addressed through Classmate Shop – a unique personalisation service provided by ITC Classmate brand for its consumers. The campaign drew on the expertise of child psychologists and ‘mom’ bloggers and went on to become a success with the classmateshop.com portal witnessing a large number of visits during the campaign period. The campaign focused on a key differentiator – ‘CREATE’ the front cover of the notebooks as an extension of one’s own persona and imagination and link this creativity to the changing aspirations of a child – an increasing need for personalization and a natural flair for technology.

    In addition to these two awards, ITC’s ‘Winning with India First’ campaign, an underscoring of the company’s overarching and steadfast commitment to the nation as manifest in its ‘India First’ credo, bagged the ‘Certificate of Excellence’ in the ‘Corporate Image’ Category at the SABRE awards.

    ITC’s Vivel #AbSamjhautaNahin also won Certificate of Excellence for its campaign ‘Know Your Right’ – an initiative to drive awareness on women’s rights.

  • Fossil unveils its most Tech-Packed Touchscreen Smartwatch to date

    Fossil unveils its most Tech-Packed Touchscreen Smartwatch to date

    MUMBAI: It is with great excitement that Fossil brand announces its fourth generation of smartwatches under its Fossil Q line.  With several new technology features, this new line provides consumers with the tech functionality they have been asking for in beautiful designs and styles they have come to expect from Fossil. With a robust list of new features, it is the brand’s intent to provide customers with one all-inclusive device—both in function and design.

    As one of the first fashion brands to introduce this level of technology to their collection, Fossil shows consumers you don’t have to sacrifice fashion for function. Powered with Wear OS by Google and the Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 2100 Platform, the new devices offer enhancements to every facet of the day, with hardware including Heart-Rate Tracking, NFC, Untethered GPS and Swimproof Functionality. Thanks to optimized charge time, users can now charge their device within an hour to last all day.

    Fossil entered the smartwatch market to fill the growing desire for tech that was beautifully designed and could be personalized. This new generation is no different: it is packed with the unique design traits allowing users to customize from strap to dial. There are 36+ exclusive dials, from fashion forward to novelty dials, and users can integrate an increasing number of third party apps to their device experience, as well as set social media photos as watch face backgrounds. Fossil is continuing to design smartwatches as only Fossil can, with a vintage-inspired approach to modern technology that lets customers find a watch that perfectly suits their authentic selves.

    “Since our entry to the smartwatch market, it has always been our first priority to be nimble and adapt quickly to innovations-both in technology and design’’ says Steve Evans, EVP of Fossil. “We know a lot of watch wearers have both a traditional watch and some kind of an activity tracker— by adding significant features in terms of technology, without compromising our design standards, this new generation of smartwatch will provide consumers with one device that fits all of their needs. Ensuring the best possible experience for our customers has always been important, which drove the innovation of this product; we cannot wait to see the consumer response around the globe.’’

    Called Fossil Q Venture HR and Fossil Q Explorist HR, these devices can transition through all parts of daily life thanks to added functionality packed into fashionable designs. This new generation of smartwatches ushers in a more holistic user experience from a Fossil smartwatch with key features and personalization options that consumers care about.

  • High mall rentals holding back toy sales in India: R Jeswant, Funskool

    High mall rentals holding back toy sales in India: R Jeswant, Funskool

    MUMBAI: The Indian toy market is currently estimated at Rs 3000 crore at retail, which makes it only around 0.5 per cent of the world toy market. It is however expected to be one of the fastest growing markets over the next 10 years. Since the rate of growth is 15 per cent, the industry promises to rise rapidly, especially when there is an entry of popular games and characters at regular intervals, which in turn ensures that retailers do not miss on licensing the particular product.

    According to LIMA (International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association) Global Licensing Industry Survey, 2018, the market size is $271.6 billion with a 3.3 per cent growth since 2017, making it more competitive because of limited shelf space for toys, reasonable price range and a large number of retailers.

    Funskool is India’s largest domestic manufacturer of children’s’ toys that started operations in 1987. The company is a licensed distributor of famous international toy brands including Disney, Warner Bros, LeapFrog, LEGO, Rubik Cube, TOMY, Hasbro, Beyblade, Engino among others.

    Additionally, Funskool is focusing on expanding its footprint to tier 2 city to start own brand stores.

    Licensing also helps the toy business to grow, since consumers recognise toys based on fictional movie characters, TV shows and are sold easily. In addition, the company feels that brand licensing is a stable marketing endeavour in addition to its own home brands such as Giggles, Fun Dough, and Play & Learn, etc.

    Indiantelevision.com spoke to Funskool India SVP of sales and marketing R Jeswant about the toy industry in India, what’s holding it back and growth opportunities.

    We just got over summer time which is the peak season for your category. But since we are in the midst of the rainy season, are your toy sales hit during this season?
    Toy sales tend to peak during the summer vacations in April and May. The festival season from October to December is also a peak selling period for toys. December is probably the biggest month for toy sales. The winter vacation along with Christmas and New Year fuels demand for toys. Rains impact the category as much as other discretionary categories on a typical rainy day but over the full rainy season, the impact is not very significant.

    What has been your year-on-year growth been in India?
    We have been growing steadily over the last five years and are quite happy with the way the business is moving currently.  Our company has been growing at a CAGR of 18-20 per cent over the last few years.

    What was the revenue from 2017 and what is your expectation from this fiscal year?
    We closed the financial year 2017-18 with a turnover around Rs 240 crore and are optimistic about this year as well. Although we can’t really project the number that we will close at, it will definitely be better than the previous year’s closing.

    What’s your marketing strategy for Funskool products? How much do you invest on television?
    For products where the decision maker is a kid, we advertise on kids television channels including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Sonic, Disney among others. For our Infant & Pre School toy category, where the decision to buy is mostly taken by the mother, we advertise on general entertainment channels and on movie channels. We also advertise these products in women’s magazines. We have a network of Funskool retail stores and if we are advertising for these stores we use more of print advertising. Increasingly we are using the digital media and our spends in digital are seeing an increase every year.

    Do you conduct any on-ground activations in malls or in schools to connect with your target consumer, i.e., kids?
    We conduct several events and competitions in malls and also in individual retail points. With our on ground activations, we encourage children to try out our games and puzzles. We also work with teachers and students in schools for products like Fundough that helps in the development of children and are educational in nature.

    What’s your organisational structure like? How many manufacturing units do you have and expansion plans?
    We have two manufacturing units in Goa and Ranipet and a third unit will come up soon in Ranipet. We have six regional offices and 85 members in our sales and marketing team. So, it is a pretty huge team.

    What’s your distribution strength and how do you plan on penetrating in rural India?
    Our distribution network is our biggest strength with 16 warehouses across the country and a network of over 5000 retail points. We think the next wave of revenue will come from tier 2 towns. To strengthen the distribution in smaller segments, we are in the process of expanding to more small towns.

    What is your plan for the retail expansion?
    We are always looking at expanding our Funskool Stores network. Currently, we have 16 stores and we are planning to double the store count over the next two years.

    With growing popularity of digital, games on mobile and internet, do you think physical toys, puzzles and games are still relevant to the new generation of kids?
    The Indian toy market is very small for toys as of now and is estimated to be no more than 0.5 per cent of the world toy market. The market will surely grow at a double digit CAGR for at least the next 10 years. Digital gaming has surely caught the imagination of children but considering that the market is so small, we expect the future of the Indian toy industry to be very bright in the medium term, even for traditional toys.

    Today, there are several international brands present in the market. Do you see competition and challenge to create distinguished products?
    Almost all major toy brands are present in the Indian toy market today. All toy majors see India as the market for the future and are investing here. However, the very high mall rentals are a major factor for toy sales not growing faster. There is not enough shelf space for toys due to the category not delivering enough sales to justify the high rentals.

    Do you see this changing with young parents increasingly understanding the importance of educational toys and puzzles for the physical and mental growth of their child?
    Over the next few years, we can expect the toy industry to really blossom. More awareness among young parents about toys being important for the development of children and increasing purchasing power coupled with the availability of all the leading brands of toys will result in exponential growth of the toy market over the next few years.

  • MG Motor India & The Better India celebrate Dr. Monisha Behal’s work in the North East with its #MGChangemakers initiative

    MG Motor India & The Better India celebrate Dr. Monisha Behal’s work in the North East with its #MGChangemakers initiative

    MUMBAI: MG Motor India, in collaboration with The Better India, has launched an initiative to highlight and recognize the extraordinary stories of 6 women changemakers who have driven a positive change in society.

    MG Motor India, with its emphasis on embracing diversity, has also found synergistic support from UN Women India MCO, which has been championing gender equality across the Subcontinent.

    The latest #MGChangemakers story highlights the brilliant initiatives and the work that women’s rights activist and founder of the North East Network (NEN), Monisha Behal, has been doing in the region. Monisha has been planting the seeds of socioeconomic and environmental reform in Chizami, a small village in Nagaland’s Phek district, since the mid-1990s. With the aim of improving women’s health standards in the state, she set up the NEN which has created a unique development model in the region.

    The NEN also started skill enhancement programmes such as bamboo craft, food processing, organic farming, rooftop water harvesting and low-cost sanitation, besides organising discourses on topics like governance, women empowerment and human rights issues in Chizami. Taking the spirit of women empowerment further, Behal flagged off Chizami Weaves, a decentralised livelihood project to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the marginalized women in the district as well as to preserve the unique textile tradition of Nagaland. Starting with seven weavers, Chizami Weaves today has a strong network of more than 300 women in Chizami and 10 other villages in Phek district.

    Rajeev Chaba, President – MG Motor India, said, “MG Motor has been built on the strong foundations of cultural diversity. It is to reinforce this vision that we are highlighting and recognizing 6 women catalysts of change through the #MGChangemakers campaign. Monisha Behal has made a significant contribution towards the upliftment of communities, inspiring and motivating several others to drive a positive change within society. We salute her resilience and spirit, and laud her commitment to championing the rights of those who find themselves at the margins.”

    Dhimant Parekh, Founder-CEO – The Better India, added, “The Better India has always highlighted the stories of individuals who have made a positive impact on the lives of others. We are delighted to partner with MG Motor for the #MGChangemakers initiative and showcase remarkable stories of people such as Monisha Behal. Thanks to her, today, Chizami is at the forefront of championing women’s rights, supporting sustainable livelihoods and restoring traditional food systems and agricultural practices in Nagaland. She has played a vital role in enhancing the way of life of many women in the North East and we are proud to showcase her tenacity and spirit through this campaign.”  

    Extending support to the campaign, Nishtha Satyam, Deputy Representative, UN Women India MCO, added, “UN Women is committed to the cause of gender parity and dignity for every human being. Monisha Behal has done extraordinary service to the people of Chizami and has actually helped many women find their voice in their homes and communities through the initiatives of the NEN. We are pleased to be a part of the commendable #MGChangemakers initiative, which seeks to drive conversations about respect and inclusion for all and celebrates the work of people such as Monisha.”

    Speaking on her involvement in the #MGChangemakers campaign, Monisha Behal said, “It is indeed a laudable campaign by The Better India and MG Motor India that brings the fire to the stories of transformation of the entire communities such as, the kind that North East rural women have gone through. North East Network seems to have become the beacon of development and change in the region and I am so grateful to the #MGChangemakers to recognise the work we have done and turned the spotlight on it to inspire others..”

    The first #MGChangemakers story featured transgender activist Kalki Subramaniam the second one celebrated the work of Chetna Sinha, who has made massive headway in financially empowering rural women in India. The third story focussed on the work of Padma Shri awardee Sudha Varghese who has shown tireless dedication to the cause of the Mahadalit community of Musahars in Bihar. 

    The stories of the other two changemakers under the #MGChangemakers initiative will be launched at an interval of 7 to 10 days and will be supported by strong traditional and digital promotion to further enhance the reach of their message. The video-based stories of these praise-worthy women will also be shared by UN Women India MCO on its social media handles to further amplify awareness.

    The campaign will conclude with an on-ground event featuring all 6 changemakers, as well as prominent celebrity-activists, media, and prominent organisations focusing on women empowerment and equality.

  • Legrand’s ‘Good Vibes’ to target millennials consumers through original web series content

    Legrand’s ‘Good Vibes’ to target millennials consumers through original web series content

    MUMBAI: Legrand India, a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructure is all set to launch their first self-produced web series-The Good Vibes. Starring the famous web series couple Naveen Kasturia and Maanvi Gagroo as Lakshya and Jonita, the series bring this young and much-loved couple together, after a gap of three years.   The company just launched the trailer today and will premiere the first episode on August 8th (Wednesday) on Sony Liv and YouTube.

    Legrand India has beautifully conveyed the message of how positive vibes play a very important role in every individual’s lives and can make or break relationships. The company through this web series plan to reach out to its customer directly and increase brand resonance.

    The fast paced, modern web series encapsulates the life of this young couple. The story begins when we see the most talked about couple on the verge of not talking to each other. It has been eleven months to their marriage and now the biggest issue of debate is whether they would even survive their first anniversary. While parents and friends send in suggestions for the anniversary party, the couple sit to sort out their personal and home problems. Admist all this development is the subtle theme of energy with equipment’s malfunctioning, blown fuse, unreliable electrical circuits which add to the conundrum of the couple.

    Mr. Sameer Saxena, Director -Marketing, Legrand India, “Legrand supplies the essential fuels of daily life- power and data, thereby enabling uninterrupted living. This belief of uniteruppted living is just not limited to a market or a product, but also with daily lives of its consumers. Every relationship in your life is about getting the right vibe. A vibe is invisible but omnipresent. Good vibes improve things. In this series, the vibes of the house and the vibes between the couple become one.” He further added, “Video content is at the forefront of digital marketing today. Legrand as a company through this web series would like to take one step further into the digital ecosystem and engage our modern-day consumer into a meaningful dialogue. The younger  India  is  adopting  smarter ways  of  living  and  creating their  spaces-  be  it  in  their

    connected homes or relationships. At Legrand we are happy to be part of this modern environment though our products and we thought web series is effective medium to showcase this to the young and technology loving India.”

    Mr. Sizil Srivastava , Director of The Good Vibes said, “Every generation faces their own set of problems, and a lot of them revolve around trying to break out of stereotypes set by the world around them. When someone attempts to do something out of the ordinary, the society at large  tells  him  to  fall  in  line  because  “Log  kya  kahenge?”  The  Good  Vibes  portrays  and questions these beliefs by giving us a glimpse into the life of an unusual working-class couple that supports one other and braves these rules with ease, until societal norms complicate their lives. Thus, it was imperative that we keep the storytelling simple and light, performances natural and effective and convey big messages with the quietest gestures. It’s an emotional yet fun ride that people of all ages can relate to.”

    Legrand  which  has  strong  recall  in  the  business  space  has  been  steadily  building  direct consumer  connect  through  its  various  campaigns  over  the  last  few  years.  The  company launched  their  consumer  experience  centre Innoval  in  Mumbai,  Ahmedabad and  Lucknow earlier  this  year  and  has  been  creating  a  digital  footprint  through  its  yearly  campaign
    #ComeHomeToCelebrations.

    The Good Vibes is available for its viewers on Sony LIV and the Legrand India YouTube channel from 8th August. The series is produced by Bohemian Films and directed by Sizil Srivastava.

  • Google most influential brand: Ipsos study

    Google most influential brand: Ipsos study

    MUMBAI: Ipsos, an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals, has released a study on Most Influential Brands (MIB) in India. Affluent Indians have chosen their winners. Google has emerged as the MIB of circa 2017.

    Technology and e-tailing brands have taken up other places in the top five positions, as per Ipsos study. Amazon is at the number two spot, followed by the mobile service provider Jio at the third spot, social engagement site Facebook is ranked fourth, followed by e-marketplace Flipkart, at the fifth position.  

    Ipsos executive director brand health tracking Jyoti Malladi said, “Influential brands provide a sense of purpose by reflecting our personal values. They are an extension of us. They help consumers engage with them long after the purchase. Further, consumers make deep emotional connections with these brands as they are surrounded by them for the most part, occupying a meaningful place in their lives.”

    Barring one FMCG player, the rest are all technology and telecom brands – Samsung (ranked sixth), Patanjali (ranked seventh), Microsoft (ranked eighth), iPhone (ranked ninth) and Apple (ranked tenth).

    The MIB study ranks 100 brands across categories, shortlisted as per advertising spends. The key parameters of evaluation were – trustworthy, engagement, leading edge, corporate citizenship and presence.

    The study was conducted online, among 1000 nationally representative affluent audiences from the top metros.

  • Livon’s digital play to connect with today’s consumers

    Livon’s digital play to connect with today’s consumers

    MUMBAI: Indian consumer goods company Marico has its consumers spread across the country and a majority of them come from the smaller section of society. The homegrown company has a wide portfolio of products including Set Wet Gel, Parachute coconut oil, Nihar oil, Saffola and Livon.

    It was at the recently concluded The Advertising Club’s maiden edition of D-CODE where Marico CMO Anuradha Aggarwal gave insights about how important digital is for brands in general and how it helped in shaping Marico’s communication. She listed out three key tips to crack the digital code. 

    She said that anybody who claims they know digital, is kidding themselves and you! “We as an industry haven’t been able to crack the digital code yet and are still trying to understand it and learn as we go about it as the digital ecosystem is changing every minute.”

    Marico is a small brand, as compared to the Amazon and Netflix of the world, which sells parachute oil, Nihar oil in the deep rural pockets of India. Aggarwal said that while everyone is busy watching Amazon or on Facebook, Marico is trying to sell products to15-year-old girls and 50-year-old women sitting in deep rural pockets of India.

    While the brand is relatively small and its core consumers aren’t digital rich, how do they connect with them on digital is a hefty challenge for Marico. We are in a digital world where brands are trying to seek attention from the consumers. They are on an endeavour to seek out the truth in this hyper-complex digital world.

    Every marketer around the globe swears by the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) model and has probably learnt it in the marketing school. AIDA is an advertising effect model that describes the effect of advertising media. The sales process should be sustainably optimised on the basis of this model. Aggarwal, however, believes that the traditional model of AIDA isn’t applicable anymore. The purchase journey doesn’t start with awareness about the product; it may start with a desire or interest.

    Her first key tip to crack the digital code is to seed your brand idea in the mind of the consumers. Korean pop inspired Marico to implement the same strategy for one of its brands-Livon in India. The brand didn’t have the money, scale and awareness and it was a strenuous task to get the word about the product on digital. “It’s a challenge for us to connect with the digital consumers when we don’t own the medium or are active on it,” she added. 

    The penetration in the serum category was static between 2006-2016 and there was no new entrant in the market. This was a huge opportunity for the brand to create awareness about its product. Her second tip is to be personal where brands need to do local targeting and create personalised ads. Can you imagine a consumer being excited about applying serum on their hair? The team didn’t know what this activation will generate.

    Taking a leap of faith, Marico conducted college activation for Livon across India to target the youth and young teenagers. They made 100 brand ambassadors across colleges in India and engaged real time in transforming their hair. The word of mouth helped Livon in marketing and shot up its sales in a month’s time. The third and most important of all is to just let go once you’ve executed the campaign and trust in your audience to come back to you.

    On a concluding note, Agarwal said that brands have to ditch the target audience and embrace the audience at large. Only then will they be able to tap a larger audience which will eventually lead to higher revenues and sales.