ITV

Category: Brands

  • PepsiCo vs MSM hearing postponed to 3 March

    PepsiCo vs MSM hearing postponed to 3 March

    MUMBAI: The hearing for the PepsiCo dispute with MSM Motion Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani-owned Pooja Pictures over the title of the film, Youngsitaan, has been postponed to 3 March.

     

    The matter was scheduled to be heard on 24 February in the court of Justice A K Pathak. But with Justice Pathak on leave, the matter has been pushed by a week.

     

    PepsiCo alleged that its registered trademark ‘Youngistaan’ has been violated by the co-producers of the film as they chose to go ahead with ‘Youngistaan’ as the film’s title.

     

    Singh&Singh, a law firm representing PepsiCo, last month sent a legal notice to the co-producers of the film against the use of the title.

     

    But the film that stars Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, Boman Irani and late Farooq Sheikh was announced on 6 February.

     

    Pepsi has pleaded for an order from the high court “restraining them (the co-producers of the film) from launching their movie under the impugned title ‘Youngistaan’ which is nothing but a blatant imitation of the plaintiff’s (Pepsi) registered trademark”.

  • HUL partners with Internet.org to understand increasing Internet adoption in rural India

    HUL partners with Internet.org to understand increasing Internet adoption in rural India

    MUMBAI: Today, Unilever announced a partnership with Internet.org, a Facebook-led alliance of partners, to understand better how internet access can be increased to reach millions more people across rural India.

     

    Just 13 per cent of the Indian population has internet access and as an initial step, Internet.org and Unilever will carry out a comprehensive study to examine the opportunities to increase internet adoption in rural communities. Apart from infrastructure and cost which are known barriers to connectivity, the partnership will carefully evaluate other educational and cultural factors that also limit internet use.

     

    The mission of Internet.org is to bring the benefits of internet access to all and by leveraging Unilever’s vast expertise on the ground via a comprehensive research and activation programme, the partnership aims to better understand the barriers to connectivity in rural communities. Unilever and Internet.org will leverage this research to inform the development of a series of on-the-ground projects with the aim of improving lives in rural India through better connectivity.

     

    Unilever has extensive experience developing and deploying programmes for rural consumers. For example, Lifebuoy, the world’s leading health soap, has been promoting handwashing awareness in rural India for several years and has successfully enabled women in remote communities to enhance their incomes through the Shakti project.

     

    Lowering the barriers to internet access requires a collaborative effort. Through this partnership, Unilever and Internet.org are pursuing the mission of bringing the benefits of internet access to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected.

     

    Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Unilever:

     

    “Access to the internet is improving in countries like India but there is still a very high proportion of people that would love the opportunity to connect and engage but who cannot enjoy what many of us take for granted. Having no internet access naturally removes all associated opportunities that it brings which, in turn, can be a barrier to learning and ultimately hinder economic development. Through our long history of serving the Indian market we bring an in-depth understanding of rural Indian communities. We hope, together with Internet.org, we can use this know-how to understand better how a vital modern resource can benefit many more millions.”

     

    Chris Weasler, Director of Global Connectivity, Facebook:

     

    “The internet not only connects us to our friends, families and communities, but it’s also the foundation of the global knowledge economy and a way to deliver basic financial services, health and educational tools. In partnership with Unilever, we hope to break down the barriers to access and, in turn, provide millions of people with the information that can help them, and their communities, thrive.”

  • FANTA brings its quintessential Play to Snack time

    FANTA brings its quintessential Play to Snack time

    MUMBAI: Snack time will never be the same again as India’s favorite orangey soft drink, Fanta, brings a playful proposition to snack times everywhere! In its latest communication campaign – “Snack-time Fanta-Time”, the brand adds a zing factor to snack time with “orangey Fanta time”, showing a group of youngsters enjoying a snack together with a bottle of the “orangey” drink. For the first time ever, the playful Fanta animation, characteristic of the brand’s advertising, has been produced in India with the introduction of a new Indian Fanta Character, the ‘Mom’.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Debabrata Mukherjee, VP – Marketing & Commercial at Coca-Cola India & SWA, said, “Snack times are moments full of play and fun energy that represent brand Fanta. Our global body of work on Fanta ‘Play’ has been appreciated world over and this year; we have taken the core proposition further by building in local consumer insights set in the Indian context. When you think of brand Fanta, the first thing that comes to mind is its great ‘Orange’ taste and with this campaign we are adding a little more fun and play to snack times with the invigorating Fanta spirit.”

     

    This year, the brand focuses on the fact that Fanta is the top most preferred and enjoyable beverage with snacks. The campaign brings alive the strong tingly craving that the consumers have for the orangey, bubbly taste of Fanta along with their special snack time of the day. The new campaign will reach out to the consumers through an array of touch points including television ads, outdoor, radio, activation and social media.

     

    The new campaign has been conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather led by Ajay Gahlot, Executive Creative Director; Shailendar Mahajan, Senior Creative Director and Riazat Khan, Creative Director and produced by Nomad Films (For Animation). The lyrics have been written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and music composed by Vijay Antony. With its upbeat and playful tempo, the jingle has been rendered into seven languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Punjabi, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati

     

    Storyboard of the Ad
     

    The visual story brings out how the taste of Fanta fuels the energy levels and brings in the element fun and play. The 3D animated film features the exuberant, bubbly characters sitting on dining table and looking bored. In comes, an Indian “Fanta Mom” character, and she opens a bottle of Fanta.  Suddenly the moment is transformed into a more playful zone. The mother herself initiates “Play” in her children’s lives by tossing a “murukku/chakli” across like a flying saucer. After that the commercial goes into a playful space with the Fanta animation characters (popularly known as the Fanta ‘Crew’) making each other giggle with playful goofiness. The commercial ends with everyone drinking Fanta at a much more playful and bonded table.

    Speaking about the campaign Ajay Gahlaut – Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather said, “Fanta is a brand that offers a lot of creative fulfillment. This time around, it was even more exciting. We got an opportunity to produce a TV commercial with the famous Fanta characters to suit Indian sensibilities. Overall, it was an amazing experience and a pleasure to produce the new Fanta ad. The creative manifestation is in perfect sync with the brand idea. Vijay Antony, known for the popular song Nakka Mukka, has composed the music for the Tamil as well the Hindi jingle. It is energetic & peppy like all the previous Fanta jingles. It will surely gain popularity”.

    Speaking about creating the Fanta animation in India for the first time, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Executive producer, Nomad Films said, “At Nomad, we have always been very proud of what we have done for Fanta. An animation script of Fanta is probably the highest point in the history of Nomad. Creating the Fanta animation in India for the first time along with the all new, Fanta ‘Mom’ character was a great creative experience and we are happy with the piece of work we have managed to put together”.
     

    The Fanta message for all moms is to create more Play at home and what better moment than ‘Snack Time, Fanta Time’

  • Mahindra Reva to launch digital & print campaign ‘Goodbye Fuel, Hello Electric’

    Mahindra Reva to launch digital & print campaign ‘Goodbye Fuel, Hello Electric’

    BENGALURU: Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles (Reva) will be launching a digital and print campaign ‘Goodbye Fuel, Hello Electric’ to drive home the message for a programme that enables an easy and simple ownership of its automatic electric car, the e2o. Since the company wants to target the major cities initially, radio campaigning is being mulled over as well, as in Bengaluru it has already used the medium.

     

    “Since there is very little time left in this fiscal, we have not yet allotted anything specific for the campaign during this financial year,” said Reva Chief Executive Officer Chetan Maini. “For this year, the budgets may not be substantial,” added Maini.

     

    Speaking at the launch of the programme in Bengaluru yesterday, Maini said, “Customers have greatly appreciated our automatic, connected and future ready e2o. Today by launching our ‘Goodbye Fuel, Hello Electric’ programme we have made it much more affordable to own an e2o. This first of its kind initiative, guarantees customers’ battery performance coupled with inflation proof running costs. We firmly believe this ownership experience will set a milestone in the way people perceive and own electric vehicles in the country.”

     

    Creative duties for the Reva are handled by Strawberry Frog.

  • CMJ Breweries launches authentic German beer brand ‘Kaltenberg’ in India

    CMJ Breweries launches authentic German beer brand ‘Kaltenberg’ in India

    MUMBAI: CMJ Breweries in association with Konig Ludwig International is introducing the authentic German beer “Kaltenberg” in India. As a part of the licensing agreement CMJ breweries Private Ltd. will manufacture and distribute the highly famous premium brand Pan India. The first beer to be launched through this association will be Kaltenberg Royal Lager and it will be followed by Kaltenberg Royal Strong in the next few months. The beer will be positioned higher than the other premium beer much lower than imported ones. The product will be available across 1,000 outlets over the next few months in Maharashtra, Goa, Daman, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

    Kaltenberg will be brewed at its state of art CMJ brewery in Meghalaya aptly known as Scotland of the east. Only those breweries are allowed to brew Kaltenberg beers which guarantee compliance of all Royal Bavarian brewing standards and specification and CMJ brewery is one of them. The fully automated green field brewery has been set up at Byrnihat with a cost of about Rs 125 crores. CMJ brewery has also set up  100 KLPD state of art grain based Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) Plant at Byrnihat with and investment  of Rs250 Crores. The ingredients for this beer come all the way from Germany and are produced as per German purity laws which are strictest all over the world.

    Commenting on the same Mr.Rohit Jain, Chairman, CMJ Breweries said that, “We are extremely delighted to introduce one of the World’s oldest beer brand to the beer connoisseurs in India. Brewed under the German Purity Law, this will be India’s first super premium beer available at half the price of an imported beer in India.  Through launch of this brand, we aim to capture about one-two per cent of the premium beer market in India in next 3-5 years.”

    Konig Ludwig International is controlled and managed by HRH Prinz Luitpold von Bayern. He is a member of the Royal family of Bavaria. All beers from Kaltenberg Castle are brewed under the strict quality control of HRH Prinz Luitpold von Bayern and his technical team as per the Bavarian Purity Law which has been issued by one of his ancestors in the year 1516.

    Their expertise in the brewing business can be traced back to 1260 making Kaltenberg, possibly, the oldest beer brand in the world. Over almost 800 centuries they have set such important milestones as the Purity Law of 1516, the wheat beer monopoly, the foundation of the Brewing University at Freising, the beer garden edict and the world famous Oktoberfest.

    The brand name Kaltenberg originates from its birth place in the Kaltenberg Castle, where beer has been brewed since 1871, and is still a Royal residence. It is the most sold international brand in the Royal Bavarian portfolio. This legacy is an integral element of Kaltenberg beers. The brewing know-how, quality and brand management have been developed and fine-tuned over the centuries. This quality performance is evidenced by regular success in international beer competitions and quality evaluations, such as the DLG, WBA and European Beer Star. Konig Ludwig International has license partners in over 10 markets. Where-ever the beers are locally produced, it has proven the capability to replicate world-wide the same high standard in quality, taste and brand positioning.

    CMJ Brewery had launched three of its own brands in north east in March 2013. The brands are manufactured under the German technical know-how from Konig Ludwig International. All the three brands namely Magpie Premium Lager Beer, Savage Super Strong Beer & Nutcracker Premium Strong Beer received an over whelming response from the consumers in the North East Region.

     

  • Mirinda renews endorsement contract with Asin

    Mirinda renews endorsement contract with Asin

    MUMBAI: Her perky persona in the Mirinda ad not just made the ad snazzy but Asin a face of the brand. Now, the actor, who has been endorsing Mirinda for over eight years, has been signed on to represent the soft drink brand for two more years. The deal was recently renewed as the gorgeous star is all set to take the brand’s notion of fun and pagalpanti to the next level.

     

    This deal would make this a 10-year association of the soft drink brand and Asin, something that no actor has managed to achieve this far in the soft drink section.

     

    A source from the brand comments: “Mirinda has extended its association with Asin with a renewal of contract which speaks highly of the kind of professional she is. No other artist has been a brand ambassador for any brand for such a long period of time. The landmark 10 years is an exemplary reestablishment of the kind of brand value Asin has brought to Mirinda.”

     

    Asin commented: “It is always great to be part of such fun-filled campaigns by Mirinda.. I’m sure the viewers will love this fresh dose of absolute fun and pagalpanti.”

  • Jyothy Labs Q3 ad spend up 25%, promo spends triple; PAT up 63%

    Jyothy Labs Q3 ad spend up 25%, promo spends triple; PAT up 63%

    BENGALURU: FMCG company Jyothy Laboratories Limited (Jyothy Labs) has reported a 63.1 per cent rise in its net profit in the quarter ended 31 December, 2013 to Rs 27.38 crore from Rs 16.79 crore a year ago.

     

    The company spent Rs.15.04 crore on advertising in the third quarter, up 25.2 per cent from a year ago. Its expenditure on promotions in the third quarter tripled to Rs 12.04 crore from Rs 4 crore a year ago. Jyothy Labs’ combined advertising and promotional expenses in the third quarter rose 71.6 per cent to Rs 27.48 crore from Rs 16.01 crore a year ago.

     

    Jyothy Labs’ product portfolio includes household brands led by its flagship fabric whitening brand Ujala, Henko, Mr. White, Chek, Exo, Pril, Margo, Fa, Neem and Maxo.

     

    Jyothy Labs’ net profit in the third quarter was 31.2 per cent more than Rs 20.87 crore a quarter ago. In the nine months ended 31 December, 2013, the company’s net profit more than doubled to Rs 76.95 crore from Rs 32.22 crore a year ago.

     

    The company’s advertising spend in the third quarter was 24.6 per cent lower than Rs 19.96 crore a quarter ago, while in the first nine months of 2013-14 it rose 49.2 per cent  Rs 64.54 crore from Rs 42.35 crore a year ago.

     

    The company reported a 27.8 per cent increase in operating revenue to Rs 296.99 crore in the third quarter from Rs 234.21 crore a year ago, but was 3.75 per cent lower than Rs 308.55 crore a quarter ago.

     

    Total expense during Q3-2014 26.8 per cent up to Rs.270.60 crores from Rs.213.47 crores in Q3-2013, but was down (3.9) per cent from Rs.281.51 crores in the previous quarter. Over the nine month period of the current year, Total expense during the nine month period of this year grew 19.6 per cent to Rs.839.29 crores from Rs.701.91 crores in the corresponding period of the previous year. For FY 2013, Jyothy Labs reported Total expense at Rs.956.64 crores.

     

    Let us look at Jyothy Labs reported Ad and Promo spends during Q3-2014 as percentages of Operating Income and Total expense:

     

    Ad spend for Q3-2014 of Rs.15.04 crores mentioned above was 5.06 per cent of Operating Income and 5.56 of Total expense for the period. Rs.12.01 crores for Q3-2013 mentioned above was 5.13 of Operating Income and 5.63 of Total expense for the period.  Q2-2014 ad spend of Rs.19.96 crores was 6.46 per cent of Operating Income and 7.09 per cent of Total expense for the period.

     

    The company’s YTD AD spend for the current period of Rs.64.54 crores was 6.98 per cent of Operating income and 7.69 per cent of Total sales as compared to the Rs. 43.25 crores (5.80 per cent of Operating Income and 6.16per cent of Total sales for the period) during the corresponding period of last year.

     

    Jyothy Lab’s Q3-2014 promo spend of Rs.12.44 crores was 4.19 per cent of Operating Income and  4.6 per cent of Total expense. Its Q3-2013 Promo spend of Rs.4 crores was 1.71 per cent of 9Operating Income and 1.87 per cent of Total expense for the period. The company’s Q2-2014 Promo spend of Rs.9.64 crores was 3.12 per cent of Operating Income and 3.42 per cent of Total expense.

     

    The YTD Promo spend of Rs. 31.22 crores for the current period 3.37 per cent of Operating Income and 3.72 per cent of Total expense for the period as compared to the Rs.18.33 cores (2.46 per cent of Operating Income and 2.61 per cent of Total expense) during the corresponding nine month period of last year.

     

    Combined Ad & Promo spend for Q3-2014 of Rs.27.48 crores was 9.25 per cent of Operating Income and 10.16 per cent of Total expense. For Q3-2013, the Rs.16.01 crores was 6.84 per cent of Operating Income and 7.5 per cent of Total expense. For Q2-2014, the combined figure at Rs.29.6 crores was 9.59 per cent of Total Income and 10.51 per cent of Total expense. The YTD figure of Rs.95.76 crores was 10.35 per cent of Operating Income for the period ended December 31, 2013 as compared to the Rs.61.58 crores (8.26 per cent of Operating Revenue and 8.77 per cent of Total expense) during the corresponding nine month period of last fiscal.

     

    Segmental Performance (Q3FY14 v/s Q3FY13) as reported by the company:

     

    Revenues from soaps and detergent business, which includes brands like Ujala, Henko, Exo, Pril, Margo, Mr. White, stood at Rs. 240.4 crore during the quarter compared to Rs. 187.2 crore in December 31st, 2012; up by 28.4 per cent. Ujala fabric whitener continues to be the market leader with a market share of 72.5 per cent by value claims the company.

     

    Home Care, which includes mosquito repellant Maxo and Exo scrubber, saw revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2013 at Rs. 56.4 crore up 25.9 per cent as against Rs. 44.8 crore during the same period last year.

     

    Others businesses, which include brands like Fa and Neem, saw revenue increase of 78.1 per cent at Rs. 3.9 crore against Rs. 2.2 crore on December 31st, 2013.

     

    Commenting on the company’s results, Jyothy Labs Chairman and Managing Director  M P Ramachandran said, “We have continued to witness a steady growth in sales in spite of the weak consumer sentiment in the last several quarters. Increase in geographic footprint of our seven power brands has helped us grow at a fast pace. We have strategically concentrated on investing in our brands through advertising campaigns and brand extensions which are paying off well .”

     

    “Jyothy is also concentrating on increasing its product portfolio. The funds raised via preferential allotment was utilized to repay debt and the balance will further be utilized for organic and inorganic growth of the company. We expect the growth momentum to continue translating to healthy volumes and profitability growth for the financial year ,” he further added.

     

    Click here for full report

  • Amway India Appoints Sundip Shah as Chief Marketing Officer

    Amway India Appoints Sundip Shah as Chief Marketing Officer

    MUMBAI: Amway India Enterprises Pvt Ltd, India’s largest selling FMCG Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Amway Corporation, USA, has appointed Sundip Shah as Chief Marketing officer, Amway India. Mr. Shah takes over the responsibility from Naveen Anand who has been promoted to a new global role at Amway Corporations, headquarters, Michigan. In his new role, Mr. Shah will be responsible for managing the overall marketing operations. He will be based in Amway India’s corporate headquarters in Gurgaon (NCR).

     Mr. Shah brings with him a rich experience of over 23 years in diverse fields including sales, marketing, advertising and new product development. Mr. Shah is well respected for his extensive skills and knowledge across various management functions. Prior to joining Amway, he worked with Heinz India Private Limited where he was heading marketing and played an instrumental role in driving business growth.

    Congratulating Mr. Shah on his appointment, Mr. William S. Pinckney, Managing Director & CEO, Amway India said, “The success of a company often rests on a solid reputation and it is the marketing function that helps build this reputation. Sundip Shah is an accomplished manager, communicator and marketing specialist with a proven track record of enhancing the company’s performance. He has worked on a number of strategies that have helped drive growth. It is his desire to excel and his commitment towards work that has helped him achieve professional accomplishments.”

     Mr. Shah is an Engineering Graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and a Post Graduate from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad. His other interests include movies, bridge, table tennis and swimming.

     

  • Dabur India Q3 PAT up 15% at Rs 242.88 cr; ad spend up 23.22% at Rs 289.62 cr

    Dabur India Q3 PAT up 15% at Rs 242.88 cr; ad spend up 23.22% at Rs 289.62 cr

    BENGALURU: One of India’s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies, Dabur India Limited (Dabur) reported a 28.80 per cent jump in year-to-date (YTD) profit to Rs 678.63 crore as compared to the Rs 527.87 crore in the corresponding nine month period of last year. Advertising and Publicity expense during the current nine month period at Rs 779.21 crore was 19.6 per cent more than the Rs 645.06 crore in the corresponding period of FY-2013.

     

    PAT for Q3-2014 at Rs 242.88 crore was 15 per cent more than the Rs 211.11 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year, but was (2.75) per cent lower than the Rs 249.74 crore of the immediate trailing quarter. During FY 2013, Dabur reported PAT of Rs 763.42 crore.

     

    Dabur reported operating revenue of Rs 904.28 crore in Q3-2014, 16.8 per cent more than the Rs 1670.32 crore of Q3-2013 and 8.9 per cent more than the Rs 1748.81 crore of Q2-2014. During the nine month period that ended 31 December, 2013 Dabur reported operating revenue of Rs 5304.19 crore which was 14.9 per cent more than the Rs 4615.29 crore of the corresponding period of last year.  Operating revenue for FY 2013 was Rs 6146.38 crore.

     

    Dabur reported Total expense for Q3-2014 at Rs 1637.26 crore which was 17.2 per cent more than the Rs 1397.28 crore in Q3-2013 and 13 per cent more than the Rs 1448.56 crore of Q2-2014. YTD, Dabur’s Total expense at Rs 4530.18 crore was 14.25 per cent more than the Rs 3965.12 crore of the corresponding nine month period of 2013. For FY 2013, Dabur’s Total expense was Rs 5266.06 crore.

     

    Let us look at Dabur’s Advertisement and Publicity spends as percentage of Operating revenue and Total expense reported in Q3-2014:

     

    In Q3-2014, Dabur spent Rs 289.62 crore towards Advertisement and Publicity (Ad & Pub) which was 15.21 per cent of Operating Revenue and 17.69 per cent of Total expense for the period. This Q3-2013 figure was 23.22 per cent more than the Rs 235.05 crore in Q3-2014. Its Q3-2013 Ad & Pub spend was 14.41 per cent of Operating revenue and 16.82 per cent of Total expense for the period.

     

    Dabur’s q-o-q Ad & Pub spend figure of Rs 289.62 crore for Q3-2014 was 27.33 per cent more than Rs 227.45 crore of Q2-2014. The Q2-2014 figure was 13 per cent of Operating revenue and 15.7 per cent of Total expense.

     

    The nine month period figure mentioned above as percentages of operating revenue and total expense are as follows:  YTD, Ad and Pub spend was 14.54 per cent of operating revenue and 17.03 per cent of total expense for the period as compared to the 13.98 per cent of operating revenue and 16.27 per cent of total expense of the nine month period that ended 31 December, 2013.

     

    For FY 2013, Dabur’s Ad and Pub spend at Rs 836.98 crore was 13.62 per cent of operating revenue and 15.89 per cent of total expense for the year.

     

    Category Growths as reported by the Company for Q3-2014

     

    The Health Supplements business for Dabur was a key driver of growth during the quarter, reporting a strong 19.5 per cent surge. The air freshener business for Dabur, under the brand Odonil, continued to surge ahead with an over 27 per cent growth during the quarter. Dabur’s food business also reported a robust near 18 per cent growth. Its shampoo business ended the third quarter of 2013-14 fiscal with a strong 24.7 per cent growth. The toothpaste business grew by over 14 per cent while the skin care category reported an over 13 per cent growth during the quarter.

     

    “We have delivered another quarter of strong volume-led growth. Dabur has been reporting strong and consistent performance despite intensifying competitive pressures and the challenging market environment being witnessed for some quarters now. Our focus on brand-building and market expansion programs coupled with a greater degree of innovation has helped Dabur sustain strong growth in the core categories, which have been significantly ahead of the market. Going forward, our focus will be on pursuing an aggressive and profitable growth strategy,” Dabur CEO Sunil Duggal said.

     

    The quarter saw Dabur introduce a host of new products and variants, including the new Fem Fairness Naturals facial bleach range and Vatika Hibiscus hair care range.

  • Life in the digital era: food, shelter, clothing and Internet

    Life in the digital era: food, shelter, clothing and Internet

    MUMBAI: As the lines blur between the real and virtual, many brands are making an effort to create a virtually real world to reach out to the audiences/consumers. Especially, when technology allows them a two-way communication with their target audience unlike before when they were left doing only the talking.

     

    Not only do consumers respond in real time on the digital platform, it is a faster, more measurable and result-driven medium that helps brands understand their user base, increase revenue and reward loyalty.

     

    Says Priti Nair of Curry Nation: “A good digital campaign can reach out far and wide as compared to any other medium and that too at a throwaway price. Also, the longevity of a good campaign is far more on the digital platform than any other medium. All these make digital a medium worth checking out.”

     

    Recently, the agency created a digital campaign for Nirlep – Khaate peete desh ka rakhwala – which revolves round Indians’ love for food, sending out a tongue-in-cheek message that healthy eating is still possible with Nirlep non-stick cookware.

     

     “The best part about a viral video is it gives you a lot of space to play around. Interesting characters, situations can be explored. Using the slogan of ‘Yes We can’ with food was both, entertaining enough as well as informative,” says Nair about the campaign.

     

    Says NeoNiche Integrated Solutions MD and CEO Prateek N Kumar: “With digital and technology, the sky’s the limit. If you can dream it, you can build around platforms to really make those elements come to life in real time. A well thought of digital plan also has the capacity of creating WOM and going viral, the ROI is literally exponential compared to traditional media.”

     

    While digital and social media is constantly evolving and is still uncharted territory for most marketers, the basic principles of communication remain the same: Who are you trying to reach, where are they and what excites them?

     

    Not so long ago, FoxyMoron launched a digital campaign – No Pimples, No Marks – for Garnier Pure Active. A fun take on popular movies, posters were released titled Rowdy Pimple, The Dirty Pimple, Pimple Tum Kab Jaaogey and I Hate Pimple Storys which conveyed how pimples haven’t spared Bollywood either.

     

    FoxyMoron co-founder and online strategist Harshil Karia believes one should use a medium which requires you to ‘only’ spend to achieve success. “This is a slightly touchy topic as social media increasingly spawns ideas from scaling organically. For instance, on YouTube, the organic percentage of video views or on Facebook, the organic percentage of fans has considerably reduced. Since both these are dominant mediums, it’s a challenge but try to find holes within the mediums where organic percentages are high and capitalize on them. For example, on Facebook, there was a time when video organic views were extremely high because Facebook was pushing a video agenda. Similarly, as Google pushes a social agenda, its propensity to help brands scale organically will be higher,” he explains.

     

    The brand must know its audience even better than itself. Otherwise, whatever be the strategy, it will never be seen or heard by the right people who matter.

     

    Karia gives the example of HUL’s Lifebuoy campaign, ‘Help a child reach 5’, which tells the story of how a father celebrates his son completing five years of age and has a heart-warming and thought-provoking concept at its core. The YouTube video went viral and garnered over 10 million views.

     

    Digital gurus believe that in the era of smart devices and social handles, the basic necessities of mankind have changed from “Food, Shelter and Clothing” to “Food, Shelter, Clothing and Internet”. With brands latching onto this trend, it will only help them garner user intelligence in real time – something the traditional marketing mix can’t help them achieve.