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Tag: Air asia

  • Tata launches super app Tata Neu; N Chandrasekaran says it’s ‘Neu day’

    Tata launches super app Tata Neu; N Chandrasekaran says it’s ‘Neu day’

    Mumbai: Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group has officially unveiled the Tata Neu super app in India. The app that attempts to take on the likes of Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, and all other super apps, offers an array of services including UPI payments, hotel/flight booking, shopping, to name a few, according to the company.

    Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran took to LinkedIn on Thursday to announce the much-anticipated launch.

    “Air Asia, BigBasket, Croma, IHCL, Qmin, Starbucks, Tata 1Mg, Tata CLiQ, Tata Play, Westside are some of the group’s services that are already present on the Tata Neu platform for Android as well as iOS users, while Vistara, Air India, Titan, Tanishq and Tata Motors will soon be added,” affirmed the Tata Sons chairman.

    Announcing the launch, N Chandrasekaran wrote: “It is a Neu day today! Tata Digital, the youngest member of the Tata family, brings you Tata Neu today. Tata Neu is an exciting platform that gathers all our brands into one powerful app. Combining our traditional consumer-first approach with the modern ethos of technology, it is an all-new way to discover the wonderful world of Tata.”

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6917795694938349568-_J4R?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

    “Our aim is to make the lives of Indian consumers simpler and easier. The power of choice, a seamless experience, and loyalty will be at the centre of Tata Neu, delivering a powerful One Tata experience,” he further shared.

    “As the Tata Neu app goes live today, it makes me proud to see so many of our trusted and loved brands Air Asia, BigBasket, Croma, IHCL, Qmin, Starbucks, Tata 1Mg, Tata CLiQ, Tata Play, Westside on the Tata Neu platform already, and Vistara, Air India, Titan, Tanishq, Tata Motors soon to join,” stated Chandrasekaran, while adding, “We look forward to learning continuously, to keep evolving, and meet the needs of our consumers.”

    A day prior, the brand built up the buzz about the app launch on its social media handles with a video and an accompanying caption that said: “This is the answer to the most asked question. We can’t wait for YOU to be a part of our family. Kuch dino mein nahi, ab bas kuch ghanto mein!”

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tataneu_tataneu-goinglivesoon-activity-6917454822623338496-JcUC?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

    Earlier today, Tata Neu posted the following update: “Watch out for Tata Neu during the match today!”

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tataneu_tataneu-staytuned-ipl2022-activity-6917780690503651328-mjne?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

    The Tata Neu app is now available for download on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

  • Rajinikanth, Kabali’s marketing overdrive

    Rajinikanth, Kabali’s marketing overdrive

    MUMBAI: Rajini Sir has proved lucky for them. Over the weekend, low cost carrier Air Asia announced the names of three fans who will be given a ticket each to fly to Bangkok and Kaula Lumpur and visit the location where Rajinikanth’s latest film Kabali has been shot. It also announced the names of 10 fans who came out tops in the Air Asia Kabali Video Contest thus winning first day first show tickets to the movie.

    The Air AsiaKabali Video Contest commenced last month and entrants had to film themselves mouthing Rajani’s dialogues from Neruppa Da and upload the videos. Kabali has Rajinikanth playing a underworld Don who fights for Tamils in Malaysia.

    However, the video contest was just one of the initiatives that Air Asia innovated along with Kabali producer-director Kalaipuli S Thanu’s V. Creations. The official airline association deal that the two signed has set a benchmark for film promotion and marketing in India – at least.

    For the last fortnight or so, Air Asia passengers between Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag and Kochi, have been greeted by a special aircraft as they have walked on to the tarmac. The plane has the salt and pepper haired Rajinikanth splattered all over the exterior of the aircraft.

    Come 22 July, the A-320 aircraft (which took about a month to design) will be flying exclusively between Bengaluru and Chennai. Passengers boarding the aircraft will be given Kabali memorabilia which includes T-Shirts and mugs, audio CDs and even tickets. They will also be able to munch a special Rajinikanth meal. Other merchandise that has been created to coincide with the film’s upcoming release includes: silver coins with the superstar’s image embossed on it and brought out by the Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group. A Kabali Rajinikanth doll has also been designed by the producer and is being sold at Rs 999.

    Air Asia, on its part, has disclosed that it will continue to fly the special Rajini aircraft much after the film’s release as a tribute to the thespian actor. The film features the veteran actor taking Air Asia flights on several occasions.

    Apart from Air Asia, Kabali’s producer V.Creations has snared tieups with Mondelez for chocolates, PVR Cinemas for multiplexes, Airtel for mobile, Muthoot FinCorp for finance, VS Hospitals for health, Amazon for merchandise, and Emami for healthcare products.

    The brand that Mondelez has chosen for the partnership is 5 Star. Special TVCs featuring the goofy brothers Ramesh and Suresh promoting Kabali have been created and have been running on social media and on television. Advertising panels on buses in Tamil Nadu touting the film with the tagline SuperStar ka 5 star and Superstar in 5 Star. Buses with LED panels screening Kabali trailers, teasers, songs have taken part in road shows covering colleges, schools and malls. The chocolate maker has also put out 18,000 cutouts promoting the film and 5 Star nationally in retail outlets and at the point of sale.

    Keychains, posters, T-shirts, mugs, posters, the Kabali Rajinikanth doll are to be sold on the ecommerce platform as part of its partnership with Amazon.

    Like other partners, the media partners agreed to extend the promotional period when the film release date was extended from 1 July to 15 July to 22 July.

    Apart from Rajinikanth, the film stars Attakathi Dinesh, John Vijay, Dhanika, Koshire, Roshan, Nassar and Winston Cho along with Radhika Apte. Helming it is the young but successful director P.A. Ranjith.

    Estimates are that the valuation of the various tieups that Kabali has managed is in the region of Rs 70-80 crore. The film’s makers are targeting a box office revenue of Rs 500 crore for the film which was made at a budget of around Rs 80 crore.

    It is slated to be released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Broadcast, audio, dubbing, digital and overseas rights sales had already netted close to Rs 150 crore for V. Creations. The Hindi version of the film is being distributed by FoxStar Studios India and is expected to debut1,000 screens nationally. In the US, distributor CineGalaxy has lined up a 400 cinema hall release. The sourthern market is expected to see a release in about 2,000 screens even as Kabali is released simultaneously in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

    Rajinikanth’s previous two films Lingaa and Kochadaiiyaan did not do as well as expected at the box office. And questions were being asked whether Thalaivar is a bankable star. If the push that has been being given to Kabali courtesy its marketing tieups gets the cash registers ringing, the critics and naysayers will have been silenced.

  • Rajinikanth, Kabali’s marketing overdrive

    Rajinikanth, Kabali’s marketing overdrive

    MUMBAI: Rajini Sir has proved lucky for them. Over the weekend, low cost carrier Air Asia announced the names of three fans who will be given a ticket each to fly to Bangkok and Kaula Lumpur and visit the location where Rajinikanth’s latest film Kabali has been shot. It also announced the names of 10 fans who came out tops in the Air Asia Kabali Video Contest thus winning first day first show tickets to the movie.

    The Air AsiaKabali Video Contest commenced last month and entrants had to film themselves mouthing Rajani’s dialogues from Neruppa Da and upload the videos. Kabali has Rajinikanth playing a underworld Don who fights for Tamils in Malaysia.

    However, the video contest was just one of the initiatives that Air Asia innovated along with Kabali producer-director Kalaipuli S Thanu’s V. Creations. The official airline association deal that the two signed has set a benchmark for film promotion and marketing in India – at least.

    For the last fortnight or so, Air Asia passengers between Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag and Kochi, have been greeted by a special aircraft as they have walked on to the tarmac. The plane has the salt and pepper haired Rajinikanth splattered all over the exterior of the aircraft.

    Come 22 July, the A-320 aircraft (which took about a month to design) will be flying exclusively between Bengaluru and Chennai. Passengers boarding the aircraft will be given Kabali memorabilia which includes T-Shirts and mugs, audio CDs and even tickets. They will also be able to munch a special Rajinikanth meal. Other merchandise that has been created to coincide with the film’s upcoming release includes: silver coins with the superstar’s image embossed on it and brought out by the Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group. A Kabali Rajinikanth doll has also been designed by the producer and is being sold at Rs 999.

    Air Asia, on its part, has disclosed that it will continue to fly the special Rajini aircraft much after the film’s release as a tribute to the thespian actor. The film features the veteran actor taking Air Asia flights on several occasions.

    Apart from Air Asia, Kabali’s producer V.Creations has snared tieups with Mondelez for chocolates, PVR Cinemas for multiplexes, Airtel for mobile, Muthoot FinCorp for finance, VS Hospitals for health, Amazon for merchandise, and Emami for healthcare products.

    The brand that Mondelez has chosen for the partnership is 5 Star. Special TVCs featuring the goofy brothers Ramesh and Suresh promoting Kabali have been created and have been running on social media and on television. Advertising panels on buses in Tamil Nadu touting the film with the tagline SuperStar ka 5 star and Superstar in 5 Star. Buses with LED panels screening Kabali trailers, teasers, songs have taken part in road shows covering colleges, schools and malls. The chocolate maker has also put out 18,000 cutouts promoting the film and 5 Star nationally in retail outlets and at the point of sale.

    Keychains, posters, T-shirts, mugs, posters, the Kabali Rajinikanth doll are to be sold on the ecommerce platform as part of its partnership with Amazon.

    Like other partners, the media partners agreed to extend the promotional period when the film release date was extended from 1 July to 15 July to 22 July.

    Apart from Rajinikanth, the film stars Attakathi Dinesh, John Vijay, Dhanika, Koshire, Roshan, Nassar and Winston Cho along with Radhika Apte. Helming it is the young but successful director P.A. Ranjith.

    Estimates are that the valuation of the various tieups that Kabali has managed is in the region of Rs 70-80 crore. The film’s makers are targeting a box office revenue of Rs 500 crore for the film which was made at a budget of around Rs 80 crore.

    It is slated to be released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Broadcast, audio, dubbing, digital and overseas rights sales had already netted close to Rs 150 crore for V. Creations. The Hindi version of the film is being distributed by FoxStar Studios India and is expected to debut1,000 screens nationally. In the US, distributor CineGalaxy has lined up a 400 cinema hall release. The sourthern market is expected to see a release in about 2,000 screens even as Kabali is released simultaneously in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

    Rajinikanth’s previous two films Lingaa and Kochadaiiyaan did not do as well as expected at the box office. And questions were being asked whether Thalaivar is a bankable star. If the push that has been being given to Kabali courtesy its marketing tieups gets the cash registers ringing, the critics and naysayers will have been silenced.

  • Air Asia touches 2.5 million guests

    Air Asia touches 2.5 million guests

    MUMBAI: With the sudden rise of various industries over the years, the priorities and sentiments of service centric companies have evolved. Keeping the customers as the cornerstone of the business, companies are out on a spree to attribute all their milestones to the customers by celebrating with them. As a part of the celebration, companies indulge in giving out discounts and exclusive offers encouraging the customers to support the brand.

    Low-cost carrier, AirAsia India had recently reached the milestone of flying 2.5 million guests on board.  To celebrate this benchmark, AirAsia left no stone unturned by creating a buzz through every form of media which included teaser campaigns that rolled out 4 days before the D-Day and hashtag campaigns (#AirAsiaAviator, #AirAsia2point5million) that had that secured its spot in the trending topics on Twitter. To keep the ball rolling, AirAsia also offered exclusive offers like discounts of upto 50% on return flights for a time slot of 50 hours. AirAsia had also planned a lot for its special activities for its2.5 millionth guest. The flight scheduled on 16th May, 2016 had welcomed its 2.5 millionth guest from Bengaluru to Delhi. The airline had well planned the guest’s journey from the ground to the skies. The other guests who boarded the flight were also showered with surprise gifts as a part of the celebration.

    Kindly let us know if you would be interested to know more insights about the campaign on flying 2.5 million passengers.

     

  • Air Asia touches 2.5 million guests

    Air Asia touches 2.5 million guests

    MUMBAI: With the sudden rise of various industries over the years, the priorities and sentiments of service centric companies have evolved. Keeping the customers as the cornerstone of the business, companies are out on a spree to attribute all their milestones to the customers by celebrating with them. As a part of the celebration, companies indulge in giving out discounts and exclusive offers encouraging the customers to support the brand.

    Low-cost carrier, AirAsia India had recently reached the milestone of flying 2.5 million guests on board.  To celebrate this benchmark, AirAsia left no stone unturned by creating a buzz through every form of media which included teaser campaigns that rolled out 4 days before the D-Day and hashtag campaigns (#AirAsiaAviator, #AirAsia2point5million) that had that secured its spot in the trending topics on Twitter. To keep the ball rolling, AirAsia also offered exclusive offers like discounts of upto 50% on return flights for a time slot of 50 hours. AirAsia had also planned a lot for its special activities for its2.5 millionth guest. The flight scheduled on 16th May, 2016 had welcomed its 2.5 millionth guest from Bengaluru to Delhi. The airline had well planned the guest’s journey from the ground to the skies. The other guests who boarded the flight were also showered with surprise gifts as a part of the celebration.

    Kindly let us know if you would be interested to know more insights about the campaign on flying 2.5 million passengers.

     

  • TOPSGRUP recognized as India’s Most Trusted Brand for 2015 in the Security Category

    TOPSGRUP recognized as India’s Most Trusted Brand for 2015 in the Security Category

    Mumbai – November 30, 2015: TOPSGRUP, India’s largest security group, received the unique recognition of being recognized as INDIA’S MOST TRUSTED BRAND for 2015 in the Security Category. The brand was selected amongst more than 2,000 short listed brands related to various categories based on a consumer survey conducted in India by Media Research Group (MRG), a company with close to 15 years’ experience in conducting exhaustive research of this nature.

     

    Being the 3rd such award for the company this year, the global security service provider has been recognized as INDIA’S NO. 1 BRAND IN THE SECURITY CATEGORY by the Indian Brand Leadership Awards in association with IBC Infomedia (International Brands Consultants). Furthermore, according to the BRAND TRUST REPORT INDIA, TOPSGRUP has significantly risen to 171th position from 800th position in 2014 across all segments and brands in India.

     

    Ramesh Iyer, Vice Chairman & CEO – India, TOPSGRUP said, “INDIA’S MOST TRUSTED BRAND Award is a true recognition of excellence and appreciation of our brand. As trust is the very basis of security solutions, all the three awards are a source of great pride to our firm. They reassure and show our dedication towards creating the most secure environment for our clients.”

     

    At the awards ceremony, organized by IBC Infomedia Corp, USA, TOPSGRUP proudly finds itself in the company of other leading and established brands like as Airtel, Samsung, Dabur, Air Asia, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Croma, Lodha and Aquaguard among others.

     

    The grand awards ceremony which felicitated and honoured more than 50 successful brands saw more than 200 delegates including CEOs, Managing Directors, Vice Presidents and Directors in attendance.

  • TOPSGRUP recognized as India’s Most Trusted Brand for 2015 in the Security Category

    TOPSGRUP recognized as India’s Most Trusted Brand for 2015 in the Security Category

    Mumbai – November 30, 2015: TOPSGRUP, India’s largest security group, received the unique recognition of being recognized as INDIA’S MOST TRUSTED BRAND for 2015 in the Security Category. The brand was selected amongst more than 2,000 short listed brands related to various categories based on a consumer survey conducted in India by Media Research Group (MRG), a company with close to 15 years’ experience in conducting exhaustive research of this nature.

     

    Being the 3rd such award for the company this year, the global security service provider has been recognized as INDIA’S NO. 1 BRAND IN THE SECURITY CATEGORY by the Indian Brand Leadership Awards in association with IBC Infomedia (International Brands Consultants). Furthermore, according to the BRAND TRUST REPORT INDIA, TOPSGRUP has significantly risen to 171th position from 800th position in 2014 across all segments and brands in India.

     

    Ramesh Iyer, Vice Chairman & CEO – India, TOPSGRUP said, “INDIA’S MOST TRUSTED BRAND Award is a true recognition of excellence and appreciation of our brand. As trust is the very basis of security solutions, all the three awards are a source of great pride to our firm. They reassure and show our dedication towards creating the most secure environment for our clients.”

     

    At the awards ceremony, organized by IBC Infomedia Corp, USA, TOPSGRUP proudly finds itself in the company of other leading and established brands like as Airtel, Samsung, Dabur, Air Asia, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Croma, Lodha and Aquaguard among others.

     

    The grand awards ceremony which felicitated and honoured more than 50 successful brands saw more than 200 delegates including CEOs, Managing Directors, Vice Presidents and Directors in attendance.

  • “Any model that guarantees 70% of your revenue is a great business to be in”: Fraser Castellino

    “Any model that guarantees 70% of your revenue is a great business to be in”: Fraser Castellino

    In April 2014 he was appointed as the COO of Kings XI Punjab, the team that sparkled on field during the seventh season of the Indian Premiere League (IPL). Fraser Castellino has over a decade of experience of working in the sports industry.  Besides leadership roles in IPL teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, he was also instrumental in setting up the Sahara Group’s polo and other non- cricketing ventures. Castellino is a marketing graduate from Mumbai and also holds a bachelor’s degree from St Xaviers College.

    Ahead of the upcoming Champions League Twenty2O, Indiantelevison.com’s Herman Gomes talks to him about the franchises plan ahead and the factors that have contributed to the team making a profit this season.

    Excerpts…

    It was one of the best seasons for Kings XI Punjab having reached the finals. What are your thoughts?

    Yes, you’re absolutely right. We went on to win 11 out of the 14 games in the home stretch which was great. I think what was most exciting for me was the fact that Kings XI Punjab this year, demonstrated a brand of cricket which people identified with. People actually wanted to come and watch us play the games, because they loved the entertainment factor around our team.

    There were teams, who set up scores of 200 but we chased those down. There were teams that put us in to bat first, we scored and defended it. When I spoke to some cricket experts, one of them mentioned to me that teams did not know what to do with Kings XI Punjab. Opposing captains didn’t know whether to put us to bat or whether to make us chase or what to do at all because we guys seemed to tackle anything that came our way. That was a great and pleasant feeling.

    It wasn’t also that we were going overboard with it, but it was great to know that so many people identified and wanted to watch Kings XI Punjab.

    Earlier this year, KPH Dream Cricket showed a profit of Rs 78 lakh before tax. So you have finally broken even and made a profit. What has been the winning combination for your team?

    Yes, we have made a profit this year. There were a couple of reasons that contributed to this. We made a lot of smart decisions about the way we spent money this year. One of the first things was with player costs. A lot of people don’t know this but 60 to 70 per cent of the cost is actually the player cost which is the amount of money you spend on buying the players.

    If one spends Rs 60 crore, that’s 70 per cent of the budget. I think Kings XI Punjab this year was very smart in purchasing players and thus saved money. But having said that, we still bought a great team.

    Secondly, our team performed well. When a team performs well, people want to buy the tickets and come to watch the matches.  In India, there is a typical problem. People want to come for the games but in exchange for a free ticket. But this time we had people who actually were willing to buy the tickets and come and watch because they were enthused about the kind of brand of cricket that we played.

    Then there was sponsorship money. When a team is doing well, it makes money because the structure of the sponsorship contract ensures that when a team moves into the playoffs, the sponsor pays bonuses.

    Then finally is the prize money you win. The winning team as well as the runner-up make very decent sum money which comes to the franchise.  These factors have contributed to our winning combination.

    How well is the team preparing ahead of the upcoming Champions League?
    The Champions League is a very clear tournament. We get a participation fee for qualifying and participating in the tournament. And we pay 10 per cent of the player cost for the team. So one is already in a very good position, since they are making some money even without doing anything. The rest is taken care by the organisers. The travel etc is all paid by the organisers so there is no cost to the franchise. The big upswing is winning the tournament because the prize money is half million dollars. So that is the target for us. So in terms of preparing, we are looking at the apple and saying let’s go and shoot it.

    Have you looked at new deals with sponsors?

    We have signed two new sponsors ahead of the upcoming Champions League which is Air Asia and HTC. There are also a couple of other brands that will be announced in a couple of days. It’s simple business actually. All brands want to associate with the winning combination and many do well and perform.

    How difficult is it for a franchise to get a sponsor on board?
    The IPL is a successful property. Brands, want to be associated with it. But there are only those limited number of teams. So I think as long as we see the IPL remaining prime, every team will receive sponsorship. The amount of sponsorship one earns will depend on how the team performs and the stars one has. We have done well this season and we hope to continue doing it.

    How much of your local revenue comes from sponsorships?

    Sponsorship would be about 60 per cent of our local revenue. The rest comes from gate revenues.

    How is the team now approaching licensing and merchandising and how important is it for you?

    Licensing and merchandising should be looked at a greater context. Licensing is still progressing but if one looks at merchandising and the amount that teams make from it, I think there is a lot of potential to grow further. For Kings XI Punjab there is great potential. The Punjabi fan base is large. Our catchment area is not just Punjab or Himachal but everywhere the Punjabi exists.  This can be UK, Toronto, Canada Dubai or Australia. Punjabis are everywhere and these are our fans. The answer to your question is if we can take our merchandising internationally, then I think we will have a different story to tell.

    How much amount do you allot to digital marketing to interact with fans?

    There is a small team that works on various programmes. We have interesting deals where we don’t spend much money on digital marketing.  We in fact make money from it. Digital is actually a revenue line.  It’s small right now but for every video we put on YouTube, we earn money from it. In digital marketing there is a way of earning money and that will be our focus growing forward.

    During the off season what are the various programmes the team engages with?

    During this time our team works on sponsors, ideation, planning, thinking about players. We have programmes to engage with our fans like the Kings XI Punjab Cup which is a local identifying talent tournament. It is played all across Punjab in cities like Jalandhar and Amritsar. We target players between the age group of 18 to 25 years. These are players who play for colleges, clubs and various tournaments.

    Do you think the BCCI should be working more closely with teams to make them more profitable?

    The BCCI has done what they had to do. They have sold the franchise and every owner has bought the teams. They haven’t changed the terms and we need to work within those frameworks we bought in 2008 to make money.  I think any business that guarantees you 70 per cent of your revenue is a great business to be in. A team owner may have a different view but I personally feel BCCI doesn’t have to do anything more.

  • Why unconventional advertising is on the rise

    Why unconventional advertising is on the rise

    MUMBAI: In May last year, what started as a wager between Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson and Air Asia owner Tony Fernandes, ended up with Branson serving drinks on an Air Asia flight, sporting lipstick and a red skirt.

     

    The British billionaire had laid a bet with Fernandes that if his Grand Prix team finished ahead of Fernandes’ team, Fernandes would work as a flight attendant on-board Virgin Atlantic and vice-versa. With the Virgin team losing, Branson had to fulfil his part of the deal.

     

    Not only did the stunt garner world-wide publicity, it helped raise over $300,000 for the charity, Starlight Foundation, supported by both Virgin Australia and Air Asia.

     

    In Germany, Big Pilot’s Watches were attached to the hanging straps of buses ferrying passengers between the airport and airplane to encourage them to try them on.

     

    Closer home, Jet Airways came up with a print ad seven years ago saying, “We’ve Changed”. No sooner, rival Kingfisher Airlines came up with an ad above the Jet one saying, “We made them change!”

     

    All instances go to show that marketers are increasingly adopting unconventional means of advertising. And why not, for given the plethora of options, consumers’ attention spans are only heading south. In such a scenario, advertisers are compelled to come up with ‘out-of-the-box’ ways to get their brands noticed.

     

    Newly-appointed regional head of Posterscope APAC, Haresh Nayak, puts it as: “The ultimate goal of the advertiser is to sell things, but the necessary preliminary goal is to get the attention of the public. Advertisers will go to great lengths to get this attention, as the pay-off for a truly successful advertising campaign can be enormous.”

     

    Of the many triggers for unconventional advertising, Madison Media Sigma COO Vanita Keswani enlists some. “The need to target a niche audience and to avoid spill-over from mass media. The need for a lead brand in a competitive category to add unconventional to conventional to beat the clutter. The need for a small brand which does not have adequate monies to compete in traditional media,” she says.

     

    Big Cinemas’ marketing and sales head Shirish Srivastava adds, “Advertisers and marketers have to use unconventional methods to target consumers at the opportune time and sell them the service at the Zero Moment of Truth. This is where non-traditional, out of the box, clutter-breaking ideas and media come into play. For instance, look at the way in-cinema advertising has evolved in the wake of a rise in multiplexes.”

     

    For example, the HDFC Life ad in cinemas a couple of years ago was played right after the national anthem and this helped the brand get the attention it wanted. Similarly, Piramal Healthcare’s ad for its iSure ovulation kit was plastered across doors, mirrors and hand dryers of washrooms at Big cinemas. This was followed by a feedback camp with two promoters stationed at cinema exits, gathering feedback from women about the activation.

     

    Says Amit Sinha of Piramal Healthcare, “Washroom advertising is effective as it gives you a one-on-one moment of impact for a range of products like i-Sure in the intimate space, while ensuring it is gender-targeted and thus very relevant. We are glad to have chosen BIG Cinemas as one of our media vehicles on this one, since the brand provided us a significant reach to connect with our customers, at the right time.”

     

    Unconventional advertising is often referred to as guerrilla marketing and consists of creative, low-cost marketing methods used by businesses to temporarily promote their products or services. According to Srivastava, “Brands need to search for these convenience factors, create communication, create POS and convenient touch-points to generate business. Like traditional paan shops which have now become mini convenience shops where so many more products are available.”

     

    Nayak recalls an innovation which encouraged immediate action on the part of consumers. The bespoke ad for Skoda Rapid, which was played in theatres, had a patron appear on the screen, take a test drive and return back to his/her seat to continue watching the movie. It created a lot of buzz on YouTube and facebook. HDFC Ergo did the same thing to promote car insurance through mobile.

     

    Sometimes, unconventional media channels are to be found within the traditional ones. For instance, HD and DTH on TV or catching consumers at relevant touch-points like out of home screens or multiplexes or activations or stunts.

     

    Coming to which is better, unconventional or traditional advertising? Media experts say that the biggest risk in unconventional advertising is that the insurgent stunts can flop and ultimately become a PR nightmare. However, smaller businesses don’t run as much risk as most people would just write it off as another failed stunt. There are other risks in unconventional advertising too like misrepresentation of brand image, vague communication creating false rumours about the brand and so on. As Keswani says: “There are risks of not having measurement metrics like traditional media, but then brands need to derive learnings through their own internal research and create measurement criteria for success.”