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  • Titan Raga ropes in Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador

    Titan Raga ropes in Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Titan Raga has signed Alia Bhatt as its new ambassador. The onboarding of the vibrant actress also marks the launch of the brand’s new TVC campaign ‘Boldly Beautiful’. Conceptualized by Ogilvy, the new TVC campaign is an ode to young Indian women who aspire to break the societal barriers of inhibitions around self-expression and desires.

    Raga by Titan, known for its contemporary conversations around gender, celebrates women who embrace their authentic bold self-expression in the new film. With Alia in her naturally vibrant and feisty spirit, the film normalizes spontaneity in typical familial conversations. 

    The newly-wedded actor is seen as a bride-to-be who is expressing herself uninhibitedly in tune with her raga amidst a typical wedding set-up. Through a light-hearted concept ‘Boldly Beautiful’ encourages consumers to be themselves unapologetically, and establishes Raga as the perfect accessory for these bold and beautiful expressions. 

    Speaking of this new campaign, Titan marketing head Sirish Chandrashekar said, “We are delighted to have Alia Bhatt on board as Titan Raga’s brand ambassador. Titan Raga symbolises expressiveness. Be it through product design or advertising, the brand always expresses a definitive point of view that resonates with the contemporary young woman. Alia, being bold and expressive herself, is an ideal choice to amplify the brand’s narrative”

    On associating with Titan Raga, Alia Bhatt said, “I am thrilled about associating with Titan Raga and look forward to working with this iconic brand. Titan Raga has always expressed a woman’s point of view interestingly. The new campaign seeds a deeper connection through designs that are beautifully expressive and contemporary. I hope to inspire authentic and bold stories of young Indian women with Titan Raga.”

    Talking about the TVC, Ogilvy South chief creative officer Puneet Kapoor said, “It is true that you don’t just match brands to your body, but your personality and to your soul. There’s always something about a great brand that goes beyond the beautiful design and functionality and connects deeper within. Titan Raga’s tone and manner has been one such stellar voice that’s always been beautifully bold, unabashed and authentic in expression. This story is an attempt to capture that spirit with our ever-changing, ever-evolving social scenario.” 

  • Guest Column: Hospitality brands repositioning themselves in the market post-pandemic

    Guest Column: Hospitality brands repositioning themselves in the market post-pandemic

    Mumbai: The pandemic has affected a substantial amount of businesses globally and has severely impacted the travel and the hospitality sector. The Indian hotel industry has suffered losses of Rs 620 crore. The hotel chain and standalone hotel segments are expected to lose more than Rs 130-155 crore, while the alternate accommodation category is expected to lose more than Rs 420-470 crore. This has changed the way hospitality brands used to engage and position themselves in the market.

    During the pandemic as the restrictions were imposed, the restaurants and F&B services of the hospitality brands managed to survive through home delivery of food, which was possible through service partners like Zomato, Swiggy, Uber eats, etc. The experience of fine dining, the ambience, ordering through a menu card, and the special hospitality services that customers used to gain were completely lost. Now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, they will expect more from these hospitality brands, as people no longer circumspect about the food they eat but it is about the services that they experience. This emerges the need for brands to invest in strong marketing and consumer engagement plans which will help them to stand out from their competitors.

    With the help of an effective PR strategy, these hospitality brands can once again gain visibility among their stakeholders and consumers, using announcement campaigns or a simple consumer engagement campaign. This can help in announcing their return to business with newer offerings and covid appropriate services, etc. thereby engaging with and reassuring their customers.

    Here are some of the benefits that the hospitality brands can obtain with a strong PR campaign to win back visibility and business opportunities:

    Brand positioning

    With a strong marketing and consumer engagement plan, the hospitality brand will be able to create a top of mind recall among the customers. With the change in the market scenario, most businesses have to innovate and create covid appropriate solutions and services, while also focusing on their existing products. A well-planned PR campaign can help hospitality brands to be relevant and effective in the new market.

    Long term customer loyalty

    An effective PR campaign can help in building the lost touch and renew customer relationships that were present before the pandemic. Through effective media engagement, brands can build transparency, trust, and credibility for the brand and in turn create visibility and rebuild a set of loyal customers.

    Helps build a narrative for the business

    A PR specialist can help in forming a strong narrative for the company, be it talking about the sanitized and safe environment, special menus, newer innovations in services and focused customer service. This helps in building an appropriate solution based on the scenario. With a better understanding of the problem, a PR specialist can accurately offer solutions by using the right phrases to help build the image of the brand.

    Ease of doing business

    PR campaigns that are developed around spokesperson profiling through interviews, industry story participation, opinion pieces and authored content, etc. can help in the building thought leadership and help in targeting the relevant customers. This in return gives the brand better support in the market among the stakeholders, resulting in ease of doing business.

    More engaging campaigns

    With the help of a PR specialist, hospitality brands can connect with their target customers with more engaging programs, which in return will increase brand engagement. These programs can be centered through experiences, which is possible by optimizing the product offering, complementary events, gigs/ live music, special celebrity appearances, etc. which is a great way to promote the brand, engage with the target audience and ultimately boost sales.

    With the help of an effective PR campaign, hospitality brands can reposition themselves with a strong PR narrative which can help them garner visibility and build the right image of themselves post-pandemic. Partnering with a good PR agency will help you combat these difficulties and provide solutions that will give you a strong head start to successful growth in the hospitality sector.

    The author is Anindita Gupta, Co-Founder, Scenic Communication

  • Digital Refresh Network wins the social creative media mandate for Sunstone

    Digital Refresh Network wins the social creative media mandate for Sunstone

    Mumbai: The creative and digital marketing solutions company, Digital Refresh Networks, wins the digital mandate for Sunstone. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be looked after by the agency’s Mumbai team. 

    The mandate includes the overall planning and creative requirements across digital and also priming up the e-commerce presence of the brand. With an experience of a decade in the digital marketing industry, Digital Refresh Networks has worked with some of the leading brands and businesses across FMCG, consumer goods, automobile, E-commerce, Lifestyle, Health, and other sectors. 

    Sunstone’s head of marketing Alekhya Chakravarty said, “Our association with the team at Digital Refresh Networks is sure to help us organise and scale our digital content ecosystem. In today’s world, having a holistic digital presence is highly crucial to not only boost the brand’s footprint across digital but also to drive business growth for each category. We look forward to DRN’s ability to think the content in every possible form across channels that delivers brand building as well as business growth.”

    Digital Refresh Network Co-Founder & CEO Barin Mukherjee said, “It is an honour to be associated with a brand like Sunstone. With our expertise in understanding content across channels/ formats and regions, would be of great value to deliver on building Sunstone as a strong engage in brand enhance the visibility of the institution.”

  • P&G to make brand advertising accessible to people with impairments

    P&G to make brand advertising accessible to people with impairments

    Mumbai: Procter & Gamble (P&G) India on Tuesday announced its commitment to improve the accessibility of brand advertising to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024.

    “The initiative will make P&G brands more inclusive and accessible to all members of our community. P&G also announced that it will sensitize students pursuing advertising and marketing courses on accurate portrayal and representation of women in advertising,” the company said in a statement.

    P&G will partner with leading marketing and communication colleges to shape the next generation of marketers and advertisers. Along with this, P&G also reinforced its commitment to continue leveraging the voice of its brands to have conversations that bust myths, break biases & shatter stereotypes.   

    P&G’s chief marketing officer Sharat Verma said, “At P&G, we want to step up and use our voice to be a force for growth and force for good. We have made strong progress in the role our brands are playing to drive social and cultural change. Not only that, but we are also committed to enabling equal opportunities for women in the advertising creativity and production industry.

    “It is important that we make equality and inclusion a sustainable part of creativity. Therefore, we are seeking to work with the next generation of marketers and advertisers, to drive holistic change in imagery, and in turn, society. We are deliberate in our actions to advance equality and inclusion, so that we can accelerate the pace of change,” he added.

  • GUEST COLUMN: How performance marketing helps brands maintain their digital presence

    GUEST COLUMN: How performance marketing helps brands maintain their digital presence

    Mumbai: Performance marketing today holds tremendous control over brand expansion and growth in terms of revenue and brand recognition. Before we dive into the benefits of performance marketing, let’s take a second to understand the term performance marketing better. Performance marketing is a marketing strategy that is centered around data-driven results. This means that the performance marketing agency is paid based on how users interact with the content presented by the brand. This is a measurable feature that makes the marketing technique ideal for companies or brands which are looking to reach their audience directly.

    Today, digital marketing is a field that has long surpassed all traditional methods of advertising. It is quite safe therefore to suggest that without a strong digital footprint, it is near impossible for brands to grow and expand without a strong digital plan in place. According to Statista, the world digital advertising spending, which was approximately $455.3 billion in 2021, will steadily increase to about $646 billion by 2024.

    As per McKinsey, investments in performance marketing tripled considering the figure from $900 million in 2018 to $2.6 billion in 2022. These figures are suitable for summarising the methods of digital marketing for the audience and the brands which are looking forward to growing.

    Directly affects ROI

    Through performance marketing, it is easy for brands around the world to connect and attain new clients and generate a loyal customer base. This is possible because agencies working on performance marketing already have their own established audiences, helping brands increase traffic for their site. Since the model of performance marketing allows for results to be measured in real-time, it directly impacts the ROI. Brands are able to increase their ROI as their content often generates more results under performance marketing.

    Brands can have a wide audience and grow exponentially abroad as well as locally by opting for performance marketing. As per the study conducted by YourStory, brands have seen their marketing profits increase by nearly 30 per cent without having to increase their marketing budget, making this marketing technique a win-win for the brands.

    Helps maintain a strong customer base

    Performance marketing is goal-oriented strategies that aim to increase conversions and sales. For instance, positioning your e-commerce business with a credible influencer allows the customer’s brand to leverage some of that credibility towards your brand or product.  mHere, the payments made are dependent on the content generated through performance marketing that is interactive and conversational with customers. This is how performance marketing helps brands reach their customer base better, through retailers and merchants, and builds a closer connection with the customer. This makes the customer consider the brand more whenever they are making any purchase of goods or services resembling the ones the brand produces.

    As per the research, when brands use performance marketing, they are able to increase their brand retention by 20 per cent. Along with this, they were able to generate their marketing-driven gross by 15 per cent. Performance marketing also has a direct impact on the advertising for the brand. The same search is seen via the optimising channels, resulting in a 14 per cent increase in advertising impact on the sales they make.

    Performance marketing is a need of the hour for businesses around the world and around the corner. Many brands are moving towards performance marketing looking for its promising returns as the revenue generated helps the brands. According to the study conducted by Spiralytics, out of the 2,300 marketers examined, around 62 per cent of the brand and enterprise’s marketing budget was directed towards performance marketing. This is mainly because of the promising results and the numerous benefits that performance marketing offers.

    The most advantageous marketing techniques have already taken off around the world. The figures mentioned above are only set to rise as the world moves forward toward a shift that is dominated by digital marketing. It is safe to say that without investing in performance marketing, brands cannot compete with their counterparts who have a strong digital presence.

    (About Author: Vatsal Rajgor is the co-founder and CEO of Digimaze)

  • There is a growing awareness of Metaverse and it is the future, reveals Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s survey

    There is a growing awareness of Metaverse and it is the future, reveals Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s survey

    Mumbai: There has been an increasing awareness of the metaverse recently. It was revealed in Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s latest survey ‘New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond’, that 76 per cent of people feel the metaverse will allow authentic self-expression and however, the market is becoming aware of the advantage of it.

    The survey shows brands and agencies a clear direction in a tech field where 74 per cent of people feel metaverse will be the future. The analysis presents a roadmap for adland which expands upon the groundbreaking into the metaverse study.

    Its 2022 metaverse survey ‘New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond’ for which research was fielded in March – from over 3,000 people aged 16-65 in the US, UK and China – shows that awareness of the metaverse has more than doubled in less than a year. While less than a third (32 per cent ) had heard of the term in July 2021, by March 2022 almost three quarters (74 per cent) had heard of the term.

    Although awareness has increased, understanding remains low. The research also finds that there is a lack of clarity around what the term means, with only 15 per cent stating that they know what it is and can explain it to someone else.

    Despite being unable to explain the metaverse, consumers believe that it promises to impact our lives significantly and among those who know what the metaverse is, two-thirds believe it will be life-changing.

    Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s global director and author of the report Emma Chiu said, “As ever-greater portions of our lives move into the virtual realm, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the metaverse will be instrumental in our collective future, with our follow-up survey uncovering widespread expectation that the metaverse heralds enormous changes to almost all industries.”

    Areas in which consumers are expecting to see innovation include entertainment where 90 per cent of respondents held this belief, followed by advertising and retail. Meanwhile, 85 per cent believe the metaverse will impact the fashion industry and also the world of work.

    With many still assessing the impact of new screen-based habits, alongside the continued blurring of the virtual and physical worlds, the latest, companion report includes fresh data and several other critical insights:

    • Retail brand analysis shows the development of digital and physical shopping alongside one another, sharing case studies including Nike in Roblox, Forever 21’s Shop City and Fred Segal’s Artcade.

    • The finance section of the report outlines the top banks, credit companies and crypto literacy projects along with research into the growth of virtual currencies. The outcome is that these currencies are becoming a significant economic force both for business and for countries as several get involved in experiments with nationally regulated crypto.

    • Health and Wellness shares insights into deepening connections between digital and physical care for bodily and mental health. Explore case studies from Sims to CVS.

    • Food brands have jumped into the metaverse with restaurants and beverage brands leveraging the link between food and social connection. From Coca-Cola’s Indian wedding to the Flyfish member’s only restaurant where NFTs are exchanged as verification, this sector shows real creative flair.

    Wunderman Thompson Global Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Naomi Troni said, “Brands must establish a roadmap for entry into the metaverse. However, there are concerns too around privacy, security, and safety.”

    “So, while our latest findings indicate almost limitless opportunities for brands — enabling them to re-imagine what their products, services and consumer engagement could and should look like – they must also enter this new world carefully,” she added.

  • Epic Games, WPP partner to accelerate innovation for clients in the metaverse

    Epic Games, WPP partner to accelerate innovation for clients in the metaverse

    MUMBAI: WPP and Fortnite developer Epic Games on Thursday announced a new partnership to deliver a new era of digital experiences for brands in the metaverse, according to a press statement.

    The partnership will include a new training program to upskill thousands of WPP creatives and technologists on how to create custom brand experiences in Fortnite, and how to use Unreal Engine for real-time 3D creation and virtual production. “This new metaverse curriculum will consist of three separate tracks for executives, creative practitioners, and media experts and strategists,” said the statement.  

    “Early to invest in the tools and talent needed to succeed in the metaverse, WPP believes that brands and creators have a tremendous opportunity to meet the need for connection and unlock unlimited creative potential within interactive virtual spaces. For brands embarking on this journey, success in the metaverse is dependent not only on creative excellence but deep production capabilities, sound strategies for amplifying digital experiences and expert knowledge of a complex online safety and privacy landscape,” it said.

    As a part of this partnership, WPP teams will work closely with experts at Epic to learn how to build next-generation interactive experiences leveraging Unreal Engine, an advanced real-time 3D creation tool used across a range of industries including games, film, architecture, fashion, automotive, music and live events.

    WPP teams will be able to take advantage of training and tools to create new experiences in Fortnite, where creators can build imaginative worlds for brands inside of one of the most globally popular online games.

    Earlier, WPP has collaborated with SuperAwesome, an Epic Games company, to produce innovative work such as the immersive Island built for Adidas in Fortnite for its Ozweego sneaker line.

    WPP will also work with SuperAwesome to deepen its understanding of online safety and privacy to help its campaigns engage younger audiences safely.

    WPP executive VP strategic partnerships Nilufar Fowler said, “We think of WPP as the creative transformation company, one that embraces new environments like the metaverse and sees the potential for clients. Epic’s technology is world-class, and we are delighted to partner with it to raise the bar for social experiences in virtual worlds on behalf of our clients.”

    Epic Games VP Metaverse development Matthew Henick said, “The collaboration between Epic, WPP, its clients and the creator community will accelerate the building of diverse social entertainment experiences that players across the world will love. This partnership with WPP bolsters our mission to educate more trailblazing brands and creators on how Epic’s tools across Fortnite, Unreal Engine, and 3D marketplaces like ArtStation and Sketchfab can be used to bring their metaverse visions to life.”

    This partnership follows WPP’s recent announcement of The Metaverse Foundry, a new global metaverse offering through Hogarth, its specialist creative content production company.

  • GUEST COLUMN: Here’s how IPL is festive season for brands to amplify their reach

    GUEST COLUMN: Here’s how IPL is festive season for brands to amplify their reach

    Mumbai: The Indian cricket fever is well-known across the globe. The cricket mania has touched highs with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since its launch 15 years ago, the league has been popular among cricket fans and grabbed the attention of top brands across sectors. With the inclusion of one of the most valued and trusted names – Tata as the title sponsor, the franchise has garnered immense attention from brands and marketers. There are over 29 startups for the first time, with 10 fintech having collaborations to amplify their reach this festive season.

    Game-changing marketing strategies

    Out-of-the-box marketing strategies can be game-changers during IPL. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s marketing campaign ‘Proud Sponsors of the Ground Staff’ has gained massive applause from the audience. The campaign has focused on the most unanticipated part of the game – the ground staff this season. As part of their initiative, the brand intends to treat ground staff at par with the cricketers and make them equal heroes of the tournament.

    Cadbury has struck the right chord with a cost-efficient marketing strategy when marketing costs are rising with brands opting for celebrity players and influencers. The empathy and emotional quotient in the creativity have been the star of the campaign and created a massive brand recall value.

    Marketers can leverage great opportunities to reposition established brands and re-attain the numero uno spot in highly competitive times. On the other hand, startups can create a vast following and introduce their product offerings most engagingly during the festive season.

    IPL – One of the biggest carnivals for digital marketers

    The IPL cricket season is one of the biggest carnivals for digital marketers as it has excellent timing and target audience. The T20 format is a hit among all age groups. The telecast between 8 PM-11 PM on weekdays and double-headers on weekends make the mega sporting event worth all the investments. Commercial sponsorships and collaborations with players are at an all-time high during IPL. Influencer marketing has received much-needed attention on social media platforms.

    Engaging content like behind-the-scenes (BTS) videos of players, interactive live sessions, contests, and trending hashtags has hooked the digital audience quite well. This has led to a rise in budget allocation toward digital marketing spending.

    The addition of tier 2 cities like Lucknow and Ahmedabad opens doors to connect regional markets with new demographics. The smaller provinces have equally enthusiastic viewers as their urban counterparts. Local and national brands have an equal playing field to introduce their products, engage and cater to customer needs.

    From fintech to food and beverage companies, all are leveraging this space to increase their outreach among populations beyond metro cities. Innovative and efficient marketing strategies have proven to create masterstrokes that generate a return on investment (ROI) not limited only to the tournament time frame but also in the future. The advertising arena has witnessed a fresh zeal and zest during the IPL period. There are reports of title sponsor bids rising from Rs 40 crore spent by DLF in 2008 to Rs 300 crore by Tata in 2022. The scorecard has reflected good results leading to rising advertising costs every season.

    The impact

    IPL can deliver high brand impact in a shorter duration, riding the country’s sheer passion for cricket. When people are sensing normalcy in their lives, IPL is one of the best fitting squares for new brands to connect and well-known brands to reconnect with their audience.

    IPL is not limited to only big brands with high marketing budgets. Investing in people has proven to be the most successful marketing strategy. The number of games and new players achieving significant milestones in every match provides incredible brand lifting opportunities.

    Brands and marketers have hit sixes and a few misses during the league, all of which have been replayed and learned over the years!

    (About Author: Rikki Aggarwal is the co-founder, chief business and operating officer of Blink Digital)

  • Mango announces Kiara Advani as its brand ambassador

    Mango announces Kiara Advani as its brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Mango has announced Kiara Advani as the new brand ambassador in India on Thursday. She will endorse the Spring Summer 2022 collection and the campaign will be visible across regions and mediums. Mango has also collaborated with Myntra for its brand building.

    The Spanish fashion giant, Mango has established itself as a brand of choice and aspiration, especially among a young fashion-forward audience in India. With its world-class offering and the association with Kiara, a fashion bellwether and beloved of the nation, Mango is set to build stronger brand salience with its shoppers and the actor’s enormous fan base across the country.

    The campaign will be promoted extensively across digital mediums, including social media to reach the brand’s target audience, which largely comprises young urban shoppers. The campaign pivots on the theme of enjoying the flowers of summer and is called, ‘summer blooms with Mango’.

    The 57-second ad campaign, titled, ‘enjoying the bloom’, showcases Kiara enjoying the bounties of summer while wearing bright and colourful ensembles that reflect the flowers and the mood of the season. She is seen enjoying her day out at a flower garden, lush with the season’s blooms and is comfortable, happy and confident – characteristic of a woman dressed in Mango.

    Speaking on the occasion, Kiara Advani, a Bollywood actor said, “I’m delighted to be representing Mango, which is one of my personal favourites. I strongly relate to the brand and its philosophy and the new summer collection is an ode to women who are carefree and like to enjoy the seasons with conforming ensembles. As such, I believe, my attitude and style syncs well with the brand’s own and I look forward to being a link between the brand and its audience.”    

    Myntra’s Senior Director Vishal Anand said, “Kiara’s established presence has the potential to pull audiences across the nation and influence people with her sartorial choices. She is a reigning style icon of the country; her fan base is growing by the day. The association with Kiara for the new vibrant -Summer collection is sure to enamour the fashion-forward audiences of the country.”

    Mango’s board of directors and head of expansion Daniel Lopez Garcia, “The new Mango Spring Summer 2022 campaign captures the essence of summer blooms perfectly. The designs have been created by adopting the current trends while leaving room for personal expression among women in the age group of 18-45. With Kiara onboard, we are confident of strengthening our presence further and reaching our target audience, which is also the actor’s core audience.”

  • Akshay Kumar issues public apology for endorsing pan masala brand

    Akshay Kumar issues public apology for endorsing pan masala brand

    Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar often remains in the discussion for his films. The actor has been in talks on social media again for the past several days. Nonetheless, the discussion is not a film but an advertisement, which he recently did for a tobacco company.

    Kumar was recently seen in an ad of Vimal, after which he was trolled fiercely on social media. The actor is constantly facing criticism from the people, has now come forward and issued an apology for hurting his fans’ sentiments.

     

     

    He took to instagram and twitter to write an apology to his fans and followers. His post reads, “I am sorry. I would like to apologise to all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause.”

    “The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices. In return, I shall forever continue to ask for your love and wishes,” he added.

    It is worth noting that this advertisement of Akshay Kumar was released recently. The ad features actors Shahrukh Khan and Ajay Devgan too, who were seen welcoming Akshay Kumar in this advertisement. This was the first time that three big Bollywood actors had come together in an ad. Ajay Devgan has already appeared in many pan masala brand advertisements for a long time. There was not much ruckus when Shahrukh Khan appeared in this advertisement. But as soon as Akshay came in this ad, people criticized him fiercely and trolled him.