ITV

Tag: KS Chakravarthy

  • ‘Marketers must not fall prey to the viral trap:’ KS Chakravarthy

    ‘Marketers must not fall prey to the viral trap:’ KS Chakravarthy

    MUMBAI: Speaking at Association for Data Driven Marketing and Advertising (DDMA) India Annual and Awards on Greatness — The New Minimum For Survival, digital marketing and social media agency Liqvd Asia CCO KS Chakravarthy (Chax) points out that accepting the changing role of advertisers and consumers is the bare minimum for the digital world that marketers are operating in today.

    Going back few years, one can see how the internet has changed the way consumers behave. From viewers, they are increasingly looking for outlets to be heard. With social media, advertisers and marketers aren’t the only story tellers; consumers are also partaking in the creative process. In fact, according to Chakravarthy, marketers are no more storytellers, but responders looking out for meaningful conversation touch points in a consumer’s life.

    Citing Google’s concept of micro moments, Chakravarthy highlights how technology enables one to target much sharper. “The entire journey to purchase can be broken down into moments. There is a moment to know, which is when a consumer is seeking information, and it is also the time when you can engage them in conversation and build relationship. And then there are moments to to go when the consumer is actually purchasing… these moments creates avenues for marketers to not just drive sales but to engage consumers,” says Chakravarthy.

    Chakravarthy moves on to expand on the statement with numerous examples of how brands have effectively anticipated and converted consumer engagement with campaigns to brand communications, starting with the Old Spice advertisement in 2010, which the marketers responded to Twitter backlash to generate more conversation about the brand resulting increased sales. While that was accidental, American FMCG brand Honey Maid anticipated negative feedback on their campaign and incorporated that into their follow up campaign.

    Apart from the new take on consumers, the key benchmarks that emerged from the session that digital marketers must take note of are reality of the second screen adoption and the vista of opportunity it poses to the marketers to capitalise upon; social influences or the viral stars of the digital world be it on YouTube, Pinterest or Vine; and the importance of collaboration or branded content, which is being tried but is still at a nascent stage in India compared to other markets.

    Having said that, Chakravathy pointed out why marketers should not fall prey to the viral trap. “It’s sad that in India only 20 per cent of the digital spends goes to video content, while the number is almost 80 per cent in a market like Japan where digital marketing is much more evolved. The issues isn’t just with infrastructure and bandwidth consumption. Whenever we think of digital marketing through videos we think of viral videos. Somehow we all think that we will make a video that will go viral, which is not the case. If one were to analyse YouTube’s data, one can see that most of the videos we know as viral in India are paid for by brands. It’s not organic and hence of no use to marketers,” he said. 

    “Unless a video engages a consumer in something informative, and ensures meaningful consumer engagement, it will not convert to anything even close to sales for a brand,” Chakravarthy asserted.

    When queried as to whether he finds digital marketers lacking confidence in the Indian market, Chakravarthy gives them the benefit of doubt and expresses his primary concerns with the medium in the current landscape. “Apart from a few B2B brands, most brands can’t to without television in India, especially FMCG brands. Moreover even with the buzz around digital marketing, clients haven’t really got what they want from digital practices in India on marketing. Once that happens, this question of confidence won’t come. The fact remains that marketers must engage brands in all touch points of their purchasing journey using digital as a tool. That’s the bare minimum,” Chakravarthy signed off.

  • ‘Marketers must not fall prey to the viral trap:’ KS Chakravarthy

    ‘Marketers must not fall prey to the viral trap:’ KS Chakravarthy

    MUMBAI: Speaking at Association for Data Driven Marketing and Advertising (DDMA) India Annual and Awards on Greatness — The New Minimum For Survival, digital marketing and social media agency Liqvd Asia CCO KS Chakravarthy (Chax) points out that accepting the changing role of advertisers and consumers is the bare minimum for the digital world that marketers are operating in today.

    Going back few years, one can see how the internet has changed the way consumers behave. From viewers, they are increasingly looking for outlets to be heard. With social media, advertisers and marketers aren’t the only story tellers; consumers are also partaking in the creative process. In fact, according to Chakravarthy, marketers are no more storytellers, but responders looking out for meaningful conversation touch points in a consumer’s life.

    Citing Google’s concept of micro moments, Chakravarthy highlights how technology enables one to target much sharper. “The entire journey to purchase can be broken down into moments. There is a moment to know, which is when a consumer is seeking information, and it is also the time when you can engage them in conversation and build relationship. And then there are moments to to go when the consumer is actually purchasing… these moments creates avenues for marketers to not just drive sales but to engage consumers,” says Chakravarthy.

    Chakravarthy moves on to expand on the statement with numerous examples of how brands have effectively anticipated and converted consumer engagement with campaigns to brand communications, starting with the Old Spice advertisement in 2010, which the marketers responded to Twitter backlash to generate more conversation about the brand resulting increased sales. While that was accidental, American FMCG brand Honey Maid anticipated negative feedback on their campaign and incorporated that into their follow up campaign.

    Apart from the new take on consumers, the key benchmarks that emerged from the session that digital marketers must take note of are reality of the second screen adoption and the vista of opportunity it poses to the marketers to capitalise upon; social influences or the viral stars of the digital world be it on YouTube, Pinterest or Vine; and the importance of collaboration or branded content, which is being tried but is still at a nascent stage in India compared to other markets.

    Having said that, Chakravathy pointed out why marketers should not fall prey to the viral trap. “It’s sad that in India only 20 per cent of the digital spends goes to video content, while the number is almost 80 per cent in a market like Japan where digital marketing is much more evolved. The issues isn’t just with infrastructure and bandwidth consumption. Whenever we think of digital marketing through videos we think of viral videos. Somehow we all think that we will make a video that will go viral, which is not the case. If one were to analyse YouTube’s data, one can see that most of the videos we know as viral in India are paid for by brands. It’s not organic and hence of no use to marketers,” he said. 

    “Unless a video engages a consumer in something informative, and ensures meaningful consumer engagement, it will not convert to anything even close to sales for a brand,” Chakravarthy asserted.

    When queried as to whether he finds digital marketers lacking confidence in the Indian market, Chakravarthy gives them the benefit of doubt and expresses his primary concerns with the medium in the current landscape. “Apart from a few B2B brands, most brands can’t to without television in India, especially FMCG brands. Moreover even with the buzz around digital marketing, clients haven’t really got what they want from digital practices in India on marketing. Once that happens, this question of confidence won’t come. The fact remains that marketers must engage brands in all touch points of their purchasing journey using digital as a tool. That’s the bare minimum,” Chakravarthy signed off.

  • Made for each other

    Made for each other

    MUMBAI: Times have changed considerably, couples no longer share the same equation they once did. In this age and time when independence is craved for by both men and women, couples who work together open new vistas for them. Not only does working together keep them connected through out the day but also streghtens the understanding of each other as individuals.

    On this Valentine Day, let’s have a look at the copuples who celebrate their lives togehter; professionally and persoanlly.

     

    Discovering love at work

     

    He was her boss and she was just starting her career, and now after 15 years, they are a couple to reckon with. One is a proud owner of an independent advertising agency while the other with over three decades of experience is an industry veteran.

    Priti Nair and KS Chakravarthy aka Chax recently celebrated their fifteenth wedding anniversary. They’ve been around for decades now and what started as a fan’s devotion for her idol turned way serious as time progressed.

    “What I am today in my profession is all thanks to Chax. He taught me everything about advertising,” says Priti, who feels that if a couple are in the same industry, it becomes easier to understand each other.

    Priti Nair and KS Chakravarthy, advertising professionals

    “Our industry is very demanding and schedules can go haywire anytime so if the other person doesn’t understand that, it can cause issues. A couple needs to understand and respect what each person does, no matter in which field because unless there is respect for each other, a relationship will never work,” she says.

    Like any other couple, Priti and Chax too went through their share of ups and downs. The seven-year itch hit them hard and they both decided to live separately to sort out issues rather than complicate things further. However, after seven years of separation, they got back together last year. Ask if there are any special plans for V-Day and Priti laughs it off saying she’s been celebrating V-Day for the last seven years with her family and so the two of them will spend it with family this year as well…

    The two make it a point to spend some time with family and watch a movie or a series together every week to keep work out of the equation.

     

    Keeping monotony out for a life-long affair

     

    He’s Bengali and she’s Maharashatrian but Maximum City seems to have diminished the regional divide.

    Pranali and Soumya Sarkar met 10 years back while working in the same media agency. They were part of the same team but their clients were different. But it didn’t matter as they dated each other for a year before tying the knot.

    Working the same hours with the same set of colleagues can be a boon for many but Soumya feels it is the understanding between the couple which helps strengthen a relationship. Working in the same industry can have its pros and cons, especially when the industry is a demanding one. “One cannot ignore personal life as one can interconnect their personal and professional lives as they work in the same space,” he says, stressing one can’t take the other for granted, thinking he/she will ‘understand’.

    Pranali and Soumya Sarkar, media planners

    The media planners will celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary in March with a vacation abroad. A vacation every year and an outing every month is a norm for this couple which feels the busy work-home schedule leaves one with little or no time for weekly recreation. They have a daughter and firmly believe spending time outside of work is a must for every couple else life will become monotonous.

     

    Living dreams together

     

    21 years of teasing, fighting, mood swings, grudges… but they’re still together. We’re talking about Sumeet and Shashi Mittal, founders of Shashi Sumeet Productions aka Two’s Company.

    It was love at first sight for Shashi who was but 15 years of age and in class Xth. The duo studied in the same school in Ahmedabad. Shashi proposed Sumeet and they got hitched in 1991.

    Sumeet Mittal and Shashi Mittal

    In 1998, they shifted base to Mumbai to foray into the entertainment industry. Sumeet, who had always wanted to become an actor, went on to launch his own production house. For Sumeet, Shashi has been his biggest support.

    With V-Day almost upon us, we asked them how they find time for each other while working in this industry.

    “Nowadays when you are working together for more than 18 hours a day, we don’t get quality time to spend with each other. You become more kind of co-workers rather than a couple. We have always kept our professional lives higher than our personal lives. There are differences at times,” says Sumeet. How do they keep a work-life balance? “At work, you should be a good acquaintance and at home, a good husband-wife. We have struggled to maintain that for ages,” says Sumeet. “She has been a great support throughout. She has stood by me always. I am happy and lucky to have her in my life.”

    About keeping the romance alive after all these years, he says: “Now we argue also smilingly. We have learnt to deal with things now. This is our new funda to keep ourselves charged up during work,” he laughs.

    This V-Day is very special for them. “We have our home in Mumbai, so this year on V-Day, it is our new home’s first anniversary. We are very excited about it. In a way we are renewing our relationship. In a way celebrating our first anniversary,” he signs off.

     

    Mutual respect makes it easier

     

    She is one of the few women behind a successful news channel and a TV production house while her husband is into journalism, TV production and the political scene. BAG MD and chairperson Anurradha Prasad still manages to balance her personal and professional life with hubby Rajeev Shukla. Dismissing V-Day as a marketing gimmick, Prasad says that with such a busy schedule, the quality rather than quantity of time matters. Having been in the same field, both of them understand the busy nature of their lives and refrain from cribbing about it. “It was difficult to explain to my family as to why I had odd work hours but Rajeev understood it. It’s necessary to respect each other as well as your professions,” says Prasad.

    Anurradha Prasad and Rajeev Shukla, media professionals

    Earlier, going out on ‘dates’ was common but now, quality time is all about spending time at home with daughter Vaanya. “We dedicate an hour or two every morning, before we leave for work, to talking about home and office affairs because once you leave home, you never know what time you will be back,” she says, adding that V-Day shouldn’t be restricted only to couples. She signs off advising those in love to keep the respect in the relationship intact and always be happy…

     

    Love at first sight became a life-long affair

     

    She had returned from London and got herself enrolled in Miranda House, Delhi University, where she got actively involved in theatre. He, on the other hand, was completing his Master’s at St. Stephen’s College, DU. He, who was popular for his good looks besides his wittiness, was the star of the theatre circuit organising auditions for The Serpent – a biblical play. She was driven by her close friend Mira Nair for the auditions, who thought the guy was worthy of checking out. He was already in love with her before she could check him out.

    Siddhartha and Anita Kaul Basu, TV personalities

    It was love at first sight for Siddhartha Basu and his wife Anita Kaul Basu. The couple, who got married in 1983 after eight years of courtship, is still as much in love as they were when they started their relationship. “The little things of life haven’t shaken the bond that we share,” says Anita while talking about her relationship with her husband, with whom she spends almost her entire day at the Big Synergy Media office.

    It’s been more than 25 years that the production house was started and the couple still manages to churn out amazing stuff. While Siddhartha made a mark in the TV industry as a quiz master in the early eighties, Anita made a name in journalism. It was their diverse knowledge that became the back-bone of the production house where Siddhartha works as the Chairman and Managing Director and Anita is the Director.

    The good work from Big Synergy has all been because of the understanding that the couple shares, believes Anita. “What has kept us strong is that for both of us, money, power, popularity, etc. comes much later. Our understanding is of the utmost importance and that helps us in our work also,” she says.

    They both go to office together and come back together. Except a few outstation trips that keep them apart for a little while, the Basus are always together. “While I use my organizational skills, Sid uses his managerial skills to keep the company going ahead,” she says.

     

    Sky is the limit with love around

     

    They are almost the rulers of the television world with credit to some of the most popular and interesting drama series on the tube. Their stories touch the emotional chords of the masses.

    We are talking about the owners of DJ’s Creative Unit – Tony and Deeya Singh, who set out to live their dreams together. It was the summer of 91 when the two started working together, which also started a new chapter of in their lives. The cupid struck them while they were busy meeting the work deadlines. Nobody could guess the romance that was brewing but the feeling was so strong that they got engaged within six months and married by December 91. In 1993, the couple launched their own production house and delivered hit shows like Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Banegi Apni Baat, Just Mohabbat, Left Right Left among many others.

     

    Tony and Deeya Singh

    As love is in the air, we asked them about their way to celebrate love amid work and the pressure to meet deadlines and if working in the same industry is a boon? “We celebrate Valentine’s Day on our shows. It keeps us bonded,” says Deeya.

    Their kids also play a major role in keeping the love and affection intact. Spending quality time with kids is of more importance to the couple now. “My kids do a lot for us on this day. It’s more about family love now,” she laughs.

    Her best moments are when in the middle of work, they take out time for each other. “Sometimes, eating at the road side is more fun than at the five star hotels. A quite candle light dinner on the terrace with the entire family also becomes a great moment,” she remembers.

    There are quite a few pros of working in the same industry, believes Deeya as she thinks there’s always someone to back you. “There are more pros to it because in an industry like this you need a very strong support system. The vision and goals are the same. However, it’s not fun to think similar. It’s good to be a little contrary and think differently,” she concludes.

  • Now wake up and smell the newspaper!

    Now wake up and smell the newspaper!

    MUMBAI: Forget about smelling the coffee in the morning; newspapers have taken over than role as well.

     

    Grab a copy of today’s TOI and sniff it… A familiar smell fills your nostrils; that of Johnson’s baby…

     

    The front page advertisement reads: “Because only a smell so gentle can bring back memories that powerful.”

     

    The innovation brings back childhood memories with just one whiff but it isn’t the only one. According to sensory branding experts, the best known brand smell in the world is that of J&J’s Baby Powder.

     

    Similar ads or ‘smellvertisements’ have been in existence for long except that they’ve hitherto been the domain of perfume and cologne brands and appeared only in magazines.

     

    “Using smell in branding is a tool that only a few marketers use, yet smell is extremely powerful in affecting emotions and triggering memories, In fact, it is the only human sense that completely bypasses rational parts of the brain and connects directly with the Limbic system, a part of our reptilian brains that evokes immediate instinctive feelings. So when we smell, we do not think, we simply feel – instinctively and strongly,” says PipalMajik CEO CD Mitra.

     

    Newspapers have joined the fray only recently, with examples ranging from a Sunday Times edition smelling of Bru Gold coffee to five editions of a daily bringing you the coffee variant of Hide & Seek Biscuits to mangoes being delivered at your doorstep last summer. Technology has played an important role in replacing run-of-the-mill ads with innovations that have become talking points for both consumers and advertisers.

     

    According to Draftfcb Ulka NCD KS Chakravarthy (Chax), innovations bring the attention back to a familiar brand by doing something unexpected and novel. “In J&J’s case, the smell of J&J – especially the baby powder – is, to a vast majority of people, inextricably linked to the way babies smell. So it is a good way to re-emphasise the pre-eminence of J&J in the baby care area in an emotionally powerful, evocative way,” he says.

     

    Havas Worldwide managing partner and chief creative officer Satbir Singh feels that though smell innovations aren’t new, today, no one expects to actually read the front page of a newspaper. “Print innovations have become a norm today. From full front page ads to verticals, there are many ways in which advertisers can catch the attention of their TG,” he says, adding that with so many brands available and most of them talking in the same manner to their TG, it becomes important for brands to come up with such innovations.

     

    Parle marketing general manager Parveen Kulkarni says they were the first ones to do so when Hide & Seek Coffee was launched. “One needs to do something different to stand out otherwise one can easily get lost in the numerous advertisements today in the print medium,” he says. “Word-of-mouth is still the best form of marketing and for new entrants, innovations act as leverage.”

     

    The print medium gives a lot more scope to marketers and agencies to come up with innovations believes Godrej Appliances executive vice president (marketing and sales) Kamal Nandi. But he is quick to add that there is potential in other mediums as well although there are limitations in each. “The only difference between print and electronic innovation is that, it makes the interaction more personal,” he says.

     

    While marketers are quite happy with innovations, everyone agrees there needs to be a strategic objective behind them and they need to add more value to the brand than the premium the marketer pays for it. They also need to bring alive a unique aspect of a brand instead of just drawing attention to a me-too attribute. Readers meanwhile can continue to enjoy the innovations…

  • Draftfcb Ulka Interactive gets Sudarshan Sudevan on board as creative head-digital

    Draftfcb Ulka Interactive gets Sudarshan Sudevan on board as creative head-digital

    MUMBAI: Draftfcb Ulka Interactive has got on board Sudarshan Sudevan as creative head-digital. ‘Sudi‘ as he is fondly known in the industry started his career as a cartoonist and before venturing into the digital space. His 13 year plus experience across over 100 brands in various categories makes him a digital veteran. His deep understanding of the digital space has led to many interesting discoveries about the different palates of internet users. He would be creatively reporting to Draftfcb Ulka Interactive‘s national creative director KS Chakravarthy (Chax) and functionally to senior VP Satish Ramachandrandran.

    Sudi is one of the few creative heads who has hands-on experience of working on different projects. Prior to this appointment he has been associated with firms like Hungama, B.C Webwise and Isobar creating several innovative campaigns, applications and web development, of which several have won awards like Abbys, Emvies, Imda‘s, Yahoo big chair etc.

    A food lover and an avid traveler, in his free time Sudi loves to visit new places, meet new people and share new ideas. “I was in awe of Ambi and Chax, and their affinity to explore more; that made me want to try this opportunity. I hope to add my experience and expertise to this wonderful agency, and endeavour to make Draftfcb Ulka one of the fore runners in the digital space in India. It‘s an honour to work with one of the legends of the industry – Chax and to be a part of such a renowned agency” said Sudarshan Sudevan.

    Commenting on Sudi‘s appointment, Satish Ramachandran said, “At Draftffcb Ulka we always believe in integrated digital solutions; towards this we have been consistently investing in talent and technology to ensure we are ahead of the curve. Sudi is a perfect addition to the team with his passion and experience in the space.”

    Here is what Draftfcb Ulka‘s national creative director Chax, had to say “Sudi is truly a product of the digital age, as passionate about technology as he is about ideas. With him at the helm of our very talented digital team, we look forward to an even tighter integration of our mainline and digital teams.”