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Tag: Traditional

  • GUEST COLUMN: How has the PR ecosystem evolved over time

    GUEST COLUMN: How has the PR ecosystem evolved over time

    Mumbai: It is no secret that the public relations (PR) landscape has been steadfastly evolving over the past decade, thanks to the advent of digital media and the boom in the tech space.

    However, the conversations surrounding PR and its evolution often tend to be dichotomous in nature, pitting the old guard i.e. traditional PR against digital PR. In reality, both these systems are poised to work in a syncretic manner, with the traditional model supplementing the advances made by digital PR.

    How has the PR ecosystem evolved over time?

    The internet has created an almost borderless media and this has led to the birth of the concept of integrated communications. In essence, the Integrated model espouses leveraging all platforms, traditional and online, to ensure that a brand’s message is delivered to the intended target audience.

    PR agencies have thus had to move away from pure media relations to a more holistic model of communication strategy that is driven by multi-channel quality content. Gone are the days when pulling in a favour with a journalist for a CEO’s profile would suffice. In the wake of the blurring of lines between public relations, advertising, marketing, online and offline media, PR agencies are now being looked at as strategic partners to their clients. PR professionals today are thus tasked with creating meaningful messaging and communication strategies that appeal to clients, analysts, investors and journalists alike.

    There are myriad of changes that are being brought about by the advent of digital tech in PR. Some are more prominent than others and thus deserve to be looked at in-depth.

    Influencer Outreach: After an initial bout of resistance, when this was touted as a fleeting millennial trend, social media influencers have now become an integral part of PR strategies. This is because most brands and agencies have realised the value that influencers hold and the immense sway they have with their followers. Influencers resonate deeply with a specific sector and this can help brands boost visibility and popularity by being able to reach their target audience. It also helps a brand to garner credibility as influencers are able to build trust among audiences.

    Performance and Result Oriented Goals: PR agencies can no longer rely on traditional currencies such as goodwill and trust. Digital media has ushered in the era of real-time trend monitoring and brands can now stay in touch with their consumers through social listening.

    This means that it is possible for brands to have accurate performance metrics and develop a keen sense of what works and the changes that need to be made. And most importantly, data gathering and analysis can now lead to valuable insights and more informed decision-making processes. Companies and their brand solution agencies are thus capable of having their ear to the ground and knowing how the market reacts to their product/service and what consumers are thinking.

    Deeper Impact: Now more than ever before, PR professionals are expected to take into account a multiplicity of factors. Brands and companies don’t just have to be good for consumers, but they also have to be attuned to cultural sensitivities and be beneficial for the environment. Media messaging thus needs to be able to demonstrate true purpose and reflect good intention on behalf of a brand in order to garner the goodwill and trust of the consumers.

    As newer industries and verticals such as healthcare and fintech continue to emerge, PR is set to become an essential arm when it comes to strategic communication. And contrary to popular discourse, traditional PR won’t disappear altogether. In fact, it will just be merged and supplemented with newer digital forward models. The future of PR is thus vibrant but also daunting, and those who are hesitant to pivot to adapt to this new order, risk stagnation or worse.

    (Akshaara Lalwani is the founder & CEO of Communicate India. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • Just Buy launches marketing campaign targeting shopkeepers

    Just Buy launches marketing campaign targeting shopkeepers

    MUMBAI: With an aim to empower retailers, e-distributor Just Buy Live has launched a marketing campaign – Just Buy, Ek App, Ek Awaaz, which highlights the brand’s emotional connect with retailers and the challenges they face.

     

    The campaign began with teaser ads comprising four thematic TVCs centre staging challenges faced by small retailers. The week-long teaser campaign culminated with the reveal of Just Buy Live. The TVCs were launched simultaneously on YouTube.

     

    Just Buy Live’s ATL campaign was conceptualised and executed by Ferry Wharf Communications (FWC).

     

    Just Buy Live chairman and CEO Sahil Sani said, “As the world’s first e-distributor we had to resist the temptation of simply announcing: ‘here’s a revolutionary product’. Instead we took a step back and looked at why we came up with Just Buy.”

     

    “Just Buy was born out exasperation with traditional distribution systems that put the retailer, the Aam Dukandaar, at a disadvantage. Add to it the real threat to the Aam Dukandaar’s business because of the discount-scale model of online retailers, and we have a potent combination of status quo (of distribution) colliding with frustration and uncertainty experienced by the Aam Dukandaar,” Sani elaborated.

     

    Just Buy Live co-founder and managing director Bharat Balachandran added, “For me, Just Buy is not only the world’s first e-distributor. It is a movement, a revolution that will give back the Aam Dukandaar his confidence, financially and emotionally. The only difference between a retailer and us is that everyone only seems to care about us. Us as in you and me, the consumers.”

     

    FWC director Theron Carmine said, “In the process of getting a product from the manufacturer to the customer, the most important point is where the customer actually interacts with the product. That point is the retail store and surprisingly, it is the most neglected link in the chain. The average shopkeeper doesn’t understand the online retail model, valuations, funding etc. and is perplexed by the fact that online businesses are making losses and yet have big bucks to spend on advertising campaigns. He is unable to understand this loss-making business model and wonders why it is the darling of the media and those in power.”

     

    Network Media executive VP Nilesh Patil said, “The challenge was to target a segment that had no available media consumption data; we had to go beyond traditional thinking and market information. That’s where learning’s from past market visits came handy. We planned the media with a combination of data, gut feel and experience. The results are validating the approach, with a substantial number of downloads from the moment the reveal happened on TV.”

     

    “When the only thing you know to earn a living is under threat, you feel trapped. This feeling of entrapment triggers a bunch of emotions. Some look outside for help and hope for a messiah, some explore the possibility of violent protests, while others see a conspiracy against them. On the other hand, when the family earnings suffer, the family suffers too. These very emotions have been captured in the TV commercials in both the teaser and reveal phases,” added FWC creative head Deven Sansare.

     

    “The important emotional aspect that the TV campaign explores is the feeling among retailers that they are pitted against forces much larger than them. It is the classic David versus Goliath scenario that is playing out in the retailers’ minds and on the business front. Just Buy is the Aam Dukandaar’s voice, his awaaz. All we have done is given it a loudspeaker,” voiced Sani.

  • Just Buy launches marketing campaign targeting shopkeepers

    Just Buy launches marketing campaign targeting shopkeepers

    MUMBAI: With an aim to empower retailers, e-distributor Just Buy Live has launched a marketing campaign – Just Buy, Ek App, Ek Awaaz, which highlights the brand’s emotional connect with retailers and the challenges they face.

     

    The campaign began with teaser ads comprising four thematic TVCs centre staging challenges faced by small retailers. The week-long teaser campaign culminated with the reveal of Just Buy Live. The TVCs were launched simultaneously on YouTube.

     

    Just Buy Live’s ATL campaign was conceptualised and executed by Ferry Wharf Communications (FWC).

     

    Just Buy Live chairman and CEO Sahil Sani said, “As the world’s first e-distributor we had to resist the temptation of simply announcing: ‘here’s a revolutionary product’. Instead we took a step back and looked at why we came up with Just Buy.”

     

    “Just Buy was born out exasperation with traditional distribution systems that put the retailer, the Aam Dukandaar, at a disadvantage. Add to it the real threat to the Aam Dukandaar’s business because of the discount-scale model of online retailers, and we have a potent combination of status quo (of distribution) colliding with frustration and uncertainty experienced by the Aam Dukandaar,” Sani elaborated.

     

    Just Buy Live co-founder and managing director Bharat Balachandran added, “For me, Just Buy is not only the world’s first e-distributor. It is a movement, a revolution that will give back the Aam Dukandaar his confidence, financially and emotionally. The only difference between a retailer and us is that everyone only seems to care about us. Us as in you and me, the consumers.”

     

    FWC director Theron Carmine said, “In the process of getting a product from the manufacturer to the customer, the most important point is where the customer actually interacts with the product. That point is the retail store and surprisingly, it is the most neglected link in the chain. The average shopkeeper doesn’t understand the online retail model, valuations, funding etc. and is perplexed by the fact that online businesses are making losses and yet have big bucks to spend on advertising campaigns. He is unable to understand this loss-making business model and wonders why it is the darling of the media and those in power.”

     

    Network Media executive VP Nilesh Patil said, “The challenge was to target a segment that had no available media consumption data; we had to go beyond traditional thinking and market information. That’s where learning’s from past market visits came handy. We planned the media with a combination of data, gut feel and experience. The results are validating the approach, with a substantial number of downloads from the moment the reveal happened on TV.”

     

    “When the only thing you know to earn a living is under threat, you feel trapped. This feeling of entrapment triggers a bunch of emotions. Some look outside for help and hope for a messiah, some explore the possibility of violent protests, while others see a conspiracy against them. On the other hand, when the family earnings suffer, the family suffers too. These very emotions have been captured in the TV commercials in both the teaser and reveal phases,” added FWC creative head Deven Sansare.

     

    “The important emotional aspect that the TV campaign explores is the feeling among retailers that they are pitted against forces much larger than them. It is the classic David versus Goliath scenario that is playing out in the retailers’ minds and on the business front. Just Buy is the Aam Dukandaar’s voice, his awaaz. All we have done is given it a loudspeaker,” voiced Sani.