MeghnaSharma I N a time when smartphones have become ubiquitous and social me- dia a necessity, new additions to the traditional digital platforms of Facebook and Twitter were in- evitable. A clutch of new-age platforms now dot the digital landscape, and are gaining patronage from users rather rapidly. And why not? According to a re- cent report by IAMAI and KPMG, the countrywillseeagrowthfrom200million internet users in 2013 to over 500 million internetusersby2017.Thissharpgrowth suggests a rising tech savvy audience, whichhastobewooedthroughdifferent platforms. Refocussing strategies Brands, no doubt, are excited. The growing number of internet users and the fact that many of them are spending much more time on the internet has caused a lot of brands to refocus their strategies on digital advertising — an area that has been woefully neglected. As V Narayanan, chief growth officer, Moti- vator, points out: “India has around 28% onlinepenetration,whileadspendsshare for digital is only 9.5%. This shows that spendscandefinitelybeincreased.” Apart from increased spending, brands must bear in mind that context and timing are crucial on this medium. For this, they need to increasingly be aware of current events and tailor their strategies accordingly. For example, Ola cabs recently deployed boats, along with professional rowers, to rescue flood-af- fected people in Chennai. This was in re- sponse to a meme that was posted on Twitter. Needless to say, the gesture did wonders for the brand’s image that perhaps more conventional promotions maynothaveprovided. The other advantage with the digital space is the plethora of data available to brands today to mould their strategies ac- cordingly. As Kartikeya Tiwari, head of business development at Social Kinnect, says: “Data will always be the business driver. The kind of verified data and sta- tistics one can get from the (digital) medi- um is light years ahead of all other mediums which are mostly projections, surveysordisputeddatasources.” A world beyond Facebook The attraction of the digital medium is thevarietythatitoffers.Eachplatform,be it Facebook or Twitter, offers a unique ad- vantage to the brand. Facebook provides an opportunity to target desired cus- tomers by optimising creative messaging coupledwithacalltoactionfeature,while Twitter — the conversation platform — is moreadeptinshapingthebrand’sperson- ality. It is also a great platform to leverage conversations around TV shows and live eventslikecricketmatches. The other thing to note is that digital mediums can also be deployed simultane- ously to create a multiplier effect. Insta- gram, for instance, lets a brand take pictures and videos, which can be shared on a variety of other social networking platforms. Other mediums like Pinterest encourage micro-targeting, as this en- ables brands to target consumers based on their likes and interests, expressed through their ‘pin’ boards. This ensures that brands could have a virtual store on thisplatformwiththeircatalog. While these mediums are no doubt ex- citing tools, Facebook and Twitter still re- main the best way for brands to target today’s youth. The reason to opt for these platforms is simple: they have been around the longest and are constantly evolving to enhance user experience. Al- so, one cannot ignore the numbers. Face- book boasts of the biggest user base in India (118 million), leading the digital racebyquiteadistance.Itisalsooneof the most advertising friendly platforms as well, because of its targeting options, sales support and analytics. This is why mostbrandshaveaFacebookpageinaddi- tiontotheirwebsites. Having said that, one cannot ignore other visual marketing platforms. Brands that have moved on to the Insta- gram, Pinterest and Snapchat platforms haveahigherlevelof engagementandvis- ibility. For instance, Vista Rooms, a start- up for budget hotel accommodations in the Tier-II, Tier-III markets, recently cre- atedanapponInstagramtoleverageonits uniquetaggingfeature. “It’s important to stay relevant with your target audience with appealing im- ageryandcorrecthashtagusage.Whatwe do better than the others is that we focus not only on social value but also on the functional value of Instagram,” says Ankita Sheth, co-founder & head of part- nerships,VistaRooms. If abrandisleaningtowardstargeting a younger audience, Instagram and Pin- terest are the best social media plat- forms. They not only grab the con- sumer's attention, but also get them to engage with the brand on a larger scale. With new product launches, strategic digital marketing plans, brand messag- ing shifts and emerging partnerships, these social media networks are well po- sitionedtoactasthenew-agegatewayfor contentdiscovery. Take Maybelline India, which is a re- cent convert to Instagram. After estab- lishing its presence on Facebook and Twitter,Maybellinesawahugepotential for growth on the photo-upload plat- form.“Instagram,withits100%reach,is a key medium for a beauty brand such as ours since we want to drive trials and build brand imagery,” says Pooja Sah- gal, general manager — marketing, Maybelline New York India. Through a campaignontheplatformaimedtobuild anticipation for the upcoming Colossal rangebyMaybellineNewYorkIndiaand an exclusive e-commerce launch, called the Colossal Eye Kit, the brand believes it reached its target audience much moreeffectively. Similarly, Chumbak, a quirky lifestyle brand, wants to keep its image personal and relatable, an image social media has promoted. The brand which initially fo- cused on Facebook and Instagram has now managed to create buzz through its TwitterhandleandPinterestboards. Despite the increase in activity, ana- lystsbelievethatmanybrandsarestillnot using the social media platform as effec- tively as they could. As Vivek Prabhakar, co-founder & CEO, Chumbak, says, “A lot of theyoungerbrandshavefiguredoutthe digital mediums but are not using it enough to talk about who they are.” In oth- er words, many brands seem to use the mediums to sell products and not neces- sarilytellstoriesof whotheyareandwhat they love, which they need to do because thatiswhatsocialmediaisabout. ■ Continued on Page 2 TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2015 THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS SapientNitro’s Sheldon Monteiro on how brands can bridge the technology gap PAGE 2 A H M E DA B A D B E N G A LU R U C H A N D I G A R H C H E N N A I H Y D E R A B A D KO C H I KO L K ATA LU C K N OW M U M B A I N E W D E L H I P U N E FIRST STOP FOR MARKETING, ADVERTISING AND MEDIA Urban Ladder’s latest ad moves away from being just a product demo PAGE 3 F OR brands which are looking to get onto social channels beyond Twitter and Facebook, a good starting point is to first define their digital role and then look at the specific channels where they would like to have a presence. This begins with a definition of what part social media plays in their overall marketing ecosystem. Brands need to decide whether social media will be a space for customer service, or a platform where they will listen to their consumers, or where they can co- create product ideas with consumers. The focus on what social media can do for a particular brand is the first port of call for a strong and effective social strategy. It never pays to be edgy for the sake of being edgy. It is true that on social media it is difficult to create content which is interesting enough for consumers to actively engage with. But being provocative is not the only route to this goal. It can be a route if, as a brand, you are provocative. For other brands, it is critical to find a social voice in sync with their points of view. This can potentially range from consultative to playful or even educational. Then, we go on to define what inherently each channel can bring to the table for a brand. Both Instagram and Pinterest for instance, are more visual channels, lending themselves to brands in categories like travel, fashion, home décor, F&B, or colour cosmetics for instance. Instagram tends to be a channel much more suited to user generated content. Typical cases include picture taking on the go and the hashtags allow for topical indexing and searching of easy content. Instagram also is a great channel for brands which use events. Event pictures and video streaming via users and KOLs is a powerful way to leverage the platform for brands. Pinterest is a great channel for curated content, where the brand can create thematic visual content to get across ideas, information and how tos for consumers. It is also an interesting channel for brands to run visual content-led contests. Inviting consumers to create boards around themes is a great way to engage them. Eventually though, the channel discussion has to come after the definition of the brand’s overall strategy and approach to social media. After that, the brand has to decide what each channel can do to achieve that strategy. The author is CEO, VML Qais IN PERSPECTIVE TRIPTI LOCHAN Social Media: Dos and Don’ts Spoilt for CHOICE BRANDS TODAY ARE REVISITING SOCIAL MEDIA, USING NEWER PLATFORMS BEYOND TWITTER AND FACEBOOK TO TELL THEIR STORY. BUT ARE THEIR EFFORTS PAYING OFF? DIGITAL STRATEGY IS GETTING MORE COMPLEX WITH MORE PLATFORMS BEING ADDED ON. BRANDS MUST RESPOND TO THESE CHALLENGES BUT MOST OF THEM ARE NOT GEARED UP TO DO THAT, AS THIS REQUIRES CONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT SANJAY SHETTY Senior VP, brand platform, Asymmetrique A LOT OF THE YOUNGER BRANDS HAVE FIGURED OUT THE NEW DIGITAL MEDIUMS BUT ARE NOT USING IT ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT WHO THEY ARE. BRANDS NEED TO NOW USE THESE MEDIUMS TO TELL STORIES RATHER THAN JUST TO SELL PRODUCTS VIVEK PRABHAKAR Co-founder & CEO, Chumbak Norman Pearlstine, VP & chief content officer, Time Inc. on tackling the Indian market PAGE 3
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Transcript
MeghnaSharma
IN a time when smartphones havebecome ubiquitous and social me-diaanecessity,newadditionstothetraditional digital platforms ofFacebook and Twitter were in-
evitable. A clutch of new-age platformsnow dot the digital landscape, and aregaining patronage from users ratherrapidly. And why not? According to a re-cent report by IAMAI and KPMG, thecountrywillseeagrowthfrom200millioninternet users in 2013 to over 500millioninternetusersby2017.Thissharpgrowthsuggests a rising tech savvy audience,whichhastobewooedthroughdifferentplatforms.
Refocussing strategiesBrands, no doubt, are excited. Thegrowingnumberof internetusersandthefactthatmanyof themarespendingmuch more time on the internet hascaused a lot of brands to refocus theirstrategies on digital advertising — anareathathasbeenwoefullyneglected.AsVNarayanan, chief growthofficer,Moti-vator, points out: “India has around 28%onlinepenetration,whileadspendssharefor digital is only 9.5%. This shows thatspendscandefinitelybeincreased.”
Apart from increased spending,brands must bear in mind that contextand timing are crucial on this medium.For this, they need to increasingly beaware of current events and tailor theirstrategies accordingly. For example, Olacabs recently deployed boats, alongwithprofessional rowers, to rescue flood-af-fected people in Chennai. Thiswas in re-sponse to a meme that was posted onTwitter. Needless to say, the gesture didwonders for the brand’s image thatperhaps more conventional promotionsmaynothaveprovided.
The other advantage with the digitalspace is the plethora of data available tobrandstodaytomouldtheirstrategiesac-cordingly. As Kartikeya Tiwari, head ofbusiness development at Social Kinnect,says: “Data will always be the businessdriver. The kind of verified data and sta-tisticsonecanget fromthe(digital)medi-um is light years ahead of all othermediums which are mostly projections,surveysordisputeddatasources.”
A world beyond FacebookThe attraction of the digital medium isthevarietythatitoffers.Eachplatform,beitFacebookorTwitter,offersauniquead-vantage to the brand. Facebookprovidesan opportunity to target desired cus-tomersbyoptimisingcreativemessagingcoupledwithacalltoactionfeature,whileTwitter—theconversationplatform—ismoreadeptinshapingthebrand’sperson-ality. It isalsoagreatplatformtoleverageconversations aroundTVshows and live
eventslikecricketmatches.The other thing to note is that digital
mediumscanalsobedeployedsimultane-ously to create a multiplier effect. Insta-gram, for instance, lets a brand takepicturesandvideos,whichcanbesharedon a variety of other social networkingplatforms.Othermediums likePinterestencourage micro-targeting, as this en-ables brands to target consumers basedon their likes and interests, expressedthrough their ‘pin’ boards. This ensuresthat brands could have a virtual store onthisplatformwiththeircatalog.
While thesemediums are no doubt ex-citingtools,FacebookandTwitterstillre-main the best way for brands to targettoday’s youth.The reason toopt for theseplatforms is simple: they have beenaround the longest and are constantlyevolving to enhance user experience. Al-so, one cannot ignore thenumbers. Face-book boasts of the biggest user base inIndia (118 million), leading the digitalracebyquiteadistance.Itisalsooneof the
most advertising friendly platforms aswell, because of its targeting options,sales support and analytics. This is whymostbrandshaveaFacebookpageinaddi-tiontotheirwebsites.
Having said that, one cannot ignoreother visual marketing platforms.Brands that have moved on to the Insta-gram, Pinterest and Snapchat platformshaveahigherlevelof engagementandvis-ibility.For instance,VistaRooms,a start-up for budget hotel accommodations intheTier-II, Tier-IIImarkets, recently cre-atedanapponInstagramtoleverageonitsuniquetaggingfeature.
“It’s important to stay relevant withyour target audience with appealing im-ageryandcorrecthashtagusage.Whatwedo better than the others is thatwe focusnot only on social value but also on thefunctional value of Instagram,” saysAnkitaSheth, co-founder&headof part-nerships,VistaRooms.
If abrandisleaningtowardstargetinga younger audience, InstagramandPin-
terest are the best social media plat-forms. They not only grab the con-sumer's attention, but also get them toengagewith the brand on a larger scale.With new product launches, strategicdigital marketing plans, brand messag-ing shifts and emerging partnerships,these socialmedianetworks arewell po-sitionedtoactasthenew-agegatewayforcontentdiscovery.
TakeMaybelline India, which is a re-cent convert to Instagram. After estab-lishing its presence on Facebook andTwitter,Maybellinesawahugepotentialfor growth on the photo-upload plat-form.“Instagram,withits100%reach,isakeymediumforabeautybrandsuchasours since we want to drive trials andbuild brand imagery,” says Pooja Sah-gal, general manager — marketing,Maybelline New York India. Through acampaignontheplatformaimedtobuildanticipation for the upcoming ColossalrangebyMaybellineNewYorkIndiaandan exclusive e-commerce launch, called
the Colossal Eye Kit, the brand believesit reached its target audience muchmoreeffectively.
Similarly,Chumbak,aquirky lifestylebrand, wants to keep its image personaland relatable, an image socialmedia haspromoted. The brand which initially fo-cused on Facebook and Instagram hasnow managed to create buzz through itsTwitterhandleandPinterestboards.
Despite the increase in activity, ana-lystsbelievethatmanybrandsarestillnotusing the social media platform as effec-tively as they could.AsVivekPrabhakar,co-founder&CEO,Chumbak, says, “A lotof theyoungerbrandshavefiguredoutthedigital mediums but are not using itenoughtotalkaboutwhotheyare.”Inoth-er words, many brands seem to use themediums to sell products and not neces-sarilytellstoriesof whotheyareandwhatthey love, which they need to do becausethatiswhatsocialmediaisabout.
■Continued on Page 2
TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2015THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS
SapientNitro’s SheldonMonteiro on how brands canbridge the technology gap
PAGE 2
A H M E D A B A D B E N G A L U R U C H A N D I G A R H C H E N N A I H Y D E R A B A D K O C H I K O L K A T A L U C K N O W M U M B A I N E W D E L H I P U N E
F I R S T S TO P F O R M A R K E T I N G , A DV E R T I S I N G A N D M E D I A
Urban Ladder’s latest admoves away from being just
a product demo
PAGE 3
FORbrandswhich are lookingto get onto social channelsbeyondTwitter and
Facebook, a good starting point isto first define their digital role andthen look at the specific channelswhere theywould like to have apresence.
This beginswith a definition ofwhat part socialmedia plays intheir overallmarketing ecosystem.Brands need to decidewhethersocialmediawill be a space forcustomer service, or a platformwhere theywill listen to theirconsumers, orwhere they can co-create product ideaswithconsumers. The focus onwhatsocialmedia can do for a particularbrand is the first port of call for astrong and effective social strategy.
It never pays to be edgy for thesake of being edgy. It is true that onsocialmedia it is difficult to createcontentwhich is interestingenough for consumers to activelyengagewith. But being provocativeis not the only route to this goal. Itcan be a route if, as a brand, you areprovocative. For other brands, it iscritical to find a social voice in syncwith their points of view. This canpotentially range fromconsultativeto playful or even educational.
Then,we go on to definewhatinherently each channel can bringto the table for a brand. BothInstagramandPinterest forinstance, aremore visual channels,lending themselves to brands incategories like travel, fashion,homedécor, F&B, or colour
cosmetics for instance. Instagramtends to be a channelmuchmoresuited to user generated content.Typical cases include picturetaking on the go and the hashtagsallow for topical indexing andsearching of easy content.Instagramalso is a great channelfor brandswhichuse events. Eventpictures and video streaming viausers andKOLs is a powerfulwayto leverage the platform for brands.
Pinterest is a great channel forcurated content,where the brandcan create thematic visual contentto get across ideas, information andhow tos for consumers. It is also aninteresting channel for brands torunvisual content-led contests.Inviting consumers to createboards around themes is a greatway to engage them.
Eventually though, the channeldiscussionhas to come after thedefinition of the brand’s overallstrategy and approach to socialmedia.After that, the brandhas todecidewhat each channel can do toachieve that strategy.
DIGITAL STRATEGY ISGETTINGMORE COMPLEXWITHMORE PLATFORMSBEINGADDEDON. BRANDSMUSTRESPOND TO THESECHALLENGES BUTMOSTOFTHEMARENOTGEAREDUP TODO THAT, AS THIS REQUIRESCONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT
A LOTOF THE YOUNGER BRANDSHAVE FIGUREDOUT THENEWDIGITALMEDIUMSBUTARENOTUSING IT ENOUGH TO TALKABOUTWHOTHEY ARE. BRANDSNEED TONOWUSE THESEMEDIUMS TO TELL STORIESRATHER THAN JUST TO SELLPRODUCTS
VIVEK PRABHAKARCo-founder & CEO, Chumbak
Norman Pearlstine, VP & chiefcontent officer, Time Inc. ontackling the Indianmarket
PAGE 3
TODAY,CMOshavebeguntorealisethat marketing success is depen-dent upon the digital acumen oftheir organisations. A report by
The Economist Intelligence Unit titled,‘The rise of themarketer:Driving engage-ment,experienceandrevenue’,foundmar-keters are aggressively prioritisingdigital, technology and operations overbrand advertising and creative. This ishardly a surprise. Pervasive digital en-gagement platforms, mobility, social me-dia, and the need for intelligent customerengagement, based on volumes of data,make it imperative for today’s CMOs tohavepractical experienceat transformingmarketingthroughnewtechnologies.
The need for a CMTO
Buthowaretheydoingthis? Today,organi-sations are elevating accountability formarketing technology by establishing anewly created position: the Chief Market-ingTechnologyOfficer (CMTO). The needfor a CMTO is driven by consumer be-haviour where technology-empoweredcustomersnowknowmorethanmanycom-paniesdoabouttheirbrand’sproductsandservices,pricing,andreputation.In the past, this was not the case. Tech-
nology was of little help to the consumerandmostlyusedtoempowerbrandsanden-terprises. Today,mobile, social and searchtechnologyempowerscustomersbygivingthemarealisticpictureof theproducttheywanttobuy.Forinstance, today’smillenni-als will perform a Google search or seekfeedback from friends on Facebook and
Twitterbeforebuyingasmartphone.Theywill share their experiencewithhundredsof other people on social media. This is achangefromadecadeagowhenaconsumermight have asked only a friend or two viaphone or in person, before walking into anearbymobilephonestoretocheckoutthelatestdevices.Andif someonehadabadex-perience,thenewsdidnottraveltoofar.As technology is empoweringmore and
moreconsumers, ithasalsobecomeanim-portant tool formarketerstoinfluenceandconduct business with their target audi-ence. Over four-fifths of the report’s re-spondents believe now is the time toembarkonchangeinthewaytheyrunmar-keting and that change requires digital,technologyandoperationsskills.Creativeis still needed, but it is no longer the focus.So,weneed to askourselves,what is the
CMTO’s role in this changing market andhowcanheorsheaddvaluetotheorganisa-tion? The responsibilities of a CMTO arenot limited to establishing a company’spresenceondigitalchannelsandanalysingconsumerconversations. In today’sworld,brandsneed toprovideexperiences tocon-sumers across every brand-consumertouchpoint.Moreover,asresponsibilityforthe customer experience shifts to market-ing, marketers need to explore more tech-nology enabled options. This requires anunderstanding of both themarketing andtechnology domains and the ability tobridgethegapbetweenthem.ThisiswhereCMTOs are relevant for future businessesand why the old CMO-CIO combo won’tworkanymore.
Transforming the consumer’sexperienceEarlier,thetraditionalpurposeof theITde-partment in business organisations hasbeentoimproveoperationalefficiency.Forexample, a CIO in a typical Indian publicsectorbankwill lookforwaystoreducetheturnaround time within existing opera-tions. This could mean introducing a newaccountsprocessingprogramoranupdatetotheERPsystem.Ontheotherhand,aCM-TOfocusesontechnologyfortransformingthecustomerexperience,suchaschangingtheCRMsystemand introducing targeteddigital advertising to incorporate socialmedia sentiments of existing as well aspotential consumers. Kotak MahindraBank’shashtagbankingisagreatexampleof implementationsarrivedatbybridgingthegapbetweenmarketingandtechnology.Ausercanreceiveinformationonservicesabouthisexistingaccountoropenanewac-countwithatweet,inareliablemanner.TheCMTOhere needs to focus on deliv-
ering superior experience, solving a con-sumer problem, and establishing a longterm relationship with the consumer us-ing thebestmarketing ideas and technolo-gy solutions. Another example is the TajGroupof Hotels,whichoffersavirtualtourof its varioushotels in India.As a result, apotential guest can experience these prop-ertieswithoutactuallytravellingtotheho-tel. In both these examples, the brands arebuilding contextual experiences for theirtarget customers instead of using yester-day'sunilateralcommunications.
The way forwardBusiness is in an exciting phase.AsCMOslevelupwithconnectedconsumerexpecta-tions, theymustembracetechnologycapa-bilities to provide immersive, engagingand customised experiences. The gap be-tween what marketers used to do 10 yearsagoandwhattheyneedtodonowhasneverbeengreater.Considerthepredictionmadein2012byGartner’sanalysts,LauraMcLel-lan and Michael Smith, that “by 2017, theCMOwill spendmore on IT than theCIO.”As we approach the date, their forecastseems less and less far-fetched.And this isultimatelywhyCMTOsareurgentlyneed-ed,andtheyareheretostay.
Thewriteristheglobalchief technology
officer,SapientNitro
2 THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015
THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS
◗ AD-DENDUMBY SHELDONMONTEIRO
20%
22%
17%
How social media impactsconsumer serviceMost Indians use social media for service than other Asian markets
Top consumerservice activitieson social media
How they use these channels
India Japan Hong Kong
71%
56%
29% 50% Nearly 9/10 consumersfeel brands haveimproved theirresponse times, thanksto social media
Customers as Evangelists
Word of MouthRecommendations from friends areamong the Top 2 ways to getcustomers to try a new company
On average,Indians wouldpass on theirpositiveexperience to
39 people
Sharingconsumerservice
experience
Companywebsiteor email
SimpleQuery
On call withconsumer
service
ComplicatedQuery
Face-to-face
ComplexQuery
50%Asking other
users on how toget betterservice
47%Praising a
company forgreat serviceexperience
47%Seeking
response from acompany on aservice issue
Consumer services and spending
India
Hong Kong
Japan
Continued willingness to spend more on consumer service
Source: American Express Customer Service Barometer
89%
65%
55%
Indians are most likelyto share good customer
experience
India Japan HongKong
66% 25% 27%
NUMEROLOGY
Living Foodz (earlier Zee Khana Khaz-ana)seemstohavelearntthatlesson.Thebrandwhichhopestocaptureitsaudience(both men and women across all agegroups in the urban digital household)through social media, has launched spe-cific content for its target group tellingthemwhotheyare. “Instagramisahighlyvisual platform and so we have aimed atcreating content specific for it throughourInstaCookBookandInstaFlipinnova-tions.Theseappealtotheaudienceonthatplatform,”saysAmitNair,businesshead,LivingFoodz.However,notall endeavourshavebeen
success stories. Though brands likeZomato, Anthrapologie, Red Bull andmanymore have managed to create con-tent which is engaging, sometimes thedigital campaigns have failed. Take thecase of DBS Bank. In 2014, the brandlaunched an online campaign calledChilliPaneer.Thecampaigntoldthestoryof a young man from Singapore and ayoung Indianwomanwhomet by chanceat a DBS ATM in Mumbai. The woman,who recognised the man from his foodblog, confessed that she was a fan of hisandstruckupaconversation.Thecoupleendedupspendingtimetogether,withthewoman harbouring dreams of runningherownrestaurantoneday,whileheneed-edtojointhefamilybusiness.Experts believe that the campaign,
thoughheartwarming and entertaining,failed to link back to the product — thebank.Thoughthebrand(throughtheads)wantedtoshowcasehowbankingandthe
couragetotakefinancialdecisionswasatone’s finger tips, this message was com-pletely lost on the digital audience. Thereasons for this failure showed the dan-gers of over-complicating themessage, alessonsomebrandsstillneedtolearn.
Are we there yet?Overthepastdecade,therehasbeenapar-adigm shift in the way brands and mar-keters communicate with online users,thusalteringthewayinwhichconsumersconsume such communication. Thus,there is a lot of scope for improvement intermsof thewayagenciesadapttothenewtechnologies and link them to the brand.So,todaywhilewearetryingtoutilisetheonline medium in the best way possible,westillneedtofindoutawaytoeffectivelybringtogethercreativity,mediaandtech-nologyandleveragethemforbrands.AsSanjayShetty,seniorVP,brandplat-
form, Asymmetrique says, “Digitalstrategiesaregettingmorecomplexwithmore platforms being added on. Brandsneedtorespondinrealtimeonthesechan-nelsandmostof themaren’tgearedupforthat. So that’s the challenge; it requires aconsiderableinvestmenttodothat.”The other challenge for brands is that
withmore andmore companies jumpingonto the digital bandwagon, brand recalland attention span has decreased. Also,although ad spends have increased, cre-ativity across social media platformshasn’t.ManyIndianbrandsstillconsiderdigital strategy as just an extension oftheirtraditionaladvertising.Butwhether one likes it or not, digital
marketingisnotaluxurybutareality,if abrand wants to stay relevant in today’shyper-crowded Indianmarket. The ques-tion is: howmany of them are willing tomakethattransition?
With digitalmediums becomingmore andmore intrinsic tomarketing, brandstoday are relying onCMTOs to enhance the consumer experience
Spoilt for choice
BARC India calls for global RFIsfor digital measurementThe Broadcast Audience Research
Council (BARC) India has issued a global
Request For Information (RFI) to expand
audiencemeasurement in the digital
space. In the RFI, companies need to
outlinewhat they canmeasure and at
what level of detail. Parties can apply
before December 24, 2015. As Partho
Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India, says, “We
are now ready to take the next leap, that
ofmeasuring digital viewing.”
S Yesudas launches his‘unagency’ — triggerbridgeS Yesudas has recently announced the
launch of his entrepreneurial venture,
triggerbridge, the ‘unagency’, whichwill
be run in partnershipwith Ajit Nair,
MXAdvertising and Amit Tripathi,
IdeateLabs. Yesudas, who is theMD and
co-founder of triggerbridge, a digital
agency, has been in the advertising and
media business for over two decades. He
was lastMD, Indian subcontinent,
Vizeum (Dentsu Aegis Network).
Marico appoints Ranveer Singhas brand ambassadorMarico has announced that Ranveer
Singhwill be the brand ambassador of
SetWet deodorants. SetWetwill launch
their campaignwith Ranveer Singh in
February next year. Speaking on the
initiative Anuradha Aggarwal, CMO,
Marico Limited, said, “Brand SetWet
extolls youngmen to give up inhibitions
and let their charm and passion show in
everything they do—a philosophy
Ranveer himself lives by.”
I N T H E N E W S
Bridging the marketingand technology gap
INSTAGRAM IS AHIGHLY VISUALPLATFORMANDSOWEHAVENOW
AIMEDAT CREATINGCONTENTSPECIFIC FOR IT THROUGHOURINSTACOOKBOOKANDINSTAFLIP INNOVATIONSWHICHAPPEALED TOOURAUDIENCE
AMIT NAIRBusiness head, Living Foodz
■ Continued fromPage 1
3THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015
THEFINANCIALEXPRESS
Time Inc. has a growing physical presence
in Bengaluru, and a circulation of 25,000
copies in India. In an interview with
BrandWagon's Shinmin Bali, VP and
chief content officer of Time Inc. Norman
Pearlstine says despite the digital surge,
print is far frombeingwrittenoff.Excerpts:
How has the content strategy of Time
Inc. evolved with the emergence of
newerplatforms?
Until June 2014, we were a part of TimeWarner and at that time we were restrict-ed to print with a bit of digital line exten-sion. Since we were spun off from TimeWarner and became an independent pub-lic company, we’ve moved aggressively tobe a multi-product forum. Particularly,
we’ve had to recognise the importance ofmobile and the ways in which so manypeople get information through theirphones. In the US, we have 23 print titleswhich deliver 30 million copies to sub-scribers permonth. This does not includenewsstands. So, print is still an importantpart of our business. At the same time,weneed to show we can grow non-printrevenues faster than print revenues,whichare indecline.
What are themeasures being taken by
Time Inc. to stay relevant in India?
I think the challenge is finding the rightcombination of content that you havewhich is different fromwhat other peoplehave. This is a difficult balancing act.There are global issues where Time Inc.canbean important contributor in the en-vironment, healthcare, technology andgeopolitics sector for the Indianmarket.At the same time, relevance is impor-
tant. Given our origin is print, we need tolook at how digital can allow for aggrega-tion, user generated content and beingconnected with events in ways thatmightbemoreeffective in thismarket.
What are the core challenges for print
publishingand foryour company?
We need to stay on top of technology be-cause it ismoving so quickly. Virtual plat-forms like Oculus are some of theways tocreate user experiences. Time Inc. is alsoknown for its coverage on celebrity andentertainment. Canweuse virtual realityto deliver the red carpet experience to theconsumer? We have a very good businesswith ‘bookazines’ (instant book publish-ing).So,whenRobinWilliamsdied,wedidabiographywhichwason thenewsstandsin a few weeks. We’ll get to that point intechnology where we’ll see that kind ofpublication ina fewdays.You have to look at commerce aswell. If
we look at say, InStyle, which is aboutfashion, the readers love to tear out somepages andmake a purchasing decision onwhat they see. We have to look at whetherwe can make that an even better experi-ence for the consumer. That is not to sug-gest thatwe get into retail. Butwe do needto think about commerce as an importantcomponent.
Do you see a potential for premium
content in India?
Digital gives you the chance to use locallanguages and geography, and addressspecific professions, which is important.Even if it is a very small percentage of theIndian population that cares about globalinformation, that small percentage canstill be a big market and a profitable one.But we cannot be arrogant or naive abouthowcompetitive the Indianmarket is.
What roles will technology and
analytics play in content curation and
management?
Technology will continue to allow forgreater personalisation. It will get to apointwherereaderswill rewardpremiumcontent. Right now, people are over-whelmed by how much content there isand going forward, trusted brands will beable to regain their significance andimportance.One of the big concerns with digital is
how much can you trust the experience?Do you know it is actually a person read-ing your ad and not a bot? Do you knowwhen a consumer spends time on a pagewith say 10 ads,whichones are they reallywatching?Print products are successful because
there are passionate audiences for them,and as we move forward, premium pro-ducers of content are going to find suchpassionateaudiences.The big change with technology is that
the user becomes much more importantthan before. For so many years, we had aone-to-many model where an editor likemewould tell peoplewhat to readandnow,users are tellingmewhat they want to ex-perience or they’re telling me about theirexperiences. There’s an opportunity tolearn from our users and we need toembrace that.
TheAdThe ad film opens on a post dinner sce-nario, with the host walking in withdessert. We see one of the guests tryingtomakespaceonthetableforit, topplingempty cutlery in the process. The hostwryly draws out the dining table exten-sion, placing the dessert tray on it, sur-prising the guests. The voiceover goes:“Because your furniture knows, there’salwaysroomformore”.
Our TakeNot just-another-boring-product ad, Ur-ban Ladder’s latest campaign,Your fur-niture knows, has three commercials init, built around ‘thoughtful designs’.The ad is in continuance of the UrbanLadder storytelling format and its cen-tral theme of beautiful homes. The ideabehind the campaign is fairly simple: tohighlight some of the online furniturecompany’s curated ranges and theirfunctionalbenefits.What makes the ad unique is the
problem-solving approach taken tohighlight how a particular kind of fur-niture can make day-to-day life easy. Itmay remind you of the dining table adfeatured in rival Pepperfry’s Why wait
for Diwali campaign. But what sets itapart is that the creative here is focusedontheideaof anextendablediningtablerather than buying a bigger diningtable. That is what smart furniture isabout, isn’t it?This makes it different in its catego-
ry too. If we compare the campaignwith that of other players in the onlinefurnishing space, a common themethat emerges is the idea of functional
furniture for modern, urban homes.But the distinguishing feature of theUrbanLadder campaign is that insteadof asking consumers to replace theirold furniture, it gives them a perspec-tive andhelps themtovisualise aneasyway of organising their homes withsmart and multipurpose furniture.This subtle approach combined with adash of storytelling does not make itlook like a product demo ad but rather,onethatsolvesapurpose.The humourous tone further leads to
high brand recall. “We understandwhyfurniture isavery integralpartof one’slife and therefore, the problem it shouldsolve for a customer. In the previouscampaign, we focussed more on thebeauty of our furniture. This time wewantedtofocusonboththeformandthefunctionality,” says Ashish Goel, CEOandco-founder,UrbanLadder.Thecompanylaunchedits firstbrand
campaign in January this year, titledBrings you closer, which played on theconnect consumers havewith their fur-niture, with a subtle product reference.Since then, its campaigns have main-tained a storytelling format whichbrings the story alive either through anemotional twist, or humour. Given thecompetition in the online furnishingspace and the rise of pocket-friendly,flatpackfurniture,whatsetsUrbanLad-der’s ads apart is the brand’s consciousdecision to stay away frommaking anydirect sales pitch, even during festivalseasons. The focus has always been onits products, in line with its brand posi-tioningof beautifulhomes.
—AnkitaRai
Furniturewith IQ
Campaign:Your Furniture Knows
Brand:Urban Ladder
Company:Urban Ladder
Agency:Lowe Lintas
RATINGS
OUR TAKE
1I’m fortunate that I get to do
everything that I love. Every moment
is new and so are my days in the
office. Start-ups bring in
unanticipated challenges and
learnings each day, so I am fully
receptive of the experiences the days
have to offer. At the moment we are
chartering into our next phase of
growth with many new offerings,
some of which are absolutely novel in
India. These initiatives are taking all
of our efforts, but it's equally thrilling
and gratifying all at the same time!
2My day starts with reading the
newspaper and going through my
inbox on the way to office. A status
meeting with my core strategy team
in the morning sets the agenda for
the day, after which I'm free to return
phone calls and answer emails. In the
office, we practice collaborative
action, so my team keeps me
engaged all day with new ideas and
updates. It's the part of my day that I
enjoy the most. We also follow a work
hard, play hard policy and many
evenings are reserved for birthday
celebrations and team building
activities in office.
3On the weekends, I spend time with
my wife and daughter. We usually
watch the latest movie and explore
new restaurants. Sometimes, on
more relaxed weekends, I prefer
being indoors where you would find
me delving in books or immersed
in melodious ghazals.
4I am not really a gadgets person but
when it comes to work or leisure my
iPad is a must have. Then, when I
get the time, I enjoy listening to
quality music on my Bose speakers.
These are the two things that I
cannot do without.
5I prefer classic brands especially
when it comes to shirts. Ralph
Lauren's Polo and Abercrombie &
Fitch are two must haves for me.
—As told to Ashwin Ahmad
THEWEEKEND
“Start-upsdobring inunanticipatedchallenges”
AFTERHOURS
RAJ IYERFounder & CMD, icustommadeit.com
THEJOB
THETOYS
THELOGOS
◗ FACEOFFNORMAN PEARLSTINE
“Wecan’tbenaiveabout theIndianmarket”
Urban Ladder’s latest
ad highlights the
functional benefits of
its furniture without
making it look like a
product demo video
THEWEEKDAYS
THERE ARE GLOBALISSUES WHERE TIMEINC. CAN BE ANIMPORTANTCONTRIBUTORESPECIALLY IN CERTAINSECTORS LIKEENVIRONMENT,HEALTHCARE,TECHNOLOGY ANDGEOPOLITICS FOR THEINDIAN MARKET
NORMANPEARLSTINEVP & chief content officer, Time Inc.