1. 4
CURRENCY GREEN MOBILE COMSTRAT
BRANDING BRANDING MARKETING WINNERS 2010
2. EDITOR’S DESK
JUNE 2011
Greetings from Team Marksman!
It’s that time of the year when the campus is teeming with fresh energy. En-
ergy that is seeking direction, that is continuously on the lookout for quality
information. With that in mind, Interface-the Marketing Club of SIMSR
would like to proudly present to you the 2nd issue of “The Marksman”. For
the uninitiated, a Marksman stands for a sharp shooter. And that is exactly
what we are, sharp, crisp and to the point.
At Marksman, we endeavour to bring to you not only the latest happenings
from the world of marketing, but also bring forth subjects which still are
nascent like our cover story, Neuromarketing. It’s a technology so powerful
that if used intelligently, has the capacity to change the way consumer be-
haviour is studied.
Other than the cover story, this issue is replete with articles you can draw a
wealth of knowledge from. It delves into the rebranding of our currency and
green branding. Our bookworm section, tweets and Buzz will appeal to all.
We would also like to congratulate the winners of our featured articles.
Signing off, we would like to dedicate this issue to all the victims of the 13/7
Mumbai blasts. In our own little way, we pledge our solidarity to the victims
and their families.
Hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did making this for you.
JULY 2011 01
3. NEUROMARKETING ……………………………………………………………………………...03
RE-BRANDING THE INDIAN CURRENCY ……………………………………………………….05
(Re)BRANDING GONE WRONG ………………………………………………………………..07
GREEN BRANDING ……………………………………………………………………………….11
MOBILE MARKETING ……………………………………………………………………………..12
SUBLIMINAL MARKETING...……………………………………………………………………….14
NEW VIRTUAL MARKETING BATTLEFIELDS ……………………………………………………15
BOOKWORM ……………………………………………………………………………………..17
NUKED ……………………………………………………………………………………………...18
REWIND ……………………………………………………………………………………………19
TWEETS ……………………………………………………………………………………………..22
BUZZ ………………………………………………………………………………………………..24
THE MARKSMAN 02
4. NEUROMARKETING– Unravelling a Customer’s mysterious Buy-ology
With the progress of science, it is now possible to tap into a consumer’s mind and understand how exactly
does the brain respond to the various marketing activities. This new and more accurate form of market
research is known as Neuromarketing. Read on to find out more about this new compelling field of Mar-
keting
What is Neuromarketing? sensors (electrodes) attached to the head of the
Neuromarketing is where science meets marketing. brain to see which areas of the brain become acti-
It is a union of Neuro Science and marketing, a un- vated while the subject is being put through various
ion that sheds new light on why we make some of tests (such as viewing an object, hearing the name
the buying decisions that we make i.e right from of a brand, etc).
food, to cell phones, to soaps, & shampoos.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A research discipline which is still in its infancy,
It is a technique for measuring the electrical activi-
Neuro Marketing uses high tech brain scanning
ties that take place within the brain using special
techniques such as fMRI (Functional MRI, explained
sensors (electrodes) attached to the head
later in the article) and EEG
(Electroencephalogram) to investigate brain activity. Understanding our buy-ology
This neuro-imaging hardware helps us examine
what really drives our behaviour, our opinions, our
preferences for a McDonald‘s over a KFC, Chinese
food over Italian food, or one shampoo brand over
another.
fMRI (Functional MRI)
fMRI is similar to an MRI,
except that that instead of
trying to detect injuries in
the brain it scans the brain
for any specific areas of the Up until now, most marketing, branding and adver-
brain (such as perception, tising strategies have been based on research, both
language and memory) that may be active at that qualitative and quantitative. But the fact is, roughly
moment in time, hence the name ―functional MRI‖. 90% of the of the consumer buying decisions are
It involves very rapid scanning of the brain to see unconscious, and we can‘t explain our preferences,
which areas of the brain become activated while or likely buying decisions with substantial accuracy.
the subject is being put through various tests (such So the marketing surveys and customer question-
as viewing an object, hearing the name of a brand, naires are questionable. As organisations pour in
etc). Millions and millions of rupees into advertising that
may or may not hit the spot, the marketing frater-
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
nity realises that the time has come for a paradigm
It is a technique for measuring the electrical activi-
shift. Advertisers need to know what exactly
ties that take place within the brain using special
JULY 2011 03
5. directs our buying decisions, NeuroMarketing famous Pepsi Taste challenge of the 80‘s, with the
helps us make the transition towards the real facts help of Neuroscience. He gave 67 people a blind
of why we buy. taste test of both Coke and Pepsi, then placed his
The advent of NeuroMarketing helps us bypass subjects in the fMRI scanner to detect the brain
the need for the traditional question and answer cell activities of each of the 67 volunteers.
mode of research and straight goes to the source
of the information -the buyer‘s brain, rather than After tasting each drink, all the volunteers showed
asking them questions and depending on their re- strong activation of the reward areas of the brain-
sponses, responses which many a times even the -which are associated with pleasure and satisfac-
respondents aren‘t quite sure of. tion--and they were almost evenly split in their
Today we know very little about the brain, and preferences for the two brands. But when Monta-
how tapping directly into the buyers‘ brain will gue repeated the test and told them what they
help the marketeers. But in times to come, as we were drinking, 75% of the people said they pre-
will learn more and more about the functions of ferred Coke, and their brains showed why: not
the brain and decipher the information regarding only were the reward systems active, but memory
the brain activities, we will have a much larger regions also lit up, indicating a higher thought
framework within which to interpret the data. process. This showed that the subjects were asso-
You could compare what we know of the brain ciating the drink with positive images and branding
today to what Christopher Columbus knew of the messages from Coke‘s commercials, clearly show-
globe in the 15th century. His charts sure repre- ing that the brand has a certain value in the brain
sented a great leap forward for the human civilisa- system above and beyond the content of the can.
tion in terms of the knowledge of the world, but In other
in hindsight, we realise there was so much yet to words, all the
be discovered. Our current knowledge of the Coke com-
brain, and its impact on marketing, is similarly mercials did
primitive. exactly what
they were sup-
NeuroMarketing being put to through the posed to do:
test seep into the
brain and leave
associations so
powerful they could even override a preference
for the taste of Pepsi, leading Montague into nam-
ing his taste test ―The Pepsi paradox‖.
.
Signing off, it is clear that Neuromarketing is the
next leap forward in Market research. Something
which will give us apt and accurate data in terms
“The Pepsi Paradox” of customer buying decisions and patterns and
those who embrace it the earliest, stand to gain
P. Read Montague, a neuroscientist at Baylor Col- maximum from this technology
lege of Medicine performed his own version of the
THE MARKSMAN 04
6. RE-BRANDING THE INDIAN CURRENCY
Indian rupee got a new unique symbol — a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R' — joining elite cur-
rencies like the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen in having a distinct identity . This historic land-
mark in Indian economy was a rebranding of the Indian currency, a symbol of the high ambitions of modern
India. Below is an attempt to analyse impact of re-branding strategy of Indian currency in global arena.
The search for a new Indian rupee symbol had provides a branding opportunity for the wider
started in February 2009. The union finance Indian economy. It may not affect the strength
ministry announced a nationwide contest for of the brand but will definitely enhance the im-
the design of the symbol. The eventual winner age.
was D. Udaya Kumar, a student from the Indian
In marketing, we call it rebranding. Rebranding
Institute of Technology. After more than one
should reflect what the underlying brand is
year, finally new rupee sym-
about; in this case it‘s a
bol was unveiled by the jury
growing economy, a confi-
panel headed by Deputy
dent economy, a large econ-
Governor of the Reserve
omy. Brands are a promise
Bank of India in July,2010
of performance which peo-
What does it mean for ple associate with in their
India? minds. Here, we need to see
It will help Indian currency in that what India wants to
re branding itself and to convey and what is the basis
prove its stability in the fluc- behind it. We cannot make
tuating market of global cur- promises which we cannot
rencies. The currency of a deliver, is India ready to be
nation is its ambassador called a First world country?
across countries,‖ says Harish Bijoor, brand- It is an exercise to say that if we want to be-
strategy specialist & CEO of Harish Bijoor Con- come a superpower, then we should have a
sults Inc. ―The currency of a country is also a symbolic code which is reflective of our culture.
symbol of its status. Its value and its exchange We have always been known more for our cul-
rate is a symbol of its strength and stability as a ture than other countries. India has used its soft
nation, both political and economic . power to Brand India-its dance, music, movies
[It is] therefore much more than what it seems etc.
to be.‖ Bijoor, who is also a visiting professor at The rupee symbol reflects the ambition of India
the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business to position its currency among the top four
(ISB), adds that the symbol for the rupee is yet currencies of the world. To make the world
another stepping stone to future greatness for realize its ability to survive even through a melt-
the country. This generates high possibility for down .To project India as a growing economy
the Indian currency to establish itself as a cur- with full confidence on its resources and capa-
rency of choice for the international commu- bilities .
nity. It is not just about the currency, it also
JULY 2011 05
7. Just like any other brand needs to be promoted, The new Indian rupee symbol is becoming a
efforts should be made to promote the brand. fashion statement for the consumer electronics
First within India, using multimedia ads, where manufacturer in the country. TVS recently
TV would be the dominant media. Then, across launched a new keyboard model which features
financial centers all over the world. There could this symbol (though without any apparently uni-
be global road shows at major financial centers versal support). Lava Mobiles has launched a
all over the world. new special edition mobile phone with the ru-
pee symbol accessible from one of the keys.
Future of the symbol
The symbol will definitely receive a huge fanfare
New series of coins will be unveiled soon carry- in India. But the success of this move will be
ing the Rupee symbol, finance minister Pranab determined by its acceptance in the Global
Mukherjee announced in the Budget arena.
THE MARKSMAN 06
8. (Re)BRANDING GONE WRONG
For most big companies today, their logo has GAP
become an integral part of their identity, more
so as the customers, whether purchasing the The Epitome of Re-
product or not, are likely to come into contact branding having gone bad,
with the logo on a rather more regular basis. legendary American
Therefore, the companies today are leaving no clothing company Gap,
stone unturned to make sure that their logos changed from their tradi-
connect with the audiences. Even if they have to tional blue box logo to a
undergo a makeover to seemingly stay con- more modern logo. Or
nected with the audiences, so be it. so the company thought, but its die hard customers
disagreed. They were unhappy with the new logo, and
There are many reasons why a company would wanted the old logo, the blue rectangular box with
change their logo or re-brand themselves. Some GAP written in white in it back. Critics attacked the
do it to refresh their image (Tropicana), some re-branding on social networks and online forums.
because they wish to diversify the business of More than 2,000 comments were posted on the com-
the brand (Airtel, Starbucks), while some to In- pany‘s Facebook page on the issue, with many de-
fuse youthfulness and vivacity into their brands manding the return of the traditional logo. Following
(Godrej). the public uproar, GAP decided to do away with the
new logo within days
But Re-branding has always invited reactions, of its launch. As
both positive as well as negative, from all cor- quoted by one of the
ners of the market. The ones most vocal are company officials
usually the customers, as most of them have ―At Gap brand, our
decades of connection with the brand, and they customers have al-
themselves would not like the heritage of the ways come first.
brand to crumble right in front of them. On We‘ve been listening
other occasions, it‘s plain unnecessary changes to and watching all of the comments this past week.
that the company brings about. We heard them say over and over again they are pas-
sionate about our blue box logo, and they want it
Here we look at some of the Re-branding exer- back. So we‘ve made the decision to do just that – we
cises that have back fired for the brand will bring it back across all channels.‖
JULY 2011 07
9. TROPICANA
Why would i want to buy it, when
For a product like Tropicana, there are several others making
its carton design is as good as the same offering?
its logo, as that is what grabs
the customers‘ eyeballs on an The earlier logo, with the straw
everyday basis. Now, why the straight out of the orange, con-
beverage giant decided to do veyed just the right kind of mean-
away with a logo that conveyed ing the company wanted to con-
the message of the product vey, that is, it is as good as
extremely efficiently, we will never know. ―drinking‖ an orange. Tropicana probably forget the
golden rule of marketing, sell benefits-the product
The new packaging depicts a glass full of juice will sell itself. With the new logo, it concentrated
(presumably, orange juice). What does not work in on the product itself, rather than the benefits of
this packaging is that the juice is not distinctive 100% Natural Juice.
from anything else available in the market. How The result, Tropicana‘s sales took a 20% dive after
does a glass full of pale yellow juice tell me that it is the launch of the packaging, forcing the company to
natural? Why would i want to buy it, when there revert back to the old packaging within 2 months of
are several others makng the same offering? the launch of the new design
THE MARKSMAN 08
10. Green brands are those brands which are eco- friendly and cause minimal detrimental impact on the envi-
ronment by the way of design, manufacturing, distribution or promotion so as to satisfy all the stake-
holders and benefit the society.
Green branding is used as a potent tool by organization to develop brand equity. This may be due to vari-
ous advantages of green branding:-
Differentiator
Block competition
Good Will
Satisfy the NGO pressures
Builds customer loyalty
To understand how organizations use this potent tool at their advantage let us have a look at this case.
Earthship Biotecture
A company that uses recycled material like beer cans, tyres etc for building houses caught the atten-
tion of environmentalist and many others after a few years of its inception. The organization is now
building houses that are cheaper than their modern counterparts not only to purchase but also to main-
tain. Some of the features in the Earthship homes are-
1. Generates electricity from sun and wind: Electrical energy is "harvested" from the sun and the
wind. A photovoltaic panel converts the sun‘s energy into DC current
electricity and is stored in "golf-cart" type batteries.
2. Water from rain and snow melt: The roof is insulated to R70 and sloped to harvesting rain water
for the inhabitants for drinking and cooking purposes.
3. Sewage: Treated onsite in botanical planters.
With the re-use systems employed in the earthships, every drop of water is used four times.
Rain water is used for drinking, washing, cooking etc.
Grey water (used once for bathing/cooking) to feed a garden bed in the front greenhouse which
doubles as a grey water cleaning system.
The cleaned grey water is then pumped to the toilets which then become black water.
JULY 2011 09
11. The Black water is used to feed perennial trees which cleans the water and grows food.
4. Heating and cooling from sun and the earth: Earthships maintain comfortable temperatures in any
climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wires or
pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.
5. Food grows inside and outside: Having plants that produce food within this environment makes
sense and takes sustainable and independent living to another level.
Projects: Earthships are now found around the globe as it can be made in any climate in any part of
the world. Some of the locations are Normandy-France; Bonaire-Caribbean; Andaman Islands-India;
Fife-Scotland; Brighton-England; Hilo-Hawaii; L‘Alcudia-Spain.
The company creates Brand awareness about the various initiatives and projects undertaken by them
by various mediums. It has a very exhaustive website (http://earthship.com) with information about
the houses, seminars, intern sessions, books and many other things. They carry out seminars and edu-
cation programs around the world to spread the importance of environment and also provide consul-
tation to build an Earthship. They have an extensive
presence on social networking websites like facebook,
twitter, LinkedIn, Newsvine, MySpace, StumbleUpon,
YouTube etc. YouTube for example has hundred of
videos of Earthship houses and initiatives watched by
millions of people and commented by thousands. There
are written books on green housing that are also avail-
able on the websites. The ultimate eco friendly green
building can also provide with carbon credits and tax
incentives along with a higher resale value.
They communicate various benefits provided by their unique real estate community and bank their
trust on sustainability. They have a product that differentiates itself from the rest, they don‘t charge a
premium for their product, and are doing a great community service by providing eco friendly living
for the society. They have created an emotional connect with every individual having a concern for
the environment and this forms an important source for brand equity. They market functional benefit
of the product, low maintenance cost and its relative importance to Mother Nature.
Green branding, a cause related branding could be a very potent tool for a company to prosper and
make brand loyal customers. If they can develop trust in the minds of their customer and create an
emotional connect to resonate with customers a very strong brand equity would be created.
THE MARKSMAN 10
12. MOBILE MARKETING-The Game Changer
-Akshay Dikshit and Nupur Arora, NITIE- Mum-
With the mobile phone segment seeing an exponential growth, it presents an opportunity for the market-
ers to use this medium to connect with their customers better. Yet less than 1% of marketing budgets are
allocated to leverage this powerful medium. Read on to see how this medium could bring about a para-
digm shift in new age marketing and also how some marketers have successfully leveraged this medium
The incredible reach of mobile marketing cannot be those people who do not subscribe to the magazine
debated. The power to leverage the mobile device prefer to receive content from The Economist.
for marketing purposes is huge. Marketing on a mo- They invite information from The Economist. This
bile phone has become increasingly popular ever way, the magazine gets to create a direct relation-
since the rise of SMS. There has been a steady in- ship with its potential subscribers
crease in the use of mobile marketing over the past Interactive Mobile Marketing Campaigns
year or two.
“Pappu Pass Ho Gaya” by Cadbury
Scope of Mobile Marketing in India This was an innovative and interactive campaign by
752 million was the count of mobile subscribers Cadbury which involved a tie-up with Reliance India
in India by end of Mobile service. It allowed students to check their
2010. This mammoth exam results using this mobile service. If the stu-
figure displays the dent passed, he got a sms congratulating him saying
huge potential of mo- ―Pappu pass ho gaya‖ along with the exam result
bile marketing to and hence encouraged him to celebrate the mo-
reach the audience in ment with a Cadbury Dairy Milk. What worked
a personalized man- here? It has to be Creativity, great execution and an
ner. association with key moment in consumers‘ life.
Currently mobile marketing is nascent in India with Nike -Nike erected a large, interactive billboard in
most marketers allocating less than 1% of budget to Times Square. Passers-by could use their cell
mobile. But in the last one year we have seen the phones to design
market grow to more than double. Mobile market- a sneaker that will
ing is all set to increase with the arrival of 3G. It be displayed for
can cover a full spectrum from outbound SMS to all the world to
Bluetooth marketing, from in-game to location see and then they
based services. could download
the masterpiece
Outbound SMS ads have a high reach in India with to their mobile
more than 4 billion ads sent to Indian audience in device as wallpa-
Q42010 alone. But these kinds of ads are spamming per. Individuals
and they intrude into consumers private space. went nuts when
Invertising is a new mobile marketing platforms they saw their
created to satisfy the needs of both advertisers and own shoes
consumers. Eg. The Economist magazine- Even
JULY 2011 11
13. posted live on the jumbotron in front of them. mass marketing instrument.
Nike gave away 3000 pairs of shoes in this promo-
tion, but users were just as excited by their design Chevy Spark LPG Bluetooth Campaign
on the billboard as they were by the free foot- The cars were exhibited in the Forum Mall that
wear were enabled with Bluetooth transmitters Post-
ers, banners
Unilever Turkey and Cornetto ice cream all around
The campaign was designed to engage young ice- the mall and
cream eaters and included interactive SMSmarket- stickers on
ing. Using a wall projection system, Cornetto the car
took over the outside of a building in Taksim, Tur- were used
key. Anyone with any phone could play a game in to educate
which people texted to move the protagonist of consumers
the game into collecting cornetto cones. Winners about the
got a free ice cream, redeemable on the spot. activity.
Why are these campaigns worth notice? Customers
They integrated all or most of the key success fac- who switched on their mobile Bluetooth could
tors: download wallpapers, car details, specifications in
1. Relevant to the consumer animated format and details about dealers. Also
2. Welcome invitation to participate consumers in other parts of the mall who had
3. Entertaining activated the Bluetooth feature on their handset
4. Drives a specific action received a message about the car prompting
5. Simplicity them to check it out in the exhibition area.
There were around 10,500 downloads in total.
Mobile Marketing using Bluetooth Also companies like Cafe Coffee Day, Pantaloon,
The rise of Bluetooth Levis, Adidas and Pepsi have offered mobile con-
started around 2003 and tent free of cost and dis-
companies have started counts via Bluetooth in In-
establishing successful dia. Currently Bluetooth
marketing using this marketing is used at events,
technology. This tech- malls, multiplex and cafes.
nology has the advan-
tages that it is permis- Location-based services
sion-based, has higher LBS are offered by cell
transfer speeds and is phone networks as a way to
also a radio-based tech- send custom advertising and
nology and can there- other information to cell-
fore not be billed. But phone subscribers based on
since people tend to their current location. The
keep their Bluetooth off due to the fear of trans- mobile-optimized location based applications like
mission of spams and viruses, it can't become a Foursquare, Gowalla or Brightkite cater to a
THE MARKSMAN 12
14. larger audience by incorporating location Conclusion
sharing to customer feeds and test out their Mobile marketing features some of the lowest
geo-location features. Foursquare is small in cost per impression of any marketing medium.
India with about 80,000 users but it is grow- Combine that with the ability of mobile market-
ing fast. Soon consumers will be able to re- ing messages to be well-branded, a goal for
ceive offers near their resi- every mobile marketing initiative
dence or when they are out and mobile marketing becomes
shopping in the malls. an indispensable tool for compa-
nies trying to define or
With 3G coming in, it is possi- strengthen their brand. The ma-
ble to view videos, photos and jor challenge is to build an eco-
menus of restaurants before system with constructive part-
they decide to pull their cou- nership to communicate with
pon. People in emerging mar- highly targeted and profiled us-
kets always take their mobile ers for mobile marketing. Mobile
phones when going shopping and use it to marketing is, and will remain, a consistent reality
make calls to discuss purchases, to compare for all businesses.
prices and to use mobile coupons, thus there
is a huge scope of mobile marketing in this
way.
JULY 2011 13
15. SUBLIMINAL MARKETING
- Neeti Bedekar, SIMSR, Mumbai
What is the objective of marketing? The most common answers are – advertising, selling, cus-
tomer satisfaction etc. A very important aspect of marketing is creating the need itself. And that
is what subliminal marketing is all about..
The crux of subliminal marketing is to place an When you repeat ‗Honey Dew‘ twice or
idea in your subconscious mind. It makes you thrice continuously, it begins to sound like
want or think about something without even ―I need you‖, which proves the effectiveness
you realizing. It plays on your senses. It is about of the brand in planting its need right in the
planting an idea in the customer‘s subconscious customer‘s head!
mind and letting it grow till the point of pur- Forget these established brands. Even our
chase. local ―halwai‖ sends you a subliminal mes-
sage when he fries "samosas‖ and ―kachoris‖
The concept of subliminal marketing, if imple- on the roadside. Such kind of marketing
mented properly will definitely be very profit- plays on your urges.
able. For example, a popular grocery chain in However, it works
USA used subliminal only if the subliminal
marketing very effec- message is goal rele-
tively to boost its res- vant. Thus, it more
taurant sales. They fit effective in making the
a huge electric fan hid- customer choose a
den inside a billboard particular brand over
on a highway turn the other, rather than
which wafted the
in creating a real need.
smell of delicious
steaks towards drivers The Darker Side
which made them When you buy a magazine with a pretty airbrushed woman It is all about manipu-
hungry. Just around on the cover, that's subliminal marketing. lating the customer‘s
the corner was the mind. Advertising
grocery store which invited people to enjoy the should only invite and not impose you to
most delicious steak ever. buy. The very idea of making someone do
something without them realizing it sounds
In India, people haven‘t really noticed subliminal wrong. The use of subliminal marketing is
marketing. But it happens. How many times controversial, because it is thought control-
have we bought popcorn just because it smelt ling in nature. There has been a lot of criti-
so good? Consider ‗Gold Flake Honey Dew‘ cism on the use of this kind of a marketing
cigarettes. It‘s not just a random brand name. gimmick to earn money.
THE MARKSMAN 14
16. NEW VIRTUAL MARKETING BATTLEFIELDS
Yavnika Khanna ,Alumnus SIMSR (PGDM 09-11)
With media habits changing, the impact of ‗new gence in the 2000s. With rapid advancements in
media‘ is challenging the traditional sources of me- technology and growth of a ‗seamless world‘-
dia and advertising. The ‗web-lifestyle‘ that Micro- convergence is deemed to play a very crucial role
soft chairman, Bill Gates talked about in his book in the development of the entertainment and me-
‗Business @ The Speed of Thought‘ in 1999 is no dia industry where consumers will increasingly be
more a prognostication but a reality for many. calling the shots in a converged media world.
People are accessing internet from home, spend-
ing more time on the online medium compared to Opportunities for consumers to access and ma-
television. With the home user base already nipulate content and services will not only be
touching 18 million odd, internet has already be- abundant, but overflowing. However, consumer
come a mass medium. time and attention will be limited. Thus, estab-
lished approaches of pushing exclusive content
The success of Blogger.com, YouTube, Wikipedia, through non-linear-channels or networks to mass
MySpace and Orkut is hardly news. In the new or segmented audiences will no longer guarantee
‗virtual play grounds‘ that brands like these have competitive advantage.
helped to create ‗Consumers‘ seems a redundant
term as they perform roles of active producers of Implications for Marketers
media content. In fact even the traditional media is “The future is already here. It is just unevenly distrib-
facing new challenges. TV has become an infotain- uted”
ment medium beyond just entertainment. The re- -William Gibson, Science fiction novelist
lationship of audiences with TV has undergone a
sea-change. They love the plethora of choices they A changing media landscape and rapid changes in
get when it comes to TV channels, but their atten- consumer lifestyles necessitates the marketer to
tion spans have dipped when it comes to commer- take different approaches to managing brands.
cial messages. They no more just ‗watch‘ TV, they Furthermore, marketers are Increasingly being
dream with TV- lest they become the nation‘s distanced from the physical marketplace In the
next sensation, they express their rage by SMSing transition of the global economy from an era of
their favorite TV channel- The marketers respond competitive advantage based on information to
by creating engaging ways to get ‗eyeballs‘- Crea- one based on knowledge creation, more and
tive programming content is developed around more corporations invest in gathering consumer
specific brands. Bollywood and Cricket have insights.
forged an interesting triad with TV where we wit-
ness product placements, launches and promo- Savvy marketers recognize that their customers
tions revolving around the new nexus. spend significant time and energy in virtual play-
grounds like social networking websites. Astute
With the entry of private players and a revised marketers go one step beyond and realize that
license regime in 1999, even Radio- the Cinderella these are also important virtual battlegrounds for
of the communications story- experienced resur- their brand. Ace marketers are actively tuning in
JULY 2011 15
17. to their consumers‘ conversations, capturing their How to measure effectiveness?
attention to direct it at both self and environment
at the same time, aiding consumers to acquire Marketers must seamlessly integrate multiple
skills, gain recognition among peers with the over- channels of communication- which implies
all objective to create a loyal consumer base and a creatively managing above-the-line communi-
positive brand image for their brand. Firstly, Mar- cation, On-line and Mobile marketing, reach-
keters need to find such ways to redirect atten- ing out at the point of purchase and even en-
tion of consumers away from the clutter to their tering consumers‘ lives in ways currently un-
brand. Secondly, we observe a shift from ‗Volume- known!
based‘ marketing into ‗value-based‘ marketing and With compounding environmental changes,
marketers increasingly scout for opportunities for organizations need to be outward looking.
higher value extraction from customers willing to Peter Drucker has both argued and shown,
pay more for higher order features and benefits. that in general understanding the present en-
Astute marketers realize the need to segment ables you to dispense with futurology. A deep
markets and go for targeted communication strat- understanding of future trends most likely to
egy. In view of these decisions, they invest re- be resonant with the relevant set consumers
sources to figure out: is required to optimize future resource alloca-
What is the right amount to spend? tion and identify opportunities for innovation.
What is the right balance between positively As we sit in 2011 and try to look ahead, we
impacting vs. turning off consumers? can only imagine the possibilities and pitfalls
How to handle the question of invasion of pri- that next few years will have in store for us.
vacy? Almost one thing is certain- we need to wake
up to a new world with a new set of rules be-
Quote Unquote
"What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its
form." David Ogilvy
"Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the
brand image." David Ogilvy
"The sole purpose of marketing is to sell more to more people, more often and at higher prices.
There is no other reason to do it." Sergio Zyman
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." Peter Drucker
THE MARKSMAN 16
18. BOOKWORM
No Money Marketing by Jessie Paul
No Money Marketing is the acclaimed book by Jessie Paul which tells
about new marketing techniques and how new firms can benefit
from the phenomena of globalization to build their brands and
compete in the market place in a cost-effective way.
OUR RATING What will make you buy?
Three things make this book a worthwhile investment
Written in a conversational style, and with many personal
anecdotes, the author makes the brand building journey
About the author:
come alive
Jessie Paul has worked as Chief As traditional marketing tools are losing their advantage to
Marketing Officer of Wipro’s IT new techniques like social networking, individual targeting
business and as Global Brand and ecosystem marketing No Money Marketing shows how
Manager at Infosys. She has been an emerging brand can spot and tap into its marketing eco-
recognized for her contribution system of all stakeholders, and compete successfully with
towards putting the Indian IT in- the best
dustry on the global map. She has Studies global branding successes of Indian brands abroad
used innovations such as award and international brands in India across diverse sectors like
programs with academic institu- IT, automobiles and banking.
tions, mindsports, and non-
traditional media to reposition and Why wouldn’t you want to buy?
communicate brand values in a
frugal, yet effective manner. While sharing snippets from insightful interviews with
thought leaders like Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani,
she has also included Vijay Mallya- there‘s no doubting his
Know more about the book
marketing prowess, but his means are far from frugal. This
at:
is perhaps a rare lapse on the author‘s part.
http://nomoneymarketing.org Examples delve into unimportant details which bore the
The book is also available at the reader.
college library
JULY 2011 17
19. MARKETING TOOLS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Pareto Analysis for Problem Solving
The main objective of this approach to problem solving is to identify the chief causes and respond to
them immediately, so as to improve the overall output of a project. Although Pareto charts can be easily
created in several different project management applications, not everyone has access to software of this
type. Fortunately, Pareto charts can also be created in Microsoft Excel.
Problem that requires investigation like- ―Determining the causes for delay in the
1
project.‖
Identify all the possible causes, for e.g. ―shortage of resources‖, ―technical failures‖,
2
―environmental factors‖, ―inefficiency or shortage of workforce‖ or ―government approvals‖.
Assign a frequency of occurrence to each cause based on historical data.
3
Make a list of all the probable causes in one column and in the adjacent column fill in the fre-
quency of occurrence, in percentage form, for each of the causes. Reorganize the frequencies in
4 descending order.
5 Make a bar graph using the data, plotting the frequency along the y-axis and the causes along the x
-axis. The cumulative frequency can be represented as a line. The resulting bar chart will make
it clear what are the key causes resulting in 80% of the problem related to the project. This is a
graphical Pareto chart.
Pareto analysis can be effec-
tively used to solve problems
of any type and has thus
gained immense acceptance
in the field of project manage-
DECEMBER 2010 ment.
THE MARKSMAN 18
22. A RECAP OF INTERFACE EVENTS
DraftFCB+Ulka COMSTRAT offers a platform for
marketing students from all over the country to show-
case their abilities and hone their skills on live case
studies. This year it was conducted for the 16th time
on 11th December 2010. After two grueling elimina-
tion rounds, six teams entered the finals this year. The
finalists included teams from eminent B-schools like
NMIMS, MICA, SCMHRD, Wel-ingkar, N.L. Dalmia and
SIMSR. The teams, especially the home team, brought
forward a number of interesting insights not only about
Nokia C3, but the en-tire mobile handset market in
India that is currently being dominated by Nokia. The
home team SIMSR was the unanimous choice of the
panel for the 1st place after delivering the most com-
prehensive and in-depth analysis of the case coupled
with an aesthetically appealing presentation.
JULY 2011 21
23. OTC Market vis-a-vis FMCG
Dabangg‘s Munni catapulted Emami‘s Zandu balm to instant fame. The sting of los-
ing the acquisition of Paras Pharmaceuticals to Reckitt Benckiser was somewhat
placated. But there is something more in it.
OTC (over-the-counter) products have always been a market for FMCG
and pharmaceutical companies. While FMCG companies find that growth in the
conventional markets is slowing down, traditional pharma companies are looking at new ways of growing.
For instance, FMCG companies such as HUL, Reckitt and Himalaya seized upon the opportunity that the
advent of H1N1 presented in India by launching hand sanitizers. On the other side, emergency contracep-
tive pills like i-Pill and Unwanted-72 went on air talking about the safe option. The OTC market in India is
highly under-penetrated & growing consciousness towards health & wellness products presents a unique
opportunity in front of both FMCG & pharmaceutical companies. The next few years shall witness the
foray into the OTC market by FMCG & the pharma companies. This is just the beginning...
Ambush Marketing Is Ambushed!!!
Burger King, Barclaycard, Unilever and many other global brands will find their
marketing activity facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny around the London
2012 Olympic Games, as the organizers seek to stamp out ambush marketing. The
International Olympic Committee‘s (IOC) ‗Brand Protection‘ guidelines were
made public last month; the 136-page document sets out a strict set of measures
to combat non-sponsors capitalizing on the Games through ambush marketing
tactics. This is a significant step from ambush marketer point of view. The consequences can be seen only
in the coming days. But one thing is clear that Ambush Marketing may not always be a good idea.
Lesson on Brand Building from Perfetti
A Nielsen survey pegs the per capita consumption of sugar confectionery for every
Indian at close to 200 grams per year, translating to about 50 pieces of candies and
gums per Indian, per year. A country of a billion consuming 50 pieces of confection-
aries like candies and gums may be small, but it presents both opportunities as well
as challenges.
Recently Perfetti India (PVMI) has touched an Rs 1,200 crore turnover, not an insig-
nificant achievement given the segment. PVMI according to market estimates commands over 25% with
the rest divided between ITC, Parle, Wrigley and Cadbury among others. Superior brand building initia-
tives taken by PVMI have made this feat possible. As management students the lessons are:
Perfetti‘s marketing and advertising comprises of edgy communication not only on television but also
virals like ‗Daddu ki amanaat‘ for Perfetti Protex
To create a seamless bridge between in-house marketing team and external partners, PVMI has re-
cently created a media manager role within the company
The company is renowned for extending creative freedom to its partners. The company shows tre-
mendous respect towards the inputs from the partner media agencies & often acts upon their sugges-
tions 01
THE MARKSMAN 22
24. Starbucks logo change: Another GAP fiasco?
For the third time the brand has changed its logo since its launch in 1971 in Seattle. Schultz, the Star-
bucks chairman, president and chief executive gave indications of Starbucks getting involved in products
remotely related to coffee. Clothing chain GAP launched a new
logo last year and returned to the original one after widespread
criticism. Keeping this in mind Starbucks tested the new logo with
loyal customers and thus is confident about the success.
KOTA: A Successful Brand
Out of the total number of students who made it to the IITs last year, nearly
2,500 of the selected ones were coached in Kota, which makes the success rate
of Kota a double-digit 10% as against the national success rate of just about 3%.
In the late 80s a major employment provider in Kota announced a lock-
out of its factory. It brought the township to a grinding halt, with no other em-
ployment alternatives as Kota in Rajasthan was neither a manufacturing hub, nor a
tourist destination. Necessity, as they say is the mother of invention and some
enterprising locals decided that teaching, specifically coaching for competitive exams like IIT could be a good
source of earning a living. Thus, Bansal Classes was formally born in 1991, a pioneer brand that has made Kota
what it is today — the highest producer of IIT successes from a single city. Bansal's success spawned a slew of
other coaching classes, Career Point , Resonance, Allen's, Vibrant to name a few.
The coaching classes deploy print, outdoors and are also trying to create online buzz through search en-
gine optimization and social media. They also do below-the-line in a large way through school seminars, events and
ground events. Some of the coaching classes are looking for IPO as well. For example, Resonance recently re-
ceived a PE infusion through Milestone-Religare and is looking at an IPO in the near future.
Today, nearly 80,000 students at Kota have created an eco-system that supports an entire city. It's not
only the coaching classes, but ancillaries like accommodation, canteens, cybercafés, stationery shops etc., that earn
revenues from students. Wal-Mart has opened its fourth best-price brand outlet in Kota, the first outlet outside of
Punjab, where it has three outlets. Thus, Kota proves to be a best example of destination branding for its core
competency in education business.
JULY 2011 23
25. Map the crossword with the visual and textual clues.
Across: Down:
2. Identify the makers of original Swiss Knives. 1. ―The magic is in the mix‖. Identify the bever-
age brand.
5.‖Every man has a darker side‖. Identify the beer
3. ―Because stains love your clothes‖. Identify
brand. the brand
8. Identify the Business Management Guru. 4. Identify the lemon drink.
9. Link the personalities to arrive at the company. 6. He is known as the father of Advertising.
7. Name the chocolate bar made by Mars.
THE MARKSMAN 24
26. The marksman is the newsletter of INTERFACE , the Marketing
Club at K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai.
Images used in the marksman are subject to copyright.
THE A-TEAM
COVER STORY SECONDARY STORIES ALL ABOUT BRANDS
Rishi M Shelani A Bhavesh P(Alumnus)
Rishi M
BOOKWORM NUKED REWIND
Namita S Divya S Rajat P
TWEETS BUZZ DESIGN
Rik C Martin A Namita S
Rajat P Rajat P
Shelani S
Contact us at: interface.newsletter@gmail.com
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