Big 92.7 launches DM in Delhi Metro !!!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
What cheers me is the use of direct marketing as a choice by industry majors now in India. India has been scoring high on various ad awards lately and this trend is surely gonna impress the juries now. Atta boy agencies !!!
PS: Have been short, its exam time :))
Labels: Guerrilla Marketing
posted by Jas @ 1:37 AM,
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Ogilvy and Sify do a direct marketing campaign
Saturday, October 28, 2006
OK, am late for this :) The news may be about a month old, but it just never caught my senses, any one of those for the record...
Years have gone by and the legend still enthuses and amuses people. So when Sify came to Ogilvy for a direct marketing campaign for Sify Assure what came out was an innovative ad campaign. "One of the reasons for choosing this concept was that our target audience identified/related to it as computer virus as well as for the ever popular story. We thought it would be appropriate as it related to both the breach of Troy, which was always thought to be impenetrable, as well as a computer virus which could destroy your precious data," says Madhok, adding that today's corporates are not sensitive to information security despite the great risk.
Sify's strategy was to drive home the point to 439 CEOs and CTOs by sending them a wooden horse with a trapdoor in its belly which contained a note saying `Your security has been breached.' It urged them to log on to a Web site with a unique password (for each person) mentioned in the note and greeted them by name with a letter introducing Sify Assure and case studies of security breaches in firms.
This very unique password enabled Sify to identify which CEO or CTO had logged in. Sify's call centre would then call him or her to judge their interest, and if they were classified a hot prospect, would go on to fix an appointment to discuss the product. Those who had not logged in would be sent a reminder three days later.
Of the 439 mailers sent, 199 prospects logged in, which is a 44.6 per cent response. For any DM campaign, this is a great success. Each hand-made wooden horses cost Rs 350 a piece. "If we had branded the horse, the campaign may not have been such a big success," says Madhok, "people wouldn't have liked to display it." They also decided not to make the wheels move because people would then tend to turn it into a toy. Rather than recognise it for the reminder it is meant to be!This is yet another guerilla by Piyush Pandey's team, which is now known for its out of box ad ideas. A halcyon reminder of Fevicol campaigns. *sigh*
Labels: Guerrilla Marketing
posted by Jas @ 12:15 AM,
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Google strengthens its internet lordship!!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Sources: MarketingVox
Labels: Business
posted by Jas @ 12:29 PM,
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New Age Marketing, or is it?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Have been going through the new marketing adverts lately; though many argue that this kind of marketing has suddenly taken world by surprise, I prefer not to agree with this argument. Let’s first take a look at the new marketing, the in-thing for most of the blogs.
With traditional marketing being equated to ennui, the ad gurus have thought of new and innovative ideas for long to cater to the slow paced results of traditional marketing. But this was to change suddenly in 1982 with launch of a book by Mr. Jay Conrad Levinson, named Guerrilla Marketing. Defined as, “Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.” by www.marketingterms.com , this kind of marketing is best suited for small businesses which otherwise cannot take on the market leaders using traditional marketing. And these campaigns are none of the traditional adverts too, they either showcase a differential attribute of the product, or else create an image or perception using non- product attributes i.e. which is not an actual or rational benefit from that product but may be perceived as such; the whole idea being to transform cold prospects into consenting partners.
Wikipedia defines it as a descriptor of many other types of non-traditional media:
- Viral marketing -- through social networks
- Buzz marketing -- word of mouth marketing
- Undercover marketing -- subtle product placement
- Astroturfing… etc
Check some of these:
1. HAUB (Heat Activated Urinal Billboards) - based on heat sensitive ink technology, the ad gets visible when the (warm) urine falls on the ink delivering an interactive message to a captive audience. The cold water in flush makes the ad disappear again.
2. Another toilet billboard. When Zee Studio premiered Kill Bill, it launched following promo in 
3. This one is superb! The campaign for HBO Sopranos in
4. This one will beat your spirit out of you. With Halloween around the corner, marketers found a sexy way to gain publicity for
5. Finally on the kinky side - the text reads “ You do not know when it can be necessary ”. It was posted on the entrance floors of men’s toilets by Jontex, a condom brand. Country: 
So convinced that the new marketing is catching up these days? WRONG!!! I would like to say that this kind has caught the attention because of easy information sharing on net, it was always there and dint need a Jay Conrad to be invented but only to be named. It may work wonders for small time, but for mature corps and bigger brands, the majority of sales will always be through the traditional channel of marketing, and that requires bucks, strategy in long term and much more resources than this. I would say that this is not even 10% of traditional one in sales revenue, and the day it becomes, that would be the day we can say that it has finally arrived! Till then these flashes wont harm :) and are a nice welcome.
~Jasginder
Labels: Guerrilla Marketing
posted by Jas @ 2:12 AM,
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Close Up Calcium Minerals - Targeting Faux Pas
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Had a discussion with fellow batchmates on toothpaste market in last few days, and that invariably reminded me of the summer experience and the learnings that i got. Specifically the launch of Close Up with Calcium Minerals. Now that is one brand which has managed to get a stronghold in Indian toothpaste market.
Toothpaste market is divided in two dimensions: fluoride and gel. While the former is basically bought as a family product and is having (perceived) benefits of strong and white teeth; the latter is looked for fresh breath and personality enhancement. Because of this the fluoride market is basically targeted at families, parents (with concern on children) and gel market is targeted at youth.
Now lets take the case of HLL coming out with a Calcium Mineral with Milk variant of Close Up (CloseUp Milk Calcium). This was the first time,the format called 'Core-in-Sheath' consisting of a white paste core surrounded by a gel was used in India. Anyway a visit to market and you wont find many people trying out the variant. Many retailers soon found this Fast Moving Consumer Good to be actually a slow mover!
But why did the product fail to register in mind of consumer? many argue that there is a need for gel and flouride mix paste and that is very evident from the success of such variants launched earlier. But then the crucial points are:
1. Who is attracted by the combination?
2. Who is the prime consumer of gel pastes?
When you try to answer, you will see an incongruency. The Close Up consumer is looking at freshness, and adding milk isnt really a great idea for fresh breath! So the idea isnt very appealing to him/her. Yes if you launch a new variant with lemon, mint or Eucalytus, it strikes the vibe as they too stand for freshness. And who is the right customer for gel pastes - youth, and you get them by showing product usage as one which increases either the self image of him/her or that leaves his/her impression on others (basically inc appeal)
Now look from fluoride's POV. Customer is mainly the buyer for family, so cost, basic benefits of strength, no cavities and 'jhaag' are the strong pullers. What's the perception now that what happens if one doesnt brush? One will have cavities? thats basic puller? (which also explains the large market share of dhishum dhishum paste - Pepsodent as compared with market leader and the old horse - Colgate). So now if you also give benefits of freshness to this user, does it make sense? Of course!!
So thing is such a variant of gel and white should have been launched under the name of Pepsodent by HLL. A problem of wrong targeting, indeed.
posted by Jas @ 8:09 PM,
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