Study of an Advertising Campaign

General
♦ Name of the Ad agency and address

………………………………………………………………………………………

♦ Name(s) of the contacts and their telephone number(s):

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

♦ Specific Campaign being studied:

i. Brand: …………………………………………………………………
….......

ii. Campaign Period: …………………………………………………………

….

iii. Media for the Campaign: …………………………………………………

…..

♦ How did the agency get the account?

i. Through competitive pitching

ii. As a part of annual contract

iii. Due to long standing relation

♦ Was the agency responsible for below the line activity (events, mailers, designing
etc.) as well?
YES NO

♦ If yes, then which activities………………………………………………………...

♦ Did the agency get a written or an oral brief……………………………………….

♦ If written then can we get a copy of that brief?

YES NO
♦ Or, can it be reconstructed for us (i.e. we write it in coordination with the agency)
and get it ratified?
YES NO
Facts about the Target Audience

Who is the Target Audience? (Complete Profiling)

♦ Demographic………………………………………………………………………..

♦ Psychographic………………………………………………………………………

♦ Geographic………………………………………………………………………….

♦ Behavioral…………………………………………………………………………..

♦ What does he wish to get out of the consumption? (i.e. necessary benefit or extra
benefit)
.…………………………………………………………………………………….

♦ In what form does he want these benefits?

o Functional (Do Good)
o Emotional (Feel Good)
o Social (Belongingness, Esteem etc.)
o Or a combination
………………………………………………………………………………

♦ What motivates him to buy the product/service?

o Removal/Avoidance of a problem (i.e. Negative Motive)
o Enhancement of his current state (i.e. Positive Motive)

♦ Who all are involved in decision-making?

o Initiator
o Influencer
o Decider
o Buyer
o Consumer

♦ Whom did we target in our advertising?

………………………………………………………………………………………

♦ What is his level of involvement (in terms of risk perceived and/or interest in the
product) in the purchase of our brand?
 Low High

♦ Was anything done to highlight important reasons to buy our brand so that post
advertising his involvement could have gone up?

………………………………………………………………………………………

♦ Timing of purchase of the brand

o Routine / Non-routine
o Specific hour / week / month / season

………………………………………………………………………………………
Coke Vs Pepsi: Selling Spur-of-the-moment Thrills
Uploaded by skyler on Jul 29, 2005
Coke Vs Pepsi: Selling Spur-of-the-moment Thrills

Ever wondered why Pepsi and Coke have been at each other’s throat for years? Most of the writing
about the fighting misses the real reason. The battle is not in continuance of old rivalry, it is really about
the category in which the two brands exist: impulse-purchased products. Companies working in this
category need to understand it thoroughly, and use this knowledge intelligently.

In many countries, agencies are organised by categories. Account planners, creative and servicing
people specialise in categories and tend to move from agency to agency along category-lines. In fact,
recruitment of advertisements specify the kind of category experience required for the job. Brand
managers too move along similar lines. This leads to in-depth understanding of category consumer
behaviour and competitive forces, which in turn sparks better marketing strategies and impactful
communication.

In comparison, Indian advertisements is full of generalists. It is common to have one account team
handling products as diverse as tractors, ice-cream, suitings and computers simultaneously.

Impulse purchases are products or services bought on the spur of the moment. Typically, these products
are low-priced, frequently bought and quickly consumed. Ready availability is very important in this
category which includes goods like soft drinks, sweets and candies, ice-cream, minor items of clothing
like ties, ribbons and head bands, magazines, greeting cards, and gifts. Often, we buy them simply
because we feel like a treat or they take our fancy. Hence, the criticality of distribution in this category. If
these products are not seen, they are not bought.

To understand the category further, let’s look at it from an economist perspective. In almost all such
cases, the markets are oligopolistic, with a maximum of two to four players dominating the market. In
most cases, the oligopolies are the result of takeovers and consolidation.

In the Indian context, the soft drink market is essentially a duopoly - Coke and Pepsi. And, it will
essentially remain that way. No matter how hard Cadbury Schweppes tries, it will remain a niche brand.
This also implies that the primary battle is for market share and hence intensity of competition is high.
Each and every move by a player attracts retaliation.

So, what is needed to be successful marketer in this category? Three things, really:

High awareness

Easy availability

High emotions

HIGH AWARENESS: This has two components- one is media awareness the other relates to point of
consumption. The first one means large advertising spends, and simple messages repeated umpteen
times. Remember ‘The zing thing’ or ‘ Taste the Thunder’ or ‘ Always Coca-Cola’. Simple and memorable.
Those are the key words. If you can’t get your message across in four-five words, forget it.

Essentially, the category leader dictates the awareness level. Once that has been established, the
number two player needs to find a lever which will ensure a position close to the leader, with less money
spent. Obviously, an attack on the key proposition in the idea is the easiest way of doing it. ‘Please
remember me when you remember the market leader’ is the most effective platform for number two and
leaves little room for number three.

This is the reason the Minto advertising attacking Polo was immediately noticed, and effective. Contrary
to what the spate of articles in the press made out, it wasn’t comparative advertising which was at work
here. In fact, if Britannia wants to make headway in the Glucose biscuit category, it should follow a similar
strategy against Parle-G. Are you listening, Godrej Foods? Go launch an attack against the Frooti chaps
with Jumpin.

All effort for high awareness through media should be backed by high visibility at outlets. For, the more
visible brand at the outlet will benefit. Coke understands this well, which is why it has bought out every
shop frontage, sides, walls and even stretches of slums in Mumbai. It’s also the reason Cadbury
chocolates have a very prominent shelf presence in containers especially designed and given to shop-
keepers.