MarkMantra May 2015

From the editors desks:

ing out Wild Bells to the Wild Sky;

Sake attempt?? So we present to you an analysis

Ring out The Old, Ring in The

of the most outrageous and outlandish campaigns

New! wrote

Alfred Tennyson

that challenged the Indian Social Fabric under the

to usher the new dawn. Inspired by these lines, we

auspices of From The House of MarkMantra

bring to you the latest May Edition of MarkMantra

Section. To say the Magical Cabaret ends here

- The Indian Marketing Cabaret. To make the

wont be true. The Cabaret also features a bou-

Cabaret- enigmatic and dazzling like never before,

quet of articles covering the latest buzz in Indian

an eclectic assortment of new sections, draped in

Marketing Scenario be it Rural Marketing or Os-

vivacious designs, has been presented to the read-

tentatious Sports Ads or Tabloid News!! The

ers. The assortment includes Summer Diaries that

Curtain Raiser of the Cabaret isnt over without a

attempts to help our readers in their last minute

mention of the Intriguing Trivia lined as showstop-

preparations of Summer Reports; Corporate Con-

pers. To conclude The May Edition is part of our

nect- that strives to demystify B2B Sales & Mar-

endeavour to Ink an Indelible Mark in the hearts

keting; and lastly the prestigious Mark Mantra Leg-

of our readers and the landscape of B-school Mar-

acy Column where the erstwhile Editor-In-Chief

keting.

shares ones knowledge on Digital Marketing.

Happy Reading!!

However what is Cabaret without an Art for Arts

The team:

Shatabdi
Banerjee

Harshit
Vyas

Ipsita
Gochhayat

Supratik
Chakroborty

Inking an Indelible Mark!!

2

Contents
2

Foreword

From The House of

MarkMantra

14
3
6

Corporate Connect

Marketing to the BOP

The Dawn of New

Marketing Start-Ups

14

Summer Diaries

Media Cashing On
Political Tussles

17

17
36
25

Dancing to The Tunes

of Indian Consumer

28

32

Ostentatious Sports
Ads 32
MarkMantra
Legacy

36

28

25

MarkMantra May 2015

Marketing is not always rosy; its not always about being good either - because sometimes its good to be bad and even better to be naughty!

he recent times have seen the Indian mar-

this attention, the marketers dont really care.

keting environment change leaps and

Whether its an emotional mother or a typical Indi-

bounds with the customers becoming

an bahu or a catchy tagline or a friends get togeth-

much more liberal in embracing marketing cam-

er or a sizzlingly-hot-smashingly-beautiful model

paigns as they are. Even more so, people have wel-

the marketers simply want to pander to the needs

comed and thoroughly enjoyed the sorts of adver-

of the people to make their ad/campaign prevail!

tisements and marketing stints that only about a

Period.

decade back would have

raised eyebrows and cer-

tainly would have brought

the

so-called

self-

With the young population

Its Outrageous, Its

Marketing!

proclaimed moral vigilante

out of their cocoons, all set to spoil the fun and the
innovation. Thankfully though, the Indian diaspora
has matured and so have the marketers!
The most important aspect of any campaign or advertisement is to catch the attention of the target

segment. Whatever be the reason for garnering

3

being on the rise and becoming more liberal and accommodative,

the

marketers

have struck a chord that is

doing wonders for them. How on earth, otherwise,
could we have seen a Ranveer Singh or a Sunny
Leone promoting some of the products as outrageously as they do!
So lets cut the chase and get the taste of some of

MarkMantra May 2015

these.

tantalizing visuals. Advertising is still coy and lacks

dynamism putting the segment confined and

Durex #Do the rex

chained in a disreputable box of shyness and

Durex, the top brand from the Reckitt Benckiser

shame. RB wants to open this box and bring it to

stable, launched an online campaign featuring the

the fore for conversations. The fact that India is

hugely popular Ranveer Singh based on the theme

such a young country and fighting hard to become

of safe sex and sexual wellness. The video featured

the most populous country in the world (pun in-

him and a host of other dancers engaged in a

tended!) makes it all the more important for RB to

dance move themed the Rex. This video started

gets its roots deep in this huge market. As per RB

with Ranveer Singh getting out of his bed all

honchos, The biggest shift would be the confi-

pumped up and feeling ecstatic after a pretty good

dence of a consumer to buy what he wants and the

time in bed, from where on he moved on to party

ability (of the retailer) to talk directly." In all possi-

and dance and sing with even hotter girls! Now, if

bility, RB has something bigger in mind. In fact, the

thats not outrageous, what is? Contrary to what

brand wants to create a new category from scratch

Indian viewers were thought to be, this campaign

called sexual wellbeing and not just be restricted to

was well embraced by the Indian youth and rightly

grabbing shares in the existing market.

so. Not just this, a lot of other complementing activities were done around this campaign to popu-

Manforce and Sunny Leone affair

larize the brand. Consider for example when in the

Who better to endorse a contraceptive than a porn

run up to World AIDS day Durex donated some

star?

10mn odd condoms to AIDS projects worldwide to

hind Manforce condoms must've thought. And

help young people achieve an HIV free generation

sure, didnt they think correct?

in their lifetime.

what

the

people

be-

segment was seen to be growing fierce each day.

The answer lies in the fact that Durex is raring to

take on the Indian market dominated by local
brands like Manforce, Kamasutra and Moods. RB
gurus feel that one of the biggest deterrents for
growth in the segment has been the way in which
the category has been promoted in the past.
Though the context in advertising condoms has
from

exactly

Now, this had to come after the competition in the

So, whats the big story behind it?

moved

That's

'protection'

to

'pleasure'

to

'promiscuity' but the advertising has been lazy and

not really moved beyond pushing pleasure through

Also, the way the Indian youth, and for that matter

probably men of all age groups, accepted Sunny

Leone in the Indian film industry and also main
stream television, it was clear to the marketers
that Indians have no qualms about Sunny Leone
and her history. They would love to see this hot
beauty every time she comes in. So, what if the
Queen-of-porns acting did not make much of a
mark on the people, her latest ad for Manforce

did! The ad showcased Sunny in a very hot avatar

4

MarkMantra May 2015

and sure did send a

Conclusion

quiver around every mans body. The advertisement had record views on the Internet and as per
unofficial reports the sales for Manforce also saw a
sharp increase after a week the ad was released.
This proves the fact that the advertisement surely
served its purpose and roping in the Penthouse
Pet of the Year Award winner as a lead star in the

Many other brands selling different products from

deodorants to perfumes to accessories to cosmetics have taken up this fast, effective and populist way to revamp their brand images. The Indian
customer is more aspirational today and advertisements of these sorts give them an ego as well con-

commercial was a brilliant and a very effective

marketing gimmick.
After the previous two campaigns, one must get
the feeling that its imperative for these brands
selling such products of personal care to add a bit
of hotness quotient in their campaigns. But the fact
of the matter is that there are other brands selling
a completely different assortment of products that
are following suit.

FastTrack Move On
From slyly slipping out of the boy's hostel to ending

fidence boost. Conservatives also say that this is

up in a closet with another woman, the FastTrack

not the right form of advertising and it might well

advertising campaign has certainly moved on and

end up tarnishing the image of the brand if not

so has the FastTrack girl. The new FastTrack girl

used carefully. But then everything comes at a

propagates 'coming out of the closet', an extension

price and it is loud and clear that our marketing

to the brand's 'Move On' philosophy. This particu-

gurus are ready to tread carefully and take this risk.

lar ad features two teens still fumbling with their

And again, as long as the marketing campaign is

hot-pant zippers coming out of a pink cup board

successful and adding to the top line, who the hell

door!

cares!

Not only this in one of its outdoor print ad campaign last January, Fast track announced a 20% discount on all its products using a print ad that

Harshit Vyas
MBA(IB) 2014-16

showed a model wrapped in a ribbon that had

Indian Institute

Sale written all over. This ad, however, attracted a

Of Foreign Trade

lot of criticism for objectifying women.

5

MarkMantra May 2015

Corporate Connect:

A Rendezvous
with Priyank Kacker
An

experienced player in

gramme. They take in fresh engineers out of college for a role in Sales and Accounts Management.

B2B Sales & Marketing

We had a 10 month stint in USA for technical and

Arena ,

were taught the basics of Sales, Account manage-

Priyank Kacker joined us

for a candid chat on B2B
sales. Priyank is currently
working as a Key Account
Manager for
Texas Instruments

techno-commercial training. During the same we

ment, Basic Marketing Rotations as well as the

portfolio of Texas instruments and lastly how do
we conduct to our customers. Post this training
Programme I was deployed at Delhi for handling
some of the key customers in the region. The career path typically starts with handling the low revenue accounts initially and as when you gain more

experience, you are given accounts with much

more complexities and revenue stream. In Delhi I
handled some of the key customer accounts of the
region. Following a stint of 4 and half years I was

1. A brief description about your profile and job

transferred to Ahmedabad where I was the only

responsibilities. Please throw some light on your

person handling the key customers of Gujarat and

career path

MP region which amounts to Million dollars right

I joined Texas Instruments in 2009 as a part of

their prestigious Technical Sales Associate Pro-

now. Now coming on to profile and job responsibilities, it is essentially the process of identifying new

MarkMantra May 2015

opportunities for Texas Instruments, understand-

has to be a number of meetings

ing customer application, proposing TI based solu-

months and may be years depending on the cus-

tions and eventually converting these proposals

tomers before we actually see some revenues.

into revenue while providing complete design as-

Thus the motivation level needs to be extremely

sistance i.e. end to end support and maintaining

high and you should be willing to go the extra mile

strong working relationship with

customer-

without anybody probably telling you to. So that is

engineering, supply chain and management. It is

one of the key aspects of Key account manage-

essentially a complete account management role.

ment affecting sales. Another key thing I would see

2. B2B sales is an entirely different ballgame com

pared to B2C. Your take on it

over weeks,

is you really have to identify the precise problem

of the customer and offer your help and support,

which is not the case in B2C where in selling is

I agree with the statement. The key differences I

sometimes very reactive- you have the require-

see in the B2B sales as compared to B2C sales is

ment and you sell. In B2B you have to be proactive

that B2B sales is extremely planned-we have to

and understand what the customer is looking for,

evaluate the proposals and plan our solutions and

differentiate against the competition and then

on a much longer term compared to your B2C sell-

offer solution. You should be really adept in build-

ing. Again B2B is extremely dependent on trust,

ing relationships that go a long way of getting new

relationships and it is much more long term busi-

business. That are essentially the important things

ness relation than a B2C which can be sometimes

in key account management affecting B2B sales.

just selling for immediate numbers. These are the

main differences I see but there can be others as
well.
3. Key account management and its implication
on B2B sales

4. Emerging trends in B2B marketplace. Ecommerce the next big thing with rise of
Alibaba and Metro Cash n Carry
Yes, this is something we are seeing a lot these
days. Even us as customers probably more de-

As an account manager or through the role of

manding now because of the amount of choice we

key account management, one of the most im-

have. So the companies which are accustomed to

portant thing I have learnt over years is you need

just selling the product and walking away are

to be extremely self-motivated. Though it is true

getting out of business and they really need to

for every role in B2B but more so for Key Account

show some value owing to number of choices cus-

Management as you are front end of the organiza-

tomers have. That is true for any organizations be

tion managing big revenue numbers. Moreover

it hi tech organization like TI or somebody like in

since B2B selling is a continuous process, you need

Amazon. We are seeing more and more organiza-

to be extremely self-motivated. When it comes to

tions following the E-Commerce trend where eve-

B2B we arent talking about one meeting but it

rybody is looking at consumer behaviour using da-

MarkMantra May 2015

ta, predicting sales and even building relationship

hard on you. If you really do not like it, you proba-

using that. This a common thing we are seeing

bly might not want to continue. It is a lot about

across industries. Though some industries initiated

enthusiasm, knowing your product, building your

it we are seeing this trend across industries. The

credibility. So it is an extremely dynamic profes-

message I want to put across is though B2B sales is

sion -you will never get bored of it. But then again

based mostly on relations while that being true the

it can be hard on you if you dont like it. Thus moti-

importance of data analytics cannot be ignored.

vation and passion is the way to go about it.

5. Your advice to young aspirants of B2B Sales

and marketing
The key thing in selling is you have to be extremely passionate about it or it becomes really

Ecommerce Feed
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changing B2B landscape??
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Articles
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MarkMantra May 2015

ccording to our father of the nation Ma-

have, in the past tried to make their presence felt

hatma Gandhi, for the nation to prosper

in the rural areas through innovative marketing

it is imperative that the rural areas pros-

campaigns and continue to do so even today. So,

per. This is very true in todays scenario, owing to

before discussing the marketing strategies adopted

the majority of the population residing in rural are-

by these FMCG giants, it would be worthwhile to

as which constitutes around 65% of the total popu-

understand what bottom of the pyramid is and

lation

who coined this term.

What is Bottom of the Pyramid?

. For the economy to touch double digit growth,

the interest of the rural citizens cannot be ignored.
In sync with this
aim, some of the

Bottom of the Pyramid refers to the poorest socio

top

of

economic group that thrives on less than US $2 a

marketing like HUL,

day. This phrase was defined by professor CK Prah-

P&G, Colgate, ITC

lad in his book: The Fortune at the Bottom of the

honchos

Pyramid. According to Prahlad, the businesses and

9

MarkMantra May 2015

the government should see the BOP section as re-

Hero during its alliance with Honda came up with

silient and creative entrepreneurs as well as value-

the tag line of its motor bike brands as Dhak Dhak

demanding consumers. Moreover, Prahlad propos-

Go in order to associate with masses. Companies,

es that the multi-national companies can accrue

being aware of the fact that cricket is more than

tremendous benefits by serving these markets in

just a game in India associate themselves with

ways responsive to their needs. There are also pov-

team India during major cricket tournaments. A

erty reducing benefits if MNCs work in tandem

case in point is that of Pepsi that came up with its

with civil society organisations and local govern-

variant called Blue Pepsi during 2003 World Cup.

ments to create new local business models.

The blue coloured cola was a runaway success in

Strategies for rural market

Changing Pattern of Rural Customers Now-a-days

rural markets thereby driving the company sales.

Developing Customized Products

rural consumers are looking forward to new brand-

Many companies have developed rural-specific

ed products and good services. The rural people

products keeping in mind the requirements of rural

want value for money and therefore are ready to

citizens. Electrolux has developed a made-for India

pay premium for the product if the product is

fridge that is designed to serve basic requirements

offering some extra utility for the premium. A case

like chilled drinking water and can withstand long

in point is that of Mahindra which after launching

power cuts. Similarly, Godrej came up with its

its super Turbo DI tractor, wanted to educate the

ChotuKool refrigerator which is powered by battery

rural people about the high end technology used in

and does not require regular electricity supply. The

tractors. It therefore targeted opinion leaders and

company also pays commission to the rural agent

conducted interactive discussions between the

thereby enhancing its supply chain in rural areas.

company officials and the target group i.e. farmers

and opinion leaders. The effort paid off well as the

Effective Mode of Communication

sales shot up thereby helping the company in pen-

Most of the companies rely heavily on traditional

etrating the rural markets.

modes of communications like puppetry, folk thea-

Patriotism with Products and Services Patriotism

is also one of the important factors that the companies have taken into consideration while designing their marketing campaigns. Nokia took this opportunity to advertise its phone 5110 on Independence day and Republic day with Indian tricolour as
its main theme and a ring tone of "Sare Jahan se

Achcha" thus fostering the spirit of nationalism..

tre, and village exhibitions but over the years companies have also taken to modern media like television and radio. LIC has been at the forefront of traditional advertising that used to
educate

rural

masses about its

insurance
cies

poli-

through
10

MarkMantra May 2015

puppetry. Village fair is one of the most effective

es at village through web portal. It also helps farm-

techniques to sell the products thereby promoting

ers in purchase of commodities at their doorstep.

small scale and cottage industries.

Project Shakti

Rural marketing initiatives

It is a rural initiative undertaken by HUL in 2001 to

provide income opportunities to the rural women
and also creates access to relevant information
through i-shakti community portal. This initiative
has now been extended to 12 states in around
50,000 villages and has largely been successful in
creating opportunities to increase the income of
rural households by putting more money in the
hands of rural people to purchase items of daily
consumption-from soaps to toothpastes made by

E-chaupal

HUL.
Khushiyon Ki Doli

One of the most successful campaigns launched by

ITC offers farmers all the information they need to

enhance farm productivity which helps improve
farm-gate price realized by the farmers and cut
transaction costs. Farmers are also able to access
latest information
regarding weather,
scientific

farming

techniques as well
as the market pric-

11

Another initiative to inculcate good personal hygiene through which the company was able to engage more closely with the consumers and also
created a cost efficient rural brand activation module that involved various personal and home care
brands like Wheel, Surf Excel, Sunsilk, Vim, Lifebuoy and Close-up .
Gaon Chale

MarkMantra May 2015

This campaign was started in 2006 in Uttar Pradesh

attributed to its sale of Chic shampoo sachet for 50

by Tata Tea. In order to penetrate the rural mar-

paise when it was available at Re.1 and it revolu-

kets, Tata tea partnered with NGOs. The project

tionized the market. Hindustan Unilever, which

has generated employment opportunities to the

was among the first MNC's to realize the potential

youth of villages and towns and has been a source

of India's rural market, has launched a smaller ver-

of steady income for the distributors of Tata Tea.

sion of its highest selling soap brand, Lifebuoy at

Challenges
Availability

The first challenge is to ensure availability of the

product or service. India with its large number of
villages is a home to around 83 crore rural people.
However, given the poor condition of roads, it is an
even greater challenge for the firms to regularly
make their products reach the villages. Over the
years, Indias FMCG giant, Hindustan Unilever, has
built an intensive distribution network which helps

its brands reach the interiors of the rural market. In

order to effectively serve the remote villages, distributors use auto-rickshaws and bullock carts. Coca-Cola, which considers rural India as a potential
growth driver, has developed a hub and spoke distribution model to reach out to the village folks.
Affordability

The second challenge is to ensure affordability of

the product or service. Owing to the low disposable income, products must be affordable to a rural
consumer most of whom struggle to earn two
square meals a day. Some companies have successfully addressed this issue by introducing small unit
packs or sachets. Godrej has introduced three
brands of Cinthol and Fair Glow in 50-gm packs,

priced at Rs. 4-5. The success of Cavin Kare is

Rs.2 for 50 gm. On similar lines, Coca-Cola has addressed the affordability issue by introducing the
returnable 200-ml glass bottle priced at Rs.5. The
initiative paid off well which is quite evident from
the fact that eighty per cent of new drinkers for
coke now come from the rural markets.
Acceptability
The third challenge is to gain acceptability for the
product or service. Therefore, firms need to offer
products that meet the requirements of rural market. One company which has reaped benefits by
doing so is LG Electronics. It was able to understand the pulse of rural markets and came out with
a customized TV which was a runway hit. LG sold
around 100,000 sets in the very first year. Similarly,
Coca-Cola was well aware of the problems such as
lack of electricity and refrigerators in the rural areas and therefore provided low-cost ice boxes tin
boxes for new outlets and thermocol boxes for old
ones. The insurance companies like HDFC Standard
Life have developed tailor-made products for the
rural market by offering them plans that suits their
needs.
Awareness
Due to the lack
of conventional
advertising

me12

MarkMantra May 2015

dia in large parts of the rural India, awareness is

is touted to be optimistic. The Make in India cam-

another challenge for most of the firms. Hindustan

paign has been well received from all quarters of

Unilever relies heavily on its own marketing cam-

the industry and with more emphasis being laid on

paigns. Godrej Consumer Products, has tried to

infrastructure, the rural India is set to see rapid

push its soap brands into the interiors of the villag-

transformation in terms of roads, rail, highways

es by making use of radio to reach the local people

thereby improving connectivity among rural and

in their language. Coca-Cola harnessed the combi-

urban towns. Moreover, with Jan Dhan Yojna in

nation of television, cinema and radio to reach ru-

place, the rural banking is all set to move to next

ral households. LG Electronics used vehicles and

level, revolutionising the banking landscape in the

road shows to reach rural customers. Philips India

country. With more and more rural people coming

used graffiti and radio advertising to drive its

into the folds of banking, the rural consumer

growth in rural areas.

spending will definitely see a marked growth. Thus,

it is imperative that companies keep pace with the

Road Ahead

changing dynamics of the rural markets and come

Markets which are not able to face the onslaught

up with products or services that suit the require-

posed by MNCs can use this as an opportunity to

ments of the rural folks.

restore their profits in the rural sector. Given that

the market share of urban market when compared
to the rural market is low, the Indian industries
have a bright chance to concentrate on rural markets thereby improving their top line. Also with the
change of guards at the centre, the picture ahead

Devesh Agarwal
MBA(IB) 2014-16
Indian Institute
Of Foreign Trade

The month of May saw successful completion of the Rural Marketing Conclave 2015
Organized by Rural Marketing Association
Of India started in 2005 . The conclave
was graced by eminent speakers from the
Corporate Houses . Read More...
13

MarkMantra May 2015

mall is the new Beautiful. Gone are the

themselves as just an Ad agency So is the case with

days when only the big ad agencies of the

other upcoming marketing startups. Each one of

likes of Publicis, Omnicom, WPP etc. were

them wants to differentiate itself. Almost all of

able to rule the roost and had big clients. Since the

them have been founded by people who earlier

last decade there has been a number of ad agen-

were a part of a bigger Ad agency but thought that

cies who have come forward and are now marking

they themselves could do a better job and thus

their territories. Marketing and advertising is one

came up with their own firms. With like-minded

of the most dynamic business and the continuous

people joining them they are expanding and now

evolution which it goes through has only compli-

are in the top league. This trend has also been suc-

mented its nature.

cessful because of the changing times and require-

The Start Of Small

In 2007, 4 people sat at Raj Kurup's dining table to
start a creative empire. Today, Creativeland Asia is
an independent creative communications company which is rated among the top 5 creative companies in India. Creativeland works on some of the
biggest brands in India including Frooti, Appy Fizz,
Mercedes Benz, Cinthol, Cafe Coffee Day, Godrej
Expert Hair Colour etc. They believe in the culture

of 'Good Creative Upbringing' and dont refer to

ments of the industry.

Digitisation

of

Marketing
14

MarkMantra May 2015

With the present day youth spending most of its

the chef will do everything to feed you properly

time online it is not a big surprise that digital mar-

and would do that in chutney style.

keting agencies are making such a big splash. MTS

launched an ad film Born for the Internet focussing on the Net Gen. The ad was special in more
ways than one. Not only it depicted the current
generation but also made sure that it reaches its
target audience. The film was premiered as a bittorrent for online audiences to download before

digital and social legs kicked in. Digital marketing

catches viewers attention with its innovative ideas
and also helps in keeping the costs low.

The Cadbury Dairy Milks IPL campaign which used

digital marketing was a great hit. The campaign
designer started with #ShubhAarambh to brand
real time updates around beginnings, firsts, new
accomplishments and records big and small. People were encouraged to use and share content
around the brand hashtag, with a leader board
showing them real time rankings based upon their
reach. Online contests of tweets and pics were being conducted and it drove participation of online

The present day agencies do more than the con-

viewers to a whole new level. Over a two month

ventional marketing. They provide the whole pack-

period, 205k conversations and shares were gener-

age of services like Social Media Optimization, In-

ated. The brand hashtag trended nationally 7-8

tranet development, Website development, email

times during this period, appearing over official

marketing, content management etc. They work

sponsor hashtags on occasion. This ad campaign

made by Pinterest was an example of how the pre-

sent day ad agencies work.

very closely with their clients and are the interface

Being the Boss

to the consumers. Digital agencies like Webchut-

The present day marketers want to be more inde-

ney does all the background work for their clients

pendent in terms of how they want to connect

and much more. Its

with the target audience. It also provides more

like you go to the

flexibility to the firm. The owners of firms like Tap-

chef directly with an

root agree with this. They want to be their own

empty stomach and

boss and the prospect of earning more moolah is

15

MarkMantra May 2015

also incentivising them to open up their firms.

The same effect is being repeated on the global

They also understand how the present day genera-

scale as well with Google acquiring Facebook mo-

tion feels and provide them the required environ-

bile marketing start-up, Toro. Toro offers solu-

ment to work which gives optimum results to the

tions to help app developers create the best mar-

firm. With the economy of the country booming

keting and promotional plans for their apps on Fa-

and their businesses expanding they are offering

good packages to the graduates. They are also
more than willing to join and take it as an excellent
learning opportunity and are able to use their cre-

ativity to a greater extent.

Everything going mobile

With over 70% market being driven by mobile ecommerce, firms like Filpkart, Snapdeal are trying

cebooks advertising platform. Google aims to use

everything they can to attract their customers. Ear-

its services in further increasing its profitability.

lier Flipkart wanted to spread out the message of

safety and advantages of online buying. Having
been successful in that and attracting more competition it is now aiming to focus on new revenue

This just shows that these marketing start-ups are

influencing the clients in a big way. Either they are

being bought by the bigger firms or are getting

more business. This augments well for the marketing start-ups and denotes that it is just the
dawn for them and they will continue to make
their impact.

Shubham Jain
&
channels to become profitable. Flipkart has ac-

Mohd. Zeeshan

quired Bangalore-based global mobile network

MBA(IB)2014-16

AdIQuity, a mobile ad network enabling app developers and mobile publishers earn revenue from
their mobile inventory. On similar lines Snapdeal is

Indian Institute of
Foreign Trade

in advanced talks to acquire advertising technology

company Komli Media to help it move into broader
areas and foray into advertising.

16

MarkMantra May 2015

Project
As part of my summer internship
with SABMiller I was put under the
Retail Sales domain. My project essentially delved around exploring the
strategies adopted by rival brands mainly Carlsberg & Anheuser-Busch
InBev in the state of Odisha, where
these brands were doing well and
how could SABMiller incorporate
these strategies into its functioning

doing well. The root cause of the

trouble stemmed at the retailers

level. The rival brands had modified
their customer relationship management techniques apart from providing a more innovative product.
Therefore, I had to travel over 400+
liquor outlets-both standalone and
beer parlors, rural and premium out-

lets.

Key Takeaways

in the state.
There is a very thin line between be-

17

It was a vast project wherein I was

ing a market leader and a follower.

supposed to identify key areas within

Rivals always keep looking for cracks

the state where the brand was not

and one bad decision/stockout can

MarkMantra May 2015

prove a sucker punch for your brand

The retailers will sell the brand if and
only if they find incentives for themselves. Big influential retailer which
account for volumes matter all the
more. One bad experience/fallout

often results in far-reaching conse-

ganisations therefore numbers are of

prime importance. Be proficient in
excel. Marketing and other promotional activities are all cost centres.
Keep in mind that youre being given

an opportunity to directly contribute

to the organisations success.

quences
Selling and maintaining a brand is
much

Sales is the only profit centre for or-

more

than

the

bookish

knowledge that our courses impart

us. To drive point of sale volumes
everything from supply chain to customer relationship must fall in perfect unison

Be communicative not only with the

clients that you deal with but also
your superiors/mentors etc. They are
essentially looking for how well you
structure your thoughts, the sort of
insights you bring to solve the prob-

lems and your contribution in general. Be cheerful, eager to learn,

Suggestions for students

quick to lend a listening ear and keep

with sales internships

working!

Be prepared to travel extensively

Highlights of Upcoming Edition

Summer Diaries for Juniors

Brand Wagon Wars

Alumni Connect

Among Others.

18

MarkMantra May 2015

Project : Buy and Sell EBO Inte-

try in this kind of an internship stint is

gration for Allen Solly

immense. You get to know how it

works, right from the factories to the

While I was selected for a Sales and

Marketing role, the project offered a

whole new dimension into the apparel industry. It is difficult to categorize the project into a proper role,
however, one could say that the project was in the domain of business
development/strategy. In short, my
task was to identify the issues and

challenges in a business model (Buy

and Sell) and give recommendations.
The brand allotted to me was Allen
Solly.

Key Takeaways

warehouses and of course the retail

stores. What goes behind starting a
store and how things are not as simple as they meet the eye. How each
and every particular detail inside the
store is taken care of, be the visual
merchandising, stacking the merchandise in the right way or even
attention to basic things like the temperature of the air-conditioning and
the loudness of the music. How each
store is a business model in itself and
multiple business models give rise to
multiple stores. What kind of KeyPerformance Indicators rule this in-

The learning about the apparel indus-

19

dustry and how reports are analysed

MarkMantra May 2015

every week is something which one

Suggestions for first years

understands in this kind of an internship.

Go with an open mind to work on any

kind of a project allotted - be it Mar-

Sales or no sales, travel will be a key

keting, Sales, Operations, Retail or

component of your work-life in this

Supply Chain. The learning in each

industry, at least in the initial years. I

and every one of these projects will

had to travel to Delhi as part of my

be simply immense. Give it your best

project and due to time constraints

shot, work hard on the project, sur-

could not travel to Haryana and the

prise the panel with your recommen-

East which was planned by my men-

dations and once you bag a PPO, you

tor. Travelling and visiting stores

can choose whether you want to be

while meeting the store manager and

into Operations or an Area Sales/

the staff was a huge learning experi-

Retail Manager. MFL rewards hard

ence. You get to understand the nitty-

work and they don't really bother if

gritty of the way a store functions

the end result is a good solution to

everyday and how even minute de-

the business problem at hand. What

tails are captured which play a key

is more important is if you have

role in figuring out the store KPIs.

thought your way through the prob-

Communication skills are extremely

important. By communication skills, I
don't mean great in English. Even in
the language one is comfortable with,
communicating well with people, especially the store manager and staff is
extremely important. I also improved
a lot at MS Excel, working with Excel

lem, analysed every little detail,

talked to as many people in the company as possible and given the best
suggestions and recommendations

which you can come up with. Approach the project as if it's a business
case presented to you in a corporate
competition with a PPI/PPO at stake.

sheets almost all the time. MS Excel

P.S. Keep your guide and mentor hap-

will be an integral part of one's work

py. ;)

life as well as internship in this stint.

20

MarkMantra May 2015

Project

know how many unique SKUs are

being sold to a shop in a month. This

My project was based out of Pune in

the Consumer Products Division and

was concerned with General Trade

(GT). It required me to understand
the concept of Unique Selling SKUs
(USS), how its driven by the Salesmen in the market, the roadblocks
in way of increasing the USS. Using
the insights gathered during this
market understanding, I had to devise workable ideas and strategies to
improve the USS performance and
help LOreal achieve a +20% growth.
I also had to suggest a tool which
makes it easier to measure the USS
performance in the market.
In simpler terms, USS lets LOreal

21

shows the buying trend of SKUs in a

shop and helps measure SKU perfor-

mance. USS involves the PSR, who

pushes the stock to the retailer and
is pivotal in increasing this count.
Hence, his task is not only to sell as
much quantity as possible but also
to sell as many unique SKUs as possible to the retailer. But, as the retailer only buys products which he

trusts would sell and also finds worthy of shelf space, it is also important to measure the consumer
buying

trend,

as

without

the

offtakes from the shop there wouldnt be a demand for our products
from the retailer.

MarkMantra May 2015

As USS performance deals with the

I also learnt the pragmatic approach

movement of different types of SKU

of the market and realized that life

rather than just the quantity sold, it is

outside the textbook is completely

extremely important in demand esti-

different and doesnt function the

mation for the Operations team and

way we think it would or it should!

helps them determine how much of a

particular SKU is to be produced. It is

Suggestions for first years

also significant for the Marketing

Understand your project really well

team as, if the trends show a decline

before getting started. Break up your

in the sale of a particular SKU, its mar-

project objective into measurable and

keting can be stepped up through

time bound goals.

new media launch or through merchandizing.

Key Takeaways

As far as the preparation is concerned, one should know all about

himself/herself and should have clear

insights on ones decisions in life.

A significant lesson that I learnt on
the field was respecting the people

The Sales pitch round requires one to

working under you, especially the

know how to approach a situation

salesmen who are the face of the

practically

company at the ground level and put

knowledge would be able to sale one

in a lot of efforts to help the company

through this.

achieve its goals.

and

no

theoretical

LOreal being a leader in the beauty

Ive realized that relationship building

industry expects one to have a basic

goes a long way in business and one

understanding of the nitty-gritties of

must always strive to build connec-

this business as the product line rang-

tions.

es from mass segment to the niche

segment.

22

MarkMantra May 2015

Project : Understanding key reasons for growth of Ajay toothbrush

Had to travel to 13 cities across 6

(competitor of Colgate, number 3

cities for conducting this research. The

player in Indian market) and provid-

objective was to gather information

ing recommendations to stem its

about Ajay and understand its selling

growth

and portfolio strategy followed by

Extensive secondary research, on market data provided by Nielsen, which

benchmarking with Colgates existing

toothbrush strategy.

included diagnostics performed on

The final step was providing recom-

data dumps.

mendations to stem the growth of

The outcome of the diagnostics, which

was on the basis of some data trends,

Ajay.

Key Takeaways

pin-pointed some market locations

across the country. The next step was
to perform on-ground primary research in these markets.

Great exposure to sales and distribution; understanding of credit terms,

delivery

times,

salesmen-retailer/

wholesaler relationships, impact of

23

MarkMantra May 2015

POP material, inventory manage-

assigned project. Keep him/her in the

ment etc.

loop as you go along, so as to ensure

In-depth understanding of a low involvement category like toothbrush;

everything is going as per mutual

agreement.

how consumer motivations to buy

For people who would be working on

the category effect everything from

projects which would require ground

marketing communications to sales

research, try and leverage the un-

strategies.

structured market intelligence which

Exposure to FMCG industry though

interaction with professionals in the
industry as well as through market
visits.

retailers, wholesalers and sales executives possess. They might not be

MBAs but they know more

about

business than you would expect. For

marketing

projects,

elementary

Exposure to working environments

knowledge of BRM is highly benefi-

and job responsibilities of marketing

cial.

professionals within the industry.

Suggestions for first years

It is imperative to get a proper un-

Most internships are great learning

experiences. However, it will always
up to you to maximize that learning.

derstanding of your guides expectations before you start working on the

Brand Quotient
In Switzerland, the Apple trademark is
owned by William Longe since 1985, who is
the owner of brand Leonard in Geneva which
sells items like jewelry, precious stones, and
timepieces of any kind etc. It is set to expire
on Dec 5th, 2015. Until then, Apple cannot sell
the Apple Watch in Switzerland.

24

MarkMantra May 2015

emocracy is based on the following

increasing reader base and the websites need

three pillars Legislation, Bureaucracy

more and more views, clicks, likes and subscribers.

and Judiciary. Each of these is expected

So on and so forth. The list is endless; no matter

to work in harmony for our countrys progression

what form of media we are talking about every en-

and bright future. However, it would not be far-

tity needs its share to stay afloat.

fetched to say that in the modern times democracy

also rests on a fourth pillar The Media. The

Who can run the best stories, who can get the best

same Media which wields the power of creating

everything out of nothing or, at its own will, annihilating everything to mere nothingness. With the
advent of new technology and lightning fast information transfer, the media has become an important part of the democratic society. But, at the
same time one cannot deny the fact that, in the
end, the entire media circus is serious business
with the single biggest objective of churning out
profits. So, in order to
make that happen media
houses
rocketing

need
TRPs,

skythe

newspapers need ever

25

personalities on their shows, who can get the best

interviews, who can get that best something which
can increase their popularity. This quest for being
the best in the business has led media to get involved in some activities which might not be
deemed in good faith considering its important

MarkMantra May 2015

role in the society.
Not undermining the important role played by media, the article tries to highlight how the media
cashed in on the important political events that
happened recently.

channel increases by more than 60 per cent when

Narendra Modi is there on TV. So, the fact of the

matter is that he rightly sensed the opportunity
and made it possible. A series of steps followed by
populist stories and the channel just grabbed on
the TRP. So, what initiated this change? The answer

As the title of Shashi Tharoors book goes - The

lies in these three closely linked words - the

elections that changed India. Not going into his

Elections, the Politicians and the Political

books and his views, the General Elections 2014

Drama.

rightly changed India. What happened and how it

happened, each of us witnessed it. But this election

Had it not been the scams of the tune of thousands

of crores, the controversial schemes and the India
against Corruption Campaign, how would ever
have Arnab Goswami become a sensation that he is
today? Politicians dread him and rightly so, because the fashion in which he crushed Rahul Gandhi while interviewing him was intimidating. Again,
the way in which he takes on the spokespersons of

different political parties on his show when they

changed the fortunes of many. Try recalling

make factual errors is easiersaid than done. How

Mr.Rajat Sharma, Founder-Editor of INDIA TV, in-

TIMES NOW suddenly became the most viewed

terviewing our now Prime Minister Shri Narendra

English news channel in the country is long winded

Modi at his show Aap Ki Adalat a few days before

story (yes, it has a strong backing from the Times

the elections. Hardly anyone following the last

Group but the popularity it has gained over time is

General Elections would have missed it. Not getting

not because of it). Well, by cashing in successfully

into the specifics, now try recalling the same INDIA

on a good number of political tussles, it has in

TV which, a couple of months back, used to run

some manner proved that the Media can question

stories that one would not believe in and try to

any one running the country and make report cards

build some sort of news out of nothing and present

which may be fatal to a politicians political career.

it to the poor audience. These were the sorts of

It doesnt matter if he comes from a family that has

stories which could make anyone change the chan-

run our mighty country

nel, leaving only those who love chatpati and masa-

for decades or has just

ledar news. So how did this spiced-up News Chan-

started a political party

nel had a complete makeover? Rajat Sharma him-

claiming to clean the sys-

self pointed out and I quote - The TRP of our news

tem! These are only a

26

MarkMantra May 2015

few examples of news channels whose sensational

vivid is the video titled America se aya mera dost

stories and interviews on political happenings got

which was made during Mr. Obamas visit to India.

accolades from the country!

The video went viral and was enjoyed by almost

Lets now focus on the lighter side of the things.

Recall the article, 14 Indian politicians who will
find their counterparts in Game of Thrones (if not
go and check it out now, its fun!). This was the article on Scoop Whoop that was shared a record

everyone. The very existence of such a series of

videos is because of the political issues in India and
one can bet there are more of such rib-tickling videos to come because there isnt going to be any
dearth of issues created by our dear politicians.

number of times. Happened somewhere in late

So, what lesson do we learn here? It is one: Its pure

2013, it just turned the fortune of five people who

business and it is the role of every successful busi-

were doing it as a side project. There was no look-

nessman/woman to use the opportunity one gets

ing back for them after the sensation that was cre-

to progress and expand. Everything is marketing

ated. So, it is right to say that the politicians just

and marketing is everything, a one liner that justi-

changed their life (pun intended). Similarly, the

fies all these incidents put together.

banters
of

In con-

All

clusion,

India

we can

Bak-

say that

chod,
the videos of The Viral Fever (Qtiyappa) and other
political satires that run across the social networking sites changed the lives of many people who
were once unknown to the masses. All thanks to
the political tussles and to the politicians who
made that happen. There were even articles on

what these Stand-up Comedians would do after

the elections. It only goes on to suggest the zenith
of success they had achieved just because they
made fun of our politicians.

there has to be someone doing the job of a watchdog and thankfully the media does this very well.
Even if there is a lot of masala, even if there is a lot
of noise, we should give media their due credit.
One should never forget how Jessica got justice
and how Nirbhaya made the whole country aware
of the vices existent in the society! Till the time
Media are doing the job right (may be in a bit twisted manner), they enjoy every right to cash in on
any opportunity that they get!

Pritesh Desai
Everyone

would

have

laughed and still laughs

MBA(IB) 2014-16

watching the videos of

Indian Institute

So Sorry created by the

India Today Group. Still
27

Of Foreign Trade

MarkMantra May 2015

Are these things actually better than the things I already have? Or
am I just trained to be dissatisfied with what I have now?
-Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby

he Indian Consumer is the master of a

fit all strategy needs to be avoided by the brands

Brands fate. He is both impulsive and

which plan to invest in the Indian markets as the

compulsive in his buying behavior. He is

consumers here are becoming more sophisticated

impatient, moody, dissatisfied, particular, trending

in their consumption habits. Availability of the

and bargaining with the things at his disposal. He

product is not the only criterion. Companies are

is a deal-a-holic and a hard core value for money

ready to bend the rules and strive hard to survive

in the Indian market. Innovation and adaptation
are the two major combat forces that the nonindigenous brands use to satisfy the needs of an
Indian consumer.

The Indian consumers comprise of an approximate

equal proportion of rural and
urban households. The most
intriguing elements of the
seeker. THE INDIAN CONSUMER IS REALLY HARD
TO IMPRESS!!!

Indian consumer market are

characterized by diverse languages,

regions,

religions

The Indian consumer has shown a major change in

and socio-economic status

its buying behaviour in the last decade. A one size

which have made it a diffi28

MarkMantra May 2015

cult proposition to understand. Due to a globaliza-

bow to the price pressure, Kelloggs launched a se-

tion, advent of new marketing channels, ecom-

ries of other products like Chocos, Frosties, Honey

merce websites, liberalization on the government

crunch etc. but none was able to replicate the suc-

policies and increase in foreign direct investment,

cess it had got in the West. Easy availability of tra-

there has been entry of innumerable brands in the

ditional breakfast and low awareness about the

Indian market. A lot of non-indigenous brands have

processed foods were some other obstacles that

now become a part of every Indian household. Was

Kelloggs faced. Kelloggs been smart enough to

it easy to reach there?

When Kelloggs, the wholly owned subsidiary of

the American company Kellogg entered the Indian

breakfast market with cornflakes, little did it realise
that it would be a mammoth task to make cultural
shift in the minds of Indian people who usually

consumed traditional breakfast. They not only had

to promote their own product but also promote the
idea of eating cereals for
breakfast.

29

Many

realise the causes of its failure, soon Indianised

their products by repositioning it as a flavour filled
product rather than a nutritious product. They
came up with different flavours of the same product as well. They even used yoga instructor and Kathakali dancers in their advertisements to attribute
their morning energy and fitness to Kelloggs.

people

Even for that matter Nestle adapted its traditional

bought corn flakes as a one-

two minute Maggi Noodles as an after school snack

off novelty purchase, even if

among children by adding just one small ingredi-

they liked the taste because

ent. It responded to the health concerned mothers

of high price. Unwilling to

by replacing the refined white flour by whole

MarkMantra May 2015

wheat. Frito Lays coming up with Indian Magic Ma-

the Indian market, with an assumption that a car

sala and engaging with the Indian fans to come up

owner in India required a sneaker. This assumption

with different flavours is one of the strategies they

had proved fruitful in other countries but in India

adopted to remain relevant in the market. Also

the car owners had mostly bought their cars on

PepsiCo identified the gap in the Indian market for

instalments or had cars given to them by their em-

the packaged version of Nimbu Paani and came

ployers. This was coupled with another blunder

up with Nimbooz in 2009.

when they decided to open their stores on the ba-

Ford before entering in the Indian market conducted extensive research to accumulate knowledge

about the social life, personal tastes and preferences of Indians. Not only that, they closely studied the infrastructure of the Indian roads and
traffic movement before launching their cars. Today they enjoy a considerable market share in the
automobile industry. Ford is also fast transforming
to a volume player from being a niche player in the
Indian market after tasting success with hatchback,

Figo and compact SUV, Ecosport.

sis of the zip postal codes. This failed terribly as

one zip postal code had such a huge variation in
the income levels of the people living in a particular postal code. It later came out as a winner when
it launched a low price range of shoes and came up
with sub brands to cater to the needs of all sorts of
Indian consumers from men to women to kids. It
also associated itself with cricket which gives it a
total brand recall and stickiness in the minds of the
Indian consumers. It even outpaced a lot of formidable rivals like Nike and Puma by this marketing
plan.

Even when LG entered the Indian market, it failed

miserably due to low brand awareness, high import duty and stiff competition from the Japanese
competitors. What led to its success was its development of a strong bond with the Indian consumers through cricket. Signing big cricketers as the
brand ambassadors and launching cricket games
on its television. It became the first multi-national
firm that forged strong tie-ups with cricket by
sponsoring the World Cups in year 1999 and 2003.
It localised its products like CTVs that had menu
options in Hindi and other regional languages. It
introduced Sampoorna and Cineplus for the
price conscious customers as well.

Reebok also faced initial hiccups when it entered

There are innumerable brands like Facebook,

Google, and Nokia etc. that are continuously innovating or adapting for one common purpose-To
give a good value proposition to the Indian consumers and be the market leader in their segment
in India. Be it Honda motorcycles Dream Yuga to

compete with its erstwhile joint venture partner

Hero or GE healthcares ECG machine for rural
market or Hyundai Eon
for the mileage, price and
style valuing Indian customers or be it brands like
McDonalds and even KFC
tailoring their menu to in-

clude

typical

vegetarian

30

MarkMantra May 2015

cuisines to pander to the needs of Indian consum-

Global strategies are a strict no for survival in an

ers - all are in a race to impress the Master - The

Indian market. It is critical to understand the needs

Indian Consumer. These companies who are mar-

of the regional consumers and to satisfy it, be-

ket leaders in their home countries or in other na-

cause if you dont someone else would!! BE GLOB-

tions are massaging the needs of the consumers in

AL BUT ACT LOCAL!!

India to grow and prosper.

All these above examples clearly point to one
thing; all non-indigenous need to succumb to the

Manubhav Goel

demands of the Indian consumer. Being the largest

PGDM 2014-16

emerging market, after China it has a lot of scavenging and hovering done by the global brands to

IMT Ghaziabad

establish their name and business in India.

Creating New In Roads

Creating new channels of communicating their message is not

a child's play, however not all
together impossible
Watch how an NGO managed to
surprise the corporate
31

MarkMantra May 2015

Ostentatious Sports Ads: Are they hitting the mark?

auka ! Mauka" has become one of

brands awareness across the nation. In a country

the most common phrases to be

where "Cricket is a religion and Sachin is God",

used by Indians all over the world

there couldn't be any better channel than sports

during this world cup season. This innovative ad-

entertainment for advertising. With the develop-

vertisement, with the help of social media created

ment of social media marketing, marketers are tar-

a buzz which went viral on the internet. It not only

geting sports fans across the world through related

promoted the sporting event but at the same time,

it helped to exponentially improve the brand value
of Star Sports. The rivalry between the cricket
teams of India and Pakistan and then the subsequent match results gave the right leverage for this
advertisement which was viewed by more than a

million people within the initial few days of its

launch. This is one of the biggest examples of successful sports ads; and it was for once about sports
as well.
There are some other famous examples of Sports
ads in our country. Sachin Tendulkar's "Boost is
the secret of my energy" to Pepsi's "Change the
game", marketing campaigns have spread their

media engagements as well. #wont give it back is

probably one of the best example of World Cups
currently trending tweets. This enhances the reach
and depth of the message and
opens it to further discussions in

the various online forums.

32

MarkMantra May 2015

The history of sports marketing goes back to 1979

match (during the over breaks), the advertisers are

when Liverpool entered the field with jerseys bear-

offered an already captured audience who are

ing the logo of Hitachi, the first ever football club

glued to their television sets. This along with the

with sponsored equipment. It has been a long and

popularity of the game has resulted in cricket be-

exciting journey since then and now, where the

size of U.S sports market including ticket sales,
merchandise and advertisements is expected be to

ing the sport with the highest of investments.

Tournaments such as the Indian Premier League
have opened further avenues of advertising such
as the DLF Maximum Citi Moment of Success,
and Karbonn Kamaal Catch for events within the
game.
at $400 billion, this market has grown tremendously. Roger Federer was the highest paid sportsperson with $65 Million per annum in 2013 through
sports endorsements. The reach of sports and embedded advertisements have gone into a different
level altogether. We all remember the famous
2008 Wimbledon match between Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal which was termed as a clash of
the titans by the tennis greats. But apart from tennis we witnessed something else as well. Both
were dressed in swooshes of Nike from head to
toe prompting the marketers to call it a five-hour
long Nike commercial valued at a whopping $10.6
million.
Cricket is perhaps the best example of a sport that
can help advertisers in getting
consistent eyeballs. With numer-

ous commercial breaks in a single

33

Big matches such as the India Pakistan during

world cup matches attract huge interest among

the masses. That particular match was seen by 288
million people and had a rating of 9.3. The football
world cup was viewed by about 909 million people
worldwide. It was also responsible for more than 3
billion interactions in Facebook and 672 million
messages on Twitter. No matter that advertisers
flock towards such events. Add to that the

5.136billion Sky Sports paid to secure the broadcast rights of the English Premier League. These
figures show the reach of sports advertisements
and the value that advertisers see in them.
Who has been the critical factor in success of these
channels? The answer is undoubtedly the sports
fans. Christina Miller the General Manager of NBA
says that the participation of fans is very critical in
sports. The more the engagement of fans, the

MarkMantra May 2015

better they get control and accessibility. The better

greatly valued segment of marketing, there are

the engagement of the fans, the higher they invest

many hidden disadvantages with this channel. The

in the sport. Even consumers of sports brands are

rates that the channels charge could be quite exor-

expecting more entertainment and more sport

bitant which could throw your advertisement

from the brands.

budgets to the wind.

Consider IPL (Indian Premier League), a hyped annual T20 cricket tournament organized by BCCI,
which is one of the major examples of sports advertising and the profit it generates. MSM, the official broadcaster of IPL, takes 15 lakhs to advertise
a 10 second commercial during the interval between overs in IPL, which is a 30% increase in cost
for advertisers as compared to the rates of the
previous few editions of IPL. This pricing is only for

For the previously men-

tioned match between India and Pakistan, the

broadcasters were charging at Rs 25 lakh per 10
seconds, making it the most expensive advertising
opportunity ever in cricket, but one that not many

advertisers would want to miss. But a victory for

India over Pakistan and then against South Africa
made it even better for the broadcaster who increased the base price even higher.
With zillions of people flocking to watch their fa-

the league matches and it will soar for the final

matches.
Consider one of the franchisees of IPL, the Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR). They have 18 sponsors which
is the highest number for any IPL franchise. Franchises normally earn their revenues through these
sponsors apart from sale of tickets of their respective matches. To attain a non-jersey partnership
with KKR, it costs around Rs. 50 Lakhs which becomes thrice if it is a jersey partnership. These
partnerships not only improve the brand value of
the sponsored teams but also that of the franchise.
The franchise's brand value depends not only on
the quality of their game but also the effectiveness
of their marketing. The same thing applies to various sport events around the world. More popular
is the sport, the higher pay the athlete gets and

vorite sport, the industry seemed to be very lucrative. But with it comes another major risk. The
effect of advertisements is closely related to the
fortunes of the team that people are supporting.

So, brands that had already committed to advertisement slots would see a huge drop in the viewership. This was the case in the 2007 Cricket world
cup in which India had crashed out in the initial
stages. This leads to heavy loss of investment in
this particular mode of promotion.

the better the brand value a company attains.

While advertising in such high pro-

Though the numbers speaks volumes about sport

file matches, the advertisers need to

advertising being one of the most profitable and

be sure that they have high quality

34

MarkMantra May 2015

advertisements in their kitty which can be trans-

tential consumers in the charged up audience who

ferred to different media as well such as the social

can be enthralled by an interesting advert. But

media. Quality is of utmost importance because

they must also be aware that it is a high risk game

the competition will be tough and inferior quality

and it is imperative to hold their cards close to

could quickly push your brand down against supe-

their chests.

rior advertisements. Being able to scale it up to

different channels is also important because, hav-

Suma Prasanth P.

ing visibility across all possible avenues is of high

&

importance for brand recall. This is the reason why

all new successful sports campaigns have simulta-

Mathews Mathews

neous campaigns in social media as well..

Thus it can be said that Sports advertising gives

PGDM 2014-16
IIM Indore

one of the most unique value proposition to the

advertisers. They have a significant number of po-

Marketing Gyan
Programmatic Advertising:
Programmatic Advertising gives advertisers a more
intelligent way to connect with consumers on a one to
one basis. This marketing technology automates
the buying and selling of online advertising, delivering
stronger business performance for brands. To know
more about The New Kid In The Block in the digital
marketing click on link in the picture.

For more on Digital Marketing continue to our

Featured Article under the new
Mark Mantra Legacy Section ..

35

MarkMantra May 2015

About the Author

Sidharth Nanda
Account optimizer at Google(2013 till present)
Editor in-Chief ,Mark Mantra (2011-13)

Digital Marketing
We

want to know what consumers are

loWe want to know what consumers are
looking for, what their values are, and how
can we meet their needs. Its not just about
Big Data; its about translating that into the
truth. Gayle Fuguitt, President and
CEO of the Advertising Research Foundation
36

MarkMantra May 2015

n the 5 seconds that you took to read the

well that organization is able to adapt to digital

quote above, there were over 23,000 searches

media. From social networks to smartphones to

made on Google, over 11,000 hours of videos

online videos, the digital tools available today inte-

watched on Youtube, over 8000 apps downloaded,

grate with all other forms of communications and

over 200 items purchased on Amazon and over

make it possible for consumers to interact on a

200000 likes on Facebook.

global scale. As a result, regardless of your busi-

The reason I just bombarded you with these numbers is to give you an idea of the seemingly astronomical proportions of the online world - a uni-

verse in its own right - teeming with people and

ness's industry or size, it is imperative that you

learn how to leverage the ability of consumers to
interact and engage with your brand, with your
company and with the service you deliver.

places and evolving constantly, and an opportunity

Like any other form of marketing, the world of digi-

we as marketers are adapting to take advantage

tal marketing extends way beyond simple digital

of .Few business functions have been as profound-

advertising to reach the right consumer at the right

ly affected by digitization as marketing. Armed to

place at the right time with the right offer. It encompasses the pre-work of collating the data to
determine all the right points mentioned above,
delivering the perfect personalized consumer expe-

rience and then the post-work of using all data

gathered to improve next time.
Many businesses find the sheer number of digital
marketing choices to be daunting. As a result, it
can be difficult
the teeth with a variety of tools at their disposal,
its no longer just consumers who demand a better

shopping experience, but also marketers today

who, with advances in technology, have the opportunity to do things that could be termed science
fiction a few decades ago. Planning a digital marketing strategy is essential
to getting ahead of the
competition. The ability of a
business to thrive in today's

economy is based on how

37

to

determine

where to even
begin. One of
the

biggest

mistakes that
many

busi-

nesses make,
particularly
small businesses, is trying to do it all. Between
YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other digital
tools, the choices are overwhelming. Even worse,
many companies attempt to set up a specific team

MarkMantra May 2015

to handle each tool. The right digital marketing tool

can help your company to expand your marketing

efforts, and even save time and money.

with their customer.

Programmatic The Industrial Revolution of the Digital World

As an industry that moves at a pace unlike any other, digital marketing has seen some massive changes knocking at its door recently, most notably of
which are:

No use having personalized ads if the process of

delivering them is so cumbersome, that by the
time your ad is ready the consumer has moved on
to a new product. Enter Programmatic, the new

Mobility - Up close and personal

Marketers today want to cut through the plethora
of generic advertisements and so are looking for
getting as much data as they can collect about you,
your behavior, your interests etc. so that they can
customize their messaging. Spearheading this massive phenomenon is the humble
smartphone that you have with you
right now, that knows you better

than you yourself. Imagine yourself

browsing through some new shoes
on your mobile, and as you walk past the sellers
store, an ad pops up announcing a 20% discount on
the exact shoes youve been looking for. Thats the
kind of personalization were talking about. Then
theres the issue of convenience for store-based
retailers even. From checking stock availability to

and upcoming hip kid on the block, which basically

means the process of using technology and software to purchase ad inventory as opposed to the
traditional process involving salespeople, RFPs etc.
In our current scenario, the software can use multiple ingredients like data-feeds, weather reports,
your current location, past purchase behavior, CRM data, availability and what not to figure out

whether youre the perfect consumer at that point for the shoes
and then message accordingly.
Handling ad spend of over $10 billion (USA figures)
a year and set to grow at over 100% YoY, programmatic is definitely the key buzzword in the digital
marketing space for a long time to come.

Attribution - Connecting the Dots

queue busting, to create customized in-store terminals, kiosks and digital displays, technology has the
power to enrich bricks and mortar shopping, while
making life easier for retail staff. As marketers get
more savvy, expect more of such things to happen
in the future.

After the shoe is finally sold and the marketer has

the money in his hands, he still needs to know
whether it was the ad that actually pushed the
consumer to make the purchase, without which he
wouldnt have a clue as to

And while were on the topic, heres a collection of

where he should be di-

some of the most spectacular ideas the human

recting his marketing in-

mind conjured up to use smartphones to engage

38

MarkMantra May 2015

vestment. But with the consumer purchase cycle

ing the goals you want to achieve, then selecting a

crisscrossing through multiple paths, marketers

digital marketing strategy that will help you to

face a huge challenge in linking the cause and

reach both your target audience and goals. For in-

effect. Had the customer bought from their store

stance, are you attempting to reach new custom-

beforewhich device was he usingwas this the

ers? Are you looking to gain insight into your cur-

first ad he sawwas the discount helpfuland so

rent customer base? Do you have a new product

on and so forth. Knowing the purchase paths can

or service to launch? Once you have that in place,

help marketers optimize their budget allocation.

the path ahead becomes much clearer as you

Great strides have been made in this path to get

begin to understand which online channels to lev-

data to talk to each other, with the industry mov-

erage.

ing towards a cookie-less world. Only then will the

digital and marketing engine start to hum efficiently rather than stutter as it does currently.
And thats just the tip of the iceberg. In the future,
expect advertisers to take advantage of seemingly
magical technology, such as Augmented Reality,
Robotics etc. into account while collecting data
about your likes, interests constantly in order to
deliver the perfect consumer experience. Digital
marketing is becoming increasingly important to
business strategies with 80% of companies plan to
increase their digital marketing budgets over the

Dont believe me? Here, have a look at one of the

most successful viral marketing campaigns that
was conducted way before the internet itself went
mainstream.
With so many options, it is easy for a business to
get caught up in the technology hype. This is certainly understandable with so much news, almost
a weekly basis, about the latest digital marketing
tools. Simply jumping on the latest digital marketing bandwagon to conform is not the key to
success.

next 12 to 18 months, with 32% of those planning

Dont be afraid to take risks, try out new channels,

to increase it by 10-15%.

but dont go overboard either. While its good to

Remember, you can throw in all the money you

want, but in the end, it all boils down to how detailed your battle plan is. Create a game plan for
promoting yourself online and stick to it. Without
the right strategy, you are
simply wasting resources.
The key is to begin by developing an understanding
of your customers, identify-

39

dream of having a big integrated customer data

warehouse one day, it can take years to push

through organizational impediments and put it together. Being online gives you a brilliant chance to
engage with your audience, so do not hold back if
you get a chance to talk to them.

Events At IIFT