2
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
inside
contents
November 2010
Comment
Focus on
B a: wh h, hw hw h f h b ? a lk wh h xp fl b .
Brand activations
4
8
Showcase B b f k p f b b lf hh b xp. s h h l h wl f l. B l h l p h l f b. a j h k ‘blw h l.’
a l f fw h wl f b. a hw f hw bl b bw h b .
Guest Article
10
abk sh, coo, J sl w b h - pph, h h f B a.
Comment
13
a lww wh l h fll-fl w. a h h j h w fw? h l x , f! xpl...
Interview
16
Wh blh l bh ff ? a -- wh r K awl, cFo, J Pkh.
B Ankt Bhatnaga k.bh@f.
Points of View
18
H tv pp l w? i xp h h hh.
Guest Article
21
al nh w roi - h w b w f h f f .
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
3
c o m m e n t
Brand activations: conquering Hearts and minds Marketing is like a battle, a battle to conquer the market share. In this break-neck competitive and increasingly cluttered market, brands and their managers have tough time. Advertising has always been the prime weapon to build brands. Saturation is settling in and over dependence on this form of communication has led to “over communication.” Ad clutter is on the rise and shows no signs of abatement. There is no doubt today that marketing is more challenging than ever. By Ankit Bhatnagar
W
hile many companies are experimenting with new approaches to marketing, ew are tackling the problem head on with a new philosophy. Enter experiential marketing and brand activations. But what are those and how do they work? Al Ries, the author o The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR, describes a brand as something people will pay more or than a commodity. Brand activation can be dened as marketing process o bringing a brand to lie through creating brand experience. Brand activation is not merely a theory it is a natural step in the evolution o brands. “In the urban scenario, there are lot o ads which keep appearing, there is lot o static outo-home media and there is so much o saturation
4
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
that everybody is bombarding messages,” said Priya Monga, Business Head, RC&M. This increasing clutter in communication is diluting brand messaging and proposition. Multiple choices o products and services are making it dicult or consumers to decide and act. Also, in this cluttered environment with high degree o media segmentation, advertisers sometimes nd it dicult to connect with the audience. Todd Wasserman, news editor o Brandweek once said, “The 30-second spot is getting cataracts, walks with a limp and will soon need to be put down.” Many marketers agree that traditional marketing is no longer as eective as it once was. In this new world, experiential marketing creates the
november 2010
c o m m e n t
real life experiences shape our opinions and buying preferences more profoundly than what we see in advertising or hear from our friends. ambika sharma, coo, Jagran solutions
relationship. Television, newspapers and other traditional media create awareness but lose the relationship-building role that they once had. “As categories evolve, the task shits rom mere awareness to engagement and building connect with the consumers.“ This is where activation comes in, which helps bring alive the brand and let consumers touch, eel and experience the product or the service,” said Samir Gupte, Country Head, Ogilvy Outreach. All these actors have lent themselves in making experiential marketing a viable marketing platorm or brand managers today. Customer is the king, and is better inormed today. Brand activations give custom a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
er an upper hand to decide and transorm consideration into buying. “Activation enables customers to make a better inormed decision, it is something that they are aware o and, I believe, use to ull advantage.” said Ambika Sharma, COO, Jagran Solutions. In the case o activation, consumers are not orced and they themselves decide to be a part o the whole thing willingly. “It is a two-way communication medium. I through the activation they get new inormation or new experience they will pay attention and lap it up,” said Gupte. Feedback is also an important actor driving brands to do activations. An activation campaign has interactive ormat that not just delivers a spiel but also has the ability to answer questions and settle queries. A good activation is able to build conviction in a consumer ar aster than any other medium. In act consumers who have been a part o experiential marketing campaigns will tend to remember and understand the brand message and its oerings much better than who haven’t taken part in the campaigns. It’s a mistake to think that consumers in rural India are not as aware o the importance o brand activations as their urban peers. “Awareness is there, whether it’s about a ourwheeler or two-wheeler, lubes or durables. I t’s a myth that people in rural areas are not aware customers,” said Monga o RC&M. Activations have been the pre-eminent way o reaching out to consumer even beore T.V. and print were discovered. From rickshaws advertising cinema in villages to the village melas or haats where the producers, the sellers, the local brands everybody is selling, It is brand activation at work.
november 2010
5
c o m m e n t samir gupte country head, ogilvy outreach
tradition al media create awareness but lose on the rela tionshipbuilding role that it once had. The rural consumer is in an environment very dierent rom ours. The motivators and points o infuence are stronger and not just on mass media alone. Word o mouth, experience as well as tradition plays an important role in rural settings. Activations are a very important part o the media mix or any consumer centric brand. Most marketers now plan their activation schedules and budgets much like they do or print or electronic media. Activation now complements traditional media and is used as an eective tool to increase concentration o interaction or specic consumer groups. Which would have a bigger impact on a buyer’s intention to buy a product – reading about it in an advertisement or trying it out rst hand? The act is, real lie experiences shape our opinions and buying preerences more prooundly than what we see in advertising or hear rom our riends. All consumer oriented products and industries utilize the medium o activation. Experience adds to the possibility o purchase and as long as the competition is close by, activations and experiential marketing will continue to gain importance. While FMCG or the sheer volume o the product base is a large
category, IT, telecom, automobiles and consumer durables are others which utilise the medium extensively as well. Experiential marketing, through brand activations, presents an experience that people choose to attend to and participate in, ater identiying the relevance o a brand or product to their needs; hence resulting in a more participative environment o product selection. Brand activations help the customer in retaining and recalling the service or product oered. In other words, activations help marketers gain valuable insight by interacting directly with consumers outside mass media landscape. The objective o brand activations is to change the customer awareness into consideration and to convert that consideration into buying. To bring your product to the buying stage, it is very important that brand
priya monga, business head, rc&m
6
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
c o m m e n t
venke sharma director, arc worldwide
brand activations change the customer awareness into consideration and convert that consideration into buying activations are done. With low literacy levels and limited access to electronic media being a combined actor in limiting inormation dissemination, activations works eectively in the emerging markets. Consumers can touch, see, eel and try the products, which is a very big advantage over traditional media. It is also a act that they can see their peers, amily and riends purchase the product which is an endorsement o sor ts. For example, i an activation agency is selling tyres through brand activation, it would ensure that i it is meeting 50 armers, there should be at least two armers that have tractors where the tyres shown can t. I they do, those two armers become the brand ambassadors. The tractor with that tyre will become the brand ambassador. This is because they are seeing it. Those two armers will urther talk about it. The tting o that tyre will lead to a recall. It’s a mind game. Brand activation should just lead to a positive word o mouth. Through activations the brand should
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
be able to convert some customers on the spot so that they become its spokesperson later on. That is the end result o brand activation. “Activation can also be customised in the local language while addressing speciic consumer pockets. It is a very strong advantage in a country where it is said lingo changes at every step and language at every leap,” said Venke Sharma, Director, Arc Worldwide. Lot o companies who conduct outreach programmes in Tier II and III towns, where you have house-to-house sampling programmes, educating village workers in certain categories, activating brands through them. There are some brands that have taken this very seriously and are increasingly doing activations in rural areas. “There are lot o other brands who rely on what T.V. does or them, give them reach, give them aspirations and then hope that the consumer will at some point o time act on it,” Sharma said. n
november 2010
7
sHoWcase
veHicLes oF cHange CLIENT – TVS MOTOR COMPANY BRAND – TVS Scooty Pep+ Marketing Objective: The marketing objective was to target regions where scooterette category was growing and to create relevant connect with the target group. Market ScenariO: Scooty and Scooty Pep+ are ormidable names in the scooterette segment, with sti competition rom others. TVS Motors has strong presence in Tier 2 markets with bikes like TVS Star, but Scooty Pep’s sales lagged in these markets. Primary problems being brand awareness and salience. cOnSuMer inSight: Ater research the consumer insight that came to ore was, higher education is still a oreign territory or girls in non-metros and that mobility is an expression o reedom, reedom to move ahead in lie. Freedom to move could be connected with the reedom to study urther. the caMPaign: The campaign devised included a programme to promote higher education, where girls aged 15
years and above were asked to write an essay in on: “What is your choice o career and why?” 32 scholarships o INR 25,000 were given. The campaign was promoted via hoardings, print ads, celebrity endorsements and advertorials. The school contact programme ran across 58 main towns in tier-2 cities.
Having Fun, in disguise For a leading General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Jagran Solutions did a marketing campaign named Are De ewa no Muj he Pehchano, whereby a reality show which was a usion o tricks, un and entertainment was created. cOnSuMer inSight: The con sum er i nsig ht wa s th at co nsu mer s li ke to be entertained via celebrities and like to share their personal experiences with them.
8
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
caMPaign: The cam paign strat egy inclu ded cre ati ng news in the entertainment genre. The campaign had to reach two nodal target groups: media and masses. As a part o the campaign television celebrities met TV viewers in person, but all this happened with a tinge o drama. The celebrities were disguised and were taken to media houses and various public places.
november 2010
sHoWcase
FearLessness and daredeviLry CLIENT – PEPSICO INDIA BRAND – Mountain Dew
age on the mobility aspect and in turn reach out to maximum number o people. It had specially designed dare games like knie aiming wall, dark box, walking on the broken glass. To make the activation come alive, audience were challenged to come on the foat and show their daring attitude.
Marketing Objective: Connecting TG with the brand communication Darr Ke Aaage Jeet Hai and encourage youth to believe in themselves. Market ScenariO: Colas are leading the sot drink category but the favoured and ruit-based drinks are also gaining space in the market courtesy increasing awareness about health and well-being. PepsiCo which enjoys good market share aces sti competition rom the Coca Cola Company. Though there’s no direct competition rom Mountain Dew, Thums-Up is also positioned as a brand or the ‘adventurous.’ cOnSuMer inSight: Aerated drinks are part o liestyle or modern day consumers. Mountain Dew, with i ts extreme citrus taste is gaining prominence, especially among youth because o its positioning. the SOlutiOn: Ater extensive analysis, a concept was created or the youth. The challenge was taken to the audience via a mobile foat to lever-
reSult: The activ ity too k place in Mum bai and received extensive coverage in electronic and print media.
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
9
g u e s t
a r t i c L e
consumer conversations are game cHangers Ambika Sharma helps understand consumer-centric approach, a sure shot to the success of Brand Activations. ambika sharma, coo, Jagran solutions
M three things driving brand activation are measur ability, focus and innovation.
10
essaging is everywhere rom the time we wake up to the newspaper, to the time we shut eyes post switching o the T.V. Newspapers, magazines, mobiles, walls, bus shelters, elevators, roads, computers, movie screens, car radios, buses and trains are all hurling multiple messages at the consumer. Sure we listen but have we ever tried talking back? Experiential marketing is a conversation in the world o monologues. Amidst this clutter, all brands are vying or minimal spillover with maximum consumer infuence. While traditional mass media is integral arsenal to deliver the brand message, a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
today’s consumer is infuenced by demonstration o the claims. Thus or the core primary consumer o a brand, experiential marketing plays a vital role in reaching out and activating the brand at the right time with the most critical last mile that drives consumer recruitment: Experience. When both media complement each other, the enhanced return on investment is evident. Activation is not just about demonstrating a product, it also about the key actors in the purchase decision making process like positive word o mouth, brand experience vis-a-vis product experience and dialogue – talking to the consumer about what is relevant to him. While it varies rom industry to industry and brand to brand the trend is strongly evident, increasingly budgets are being planned towards driving consumer experiences. Three drivers o the increased presence o brand activation are Measurability, Focus and Innovation. Brand activation is an evolving genre which has caught steam in the past decade, however, it is now that we are beginning to utilise its ull potential. Solutions are increasingly channel neutral and marketers seldom utilise one media to make the consumer expe -
november 2010
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
11
g u e s t
a r t i c L e
y r a r b i l o t o h p : y s e t r u o C
experiential marketing is a conversa tion in the world of monologues. rience enriching. Brand activation has taken a holistic approach with potential to integrate mobile, on-line, social media, word o mouth and public relations within its oering as a consumer experience driven solution. With virtually unlimited options, when planning activation we are limited only by our thought. This has to a great extent led to a “was there; done that,” “what-is-new?” attitude, which in turn refects directly on to results o the best intended consumer experiences. In the current times breaking the clutter has become a salient eature in almost every brie. Herein, the understanding o consumer behaviour and how to use that to meet deliver objectives is what comes to the activation planner’s rescue. Consumers are literally talking about their lives and experiences on virtual platorms and
12
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
mobile phones. The usergenerated content is building stories or the brand that are more realistic now. Giving the brand activation planner bigger opportunities not just or reach but to build synergy and eciency in his plan. New dimensions o providing experience and generate word o mouth. Not just messaging but sharing, not just delivering content but enabling the consumers to create content or the brand. Consumer is king, and royalty is shrinking it’s no longer just everyone; it’s very specic subset o the socioeconomic category and age groups with lters o attitude, thought process, their social networks, their dreams and aspirations. These activations worked as they have kept consumer at their core and build on the consumer insight keeping a clear ocus on the return on investment. Marketers are increasingly relying on activations as they help in starting a conversation with the end consumer. Activations create long lasting awareness, providing an ideal platorm or an interaction with the brand leading to a rst hand experience o the brand value proposition in totality, including experience o the product. Lines are blurred now. The nomenclature o school contact programmes, road shows, college contact programmes etc. is ast becoming redundant, there is only one emerging truth which is that o the most eective solution against the specic objective. The uture is consumer-specic not location-specic. Locations are media, and in activations media is dynamic, resh and ever evolving. The attitudinal change in expecting more out o the brand activation canvas has long begun, is well on its way and would soon star t to snow ball. The need is to start looking beyond the obvious, bringing in a more realistic integration o creativity and technology to deliver an enhanced return on investments. n
november 2010
c o m m e n t
more tHan Just sPace seLLing... They no longer just sell advertising space but also activate brands and their attributes. Media entities have full-fledged activations arms now, are they a threat to the already existing event managers? By Ankit Bhatnagar
N
ot just selling advertising space, o its sheer eectiveness vis-a-vis cost. Our media companies are also acilitatBTL business registered a growth exceeding ing connect between advertisers 60 per cent in inancial year 2010 and we and their audience. Entities ranging rom expect that it would again register growth established names in print to radio to even o over 30 per cent, albeit on larger base,” on-line space now have well-etched Agarwal said. activation arms. Activations have gained importance in According to R.K. Agarwal, CFO, Jagran the marketing budgets or all B2C products Prakashan, “BTL is part o our larger plan o across categories. Speciic budgets are set becoming a true multi-media company. In aside or activation by almost all brands order to be successul yardstick o which is or added eectiveness in their marketing customer satisaction, you need to specialplans. With this trend activations will be an ise in whatever you do and this is why we increasingly powerul media or marketers have a dedicated specialised as well as media houses. In autonomous BTL arm.” for activations, act, during the downturn With the economic meltin 2008-09, it was activation besides down impacting advertising only which remained una authority in budgets, activations, many ected rather grew mainly say, scored brownie points as readership because o its sheer eecpockets and a cost-eective medium. “Durtiveness vis-a-vis cost. Our credibility, ing the downturn in 2008-09, BTL business registered a it was activation only which publishers growth exceeding 60 per remained unaected and boast of deepcent in inancial year 2010 rather grew mainly because rooted reach. and we expect that it would
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
13
c o m m e n t
Bird’s eye view A look at some o the major players, who have branched o in brand activations as well grOuP Dsos/vs
event tYPe b Sows
P
tv
rdo
O
OOh
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
netWOrk18 E18
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
reliance brOaDcaSt netWOrk Big Live
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
MiD DaY
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
MalaYala ManOraMa
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Db cOrP
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
abP
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
nDtv
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Star
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Zee
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
living MeDia
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Mtv Viacom Brand Solutions
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
bccl 360 Experience Times Red Cell (B2C) Times Grey Cell (B2B) Mirchi Activation º
ht MeDia Fever Entertainment HT Marketing Solutions
jagran Dainik Jagran I-Next Jagran Solutions
iPr
btl
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
in-hOuSe SuPPOrt
Sms Spos exos
Ys lno l
14
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
c o m m e n t
again register growth o over activations range from better placed. 30 per cent, albeit on larger large format shows, awards “Media compabase. We remain pretty opti- nights, sports meets to nies which have mistic and expect it to con- leadership seminars, thinkother alternatinue to grow proitably in tives to oer will tank conclaves, exhibitions times to come. be always better and csr initiatives like For traditional media entiplaced and in teach india campaign. ties like publishers having an that, those who activation arm translates into have print as conducting brand activawell will be still tion and venturing into experiential marketing better placed than those who have only radio or clients. That also means creating periodical or only TV,” Agarwal said. event properties, or which the media compaPrint has much larger base o the clients than nies have the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) a radio company. That set o clients would aland getting advertisers to sponsor them. The ways need various things including below the events category could be anything - large orline (BTL) activations, radio and so orth. A cusmat shows such as beauty pageants, awards tomer o a radio company may not need all night, sports meets, besides leadership semithose things. “Since print entities have larger nars, symposiums and think-tank conclaves, exbase than a radio company has, to that extent hibitions, and o course, CSR (corporate social they have more opportunities to get BTL busiresponsibility) activities. CSR initiatives can innesses as compared to radio companies or pure clude events like The Times o India’s Lead India BTL companies,” Agarwal said. and Teach India c ampaigns. While separate activation divisions loated As many eel, on the ace o it, publishers seem by media groups do compete with traditional to have an advantage over traditional event events or experiential marketing agencies, it management companies, with media on their is these agencies which provide the last link o side. Besides authority in readership pockets the activation chain or media irms which don’t and credibility, they boast o deep-rooted reach have a separate setup to manage events. In as well. those cases, the ideation is done by the media According to some social observers, pubcompany’s brand team and an events agency is lishers having activations arms are always be called to execute the s how. n
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
15
i n t e r v i e W
creating neW toucH Points When connecting with the consumer is paramount, every media entity scout for unconventional avenues. Traditional media players now have well-etched activation verticals. Do brand activations provide the best way forward? afaqs! explores
W
hy do established names in traditional media branch o in activations? aaqs! spoke to R K Agarwal, CFO, Jagran Prakashan to get the answers. Some excerpts:
tdo md pys sp ms o os? Yo omms o sy o o md y.
BTL is also a orm o media. It ulls a specic objective o the clients to reach their consumers and establish connect with them. BTL is part o JPL’s larger plan o becoming a true multi media company. In order to be successul yardstick o which is customer satisaction , you need to specialise in whatever you do and this is why we have a dedicated specialised autonomous BTL arm which has come to be recognised as one o the best in the country in a short span o time, r k agarwal, cfo, Jagran prakashan
this is an industry which does well when the chips are down.
16
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
i n t e r v i e W
thanks to their innovative skill and extraordinary eorts demonstrated in delivery. In addition to BTL, we have other new media divisions such as Mobile, On-line and OOH all o which have a national ootprint. Activation, out o home, digital are all various orms o media. The larger objective o becoming a multi-media company t in our plan very well. This enables us or rather gives us an edge over those who are pure print players, when reaching the client and oering them 360 degree solutions. This is the industry which does well when the chips are down. As we saw in 2008-09, the advertisers were under acute pressure and people reerred to activations and BTL activities.
i sss ms, ow do yo s os o-m? W f posps, ps d poos. Activations have gained in importance in the Brand/Marketing budgets or all B2C products across categories. Specic budgets are set aside or activation by almost all brands or added eectiveness in their marketing plans. With this trend, activations will be an increasingly powerul media or marketers as well as media houses. In act, during down turn as we witnessed in 2008-09, it was activation only which remained unaected rather grew mainly because o its sheer eectiveness vis-a-vis cost. Our BTL business registered a growth exceeding 60 per cent in nancial year 2010 and we expect that it would again register growth o over 30 per cent, albeit on a larger base. We remain pretty optimistic and expect it to continue to grow protably in times to come. Total BTL industry size is approximately 2,000
our btl business registered a growth exceeding 60 per cent in financial year 2010, it is expected to growth over 30 per cent again, albeit on a larger base.
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
the activation industry is seen registering a growth of over 20 per cent. crores; whereas activations contribute around 800 to 900 crores annually. The activation industry is seen registering a growth o over 20 per cent. In this industry, no single player has a turnover exceeding 150-160 crores except Wizcrat. Our turnover was 25 crore last year, this year we expect it to be 35 crores. In terms o turnover, we expect to be at No. 2 slot by next year. Last year we grew rom 15 to 25 crores, this year also we will be registering a growth o not less than 10 crores.
how mpo os md mx ody? Activations compliment mass media. They have carved their own niche in the media mix given its eectiveness in establishing so important direct communication with the consumers
a sdo o omps o o ms o do md pys? We will always be better placed. Media companies which have other alternatives to oer will be always better placed and in that, those who have print as well will be still better placed than those who have only radio. Print has much larger base o the clients than a radio company. That set o clients would always need various things including BTL, radio and so orth. A customer o a radio company may not need all those things. Since print entities have larger base than a radio company has, to that extent I have more opportunities to get BTL businesses as compared to radio companies or pure BTL companies. n
november 2010
17
P o i n t s
o F
v i e W
Have tv ProPerties started using activations innovativeLy noW? Most TV channels today take the route to activations for creating the buzz around their on-air properties. How many are doing them wisely and are they innovative at all? Some points of view:
Y
Kashmira Gandhi
Marketing Director, Nickelodeon
18
a f a q s !
es. While TV remains the most powerul medium to reach out to millions o viewers and create awareness, viewers want a personal touch when it comes to brand engagement. This is especially true in the case o kids or whom cartoon characters are larger-than-lie. They want to touch, eel and play with these characters which enables them to create a closer bond with their ‘toon’ riends. Kids are very tough to reach out to since they are not ardent consume rs o print an d radio. To engage them, Nickelodeon reaches out to them in malls, schools, super markets, parks, housing societies, etc. One o the main planks o Nickelodeon as a brand is to engage kids through innovative on-ground properties through which they can meet the Nicktoons and get a personalised experience with them e.g. “Dora The Explorer” does multi- city tours every year in large metros and engages her ans through story reading sessions and tea parties. “Let’s Just Play” is Nickelodeon’s annual initiative encouraging kids to play outdoors and Nickelodeon also hosts large Play Fests simultaneously in our-ive cities. The channel also engaged kids this summer with the “Horlicks Summer Carnival” where Nicktoons and thousands o kids participated across 4 cities. Dora participates in the Mumbai and Delhi marathon. Having launched a new product called ‘Squap’, Nickelodeon is now conducting Squap championships across various malls in metros. n
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
november 2010
19
P o i n t s
o F
v i e W
T
V properties have become the platorm or large scale activation in recent times and it is being used innovatively too, Godrej STAR ‘Khelo Jeeto Jiyo’ was one such example. In recent trends Advertiser Funded Programmes (AFPs) are being utilized as an eective tool to develop properties and integrate brand proposition, the most recent “VW Ultimate drive” challenge on MTV, is a good example. Though brand activation via TV properties are a bit more complex than the regular brand placement in existing properties we should expect some robust and very innovative content coming up when properties being developed or TV and the brand propositions are integrated. Since the properties are not restricted to only GECs, sports properties too are being eectively used, like we did see many new mobile brands during the IPL. The dierent properties on which they market the event on ground, mobile, blog as well as nicely integrated Facebook, Youtube and Twitter pages, is a very nice touch more consumer-centric, eective and exciting. n
aviK Prabhu
VP (Western Region) Showtime Events
T
he act that television programmes themselves are using activations is an innovation. In our country, typically, TV programmes have only ound promotions on-air or during other programmes or through a teaser article in a print publication. Are they using it innovatively? I don’t think so. Very ew brands in India actually invest the time, eort, thought and money to do activations innovatively. ‘Apollo Street Hawks’ on National Geographic can be one o the examples. Very ew TV properties in India allow the possibility o an activation to be used eectively. For a property to use activations eectively, the plot o the programme has to be open-ended. Something like the movie ‘Inception,’ where the open ended conclusion engages the user’s mind in the content o the show allowing you to then build on various other activities to actually involve that mind. Very ew Indian TV shows engage the viewers’ mind in that open-ended ormat. It’s sad. Reality TV shows like Big Boss works well though. I we were to say that TV shows also cover sports programming then, I think activations are very extensive. Look at the IPL or example. n
20
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
rahi shaiKh
Director, Box Ofce India
R
november 2010
g u e s t
a r t i c L e
roi and measurement: BuzzWords oF tHe Future Measuring effectiveness of activations has always been a point of debate, Atul Nath, MD, Candid Marketing gives a lowdown.
A till a few years back, very few clients evaluated the activities they were investing for, in roi terms.
LL o us compare beneit and cost o almost everything we do everyday. And not just in matters o money. Any kind o expense or investment is irst analyzed in terms o the value equation. The speciic analysis that is done may well be done in qualitative terms or quantitatively, that is oten the only dierence. Historically, Marketing communication has been an area in which the qualitative and subjective evaluation rules the roost. Even today, large parts o the established advertising industry is evaluated subjectively and at awards unctions and processes the creative is given considerably more importance than the return in business terms.
As the activation and events business has developed over the past decade and a hal, the qualitative and subjective evaluation process has been the primary path. Till a ew years back very ew clients (and even ewer agencies) elt the need to evaluate the activities that they were investing in, in Return On Investment (ROI) terms. To add to this the economy was booming and the question was not, how much you were spending but where you were spending? Most clients simply looked or agencies that would ‘eiciently’ get the job done rather than be concerned about the results o the job. This was never going to last, it was a myopic approach to the business and many ly-by-night opera-
Differentiate the Difference
We sell while you drive Out of Home Specialists (Outdoor Advertising), help you on highly specialised task of buying and placing Out-of-Home (O-O-H) Media. We function as an independent and unique buying entity satisfying all your media and production requirements in all over India and overseas
Punbus Panel Punbus aims to address the growing market of cities and platform for clients to communicate easily with cost effective level
UK s Nepal s Hongkong
Since 1986
Corporate Office : Kailash Plaza, 4th Floor, Opp. Yash Raj Studios, Fun Republic Lane, New Link Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai - 4 00 053, India. Tel : +91 - 22 - 26744844 s Fax : +91 - 22 - 26744846 s Mobile : +91 9619 854 144 s Email :
[email protected] Delhi Office Rajpur a f a q s ! r: 11, e p o r t e rRoad, R Civilines, n o v e m bDelhi e r 2 -0 110 1 0 054 Tel : +011 23986975 s Fax : +011 30721500 s Mobile : +91 9811103544 / +91 9868 562 694 Chandigarh : +91 9780 429 500 s Email :
[email protected]
21
g u e s t
a r t i c L e atul nath, md, candid marketing and evp, eema
while the time to develop a measurement tool for our industry is right, the path ahead is not entirely clear.
22
tors made money and have now led the industry. This has very quick ly turned upside down in the past year or so. This has hastened the need or justiying spends or all concerned. Most clients are now being orced to ask some very uncomortable questions to themselves and their age ncies. “What do I get or the money I spend on an event /activation?” Add to this, the act that the industry itsel has gone through a metamorphosis and as a result today the leading agencies are in a position to answer the question, something that may not have been possible a ew years back. The time is right to develop a measurement tool or our industry. While the time is right, the path ahead is not entirely clear. This is primarily because our industry is a highly competitive and ragmented one. Unless a strong centriugal orce is created, the natural tendency is a strong centripetal orce. And therein lies the problem. It is absolutely crucial that the industry stand together in the development o the tool so as to create a common platorm. A common platorm is even more important
a f a q s !
r e p o r t e r
R
in our industry because o the complexity o our industry. While we keep reerring to the Events/Experiential Marketing/Activation industry as one industry, the reality is that the industry is actually an amalgamation o our-ive mini-industries. Consequently, the process o developing a measurement tool becomes an even more complex business. Each particular business segment has very dierent drivers and thus measurement o outcomes needs to be approached dierently. The challenge is to go down to the core o the process to understand what makes it tick and then develop the tool around that core. The process is complex – but not impossible, ar rom it. At the end o the day, a process-based tool developed by the industry or itsel will take into account all the intricacies and complexities and prove the ecacy o events and activation to clients or investors. This process o developing such a tool has been taken by Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) – the national body or the Events and Activation industry in India. EEMA is developing a tool which will deliver ROI analysis and evaluation or clients to be able to measure results. It is inevitable that an objective tool or rating system will come into being will assess, measure and report the eicacy o events and activation to clients rom a neutral stand-point. The neutrality o the stand-point is a no-brainer. Several agencies in the industry have attempted developing and implementing proprietary tools but I think such a move is inherently lawed. Having an agency evaluate and measure its own projects is a bit like making students evaluate their own examination papers. And while we would all have loved to do that when we were in school, it was never going to be! The neutrality o the tool is the reason EEMA took it upon itsel to develop and eventually implement the ROI measurement process. Moving orward, a neutral rating system developed by the industry as a whole is crucial to the growth o the Events and Activation Industry to prove itsel as a viable and oten better marketing communication option to advertising. n
november 2010
