Micro Marketing for Macro Impact....!!!

If you were to look at Marketing a decade back, much emphasis was laid on ALT way of communication i.e. T.V. , Out door, Radio, Press etc. In the last decade we have witnessed a paradigm shift in the planning a 360 Integrated Brand Communication methodology. Today Marketers want to reach out to the consumers & be present in all the possible touch points to make their Brand Visible & heard in the minds of the consumer.

As the share of Modern trade is on a rise, Marketers are re-framing their approach. Today the science of Micro Marketing is on a rise to lure the consumers. Micro Marketing is the most cost effective way of getting your Brand across to your consumers. Though the cost per contact may be a bit on the higher side it ensures that it has a Strong Top of Mind recall to ensure there are off takes for your Brand. Most of the FMCG companies today make their Brand presence at various touch points. Companies have identified their top retail outlets and ensure their Brand presence across theses outlets, through window display units. In modern trade outlets entire aisle, end caps, shelf display are showcasing the Brands with their usp to differentiate themselves against their competitors. Companies have also adopted the sampling route which enables significant trials with the target audience. Automobile companies keep a display unit of new models launched where by the consumers have a look and feel of the new variant.

It is crucial to tickle the consumers sensorial and micro marketing is the perfect way to get it done. Marketing campaign today must have the micro marketing approach which will ensure the Brand campaign is a HIT..

CrowdSourcing the Rajnikant way!!!

Crowd sourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas,or content by soliciting contributions from large groups of people. This is specially done through online community rather than from own employees or business partners.

To simplify the concept let me give you some classic examples of crowd sourcing in the Indian context.

1. Frito lay launched a contest asking consumers to submit their suggestions for new flavor of potato chips to add to its portfolio. The brand then allowed web users to vote for their favorite from the numerous entries it received. The person behind the winning idea bagged a prize of Rs.50 lakh and 1% of future revenues

2.Vodafone Essar & O&M ran a contest for FB users to watch partially completed ad featuring animates 'Zoozoos' and suggest how it might end.

3. Finally not to forget Maggi which asked their users to reveal their real life stories related to Maggi,and promised to feature them on their packaging.

Now coming back to the title of the post. The post would remain incomplete without mentioning the 'BAAP' of crowd sourcing 'Rajnikant'. You might be wondering how the hell is Rajnikant related to crowd sourcing. Ever since Enthiran/Robot has been released there has been an incredible amount of Rajini jokes that have been going around. On the web, on social networking sites, on sms, everywhere the current trending topic is the latest Rajini joke. Rajini jokes are today the best conversation starters.

There is something very interesting about this whole Rajnikanth saga. Every single joke that is going around is complimentary towards Rajinikanth. They are funny, yes, they also eulogize him. It adds to the overall brand appeal of Rajinikanth. People take immense pride in sharing the latest Rajini jokes with each other. So every Rajini joke also adds to cool quotient of the narrator.

Possibly Rajnikanth today is a truly crowd sourced brand. Made by fans. To make more fans. If there was any way of quantifying then I am sure, Rajnikanth has more fans in 4 months, than any time ever before.

There is a lot that Rajini Saar in his inimitable style can teach all of us in marketing and communication. Here are 5 possible reasons.

One: Crowd sourcing works, and how. Crowd sourcing does not destroy brand value, it does not diminish the brand equity. If you truly let the crowd control your brand, and if the crowd loves your brand they will make sure that the story of the brand is told well

Two: Like it or not, crowd sourcing will happen. It cannot be controlled; it currently is on its way to become mainstream culture. We as owners of brand will be better off acting as catalysts and not as inhibitors.

Three: crowd sourcing can actually improve your brand in ways you cannot imagine. There is a variety of inputs that comes from crowd, and if you as brand owners are willing to accept, filter and broadcast what is right for the brand, it will make the brand better.

Four: Crowd sourcing can revitalize your brand and fill it with new vitality. What crowd sourcing has done for  brand Rajni can be done for any brand. It has made the brand Rajini one of the buzziest brand of our times. Agreed that the Rajini brand has enough in it to spark off the buzz, but then most brands do have enough in them to start a buzz.

Five: To make the entire crowd sourcing effort work, nurture the crowd. There would be times when the brand will not like what the crowd does. Jump in, have a dialogue and together fix the issue. Rajini brand managers could have killed the entire wave of jokes, or they could have curated them. Curating the crowd's opinion always works better

So if Rajini can, why cant we?

(Shake your head vigorously in front of the computer from left to right to see Rajni 'Saar' in action)

Consumer Kitty in your Brand Equity

If one had to ever measure the quantum of the term Brand Equity, it would more be inclined towards the intangible part of Consumer psyche. If someone plays an important role in making or breaking your Brand is Consumer. More than just using the Brands tangible features toady the Consumer seeks for Intangible benefits he seeks from the Brand. One of the most difficult task with Marketers today is acquiring consumers from the competitor. And if the competitors Brand falls on No. 1 or No. 2 slot the task is even worst. Consumers need a rocket solid reason to switch their Brand. 

Let me give you a real life e.g. One of the consumers who had called me and was complaining about unavailability of a Brand which I was taking care of, I was saved since my Brand was No.1 in India in Sweet Spreads category. This is what I will call a Loyal Consumer, one who not only buys your Brand, but makes it a part of his life. Consumers are taken for a ride by Private Label Brands for Modern Trade, these products are Dirt cheap & offer more value to the consumers by giving Buy one get one Free. Most important task with marketers today is to provide various intangible benefits which the consumers seek out for.   

In the end to conclude The Equity in a Brand which the consumer will some how find should be embedded in the Brand itself & should be visible to the consumer, as a Consumer, he not only buys a Brand but OWNS it...!!!

SEC classification of Bollywood Stars!!!

As a pact between us (me & my co blogger) we had principally decided that we would discuss about anything but Bollywood. We were quite clear from the beginning that the entire purpose of blogging was dissemination and sharing of knowledge pertaining to marketing & branding(that sounded so preachy!! never mind).The idea was to weave in the concept of marketing & branding in whatever damn thing we would discuss on this blog.


However having born in a country which thrives on cricket & Bollywood how could I be an exception? So strictly following the DNA of the blog,I thought of exposing our readers to the concept of SEC classification by citing real life or rather reel life examples from Bollywood. This might sound vague, but this very analogy challenges the existence of the age old marketing concept.


The SEC Classification (also called the Social Economic Classification) is a classification used by surveyors, market researchers,media and marketing companies in India to categorize consumer behavior. SEC is primarily determined by 2 factors:


1.Educational level of the Chief Wage Earner of the household
2. Occupational level of the Chief Wage Earner of the household


For a better understanding you may refer to the latest SEC grid used by the marketers as shown below.

Latest SEC Grid from one of the leading management consultants

  Based on the above grid the country's population is divided into 3 classes:

1.Upper most segment of the consuming class -A1,A2 &B1
2.Middle segment-B2 & C(concentrate on this segment since the climax is related to this segment)
3.The lower most segment-D, E1 & E2

Enough of Gyaan I guess. Cut to Bollywood. Now this is where I have my doubts. If the above information holds true for a population of 1,210,193,422  then our Bollywood stars should be no exception right? Look at some interesting facts below:

Saif Ali Khan - Educated at Winchester College, an independent boys school in England.

Aamir Khan - Bachelor's Degree in B'Comm from NM College, Mumbai

Hrithik Roshan – Bachelor's Degree in B'Comm from Syndeham College, Mumbai

John Abraham - MMS from Mumbai Educational Trust (MET)

Aishwarya Rai – 12th from Ruparel College, Mumbai (She was studying architecture at the Rachana Institute when the Miss World contest happened)

Preity Zinta – Graduate in criminal psychology

Bipasha Basu – A Commerce Graduate, she was planning to study for CA when she became the Ford Supermodel of the World

Kareena Kapoor - Did a course in Information Technology and Microcomputers from Harvard. Studied law for a year but left to focus on her acting career.

Priyanka Chopra – Completed 12th from Army Public High School (Bareilly). Began her graduation course from Jai Hind College in Mumbai but left after winning Miss World. So based on the above SEC grid Priyanka Chopra & Aishwarya Rai would fall under SEC B2 (this is taking into account their education qualification as HSC and considering Bollywood celebrity as self employed professionals). Now practically speaking everybody knows that the SEC of a person is directly proportional to the income he or she earns. These Bollywood beauties charge an average of Rs.3.5 crore per endorsement(Source: Percept Talent Management) & an equal amount for featuring in one movie.  Even if we decide to overlook the money they make from public appearances which range  from performing at a politician's daughter's wedding to being judge of a reality show,they still wouldn't qualify as SEC B2. I wonder which SEC grid are the marketers of brands like Gucci, Fendi & Prada using to classify their TG?.However I am sure they would figure that out coz,bloody we are marketing guys yaar!!

The Sphere of Marketing

Serving in the Marketing function & having a descent understanding of the term, “Marketing” from Gurus all over the world, it still surprises when the term marketing is used by surrounding people in their day to day life so very often. Working in the FMCG industry for a last couple of years, it just made me realize how the 4P’s of Marketing have been evolved over last few decades. Going beyond the science & dna of Marketing what surprises me is the use of word Marketing in the day to day life by people surrounding you. More than a mere definition the value, perception and whole angle of understanding Marketing has changed amongst the general audience.

Let me share a few insights on the perception of the term MARKETING:

So here it goes........

I have put Marketing into various clutters as per the understanding of common man in his daily life, so the realm of Marketing will no more be the same to Professional in Marketing. It starts with the rising sun and ends with the moon setting on the horizon.

Everything is Marketing: it starts with the house maid getting groceries from local kirana store, “The store owner is doing so much Marketing that it is becoming difficult to get daily needs at a good price”. The reference made here was the renovation done at the store which was directly / indirectly related to hike in prices.

Local daily transport: Getting an auto rickshaw which going to office is become like winning a lottery these day, at least in the western suburbs of Mumbai. In a casual conversation with one of the auto rickshaw drivers I was told that morning Marketing activities by local fishermen made the transportation unavailable. What was meant that the fishermen use to transport their daily stock which resulted in unavailability of transportation.

Buying of house hold requirement: What is outside stems from inside. Typically any purchase related activities meant for house hold activities is coined under Marketing. So it can be anything as simple as buying 1kg pack of sugar for that matter!!!!.... I am sure this angular shift will take best of Purchase managers for a toss.

So I fail to understand and anticipate the structural change Marketing has gone through & the time has come when the Global Marketing Guru’s need to revise the definition of Marketing beyond 4p’s.

Marketing Professionals the least sought after life partners!!!

 Me and my co-blogger had been contemplating for past one week on what should be the topic for our first write up. Being overtly creative we both could not arrive at a consensus on the topic to be chosen. Until i came across a article in one the leading dailies(read TOI).

Apparently there was a survey done by one the leading matrimonial search engine(till this point I only knew of the BIG THREE search engines. Thanks TOI for educating me) . The sample size was 5000 respondents and the methodology adopted was Quantitative research (this is 4 d uninformed who are unaware that survey forms a part of the quantitative methodology). Some interesting facts from the survey are as under:

1.50% women chose finance professionals over software professionals as their preferred life partners

2.  80% of the women are willing to work after marriage

3.50% of them might call it quits after having a child (not sure if this 50% is from the above 80% or is it independent of the above)

4. Nearly 70% of the women expected their spouses to earn between `50,000 and 1 lakh per month

5.  Almost 20% wanted to marry a man earning more than `1 lakh per month(again not sure if this 20% is from the above 70% or independent) 

6. And this one was the final nail in the coffin ' Marketing Professionals were the least sought after life partners'

Even though the sample size was small I was quite convinced that its is quite representative in nature since the findings are bang on. My mom on reading this article immediately started shouting ' Finance pannu da entna dara sonnen'(which meant I urged you take finance as your major, in my mother tongue)

But I still believe otherwise coz, Bloody we are marketing guys yaar.