Lakme steers clear of old marketing strategy
By
Lalitha Srinivasan
Deviating from the traditional mode of advertising, Lakme Lever, part of the Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has opted for a different strategy to market its new launch ‘Lakme Pure Defense’. The company has deployed a bevy of beauty advisors at 1200 Lakme retail outlets across the country to promote its new launch-dumping mass media ad campaigns. On the other hand, HUL’s arch rival Procter & Gamble India (P&G) has kicked off an aggressive consumer activation programme to popularise its skin care brand ‘Olay’ in Mumbai. Clearly, the accent seems to be on ‘direct consumer contact’ in the Rs 2,200 crore Indian skin care market.
On Lakme’s new initiative, Anil Chopra, vice-president, HPC Hindustan Unilever Ltd said “Our strategy is not to use mass media advertising to promote Lakme Pure Defense-the first of its kind across the globe. Instead, we have opted for the ‘education’ route to create awareness for our new product.” With the help of Unilever skincare technology, the company has developed ‘Lakme Pure Defense’ in India, informed Chopra.
According to industry analysts, Indian skin care majors are increasingly opting for direct marketing concept to create awareness for their products.” Recognising the growing significance of targeted marketing, HUL and P&G are now using this method to woo consumers at malls, retail outlets and departmental stores,” explained an analyst based in Mumbai. With increasing competition, the sector is expected to register a healthy growth this year. To support its new launch, Lakme is also introducing ‘Pure Defense-Anti Pollution facials’ at Lakme Beauty Salons across the country.” We are planning to extend the number of Lakme Beauty Salons from 105 to 150 in 2008. Currently, we have beauty salons in 35 cities in India,” said Chopra.
Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble is in the process of rolling out an aggressive marketing campaign titled `Total Proof. Total Challenge’ led by cine actor Tisca Chopra. “With this initiative, we have invited women to swap their moisturizers with for a brand new bottle of ‘Olay Total Effects’, explained a spokesperson from P&G India.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Nissan axes Dentsu as Hakuhodo gains
by
David Kilburn
In a surprising and unusual move, Nissan Motor Co has sacked Dentsu, one of its main agencies in Japan for over 40 years.
Nissan said that it was moving about US$76.5 million in billings out of Japan's largest agency to rival Hakuhodo in a formal letter to Dentsu dated February 10th 1992. The letter, from Shuzo Nogami, general manager of Nissan's advertising department, went to the account director at Dentsu, Jumpei Watanabe.
The letter reads: " The severe structural problems the automobile industry is now facing have affected our company more than was anticipated. In view of the critical situation we will have to continue to reduce our budget for advertising and make the most effective use possible of our advertising expenditures. Taking all things into consideration, we have decided to use the agency services of Hakuhodo. "
The decision which is expected to take effect from April 1st, the start on Nissan's new fsical year, was one outcome of a review carried out over recent weeks [months ???] by Nissan executives.
" We have been using four agencies. Dentsu, Hakuhodo, Nippo, and Standard," said a spokesman from Nissan's Corporate Communications Dept. " Dentsu, Nissan, and Standard have each had about 30% of our budget, with the remaining 10% going to Standard. In our last fiscal year, [ending March 1992], our advertising budget was Y 32 Billion for Japan."
" We evaluated the agencies in terms of their overall performance, but I must say that the cost savings agencies can provide are a very interesting and important factor to us since we want to save money. But we also want to make sure our money is spent as efficiently and as productively as possible. In saving money, we don't want to lose out on quality."
Executives at Hakuhodo said they were aware of the review, but not of any final decisions.
"We've been told nothing officially, but we are keeping our fingers crossed," said a spokesman.
Likewise Standard Advertising said they had not been told officially of any decision. Sources at Standard said they expected to continue as a Nissan agency but would not be booking media. Sources said Standard expected to work alongise Nippo Agency on unspecified projects.
Nippo Executives declined to comment. Nissan owns 40% of the agency, is the largest shareholder, and contributes about 3O% of the agency's billings.
An article published Monday (10/2/92) in the weekly trade magazine Kigyo to Kohoku speculated that there were a number of reasons for change.
One was Nissan's realisation that it would be easier to plot strategies for, and position their cars in the market by working with one agency. This would allow the agency to have an overall view of the business and eliminate competition between separate agencies as a factor in planning each campaign for each model. This, the magazine said, would lead to better strategic thinking and more efficient planning in Nissan's opinion. Both objectives were hard for Nissan to achieve when their different models were split over a number of highly competitive agencies.
Another factor suggested was that Dentsu is seen as being very close to Toyota, who spend about Y 31 Billion through Dentsu, out of a total budget of Y 45 Billion. The magazine also suggstes that Nissan preferred working with Hakuhodo's account executive structure which is seen as a little closer to that of international agencies than Dentsu's.
According to the magazine, Dentsu will lose about Y 12 Billion to Hakuhodo. Industry sources suggest that Hakuhodo's total Nissan billings could eventually go up from an estimated Y 10 Billion currently to around Y 30 Billion, depending how how much further business is consolidated with them, and the extent of any budget cuts.
One factor that apparently did not play a role was account conflict. Like Dentsu, Hakuhodo also works for several auto clients, including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Daihatsu, and Suzuki, as well as for Nissan.
In the view of some agency executives, Nissan's dramatic move signals a change that is taking place in the way Japanese advertisers perceive the role of agencies and how they want to work with them.
".... they are being motivated by various factors, but primarily the ned to bring one agency closer to the corporation, and grasp the complete picture, to be a more substantive partner and take part in the planning and strategic aspects of a company's communications, " commented Mr. Denis Richmond, president of DDB Needham Japan Inc.
" Many Japanese auto executives have experienced the fuller and deeper professional relationship that exists with agencies in overseas markets and see value in seeking similar arrangements in Japan. Automotive advertising needs a major shake-up in Japan where it is possibly one of the least creative categories of advertising. The changes taking place are evolutionary and represent a more mature approach being adopted by automative advertisers. Japanese agencies will ned to become more strategic. This will test their ability to operate as multinational agencies do."
While Nissan's move is not the first time a major Japanese advertiser has moved budgets, it is unusual in that the company has chosen to severe ties, a practise often said to run counter to Japanese culture. It is unusual too in that the changes have not been conducted in the total secrecy that usually wraps even minor re-alignments.
As courteous as always, Dentsu promptly replied to Nissan, and wished them well.
" While we have some regrets, we of course respect your decision. We wish to express our deepest appreciation for the long business relationship we have enjoyed, and we extend our best wishes for your company's continued success," read their reply.
"It's not the first time we have lost an account," said a Dentsu spokesman. "We will recover from this."
In a subsequent interview, Nogami explained Nissan's decision:
Here is an interview with Mr. Shuzo Nogami, General Manager, Advertising Dept, Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Tokyo.
Q. Please explain the realignment of your agencies, and the reasons for it.
A. There are two major reasons. One is the pursuit of greater efficiencies in advertising. The second point is concerned with our products.
If we are to stay with four agencies as we have had hitherto, it is rather difficult for us to have agencies participate from the development stage where we would like to utilize their knowhow. That is why we have narrowed down our agencies.
Q So you plan to get closely involved with your agencies in all stages of developing marketing, advertising, strategy ?
A Exactly so. Nissan is a car maker, so it is Nissan who determines the product objectives and the model line ups. We don't expect agencies to get involved in this, but once the structure of our product line up, and development objectives of each model, are determined, then we need the agency know how and expertise. This includes making use of all the lifestyle information they have, and bringing added values to what we are doing as a result of this knowledge.
In this sense, we are not looking on advertising agencies merely as agencies, but as our business partner.
Q That's the first time I've heard an agency described as partner !
A Agencies work for many different clients in many different industries, therefore they have a great wealth of knowledge about the consumer and about lifestyles as a result of this work. We Nissan are pursuing a market oriented product development strategy. It is important for us to have an outside party verify whether or not we are really succeeding in being more market oriented, and sensitive to the consumer.
Q What factors led you to choose Hakuhodo ?
A We've been using four agencies - Nippo, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, and Standard.
Nippo is our house agency, so they cannot really fulfil the role of giving an outside, independant point of view.
Hakuhodo is a very aggressive agency. When we put forward our proposals to our agencies, usually the response is 'Yes, We understand, We agree, We'll be happy to do what you say." But Hakuhodo aren't like that. They say "Why don't you look at the problem this way ...." or "Have you ever thought of ...." They make critical comments about our ideas and come back with their own counter proposals.
Naturally, we expect commitment and advice from advertising agencies. With Hakuhodo this was done in great earnest and from a critical point of view. We think very highly of this.
Q So you felt Hakuhodo had been making a bigger and better contribution to your advertising over recent years?
A I certainly gained this impression and my colleagues shared the same view. Various corporate officers concerned with sales and marketing reached the same conclusion. No-one was opposed to the idea of going with Hakuhodo when the idea was put forward.
Q Will you still use Nippo and Standard at all ?
A Yes. Both will have subsidiary roles alongside Hakuhodo. They will have a part to play. Although Standard Advertising is a small company, we think they are outstanding in terms of both marketing and creativity. We work with Standard both domestically and internationally through Nippo, and we think highly of their work.
Q Why did you decide to totally severe your links with Dentsu ? Japanese culture is often said to stress long term - permanent relationships.
A We work in a cultural environment that attaches importance to harmony. We used to spend our budget based on this concept, using multiple advertising agencies. But the business climate is becoming very severe. Customers tastes and preferences have been diversifying, and they also look at companies, their products, their activities from a much more critical point of view than before. It's important that we evolve, and develop our products and activities accordingly. It is no longer possible to deal with multiple agencies as we once did. But it is important to us that the agencies understand this new philosophy and accept it as necessary in the prevailing business environment.
Q Hakuhodo works for several other car companies. Would you prefer an exclusive relationship with them ?
A Emphatically No. An agency like Hakuhodo has many divisions and each division corresponds to an independant advertising agency in the USA. The division that handles Nissan at Hakuhodo has no contact with the one working for Toyota, for example. For Hakuhodo to develop their relationship with Nissan, it is not necessary for them to relinquish their relationships with other, competing, car makers. Having competing accounts in an agency serves to keep their ideas fresh. It keeps an agency on its toes.
The corporate culture of Hakuhodo is a very aggressive one. We hope very much that this will ensure they don't lose any accounts from our competitors.
Q So you feel for Hakuhodo to handle competing accounts leads to a high level of service, and helps innovation.
A That's right.
Q It's unusual for agency changes by major advertisers in Japan to take place so publicly. Normally secrecy prevails. Could you comment on this ?
A We started this project last summer [1991] and we kept it secret till the end of January when some news came out.
Q When do the changes take effect ?
A April 1st.
Q. Do you think we are entering a period of structural changes in the advertising industry in Japan ?
A I think advertising agencies now recognise that changes such as this really can happen. From my contacts with people outside the auto industry, I know that my counterparts in many other companies share our ideas. I think our decision will prove a case study for them.
Q Has the overseas experience of Nissan executives been a factor in reaching your decision.
A It has been a trigger, but I think its questionable whether European or American business practises can be introduced and adopted in a Japanese business climate.
Q How has your budget been changing ?
A We're planning FY 93 Budget now, I imagine there'll be a 5-10% reduction on the current fiscal. This year our budget is about 7% down on the previous year.
Originally published in Advertising Age, February 17th 1992
by
David Kilburn
In a surprising and unusual move, Nissan Motor Co has sacked Dentsu, one of its main agencies in Japan for over 40 years.
Nissan said that it was moving about US$76.5 million in billings out of Japan's largest agency to rival Hakuhodo in a formal letter to Dentsu dated February 10th 1992. The letter, from Shuzo Nogami, general manager of Nissan's advertising department, went to the account director at Dentsu, Jumpei Watanabe.
The letter reads: " The severe structural problems the automobile industry is now facing have affected our company more than was anticipated. In view of the critical situation we will have to continue to reduce our budget for advertising and make the most effective use possible of our advertising expenditures. Taking all things into consideration, we have decided to use the agency services of Hakuhodo. "
The decision which is expected to take effect from April 1st, the start on Nissan's new fsical year, was one outcome of a review carried out over recent weeks [months ???] by Nissan executives.
" We have been using four agencies. Dentsu, Hakuhodo, Nippo, and Standard," said a spokesman from Nissan's Corporate Communications Dept. " Dentsu, Nissan, and Standard have each had about 30% of our budget, with the remaining 10% going to Standard. In our last fiscal year, [ending March 1992], our advertising budget was Y 32 Billion for Japan."
" We evaluated the agencies in terms of their overall performance, but I must say that the cost savings agencies can provide are a very interesting and important factor to us since we want to save money. But we also want to make sure our money is spent as efficiently and as productively as possible. In saving money, we don't want to lose out on quality."
Executives at Hakuhodo said they were aware of the review, but not of any final decisions.
"We've been told nothing officially, but we are keeping our fingers crossed," said a spokesman.
Likewise Standard Advertising said they had not been told officially of any decision. Sources at Standard said they expected to continue as a Nissan agency but would not be booking media. Sources said Standard expected to work alongise Nippo Agency on unspecified projects.
Nippo Executives declined to comment. Nissan owns 40% of the agency, is the largest shareholder, and contributes about 3O% of the agency's billings.
An article published Monday (10/2/92) in the weekly trade magazine Kigyo to Kohoku speculated that there were a number of reasons for change.
One was Nissan's realisation that it would be easier to plot strategies for, and position their cars in the market by working with one agency. This would allow the agency to have an overall view of the business and eliminate competition between separate agencies as a factor in planning each campaign for each model. This, the magazine said, would lead to better strategic thinking and more efficient planning in Nissan's opinion. Both objectives were hard for Nissan to achieve when their different models were split over a number of highly competitive agencies.
Another factor suggested was that Dentsu is seen as being very close to Toyota, who spend about Y 31 Billion through Dentsu, out of a total budget of Y 45 Billion. The magazine also suggstes that Nissan preferred working with Hakuhodo's account executive structure which is seen as a little closer to that of international agencies than Dentsu's.
According to the magazine, Dentsu will lose about Y 12 Billion to Hakuhodo. Industry sources suggest that Hakuhodo's total Nissan billings could eventually go up from an estimated Y 10 Billion currently to around Y 30 Billion, depending how how much further business is consolidated with them, and the extent of any budget cuts.
One factor that apparently did not play a role was account conflict. Like Dentsu, Hakuhodo also works for several auto clients, including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Daihatsu, and Suzuki, as well as for Nissan.
In the view of some agency executives, Nissan's dramatic move signals a change that is taking place in the way Japanese advertisers perceive the role of agencies and how they want to work with them.
".... they are being motivated by various factors, but primarily the ned to bring one agency closer to the corporation, and grasp the complete picture, to be a more substantive partner and take part in the planning and strategic aspects of a company's communications, " commented Mr. Denis Richmond, president of DDB Needham Japan Inc.
" Many Japanese auto executives have experienced the fuller and deeper professional relationship that exists with agencies in overseas markets and see value in seeking similar arrangements in Japan. Automotive advertising needs a major shake-up in Japan where it is possibly one of the least creative categories of advertising. The changes taking place are evolutionary and represent a more mature approach being adopted by automative advertisers. Japanese agencies will ned to become more strategic. This will test their ability to operate as multinational agencies do."
While Nissan's move is not the first time a major Japanese advertiser has moved budgets, it is unusual in that the company has chosen to severe ties, a practise often said to run counter to Japanese culture. It is unusual too in that the changes have not been conducted in the total secrecy that usually wraps even minor re-alignments.
As courteous as always, Dentsu promptly replied to Nissan, and wished them well.
" While we have some regrets, we of course respect your decision. We wish to express our deepest appreciation for the long business relationship we have enjoyed, and we extend our best wishes for your company's continued success," read their reply.
"It's not the first time we have lost an account," said a Dentsu spokesman. "We will recover from this."
In a subsequent interview, Nogami explained Nissan's decision:
Here is an interview with Mr. Shuzo Nogami, General Manager, Advertising Dept, Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Tokyo.
Q. Please explain the realignment of your agencies, and the reasons for it.
A. There are two major reasons. One is the pursuit of greater efficiencies in advertising. The second point is concerned with our products.
If we are to stay with four agencies as we have had hitherto, it is rather difficult for us to have agencies participate from the development stage where we would like to utilize their knowhow. That is why we have narrowed down our agencies.
Q So you plan to get closely involved with your agencies in all stages of developing marketing, advertising, strategy ?
A Exactly so. Nissan is a car maker, so it is Nissan who determines the product objectives and the model line ups. We don't expect agencies to get involved in this, but once the structure of our product line up, and development objectives of each model, are determined, then we need the agency know how and expertise. This includes making use of all the lifestyle information they have, and bringing added values to what we are doing as a result of this knowledge.
In this sense, we are not looking on advertising agencies merely as agencies, but as our business partner.
Q That's the first time I've heard an agency described as partner !
A Agencies work for many different clients in many different industries, therefore they have a great wealth of knowledge about the consumer and about lifestyles as a result of this work. We Nissan are pursuing a market oriented product development strategy. It is important for us to have an outside party verify whether or not we are really succeeding in being more market oriented, and sensitive to the consumer.
Q What factors led you to choose Hakuhodo ?
A We've been using four agencies - Nippo, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, and Standard.
Nippo is our house agency, so they cannot really fulfil the role of giving an outside, independant point of view.
Hakuhodo is a very aggressive agency. When we put forward our proposals to our agencies, usually the response is 'Yes, We understand, We agree, We'll be happy to do what you say." But Hakuhodo aren't like that. They say "Why don't you look at the problem this way ...." or "Have you ever thought of ...." They make critical comments about our ideas and come back with their own counter proposals.
Naturally, we expect commitment and advice from advertising agencies. With Hakuhodo this was done in great earnest and from a critical point of view. We think very highly of this.
Q So you felt Hakuhodo had been making a bigger and better contribution to your advertising over recent years?
A I certainly gained this impression and my colleagues shared the same view. Various corporate officers concerned with sales and marketing reached the same conclusion. No-one was opposed to the idea of going with Hakuhodo when the idea was put forward.
Q Will you still use Nippo and Standard at all ?
A Yes. Both will have subsidiary roles alongside Hakuhodo. They will have a part to play. Although Standard Advertising is a small company, we think they are outstanding in terms of both marketing and creativity. We work with Standard both domestically and internationally through Nippo, and we think highly of their work.
Q Why did you decide to totally severe your links with Dentsu ? Japanese culture is often said to stress long term - permanent relationships.
A We work in a cultural environment that attaches importance to harmony. We used to spend our budget based on this concept, using multiple advertising agencies. But the business climate is becoming very severe. Customers tastes and preferences have been diversifying, and they also look at companies, their products, their activities from a much more critical point of view than before. It's important that we evolve, and develop our products and activities accordingly. It is no longer possible to deal with multiple agencies as we once did. But it is important to us that the agencies understand this new philosophy and accept it as necessary in the prevailing business environment.
Q Hakuhodo works for several other car companies. Would you prefer an exclusive relationship with them ?
A Emphatically No. An agency like Hakuhodo has many divisions and each division corresponds to an independant advertising agency in the USA. The division that handles Nissan at Hakuhodo has no contact with the one working for Toyota, for example. For Hakuhodo to develop their relationship with Nissan, it is not necessary for them to relinquish their relationships with other, competing, car makers. Having competing accounts in an agency serves to keep their ideas fresh. It keeps an agency on its toes.
The corporate culture of Hakuhodo is a very aggressive one. We hope very much that this will ensure they don't lose any accounts from our competitors.
Q So you feel for Hakuhodo to handle competing accounts leads to a high level of service, and helps innovation.
A That's right.
Q It's unusual for agency changes by major advertisers in Japan to take place so publicly. Normally secrecy prevails. Could you comment on this ?
A We started this project last summer [1991] and we kept it secret till the end of January when some news came out.
Q When do the changes take effect ?
A April 1st.
Q. Do you think we are entering a period of structural changes in the advertising industry in Japan ?
A I think advertising agencies now recognise that changes such as this really can happen. From my contacts with people outside the auto industry, I know that my counterparts in many other companies share our ideas. I think our decision will prove a case study for them.
Q Has the overseas experience of Nissan executives been a factor in reaching your decision.
A It has been a trigger, but I think its questionable whether European or American business practises can be introduced and adopted in a Japanese business climate.
Q How has your budget been changing ?
A We're planning FY 93 Budget now, I imagine there'll be a 5-10% reduction on the current fiscal. This year our budget is about 7% down on the previous year.
Originally published in Advertising Age, February 17th 1992
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tata Indicom harnesses the power of Second Life
It's safe to say Second Life is uncharted territory for brands in India but Tata Indicom has decided to take the plunge by launching a presence on the virtual real time 3D site. The telecom brand has announced the extension of their brand campaign 'Suno Dil Ki Awaz' on Second Life and will be kicking off the marketing effort with a talent hunt that will look at identifying amateur artists, musicians and photographers. The initiative was kickstarted by Irfan and Yousaf Pathan who are Tata Indicom's brand ambassadors and will interact with users on Second Life in their online avatars.
The main target of this marketing effort, according to Abdul Khan, VP, (Marketing), Tata Teleservices Limited are young, influential opinion leaders online, in an attempt to create a youthful buzz around the brand. The company is largely looking at word of mouth marketing to build up their Second Life foray.
"Word of mouth happens to be the largest influencer in purchasing telecom services, it's much more effective than expensive commercial airtime. Harnessing word of mouth is the most sensible thing any marketer can do," says Khan.
Tracing the root of the idea, he adds, "The idea to experiment with Second Life really came from looking at our target audience of young emerging India. It was an attempt to look at spaces which are cool, where we will be able to reach opinion leaders in the digital space."
Khan says that the most important component of this online foray will be in sustaining the virtual space that they have built on Second Life. For all the noise about top brands like Coca Cola, IBM, GE and Nokia enjoying a strong presence on Second Life, there are more than enough brands that have experimented with Second Life and failed. Khan says the critical factor will be to have a focused road map on the brand's Second Life presence. "Many brands in the past failed because they did not have a ready road map on sustaining their initial marketing effort. There has to be a constant buzz around the brand's Second Life space that should make young people want to actively participate online," he adds.
Users do not have to register separately on Second Life to enter this space, they will be directed there from the brand's website, www.tataindicom.com/sl.
The brand's Second Life presence has been made possible by their partnership with Indusgeeks, a virtual world development and services company that has created the online space for Tata Indicom. Siddharth Banerjee, founder and CEO, Indusgeeks Solutions says there are specific situations where using Second Life makes sense for brands. He believes promotional events and brand launches are an ideal stage for brands to get involved as it allows users to log in from anywhere in the world and meet in a common virtual world. Including Second Life in a brand's marketing strategy is useful for creating a buzz around the brand. "It's the only medium which allows complete immersion and interactivity with the brand and opens up the brand experience in all sorts of ways," adds Banerjee.
The foray into Second Life though begs the question of when traditional agencies will begin immersing themselves into online spaces such as these and be able to conceptualise, execute and develop such ideas for brands. After all, technology aside, they are the ideas people. Is that a domain that Khan expects will be largely untouched in a scenario where TV and print continue to rule communication budgets? Khan says that most brands at the moment depend on pure play digital agencies to address their digital strategy, traditional agencies will take their time to come around. "They are still navigating their way through the complexity of traditional media, it will take time before agencies will harness their digital capabilities."
By Bindu Nair Maitra, 21 January, 2009 in Campaign India.
It's safe to say Second Life is uncharted territory for brands in India but Tata Indicom has decided to take the plunge by launching a presence on the virtual real time 3D site. The telecom brand has announced the extension of their brand campaign 'Suno Dil Ki Awaz' on Second Life and will be kicking off the marketing effort with a talent hunt that will look at identifying amateur artists, musicians and photographers. The initiative was kickstarted by Irfan and Yousaf Pathan who are Tata Indicom's brand ambassadors and will interact with users on Second Life in their online avatars.
The main target of this marketing effort, according to Abdul Khan, VP, (Marketing), Tata Teleservices Limited are young, influential opinion leaders online, in an attempt to create a youthful buzz around the brand. The company is largely looking at word of mouth marketing to build up their Second Life foray.
"Word of mouth happens to be the largest influencer in purchasing telecom services, it's much more effective than expensive commercial airtime. Harnessing word of mouth is the most sensible thing any marketer can do," says Khan.
Tracing the root of the idea, he adds, "The idea to experiment with Second Life really came from looking at our target audience of young emerging India. It was an attempt to look at spaces which are cool, where we will be able to reach opinion leaders in the digital space."
Khan says that the most important component of this online foray will be in sustaining the virtual space that they have built on Second Life. For all the noise about top brands like Coca Cola, IBM, GE and Nokia enjoying a strong presence on Second Life, there are more than enough brands that have experimented with Second Life and failed. Khan says the critical factor will be to have a focused road map on the brand's Second Life presence. "Many brands in the past failed because they did not have a ready road map on sustaining their initial marketing effort. There has to be a constant buzz around the brand's Second Life space that should make young people want to actively participate online," he adds.
Users do not have to register separately on Second Life to enter this space, they will be directed there from the brand's website, www.tataindicom.com/sl.
The brand's Second Life presence has been made possible by their partnership with Indusgeeks, a virtual world development and services company that has created the online space for Tata Indicom. Siddharth Banerjee, founder and CEO, Indusgeeks Solutions says there are specific situations where using Second Life makes sense for brands. He believes promotional events and brand launches are an ideal stage for brands to get involved as it allows users to log in from anywhere in the world and meet in a common virtual world. Including Second Life in a brand's marketing strategy is useful for creating a buzz around the brand. "It's the only medium which allows complete immersion and interactivity with the brand and opens up the brand experience in all sorts of ways," adds Banerjee.
The foray into Second Life though begs the question of when traditional agencies will begin immersing themselves into online spaces such as these and be able to conceptualise, execute and develop such ideas for brands. After all, technology aside, they are the ideas people. Is that a domain that Khan expects will be largely untouched in a scenario where TV and print continue to rule communication budgets? Khan says that most brands at the moment depend on pure play digital agencies to address their digital strategy, traditional agencies will take their time to come around. "They are still navigating their way through the complexity of traditional media, it will take time before agencies will harness their digital capabilities."
By Bindu Nair Maitra, 21 January, 2009 in Campaign India.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The legend of Raymond’s Complete Man
by
Nita
This campaign is the starting point for any other advertising strategy. But is Raymond’s Complete Man, a man who is the epitome of loving, caring, and also style, in danger of being left behind?
Creating waves Some saw it as an emasculation of the Great Indian Role Model. Others raised toasts to him. Finally, they cheered, some ‘real flesh and blood’ they said – emotions, a sense of humor and sensitivity rather than just brawn. Even a touch of vulnerability. The dream guy with no shining armour. A man for the liberated Indian woman. Someone who doesn’t see himself with Rambo’s body and a James Bond style.
The Complete Man. From Raymond.Sneering competition had to eat their words
Rivals in the early 90’s sniggered quietly at this pseudo-liberal western import. More than a decade later, this campaign is still going strong and a lot of suitings advertising is still life-style driven. If there is a problem, it’s that the Complete Man is too powerful, not in terms of testosterone, but in the way it dominates the consumer mindspace.
The sniggers of the competition turned to wonder, and then worship. He-men were dumped and clones of the Complete Man appeared everywhere…but they didn’t work. Only the original did. After all, pretenders are better at tickling people, not selling them suit lengths.
How did it all start?
The Raymond’s campaign is still the most influential. But how did it start? ‘We wanted a real man, a 3-D flesh and blood figure, the kind of man who is our target audience,’ says Rajiv Agarwal, CEO, Enterprise Nexus. It was research that indicated that men did not really aspire to be muscle-rippling superstuds.
Accordingly, the Raymond’s man was developed – as someone more believable and fleshed-out than the standard cardboard cut-outs of yore. But portraying a caring man was a revolution in Indian advertising. Research however told the agency that the market was ready. Social trends indicated that the upper-end Indian male had indeed evolved, or aspired to evolve. So Raymond took the bold step of translating this into an advertising strategy. Today, this thinking stands vindicated…even Hindi cinema has veered away from bash-em-up films to romantic and family drama’s.
Some of the later Raymond spots featured a fellow who takes time out from his busy schedule to hunt out an old disabled friend. Another had a guy spreading his arms at the edge of a cliff – in an apparent desire to take flight.
Is the Complete Man for real?
Advertising and marketing pundits wondered: Has the Indian male really evolved or was this just a polished exterior to please idealists on the look-out for the ‘New Age Man’? And was it really possible for a man to be only gentle, and have no aggressive impulses? And would this repressed reality stage a dramatic come-back at the turn of the Millennium? Yes, thought some, the gentle Raymond man who tucks his daughter into bed and plays the violin is a figment of an elitist imagination. ‘It’s alright in the metros, but I do not think it will work in middle India,’ says Shivjeet Khullar, national creative director, The Joint. ‘Or perhaps it works for Raymond, but no other brand.’ Pranav Dewan, Creative Consultant, Mudra, says that The Complete Man may not have completely arrived, but he has aspirational power, and in a way has given an impetus to the change in the metro man, even though not all of it has been voluntary. ‘It’s now accepted to be that way, and aspire to be that way. For some it has been a reluctant change…but in a way it’s a feeling of relief, to be dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of sensitivity.’ Tapping aspirational values Agarwal of Nexus acknowledges that the typical Indian male, even the ‘well-educated’ one, may not be the idealised person depicted by the campaign. ‘But what is important is that he aspires to be him,’ says Agarwal. And that’s good advertising.
Whatever the new reality, the fact is that Raymond is still India’s top suitings brand – having imbedded itself in the mind of the audience that matters in value terms. Therefore, the advertising is right.
Rival players
Rival brands knew that they had to position themselves away from the Complete Man. Just to gain an identity – of any sort.
The obvious way to stand apart, as some brands had known all along, was not to have a fictitious personality, but an actual celebrity. Vimal had a series a cricketers, back in the 1980’s, including Vivian Richards and Ravi Shastri. Digjam had Shekhar Kapur, the film maker. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi was the Gwalior Suitings man, and Sunil Gavaskar posed for Dinesh Suitings. But agencies subconsciously started to emulate the persona of the Complete Man. Pataudi turned discernibly more ‘family-oriented’ in the later days of the Gwalior series, with his wife Sharmila Tagore and actor son Saif Ali Khan making appearances. Shah Rukh played ‘Mayur’ Khan for Mayur suitings, an actor with a ‘family man’ image. OCM tried to go soft too and attempted to show how the suiting gets the OCM man his wife’s attention. The ad spot had the wife not noticing her husband when he comes home from work, until he changes into a suit. Suiting companies like Reid & Taylor still go in for celebrity advertising and today Amitabh Bachhan endorses the brand instead of Pierce Brosnan.
And ofcourse, the man getting the girl is a re-current theme.
However in the dawn of this millennium suiting advertising has become more product oriented. Brands today hawk the feel and finish of the fabric. Occasionally we have suitings which claim to look good but are not as expensive. This is a direct hit at Raymond.
What’s the future?
India has always been a low-value market, but today with globalisation, the value base has started to move upwards towards the global average and this trend can only accelerate. In this context, the Raymond personality-based advertising is likely to retain it’s appeal, at least for some years to come. And His rise to eminence will cast a longer shadow on other brands, resulting in an even greater desire on the part of rivals to take The Complete Man down. Or better it in some way.
It would be interesting to see how The Complete Man copes with competition in the coming years. There is a ‘casual’ clothes wave and thanks to Silicon Valley, it’s cool to look uncomfortable in suits. The Complete Man will have to tailor himself to a new generation reality. But without hurting his values.
(This piece, written by Nita, was published in A&M (Advertising & Marketing) Magazine.)
by
Nita
This campaign is the starting point for any other advertising strategy. But is Raymond’s Complete Man, a man who is the epitome of loving, caring, and also style, in danger of being left behind?
Creating waves Some saw it as an emasculation of the Great Indian Role Model. Others raised toasts to him. Finally, they cheered, some ‘real flesh and blood’ they said – emotions, a sense of humor and sensitivity rather than just brawn. Even a touch of vulnerability. The dream guy with no shining armour. A man for the liberated Indian woman. Someone who doesn’t see himself with Rambo’s body and a James Bond style.
The Complete Man. From Raymond.Sneering competition had to eat their words
Rivals in the early 90’s sniggered quietly at this pseudo-liberal western import. More than a decade later, this campaign is still going strong and a lot of suitings advertising is still life-style driven. If there is a problem, it’s that the Complete Man is too powerful, not in terms of testosterone, but in the way it dominates the consumer mindspace.
The sniggers of the competition turned to wonder, and then worship. He-men were dumped and clones of the Complete Man appeared everywhere…but they didn’t work. Only the original did. After all, pretenders are better at tickling people, not selling them suit lengths.
How did it all start?
The Raymond’s campaign is still the most influential. But how did it start? ‘We wanted a real man, a 3-D flesh and blood figure, the kind of man who is our target audience,’ says Rajiv Agarwal, CEO, Enterprise Nexus. It was research that indicated that men did not really aspire to be muscle-rippling superstuds.
Accordingly, the Raymond’s man was developed – as someone more believable and fleshed-out than the standard cardboard cut-outs of yore. But portraying a caring man was a revolution in Indian advertising. Research however told the agency that the market was ready. Social trends indicated that the upper-end Indian male had indeed evolved, or aspired to evolve. So Raymond took the bold step of translating this into an advertising strategy. Today, this thinking stands vindicated…even Hindi cinema has veered away from bash-em-up films to romantic and family drama’s.
Some of the later Raymond spots featured a fellow who takes time out from his busy schedule to hunt out an old disabled friend. Another had a guy spreading his arms at the edge of a cliff – in an apparent desire to take flight.
Is the Complete Man for real?
Advertising and marketing pundits wondered: Has the Indian male really evolved or was this just a polished exterior to please idealists on the look-out for the ‘New Age Man’? And was it really possible for a man to be only gentle, and have no aggressive impulses? And would this repressed reality stage a dramatic come-back at the turn of the Millennium? Yes, thought some, the gentle Raymond man who tucks his daughter into bed and plays the violin is a figment of an elitist imagination. ‘It’s alright in the metros, but I do not think it will work in middle India,’ says Shivjeet Khullar, national creative director, The Joint. ‘Or perhaps it works for Raymond, but no other brand.’ Pranav Dewan, Creative Consultant, Mudra, says that The Complete Man may not have completely arrived, but he has aspirational power, and in a way has given an impetus to the change in the metro man, even though not all of it has been voluntary. ‘It’s now accepted to be that way, and aspire to be that way. For some it has been a reluctant change…but in a way it’s a feeling of relief, to be dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of sensitivity.’ Tapping aspirational values Agarwal of Nexus acknowledges that the typical Indian male, even the ‘well-educated’ one, may not be the idealised person depicted by the campaign. ‘But what is important is that he aspires to be him,’ says Agarwal. And that’s good advertising.
Whatever the new reality, the fact is that Raymond is still India’s top suitings brand – having imbedded itself in the mind of the audience that matters in value terms. Therefore, the advertising is right.
Rival players
Rival brands knew that they had to position themselves away from the Complete Man. Just to gain an identity – of any sort.
The obvious way to stand apart, as some brands had known all along, was not to have a fictitious personality, but an actual celebrity. Vimal had a series a cricketers, back in the 1980’s, including Vivian Richards and Ravi Shastri. Digjam had Shekhar Kapur, the film maker. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi was the Gwalior Suitings man, and Sunil Gavaskar posed for Dinesh Suitings. But agencies subconsciously started to emulate the persona of the Complete Man. Pataudi turned discernibly more ‘family-oriented’ in the later days of the Gwalior series, with his wife Sharmila Tagore and actor son Saif Ali Khan making appearances. Shah Rukh played ‘Mayur’ Khan for Mayur suitings, an actor with a ‘family man’ image. OCM tried to go soft too and attempted to show how the suiting gets the OCM man his wife’s attention. The ad spot had the wife not noticing her husband when he comes home from work, until he changes into a suit. Suiting companies like Reid & Taylor still go in for celebrity advertising and today Amitabh Bachhan endorses the brand instead of Pierce Brosnan.
And ofcourse, the man getting the girl is a re-current theme.
However in the dawn of this millennium suiting advertising has become more product oriented. Brands today hawk the feel and finish of the fabric. Occasionally we have suitings which claim to look good but are not as expensive. This is a direct hit at Raymond.
What’s the future?
India has always been a low-value market, but today with globalisation, the value base has started to move upwards towards the global average and this trend can only accelerate. In this context, the Raymond personality-based advertising is likely to retain it’s appeal, at least for some years to come. And His rise to eminence will cast a longer shadow on other brands, resulting in an even greater desire on the part of rivals to take The Complete Man down. Or better it in some way.
It would be interesting to see how The Complete Man copes with competition in the coming years. There is a ‘casual’ clothes wave and thanks to Silicon Valley, it’s cool to look uncomfortable in suits. The Complete Man will have to tailor himself to a new generation reality. But without hurting his values.
(This piece, written by Nita, was published in A&M (Advertising & Marketing) Magazine.)
The legend of Raymond’s Complete Man
2006 October 25
tags: Brandsby NitaThis campaign is the starting point for any other advertising strategy. But is Raymond’s Complete Man, a man who is the epitome of loving, caring, and also style, in danger of being left behind?
Creating waves
Some saw it as an emasculation of the Great Indian Role Model. Others raised toasts to him. Finally, they cheered, some ‘real flesh and blood’ they said – emotions, a sense of humor and sensitivity rather than just brawn. Even a touch of vulnerability. The dream guy with no shining armour. A man for the liberated Indian woman. Someone who doesn’t see himself with Rambo’s body and a James Bond style.
The Complete Man. From Raymond.
Sneering competition had to eat their words
Rivals in the early 90’s sniggered quietly at this pseudo-liberal western import. More than a decade later, this campaign is still going strong and a lot of suitings advertising is still life-style driven. If there is a problem, it’s that the Complete Man is too powerful, not in terms of testosterone, but in the way it dominates the consumer mindspace.
The sniggers of the competition turned to wonder, and then worship. He-men were dumped and clones of the Complete Man appeared everywhere…but they didn’t work. Only the original did. After all, pretenders are better at tickling people, not selling them suit lengths.
How did it all start?
The Raymond’s campaign is still the most influential. But how did it start? ‘We wanted a real man, a 3-D flesh and blood figure, the kind of man who is our target audience,’ says Rajiv Agarwal, CEO, Enterprise Nexus. It was research that indicated that men did not really aspire to be muscle-rippling superstuds.
Accordingly, the Raymond’s man was developed – as someone more believable and fleshed-out than the standard cardboard cut-outs of yore. But portraying a caring man was a revolution in Indian advertising. Research however told the agency that the market was ready. Social trends indicated that the upper-end Indian male had indeed evolved, or aspired to evolve. So Raymond took the bold step of translating this into an advertising strategy. Today, this thinking stands vindicated…even Hindi cinema has veered away from bash-em-up films to romantic and family drama’s.
Some of the later Raymond spots featured a fellow who takes time out from his busy schedule to hunt out an old disabled friend. Another had a guy spreading his arms at the edge of a cliff – in an apparent desire to take flight.
Is the Complete Man for real?
Advertising and marketing pundits wondered: Has the Indian male really evolved or was this just a polished exterior to please idealists on the look-out for the ‘New Age Man’? And was it really possible for a man to be only gentle, and have no aggressive impulses? And would this repressed reality stage a dramatic come-back at the turn of the Millennium? Yes, thought some, the gentle Raymond man who tucks his daughter into bed and plays the violin is a figment of an elitist imagination. ‘It’s alright in the metros, but I do not think it will work in middle India,’ says Shivjeet Khullar, national creative director, The Joint. ‘Or perhaps it works for Raymond, but no other brand.’ Pranav Dewan, Creative Consultant, Mudra, says that The Complete Man may not have completely arrived, but he has aspirational power, and in a way has given an impetus to the change in the metro man, even though not all of it has been voluntary. ‘It’s now accepted to be that way, and aspire to be that way. For some it has been a reluctant change…but in a way it’s a feeling of relief, to be dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of sensitivity.’
Tapping aspirational values
Agarwal of Nexus acknowledges that the typical Indian male, even the ‘well-educated’ one, may not be the idealised person depicted by the campaign. ‘But what is important is that he aspires to be him,’ says Agarwal. And that’s good advertising.
Whatever the new reality, the fact is that Raymond is still India’s top suitings brand – having imbedded itself in the mind of the audience that matters in value terms. Therefore, the advertising is right.
Rival players
Rival brands knew that they had to position themselves away from the Complete Man. Just to gain an identity – of any sort.
The obvious way to stand apart, as some brands had known all along, was not to have a fictitious personality, but an actual celebrity. Vimal had a series a cricketers, back in the 1980’s, including Vivian Richards and Ravi Shastri. Digjam had Shekhar Kapur, the film maker. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi was the Gwalior Suitings man, and Sunil Gavaskar posed for Dinesh Suitings. But agencies subconsciously started to emulate the persona of the Complete Man. Pataudi turned discernibly more ‘family-oriented’ in the later days of the Gwalior series, with his wife Sharmila Tagore and actor son Saif Ali Khan making appearances. Shah Rukh played ‘Mayur’ Khan for Mayur suitings, an actor with a ‘family man’ image. OCM tried to go soft too and attempted to show how the suiting gets the OCM man his wife’s attention. The ad spot had the wife not noticing her husband when he comes home from work, until he changes into a suit. Suiting companies like Reid & Taylor still go in for celebrity advertising and today Amitabh Bachhan endorses the brand instead of Pierce Brosnan.
And ofcourse, the man getting the girl is a re-current theme.
However in the dawn of this millennium suiting advertising has become more product oriented. Brands today hawk the feel and finish of the fabric. Occasionally we have suitings which claim to look good but are not as expensive. This is a direct hit at Raymond.
What’s the future?
India has always been a low-value market, but today with globalisation, the value base has started to move upwards towards the global average and this trend can only accelerate. In this context, the Raymond personality-based advertising is likely to retain it’s appeal, at least for some years to come. And His rise to eminence will cast a longer shadow on other brands, resulting in an even greater desire on the part of rivals to take The Complete Man down. Or better it in some way.
It would be interesting to see how The Complete Man copes with competition in the coming years. There is a ‘casual’ clothes wave and thanks to Silicon Valley, it’s cool to look uncomfortable in suits. The Complete Man will have to tailor himself to a new generation reality. But without hurting his values.
(This piece, written by me, was published in A&M (Advertising & Marketing) Magazine.)
2006 October 25
tags: Brandsby NitaThis campaign is the starting point for any other advertising strategy. But is Raymond’s Complete Man, a man who is the epitome of loving, caring, and also style, in danger of being left behind?
Creating waves
Some saw it as an emasculation of the Great Indian Role Model. Others raised toasts to him. Finally, they cheered, some ‘real flesh and blood’ they said – emotions, a sense of humor and sensitivity rather than just brawn. Even a touch of vulnerability. The dream guy with no shining armour. A man for the liberated Indian woman. Someone who doesn’t see himself with Rambo’s body and a James Bond style.
The Complete Man. From Raymond.
Sneering competition had to eat their words
Rivals in the early 90’s sniggered quietly at this pseudo-liberal western import. More than a decade later, this campaign is still going strong and a lot of suitings advertising is still life-style driven. If there is a problem, it’s that the Complete Man is too powerful, not in terms of testosterone, but in the way it dominates the consumer mindspace.
The sniggers of the competition turned to wonder, and then worship. He-men were dumped and clones of the Complete Man appeared everywhere…but they didn’t work. Only the original did. After all, pretenders are better at tickling people, not selling them suit lengths.
How did it all start?
The Raymond’s campaign is still the most influential. But how did it start? ‘We wanted a real man, a 3-D flesh and blood figure, the kind of man who is our target audience,’ says Rajiv Agarwal, CEO, Enterprise Nexus. It was research that indicated that men did not really aspire to be muscle-rippling superstuds.
Accordingly, the Raymond’s man was developed – as someone more believable and fleshed-out than the standard cardboard cut-outs of yore. But portraying a caring man was a revolution in Indian advertising. Research however told the agency that the market was ready. Social trends indicated that the upper-end Indian male had indeed evolved, or aspired to evolve. So Raymond took the bold step of translating this into an advertising strategy. Today, this thinking stands vindicated…even Hindi cinema has veered away from bash-em-up films to romantic and family drama’s.
Some of the later Raymond spots featured a fellow who takes time out from his busy schedule to hunt out an old disabled friend. Another had a guy spreading his arms at the edge of a cliff – in an apparent desire to take flight.
Is the Complete Man for real?
Advertising and marketing pundits wondered: Has the Indian male really evolved or was this just a polished exterior to please idealists on the look-out for the ‘New Age Man’? And was it really possible for a man to be only gentle, and have no aggressive impulses? And would this repressed reality stage a dramatic come-back at the turn of the Millennium? Yes, thought some, the gentle Raymond man who tucks his daughter into bed and plays the violin is a figment of an elitist imagination. ‘It’s alright in the metros, but I do not think it will work in middle India,’ says Shivjeet Khullar, national creative director, The Joint. ‘Or perhaps it works for Raymond, but no other brand.’ Pranav Dewan, Creative Consultant, Mudra, says that The Complete Man may not have completely arrived, but he has aspirational power, and in a way has given an impetus to the change in the metro man, even though not all of it has been voluntary. ‘It’s now accepted to be that way, and aspire to be that way. For some it has been a reluctant change…but in a way it’s a feeling of relief, to be dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of sensitivity.’
Tapping aspirational values
Agarwal of Nexus acknowledges that the typical Indian male, even the ‘well-educated’ one, may not be the idealised person depicted by the campaign. ‘But what is important is that he aspires to be him,’ says Agarwal. And that’s good advertising.
Whatever the new reality, the fact is that Raymond is still India’s top suitings brand – having imbedded itself in the mind of the audience that matters in value terms. Therefore, the advertising is right.
Rival players
Rival brands knew that they had to position themselves away from the Complete Man. Just to gain an identity – of any sort.
The obvious way to stand apart, as some brands had known all along, was not to have a fictitious personality, but an actual celebrity. Vimal had a series a cricketers, back in the 1980’s, including Vivian Richards and Ravi Shastri. Digjam had Shekhar Kapur, the film maker. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi was the Gwalior Suitings man, and Sunil Gavaskar posed for Dinesh Suitings. But agencies subconsciously started to emulate the persona of the Complete Man. Pataudi turned discernibly more ‘family-oriented’ in the later days of the Gwalior series, with his wife Sharmila Tagore and actor son Saif Ali Khan making appearances. Shah Rukh played ‘Mayur’ Khan for Mayur suitings, an actor with a ‘family man’ image. OCM tried to go soft too and attempted to show how the suiting gets the OCM man his wife’s attention. The ad spot had the wife not noticing her husband when he comes home from work, until he changes into a suit. Suiting companies like Reid & Taylor still go in for celebrity advertising and today Amitabh Bachhan endorses the brand instead of Pierce Brosnan.
And ofcourse, the man getting the girl is a re-current theme.
However in the dawn of this millennium suiting advertising has become more product oriented. Brands today hawk the feel and finish of the fabric. Occasionally we have suitings which claim to look good but are not as expensive. This is a direct hit at Raymond.
What’s the future?
India has always been a low-value market, but today with globalisation, the value base has started to move upwards towards the global average and this trend can only accelerate. In this context, the Raymond personality-based advertising is likely to retain it’s appeal, at least for some years to come. And His rise to eminence will cast a longer shadow on other brands, resulting in an even greater desire on the part of rivals to take The Complete Man down. Or better it in some way.
It would be interesting to see how The Complete Man copes with competition in the coming years. There is a ‘casual’ clothes wave and thanks to Silicon Valley, it’s cool to look uncomfortable in suits. The Complete Man will have to tailor himself to a new generation reality. But without hurting his values.
(This piece, written by me, was published in A&M (Advertising & Marketing) Magazine.)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Transforming the brand narrative: The global redesign of Pantene Pro-V
As a product, Pantene Pro-V is a blockbuster-the planet's best-selling shampoo, with annual sales topping
one billion dollars. After a decade of envious growth, however, the line had become dated and somewhat confusing. In this story, Emily Kokenge and Liz Grubow tell how the brand has been revitalized with new graphics, packaging, and advertising based on a strategy that blends local marketing and sales tactics with a compelling global presence.
Pantene Pro-V is the world's numberone shampoo. It is sold in virtually every country, in tens of thousands of superstores, grocery stores, drug stores, kiosks, and tiny corner markets. Well over one and a half million people purchase.
Article from: Design Management Review Article, date: January 1, 2003 .Author: Kokenge, Emily; Grubow, Liz
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