Markathon june2013

June 13

Marketing Magazine of IIM Shillong

Mr. Al Ries Best Selling Author and Father of Positioning Era

Volume 4 | Issue 12

FROM TEAM MARKATHON story of this month is a compilation of seven such “sins” Dear Readers,

which brands must stay away from. There is no right way in marketing, which makes the domain even more challenging.

As always, this summer was full of activity both inside and

Even biggies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Ford have failed

outside the world of marketing. Millions of people who

miserably in implementing some of their own marketing

regarded it as a religion were left disappointed after cricket in

strategies. Any marketing activity must be completely in sync

India went through some ugly patches over the last three

with the expectations of customers from a brand.

weeks. Indian Premier League (IPL) was scarred with

There would be times when you are completely awed by

controversies including betting, spot fixing and match-fixing.

some people in your lives. Al Ries, the father of positioning

Pepsi used the very lucrative platform of IPL to launch its own

era, can be safely counted as one among such people. This

brand of a much fizzier drink, Pepsi Atom, with Sushant Singh

man coined the term “positioning”, which is almost used

Rajput as the brand ambassador. While it is yet to fizz up the

ubiquitously nowadays in marketing. Even though we had

Indian market, Pepsi should hope it carves a fair share for

him before on “Vartalaap”, we believe you will indeed benefit

itself in the pie of Indian soft drink market (worth Rs 50

from the wise words of this marketing guru.

Billion). Mumbai Indians emerged victors in the sixth edition

Always high on entertainment, this month’s “Fun Corner” will

of the IPL, Bayern Munich were crowed the kings of Europe

nudge your grey cells with advertising campaigns. Know more

and Rafael Nadal reinforced his supremacy on the red soils of

about Dettol in “Brand Story”.

Paris. The chant and brand of “NaMo” is getting stronger and

Team Markathon congratulates the winners and all the

stronger even as the old guard in Bharatiya Janata Party

participants.

reluctantly gave in to the demand of a greater majority for a

With a host of exciting stuff lined up for you, waste no time in

greater good. Narayan Murthy’s arrival in Infosys seemed to

taking on this delightful journey as you flip through the pages

have pleased the share market sentiment about the iconic

of the latest edition of Markathon. As always, do send in your

Indian IT firm.

feedback/suggestions to markathon.iims@gmail.com.

We want thank you all for the overwhelming number of entries that we have received for this month’s edition. This goes to show how Markathon has developed as a platform to showcase the best minds of the Marketing domain. For a team that puts its soul into a magazine month in and month

Drench in the rains, drink coffee and enjoy this issue!

Happy Reading!

Team Markathon

out, there simply cannot be any greater source of encouragement.

Though products are manufactured and services are offered by companies, brands are built only by customers. A substantial amount of resources are spent by companies in building their brands. While some companies have been extremely successful in sculpting positive brand equity, majority of them have failed more often than not. Though

THE MARKATHON TEAM Editors Ashok A Kamalpreet Singh Saluja Pallavi Prateek Gaurav Shashank S. Tomar Swikruti Panda

failures are mostly unanticipated, there are some obvious mistakes which would lead a brand to its peril. The cover

Creative Designers Sushree L. Tripathy Vaibhav Annam

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CONTENTS FEATURED ARTICLES PERSPECTIVES ATOM BOMBED

BY SUDHEER GV | IIM KOZHIKODE UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE VATSAL SETHI | KESHAV MAHAVIDYALAYA, DELHI UNIVERSITY COVER STORY SEVEN SINS OF BRANDING ERNESTO DHILEEBAN, VAIBHAV ANNAM | IIM SHILLONG

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VARTALAAP MR. AL RIES BEST SELLING AUTHOR AND FATHER OF POSITIONING ERA

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EYE 2 EYE "PEPSI'S 160 CRORE IPL BET: MARKETING MASTERSTROKE OR MISCALCULATED MAYHEM?” SOUVIK DHAR | NIT SILCHAR ; SAURABH KUMAR | NIRMA UNIVERSITY

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SILENT VOICE SLEEPWELL MATTRESSES

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SPECIALS ADDICTED SWIKRUTI PANDA & SUSHREE TRIPATHY | IIM S

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BRAND STORY DETTOL

BY SHASHANK TOMAR | IIM S

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FUN CORNER KAMALPREET SALUJA | IIM S

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UPDATES PRATEEK GAURAV | IIM S

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BOMBED! sudheer gv IIM KOZHIKODE Positioning Strategy Positioning it as the second main stream cola after the flagship brand Pepsi, PepsiCo created enough hype for the brand “Atom”. Also, claims that it is a stronger, fizzier drink raised huge expectations in the minds of people about the beverage. Going head on with Thums Up, spoofing its ad campaigns, PepsiCo tried desperately to brand Atom as the second major mover in the fizzy drink segment. In fact, positioning a second mover is always a difficult task for the top management.

The brand should be positioned either very close to the first mover or far away from the first mover.

Machismo/Macho has the meaning of a belief in the supremacy of men over women. During women’s liberation movement the term machismo was used by feminists to describe male aggression and violence. It seems that PepsiCo has either not read the literature or misread it or it is a deliberate attempt by the PepsiCo to evoke anger of feminists and thereby get some free publicity out of law suits and street protests. Or it might be a calculated move by the top management considering India to be a male dominated society that they could get away with a tagline like this.

PepsiCo seems to be a bit unclear regarding this as its positioning of Atom can be strictly classified into neither heads. But, it has unnecessarily narrowed down its target base. Aggressive Positioning of it as a symbol of masculinity, that too, using the words “Macho ka naya funda” it has distanced itself from female consumers.

According to an Economic Times article, 30% of consumers of Thums Up are women. In “Aaj Kuch toofani karte hain” ad campaign, the ad featuring four high energy dudes led by Telugu Superstar Mahesh Babu, Leo Burnette, the creative agency of Thums Up, has included a woman also. Thums Up only positioned itself as being extremely strong like a thunder with a mild signaling of masculine inclination. It has never explicitly mentioned in its promos that it is meant for sir “machos”. The commercials of Thums Up often showed daredevilry by people like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar to grab a bottle of Thums Up which they feel is so strong that it deserves an adventure of that sort. Another filter that PepsiCo has put to its target base is the age group. The repeated PR positioning of Atom as the

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‘Cola for the Youth’, getting it endorsed by Sushant Singh Rajput show that PepsiCo is trying to reach out only to youth. It is not the case with Thums Up which, most of the times, used people in their forties like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, South Indian star Chiranjeevi for its brand endorsements.

Pricing Pricing strategy is one of the flaws that need to be discussed. On one hand, blaming coke for its predatory pricing strategy, PepsiCo has done nothing inventive in the pricing of Atom. It has set an unwarranted precedent which might have triggered a price war but fortunately has not.

PR Strategy The biggest blunder that PR Agency of Pepsi has committed is the repeated claim that Atom is the biggest beverage innovation in the history of PepsiCo. It sends out a signal into the minds of laymen that PepsiCo could not come up with a suitable innovation that could challenge Thums Up’s supremacy for the past 36 years. Using the term “indovation (India specific innovation as they put it)” just for the sake of short term gains may damage the reputation of the company in the long run.

Advertising Strategy Equally bad is its advertising strategy. Critics have already started pointing out their fingers at the images

of mushroom cloud appearing at the end of the advertisement. Historically this mushroom cloud is seen as a cloud of gas associated with the Atom bomb explosion that happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The message of this image being shown at the end of the promo is that Atom generates so much of energy that is ideally released by a nuclear explosion. In fact the drink is christened Atom just to drive home the point that it is as powerful and energetic as an atom bomb. Bringing this sensitive issue for promoting what they call a “Josh Cola” is seen to be insensitive by many.

Only once in history was this mushroom cloud concept used for commercial / political advertising purpose by former president of US Mr. Lyndon Johnson and his Democratic party. Even then after airing it for the first time the advertisement was withdrawn because of its controversial nature. Now, PepsiCo bringing the same concept to the fore front just for the sake of promoting Atom is really unfortunate.

As one of the followers on Pepsi Atom official facebook page mentioned that it is atrocious on the part of Pepsi to show “A un

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cool guy trying to save a damsel in distress being fooled in the end.” It’s a subtle encouragement of people to mind their own business and not to respond to women who are seemingly in danger. Also where is the josh or energy of Sushant Singh Rajput shown in this ad? Isn’t it contradicting its own core values “fizzy”, “strong” when the protagonist in the ad is cool and in a sense is indifferent to an apparent attack on a woman?

It seems that in a bid to mock the promos of Thums Up, PepsiCo has deviated from its intended corporate communication. In an era of every day crime happening against women, a responsible company like PepsiCo coming up with such an ad is really unwarranted.

Digital Marketing Strategy Coming to its digital marketing strategies, Atom could get just a little more than 1000 likes for its official page till date. And the kind of activity that is going on on the page is miserable. Rather than promoting the beverage through some innovative ideas like hosting contests etc, PepsiCo is just making use of a promo tab that encourages current fans to invite thirty(or more) of their friends, to like the page, which makes them eligible to get a chance of winning a Lee T-shirt. Most of the netizens are expressing their displeasure over “Atom” on this page, benchmarking Atom against

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Thums Up and belittling the former. By and large, it is appearing that Thums Up is being promoted on this page more than Atom.

Sales and Distribution Strategy It is surprising to note that Atom has not yet hit many of the retail outlets. Even in metros like Mumbai, it is not uncommon to find many retailers saying unavailable and some of them even going on to the extent of saying that Atom is not worth buying. With summer about to end, it is high time for PepsiCo to effectively manage its supply chains to ensure the omnipresence of Atom Bottom line Despite its aggressive advertising and marketing strategies, underpricing, favorable conditions like the summer season, PepsiCo by and large has failed to push Atom as of now. Keep aside its ambition of dethroning Thums Up, the prospects of its very survival are being questioned by consumers many of whom are mocking Atom as a “liquid version of Chyavanprash”. This reiterates the fact that marketing can only be a support function, which helps in pushing the product to the people, while the core function is coming up with a qualitative product.

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Understanding the concept of Planned Obsolescence Vatsal sethi Keshav mahavidyalaya | delhi university We all know about Godrej’s steel cupboards, which were present in almost everyone’s homes. The cupboards which refused to break down and were passed from one generation to the other. Well, they have vanished like those old times!

product he has is functionally competent aesthetically obsolete.

Wikipedia defines ‘Planned Obsolescence’ as: ‘’a policy of planning or designing a product with limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, i.e., unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.’’

On the face of it, it looks like a clever ploy of profiteering companies to further exploit innocuous and unassuming customers by using them as pawns in their strategy towards amassing greater wealth. But, let us look at few valid rationales before reaching a conclusion.

Modern consumer often faces the dilemma of keeping up with trends or using the product to its complete lifecycle. Very often, the life of the product is just equal to its warranty period, after which the consumer is forced to restart the buying process and replace it.

Other times, he finds himself at crossroads, when the

but

The reason why he often finds himself in this difficult situation is because of planned obsolescence.

Are Producers scapegoats?

the

real

conspirators

or

mere

Though technologically possible, it is economically unviable to manufacture products which last very long.

Consumers or society at large desire products which last

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perspective for many years, in contrast to producers who want to maximise their profits. By producing products that last for an extended time period, they will simply be jeopardizing the economic lives of their ventures.

Hence, they produce goods which develop equilibrium in the market; the consumers find sufficient utility in them while the producers also earn enough profits.

For firms in the Fashion or Apparels industry, this phenomenon is just unavoidable. Trends and fads are to be incorporated in the product lines which make present products obsolete in the nest season simply inevitable.

Yet there are a few Exceptions:

markathon|june 2013 to get obsolete quickly. Instead, they form the benchmarks in product design, quality and manufacturing which are to be adhered to for many years to come.

Competition is the force that drives them towards ‘planning’ their products’ obsolescence.

Competition forces producers to continuously bring out new products or upgrade existing ones to outperform each other in their quest for attaining market leadership. Thus, they have to think one step ahead of themselves and two steps ahead of their rivals. By not doing this, they are just like sitting ducks, waiting to be attacked by the hunter (read competitor).

 Companies like Phillips have always taken initiatives to enhance the durability of their products. Their innovation of energy efficient CFL in the lighting market lead to the ouster of halogen bulbs and up to 30% reduction in electricity consumption, apart from longer life.  Amaron, the car battery manufacturer which claims that its batteries work for the longest time as compared to others. This claim is sharply expressed in its advertising campaigns with slogans like- ‘last long, really long’.  Firms like Century Plywood, whose T.V advertisement shows passing of generations without its wood products getting ruined.  Luxury brands like Rolls Royce, Rolex, etc. swear by the quality of their products and can’t afford them

Thus, when Samsung launches Galaxy S III to take on Apple’s IPhone 5, it has to start working on Galaxy S IV right away, even before gauging the market response.

By not doing it, it gives Apple the chance to circumvent it with the next IPhone.

This fast world has forced to companies to always be on their toes. Neither can they afford to be lax in competing with their rivals, nor leaving the customer unsatisfied. If they don’t do it, the competitor will definitely do it.

On the positive side, these competitive pressures often result in innovation and efficient redesigning of business practices. With an aim to catch the competition, firms look ‘out of the box’ for solutions.

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Business Process Innovations:

Remember, there are always two sides to a coin.

To reduce the errors in production process and check its costs, Motorola invented the Six Sigma process, which enabled it to win the Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award given by the United States Congress in 1988.

Popularized by Toyota, Kaizen is the process of continuous improvement of business processes by the formation of quality groups. Google offers benefits like free gourmet chefs, giant lap pools, ping-pong and foosball tables, etc. to extract the most from its employees and secure loyalty. Some other common changes in today’s organisations are: shorter production cycles, flatter organization structures and beefed up R & D budgets.

Take a look at the Apple IPhone 5. What is the difference between IPhone 4S and IPhone 5? Half an inch! Or for that matter between IPad 3 and IPad 4?

Retina display. That’s it.

Product Innovations:

Agreed that Apple is the leader in a market with cutthroat competition and companies like Samsung Electronics inching closer to its throne, but these incremental improvements just cannot be termed as ‘’innovations’’ or strategies to keep competitors at bay.

These are mere tactics to mislead the consumers into thinking that the product they possess has become outdates and lost its ability to offer utility to them.

Rather, through heavy advertising and much hyped

Seeing an opportunity between the phone and tablet segment, Samsung Electronics created a new category of ‘Phablets’ or ‘phone + tablets’ with launch Galaxy Note, a 5 inch Smartphone. Even after being panned by critics initially, it went out to become such a success, that its next model, Galaxy Note II was able to sell more than 2 million units in its first month of launch.

Old Ford Figo

Apple IPhone 4S & IPhone 5

New ‘Improved’ Ford Figo

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perspective press conferences, consumers are brainwashed into believing that by not upgrading to the new version, they would be left behind, as the rest of the world moves on to the ‘Next Big Thing’.

In the automobile sector this phenomenon goes by the name of a ‘facelift’. Some tweaks in the headlamps, new bumpers or use of a little chrome leads to the rebranding of the old car as a ‘new and improved’ one. Car buyers are made to believe that by incorporating the changes, the car has become a new one which justifies the rise in price, whereas from inside it is just like an old wine presented in a new bottle.

Effects on the Environment The environmental impacts of such practices can easily be inferred: 

More utilization of resources than is required by the society leading to faster resource depletion.



Rising levels of pollution which adversely affect the climate and crop cycles.



Increased wastage causing ecological imbalances and over use of energy.

markathon|june 2013 replaced by the new version, whereas it is nothing but a clever ploy on the part of marketers to fatten up their bottom lines.

But, this phenomenon is not present in all the sectors.

Sectors which involve design, aesthetics and fashion are the ones impacted by it. This is because these thrive on the consumer interests based on psychological needs and trends in the world and are extremely difficult to predict. As a result, instead of relying on consumers to identify their needs, the manufacturers themselves provide the consumers with new needs which can be fulfilled by their products. Along with the presence of competitors, planned obsolescence becomes a more important strategy for survival than for profits or growth.

On the flipside, in sectors where functionality matters more than aesthetics or fashion, the ideologies of durability are followed. As the consumer is more interested in the functioning of the product than its appearance, the manufacturers have no choice but to provide long lasting and well-functioning products.

The competition is played out on the basis of offering maximum utility to the customer at the lowest price.

Conclusion We can conclude that planned obsolescence is strategy followed by manufactures to shorten consumption cycles and augment consumer spending.

This is a zero sum game, where one party wins (producers) at the expense of the other (consumers). Consumers are misled into believing what they are consuming is not worth consumption and must be

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding

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Cover Story

Seven Sins Of Branding

Ernesto | Vaibhav | IIM Shillong

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding “It's smoother, uh, uh, rounder yet, uh, yet bolder... A more harmonious flavour”, said the company’s CEO. The day was April 23, 1985. After a thorough market research which included surveying around 2,00,000 people, a new product was planned to be launched on this day. The company was hopeful of regaining the lost market share from its competitor. Research suggested that people preferred the taste of this new product much more than the company’s own flagship product.

Management Team decided that change was the way to go and introduced New Coke to the world. The product bombed. Public outrage and sentiment against New Coke was so strong that mere 3 months later, Coca Cola announced it would switch back to the original formula and call it Classic Coke. What had gone wrong? How could a brand as big as Coca Cola, which sells roughly around a billion drinks everyday go wrong? Well, the answer lies in the very sentence: BRAND Welcome to the elusive world of branding, where even some the biggest names have had to miserably bite the dust while trying to brand and rebrand.

Brand, in its simplest definition, is the identity of a product in the mind of the customer. This identity is influenced, obviously, by a lot of factors. And more often than not, these factors are quite unpredictable.

Perhaps the single most important attribute of a brand is the emotional connection which the consumer feels while using the brand. It’s a common phenomenon that consumers make buying decisions based around the perception of the brand rather than the reality of the product. Trust in a brand far overweighs any of the 4 Ps which marketing gurus have been gleefully preaching over and over again. While most of the global companies established of yore might not have had to give significant importance to their brand during the growth face, now that they are successful only means they have to live up to delivering their brand proposition. While building up a brand is comparatively easy, maintaining the same is quite a challenge. How well you understand your

markathon|june 2013 markathon|month customer is quintessential in shaping/preserving your brand. Bigger companies can still afford to get a branding activity or two wrong. But this can often be fatal in case of smaller companies where one mistake can very well wipe their names off the market.

There are plentiful examples of firms which have gone wrong in their way of branding. Though there could be different reasons for failure, one striking similarity in all these examples is that brands had neglected one crucial aspect of branding: “focus on customer”. “Customer is the king”. Clichéd it may sound but why is it a cliché if not true. The following sections present to you our take on what brands have to be wary of in order not collapse and lose their own value. Presenting to you, the seven deadly sins of branding.

Brand Amnesia Amnesia, in true sense, means a deficit in memory caused by damage to brain. Well, in the context of branding, the damage caused because of brand amnesia could be much more fatal. Of late, brands have assumed a humanitarian touch among consumers. The feeling of comfort and trust in a brand is something you would generally associate only with another human being. So, what happens when brands forget what they stand for and start delivering something else to the consumer altogether? Simple, they learn it the hard way. Let’s see what global food

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding giant McDonald’s did when they introduced Arch Deluxe.

McDonald’s felt that it was perceived as childrencentered brand (having Roland McDonald as their mascot helped fuel this perception). It wanted to move away from this image and cater to adult audience. Thus it introduced Arch Deluxe in the year 1996. The new burger was promoted as “the burger with grown-up taste”.

Advertising activities were outsourced to an agency called Fallon McElligott for a whopping $ 100 million.

In fact the whole

research undertaken before Arch Deluxe was launched costed McDonalds an eye-popping $ 300 million dollars. In the TV Commercials which appeared, Roland McDonald was seen playing golf and dancing at a night club, only to drive home the fact that “McD is growing up”. But the product failed.

It’s not rocket science to guess the reason why Arch Deluxe failed. The customers going to McDonalds know they are not going in for the tastiest food in the world. If McDonald’s has a sustainable competitive advantage in something, it is convenience and simplicity. Period. If you take that away from a McD burger, it is bound to fail.

markathon|june 2013 markathon|month a brand can take a severe beating. It’s a general prevailing tendency among many firms that branding activities are simply a way to cover up the shortcomings in a brand. Some companies feel that what the product lacks in can be covered up intelligently by deceiving customer into something else. While others have adopted unethical means merely to increase reputation among customers. Let’s see what Sony did.

Columbia Pictures, as you all know, is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. In the year 2001, two movies by the film-house hit the silver screen. The first one was “A Knight’s Tale”, which starred Heath Ledger.

The second was “The Animal”, in which Rob Schneider played the lead role. The movies were given excellent reviews by the film critic David Manning. Heath Ledger was called as “the year’s hottest new star” and The Animal was “Another Winner!” according to Mr Manning. Things went fine and both the movies attracted quite an audience. But the trouble started when Newsweek magazine revealed that David Manning does not exist. In fact it was discovered that David Manning was the pen name of an executive who worked for Sony. A fraud of such scale was not expected of the studio, which had delivered famous movies like “A Few Good Men”, “Sawshank Redemption”, “Men in Black” among many others. It was an incredibly foolish move by Sony and they ended up paying a refund of $ 5 to every unsatisfied customer who went to watch the movies based on

It is thus quintessential for a brand to understand what it means to its customers. A product might be built by a company; but a brand is always built by the customer. Any organization which is of the feeling that brands can be tampered with according to its own whims and fantasies, is doomed to failure.

Brand Deception Time and again, one point we have been stressing heavily on is the trust between a customer and a brand. Once this trust factor is gone, the reputation of

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding

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Manning’s reviews.

A learning indeed for brands which believe they can cheat the customer and get away with it. Brands must remember that in this age of technology, people are connected. Views and thoughts get easily exchanged. Deceiving customers is definitely not the way to take. Customers respect only those brands which are completely honest in their approach.

Brand ego: Do you know stretching your muscles too much can actually make it less functional? It’s not very different from a brand even.

When a brand gets too big for its boots and overstretches, it finally ends up paying a hefty price. It is evident from the past, when brands tried to conquer a market single-handedly and failed miserably. Even the most successful ones, sometimes fall into the trap of overestimating their own importance and their own capability. Let us now walk through the Tesco’s billion pounds “brand ego trip” to the US market.

On April 17th, 2013, supermarket giant Tesco has announced their first drop in annual profits in 20 years with Fresh & Easy’s failure costing a hefty billion pounds. In this case the stretch was from its core market in the UK to the notoriously difficult US market. Even though Tesco spent a fortune on prelaunch consumer research, including doing extensive in-home studies, the real problems of Fresh & Easy came into light only after launching the chain. The victory of Tesco in other foreign markets made them complacent as they underestimated the US counterparts. It didn't fully respect the competitive retailers who already had a foothold in the US cities where Fresh & Easy launched, and failed to add enough value

versus the existing offer in the market. The US customers didn't like having self-checkouts and having to pack their own bags, and the smaller store format didn't fit well with the habit of doing big shops. After trying out different things, finally Tesco admits its mistake and exits from the US market.

One of the problems with brand ego trips is that they divert time and talent from the core business, in this case Tesco's UK supermarket business. In conclusion, Tesco's US troubles are a stark reminder of how hard it is to stretch from the core into a new market, with a need to add genuine value versus established competition.

Brand Megalomania: Egotism often leads to Megalomania. When this happens, brands want to take over the world by expanding into every product category imaginable. Some, such as Virgin, get away with it.

Lesser brands, however, do not.

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding While motorbike apparel (Motor-clothes merchandise) and ornaments probably matched the Harley Davidson cult heritage brand, the company had lost focus. In the 1990s, it extended the brand too far. It introduced products like wine coolers, aftershave and perfumes. Even the loyal fans did not like the idea, as it did not resonate with the tough brand identity. The company was clearly not focusing on what it knew best – building strong bikes. Customers wanted strong bikes and accessories that complimented the brand, but ties and infant clothes went too far. Activities like cruise biking were good initiatives by the company to involve the customer and enhance brand loyalty.

However, Perfumes and wine coolers were eroding the mystery of the Harley Davidson brand. After strong criticism from the loyal customers, the company pulled of many inappropriate products.

Harley Davidson had learnt a branding lesson. More products did not mean more revenue and overextending the brand meant a short-term focus.

Brand Irrelevance: Could General Motors have managed once-great brands much worse? With or without a bailout, nearly all of GM’s brands are classic examples of brands that lost their relevance with consumers. How did the market share leader, with a portfolio of brands that delivered exceptional performance (Pontiac) and aspirational image (Cadillac) fall so far? As always, consumers’ lifestyles and preferences changed over time; General Motors did very little to respond.

markathon|june 2013 markathon|month Among the major marketing mistakes that ‘led to this

fine mess’:  They lost touch with the consumer. Since their peak market share days, when the brands’ product lines and marketing messages captured consumer desires, GM listened lesser and lesser. Their focus, tragically, was on ‘what they could make,’ rather than what the consumer wanted to buy. For example, Toyota, Honda and others did a far better job anticipating and responding to consumers’ interests in smaller cars, better fuel-efficiency, and SUVs.  Their innovation lagged competition. Once leaders in innovative product design, they became followers, at best. And when they actually could innovate, they were late. Their manufacturing process became so complex and unyielding that it took them at least 2 years longer to introduce a new model, than competition. That dooms any innovation program.  The brands’ positioning became unclear. Just a few decades ago, Pontiac was the ultimate sports car and Cadillac was the American dream for luxury. And now? A virtually indistinguishable array of ill-defined, overlapping brands. And GM vacillated on managing the portfolio – sometimes focusing on nameplate brands (e.g. Buick or GMC), sometimes on the model brands (e.g.

Sunfire or Escalade). Meanwhile competitors did

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding an infinitely better job at building compelling nameplate brands (e.g. Lexus, Toyota)  Underestimating competition. Despite years of declining market share and getting pummelled by global competitors, GM management remained steadfast in their insular assumption that the GM way was the best way.

Wake up. The moment you lose market share your consumer is telling you; “I don’t prefer you anymore.” That’s the warning sign to adapt and respond.

Brand Fatigue What happens when you keep wearing the same TShirt over and over again? You eventually lose interest in it. The next sin we will talk about is a similar concept. Brands which have been in existence for a very long time often undergo what is called as Brand Fatigue. Creativity takes a beating and the urge to continuously re-innovate leads to the demise of the particular brand. At this point, we want to stress on the following statement: “What takes birth, eventually will die”. Brands are no exception to this fact. As it stands, all big brands be it Pepsi, Nike, Mercedes Benz

markathon|june 2013 markathon|month or Proctor and Gamble will eventually cease to exist (this might not happen immediately or in near future but given some time yes). Well that’s the law of nature. But what can be done is delay the demise by

adopting proper strategies. Pears, the very famous transparent soap of Unilever, is a classic example of Brand fatigue.

Pears was introduced in the late 18th Century. The product became an instant hit in the market.

Marketing campaign surrounding Pears helped boost its visibility. Notable among advertising efforts would be the “Bubbles campaign”, which featured a baby boy bathing in a tub of bubbles. Till the first half of 20th century, Pears remained market leader in the UK. We are talking about a product that has been in existence for over 150 years. That’s a long time for any brand. And for all obvious reasons not a lot of marketing was observed towards the end of 20th century for the legendary soap brand. Market share fell and Pears was no longer a priority for Unilever.

Brand fatigue seems to contradict what we have been saying so far. On one hand, we said brands must not fall trap to brand amnesia and on the other, we are warning brands to be wary of brand fatigue. Dicey, isn’t it? Where do we draw the line now? Well, brands can keep reinventing themselves as long as what they deliver is in sync with the perception of the brand among consumers.

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cover story | Seven Sins of Branding Brand Paranoia Sometimes, even the best crumble under the pressure of delivering. Diminishing market share leads companies to take drastic and at times vague measures. More often than not, brands often cave in to the longing propensity of imitating the competition.

But what brands forget is that what works for one brand might not work for them. No two brands are same. Copying competition will only result in the loss of competitive advantage. Sometimes, brands have this constant urge of reinventing themselves continuously within very short periods of time. This results not only in large advertising cost, but also a great deal of confusion among consumers about the brand proposition. Another form of paranoia is tendency to file lawsuits against rival companies. This puts the brand at risk of eroding its own goodwill among consumers. Apple-Samsung patent wars are a classic example of companies trying to hurt each other in order to gain more market share.

markathon|june 2013 markathon|month lot more knowledge in a failure than a success. Post mortem of those branding activities which failed have revealed a lot of things. Take focus off your customer and you are over. It is important to understand what your brand means to the customer. While there is nothing wrong in experimenting and ideating, any kind of branding activity must completely comply with what the brand stands for. Market leaders are consistently the best and most prolific innovators.

Brands, like people, maintain their vitality by evolving positively over time.

Three months after the launch of New Coke, the CEO Mr Roberto Goizueta said in a press conference, “We have heard you�. And Coke announced that it would be returning back to its original product. Coke Classic was received by customers gleefully and its market share was even better than before. Coca Cola had failed to understand what people expected out of it. Being the pioneer in Cola-drinks industry, last thing people wanted from coke was a makeover which came in the form of New Coke. Coke understood this post launch of New Coke, retracted and gave people what they really wanted.

Brands must always try and stay away from the seven deadly sins. Some could be lucky and big enough to make a comeback after a failure. Others would simple get washed away.

The important take home for brands is that wise decisions are taken only when they are completely composed. Paranoia about competition will result in obsession of wanting to defeat them rather than increasing focus on the customer.

So Finally It is a common knowledge that there is a

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vartalaap cover story |

markathon|january markathon|month markathon|june 2013

An Interview with Al Ries Best Selling Author and Father of Positioning Era

Al Ries is the cofounder and chairman of the Atlanta-based consulting firm Ries & Ries with his partner and

daughter, Laura Ries. Along with Jack Trout, Ries coined the term "positioning", as related to the field of marketing, and authored Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind, an industry standard on the subject. Ries graduated from DePauw University in 1950 with a degree in liberal arts and accepted a position with the advertising department of General Electric before founding his own advertising agency in New York City, Ries Cappiello Colwell, in 1963. The agency later changed to a marketing strategy firm, Trout & Ries. Ries was selected as one of the most influential people in the field of public relations in the 20th century by PR Week magazine in 1999. Ries has also written a number of books on Marketing and Branding that have made the BusinessWeek best seller list on a number of occasions.

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vartalaap cover story | Markathon: You’ve had an illustrious career spanning from Liberal arts, to advertising, to marketing strategy and now a Consulting firm. How has been your journey through all these diverse assignments?

Mr. Ries: It's like a journey through an enormous country. Every stop has taught me something new and different. I don't think I could have ever worked at a traditional job for a traditional company. Doing the same thing over and over again would have become extremely monotonous.

Markathon: You came with the “Postioning” era in 1972 and Marketing has never been the same, How do you see the companies’ in today’s fierce competitive environment taking the concept of “Positioning” forward? Will it be tweaked?

markathon|june 2013 markathon|january markathon|month most companies today are left brainers: verbal, logical and analytic. On the other hand, most marketing people are right brainers: visual, intuitive and holistic.

The two sides are destined to clash. (And in my career, I've witnessed hundreds of those clashes.)

Actually, we believe that companies need both types of people to be truly successful. But both sides need to understand each other. That's the objective of the book.

Markathon: You’ve had consulting experiences with some of the biggest brands in the world; can you share with us one of these assignments which you’d call the ‘most challenging’ one or a memorable one?

Mr. Ries: We can't talk about any recent assignments for confidentiality reasons. But a constant theme of many of our assignments was to keep the company's Mr. Ries: Positioning has become famous, but many core brand focused and expand the company's of our positioning principles are still violated every product line by introducing new brands. And day of the week. Therefore we have a big job to do to naturally, company management wanted to expand convince companies that there is a different approach its existing brand. That's what we call the line to what they are doing. Take the "line-extension trap," extension trap. We argued with IBM about the need which was one of our basic positioning principles. As for a new brand for its line of personal computers. we wrote in our first article on the subject, “Just Instead, IBM line-extended its brand. After 23 years because a company is well-known in one field, doesn’t and a reported $15 billion in losses, IBM sold its mean it can transfer that recognition to another. In personal computer operations to Lenovo. We fought other words, your brand can be on top of one ladder with Xerox about the need to launch a desktop laser and nowhere on another. And the further apart the printer line to compete with Hewlett-Packard. Xerox products are conceptually, the greater the difficulty of had invented the laser printer (the first one was making the jump.” That was 39 years ago. Regretfully, driven by a mainframe computer) but didn't think the line extension is still the preferred marketing strategy market was ready for a desktop version. They waited for many companies. too long and got shut out of the market.

The Xerox situation illustrates a common Always check your problem of many companies. theories against what Markathon: You’ve written many Management tends to try to predict the Bestselling books, which one of them future and make decisions on what is is working and what is the closest to your heart and why likely to happen. Xerox management was is not working. And so? convinced that the desktop laser printer the only way to do had no future, so decided not to waste Mr. Ries: You always favor your last that is to constantly money getting into the market. Our book. My last book was "War in the position is that companies should invest read the business Boardroom," written with my in potential new categories and treat media. daughter and partner Laura. Some their investments as "insurance." If a people are left brainers and some company gets in early and the category people are right brainers. I'm does take off, then the company will be in convinced that top management of a good position. Xerox used to be a much

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vartalaap cover story | bigger and more profitable company than HewlettPackard. But they lost the desktop laser printer market to Hewlett-Packard. Today, Hewlett-Packard is six times the size of Xerox. Sometimes one key decision can mean the difference between enormous success and mediocrity.

markathon|june 2013 markathon|january markathon|month Markathon: Would you like to give any advice to our readers who are looking to make a career in the field of marketing and brand management?

Mr. Ries: Read especially the newspapers and magazines that cover global businesses. In America, that would include publications like The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune and many others. If you want a long-lasting career in marketing, you need Markathon: You’ve emphasised the need to build to know what is working and what is not. Take Apple, Brands by Publicity and not advertising in your books. for example. Apple has become the most valuable What would you term as the essential differentiating high-tech company in the world. What is Apple's factor between Publicity and Advertising? strategy? Create a new category you can be first in and then dominate that category by launching new Mr. Ries: Credibility: Advertising is not nearly as brands, the iPod, the first high capacity MP3 player, believable as publicity. But we're not opposed to the iPhone, the first touchscreen smartphone, the advertising. After a while, a company runs out of PR iPad, the first tablet computer. Apple is not a brand potential. No publication today, for example would name. Apple is a company name. Nobody says "I run a story about a wonderful new drink called Cocabought an Apple." They say "I bought an iPod." Or "I Cola. The only stories they run about Coke are bought an iPhone." Or "I bought an iPad." This is just negative. That's why after a certain amount of time the opposite of the line-extension strategy of Apple's has passed, a company needs to shift its marketing competitors. Now do you suppose that would change programs to advertising. Our philosophy: PR first, the minds of the millions of people who believe that advertising second. line extension is the best strategy for a company? Of course, Marketing can be roughly divided Markathon: Can you not. They don't read; share with us a couple into strategy and tactics. Strategy they don't think. They of trends which you is more important, but it's almost just cling to an idea think will impact the that might make sense, impossible to predict a trend in world of Marketing in but doesn't work. strategy. Tactics are easier to see a big way in the Always check your coming decade? theories against what is working and what is Mr. Ries: Marketing not working. And the only way to do that is to can be roughly divided into strategy and tactics. constantly read the business media.

Strategy is more important, but it's almost impossible to predict a trend in strategy. Tactics are easier to see.

There' s no question that marketing is moving into the digital era, an era that has spawned social media and many other digital techniques. There's bound to be many, many developments in the digital era that will affect how marketing is practiced. Keep in mind, however, that tactics are not a substitute for a good strategy. Without a good strategy, a company cannot win, even though it might have good tactics.

Markathon: One last question, what keeps Al Ries ticking? And are there any other books you are currently working on?

Mr. Ries: My daughter and I keep finding new ideas to think about and to write about. Laura is working on a new book that I believe will be exceptionally well received. What it is about we want to keep secret for the moment.

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Sometimes it’s really hard to predict the outcome of any bold strategic decision as it might either bring laurels or even might be a trigger to a disaster. PepsiCo betting 160 crore on the million dollar cricket league of India is surely a great risk taking gamble in context to the current scenario and may end up Souvik Dhar as a miscalculated mayhem for NIT Silchar them.

The aggressive marketing strategies of Pepsi in IPL have brought down the old tussle of the cola players back down from the memory lane. During the 1996 Cricket World Cup, although Coca Cola was the official sponsor of the tournament, Pepsi ambushed the whole campaign by coming up with the tagline “Nothing Official About It”. So this time when Pepsi has invested such a huge amount it might not be a great shock for PepsiCo if Coke comes back with such a good similar strategy which would definitely hurt the prospect of Pepsi PepsiCo has left no stone unturned as it bagged the crucial title sponsorship of the IPL, associate sponsorship of SET MAX , marketing rights of eight out of nine participating teams. But Coke is not sitting idle and is using its earlier alliances with Mumbai Indians to counter these strategic moves of PepsiCo. As if we go little back down the memory lane in IPL - 2 Coke had hijacked the “Youngistan” campaign of Pepsi by getting their brand ambassadors like Sehwag and Ishant in their promotional activities.

In response to Pepsi aggressive advertising strategies Coke used its pricing strategy to counter their opponents by offering their 200 ml at a mere price of Rs 8 thus sending a clear message to its competitors’ that advertisement alone won’t be enough to grab the market and gain huge profit. Thus under these scenario it would be not a great marketing moves on part of Pepsi to take such a huge bet on IPL.

markathon | june 2013

“We must look into its long term benefits. Then only we can call it a Sachin’s stroke, i.e. a ‘Masterstroke’ in the field of marketing” marketingmarketing

“Betting 160 crore on the million dollar cricket league of India is a great risk taking gamble in context to the current scenario”

war zone | eye 2 eye

Miscalculated Mayhem, this is what most of us must be conceiving regarding Pepsi’s 160 crore IPL bet. But in-spite of thinking short term, we must look into its long term benefits. Then only we can call it a Sachin’s stroke, i.e. a ‘Masterstroke’ in the field of marketing. PepsiCo is building Saurabh Kumar 360 degree fan salience by taking it to the next level. NIRMA University There’s a strong correlation between salience and consumption. Numbers suggest that there are around 200 million people who engage with the IPL. Moreover, India is a country with huge growth opportunity, as currently it is a very low per-capita consumption market for beverages. It can be said that the plan is to go beyond advertising. Smartening up the pitch, creating 500-ml 'fan' cans, Pepsi Tweet20 tournament on Twitter, Can-shaped player dug-outs, 3D pitch mats, a remixed horn, a count-down timer, a new beverage, and much more are implemented.

“I know there are critics talking about our acquisition, but PepsiCo is a sports marketer, we've always been sports marketers. The expertise is built into the system, and we do know how to leverage sports.” ~DeepikaWarrier, VP — beverage marketing, PepsiCo

If we talk about the numbers, then as compared to last year, PepsiCo is spending 25% more this summer across brands. This is because of the reason that a good 50% of volumes come in the April to June months itself. Besides Pepsi, other products like 7Up, Mountain Dew, Gatorade and Lays are also being activated. Pouring rights has given immense opportunity to do regional marketing. 7Up is a very strong brand in the South. Hence, the company is activating it with the Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore teams. For Mountain Dew, which is very big brand in the North, alignment with the Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi teams is done.

Topic for the next issue Eye to Eye: “IPhone Mini: Market Penetration or Brand Dilution?”

Your opinion (view/counterview) is invited. Word limit is 250-300. Last date of sending entries is 20th June, 2013. Include your picture (JPEG format) with the entry.

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markathon | june 2013

war zone | silent voice

Silent Voice

LAST MONTH’S RESULTS Theme: “Sleepwell Mattresses”

WINNER: Pulkit Kohli and Ankur Baj Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai Congratulations!!! Pulkit and Ankur receive a cash prize of Rs 500!

Sakshi Goyal | NIRMA University

NEXT THEME FOR SILENT VOICE: “NJOY e-cigarette” LAST DATE OF SENDING THE PRINT AD: 20th June, 2013 EMAIL ID: markathon.iims@gmail.com Send your entry in JPEG format named as SilentVoice_<Your Name>_<Institute>only.

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specials | ADdicted

markathon | june 2013

Ad-dicted Swikruti panda | iim s

Sushree tripathy | IIM S

PRODUCT: Mc-Donald's McEgg

PRODUCT: Coca Cola

POSITIONING: “An all steamed wholesome meal”

POSITIONING: “Coca Cola Small World MachinesBringing India & Pakistan Together”

CREATIVE AGENCY: Leo Burnett, India

CREATIVE AGENCY: Leo Burnett, India YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embe dded&v=LLWNIqTBF5U

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts_4vOUDImE

CONCEPT:

CONCEPT:

The ad has been designed to launch a new product McEgg Burger targeting a major segment of Indians who are not non-vegetarians but do not mind egg i.e.

Eggitarians. The ad shows the after-effects of eating a McEgg burger. People in different settings take a bite of the McEgg burger and then start squawking like a chicken to their astonishment. In a shot a girl starts clucking all of a sudden sitting in a McDonald's outlet. In following shots a sleeping girl wakes up to a fellow passenger's squawking; pak-paka noise keeps arising in various settings likewise. Then in a luscious manner the steamed egg is shown going in with mayo and spices to make the McEgg.

Addressing one of the most infamous political hostilities in the world, Coca Cola came out with a 3 minute ad on YouTube, embracing the digital medium. The video shows the events that followed when the brand put up a live communications portal equipped with webcams & touchscreen, which also served as vending machines, in different cities of India & Pakistan. Passers-by were encouraged to interact with strangers across the national border by simply joining hands, waving, dancing, and making peace signs through the screens, at the end of which the vending machine dispensed cans of Coke. The machines named ‘Coca Cola Small World Machines’ were meant to bring Pakistan & India together saying “what unites us is stronger than what sets us apart”.

VERDICT: Catch/Miss- Miss

VERDICT:

No doubt that the sound effects of the squawking chicken register well in the minds of the target audience.

But too much of it in the ad makes it look like the launch of just another variant in the menu as typical variants of fries were launched making a lot of noise as there was little new to show about the product. McEgg is a new complete product in itself that can capture the huge eggitarian sect of Indian population. There is more to the product that just egg, i.e it is a steamed healthy wholesome meal. In the rising health conscious nation missing out on this factor may cost merry. The new supply chain established which is very picky in selecting only one in every three eggs should also have been highlighted in the ad. Overall I give it a "not half bad".

Catch/Miss- Catch Yet another novel initiative from Coca Cola, the video evokes heartwarming and emotional reactions in the viewer implying how people can overcome differences and come together in a simple act of joy. It scores high on execution as the Small World Machines are a technological marvel to watch as well as the production induces a warm & fuzzy feel. The result is extremely moving and has a high entertainment value which makes it much more effective than a hard-sell product spot.

Besides, Coca Cola’s intention of changing some hearts in Pakistan, where Pepsi is the leading player, is subtly and smartly weaved into the ad. Here’s hoping the ad does ‘open happiness’ for the two countries as well as the brand alike.

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cover story | specials | brand story

markathon|month markathon|june 2013

BRAND STORY: DETTOL SHASHANK TOMAR | IIM S A near Rs. 1000 Crore brand, available in over 20 Lac outlets across India, Dettol is the brand synonymous with Antiseptic Liquid for the Indian consumer. The rich heritage of the brand is apparent by the fact that it has featured consistently in ET Brand Equity’s list of Most Trusted Brands since the year 2000.

Dettol Liquid Hand Wash was launched in 1994. One of the biggest innovations by Dettol has taken place in this category in the form of Dettol No-Touch Hand Wash, which had a soap dispenser automatically pumping out soap without making contact with the pump.

Dettol was launched in 1933 in India as an antiseptic liquid to be used for disinfecting purposes in hospitals.

However, the brand began to be used by the common masses for variety of hygiene related purposes. The positioning of the brand has mainly been functionalas a brand used to eliminate germs and bacteria, with less stress on sensory benefits. It’s characteristic smell, the symbol of Sword on the white and green pack and the clouding action of mixing Dettol with water have been deeply embedded in the consumer’s cognitive system.

The Dettol brand was extended into home-care category with the latest launch of Dettol Healthy Kitchen Gel, a multi-purpose gel to clean utensils as well as kitchen surfaces to ensure a safe and germfree kitchen. The product has been under fire from the category leader Vim, which took up the ante by directly taking pot-shots at Dettol for being a harsh anti-septic unfit for usage in the kitchen.

The brand capitalized on heightened personal hygiene concerns of its TG (urban affluent consumers) and successfully transitioned from a ‘cuts and wounds’ brand to a ‘germ protector’ by entering several other categories of personal hygiene such as soaps, shower gels, shaving creams, hand wash, sanitizers and prickly heat powders.

Dettol forayed into the soap category, which commands 88% share of Indian Personal Care market, with Dettol Original Soap offering a value proposition of ‘mild and gentle skincare’. Successively, Dettol Skincare (moisturising) and Dettol Total Protection (refreshing) were launched to target consumers seeking sensorial benefits. The usage of Dettol soaps was found to be highly seasonal with consumers using it only during summer and monsoon seasons. Thus, an educative nation-wide campaign was launched, showing instances of germ pick-up in every season, which helped in giving a huge push to sales in 2007.

Dettol’s communication strategy has always centred on being the mother’s best friend in helping her keep the family secure and safe, by evoking positive imageries of health and protection. ‘Aapka Dettol Kya-Kya Karta Hai’ campaign was launched in 2008, showcasing Dettol as being the first product to be used by the consumer wherever and whenever disinfection was required. Another major campaign ‘Dettol Surakshit Parivar’ was launched for on-ground consumer contact program to educate mothers and school-children about best hygiene practices. Though Dettol has been reasonably good in broadcast media, it is yet to do anything prominent in the social media.

It will be worthwhile watching Dettol, a brand that stood firm in the face of competition from the likes of Savlon, take on the biggies like Vim and Lifebuoy.

Time will test if the Indian consumer will ‘Be 100% sure’ of Dettol as a home-care brand.

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specials | Fun Corner

markathon|february markathon|june 2013

Fun corner KAMAL SALUJA | IIM S

IDENTIFY THE BRAND The past few years have seen top brands coming out with powerful digital marketing campaigns.

Although most top Indian brands are still banking on conventional television marketing campaigns, it will be interesting to see when and how Indian brands come up with new digital marketing ideas.

Below are some of the most innovative and successful digital marketing campaigns seen in recent years. Identify the brands behind these campaigns. After you have answered the questions, watch the YouTube links and have fun. .

1. This automobile brand targeted women in the UK for doing their makeup while driving. The campaign was used for an important cause and the video’s shock value caught people’ attention and incited them to share the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMFqSjjnte0

2. This brand gave people the possibility to offer its product to anyone in the world via its mobile app. Then, it filmed the effect and positive associations created with the brand. Even though this campaign could have been carried out using a classical website, the mobile app was a smart use of technology that reinforced the brand’s sense of purpose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Z-GevoYB8

3. This brand created a new interactive YouTube channel where people could ask anything and get a response in video form. This transparent position for the global brand piqued people’s curiosity and reassured people who were wary of the brand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSd0keSj2W8

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specials | Fun Corner

markathon|february markathon|june 2013

4. This sports-centric brand combined a digital campaign with the launch of an entirely new category of products. In doing so, it broadened its value proposition by becoming a health partner and devised a manner to access data that will allow the brand to better address its customers in the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG0vLFFtZDs

5. This American cable television channel in its digital campaign to enter the European market created a real-life action scene and filmed it. The element of surprise made viewers share the video, which became the third most shared ad in the digital advertising world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw

6. Through its sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics, this brand was able to push an emotional tribute to mothers worldwide in its powerful digital campaign. The campaign was launched on Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day and subtitled in various languages to extend its reach. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVGlrs2K2ow

7. This brand in its digital campaign used an FBI-trained sketch artist to draw women first based on their own self-perception and then based on that of a stranger. The campaign elicited a strong emotional response from viewers, making it the most viral ad video of all time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk

1) Volkswagen 2) Coca Cola 3) McDonalds 4) Nike

5) TNT 6) Proctor and Gamble 7) Dove Answers

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markathon | june 2013

specials | updates

By Prateek | IIM-S

BRAND LAUNCH

of its 100 launch units being pre-booked, it might be on its road to glory.

Empower the youth with MPower says Philips

Luxury has a new address: Vertu TI The super-premium segment of phones got a new member with Vertu, founded by Nokia, introducing the TI segment phones to its arsenal. The phone boast of fine titanium craftsmanship and has a ruby key for concierge services. The phone which is flaunted by celebrities like Madonna and David Bekham is bound to leave of poorer by more than Rs. 600000.

Product Portfolio and consumer base expansion were the pivotal goal for Philips in its bid to launch the MPower series of grooming tools for men. The series features ’Play’- a trimmer which is targeted at 15 year old plus. The company has tied up with MTV to come up with MPower pack to attract the young audience and establish itself as a youthful brand.

Tata Home Loans paints ‘Dream City’

Enjoy the ride with Chevrolet Enjoy The MPV auto segment is bound to witness another price war with competition heating up after the launch of GM’s latest avatar, the Chevrolet Enjoy. With this, GM plans to go head on with Toyota’s Innova and Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga. The MPV which is offered in 7 seater and 8 seater variants is launched in the price range of Rs. 5.49 lakhs and Rs. 6.69 lakhs for the petrol and diesel variant respectively.

Battle the heat with Rasna Ju-C

Consumer engagement saw a new high with Tata Home loans encouraging artists from Mumbai to paint the city walls with their sublime creations. Apart from being a strong branding exercise, the themes on display presented an array of strong social messages like anticorruption and eco awareness and were the talking point on social networking sites.

MEDIA Mentos Batti Jalao riddle 2.0

It’s time to juice up the ready to drink beverage segment with fruit drink concentrate maker Rasna entering the juice bandwagon. The company launched its juices in four flavors namely Mango, Apple, Orange and Mixed to spice up the Rs. 5000 crore juice segment in the country and pose tougher challenge to the established organized brands like Real and Tropicana.

BRAND WATCH Merc moves on from ‘classy’ to ‘youthful’ In a bid to diversify from being a status symbol to being the fantasy of the youth, the German luxury car maker has come up with its new SUV series- the GL Class. The car bears a sporty look which is typical for an SUV and plans to become a hot favorite with the youth. With all

After the success of ‘Batti Jalao Murder Mystery’, Perfetti Van Melle is all set to launch the second avatar.

The first version creatively engaged consumers giving away weekly prizes of Rs. 1 lakh and encouraging them to come up with innovative solutions. The successor aims to take the mystery one notch above keeping the consumers glued to the brand.

Drive home a Nano via MTV The Nano Drive with MTV is back and promises unlimited fun on the run. The campaign started by Nano to connect with the youth via facebook, twitter and other social media platforms like pinterest and instagram in its second avatar promises unlimited fun and travel across the country. Nano with this initiative hopes to ail its falling brand image and lift its consumer base by associating itself with a youthful brand like MTV.

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markathon | june 2013

specials | updates

AD Watch Pepsi Atom-The Josh Cola With mercury soaring and demand for cola drinks being at an all-time high, it’s time to bring back the Cola Wars.

Pepsi launched its competitor to Thumbs Up in form of Pepsi Atom with the positioning “Kuch Akalmand Karte hain” taking a dig at the number one selling cola brand in the country. Though the ad could have been made interesting, focusing on ridiculing the competitor does not seem to impress a lot of crowd and the ad has received a pale response.

with another masterstroke. Their latest ad trying to strike a bond between the common people of India and Pakistan is a beautiful initiative to strengthen the relationships between the people of arch rivals and the moment is celebrated with a coca cola. Hats off Coke!!!!

Youtube Linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts_4vOUDImE

Shaadi.com

Coca Cola- Small World Machine

The marriage season is in its full swing. And to cash in on the trend, Shaadi.com has come up with its new ad.

The ad conveys the emotion of love and captures the understanding gained by the couple over the years of marriage. The ad ends with the tagline “Come find love, arranged by Shaadi.com” which conveys the meaning effectively. Overall, a nice take by JWT.

Coke does it again. Every time you think this is the best campaign ever, they prove you wrong and come out

Youtube Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9rQWFVF00

Youtube Linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0aOGRJjmi8

Articles are invited “Best Article”: Sudheer GV | IIM Kozhikode They receive a cash prize of Rs.1000 & a letter of appreciation We are inviting articles from all the B-schools of India. The articles can be specific to the regular sections of Markathon which includes:  Perspective: Articles related to development of latest trends in marketing arena.  Productolysis: Analysis of a product from the point of view of marketing.  Strategic Analysis: A complete analysis of the marketing strategy of any company or an event.

Apart from above, out of the box views related to marketing are also welcome. The best entry will receive a letter of appreciation and a cash prize of Rs 1000/-. The format of the file should be MS Word doc/docx.

We’re inviting photographs of interesting promotional events/advertisements/hoardings/banners etc. you might have come across in your daily life for our new section “The 4th P”.

Send your self-clicked photographs in JPEG format only.

The last date of receiving all entries is 20th June, 2013. Please send your entries marked as <ARTICLE NAME>_<SENDERS’ NAMES>_<INSTITUTE> to markathon.iims@gmail.com.

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markathon | june 2013

Credits: Arnab Saha

picturepage

Credits: Tarun Gupta

Main building of IIM Shillong

Abode of Clouds, Meghalaya 29

Please send in your comments/feedback to: markathon.iims@gmail.com Visit: www.iims-markathon.in

Š Team Markathon, IIM Shillong