E-COMMERCE PAIRING OFF Why Do Marketers Give E-Commerce Platforms Exclusive Rights to Sell Their Products?

December 1-15, 2014 Volume 3, Issue 13 `100

E-COMMERCE PAIRING OFF Why do marketers give e-commerce platforms exclusive rights to sell their products?

24 28 6 PLUS GOAFEST 2015 The Fest is Back 6

HANDLOOM PICTURE COMPANY Pause For Peace 10 GODREJ EZEE 26 DEFINING MOMENTS INTERVIEW JIYO PARSI A Warm Winter Kartik Sharma Pallavi Singh Parsi Progeny INDIAMART The Maxus Asia MD goes How Harley-Davidson found A campaign that urges Parsis candid on his career. its core market in India. to have babies. Going Mass 27

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This fortnight... Volume 3, Issue 13 uman nature is a funny thing. At one level, we want to belong to a group EDITOR Hand be like the others. And yet, we want to simultaneously stand out and be Sreekant Khandekar December 1-15, 2014 Volume 3, Issue 13 `100 someone special. That’s where ‘exclusivity’ comes in. PUBLISHER E-COMMERCE Prasanna Singh PAIRING OFF Having figured this out, marketers are happy to slap ‘Exclusive’ on the most Why do marketers give e-commerce platforms DEPUTY EDITOR exclusive rights to sell their products? inclusive of situations – basically, on pretty much anything. The burden for making Ashwini Gangal the word entirely non-exclusive lies, above all, with the television business. In India SENIOR LAYOUT ARTIST it is believed that unless the descriptor is flung at every other news item, a channel Vinay Dominic is not doing its job. Even reworded press releases now qualify. PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE Andrias Kisku A distant second is the real estate business. Nothing is worth buying unless it ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES is – you guessed it – ‘Exclusive’. So, flat upon flat, in large and empty, featureless Naveen Arora 20 (0120) 4077803, 4077866 suburban blocks are trumpeted as being rare and Exclusive. The only way one Noida 24 28 6 PLUS GOAFEST 2015 can defend use of the word is by arguing that since a family will buy one flat, that The Fest is Back 6 Pradeep Hegde HANDLOOM PICTURE COMPANY Pause For Peace 10 (022) 40429702-5 GODREJ EZEE particular flat is surely exclusive to that family. I have wracked my brain and can’t A Warm Winter 26 DEFINING MOMENTS INTERVIEW JIYO PARSI Mumbai Kartik Sharma Pallavi Singh Parsi Progeny INDIAMART The Maxus Asia MD goes How Harley-Davidson found A campaign that urges Parsis candid on his career. its core market in India. to have babies. Going Mass 27 offer a better explanation. [email protected] Now, the word is about to be rescued from eternal disrepute thanks entirely to MARKETING OFFICE e-commerce portals. There has been a rash of deals in 2014 which can rightly be B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. called Exclusive. When even a soft drink (Coke Zero) and a burger (Burger King) tie up with online players, Tel: (0120) 4077800. you know it is a big trend. MUMBAI 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, Just as brands are trying to stand out, e-commerce sites want to be in the news in a relevant way. A unique Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), brand tie-up is just the thing to draw a consumer’s attention – and if the brand or the product is seriously hot, it Mumbai - 400050 Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 might even tempt first-timers to the portal. SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES An online tie-up is especially tempting for brands which are not strong on ground distribution. Besides, Akhilesh Singh (0120) 4077837 there have been a couple of stupendous successes online. The most striking, Motorola: it has become a major [email protected] smartphone player in India by selling a claimed 3 million handsets on Flipkart alone. Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and The question now is how far into other product categories this tie-up game can expand – and whether the Printed and published by Prasanna Singh, fundamental logic will survive the initial excitement. Lastly, it will be worth watching how marketers manage at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, to soothe the ruffled feathers of the traditional distribution network. New Delhi-110 063.

Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-61, Sector 67, Noida (U.P.), 201301 Sreekant Khandekar Cover Illustration [email protected] Vinay Dominic CONTENTS 8 26 22

TOI-HE DEO Smell of ‘HE’ MTV ROADIES When The Times of India was turned into a A New Jury fragrant newspaper. Raghu-Rajiv part ways with the show. AMAZON KINDLE PLUS The Face URZZA Model Varun Mitra on being the face of various brands. Beyond 140 8

CAMPAIGN TRAIL SONY PIX 22 14 25 A School of BONDing FOODPANDA BRITISH AIRWAYS New Ads 12 The Bond Franchise makes The Food Police Welcoming Expats MOVEMENTS its way to TV Screens on the The online food ordering An emotional take on English movie channel. platform goes mass. expatriates returning home. People Movements 30

afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014 5 $'9(57,6,1* JIYO PARSI All For Parsi Progeny In a recently released print campaign, Sam Balsara’s Madison BMB humorously urges Parsis to get married and have children. By Sohini Sen

hile India’s population grows expo- nentially, the numerical strength of the WParsi community dwindles. To arrest this decline, Parzor Foundation, with a little help from Bombay Parsi Panchayat and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, has come up with a print campaign that, quite simply, urges Parsis to get married and have children. Parzor Foundation is a ago, around 1,000 Parsis used to live. But now they Delhi-based NGO that works towards preserving are just deserted villages. The whole point of the Zoroastrian heritage. Madison BMB is the crea- campaign is not about marriage; instead, it is about tive agency behind this humour-laden effort, titled having more children, because that can keep the ‘Jiyo Parsi’. population stable.” This campaign attributes the dwindling num- At present, the campaign is running across Parsi bers of the Parsi community to four main factors, publications. With the help of the DAVP Ministry which are, an increasing preference for staying of Minority Affairs, it may get extended to main- single, for marrying late, and for having only one “Instead of line print media in the days to come. child, and, of course, to infertility. While the cam- While the issue, it is based on, is a serious one, paign speaks about each of these reasons, it focuses making it just the campaign itself is humorous, even satirical on in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) for which the gov- about IVF, we at times, staying true to the famed ‘Parsi nature’. ernment is offering ﬁnancial help to members of focussed on the According to Raj Nair, chief creative ofﬁcer, the community, under the Jiyo Parsi scheme. Madison BMB, the idea behind the creative was “The Parsi community in India has gone from declining Parsi simple - leverage the “Parsi sense of humour” to 1,14,000 people in 1941 to just 61,000 people in population.” address the problem at hand. 2001. And more disturbingly, for every 800 deaths SAM BALSARA

there are only 200 births in the community. We FOTOCORP TICKLED? thought, instead of making it just about IVF, we ays Swapan Seth, CEO, Equus Red Cell, a should talk about the entire issue, about the way SWPP-owned advertising agency, “I think it the entire Parsi population is on the decline,” “The idea was is based on fundamental insights into the com- explains Sam Balsara, chairperson and managing to leverage the munity. That is what makes it incredibly real and director, Madison World. Parsi sense of effective. It is laced with self-deprecating humour. Just to put this into perspective, recall that Overall, a glorious effort.” India’s population reached a billion in 2001 and humour and Partho Sinha, creative head, DigitasLBi, Publicis is likely to surpass that of China by 2025. “While address the Groupe-owned digital marketing and technology doing our research,” explains Shernaz Cama, agency, feels the use of condoms should not have director of the UNESCO Parzor Project, “we problem.” been discouraged by this campaign. came across some places where, hundred years RAJ NAIR [email protected] FOTOCORP

GOAFEST 2015 The Fest is Back Nakul Chopra will chair the fest while Pratap Bose will chair the Awards Governing Council. News Bureau

he dates for Goafest 2015 has been South Asia and vice president of The Advertising announced by the Goafest Committee. In Agencies Association of India (AAAI) will be Tits 10th edition, the deﬁnitive awards for the chairman of Goafest 2015 and Pratap Bose, Chopra (L) and Bose: responsibilities India’s creative industry, will be held on April 9, president of The Advertising Club will be the Promo Activation and PR. JWT clearly ruled the 10 and 11, 2015. chairman of the Awards Governing Council. creative Abbys this year, with 40 metals - including The venue for the event once again will be Goafest, which was held in late May this year, one Grand Prix and 5 golds. Taproot won 29 Grand Hyatt, Bambolim and the Abbys will be was designed around the theme ‘Brand, Baaja, metals while Digital Law & Kenneth and Alok given out on all three days. The Committee has Baaraat’ for its 9th edition. More importantly, two Nanda & Company bagged a Grand Prix each. also announced that Nakul Chopra, CE0, Publicis new categories were introduced in the Abbys - [email protected]

6 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

$'9(57,6,1* AMAZON KINDLE URZZA The Face Beyond 140 Varun Mitra speaks on his The brand has managed to acting career and his experience generate the longest tweet shooting for Amazon Kindle’s ever. News Bureau maiden campaign in India. witter users have always been confined By Sohini Sen to share their thoughts within 140 char- Tacters. But someone finally managed to eading a book often changes one’s life. But break free. Urzza, the latest entrant in the energy can reading on a Kindle do that to you? For drinks category from the Bisleri International’s RVarun Mitra, it might just happen, for his stable has managed to generate, what it calls the is the unassuming face one sees in the recently longest tweet ever. released ad film by Amazon Kindle. The world’s longest tweet of 652 characters Varun Mitra, who grew up in Delhi, has was made from the Urzza’s Twitter handle. The always been fond of travelling. During his brand has also challenged its followers to try it B.Com days at Delhi University, modeling themselves using the hash tag #urzzapower. slowly emerged as a hobby. Over the next four There are prizes to be won for the most elec- years Mitra got busy with work, first at a buying trifying tweets – Urzza power banks for mobile. agency and then, an export house but like they The brand is also giving away shopping vouch- say, you have got to be brave to follow your ers for just retweeting their longest tweet. dreams. Somewhere along the way, he decided Mitra: the brand-face With this campaign, Urzza Power has managed to create a connect with its target segment - the Twitter-savvy regular urban youngster, also showcasing the brand Urzza’s electrifying effect. Launched this September, Urzza had also launched a TV campaign to connect to its consumers. Executed by Soho Square, the TV campaign hovers around the idea that a can of Urzza coupled with street smartness can impress anyone. The campaign premise comprises two men and an attractive women chilling

that modeling - and acting in movies - is his short film for clothing brand Free People, called calling. ‘Rangeen’, had him share screen space with “One fine day, I quit my job and moved to Freida Pinto as well. Mumbai to see how it would be. The plan was Soon he got an offer from NDTV to host a to stay for two weeks. But then a friend had me show he auditioned for, called ‘Two for the Road’, photographed and before I knew it, Kwan (a well an auto and travel show which explores a city known talent management agency) signed me on,” through its automobile culture. This was followed he recalls. by ‘Great Drives’, another show on NDTV spon- While he auditioned for several shows, adver- sored by Tata Safari, where ten day road trip took tising and modeling assignments landed in his him across India. kitty. Among these, you may remember him as ‘the boy who helps Katrina Kaif take off her watch’ THE KINDLE EXPERIENCE... in a Titan ad. He also appeared in ads for brands he Kindle film happened when the produc- like Nissan Sunny, Raymond, Tommy Hilfiger Ttion house (Equinox Films) recommended around a swimming pool. While one of them and Samsung. Mitra’s name to the casting director, Kanika Berry. chooses to woo her with his overt masculinity, Mitra has also been part of Wills India An audition and four days later, he was on his way the other calmly sips the drink and uses his tact Fashion Week and other such ramp shows. A to Sri Lanka for the shoot. to impress the lady. “During the audition, they did not ask me to act The beverage is mainly targeted at the or read out from books. I had to tell a story, and upwardly mobile youth and will be available in “During so I went and told them a very warped version of 250 ml cans and 300 ml bottles, both priced at Aladdin! I guess they wanted to see how I would `50. Bisleri manufactures Urzza at seven loca- the audition, narrate a story to the kids,” he laughs. tions in the country, five at its own units and Going by the on-screen rapport he shares with two at third party manufacturer, and distribute I told a the kids, it sure appears as though he managed to it through its existing network. win them over. All of them are Sri Lankan natives Bisleri currently enjoys 60 per cent share of warped from the village of Kalpitiya. Post the Kindle ad, the organised mineral water category with an version of Mitra has received several offers to model for annual sales of 1,000 million units, which is brands. He turned most of them down because he growing at 26 per cent every year. The company Aladdin.” is busy shooting for a movie. covers a retail base of more than 5 lakh outlets. [email protected] [email protected]

8 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

$'9(57,6,1* HANDLOOM PICTURE COMPANY Pause For Peace Ram Subramanian’s ad film production house Handloom Picture Company is back with yet another eye-catching film. This time, it’s about the ever-sensitive Indo-Pak issue. By Sohini Sen

screen at 2:54 on the timeline. One has to pause the film at that second, to read it - an act that ties back to the name of the film. Alongside the text is a giant ‘pause’ sign (two vertical lines). Subramanian and team took a day to shoot each of these three films. A self-confessed perfectionist, he made sure the actor (Sumeet Thakur) rehearsed for at least two months, each time around, before shooting. For ‘Unmute’, Handloom availed the services of several voice-over artists, though the video featured only Thakur; the process involved a fair amount of recording and re-recording. For ‘Pause’, Thakur was made to bend down slowly, as required by the script; then, that shot fter all that’s already been said about was further slowed down with the help of what the ongoing tension between India and ad film makers refer to as “high-speed shots”. APakistan, what more can a creative profes- ‘Mute’ and ‘Unmute’ were shot in a single take, sional say or do to make onlookers stop and take but ‘Pause’, though it appears to have been, was note? not. In fact, it was created by fusing several short The founder and director of Handloom Picture films together. Company, an ad film production house, has Subramanian plans on making a fourth film, written and directed a three minute-long film to take the series ahead. Along the way, if a brand that speaks to a certain ‘Iqbal Bhai’, a resident of decides to align itself to his cause, he would be Pakistan. happy to steer things in that direction, we learn. Titled ‘Pause’ - one starts to see the significance of the name around 40 seconds into the film - it PAUSING FOR EFFECT? urges citizens on both sides of the border to azneesh Ghai (Razy), founder and director, engage in healthy conversation with one another. RAsylum Films, an ad film production house, After all, the day to day ups and downs in the life of the common man on both sides are very similar. Interestingly, the film has generated quite the “This was a buzz on Twitter with its hashtag #DearNeighbour, topic I always among both, Indian and Pakistani users of the social media site. wanted to speak In fact, few youngsters from Pakistan have about. And now responded to the film with monologues of their own, something Subramanian calls ‘velfies’ or was the right video selfies (including one by Indian actress Huma time.” Qureshi). Also part of this campaign is a Facebook RAM SUBRAMANIAN

page titled ‘Dear Neighbour Movement’. FOTOCORP “I made this video, after my previous ones, ‘Mute’ and ‘Unmute’, received good reviews The film has generated really likes the actor’s performance in the previous from viewers. This was a topic I always wanted to films. He appreciates Thakur’s performance in this speak about. And now was the right time, with the quite a buzz on Twitter, one as well. “What stood out in this film,” he says, internet and mobile platforms letting us speak out commenting on the direction, “was the technique freely. Did I think it would turn into a movement? among both Indian and used. Ram (Subramanian) has used the ‘third thea- No. But this is now taking up most of my time,” tre technique’ brilliantly. It stands out.” says Subramanian. Pakistani users. In the third theatre form, actors establish a Of the previous two films, ‘Mute’ was released called ‘Unmute’. Released in May this year - a direct communication link with the audience, in January this year. The film was his way of pro- few days before the swearing-in ceremony of our through a monologue. Hozefa Alibhai (Hozi), testing against all the shortcomings of our society, current Prime Minister Narendra Modi - the film founder and producer, Puppet Pictures (a film and simultaneously asking people to come out has been viewed over a million times on YouTube. production house he runs along with ad film and vote in order to set The film congratulated Modi and conveyed the maker Naren Multani), feels the thought-process things right. The video was wishes and hopes of the Indian people to him. The that went into the film is “an evolved one.” shortlisted for a Film Lion common thread that runs through these two films “At least someone from the advertising indus- in the ‘Public Awareness and the current one is the plea for peace. try is doing something about it, without thinking Messages’ sub-category at “I was heavily inspired by Chuck Lorre about making money. Though it has garnered Cannes this year. Productions, which always end with a vanity-card momentum overseas, I do not see too many people Soon after, from Lorre, wherein he speaks about random viewing or sharing it in India. That needs to start Subramanian followed things that hold meaning for him. I had more to happening,” he says, noting the support the film it up with another topi- say even after the ‘Pause’ film,” adds Subramanian, has been receiving from across the border. cal and hard-hitting film referring to the written text that appears on the [email protected]

10 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

35(6(176 &$03$,*175$,/ New campaigns across television, print, out-of-home and digital media. TELEVISION

RUCHI SOYA SMIRNOFF VAT 69 The objective of the new TVC is to highlight the necessity The TVC follows four out-to-be-noticed young men and The TVC salutes those distinctive people who found and importance of being fit and healthy. The product is women who end up at a real party where they discover their ‘Eureka’ moment from an unnoticed or a missed being promoted through an interesting tagline which is that real fun can be far more enjoyable when it is sans any opportunity. It represents that genius who is proficient in-sync with the brand’s positioning – ‘‘Fit hai toh Future pretence and without the pressures of people judging them. enough to innovate rather than invent! The ad pays hai.’’ respect to the ONE great mind who discovered the use of an elastic band for a bowtie while other men got tied up in knots.

Creative Agency: Orchard Advertising Creative Agency: McCann Mumbai Creative Agency: BBH India PRINT MTV MTV has released a set of three advertisements as a part of ‘Sex is no accident’ campaign to promote the usage of condoms among the people. The campaign AMUL was run in major The dairy cooperative on November 26 celebrated the newspapers across birthday of its founder Dr Verghese Kurien. It released HARRISONS FURNISHING the country. ads in the national papers to commemorate the day. The The brand has released a set of several print brand also announced that it would celebrate the day advertisements in national newspapers to promote its from now on as National Milk Day. furnishing range and create buzz around it.

C CCreative Agency: DaCunha Communications Creative Agency: Adworth Media OOH DIGITAL

GIRNAR TEA ZEE KHANA KHAZANA SPRITE The tea brand has launched a campaign to create buzz The channel is currently doing an on-ground activity The brand partnered with a music group from Delhi to in various neighborhoods of Mumbai. It uses two sets across Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and recreate the magic of AR Rahman’s famous composition of creatives with a male and a female protagonist. The Mumbai to reach out to their target audience, urban ‘Yeh Haseen Vadiyaan’ from the movie Roja, in a way that campaign tag line says - ‘My Chai, My Time’. females between the age of 25 – 44 years. The activation one couldn’t have possibly imagined. Armed with glasses, is more like a contest where women have to participate bottles and sticks, the group aptly call themselves ‘The by showcasing their culinary skills. Glass Orchestra’.

Creative Agency: Global Advertisers Creative Agency: Gravity CCreative Agency: The Glass Orchestra

Got some great campaign that has been published recently? Upload it on afaqs! for the world to see. Visit: www.afaqs.com/advertising/creative_showcase

12 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

',*,7$/ FOODPANDA The Food Police The food ordering website goes mass. By Satrajit Sen

e all know how much Po, the ador- able panda last seen in Kung Fu Panda W2, loves his food. Now, we can’t help but think of him when we see the new TVCs by Foodpanda.in, an online food ordering platform. In one of the ﬁlms, a giant panda is shown keeping tabs on whether the toppings on a pizza are generously placed, and in the other, he checks on the temperature of the food being delivered as well as on the punctuality and appearance of the deliveryman. The campaign has been created by Cheil India. The message is - If Foodpanda likes it, you will love it. The brand promises its customers that eateries listed on the portal have been pre- screened thoroughly. The TVCs will stay on air till December

adds, serves to “achieve a light-hearted cheerful- 2012 under the brand Hellofood. ness which one easily associates with wholesome, FoodPanda competes with online food order- hot food delivered to one’s doorstep.” ing services like JustEat.in, which launched its services in India by acquiring HungryZone, few THE MENU years back. Foodpanda also shares some territory art of the Rocket Internet Group, Foodpanda. with brands like Zomato and Burrp, although all Pin was launched in India in 2012. Here’s three offer different services. how it works: Foodpanda has tie-ups with restaurants/eateries that do home deliveries. Orders RIGHT INGREDIENTS? placed through the portal are processed by team ill people think of Foodpanda the next time Foodpanda and are subsequently fulfilled by the Wthey think of ordering food? 21. The media mix also includes restaurant in question. FoodPanda RP Singh, chief executive officer, Sirez Group, print, outdoor and cinema ads. earns its revenue by charging the a digital marketing company, feels the ads are The campaign is targeted at those restaurant a fee/commission for based on an effective insight. “The films,” he who are constantly looking for every successful order placed gathers, “try to capture the role of Foodpanda in newer and easier ways to order through the platform. ensuring timely delivery of quality food. But the quality food across India. At present, Foodpanda cov- execution lacks appeal. The same message could Rohit Chadda, manag- ers restaurants across 100 cities have been conveyed in a more interesting way.” ing director and co-founder, in India. The brand has part- Having used the service himself, Singh gives a Foodpanda.in, says the compa- nered with over 4,000 restaurants, thumbs-up to the site. “The segment is currently ny’s research suggests that people including the likes of Pizza Hut, lucrative and has scope for more than a few play- are very particular about the qual- Subway, Domino’s, Nirula’s, ers given the geographical layout of the country. ity of the food they order online. Maroosh, Faaso’s and Baskin Metros will be the main market for all these play- “Hence, we thought of using Robbins. ers, and tier II cities that are ‘ready’ can help make our brand mascot, the panda, to By the end of this fiscal, it an even larger segment,” he says. demonstrate to the viewers that Foodpanda aims to have a market However, Foodpanda’s Chadda doesn’t feel reliability and credibility are our share of up to 10 per cent of the his site and Zomato are fighting for space in the core brand values,” he tells afaqs!, food-ordering market, a segment same segment. “Zomato is a pure content play adding, as an aside, “Besides, food that is expected to grow to `6,000 whereas we are transactional. Zomato’s service is is very close to everyone’s heart; crore by 2017. restricted to providing the menu and the phone the ads are meant to generate Early this year, the company number; it doesn’t go beyond that. We have an recall for Foodpanda whenever raised $20 million in funding, added step through which people can order. So people think of food.” from Phenomen Ventures, a I think our business models are very different,” According to Nima Namchu, Russia-based venture capital firm, he clarifies. chief creative officer, Cheil India, and a group of other investors. Sure, Chadda concedes that when it comes to the objective of the campaign Globally, the company is pre- food in general, Zomato enjoys enviable brand is to convey “the pleasure that sent in over 40 countries across recall. “They have been around for a while,” he Foodpanda’s services bring into Europe, Asia, the Middle East, says, adding, “However, with this mass campaign, the lives of its users.” The mas- Africa and Latin America. The we want to position ourselves as the go-to-brand cot’s “happy dance”, seen towards group has been operating in the for ordering food online.” the end of each commercial, he Chadda (top) and Namchu: Mexican market since December [email protected] foodies

14 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

E-COMMERCE VINAY DOMINIC 3$,5,1*2)) Why do marketers give e-commerce platforms exclusive rights to sell their products? By Satrajit Sen

he world of e-commerce has given the smartphone maker in India. In August, Flipkart over 1,200 Whoppers on eBay.in just days ahead of word ‘exclusive’ an all new meaning. also launched mobile phones made by Xiaomi, a its physical store launch in New Delhi. More and more brands, across partnership that resulted in the sale of over 240,000 The Label Corp, owner of lifestyle e-commerce categories, are forging partnerships with Redmi 1 handsets (retail value of approximately websites like TheClosetLabel.com and Te-commerce platforms of their choosing. Here’s `150 crore). TheTrunkLabel.com, is now available exclusively how it works: only the selected site has the right After apparel and mobile phone brands reaped on Amazon, apart from of course, its own official to sell the product, across the country; no other the benefits of this model, other product segments webpage. Apparel brand Grasim has announced retailer – online or offline – can stock that product. hopped on. Today, books, TVs, home appliances, an exclusive tie-up with Amazon, a partnership it A look at the model and what it entails. and food and beverage brands are being launched hopes will make the brand more accessible to its in the market through exclusive tie-ups with digital-age consumers. RECENT ROOTS e-commerce sites. Home appliance brands like Kenstar and t all started in 2013 when international clothing Sample these examples: Amazon recently Maharaja Whiteline also took a similar route Ibrands Dorothy Perkins and Stanley Kane announced that it would be the sole seller of while launching new products in India. Kenstar launched their India operations through online Microsoft’s interactive entertainment products in launched its Oxy Fryer exclusively on Flipkart, fashion retailers Myntra.com and Jabong.com, India, including the latest version of its gaming while Maharaja Whiteline tied up with more respectively. Post that, the trend only surged. console, Xbox One. Author Chetan Bhagat than one e-commerce store (each for a different Earlier this year, mobile phone makers started introduced his new book ‘Half Girlfriend’ on product), demonstrating a sub-trend in the bargain adopting the online-only model through sites like Flipkart. More recently, Pranab Mukherjee’s new – for household appliances like irons, ovens and Flipkart.com, Amazon.in and Snapdeal.com. And book ‘The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi cookers, the brand partnered with Snapdeal, while the results have been extremely favourable. Years’ was launched exclusively on Amazon. for kitchen products like juicers and mixers, it For instance, the 2014 partnership between Coca-Cola expanded its product portfolio in partnered with Flipkart. Flipkart and Motorola, for Moto G, resulted in India with the launch of its sugar-free offering the sale of over three million Motorola handsets Coca-Cola Zero, which was sold ONLINE ADVANTAGE (retail value of approximatelymately `3,0003,000 exclusivelexclusivelyy on Amazon for the rands that are looking to foray into the Indian crore). The duo continued thethe partnership fifirstrst twotw weeks. The product Bmarket tend to be the biggest gainers in such for the launch of two moreore ggotot 1,700 online bookings partnerships, as it spares them a huge chunk of smartphones, Moto X andnd in four hours of its the effort they would otherwise have to take on Moto E, in India. Motorola,a, launch on September the offline retail front – the real warzone in India. now a part of Lenovo,o, 19. Meanwhile, the Praveen Sinha, founder and managing director, has edged past Nokia too US-baUS-baseds burger chain Burger Jabong.com, says, “There are many international become the fourth largest KKinging gotgot Indian consumers to pre-order as well as domestic brands that yearn for visibility.

20 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014 &29(56725<

Online, a brand can take its products to consumers network, one that comprises the ‘middlemen’ this model? Arun Pal, chief operating officer, small in far flung areas that are difficult to reach through of Indian retail. “Launching a product via this home appliances, Kenstar, rejects the notion that brick-and-mortar stores. Besides, it is very difficult distribution model increases its end price by exclusive e-commerce tie-ups are beneficial to just for brands to open stores in every city.” almost 30 to 40 per cent, and even more than that international brands. “Micromax and Karbonn Secondly, such partnerships spare the marketer if the target market is a rural one. So launching a have adopted this model quite successfully,” he a lot of hassles since a big chunk of it is taken product online helps us control the cost,” states reminds us, adding, “We tied up with Flipkart in care of by the concerned e-commerce platform. Bhaavish VR, country manager, SkyHi Digital, order to go mass with the Oxy Fryer, especially Websites typically announce the tie-ups through a Bengaluru-based startup that sells consumer during its early days. Today, people log online to full page advertisements in leading dailies and TV electronics – online only – under the brand SkyHi. do their own research and learn about the product spots. Of course, the brands in turn, sacrifice their The company has tied up with different online before purchasing it.” margins, which goes to the e-commerce company platforms to e-tail different products; it sells Smart Emmanuel Serot Almeras, vice president, for its efforts. TVs on Snapdeal, and LED TVs on HomeShop18. marketing, Groupe SEB India, the company that “Such deals are seen among lesser-known Of course, giving offline distribution a skip owns Maharaja Whiteline, feels e-commerce brands, as the partnership allows them to be makes sense for international brands, as they partnerships give brands instant and cost-effective present on mainstream media channels,” says typically lack a strong on-ground network in India. reach in Tier II and Tier III markets. “Brands can K Vaitheeswaran, e-commerce consultant (and But what makes Indian brands gravitate towards also leverage the data and play up their attributes founder of Indiaplaza, India’s first e-commerce website), citing Xiaomi and Oppo Mobile as examples of brands that became famous in this EXCLUSIVE ALL THE WAY market only due to such marketing push. The nature of the deal, though, varies from Brands and Their Exclusive E-Commerce Partners brand to brand. If the brand on sale is an established one, the marketing responsibilities are shared by the brand team and the e-commerce company in question. Sometimes, e-commerce platforms have standard rules for all the brands they tie up with. For brands, another big advantage of this model is the data they stand to receive from their e-commerce partners. Michael Adnani, head, strategic brand alliances, Flipkart, says, “We can let the sellers know at what price points their products will sell, and the kind of offers/ discounts customers show a preference for, across categories. This kind of market intelligence helps them position their brands better.” Another pertinent reason for the rise of these partnerships is the omission of the distributor

accordingly,” he says. Speaking of advantages, A COMBINED EFFORT these partnerships are a great way for e-commerce players to differentiate themselves from their competitors. States Indiaplaza’s Vaitheeswaran, “As a result of the massive consolidation happening in the e-commerce space, these platforms strive to differentiate themselves from one another by

E-COMM offering competitive prices.” For a website, he explains, the advantage of an exclusive tie-up with a brand is two-fold: Firstly, since the product is not available in any other store, the website can control the pricing and secure its own margins. Secondly, partnering with a well- established brand can help bring new consumers/ 35$9((16,1+$ .9$,7+((6:$5$1 0,&+$(/$'1$1, first-time e-buyers into the fold. Jabong.com E-Comm Consultant Flipkart It is difficult for brands to Lesser-known brands Our market intelligence THE FLIP SIDE open stores in every city. benefit in such deals. helps in brand positioning. xclusivity comes at a price, apparently. For Eone, when a brand launches through an online tie-up, it subsequently finds it difficult to expand its availability across other online, and also offline, retailers. And this is a fact across markets and types of products. After all, when American singer Beyonce launched her album exclusively BRANDS on iTunes late last year, Amazon and supermarket chain Target refused to stock CDs of the album. Why so? For the most part, it’s because the competitive rates/discounts offered by brands’ online partners are tough to rival. A Delhi-based electronics retailer captures the sentiment of his (6$/0(5$6 %+$$9,6+95 $5813$/ fraternity beautifully in a placard placed outside his Groupe SEB India SkyHi Digital Kenstar shop. It reads – ‘Please Do Not Discuss Flipkart Brands can get instant Launching a product A brand should be Rates Here’. In fact, if a brand has already been reach in rural markets. online helps control cost. available across platforms. launched online, some offline retailers agree to FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014 21 0(',$ SONY PIX MTV ROADIES A School of BONDing A New Jury on the Road MTV Roadies X2 will be judged by Esha Deol, Vijender Singh, Karan Kundra, Rannvijay Singh. News Bureau

The channel is airing all the 23 Bond movies, since November 22. The movies air every Saturday at 7 pm and 9 pm. News Bureau

eems like Sony Pix is up for some real Bond franchise, with all the 23 Bond movie titles, have propaganda! The English movie channel from been packaged and positioned uniquely on Sony Pix. SMulti Screen Media stable has decided to go on Saurabh Yagnik, executive vice-president and a twelve week spree in training the boy lot how to business head, Sony PIX and AXN, explains that the woo the fairer sex, Bond-style! English Movie business is not just about putting the Since November 22, Sony Pix has launched ‘PIX best content out, but it is important to build a brand School of BONDing’, a new property that will show- and a destination where people will go to and offer case all 23 Bond movies, that have been made over something compelling to watch. the past five decades. “Many generations have found Bond as desirable Raghu (left) and Rajiv Touted as the biggest marketing campaign from and inspirational. We are a young country and bulk a property in the genre, the channel has roped in of our audience must have not seen the full cycle of TV Roadies, a youth based reality the franchise. Girls, guns and gadgets kept changing show, will soon be coming back for the 50 years, what actually remained evergreen Min its twelfth season. is Bond’s evergreen attitude which we call the Bond However, the two men who wear the way of Life! We wanted to bring alive that attitude. hat of the judges – Raghu Ram and Rajiv And, that’s the common theme for the 23 movies,” will be seen giving a miss to this season. he explains. Ram was the producer of the show when So, if being a Bond is a male’s desire, the chan- he co-founded Colosseum Media, which nel wanted to communicate a woman’s perspective he quit this year. - what is it that she finds desirable about Bond. It may be recalled that the twin brother To communicate the same, Mirza was chosen as a recently launched their new venture, disruptive choice of a woman, where she is most Monozygotic- a content and brand powerful in the space she is in and the most desirable Communications studio. too, Yagnik adds. MTV Roadies X2 (title of the upcoming Sony Pix has gone all out to promote the property season) will see a new format and four as the most sought after one. The channel has rolled new people donning judges’ hats. The out promos featuring Mirza which are running on personalities include Bollywood actor different network channels. Esha Deol, boxer Vijender Singh, actor Talking about the marketing push, Neville Karan Kundra and ex-Roadies winner and Bastawalla, head, marketing, Sony Pix, says, “We are Bollywood actor, Rannvijay Singh. pushing the campaign on digital in The cult reality show is a nationwide a big way. We have taken the entire hunt for the ‘roadie’ – the one who has it Sania Mirza as the face of the prop- MSM’s 10 million + fansbase on in him or her to become a hero. The two erty. With Mirza, the channel will Facebook, Sania’s 75 lakh fans and heavyweights Raghu-Rajiv were known for launch the “School of BONDing” even her 20 lakh twitter followers. cutting down contestants to size with their wherein she’ll be seen as a trainer, That’s the muscle on social media sharp comments and grueling tasks. giving tips on how to woo one’s way with the plan. There was a live chat The MTV Raodies auditions, which to a woman’s heart, the BOND way. with Sania arranged on November hold the distinction of being one of the The idea being - men want to be like 20. We have even created multiple most difficult audition rounds for any Bond and women would kill for a memes are making them go viral television show, meant only one thing – man like him. through whatsapp.” impressing Raghu and Rajiv. According to the channel, Bond On November 22, the YouTube For the record, Roadies is a youth has inspired many generations and is masthead said - ‘Lessons from Sania’. reality show where the contestants bike an iconic character. His movies have On print, there were insertions in from one place to another performing earlier been associated with various leading English dailies on two con- various challenging tasks (laid out by the English movie channels but this will secutive Saturdays in six metros. programmers) along the way. be for the first time that the Bond Yagnik: the bond style [email protected] [email protected]

22 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

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KARTIK SHARMA | MD, SOUTH ASIA, MAXUS HTA (now JWT), in the client servicing department. That was the year the agency was appointed as Unliever’s AoR, and Fulcrum was born. After three months of joining HTA, out of the blue, I got a call from Ketaki Gupte’s office; she was heading the media function at HTA. She suggested that I join the media department of HTA. I was worried and The ‘Unplanned’ apprehensive; I thought media was all about numbers and computers. But she convinced me and reluctantly, I agreed. Within a few days I got the opportunity to work on several Unilever brands. Unilever was considered to be the mecca of advertisingg and media; the experience taught me a lot Planner about media planning and buying.bu Thanks to Ketaki, I have not looked By Prachi Srivastava bbackack since. This was mymy secondse defining moment. WWhilehile I was with HTA,HTA Lintas Media approached me and asked me to work on Unilever’s oral care portfolio. Joining Lintas changed he man att the helm of Maxus India, the recently crowned my life. It strengthened mmy understanding of media. In fact, I started Media Agencyency of the Year, on the key defining moments ofof lovinlovingg media.media. T his 20 year-longr-long career so far… MManyany of my definingdefining moments have been totally unplanned. I’m a Mumbaii boboy,y, born and brought up in a middle class AAndnd I have been fortunatfortunatee to have been guided by industry stalwarts South Indian household.ousehold. It was a familyfamily of music teachers, like LV Krishnan (my(my mentorm at HTA), Kenneth D’Souza (my thanks to whom I grew up listening to and deeply appreciatingappreciating first boss at Lintas) and Andrey Purushottam (servicing head, the nuances of music. I completed mymy graduation in Lintas, UnileverUnilev business). commerce from RA Podar CollegeCollege (1992). DuringDuring The nextnex defining moment came in 2001, when that time, a commercemerce graduategraduate was expected to have GGroupMroupM was created. I was with O&M, and the only one path inn mind – to become a chartered media departmentsd of WPP’s agencies – O&M, accountant. But I wanted a bold and different ppathath – ContrContracta Advertising and JWT – were being the world of advertising.ertising. My interest in advertising mermergedge to create separate media agencies. That’s started during my college days;days; more than TV wwhenhen I became part of Mindshare. programs, I loveded watchingwatching the ad breaks. That TThen one day I got a call from Madison was also the periodiod when India had just opened MMedia.e Though I was not looking to shift, I up to this field. mmete Sam Balsara. The profile he had in mind Following myy graduation – as destinydestiny would fofor me was that of reviving Madison Media have it – I got a call from O&M and was RResearche Center, the research and analytics delighted to get a job as a management trainee ddivisioni of Madison. (client servicing),, in thethe financefinance division.division. TheThe Back then, I felt there was a lacuna then head of thehe divisiondivision recruitedrecruited me on oof good, indegenious media tools in the one condition – thatthat I get a FOTOCORP industry. So I ended up developing many professional ddegreeegree media tools. I also did lot of analytics after working for a dduring my five-year tenure at Madison. It year. After a year,ar, as wwasa a defining time for me. promised, I quituit In 2007, Ajit Varghese (now CEO, Maxus O&M to pursueue AsAsia Pacific) asked me to join Maxus. It was an MBA fromm an opportunity to handle the P&L side of Narsee Monjee,e, ththings.in Joining Maxus was another defining Mumbai. Theseese mommoment.e At Maxus, I was part of the Hutch-to- two experiencesnces VVodafoneodafon brand transition, for which we executed moulded me intonto tthehe a bbold,old, didisruptive media roadblock. 2007 onwards I professional I amm today.today. hhaveave beenbeen with Maxus in various roles. During my MBA,MBA, I internedinterned at Grey. TheThe TThehe llasta defining moment was when I was given next defining momentmoment of mymy lifelife was when,when, as tthehe opopportunityport to head Maxus South Asia in 2014. part of the campuspus recruitment process, I joinedjoined As told to Prachi Srivastava

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH “Brands targeting urban, tech-savvy consumers retail market) to $32 billion in 2020 (three per cent will tend to do well in these partnerships. of the retail market). During the same period, the ...Pairing Off However, for a brand targeting some other TG, share of the organised retail segment is expected to which is not predominantly online, I am not too grow from 8.4 per cent to 14 per cent. Unorganised stock it only if the brand team offers certain sure how this arrangement can be successful,” retail will still dominate. additional benefits. wonders Vaitheeswaran. That’s probably why In most developed countries, both models Some brands try and find a non-binding middle tech-based products like smartphones sell like hot – offline and online retail – co-exist. “Though path. Rupa Publications, for instance, signed an cakes online. e-commerce is here to stay, it is imperative for exclusive agreement with Flipkart to take pre- a brand to have a brick-and-mortar presence as orders and sell author Chetan Bhagat’s latest book, OFFLINE VERSUS ONLINE well,” reasons Pal of Kenstar, adding, “Segregating Half Girlfriend. But Flipkart is just the exclusive o what extent is the burgeoning e-tail industry, products based on their TG and making them online partner; the bookbook was mademade availableavailable at Treprepletelete withwith exclusiveexcl deals with brands, a available on the right platforms, is where the offline bookstores onn the day of its release.release. tthreathreat to offline retailers? strategic planning lies.” Establishing onlinene partnershipspartnerships is not FFirst, a look at some facts: Vaitheeswaran paints an interesting scenario: something all brands sshouldhould TheThe online retail market in India The day an offline retail giant cracks the online blindly do; it ought is estimatedesti (by IAMAI) to grow game is the day the offline retail segment ought to to be a function ooff from $2.3$ billion today (which is start worrying. the TG, caution experts.perts. 0.40.4 per centc of the country’s overall [email protected]

24 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014 $'9(57,6,1* BRITISH AIRWAYS Welcoming Expats Home The airline brand, no stranger to emotion-laden digital films, has launched yet another one hoping to stir expatriates who carry India in their hearts. By Saumya Tewari

its service on this route (North America to India), to include Bollywood ﬁlms in the entertainment package, personalised service from cabin crew members (including them being dressed in traditional Indian clothes), special Hindu and Muslim meals, and extra baggage allowance for those travelling from the USA and Canada to India, to accommodate all the gifts, a typicality we’re all too familiar with.

TOUCHED? reative experts chose adjectives like “heart- Cwarming”, “emotional” and “insightful” while talking about this campaign. Some feel the ﬁlm comes across as a touch too “scripted”. For Amod Dani, executive creative director,

ritish Airways continues to tug at the heart- strings; after ad films like ‘A Ticket To Visit “Finding Chitra “We understand BMum’ and ‘Go Further To Get Closer’. The and telling the value and airline brand has released another such film called her story gave importance of a ‘The Welcome of Home’ targeted at second-genera- tion Indians, living overseas. us powerful warm welcome. Created by BBH London, the four-minute and magical It’s a part of long film is about Chitra, a lady who is based in Toronto, Canada, and visits India to meet her content.” Indian culture.” adoring grandmother. Each time she flies home, EWAN PATERSON VICTORIA LONG she fears it could very well be the last time she sees her grandmother. The film also brings out Chitra and telling her story gave us powerful and Publicis India, the campaign brings out the “yearn- the emotional conflict many Indian parents feel magical content that no scripted film could have,” ing element,” that most NRIs can readily relate to. when their children settle aboard - they miss them he asserts. To him, the film is a refreshing change from the bitterly but on the other hand also want them to Victoria Long, marketing manager, Americas, “standard” airline commercial out there. fulfill their dreams and enjoy a comfortable life. British Airways, says, about the campaign, “We For Shobhit Mathur, executive creative direc- The film is shot in both understand the value and importance of a warm tor, Hakuhodo Percept, the campaign is touching countries. The India bit welcome. It’s a wonderful part of Indian culture but lacks authenticity. brings out the quintessential and we strive to give our customers a little taste “Some moments and reactions in the film don’t warm welcome we give to of that warm welcome of home from the moment come across as ‘real’ at all. The brand’s previ- our guests. Ewan Paterson, they step on board.” ous ‘Go Further to Get Closer’ idea, based around executive creative direc- Directed by renowned documentary makers Valentine’s Day, was much better,” he notes. The tor at BBH London, tells Wilkins and Maguire, the film is being promoted ‘Go Further... ‘ idea was especially relatable in afaqs! Reporter that for a on YouTube and British Airways’ official website. India, a country where many marriages are of the campaign like this, “being An official statement from British Airways ‘arranged’ kind, he reminds us. real” was crucial. “Finding states that the brand team has specifically tailored [email protected] 0$5.(7,1* TOI - ‘HE’ DEO The Smell of ‘HE’ The deodorant brand came up with an innovation across six-city editions of The Times of India on November 19. By Devesh Gupta mami-owned HE Deodorants came up with an innovation in several editions of “The brand took EThe Times of India by creating a newspaper with a fragrance. The idea was to make the the ideal route newspaper sample the brand for a large group to large scale of audience on the International Men’s Day, November 19. sampling that The brand took an inner page of the city could create new editions and placed their creative and gave it a consumers.” fragrance. The innovation was done in TOI across SHEENA KAPOOR Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore. Kolkata, Pune and Ahmdabad. While the creative agency for the ad was Leo Burnett, the media agency for it was issues in it, Kapoor adds that any high impact Prachaar (Mumbai). innovation calls for a concerted effort across Sheena Kapoor, head, innovations, Times various stakeholders. “In this innovation, there Group, says, “The brand wanted an impactful is a major effort in collecting the fragrance con- launch of its men’s deo HE, creating awareness of centrate, managing the logistics across six cities, the brand and getting the target audience to expe- ensuring it has the right consistency such that the rience the brand and fragrance, thereby driving HE Deo’s signature fragrance lingers and yet does adoption. As the category is based on ‘fragrance’, not adversely impact the newsprint,” she adds. the brand took the ideal route to large scale sam- The brand also launched a digital campaign pling that could lead to creating new consumers with #ShowMenSomeLove on the same day. who like the perfume.” “He” Deodorant has a slew of interesting fra- The TOI team collected the fragrance concen- grances bottled in six variants-Smart, Confident, trate from Emami, and sent it to the respective Extrovert, Recharge, Ruler and Magician. The production centres, ran trials and finally executed fragrances range from the citrus, oriental, marine, the fragrance whereby it was sprayed onto press fougere, woody and musk families. while printing the editions. Speaking about the [email protected]

GODREJ EZEE Sunil Kataria, chief they are, effectively, operating officer, sales giving an underprivi- and marketing, Godrej leged person a warm A Warm Winter Consumer Products hug.” (GCPL), says, “Care Ezee currently Through a print campaign, the liquid detergent lies at the core of brand leads the liquid fabric Ezee. Thus, alleviating wash segment and, brand urges North Indians to donate their spare the winter-related hard- reportedly, has a mar- woollens. By Sohini Sen ships of underprivileged ket share of 75 per children became the cent share. or numerous underprivileged children, social cause for Ezee. What started as a small the winter season spells struggle. initiative few years back has grown thanks to the IMPRESSED? F Through an ongoing print campaign generous support of the people of Delhi, NCR.” e asked a cou- Godrej’s Ezee, a liquid detergent brand, has JWT India is the creative agency behind the Wple of industry been trying to urge people to donate their old campaign. “The idea,” shares Shweta Iyer, asso- experts to comment woollens, this winter. ciate vice president and senior creative director on the campaign. The ‘Godrej Ezee Raahat Ek Abhiyaan’ cam- at the agency, “was to remind people of the “The campaign paign was first published on November 14, feeling associated with a warm, cozy hug, and to is not noticeable 2014 - Children’s Day. It was a front page ad in then tell them that by donating their woollens enough. And it lacks Hindustan Times. The interesting part of the ad emotional value. is the way in which the product benefit is woven Usually, we donate into the cause - the brand promises to wash the for a cause or for donated garments with Ezee, so that when they an organisation; we reach the children, they will be in great condi- do not donate for a tion. The campaign targets residents of Delhi, brand,” says OR Radhakrishnan, executive crea- Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, tive director, Enormous Brands. Patiala, Amritsar, Lucknow and Kanpur. According to Zohar Furniturewala, executive Other than print, the media mix includes creative director, Scarecrow Communications, radio (approximately 60-80 spots a day, in Delhi it is a “clever-looking campaign. The connect and Lucknow), digital (social media and mobile between the brand and the CSR activity is not marketing) as well as BTL (such as school visits) far-fetched, and is therefore, very relevant.” media. Kataria (top) and Iyer: warm and responsible [email protected]

26 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014 $'9(57,6,1* INDIAMART Going Mass The online B2B marketplace has rolled out its first TV campaign. The film, targeted at SMBs, features actor Irrfan Khan and promotes the tagline ‘Kaam Yahin Banta Hain’. The brand’s annual marketing budget is around `40-50 crore. By Saumya Tewari

nline B2C marketplaces have taken to allows buyers to shorten the time they spend doing The media mix of this campaign includes TV, advertising on television in a big way. But so, and helps them find genuine sellers... just with print, radio, outdoor and digital, which in turn Oa recently released ad film by IndiaMART, help of a click,” he asserts. includes online display, re-targeting, and search an online B2B marketplace, is a first – for both, As an early mover in the dotcom space campaigns, as well as social media campaigns the brand and its category. The ad film features (IndiaMART was launched in 1996-97 as India’s across Twitter and Facebook and YouTube. The Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who promotes the first online B2B directory), the brand already company’s marketing budget for the next year lies catchphrase ‘Kaam Yahin Banta Hain’, Hindi for enjoys strong equity among Indian SMEs. within the `40-50 crore bracket. ‘the work ultimately gets done on Founded by Dinesh Agarwal, IndiaMART’. IndiaMART has over 2,600 employ- Created by McCann, the 40-sec- ees located across 40+ offices across onder is set in a factory/manufacturing India. Its existing investors include house, of which Khan is an employee, Intel Capital and Bennett, Coleman a “well informed, smart and new-age” & Co.; little wonder then, the brand one at that. He talks about the ease has been a consistent print advertiser of buying different products – like over the years. fabric, office furniture, shirt buttons, MIXED REVIEWS thread and air-conditioners – in bulk, hile some reviewers are con- from IndiaMART. Wcerned about media wastage on The campaign is targeted at small part of the B2B brand, others have a and medium-sized businesses/enter- problem with its face. prises (SMBs/SMEs). As the brand Rajiv Dingra, founder and CEO, puts it, the TG comprises the “new WAT Consult, a digital and social age buyer, who demands hassle-free media agency, is very sure the TVC will create awareness about the brand “We decided Currently, the site’s monthly user database stands and get people to adopt of the platform. at 1.5 million suppliers/sellers, 10 million buyers, “The mass TV viewing audience includes the to go with this and hosts over 3.5 crore products/tools that help middle-aged tier I/tier II professional, who is respon- TV campaign generate business leads. sible for bulk ordering for his SMB/SME,” he notes. “The size and growth potential of the market However, Dingra frowns at the brand’s choice to establish is huge. Hence, we decided to go ahead with this of brand ambassador. “Irrfan Khan,” he explains, “is our value TV-led campaign and establish our value proposi- etched in the consumer’s memory as ‘Vodafone’s proposition.” tion,” Bedi says, going on to tell us that though brand ambassador’. A non-star face that is not primarily a B2B player that is focused on SMEs, commercialised would have been a perfect fit.” SUMIT BEDI the “growing chunk of individual buyers” is a sig- Saurabh Parmar, CEO, Brandlogist nificant market for the brand, too. Some experts Communications, argues that only a small per- buying, either to fulfill his business or personal call players with this sort of dual-TG, constituents centage of the people who see this ad on TV will requirements.” of the ‘B2BC’ segment. ever use IndiaMART. “Video content consump- Sumit Bedi, vice president, marketing, tion on the internet is on the rise; this ad will IndiaMART, quotes the findings of a recently con- The media mix includes do better if targeted online, through SMB pages ducted global research study – apparently, business on Facebook and customised audience targeting/ owners spend 52 per cent of their time just iden- TV, print, radio, outdoor retargeting,” he suggests. tifying the right business partners. “IndiaMART and digital. [email protected] ,17(59,(: PALLAVI SINGH> MARKETING DIRECTOR, HARLEY-DAVIDSON INDIA “Pune, Indore, Surat and Goa are strong markets for us”

years of age. But after launching Street 750, it has come down to 27+ years. The age of the Harley- Davidson buyer goes up to 50+. There are some customers who are in the 19-21 years age group - customers who are just coming into the brand and are embracing our events. India is the only country in which we have such a young customer base.

To what do you attribute this? When we started out in this market, all our bikes were CBUs (completely built units). They were expensive. But then we started selling CKDs (completely knocked-down vehicles). That’s when the brand started becoming affordable. We also have tie-ups with ICICI and HDFC Banks, to help make the ﬁnancing aspect easy for people. We do a lot of zonal and national HOG (Harley Owners Group) Harley-Davidson India’s marketing director says that the brand has rallies. Recently, we did this found its core market beyond the metros. By Ashwini Gangal Southern HOG rally in Hyderabad (that saw the participation of around 600 people) and now we’re doing a ovember 15 and 16 saw that motorcycle lovers are also oriented. For example, we ensure Northern HOG rally in Pushkar. the ﬁfth season of Harley music lovers? there’s no water on the outside of the Almost 80 per cent of our Rock Riders, Harley- From a company standpoint, it’s our glass when we serve our customers a marketing budget is for events and Davidson’s annual rock way of building a pipeline for our drink... we ensure the guard standing experiential marketing. Nmusic festival, in Mumbai. Harley- future customers. It is our customer outside the showroom always greets Davidson India currently has a outreach platform, targeted at people customers with a smile. These things How popular is your brand market share of 70 per cent in the who dream to own a Harley. It is make a big impact. among Indian women? premium motorcycle segment. The an opportunity for them to come Presently, there are over 20 female brand has been in the news lately and enjoy some rock music, see In India, does Harley have a Harley owners in India. for the launch of three new models motorcycles and meet like-minded market beyond the metros? And most of these women ride - CVO Limited, Breakout and Street people. Pune has become a very big market big bikes. For example, we have one Glide Special. In all, Harley now has for Harley. Especially after the launch customer in Pune who rides a V-Rod; 13 models in India. What kind of research of Street 750, Pune has emerged it’s a big displacement motorcycle. Today, there are 6,000+ Harley- methodology do you usually use? as a very strong market for us. It After the launch of Street 750, Davidson motorcycles on Indian For the launch of Street 750, has many Harley aspirants - young we’re seeing more women coming roads. The price of a Harley interview-based research was done adults, who have just taken up new on board. In the future, we see a lot motorcycle ranges between `4.1 lakh across Brazil, USA and India, to jobs... these are people who are very more women buying Harleys. to `49.23 lakh. understand who the ‘Street 750 emotional about their motorcycles. We caught up with Pallavi customer’ is. In general - and this I’ve Indore is another big market for Your LinkedIn profile says Singh, director, marketing, Harley- learnt right from my Yamaha days - us. Even Surat is a great market for you specialise in the ‘premium Davidson India, who has been with when a person buys a motorcycle, us. Surat has a strong ‘motorcycling marketing segment’. What does the company since it commenced he doesn’t buy a product; he buys a culture’; we’ll be opening a new ‘premium’ mean today? operations in India, in August 2009. lifestyle. dealership there by the end of this Harley-Davidson is not a luxury Prior to joining Harley, Singh was In India we did almost 400+ year. brand. We are a premium brand. with Yamaha, where she was involved face to face interviews across Goa is another big market for us... Luxury is very ‘black tie, cocktail with ground-level consumer research Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, to it is really picking up. Goa is where and champagne’. We don’t compare across India and Thailand. understand our market for Street the India Bike Week is held. ourselves to a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Edited Excerpts. 750. We’re not in that space. Our research also helps us get How has your core TG evolved Here’s the distinction: Estee What purpose does an event like certain ‘marketing elements’ across since you entered India in 2009? Lauder is luxury. Victor Rolf is Harley Rock Riders serve? Isn’t our dealer network right. It has taught When we started out in this market, premium. it hinged on the presupposition us the importance of being detail- our customer base was around 35+ [email protected]

28 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014

3(23/(

A round up of some major people >> MOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS<< movements in the last fortnight MEDIA

he fortnight Entertainment Cluster Mindshare has elevated Himanshu Shekhar as Twitnessed several of Times Television, CEO, ASEAN division. The new ASEAN division changes in the media Vivek Srivastava. has been launched recognising the increasing need industry. Tanveer 92.7 BIG FM has for marketers to tap into the growing consumption Bookwala has been elevated Jay Mehta as potential in the region especially Myanmar and promoted to chief station head, Mumbai. Cambodia. creative officer of Balaji Mehta joined the In his new role effective immediately, he Motion Pictures. Prior channel in August, will continue to be based in Jakarta as CEO to this, he was vice- 2014 as sales head – Indonesia but will president, content. Mumbai and has been also lead, transfer best In his new role, TANVEER BOOKWALA AMIT TRIPATHI an ace performer, practices and bring new Bookwala will continue steadily growing services to all ASEAN to report to Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion revenues for the station. He will report to Ashwin offices that include Pictures. Padmanabhan, business head, 92.7 BIG FM. Singapore, Vietnam, Rudolf Fernando, has been appointed as All Mehta’s primary responsibility will be to manage Thailand, Malaysia, India President of the P&L (Profit and Loss) of the station, ensuring and the Philippines. In Free Press Group profitability. addition, he will also be of Newspapers. He Omar Qureshi, editor-in-chief and creative launching Mindshare’s would report to head of Times Television Network’s Bollywood operations in new Abhishek Karnani, news channel - Zoom, has quit the channel after a markets of Myanmar director Free Press stint of over six years. and Cambodia. OMAR QURESHI Group. Fernanado will He hosted a popular celeb chat show called Big Magic has be in charge of entire ‘Encounter with Omar’ and ‘zoOming In with appointed Sahil Kangotra as business head and business development, Omar’ - in his jovial, Shalini Gupta as chief marketing officer for marketing, promotions, friendly, witty and the network channels - BIG Magic, BIG Magic of all editions of Free irreverently personal Ganga, BIG Thrill and BIG Magic International. Press Journal viz style. He also hosts In their respective functions, Kangotra and RUDOLF FERNANDO Mumbai, Indore, ‘The zoOm Review Gupta will report to Lavneesh Gupta, COO, Bhopal and Ujjain and Show’. Reliance Broadcast Network. Navshakti Marathi edition from Mumbai. Qureshi, a celebrity Kangotra joins Reliance Broadcast Network SABMiller India, the subsidiary of SABMiller journalist, also runs a from ICICI Lombard GIC, where the last position plc, has appointed Shalabh Seth as managing company called Omar held was in the capacity of vice president - director. He takes over the charge from Grant Qureshi Entertainment Corporate Solutions Group. He has over 12 years Liversage. Seth joined SABMiller India in its early Ventures. Prior to of work experience. days during 2003 and has progressed through joining TTN, he was Gupta has over various senior roles in the organisation. JAY MEHTA with Times of India as 15 years of work Jack in the Box Worldwide, the digital agency the Bollywood editor experience and worked brand of The 120 Media Collective, has promoted as editor-in-chief - Indiatimes Movies where he with organisations Abhishek Razdan as executive vice president and was in charge of content creation and aggregation such as Bharti Airtel, national business head. Razdan was, until recently, for online movie websites. He was also the editor Loop (BPL) Mobile, the senior vice president and Mumbai business for special issues - Filmfare and a coffee table Parle Agro and head of the agency. book on Bollywood Beauties. Qureshi has also Grey Worldwide Amit Tripathi, worked with Magna Publishing Company for across different roles former chief operating over 12 years (October, 1986 – April, 1999). The including corporate officer of News Express, last position he held there was that of editor for communications and has joined Focus TV ‘Stardust’ Magazine. SHALINI GUPTA marketing. as the COO for its Bangla and North East channel - Focus Bangla ADVERTISING and Focus NE. Besides, he is also the national DB Mudra West has appointed Keegan the digital director - client servicing while sales head of the overall DPinto as group creative director. He joins Arunima Singh has joined as group head - network. the agency from Lowe Lintas Mumbai where servicing. SHALABH SETH English business he was working as unit creative director. Sarma has over 10 years of experience news channel Pinto comes with over a decade long in digital having worked with companies Bloomberg TV has appointed Amol Maheshwari experience across agencies like Bates 141, including Times Internet, Zapak.com and as national sales head. As a part of his new Rediffusion Young & Rubicam, O&M RK Swamy BBDO on brands like P&G portfolio, Maheshwari will be responsible to drive Mumbai and Colenso BBDO Auckland, India, Mars India, Mercedes-Benz India, the business development for the channel across New Zealand. He has worked on brands like LIC, Raymond, Pepsi and Axe. India. Tata Tea ‘Jaago Re’, Lifebuoy Worldwide, Meanwhile, Arunima Singh brings Leo Burnett’s executive vice president Anup ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Tetley Tea, with her 12 years of experience and has Vishwanathan has quit the ad agency after a stint of Videocon d2h, Onida air conditioners, TVS, previously worked with Social Wavelength over eight years, to join Times Television Network Domex, Croma, Bajaj bikes, DNA newspaper, (JWT) and Sobhagya Advertising Agency on as head marketing of its English entertainment Airtel, Economic Times and others. brands such as Magma Fincorp, Dr. Batra’s, cluster that has two channels, Romedy Now and Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has Force Motors, Kotak Mahindra, HUL, Rajiv Movies Now. In his new role, he will report to announced two senior level appointments. Gandhi International Airport, Tata Housing, the newly appointed SVP and head - English Sandeep Sarma has joined the agency as Intel and Piramal, to name a few.

30 afaqs! Reporter, December 1-15, 2014