The Hindu Business Line : Getting bigger bang for the buck

Dabur brought in Amitabh Bachchan to work his magic on non-users. Its Chyawanprash brand is growing at 15-20 per cent against an earlier target of 10 per cent.

What do brands need to get bigger bang for their buck? A question that most marketers will agonise over. Or they could have attended V.S. Sitaram's session at the Advertising's Future Shock convention held recently in Chennai. For Dabur India's Executive Director (Consumer Care) delivered a lucid, well-structured and well-prepared presentation which one could take away a lot from.

He first set the agenda that brands have to confront: intense competition in all categories. And how! Take cars: only 721 options between models and brands. Or the 619 choices of soap. Throw in 152 brands of chips and 336 namkeens and the plate is almost full. Add 165 models of washing machines and 185 refrigerators to choose from and the marketer and the consumer could well be in a tizzy.

That's one end of the spectrum that marketers have to deal with. At the other is media clutter: 300 TV channels, 380 magazines, 300-plus radio channels across the country and more than 10,000 cinema halls! And, all brands, observed Sitaram, tout the same, clichéd benefits: technology, range and promotional clichés. "What you end up with is a faceless mass and a bored consumer.

The marketing challenge is how do you get them to listen to you. And, when your gun is smaller than your competitor's, you need a few silver bullets."

Sitaram went on to outline ten silver bullets in his smoking gun that can help marketers cut through clutter. He interspersed his presentation with some interesting commercials from around the world that held the audience in thrall.

Beyond mass media: Taking the example of the Unilever brand Axe, he outlined how the brand went 360 degrees with a cost-effective campaign.

One example is of the brand setting up the Axe Unlimited Academy, bringing together the worlds of seduction and education. It targeted male youth in colleges, malls, pubs, coffee bars et al and got them to sign up for an MBA, a `master of babe attraction', with even a graduation day thrown in. Axe targeted a 45 per cent growth with this effort, but delivered 72 per cent.

Activation: It's important to make an idea come to life and make a consumer breathe the brand. Sitaram talked about Pepsi's Blue Billion express, the train the brand organised from Delhi to Jaipur with brand icon Shah Rukh Khan on board. "It generated great PR for the brand and was on all TV channels," he said.

He also went on to give the example of ICICI's Children's Growth Bond where it organised a painting competition for kids and then sent the child's painting to their fathers with a message.

Sharper profiling of target audience: Sitaram cited the example of the adhesive brand Jivanjor from Jubilant Organsys. Instead of taking Fevicol head on, it targeted carpenters by organising meets and sponsoring contests. Nothing above-the-line. It notched up a 19 per cent market share in four years.

Set the stage for your communication: He took the example of NIIT's foray into management education in a tie-up with IIMs. It used effective PR to build awareness and the extensive media coverage it got was followed up with ads inviting applications for the programme.

It got 794 registrations for 500 seats. "It prepared the audience to receive the message with media articles and followed it with ads," adds Sitaram.

Redefining brand relevance: Taking the example of Dabur's Chyawanprash, he said that it is a powerful brand in the category but that the category itself is not growing. It focused its campaign using Amitabh Bachchan on non-users to provoke them that they needed to use Chyawanprash.

Now, he says, the brand is growing 15-20 per cent from an earlier target of 10 per cent growth.

Redefine emotional connect: Brands, instead of seeking a functional connect look for an emotional connect to ensure higher loyalty.

He gave the example of Dove which sought greater bonding with its consumers with a campaign for "real beauty." He said contemporary ads featuring stunningly beautiful women increased the distance between the brand's advertising and the consumers. Dove sought to portray actual consumers and how they could connect with it, and it became an iconic brand in the UK.

Be a challenger brand: Showing a humorous but telling commercial of Virgin Airlines, Sitaram made the point that brands need to take all conventions and turn them on their head, which Virgin did very effectively in everything it did.

Redefine the category: "Choose to redefine your battle," said Sitaram. Dabur did it with honey with its "No chini honey" campaign featuring the Big B again. It touted it as the healthier alternative to sugar. Sitaram expects sales growth to be higher than in the past.

Omnipresent availability: Starbucks has done it. From being available only on the high street, now it promises to deliver coffee at home and work with a communication saying that the Starbucks lifestyle is accessible to all.

Build powerful master brands: Sitaram screened a Nike campaign featuring bored Brazilian footballers, all the top ones, at an airport waiting for delayed flights. They start playing football all over the airport.

Not once was the brand shown, except the swoosh at the end. "What did they advertise? Shoes, apparel, the football?" he asked. None, but it portrayed a lifestyle and attitude.

Nike has moved beyond shoes to accessories, apparel and other stuff beyond traditional categories. "It's the power of a well-crafted master brand," he adds.

Needless to say, Sitaram delivered a potent punch line at the end. All what he had said up to then was Plan A.

If all else fails, use Plan B, he said, and screened a show reel of Amitabh endorsing a variety of brands ranging from Reid & Taylor to Parker, and, of course, Dabur. With that, Sitaram ended his presentation to rousing applause.

More Stories on : Brands | Insight | Events

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Is Star struck?

Shock & awe ... the future's now

`Service providers need deep pockets'

The `new' and `improved' integration!

A golden initiative

What's the big idea?

Getting bigger bang for the buck

Abhi, Ash, the brand thereafter ...