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FMCG companies are betting big on digital media this season to push their marketing and brand-building campaigns. From launching campaigns first on social media to running contests, companies are going all out to engage with their consumers.
Take Coca-Cola India, which decided to leverage on its brand ambassador, actor Salman Khan’s social media pages to launch the summer campaign for Thums Up. The campaign’s television commercial with the tagline ‘Aaj Kuch Toofani Kartey Hain’ (let’s do something thunderous today), was first previewed on Salman Khan’s Facebook and Twitter page before it hit television screens.
Perfetti Van Melle India, maker of candy and chewing gums, offered a sneak preview of the campaign ‘ Batti Jalao’ (Switch on the lights) for Mentos to the Mentos Facebook community. It also launched banner advertising on the Internet and mobile space, enabling viewers to participate in a contest to solve a murder mystery, offering clues on branded destinations such as mentosindia.com and mentosindia.mobi .
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Nikhil Sharma, Director, Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India, said digital and social media helps connect with premium urban users and youth. “These are usually the opinion leaders and influencers and for any brand it’s important to know how its advertising is being decoded and played back. In more involved categories, reviews and opinions are being shaped by seeding content online and endorsements. This medium offers a huge opportunity to interact and express, rather than take a passive view. It enhances the overall user experience.” He, however, added that digital content needs to be customised in short formats, which have an in-built entertainment and social dimension.
According to sector analysts, automobile and telecom companies are estimated to be spending 10-15 per cent of their overall marketing budgets, but FMCG companies, on average, still spend just about 2-4 per cent. Digital media marketing firms believe this is expected to change soon, as FMCG companies are expected to shift 7-10 per cent of their spend on digital and social media.
Atul Hegde, Chief Executive Officer of digital marketing firm Ignitee Digital, said digital media advertising is growing at 25-30 per cent year on year. “For most consumer products firms, YouTube and Facebook have become an integral part of their media plans,” he added.
At the launch of the new Slice campaign, which banked heavily on campaign teasers on social media, Homi Battiwalla, Category Director - Colas, Hydration and Mango Based Beverages, PepsiCo India, said, these days brand teasers break on social media platforms a few days before the campaign begins on mass media, which, he believes, is a good way to engage with the social media community, as it helps create a buzz around the brand.
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