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It's important for brands to engage customers at all touchpoints, so both online and offline engagement are vital, says Mr Viral Oza, Director (Marketing), Nokia.
Speaking to Business Line on the company's recent smartphone marketing campaigns, he says Nokia believes in a “total approach” to get to consumers where they are – through various media including the Internet and TV as well as places such as malls and stores.
Beyond connecting
In a campaign launched earlier this month for its smartphones range, more than eight lakh consumers spoke to the brand through YouTube and Facebook, Mr Oza says. Engaging – and not merely connecting – is important as a brand comes to understand its consumers and their expectations; it's a two-way, and more permanent, process. A one-off activity can result in traction, which will slip without persistent efforts. “Engaging consumers online is a 24 X 7, all or nothing decision”, he adds.
Other campaigns for the N8 and X7 in July 2011 have seen several additions to the number of fans on Nokia India's FB page, says Mr Oza. It has over 8.5 lakh ‘likes'.
Over 72,000 fans came in as a result of the Full Throttle contest centred on the X7, targeted at gaming enthusiasts. Visitors to stores increased by about 40 per cent, reflective of purchase intent, he says. X7 sales in cities where the promotion ran were “significantly higher, in high double-digits” than in the cities where it did not, he says, not revealing specifics.
Nokia also ran two promotions for the N8. In one, Nokia worked with Divum, a Bangalore-based developer, to show off its potential - the first project includes an app that lets consumers control mini model cars through wi-fi and motion sensing. A competition called ‘Invent the Future with Nokia', on what contestants wanted to control with the N8, got over 4,000 entries. Mr Oza says the winner's idea will be actioned in real life – and they will get to work with the developers. Some ideas included controlling large vehicles and cars; home automation systems; apps to detect if currency notes were authentic, and a device to control traffic signals and CCTVs.
Digital marketing
Nokia has hiked its spend on digital marketing significantly in the last 2-3 years, says Mr Oza, revealing only that “it's not a number I can ignore”, and that it has allotted a disproportionate amount of funds to digital media in some campaigns.
While buyers' need for information has not changed, the Internet now makes it possible to talk to the brand and to a larger world beyond friends and acquaintances for reference and recommendation.
“Engaging with consumers helps brands become more truthful and helps them build trust,” says Mr Oza.
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