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EE News Desk
India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) suggests that the fast moving consumer goods sector in rural and semi-urban India is estimated to cross US$ 20 billion by 2018 and US$ 100 billion by 2025. As a result more brand custodians and marketing specialists are eyeing rural India to expand their market share and churn profits. However, establishing a brand in rural India is easier said than done. Most brands and experiential agencies often fail miserably trying to find the perfect fit that world work in emerging markets. But even though the successful marketing stories in the rural market are rare, they are in fact path breaking campaigns that are paving the way for others to follow. Dedicated to lord Vitthal, the eight centuries old Pandharpur Yatra in Maharastra travels from Alandi to Pandharpur and witnesses the attendance of over 15-20 lakh devotees year-on-year. To complete their ‘Darshan’, the devotees famously known as Varkaris participate in the Waari for twenty one days to cover 250 kms to reach the final destination in Pandharpur. Vritti i-Media shouldered the responsibility of conceptualizing and executing engagement campaigns for Good Knight Fast Card and Iodex in the same yatra. In an exclusive conversation with BW APPLAUSE, Rajesh Radhakrishnan, Director- Marketing Strategies and Public relations at Vritti i-Media, shares how the pilgrims were engaged by both brands. Good Knight Fast Card campaign Good Knight wanted to introduce and thoroughly educate rural consumers of Maharashtra about its innovative and cost-effective mosquito repellant – Advanced Fast Card. The brand wanted to create a mass awareness campaign and reach maximum households through individual engagement activities and demonstration processes to help consumers understand the usefulness of the product. To meet the requirements Vriiti i-Media designed and conceptualized an engaging audio communication campaign called the, ‘Jingle Walla Bus Stand.’ As part of the campaign, devotees travelling to Pandharpur from 30 bus stations were guided about the bus schedules and were welcomed through public announcement systems accompanied with the informative fast card jingles. The Audio campaign was released a month before the main Ashadi Ekadashi to build some initial momentum and to create some anticipation about the product. Passengers were also asked to dial a toll free number and listen to unlimited Vitthal Bhajan free anywhere and anytime. During the break between Bhajans, Goodknight Fastcard audio jingles were played. The highlight of the campaign, however, was the Sriphal Arpan Rath. Good Knight started an activity in Mumbai and other important pilgrimages across western Maharashtra and Marathwada regions, wherein two Good Knight Fastcard branded vehicles travelled around Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi and other important locations across Maharashtra for about 20 days. These vehicles called as the Sriphal Arpan Rath encouraged devotees to offer their coconuts to lord Vitthal. The idea was to reach out to people who were not able to participate in the Yatra and help them send in their prayers / offerings to lord Vitthal at the city of Pandharpur via the Sriphal Arpan Rath. Interestingly, the gestures of the devotees were acknowledged by sending SMS conformations after receiving the coconut and then after offering it to the Lord. Through this engagement the brand collected approximately 12,000 coconuts from various parts of Maharashtra. To ensure health safety standards during the yatra Good Knight had set-up moving emergency vans. These vans were located through the entire route till Pandharpur and catered to issues such as fever, diarrhea amongst others and provided the Varkaris with free of cost treatment on the spot. For serious treatments, pilgrims were guided to the nearest clinics and assisted with the necessary treatment. Facilities of clean drinking water across strategic were also provided. Also branded setups were erected near the pilgrimage to enable short stays for the devotees. The overall impact of the campaign was huge for the brand. Several devotees who had not heard or read about Good Knight Fast card were seen raving about it at the end of the Waari. The brand through the campaign touched 15 lakh people and scored high on recall value. Sales of the product were also positively affected throughout Maharashtra as a result of the campaign. Iodex campaign Iodex has recently launched a new campaign with the singular positioning on being the balm for all types of body pains. The Pandharpur Yatra was a perfect synergistic opportunity to activate the brand and create strong preference in Maharashtra market. “While setting up a massage service or doing sampling during such pilgrimages is a commonly explored idea in the past by many pain relief brands but to make this activation innovative and more effective we decided to plan this activation in 3 stages wherein through different touch points and different media vehicles, the brand reached out to the consumers at different moments of truth in their pain journey”-says Rajesh Radhakrishnan. Step One: Activating Pre Pain State transport buses were one of the most popular modes of transport for most of the pilgrims to reach Pandharpur from different parts of Maharashtra. The very thought of an 8 hour plus journey in a state transport bus would give shivers down the spine for many who suffer from back pain. To activate at this stage Vritti i-Media used the public announcement system at the 80 plus bus stands across Maharashtra to send out catchy & contextual brand messages to consumers. An estimated 64 Lacs consumer were reached out with this activity. Step Two: During Pain Iodex branded vans with 12 promoters accompanied the human procession for 21 days to ensure that their journey continued without any difficulty by setting up massage tents at periodic intervals during day and night. Over 20,000+ Varkaris visited these massage shelters and benefitted from the facilities. Happy with the service provided at the massage centre, one Varkari said, “I have been participating in this Waari (pilgrimage) from five years and walk about 250 kms every year. My body does give me a lot of pain throughout the journey but, my belief in the almighty and devotion towards the Waari motivates me each year. However, this year my pain was treated at the right time. Thanks to team Iodex, I got the best massage at their centre which helped me get refreshed and start my return journey reenergized.” Step Three: Pain post the journey It was observed that the pilgrims usually rest at the public convenience mutts after their journey is over. Across all these Mutts, Vritti team had set up an Iodex Massage camp to further provide a relaxing and rejuvenating massage experience before the pilgrims could commence their return journey. At this final leg, the consumers were also exposed to a strong ambient media branding of Iodex through contextual outdoor advertising at bus stands and mutts in Pandharpur and given a sample of an Iodex pack to drive trial for the product. Also, at this final leg, Mobile medium was used innovatively to geo-target the transit pilgrims who had come in from other towns to Pandharpur during the seven days of the festival. After having exposed the consumers contextually at different touch points with the Iodex brand message, the mobile communication was used to conclude the engagement with consumers with an affirmative call to action that reinforced the key message of the activation – “Badan ke har dard ke liye, sirf Iodex” (For Every Pain in the Body, Only Iodex). Over 1 lac consumers were reached out to with this geo-targeted mobile engagement. This multi-touch point based activation helped Iodex reach over 2 million consumers in Maharashtra and also enabled the brand to Increase in spontaneous awareness by 5%, Increase value sales by 30% and Increase market share by 1% in the state.
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Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd (SPN), earlier known as Multi Screen Media or Sony Entertainment Television, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment wanted to celebrate their glorious journey of 20 years. Fountainhead Entertainment was given the mandate to conceptualize and organize an event which would bring out exuberance. The invitees for this grand celebration included the biggest names of Bollywood and Television along with Sony’s internal employees, in honour of their completing 20 wonderful years. To mark an outstanding 20 year journey of Sony, the theme for this year's party was #SonyTerrific20 and the celebrations were organized at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz, Mumbai. In order to create a pre-event buzz for the party, Fountainhead organized a Flash mob at the Sony office on 29th Oct, where the crew performed on a song track & the shout out was to welcome them for the grand party. A few Sony employees were trained for a week who were a part of the mob along with the flash mob crew on the 29th. Along with a setup which aptly portrayed this theme, the grand party also witnessed some enthralling performances by Israeli Mentalist Roy Zaltsman, Electric String Angels band, DJ Aqeel, DJ Suketu and Sunidhi Chauhan along with her Band. According to the Sony's vision, the entire venue was transformed into an exuberant and glamorous club giving it a feel of the grand party. Fountainhead Entertainment ensured a buzzing celebration for the country’s leading entertainment network.They booked the entire event space at Grand Hyatt for the multiple setups. The grand ballroom had a massive stage and chandelier along with the other ballroom areas setup for all the celebrities. The setup also included numerous installations for guest engagement in the pre-function area. A dedicated manpower of 90 people working rigorously for 32 hours and achieved the client’s vision of a gigantic setup. Fountainhead Entertainment also installed a 25 feet moving chandelier in the center of the ballroom, a technology used for the first time in India at an event. It provided a unique experience as the chandelier’s patterns and lighting were perfectly programmed to sync with the music playing. The DJ platform was setup at the center of stage above the LED Wall at a height, in order to create a better connect with the audience, enhancing the club feel. To add an international flavor to the party, 4 separate platforms were created across the ballroom where the Russian dancers performed.The visuals, lights and the music throughout the evening were synced as the guests entered the celebrations.There were various engagement activities in the pre-function area such as Karaoke Room, Post-it wall where people could post a wish for Sony, Sling shot wall where a message could be digitally splashed on a wall, a Twitter mirror and a Flip Book area along with various fun props to add to the party element. The highlights of the event were the mentalist Roy Zaltsman’s introductory act , the moving chandelier in the main ballroom, Sunidhi Chauhan’s performance and music by DJ Aqeel and DJ Suketu. Commenting on challenges faced by Fountainhead while executing the event, Rohan Salvi, VP - Business Development and Client Servicing, Fountainhead Entertainment, said, “It was an extremely prestigious event as it marked the 20 year journey of Sony Entertainment Television (Multi Screen Media) in India. Hence, it was important for us to translate the client’s vision into reality, right from the selection of invitees to registration and guest management leading to the content and execution. Given the lineage and prestige attached to such an event, perfection is the only norm for Fountainhead Entertainment. Ensuring an extraordinary experience for the esteemed employees, Bollywood and TV celebrities was our main challenge which was lived up to. With an exceptional concept and impeccable production, Fountainhead Entertainment crafted an immersive experience for all the guests to cherish forever.”
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Ajay Vadhvani Solutions conceptualized and executed Season I of Jabong Turfwar 2015 driven by Hero, held on Nov 21st – 22nd 2015, at G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. While over 5000 people witnessed the fun, fashion, fitness and football combination live we at EE bring to you the highlights from the event. An IP by AVS, with online fashion retailer Jabong had twelve colleges from Delhi NCR participating, all competing for the grand trophy. The final match was played between Gautam Buddha University & G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. After what proved to be a highly combative game, Gautam Buddha University emerged as the Champions receiving the Jabong Turf War trophy and a cash prize of INR 25,000. Brishektu Pal from G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management won the Hero of the Tournament Award and received a limited edition Karizma motorcycle signed by Dutch musician Martin Garix of the Animals fame. Speaking at the award ceremony, Nils Chrestin, Interim CEO at Jabong and Group CFO of Global Fashion Group, said, “The level of football played in this tournament was truly impressive. Football has been gaining ground in India and this was quite evident by the excitement among the players and the crowd alike.” The tournament, which was held over two days, captivated the audience with some exceptional performances by the participants. Adding to these were great live performances by Archis Patil, India’s record-breaking freestyle footballer; emcee Clince Varghese, MTV selfie challenger winner; and award-winning DJ Varun Dayal. Hero, India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, drove the Jabong Turf War, co-sponsored by German sportswear major Puma. Other partners were Gatorade (sports drink), Jawed Habib (hair care), 94.3 Radio One (radio), Magic Bus (NGO), Sony Six (associate), GLBIT (venue), Eco Wise (waste management), Crowne Plaza (hospitality), and Jabra (performance). The tournament was held at the G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Greater Noida. “G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Greater Noida is happy to associate with Jabong for this great initiative. This event will fill the youth with revived energy and new knowledge as the sports not only give physical fitness but also teach important management lessons. I believe that Jabong will continue to create more such avenues for youngsters,” said Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, Vice Chairman, G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. The tournament was attended by prominent sport figures with the likes of Abhishek Mishra, Triathlete, Marathoner, Ultra-Runner and the winner of the recent Ironman Mallorca; Sandesh Jhingan and Nirmal Chhetri, professional footballers in the Indian Super League, rallying the participants through the tournament. Fascinating performances by a rock band, dance troupe, and cheerleaders provided a good spectacle for the audience throughout the tournament. Speaking about the IP, Turfwar, Ajay Vadhvani, Founder at AVS, said “This tournament took over 20 days for pre-planning, associations and partnerships, 10 days of promotions, 2 days of setup at the venue and 2 days at event. The idea was to deliver flawless execution with branding & various activations during the tournament days. And to which the team did a wonderful job. I also thank my partners and sponsors for having faith in us with this IP, and which made it large”. Speaking of future for Turfwar, we already have a go ahead for 4 cities in Season II (2016), starting from Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi & Goa* with its Beach Edition.
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Wills Lifestyle, one of the most premium fashion and lifestyle brands in the country has recently jumped on the experiential bandwagon to charm its target audiences. After previously launching campaigns featuring RFID tags, 360 degrees selfie booth and fashion drones, the brand has come up with a new and interactive #MannequinsOnABreak campaign. In a candid conversation with Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Lifestyle Retailing Division we at EE find out the importance of experiential campaigns for the brand and how its marketing strategies differ from that of its competitiors. What is the marketing philosophy for Wills Lifestyle as a brand? Wills Lifestyle has always been at the forefront of innovation and driven the business of fashion in India with novel interactive platforms. We recognize the influence of experiential marketing and interesting communication platforms. Following the phenomeonal success of RFID tags, 360 degrees selfie booth and Fashion Drones at fashion events, we continue to lead the way in enhancing consumer experience at the brand stores with a truly innovative mix of fashion and technology. This is the future of fashion retailing. We already have a large presence online and we now want to build beyond that across various on-ground platforms by adopting technologies that not only will be a first in the fashion space in India but also are more interactive and connect with fashion enthusiasts’ and customers. What was the idea behind launching a #Mannequinsonabreak campaign? The idea behind the #Mannequinsonabreak campaign is also to showcase the entire festive season collection in an interesting manner and promote technology-enabled marketing. It is about creating a virtual fashion show for your customers. Wills Lifestyle has pioneered integration of technology in the fashion segment and the first-of-its kind holographic activity is yet another initiative from the brand. The brand has recently used a lot of experience driven campaigns to wow its TG. Any specific reason for choosing experiential campaigns over traditional marketing platforms like Print and TV? The objective behind choosing experiential campaigns is to continue being at the forefront of innovation and leading the way in enhancing consumer experience at the brand stores with a truly innovative mix of fashion and technology. For example #MannequinsOnABreak campaign helped us step away from usual model oriented ads and managed in creating a distinctive identity amidst the clutter. What are the different fashion properties that Wills Lifestyle is associated with? We were associated for over 10 years as the official sponsors of India Fashion Week. Right now, our focus is on experiential campaigns at the store level to enhance customer experience by syncing fashion with technology. What is the investment that Wills Lifestyle put in such on-ground campaigns and events every year? As a part of our overall brand-building exercise, there are various projects identified and undertaken to resonate with the objectives set there-in. The investments are in-line with those projects. How does Wills Lifestyle differ from its competitors in their marketing as they seem to be following the same trend of fashion events? The brand marketing strategy for Wills Lifestyle has been anchored on fashion and technology. The differentiation comes in the way events are leveraged both offline and online. In the recent past Wills Lifestyle was touted as the first fashion retail brand to introduce real time online marketing using the RFID technology, reaching consumers across multiple social media platforms. It was the first ever-Indian fashion platform that synced all the happenings at the fashion week by sharing them in real with participants on Facebook, Twitter & Google hangout. Being at the helm of creativity, we have integrated modern technology with fashion yet again this season thereby creating a unique way to display our new collection and enriching consumer experience in the brick and mortar world. The objective is to create awareness about the new season collection and drive people to the store for one of its kind brand experience.
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While most brands in the personal care products category are busy designing their marketing strategies with the singular intent of increasing sales figures, the experiential initiatives by Schwarzkopf come across as a refreshing change. The recently executed Schwarzkopf Shaping Futures initiative mirrors the Hon PM NarendraModi’s agenda for the next 5 years of Skill India movement. Through the initiative Schwarzkopf empowers young minds with free of cost hair care trainings, enabling them to find employment and support their families. In a candid conversation with Everything Experiential, Kartik Kaushik, Country Head - Henkel Beauty Care Professional India talks about the brand’s experiential initiatives and what drives them. Q-What was the concept behind the Shaping Futures initiative by Schwarzkopf? The initiative is based on the belief that knowledge and education are paramount for a secure and better future, Hence, we at Schwarzkopf Professional wanted to come up with a social initiative with the aim to give young men and women in need a chance to earn their living as hairdressers, “Shaping Futures” is specifically designed to empower the youth in the craft of hairdressing by international hairdressers of repute associated with Schwarzkopf Professional. This initiative was launched in November 2010 and has been successfully launched in 25 countries, influencing the lives of more than 1,200 young adults. Over 200 dedicated volunteers shared their passion for the craft of hairdressing during more than 60 “Shaping Futures” training classes. As a result, ‘Shaping Futures’ will be rolled out to more countries around the globe. Q-Are there any more philanthropy projects that the brand invests in? Social engagement is an important part of our sense of responsibility, and is firmly embedded in Henkel’s corporate values. Together with our employees, retirees, customers and consumers, Henkel and the Fritz Henkel Stiftung foundation support sustainable social projects around the world. As part of our corporate engagement, we enter into social partnerships in the communities where Henkel operates. One of the most popular initiatives in this category is Forscherwelt.(Researcher’s World in English) This is a unique scientific education program for school children that comprises lectures series at schools held by Henkel experts, vocational training for teachers, donation of lab equipment to partner schools Also after natural disasters, Henkel responds quickly, providing aid through our foundation, the Fritz Henkel Stiftung, wherever it is needed in the world. In providing this assistance, we take care to ensure that 100 percent of all third-parties donations are passed on to the people affected. Recently through the foundation, Henkel provided support for reconstruction measures after the earthquakes on Nepal and the Philippines. Q-What are some of the main line experiential campaigns executed by the brand so far? Our experiential activities are broadly divided into 3 types, which are categorized based on the target groups, who we believe are our best brand ambassadors. These are The opinion makers such as the beauty editors:We regularly invite beauty editors to our Schwarzkopf ASK academies or partner salons to experience new services or products. Their opinions matter to us and the consumers. We strongly believe that the best brand endorsement comes when it is from a neutral source. The service providers i.e. the Hair Dressers and Salon Owners: In our business the Hair dressers play a very important role. We provide regular training to the hair dressers associated with us on the latest trends and product innovations. The emphasis of our training sessions is on hands-on experience. During these sessions, hair dressers are encouraged to use products on models as well as on themselves. Once they are sure of a product’s quality and delivery, they confidently suggest the solution to their clients; thus, culminating ina win-win situation for all. The end consumers: We do not organize national campaigns, but conduct many activities at city and regional levels. We mostly try and make the consumers use products or services by making combo offers. For example, if our objective is to promote spa in a specific market, then we chose a set of salons and run offers, such as, “Go for a global color and get a Hair Spa free”. By doing so, the consumers feel good and we achieve our objective of giving the consumers an experience of the product that we want to promote. Q-What among ATL or BTL campaigns has worked better for the brand and why? We are not high on ATL campaigns but do a lot of BTL activities. The best performing activities for us have been the ones which are aimed at inducing trials or giving an experience to the consumers. It is noteworthy that considering the competitive scenario, when we showcase the superiority with respect to delivery and technology of a particular product from the Schwarzkopf Professional product range vis-à-vis the other competing product brands, most often the consumers shift to our product brands. . Q-What portion of the marketing budget for the brand is solely devoted for experiential campaigns? We spend a sizeable amount on trade and brand activities. Every financial year we allocate around 20 percent of our marketing budget for experiential campaigns. Q-Is the brand looking at creating some intellectual properties? We already have two intellectual properties in place at the moment. One of which is a Professional Hair Dressers’ Club which is an exclusive club for salons partnering with Schwarzkopf Professional for business growth. The purpose of the club is to engage in business building activities such as training and marketing. Another property by us is the ‘Essential Looks’ Trends Collection which showcases the hair styles and coloring techniques inspired by the four fashion capitals of the world. The objective through this property is to reach as many salons as possible. Q-Where does the brand picture itself 5 years down the line? Well, we are definitely working towards bettering ourselves and maintaining our prime position in the market. Through we have no figures in mind as we wouldn’t want to restrict our growth that ways but in 5 years we are obviously aiming to double up our business and market share. (The article has been extracted from the second edition of BW APPLAUSE magazine)
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Madison IES, the activation and experential unit of Madison OOH and Madison World recently completed another interesting event on World Toilet Day for its client ROCA Bathroom products by creating a giant WC installation in DLF Place Mall, Saket, New Delhi. The event saw important facts about the necessity of toilets being discussed and customers were motivated to be a part of this noble initiative by signing the pledge. ROCA further pledged to create 50 toilets for every 10 pledges they received at the event. Sharing the objective behind the activation, Jyotsana Singh Kaushik, Sr. Manager PR & Digital Marketing, ROCA says, “The objective behind this event was not to just create awareness or brand presence, but to invite the public to pledge their support towards hygienic sanitation for every Indian in line with the PM's vision.We have received an encouraging response and are in the process of allocating the toilets for under-privileged sections of society.” Speaking about the activation Saumen Roy, VP & Head, Madison IES says, “People generally hesitate to have a discussion on such a private topic as a toilet; but this activation succeeded in breaking this taboo. It inspired, motivated and educated those present to talk, discuss, inspire and sensitize others on the need to have proper sanitation for all. Moreover we were all really delighted that we could pull off the project, from idea to execution in just 3 days time.”
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After announcing the line up for the 2015 edition & with less than a month to go, Enchanted Valley Carnival is out with the complete day wise schedule for the festival programmed for fans from around the globe. This year BEVC introduces brand new stage identities. BEVC will host different stages that bring together the tribe- Cosmos, Pyro, Akva, Terra & Aero. Just as the four universal elements come together to form the cosmos, the stages have been divided both visually & sonically to represent 5 sub cultures & tribes, each representing different genres of music. The weekend will start on Friday, 18th December with Hardstyle artists Noisecontrollers and Bass Modulators along with Indian Dubstep artists Nucleya & Sound Avatar who’ve become crowd favorites in a very short span of time. Thomas Gold, Ben Gold, Omnia & Ruben De Ronde will be breaking it down for all Trance lovers and ending the first day of the festival with a bang. Live at Saavn, which is a new addition to the festival will feature acts like Laxmi Bomb, Pratyul Joshi & Dhruv Visvanath to enthrall campers with some captivating sounds. Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim will be headlining the second day of the festival. The ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ star who popularized the big beat genre in the 90’s will be visiting India after 3 years. Oliver Heldens is all set for his maiden trip to India. The other acts in the House/EDM genre on Day 2 will include Far East movement, Nanok & Sartek. Marking his second year with the festival, Ferry Corsten will not only be back but also curate a stage for all the Trance fans in India. Alex Morph, RAM & Marco V will be playing back to back sets at the Full On Stage. The legendary Simon Posford of Shpongle will set the mood with his ambient tunes. He was quoted saying “I am very excited to be coming back to India this December to be playing an exclusive sunset set on the Soma Project stage at the EVC music festival. India always holds a special place in my heart and I can't wait to get everyone Shpongled”. The other acts by the Soma Project will feature artists like GMS & Bullzeye. Playing an exclusive set for campers, the Live at Saavn stage will witness maestros like Kavita Seth playing alongside her son, Kanishk Seth. Other performers like Achint Thakkar, Samved & Coshish will add to the cutting edge programming. BEVC will bring Tiesto to make his festival debut in India on the last day of the festival. Making his way to Aamby Valley City for all the Tribesmen who are ready to embrace something spectacular on 20th December, the Wombass artist will captivate fans from around the world. Known to be the festival of firsts, internationally acclaimed Indian artists Lost Stories and Shaan will play back to back sets at the festival for the very first time. Techno marvel Dubfire will be setting the techno stage on fire with his phenomenal tunes. Be ready to be bowled over by ground-breaking performances by Shaded, Hobo and Kohra. The Soma project will showcase some deep hypnotic sounds from Sashanti, Stefano Richetta & Steve Rachmand. The last day at the Live at Saavn stage will feature some acts by Hariharan & his son I-ZEN, Coshish, Faridkot & Fuzzculture Keeping the tradition going, Arjun Vagale will be closing the festival at the after party with a raw Techno set.
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With over 2153 soap brands in the country today and a more 365 entering in the market every year, the soap industry of the India is one of the biggest in the world. Estimated to be of a whooping 14,100 crore in size, soap is the biggest segment under the personal wash category and is known to have made its presence felt in the market over a 110 years ago. Vivel, the soap brand of ITC is undoubtedly one of the most crucial players of this industry as it currently holds about 7% of the total industry market. The soap brand recently organized a bloggers meet with its brand ambassador Kareena Kapoor Khan to discuss and deliberate upon the USP of the product, its advantages and the trends triggering the growth in the soap industry. The meet which was executed by Millionscreens also saw Kareena Kapoor sharing her personal beauty secrets with the journalists in attendance. A demonstration test of how Vivel soap nourishes the skin from within was also set-up to give journalists and bloggers hands on experience with the product. We at EE, caught up with Subash Balar, Category Head, Personal Wash, ITC to know more about Vivel and its experiential initiatives. Q- Kareena has been your brand ambassador since Vivel entered the market. Any particular reasons for having the same advocate for your brand all these years? A-When we started we were on the lookout for the most beautiful face around and Kareena has been that face through all these years. Her association with Vivel adds tremendous value to us and consumers feel if Kareena uses this product then we should too. From the last 5-6 our collaboration has been very fruitful. Q- What is the current market share for Vivel and what are your biggest competitors? A-It is between 6.5% to 7% right now. When you talk about our biggest competitors in the space it is very difficult to say because ours is a category where consumers migrate very easily. A research states that households easily change 4-5 soap brands within a span of 6 months but yes Lux is still one of the biggest players in the market. Q- In terms of marketing, the promises made by all soap brands are the same. What is the USP of Vivel when it comes to their market strategy? A-Our USP is the fact that we focus on nourishment of the skin which is something all other brands have not emphasized on. A couple of years back we didn’t have this strategy but then we realized that talking too much about a lot of things will not work with consumers and hence we did a lot of scan and research and came to the conclusion that nourishment of the skin is one factor that consumers needed and hence we made it the nucleus of our product. Q-You said your TG is urban female 21-35 years of age. Why are you not targeting the rural female? A-Urban fame between the age of 21-35 is my communication TG where as the because of the strong distribution chain of ITC our products are widely available everywhere. In rural markets what we do is manufacture smaller cakes of the product so they fit in perfectly for the audience who wants to try something easy on the pockets as well. Q-Are you making any special marketing efforts for these rural audiences as ATL is not the best medium to reach there? A-Apart from the price point we do a lot of activations in rural. We do van programs where we go and advocate about the features of the products. ATL does has a significant presence in rural today too but there are certain media dark geographies where one on one is the way to go. So we participate in Melas and Haatts through games and engagements to communicate our brands message with our prospective consumers. Q-Other soap brands are associating with a lot of beauty pageants in terms of experiential initiatives. Is something like this on the cards for Vivel? A- We were picking up on things like “Skin Love” and in the east we have created a property called ‘Pujo Love’. What we have done with Pujo Love in the last 2 years is that give old people a chance to enjoy the festivities of the Puja, last year we did the same with orphans as the basic ethos of our product is Love and it extends beyond to just love with your skin. Q-How much of your total marketing budget is devoted to experiential? A-We have just started with experiential initiatives and it is in the future when we are going to really come up with more of such campaigns. For now experiential amounts to about 6% of our marketing budget.
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Capital Jazz, in collaboration with Teamwork Arts, is presenting Jazz Utsav 2015, a 2 day festival featuring the best known Jazz artistes from India and across the globe, on the 5th and 6th December 2015 at One Golden Mile, R K Puram, New Delhi. This year, in its 31st edition, this definitive Jazz festival held annually in the capital, celebrates the coming together of thePast, Present and Future of Jazz. With the Jazz Utsav, Capital Jazz have been one of the pioneers in bringing the best of Indian and International Jazz artistes together on the same platform in India, and are largely credited for the growing appreciation of this genre of music in India. This year, Teamwork Arts, has signed a partnership with Capital Jazz to present Jazz Utsav and explore touring this to a number of Indian cities. In the past Jazz Utsav has featured some of the best names in the Jazz world, like Sonny Rollins, Larry Carlton and Wayne Krantz. This year’s line-up is sure to brighten the mood of music enthusiasts in Delhi with a stellar line-up including The Woodstock Jazz Band of the students from Mussoorie’s Woodstock School and Joel Lyssarides from Sweden representing the electrifying Future of Jazz; the legendary flag bearers of its unforgettable Past -Derek Julien, who was part of the first wave of Jazz in India in late '60s, and Karim Ellaboudi featuring Vasundhara. And then there are the beacons of Present day Jazz - international Jazz rage Arthur Dutkiewicz Triofrom Poland and the current toast of the Jazz circuit -Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Gamak from USA, with his grounding in Carnatic classical music and his passion for jazz coming together to craft a unique blend of music. Commenting on Jazz Utsav 2015, Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts said, “Teamwork Arts aims to create exponential value for the arts by bringing to the forefront a multitude of art forms through our events and festivals. In Capital Jazz we’ve found partners who are just as passionate and enthused with these ideas and have kept alive the love for this exciting musical genre. With the best of musicians from India and across the world, this year’s Jazz Utsav will be an unparalleled celebration of all things Jazz and over the next few years we hope to grow this festival into one of Asia’s major music events” Astri Ghose of Capital Jazz said, “This year's festival is special. We have the best of Indian jazz with the amazing guitar of Derek Julien(remember Waterfront?). Women are well represented. If you haven't heard KittuSequeira or VasundharaVidalur it's time you did at Jazz this year. And if you wonder whatthe future holds for Indian jazz, see the talented young girls and boys in the Woodstock jazz.” Jazz Utsav began in 1978, born out of a collective love and appreciation of genre and an effort to showcase celebrated Jazz artistesfrom India across the world. It has found a dedicated following and is credited with largely influencing the Jazz scene in India, bringing together old and new lovers of this musical style. This definitive annual festival is attended by Jazz enthusiasts from across ages and walks of life, including young music lovers, executives, diplomats, ambassadors, judges, working professionals and other eminent personalities. The festival is now in its 31st year and has, in the past, featured some of the best names in the Jazz world, like Sonny Rollins, Larry Carlton, TrilokGurtu and Wayne Krantz.
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Second Serve Pvt. Ltd., owners of India’s only nationwide tennis league appointed Phase 1 Events & Experiences for the overall project management and event execution for Champions Tennis League (CTL) Season 2, beginning in November. The brainchild of Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis legend and global ambassador of the sport, CTL is the only professional international tennis league in India with players that are amongst the very best in the world. Conceptualized to promote a passion for tennis and inspire a love for the sport, CTL aims to take tennis in India to new heights. As the official event partner, Phase 1 Events & Experiences will work to provide an experience of international standard. Oum Pradutt, Founder and MD, Phase 1 Events & Experiences says, “We’re all set for the excitement in store and aim to make the league the most flawless, fluid and exciting experience for our audiences. While we’ve had the benefit of previously associating with the sport of cricket in India and building a state-run league from ground level, we consider it a privilege to now be associated with a niche sport such as tennis and are immensely honored to be a part of Mr. Vijay Amritraj’s vision in giving mileage to this incredible sport and promoting tennis across the country.” Arjun Rao, CEO, Second Serve Pvt. Ltd. says, “We are very happy to appoint Oum and his team as our event partner for CTL 2015. We have seen an immense amount of organizational and operations skills in their team, coupled with creativity, dedication and commitment. They also have a lot of experience handling big events and sports events. We look forward to a great partnership with them and a flawlessly executed tournament.”
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