Author
Shantanu writes for Everything Experiential
The year 2015 has been a blessing for all the foodies in the capital. Not only this year has the city seen some of the most amazing standalone restaurants cropping up but it is also this particular year when the Delhi/NCR region fully absorbed the culture of basking in the glory of food festivals.
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When was the last time you took a pause in your life and thought about the sacred core in and around yourself? Well, if like me the answer to your question is 'No' too, then Shree Cement The Sacred Pushkar festival is truly the place for you to be at.
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A large chunk of a marketing journalist's time goes into scouting for some of the most innovative experiential campaigns across the world. Hence, a lot of time you can catch us talking about how an experience driven marketing plan for a consumer has to be very innovative in order to engage them. But at times, even we fail to understand that experiences are subjective and there are different things & elements that appeal to different target audiences. The Bazaar Activity is an initiative by Vodafone Delhi to reach out to its existing and prospective pre-paid base targeting the lower echelon of Delhi population by engaging them in activities which reward and acknowledge the support the customers. The name of the activity ‘Vodafone Bazaar’ brings in the element of a marketplace beyond just telecom services, products, associated activities and provision of household goods to help Vodafone establish a deeper connect with the audiences. The concept of the Bazaar is simple, a flashy and inviting stall is set up in a busy market. Passerby's are motivated to come and understand the features Vodafone is offering through the bazaar, get direct sim activation and recharges done, have photographs clicked with Vodafone zoo-zoo standees, get rewards in form of consumable goods and also participate in the lucky draw. The 8th Vodafone Bazaar was organized yesterday near Nizamuddin Station in Delhi and for those of you who think that the activity is too simple to churn out a massive change in minds of consumers need to understand that the success of this experiential initiative by Vodafone roots back to its ideation itself. The first point that works in Vodafone's favor here is the Strategic Location; since the festival of Chatt is on going currently, the bazaar was able to target floating population from nearby areas which increased their outreach than usual. Secondly, the brand encouraged people to visit them through the concept of 'Buniyadi', which involves brand advocates creating recall value through microphones and persuasion. Thirdly, the Vodafone Bazaar had something to offer for every age group. Be it Vodafone zoo-zoo cartoon for the kids on TV, or a photo opportunity and direct printout for the family, engaging offers for the users and rewards in forms of necessities were more than sufficient elements to engage the audience Vodafone had set out to target with the activity. As a result anyone who participated in the bazaar had a reason to be happy about. Talking about it Ramkishore Jha (48) says, "I am very happy as the offers are really good. I had always heard about Vodafone but never tried it. I was on my way to buy some sugar when i saw this stall and now i have a Vodafone connection with low call rates and got a packet of Sugar as a reward. I am enthralled." Rajni (22) said, "I have not seen any other brand doing an activity like this for us. I use Uninor currently and i am not happy with the call charges and sudden balance deduction. With this activity this is the first time a brand has come to me and i am happy with it. I got a photo clicked too and will also have one done with my family tomorrow. I hope Vodafone continues to surprise us like this." Interestingly, the most beneficial part of the activity was that by providing exciting offers to this segment of audience Vodafone was able to make maximum conversions from different telecommunication brands to its benefit. Its strongest competition Airtel has a 24% share in the particular market but has not retained its customers with an activity like this and hence had its customers converting rapidly to make the best out of the offers. With an estimated 800-1000 people reach out with every edition of the activity. It would be safe to say that Vodafone Bazaar has certainly managed to create a favorable experience for customers in the lower income segment. With a simple concept matched with personal touch and engaging rewards, this experiential initiative is truly an example of why sometimes it is the most simple experiences that manage to create the maximum impact in the lives of a consumers.
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After having submitted a representation to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for single window license clearance for event permissions, good news has followed for Events and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) members as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has yesterday announced approval of single window licensing procedure for events. The announcement comes after the C. M. of the state Sri. Devendra Fadnavis assuring full government support to the event fraternity at the EEMAX Global Awards held in September this year. Post EEMAX, EEMA has been rigorously working along with the state machinery and MCGM on the ‘Single Window’ mandate. Event organizers will now be able to get all the permissions required from the Municipal Corporation in Mumbai through one window only. The MCGM single window, currently a physical window has gone live today and an on-line window is expected to follow in the next few months. It is expected that all other licensing permissions across different departments in the state are expected to be amalgamated soon. Talking about it, Sushma Gaikwad, VP, EEMA West says, “We have been relentlessly working alongside MCGM and have provided input as well as clarifications with a view to make the system simple and robust. This announcement brings in good news for the entire industry and its stakeholders who faced numerous hassles while organizing events in Mumbai. This is the first step and an important one. ” Speaking on the subject, Sabbas Joseph, President EEMA said, “We are pleased to announce that the MCGM has approved the single window for Mumbai. This is the first step toward a feasible solution and is expected to evolve as learnings are incorporated over a period of time. This window is highly effective as it brings together all the permissions required from the Municipal Corporation in Mumbai. Over a period of time all other permissions across departments in the state are expected to be amalgamated.” He added: "Our special thanks to a few persons to the Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis and Yuva Sena leader, Aaditya Thackeray who shared our vision. And to their team comprising the state’s Tourism and Culture Secretary, Mrs Valsa Nair Singh and from the MCGM, the Municipal Commissioner, Ajoy Mehta and Ms Shashi Bala, Chief BDD. Their consistent and steadfast commitment ensured that this pathbreaking step has been taken in the shortest possible time. The new event permission circular is now available on www.mcgm.gov.in
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At a time when the capital has just seen two gastronomic food festivals recently end, Semora Entertainment works has created a first of its kind, The Diabetic food trail. Flagged off on World Diabetes day - 14 Nov and scheduled to go on till 30 November 2015, the initiative is all set to offer a culinary experience at over 120 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore with special ‘Diabetic friendly’ menus that are complete, with nutritious and delicious choices, thus allowing patrons to indulge without worry. In a candid conversation with Seema Pinto, Director, Semora Entertainment Works we found out the challenges of creating The Diabetic Food Trail and the response it has garnered so far. How was the concept of The Diabetic Food Trail born? I have had diabetes for 10 years and being in the events industry travelling excessively is a part of my job. So whenever i was out in a different city the only option to have a decent meal was to check into a restaurant. But being diabetic i also had to constantly be aware of what i am eating in terms of its nutritional value and that's when it hit me that the very option of having a healthy food for a diabetic is not available at any restaurant. Even the basic Hot and Sour soup that we get at the most elite Chinese diner is not diabetic friendly. So with my background in food and events industry i decided to create something for people suffering from diabetes and that's how the concept of The Diabetic Food Trail was born. How much time did it take you to curate the initiative? It took us 2 months to put the entire initiative together. It was slightly difficult convincing people about our vision. Our initial approach was to keep the caloric value for each food item within a set. Also we had already asked the chefs of restaurant participating to not compromise at all with the taste of the food. The third yet the most important thing was to make sure that the price restaurants were charging for nutritious food was not more than the price of the original dish. How did Britannia came on board as the sponsor of the event? We spoke to them and they were more than interested to join our journey as they also have Nutrichoice biscuits that offer healthy solutions to hunger pangs. In terms of monetary investment yes they have invested some amount into the initiative as there was a large branding process such as table mats. menus, social media amplification that had to be done as a part of it. Do you plan to make The Diabetic Food Trail an annual property? Yes, we are in fact in the process of registering it already. We currently have 60 million diabetics in the country, the number is expected to become 110 million by 2030 and hence we are doing so many other things in on the same lines to increase awareness around the initiative. What is the kind of investment you have made to create The Diabetic Food Trail? Well we have out in everything single thing we had into this. Not just in economic terms but in terms of hard work, blood and sweat as well. This is a very personal initiative from me and hence we are not making any money out of it as well as our primary intent is to support the cause and enable healthy food options across restaurants. The initiative is on-going as we speak. What is the response you have received so far? It's been fantastic. I was just at Barbecue Nation a few days back and saw the place was full and people were enjoying the healthy food as well. It goes without saying people would want to make healthy choices for themselves if they had the option to and with this initiative receiving such a positive response we plan to take it ahead.
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Renault India, one of the growing automotive companies in India has recently announced its partnership as a Co-Presenter for the upcoming season of Sunburn, one of the biggest EDM music festivals in the country. In addition to the association with the music festival, the automobile brand has also rolled out “Spot the Kwid” & “Kwid to Sunburn Goa” campaigns to drive consumer engagement around the music festival. We at EE, take a deep dive into the association and find out more details about the campaign and the association. Speaking on why Renault decided to associate only its budgeted car Kwid with Sunburn, Rafael Treguer said, "Renault has created a milestone in the Indian automobile Industry by launching Renault KWID. The product is astutely designed and loaded with class leading features along with a superb mileage of 25.17 kmpl and best in class space. With over 50,000 customer orders, Renault Kwid is set to become a true game-changer in India. Taking this journey forward, we wanted to showcase the Attractive, Innovative and Affordable Renault Kwid at Sunburn." But with so many EDM festivals in the country today. Was there any specific reason to choose Sunburn? Answering this Rafael Treguer added, "Sunburn, is one of the largest music festivals in the world which complements Renault’s legacy and brand ethos of celebrating passion for life. Such innovative associations are helping Renault augment its brand familiarization in India in a short span of time." Speaking about the campaign, Karan Singh says, "The “Spot the Kwid” & “Kwid to Sunburn Goa” campaigns by Renault are aimed at engaging the automobile brand's TG by building a brand image that is youthful, cool and aspirational. As part of the campaign activity, Kwid will be showcased across the top 7 metros of the country, namely – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore & Hyderabad. The campaign will gratify winners from each city with an all expense paid road trip to Sunburn Goa in the Renault KWID. The car will be promoted throughout the festival as the “Official Sunburn Car” for 2015." Apart from this, Percept Live will also organise Sunburn events in the target markets for Renault that will drive maximum walk-in’s to the Renault Showrooms through gratifications with Sunburn Tickets/ merchandise. "Additionally, test drives will also be promoted across key metros in India with a similar gratification. The campaigns will be promoted by Percept One – the marcom division of Percept, through a massive 360 degree customized communication plan covering Print, TV, Digital and OOH media, reaching out and engaging thousands of Sunburn Fans from across the country"-adds Singh. When asked on if the association between the brands is for this year only? Karan Singh responded to the same by saying, "This is a long term association that will continue for 3 years. Renault will co-present Sunburn until 2018."
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Social media is one of the most important tools marketers and curators use to amplify their event content today. Not only does social media enables your event content to go global without much investment but it also serves as a platform to receive prompt feedback on the event and what can be improved in it. But a recent observation made by marketing gurus in reference to usage of social media by brands and agencies is that how none of their marketing strategies on the social media differ from each other. Just like a decade back ATL was cluttered with all brands sending out same type of messages to their TG, social media too these days is filled with social media accounts of these brands who though use different platforms but have no uniqueness in the way their communication messages are rolled out. What brands do these days is write a message and then copy+paste the same into all social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat and others. What they do not understand that is that even though social media is dynamic in its ethos, the same communication message through all platforms with zero innovation will reap no results for the brand. Marketers and agencies need to understand today, that all social media platforms are popular because all of them have their independent unique features. A twitter is more prompt than facebook & allows only 140 characters to be communicated at a time and thus using the same fb status here would go unnoticed. LinkedIn is a professional communication tool and hence the communication messages here have to more crafted, for them to get the attention a brand wants and a platform like SnapChat has to be used to create pre-event buzz in form of small glimpses and definitely not lengthy articles. If one looks at some of the most successful social media campaigns this year, they would see and realize that the success of creating memorable experience on social media for your TG roots back to using a particular social media platform to its benefit and not just ticking it off the list with a unified message across all platforms. As an example, in 2006 Ecommerce vendor TOMS Shoes had launched a philanthropic campaign asking people to donate one pair of shoes to needy children. In May 2015, the brand took the campaign to Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes. As part of the campaign activity whenever someone posted an Instagram photo of their bare feet using the hashtag #withoutshoes, TOMS donated a pair of shoes. The brand used a singular social media platform to create awareness about the campaign but used the platform in a way to best optimize the features of Instagram to ensure success. As a result, the campaign resulted in the donation of 296,243 pairs of shoes with people posting their legs without shoes photo on instagram for support. Similarly, the last selfie campaign by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) managed to wow animal lovers through its innovative use of Snapchat. WWF used the idea that selfies disappear off Snapchat after 10 seconds to illustrate the disappearance of endangered species around the world. The result was worldwide branding and sharing that led to increased donations for the month in only a matter of days. The reasons behind the success of this campaign too was its ability to engage its audiences through an innovative use of platform rather than just pleading people and advocating about animal rights. Brands and curators need to understand today that social media has been around for quite a while now and its time to put the pedal on the metal and create newer experiences with them rather than their monotonous use. Using same marketing strategy for different platforms will not work anymore, what is going to help brands achieve a loyal TG is surprising them using a different marketing strategy for different social media platforms.
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Nearly 1,000 marketers, event specialists and most innovative marketing agencies gathered at Las Vegas for this year’s edition of Event Tech, and it was definitely the was certainly a place to be at for any experiential marketing enthusiast. Though this piece I would like to share four of my key value areas at EventTech 2015. Great Sessions With dozens of sessions presented by brands and event technology leaders, EventTech provides a plethora of learning from industry experts. Every time I attend, I learn something new from fellow colleagues and industry leaders on their marketing and event experiences. Nothing can beat the in-person experience of a technology use case that may apply to your next event. There are so many great sessions to choose from and it can be challenging when there are five sessions occurring concurrently. You can’t choose a bad session, there is learning in all of them. With multiple sessions at every time slot, you just have to do your best to select the most applicable session for your purposes. I was there to present from a brand’s perspective and I focus on other brand presentations when I make my session attendance schedule. Loads of Exhibitors In addition to the great learning opportunities in the session presentations, the exhibitors provide a fun opportunity to try out their products and learn about their use cases. I appreciate the time to interface with their representatives and ask all of my questions. I enjoyed testing out some of the social sharing vendors like Limelight and their “haunted house” photo share. Networking With 1,400 other event marketers in attendance, EventTech provides a great opportunity to network with other practitioners and learn from their experiences. You never know when you might benefit from another contact or vendor to fill a niche in your program. You will find a wealth of experience and a tremendous resource of experts in the event field. Women in Event Technology For the first time, EventTech offered a ‘Women in EventTech Mixer’. I was happy to kick off the event with my insights and top tips for women in technology from my years of experience. We can all learn from one another and I was happy to see EventTech providing this opportunity for women at the conference. About the Author Kathleen Mudgehandles marketing strategy and execution for Cisco events specializing in social media planning, execution and best practices for Cisco’s flagship event Cisco Live. Twitter- @KathleenMudge
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The last leg of the year is bustling with brands going full throttle to engage their TG through creative experiences. On one hand, EDM festivals like NH7 Weekender, Sunburn and VH1 Supersonic are being looked upon as platforms for activations and mass engagement by most brands; a few notable ones are investing in their own events to get the most out of year end festivities. A brand that easily falls into the latter category is Royal Enfield. Often identified as the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, Enfield is known to have created the mid-size motorcycle segment in India with its series of modern classic bikes. The brand also boasts of having a loyal customer base and is going all out to experientially woo their community through the upcoming edition of Rider Mania. Interestingly, Royal Enfield’s ‘Rider Mania’ stands directly in competition to their biggest rival in the heavy motorcycle segment i.e. Harley Davidson’s ‘Harley Rock Riders’. With the recently executed edition of Harley Rock Riders being proclaimed as a considerable success, it is of interest of most bike lovers to see what does Royal Enfield has to offer to its fans through its version of a music & action packed event. For those of you still wondering what’s on offer at Rider Mania ’15 need not worry as we at EE bring to you the latest insights from this upcoming event. Slated to be held from 20th of November, Rider Mania promises to be a three-day motorcyclist heaven with more than 6000 riders expected to attend the festival this year. In a first for the festival, Royal Enfield owners from several cities including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai will be riding in to Vagator in groups. Also making its debut is the Dirt Track Racing Training specially incepted for the new Royal Enfield enthusiasts. The training will include 5 simultaneous sessions where enthusiasts would be able to learn the skills to negotiate tough terrains. Also, early morning Breakfast rides will give the participants an opportunity to ride along with the local Royal Enfield clubs. Additionally, the traditional Celebration Ride is expected to feature all participants exploring the natural trails of Goa. In terms of entertainment too, Rider Mania seems to offer an interesting blend as names like Indian Ocean, Karsh Kale, Raghu Dixit project, Dualist Inquiry, F16and DJ Nucleya are set to perform at the venue. The festival will also be filled with multiple on-ground engagements like demonstrations of custom built Royal Enfields from around the country, Assembly Wars sessions where teams dismantle a specific part, get it verified by the marshal, assemble it and race it back to the marshal and a slow race where the slowest participant to complete the track without putting their leg down will win. An insider from the Eicher Motor vehicles revealed that Wizcraft has been handed over the mandate to execute the event alongside Royal Enfield’s community team. Also Royal Enfield after this event will be participating in EICMA in Italy and various events in Australia and Indonesia. 2016, too will be a busy year for the brand as it looks forward to further engaging its TG through a number of marquee rides events such as Himalayan Odyssey, Tour of Rajasthan, Tour of Nepal, Tour of Bhutan and the REUnions- South and North. With so many offerings on the cards, it is safe to say Rider Mania can be expected to be as big an event as Harley Rock Riders if not less. The deciding factor however, on which event served the best engagement to its attendees shall be made only after deciphering on how Wizcraft executes Rider Mania in comparison to OML executing Harley Rock Riders.
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As the airline of Switzerland, Swiss has always been committed towards bringing different people and cultures together. As part of its latest experiential initiative Swiss welcome, the airliner is seeking keen travellers from 17 countries to come to Switzerland, explore the country with local hosts and acquire a unique Swiss experience. In an exclusive interaction with, Titus Fernandes, Marketing & Business Development Manager Swiss Airline India we get an insight on the airliners experiential endeavours and the importance of India as a market for it. Swiss International Air Lines is looking in for people who would like to get to know Switzerland from an individual local perspective. And to this end, SWISS is inviting people in all 17 nations – nine in Europe and eight farther afield – The “A Swiss Welcome” programme already has its own swiss.com/welcome website. And would-be visitors, hosts and voters can all visit the platform and communicate their interest. The best and funniest “A Swiss Welcome” encounters, and the experiences of the visitors and their hosts, will also be channelled into an appealing film that will be featured on the programme’s website from the end of next April onwards. Q-How was the idea of a Swiss Welcome campaign conceptualized? A-After two successful “Seats for Switzerland” campaign which were completely directed towards the Switzerland home market, Swiss decided to create a new campaign that was unique yet still celebrated the motto of Swiss to bring different people and cultures together and thus as a result it was decided to launch “A SWISS Welcome” worldwide. As part of the campaign activity Swiss is inviting people in 17 nations including India who would like to get to know Switzerland from an individual local perspective. Q-How will the Swiss Welcome campaign be rolled out? A-To apply to this unique trip one has to submit a creative one-minute video on swiss.com/welcome platform between now and 30 November. All the videos received will be judged by the online community to determine the 20 best submissions from each of the 17 countries. And a judging panel will then choose a winner from among these for each country by 14 December. The successful entrants will each win an attractive individual trip to Switzerland with personal contact with their Swiss hosts, and with a SWISS flight voucher, their hotel accommodation and a travel allowance all included. Once the 17 winners of these visits to Switzerland have been chosen, the “A SWISS Welcome” programme will enter its second phase in early 2016 when SWISS invites members of the Swiss public to apply to serve as the visitors’ hosts. Here, too, the successful applicants will be selected by a combination of public voting and a judging panel. The guests from abroad will arrive in Switzerland in March of next year, and will be introduced to their Swiss hosts at a welcome event in Zurich in appropriately “Swiss” surrounds. The visitors will then spend the following two to three days travelling around the country with their hosts and experiencing it from a truly personal perspective. Q-How important is India as a market for Swiss? A-India is one of the key and important intercontinental markets for Swiss and a source of profitable growth. It is not only a core long haul market but also a key growth market. Swiss remains committed to the Indian market it offers daily flights from Delhi & Mumbai to Zurich. And Zurich continues to be a key aviation hub in Europe. Q-What are some of the other on-ground experiential campaigns launched by Swiss in the recently? A-A complete Europe based campaign called the “ Art of Attentiveness” was recently launched and is currently ongoing. As part of it together with renowned light artist Gerry Hofstetter Swiss has created a symbol of greater attentiveness between individuals – in the form of spectacular light installations on monuments in selected European capitals. In November, England is due to become a part of this movement. Q-Why defines the marketing strategy for Swiss? A-After establishing a strong position in Delhi & Mumbai as the leading airline connecting India to Switzerland, all our efforts are targeted at maintaining this excellent position. The highly dynamic Indian aviation sector motivates us to constantly innovate in our marketing activities. This is also important for our high end “boutique” approach. We seek a focused quality positioning, to differentiate us from commoditized volume brands. We definitely position Swiss as quality brand. For us every customer is welcome , whichever class he travels. Q-How does the Swiss welcome campaign resonate with the image of the airliner in India? A-Swiss embodies its home country’s classic values of “Swiss hospitality “ “quality in every detail” and “ personal attention and care” . With this campaign and as the Airline of Switzerland . Swiss brings people and cultures together. Swiss is seeking keen travelers from various countries to come to Switzerland and experience these classic values and explore the country with local hosts and acquire a truly unique Swiss experience.
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