Author
Shantanu writes for Everything Experiential
As the year is closing towards its holiday season the war of experiential between brands is intensifying. While some are sticking to their original roots and reiterating their brand identities with creative on ground offerings to their target consumers, others are riding the digital wave to generate likeminded experiences. The month of September witnessed some of the most creative experiential campaigns by brands like Epson, Carlsberg, Nestle and others. In this list we at EE share, the 4 experiential campaigns that grabbed the most eyeballs last month. Medieval activation by Carlsberg This particular experiential initiative by Carlsberg proves yet again why it is considered as one of the most consumer centric brands across the world. As a part of this the beer brand had created a London pop-up bar which was Housed in The Vaults underneath Waterloo station. Executed in the last week of September, the overall concept of the activation was inspired from the idea of connecting the drink with 887 year heritage that it represents. It was themed in the style of the Grimbergen Abbey, where the drink was first brewed. An estimated 600 people attended this medieval activation and they were treated to a complimentary half pint of the blonde craft beer and music from The Retrosettes and High Jives. 2-Epson Giant Water Tank in Times Square This one is certainly one of the most path breaking experiential campaign to be executed in recent times. For the launch of their new line of EcoTank printers Espon created a giant water tank in Times Square and infused the elements of synchronized swimming performances to showcase them. Interestingly, the performers wore custom swimsuits which were designed with Epson printing technology. The bottom and rear panels of the tank were designed with the Epson ink cartridge to make believe audiences that swimmers were actually performing in ink. Additionally, pedestrians were also provided photo opportunities with the swimmers and the chance to test out the EcoTank printers. 3-Americas Cake and Sugarcraft Fair Everyone loves cake and everything related to it. The creamy frosting, the flavors, the scrumptious designs all make it a delight to cherish. However, what would your reaction be if one told you, you can also wear cakes now! Well, no kidding. Cake artists and pastry chefs from around the world participated in the first ever Americas Cake and Sugarcraft Fair, which took place September 18 to 20 in Orlando. The best part about the fair was undoubtedly how models in the event's fashion show wore outfits created entirely of edible materials such as chocolate, fondant, gum paste, and sugar art. Now that is some experience for the viewers. 4-National Cheeseburger Day This experiential initiative celebrated the love shared by New Yorkers for a Cheeseburger. Yes, to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day on September 18, the Melt (a fast-food eatery in the city) partnered with cheese sculptor Troy Landwehr to create a Guinness World Record-breaking cheese sculpture. This Cheeseburger sculpture was made with cheddar cheese from scratch and resembled the burger served in the restaurant. With over 30 hours spent on its creation, this delicious installation weighed 1,524 pounds and was a nice surprise for the customers of the restaurant who wanted to celebrate the day with great fervor.
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The Enchanted Valley Carnival (EVC) has always been looked upon as a unique music festival property that combined the fun of a musical campsite alongside professional adventure sports and other distinctive experiences. Recently, the Universal Music Group announced its decision to associate with the musical festival which the entry of this musical giant into the experiential domain. In an exclusive conversation with Devraj Sanyal, MD, Universal Music Group South Asia, EE explores the reasons for this association and what can be expected out of it. Q-How did the idea of associating Universal with Enchanted Valley Carnival come across to you? A-Given my history with the festival business, it was time for us at Universal Music Group India to get into this as we have been increasing out footprints in the nontraditional forms of business as well. Enchanted Valley Carnival was a natural choice as it was the 2nd largest festival in the subcontinent by size & vibe. Interestingly, they were also looking to partner with someone who had a long term vision for the business and thus the match was instantaneous and the rest as they is history. Q-Universal Music Group so far has had a rather restricted footprint in the world of experiential. With this association now, what can be expected from this edition of the carnival? A-Actually we have been in the experiential business for a few years now. We have so far had a midsized live artist management business where we execute somewhere between 400-500 artist engagements annually in India & overseas. So experiential has always been a part and parcel of what of what we have done. With this association we will not only strive to make EVC the most loved stand alone festival in the sub continent but also use the considerable network that Universal commands to use content of the artists both audio & video to increase engagement levels with our core consumer, something that sets us apart from a regular promoter. Q-You have also been instrumental in laying the foundation of Sunburn. Then what prompted you to associating your brand with a different festival like the Enchanted Valley Carnival which is a strong competition to Sunburn? A-My years at sunburn are something that I will cherish forever cause we were part of making history. I have a diametrically opposite view on what you view as competition. I think our market is yet in a very nascent stage & no one needs to compete with anyone. Everyone must grow individually & collaboratively for the entire festival business to grow as a whole. Enchanted Valley Carnival was an easy choice as it was the one poised for a partnership. The promoters had built an envious property on the verge of massive growth & together we intend to deliver that dream. Q-How is the addition of Universal going to benefit the EVC property? What new has been added to the festival this year? A-Prima Facie the addition of Universal as a MNC brand with enormous experience in the branded content & sponsorship space has already shown huge dividends in the finalizing of 2 long term partners by way of Bacardi & Saavn. Now, the festival is being positioned as a heady mix of experiences which make it a must attend for anyone who is into music. Today it has a differentiated positioning of a multi genre music festival, In fact South Asia's only camping and adventure festival. Universal music along with the core team who have had years of experience will work to enhance the experience of Enchanted Valley Carnival this year on every front.
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ONE Rewardz is a mobile based customer engagement platform that serves as an engaging, analytics driven, customizable customer loyalty program for brands. Co-founded by– Ashwin Meshram and Sunpreet Singh Bindra, the platform is a feedback based solution that helps brands incentivize offline as well online interactions with their customers. With considerable brands like BIG Cinemas, Pizza Express, K Sera Sera, Esbeda, Killer Jeans, Eagle Boys Pizza, and Lemon Salons in their portfolio, ONE Rewardz promises that the 24x7 connectivity combined with real-time analytics offered by it enables brands to understand consumer spending patterns which in long term can help them in designing targeted marketing techniques and communication. EE reached out to Sunpreet Singh Bindra, Co-founder, ONE Rewardz to understand how the platform can truly help a marketer in understanding its targeted consumer base. Q- Currently there is a plethora of loyalty program platforms in the marketing industry what seperates One Rewardz from it? A-Well, what we have created with ONE Rewardz is a mobile-based customer engagement solution that serves as an interactive, analytics-driven, customizable customer loyalty program for retailers and brands. Most of the loyalty management solutions run at the brand’s backend. However, we not only provide the technology to brands to manage their loyalty programs but also handle the customer facing functions. Ours is a platform that serves as a bridge between brands and consumers, bringing various engagement functions under one platform. It provides a cohesive mobile platform to end consumers to interact with the various loyalty programs, eradicating the need of carrying physical loyalty cards. Consumers can view loyalty points, available offers anytime, anywhere under ONE umbrella, helping them make an informed buying decision. Q- What are the kinds of analytics that One Rewardz can provide to a brand? A-Analytics are usually a back-end function that analyzes consumer data over a period of time. The insights drawn from the analysis is useful for making key business decisions. Unlike traditional analysis, ONE Rewardz provides real-time analytics dashboard that provides insights as and when they occur, significantly increasing its effectiveness on business decisions. Today, brands have loyalty programs which are just transactional in nature. The idea of loyalty programs has shifted from being customer gratification to just another sales generation tool. Our idea is to maximize the potential of this customer touch point, by turning loyalty programs into customer engagement tools that are critical to the core business of brands. Features like 24x7 connectivity with customers via a mobile based platform, feedback driven association, targeted promotions via image and video notifications to existing customers, geo-fencing tool for increasing store walk-ins and many more make ONE Rewardz a differentiated loyalty program in today’s digital world. Q-How does the platform build in more business for a brand aside from showcasing loyalty program offers? A- So, interestingly, ONE Rewardz also helps determine metrics for brands. The 24x7 connectivity combined with real-time analytics enables brands to understand consumer spending patterns and helps them in boosting in-store and online interactions. Consumers are prompted for their feedback on their mobiles after every interaction with the brand, which is accessible to the decision makers of the brand real-time at an aggregate level as well as individual customer level. This helps brands to take any decisions about the interactions and feedback immediately. Brands are able to understand what their customers prefer, most valuable and frequent customers, customer buying behaviour, what products are in high demand, which outlets have better conversions, impact of marketing campaigns, past regular customers who have not visited the brand stores in last few months and many such insights. We provide a SaaS platform for brands to interact with consumers. For analytics, we have developed a unique algorithm and insights are available to brands in a simple dashboard format. Our platform can seamlessly integrate with a brand’s POS systems and other digital platforms. Q-A real time consumer interaction by brands is also manageable via social media websites. What gives ONE Rewardz an edge here? A- Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter let brands interact with customers but what is needed by brands is to study insights about consumer behaviour. To track changing preferences of customers and alter business decisions accordingly, brands need to adopt analytics. ONE Rewardz provides real-time analytics to brands to be updated with customers’ data and trends. The real-time dashboard provides details on top as well as dormant customers for better planning. It leverages social media for targeted marketing. ONE Rewardz allows consumers to share their shopping experience on social networks, turning brand loyalists to brand ambassadors. It incentivizes the customers with every transaction without them having to interact on social media. The location-based audience targeted via Geo-fencing is only possible with ONE Rewardz.
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“We are constantly thriving towards perfection and this wedding has only brought us one step closer”- says an elated Bhavnesh Sawhney, Director, Wedniksha Wedding Planners as he speaks about the grand wedding his company recently executed in Udaipur. Well, he certainly has all the reasons to be happy as Wedniksha is getting rave reviews about the glamorous wedding of Ruchi and Siddarth they recently organized in Udaipur. Every aspect and even the minute details of the wedding were given a lot of consideration as the brief given by the clients to execute the wedding was to create one of the grandest weddings of the year. Talking about deciding the overall theme of the event Sawhney says, “The wedding was inspired by the likes and wants of the client. We were told about their belief in Buddha and Lord Ganesha and we tried to translate that faith into elements at the various functions of the wedding. We decided to tweak the Royal theme to give it a unique feel.” The wedding started with a welcome dinner for the guest which was hosted at the Oberoi Udaivillas. The décor elements consisted of a massive golden tree which was situated at the center of the stage whilst there were florals scattered as center pieces which added to the look and feel of the place to elevate the ambience up a notch. The dinner lent itself to a performance by Benny Dayal whose tunes kicked in well with the vibe. The entertainment at the party further consisted of various different attractions like performances by samba podium dancers while playboy bunny girls and bar jugglers engaged the guests. DJ Suketu then took over the night spinning the latest tracks of the year which was an instant hit. “Udaipur is always a challenge logistically, transporting sets and décor elements by water to historic sites like Jagmandir and City Palace. Luckily for us, knowing the city as well as we do helped a great deal. We knew we were at the top of our game and pre-planned the boat schedules, turning the challenge into an opportunity for us to excel”-says Sawhney as he describes the challenges he faced while organizing the event. The décor theme for the mehndi the following day was folk inclined with a vibrant pink and orange theme set up an accompanied by colour-packed florals. The venue was designed to go with the theme performance by the Rajasthani folk artist and Punjabi singer Madhan Bala Sandhu. The Sangeet was held at the Zenana Mahal which became the most memorable celebration of the grand Punjabi wedding. The décor and setup of the stage featured a massive Buddha which was placed at the center of the stage alongside to chess horses with arches at either side which added to the theme. Mika Sing then took the stage and delivered an enthralling performance providing the perfect end to a great night. The D-day for the couple was designed to make them feel special in the Royal city. With the beautiful Jag Mandir as the venue of the wedding. The exchange of Jaimala between the bride and the groom was performed on a hydraulic elephant with three heads The reception included performances by Lauren Gotleib and Shalmali Kholgade who made the moments special for the couple. The vidhimandap that replicated a heritage dome set against the floral backdrop of the couple’s logo was then used to exchange their vows. “The amount of thought and work we put into making each wedding unique and special, if we were given a chance to do this wedding all over again, it is certain that this way would still be the best way we could’ve done it”- added Sawhney. Though Bhavnesh Sawhney of Wedniksha did not reveal the exact budget of the wedding however Everything Experiential estimates it to be an approximate of 3 Cr-3.5Cr.* *(The Estimations are based upon the current cost of venues, elements of the design and the performance fee of artists)
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Following the footsteps of the government in Delhi with respect to pre-approved venues for organizing events, the Maharashtra government too yesterday pledged its support in the favor of single window clearance and giving pre-approved licenses to venues in the state. The announcement for it was made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the inauguration of the Maharashtra International Tourism Mart. “We have decided to come up with a list of designated areas in Mumbai, where if any of the event organizers hold an event, none of the permissions will be required”- said Fadnavis at the MITM event yesterday. This landmark announcement by the government of Maharastra is being seen as a major step towards promoting the business of event fraternity and its members in the state which so far were facing hassles in licensing clearance for venues and events. An insider for the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) also revealed that the list pre-approved venues may include properties like Goregaon Exhibition Ground, Film City and BKC among others. Elaborating further on the subject Devendra Fadnavis stated, “The state government is also working towards giving online permissions to the hotel industry through single window systems.” These announcements from the Chief Minister of state have been welcomed by the members of the Events and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) with a big round of applause. Speaking on the announcement, Sabbas Joseph, President EEMA said, “We have been long waiting for this day and I would like to thank Andre Timmins, Rajeev Jain, Sushma Gaikwad and Vijay Nair for their support and active involvement to make this change happen. We now look forward to having the same change happening across each of the states and cities that we operate in.”
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From establishing intellectual property like the Camel Art Foundation to organizing a Project Ganga to reiterate the prime ministers ideology about clean India and from digitally celebrating the changed symbol of Google to allowing its customers to send e-rakhi on Raksha Bandhan, Kokuyo Camlin as a brand has experiential deep rooted in its ethos from its inception in the year 1931 itself. But why is experiential so crucial for the brand and why is it not using the ATL mediums to market itself much like its competitors like Pidilite and Faber Castle? Well, we at Experiential Experiential got the answers to these questions directly from the Chief Marketing Officer of Kokuyo Camlin, Saumitra Prasad himself. “Experiential is important to our brand as we understand that the customer today needs to develop an engagement quotient with the products rather than just knowing about its attributes. With that being said, we do use Television as a medium to reach out to the customers for a product which has a mass appeal however as long we are we are talking about products which are subjected to different age groups and sets, we fervently believe experiential campaigns and social media engagement is the way to go for us”-says Saumitra Prasad on the importance of experiential for the brand. So how does the brand divides its marketing spends on different products? To this Saumitra Prasad replies by saying, “For a mass product 70% of the total marketing spends is allocated to TV and social media and 30% is religiously invested into on ground promotional campaigns which at times includes research work as well.” Interestingly Saumitra Prasad also shares that the marketing strategy for Kokuyo Camlin is driven by the idea of offering something for every age group. He says, “We want to create more immersive experiences for every age group with our brand in picture, be it kids, their parents or young artists, we have something for everyone.” On being asked who executes the on ground campaigns for the brand Saumitra says, “While RK Swamy BBDO is the current creative agency for the brand, our on ground promotional campaigns so far have been executed by different agencies on the demands of the campaign.”
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Gone are the times when movie trailers and songs were enough to ensure the success of a film. Today much like the ideology adapted by brands, bollywood film producers and stars too have to woo their target audiences with out of the box, immersive and creative experiences to make sure their produce is not welcomed by empty screens at theaters. And thus, city promotional events of big budgeted bollywood movies have become a routine culture nowadays. However, what most producers and bollywood stars do not understand is that for a promotional event to actually work in the movies’ favor, more than just the presence of its leading superstars is required. Case in point- the promotions for action packed, bollywood flick, ‘Singh is Bling’ wrapped around a 'Style and the Sikh' themed fashion show by ace designer JJ Valaya organized by FDCI. Just imagine, stars like Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson and Lara Dutta walking the ramp in their dazzled outfits, talking about their film and engaging with audiences; sounds happening right? Well the real event actually wasn’t. To start off, the venue of the promotional event was Yes Minister, Essex Farms in Delhi, which is a decent venue for let’s say someone’s birthday party and but definitely a misfit for a fashion show. Adding to that, media officials actually had to wait a good half hour outside the venue for their favorite stars to make their grand appearances. Now, I agree that actors and actresses of the Indian film industry are used to be treated like kings and queens but showcasing them like one is an idea that sold in the 90s. Audiences today want their favorite stars to be more like them and not spend hours waiting for them outside a venue. This is the era of content oriented cinema we are talking about. However, the wait was not the most painful element of the entire event. That award goes straight to the sight of models struggling to walk, not the ramp but the platform of the bowling alley in their heavy dazzling outfits. Needless to say, the fashion show was clumsy, disorganized, out of synch and did not do any justice to the designs of the renowned designer. With a total of 9 designs at display and models unclear about where to go after the walk, this promotional event for ‘Singh is Bling’ was clearly a last minute cooked Khichdi which turned out to be a ‘Raita’ instead. Though an interaction round with the media was supposed to be an important part of the promotional event however unjustified is only taking 3 questions stars to answer when you have called 300 media professionals to attend an alleged ‘media preview event.’ The only saving grace of the evening was dancer and director Prabhu Deva, shaking a leg with Akshay Kumar towards the end of the evening. With abrupt beginning and an even more clumsy finish the promotional event for ‘Singh is Bling’ was certainly less bling and more blah! What I cannot understand is why don’t event organizers much like film producers of the recent times, start focusing more on the content of the event altogether?
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In line with its commitment to deliver intelligent and innovative security offerings, Godrej Security Solutions recently launched Goldilocks, a portable home safe product which breaks away from the general perception that lockers are bulky. The success of Goldilocks is rather crucial for Godrej Security Solutions, as the brand relies on this newly launched product to touch the Rs 860 crore turnover mark this year as against Rs 750 crore which was achieved in the previous financial year. So how is Godrej Security Solutions going to market Goldilocks? Will it adopt more customer engagement activities to sell a product which is highly experiential in its ethos? Well we at Everything Experiential, got the answers to these questions in a exclusive conversation with, Mehernosh Pithawala, AVP & Head Marketing Godrej Security Solutions. “We at Godrej Security Solutions found out that a majority of people had no means of protecting their daily valuables. There was no one specific location where these could be stored together and also be handily retrieved at the same time. The conventional bank lockers and home safes are redundant for this purpose, since they are not easily accessible and are used to store more expensive items. Therefore there emerged a need for a locker which was both portable and provided ease of access and convenience and this consumer driven insight led GSS to develop Goldilocks”-says Mehernosh Pithawala as he explains the ideology behind the development of Goldilocks. When asked on how will the brand market these personal lockers which are priced at 6,499 INR? Mehernosh responds by saying, “The brand has initially launched 'Goldilocks' product in 15 cities and it plans to start selling across India in the next few months. For now the product will be sold through modern trade electronic retail stores such as Vijay Sales, Croma and other online retail platforms.” “Since the product is experience driven by nature we will also be executing some customer engaging activities to give our target group hands on experience of how can the product add value to them. These activities will range from mall activations to experience zones at Godrej Security Solution stores across the country.”-adds Mehernosh Pithawala. Mehernosh also establishes that experiential sits high on the marketing strategy of his brand, which is also gearing up to expand into tier two and tier three cities. He says, “Overall experiential activities are allocated 30% of our overall marketing budget which is a testament to how important it is for Godrej Security Solutions. We soon plan to reach out into the rural market as well to provide them with the same safety and convenience with this product and experiential is the only marketing tool which can help us in achieving our goals there.” Interestingly, home safe products accounted for Rs 120 crore in Godrej Security Solutions' turnover in the previous year. Commenting on the future plans of Godrej Security Solutions Mehernosh Pithawala said, “We plan to sell around 1 lakh Goldilocks products in the next six months .Selling the product overseas will happen but not this year as right now we want to focus on the domestic market.”
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The simple mention of the term ‘weddings’ itself alarms money bells for the event planning industry in India. With the recent estimates announcing weddings in the country to be a 100,000 crore industry, speculations are ripe on where is the industry heading and what will it be like in the future? To answer the same question, ‘’Weddings: 2020- The scenario of wedding industry 5 years down the line’’ was the subject of an insightful panel discussion at the fourth edition of the Wedding Fraternity Meet organized by FNP weddings at The Ritz, Gurgaon. On the panel were Prince Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar, Executive Director HRH Group of Hotels, Aditya Motwane, Founder and Director, Motwane Entertainment & Weddings, Seema Pande, Corporate Director, Emaar Hospitality Group, Nupur Puri, Editor Harper’s Bazaar Bride, Vikas Gutgutia, Founder and MD, Ferns N Petals, Navin Ansal, Business Head, Casa Paradox, Rasleen Ansal, Creative Head, Casa Paradox, Neelam Pratap Rudy and fashion designer, Sanjana John. The session was moderated by Swati Pandya Sood, Director, Ferns N Petals and Samit Garg, Founder and Director, E-Factor Entertainment. The panel discussion started by outlining and establishing why the sacred knot of nuptials is rather referred to as the ‘Big Fat Indian Wedding?’ Navin Ansal responded to the question by saying, “There are around 1 crore weddings organized in India each year and thus the term fat is symbolic to the largeness and grandness of the weddings organized.” Voicing his opinion on the subject Prince Lakshya said, “Weddings today are a larger than life affair and hence people spend enormously on the same. They are called fat because there is fat money involved in the execution of weddings.” Aditya Motwane added to the same by stating that weddings are the showcase of the power of wealth and hence the tag of it being considered ‘fat’ is appropriate. When asked upon by the moderators what is lacking in the wedding industry today? Navin Ansal replied by saying, “I have personally witnessed a lot of weddings in the country and while some of them are classy, some of them need a lot of style and finesse in their interior decor to begin with.” Neelam Pratap Rudy responded to the same question by saying, “Weddings is without a doubt a very booming industry however in my opinion what needs to be corrected is that how there has emerged a disconnect between the concept of weddings and celebrations.” Citing from her own experiences she said, “At times I attend about 8-9 weddings on a single day and there are times when it becomes rather challenging to find the hosts of the weddings.” So what are the changes one can expect in the Indian wedding industry by 2020? Answering the question Aditya Motwane says, “In terms of destination weddings I feel we are going to further explore locations like Bahamas and the Caribbean. With that being said, the number of guests on destination weddings are going to decrease from 700-800 today to 350-400 in the future.” Taking his stance on the subject Vikas Gutgutia said, “We have been fiddling with the traditions for our own convenience for now which is the main reason for divorces today. However in the future I feel we will have to restore the faith of the youth in the very concept of weddings.” Sanjana John reacted to the question by saying, “I hope that some sort of a charitable angle is also added to these grand celebrations. There is a lot of food and other essentials that end up unused at such large events which I feel could be put to a better use in the future.” Adding to the point, Navin Ansal said, ‘’I feel weddings in the future will still be larger than life however people are becoming more traditional with each passing day and hence a sense of cohesiveness can be expected from weddings in the future.” Seema Pande too agreed to the point as she said, “Yes, Indians are becoming more global however the traditions will always stay the same and in fact the youth today will connect more with it in the future.”
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Global travel retailer DFS group is all set to launch a month long First Class Beauty campaign at Mumbai Duty Free in Terminal 2 starting October 1st to October 31st at the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. This travel beauty promotional campaign in Mumbai will be launched post the success of other First Class Beauty ventures organised at various divisions of DFS across the world. This month long event will unveil a series of product launches, product exclusives, events and tutorials from leading skincare and makeup experts in the world’s largest beauty promotional programme. During the entire campaign, Mumbai Duty Free will introduce an exclusive product programme tailored to the global traveller’s desires. First Class Beauty will feature collection of the best make-up, skincare and fragrances for all the ways you travel. Whether it’s before, during or after take-off, Mumbai Duty Free Beauty advisors along with industry experts will demonstrate how key travel essentials products will suit customers’ needs. Featured events include special offers and rewards for purchases such as the exclusive First Class Beauty travel bag, exclusive brand gifts, complimentary refreshments and guest make-up artist sessions. In store promotions by brands like Paco Robanne, Clarins, Bvlgari, Davidoff etc. will ensure that the customers are engaged and spoilt for choice, even for their gift with purchase. To ensure customer participation, OPI will offer engaging activity like nail painting. Shop-in-shops of prestigious brands like Chanel, Dior, MAC, Lancome, Clarins, Estee Lauder and L'Oréal etc. will offer complimentary tips treatments and quick makeovers to interested passengers.
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