From a time when the synonym to marketing was a 30 second TVC to a time today where marketers have a plethora of options to exploit and choose from, the world of marketing in the current times has completely changed with the emergence of technology. But how has ‘Marketology’ affected brands and their strategies was the subject of keynote address delivered by Anand Kripalu, CEO & MD, United Spirits at the Indian Marketing Awards organized by Exchange4media on 11th December ’15. “There was a time when a 30 second TVC was the single answer to all the marketing worries of a marketer. Back in times the consumers used to enjoy a commercial and it used to bring together families. But today as soon as a commercial comes the channel is switched and hence marketers today face a lot of challenges while choosing the appropriate medium to market their products.”- said Kripalu reminding the gathering of a simpler time. He added, “Everyday there is a new buzz word in technology as it is rapidly developing and it has the properties to thoroughly engage the consumers. Earlier cameras were used on special occasions but in the times today a smartphone that a consumer has is the most powerful weapon as its disposal giving him access to anything and everything.” Speaking further he said, “Our recent trip to the Silicon Valley in September was an eye opening experience for us. A few things that struck me included how technology is disrupting the marketer’s world. It is also disrupting the connection between a supplier and the market in a way never seen before. The smartphone is going to be the trigger point of transformation. Mobile phones have become a way in which brands can stay close to their consumers and brands are increasingly turning to technology to foster this relationship.” Kripalu also stated that brands have become story tellers today and content marketing is something that interests people. Speaking on how digital marketing has impacted a marketer’s world Kripalu cited an example from his own experiences. He said, “Our return on marketing spend on digital is 2x compared to conventional medium. As digital offers you many things that conventional marketing methods do not. If your advertisement is played digitally, you pay only if your ad is seen but you cannot do that in conventional models. And you can have laser sharp precision in targeting, which you cannot do using conventional models. There are certain fundamentals about brand marketing that will not change- deeply understand your consumer and evolve your brand, stay one step ahead of the consumer. It’s about how we do it that has changed.” In an exclusive conversation with EE Kripalu also spoke about the future of experiential marketing. He said, “Experiential marketing is not going anywhere and it will always be an integral aspect for any brands marketing strategy but with technology in place experiential endeavors by brands will also see an update. Experience for consumers is of utmost importance and cannot be substituted.”
Read More
After 8 months of planning and 19 days of on-ground production, a majestic set was created by Experiential Weddings by Studio Neelabh. The décor of the sangeet theme was inspired by the theme ‘An evening in Paris'. To bring the theme to life Studio Neelabh created a mesmerizing set. The entrance for the social event had a humongous moving windmill wrapped in red velvet followed by a red carpet while the stage resembled a mix of a life size Eiffel Tower and an enormous mascarade face mask. The main challenge of the wedding emerged in its execution as unexpected thunder showers and lighting struck upon arrival of guests making everything fall apart. However, the over-enthusiastic team of Experiential Weddings by Studio Neelabh managed to salvage the event and put everything back together in record-breaking time. The party was thrown-open with bubbly Karan Tacker playing host to the night and wooing the audience and the musical duo of Vishal & Shekhar performed on a few of their ground-breaking hit songs. Moving on with the wedding festivities, the reception at the MMRDA grounds saw another amazing set comprising of props inspired by The Royal Palace Gardens. The set was created inspired by Chiragin Palace of Istanbul with a fusion of Greek architecture and the mood was set with violinists playing to the guests. Furthermore, at the event Studio Neelabh introduced its new brand, The Royal Affairs which is a venue based wedding design and Management Company, catering in all hotel weddings in Mumbai. The brand currently is exclusively affiliated with Turf Club, Grand Hyatt and Trident Hotel.
Read More
Music Festivals have become a toast of the country’s live entertainment scenario. With the audience preferring music festivals and new travel destinations, the makers of the Storm Festival are ready for the 2nd edition of Chasing Storm, New Year’s Eve event, at Coorg on 31st Dec 2015 & 1st Jan 2016; a compact and intimate version of the Storm festival, will stay true to its inherent promise of being close to nature. Chasing Storm, New Year’s Eve event will be held at a lush green venue in Coorg- its birthplace - with camping, bonfires, late night bar-be-cues/barbecues and jams. The line-up for the 48 hour long mini-fest includes: Indian Ocean – the folk-fusion band which has had a long association with the Storm Festival, just like the festival ambassador Shankar Mahadevan. The Malang Malang (Dhoom 3) and Zinda (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) singer Siddharth Mahadevan following his father’s footsteps will get the celebrations going at Chasing Storm with chart toppers from the year and more. The famous tamil folk-fusion group Anthony Daasan in Party, will bring their unbridled energy to the stage with the sweet and easygoing combination of popular sounds with tamil folk. Sylvester’s Trio have saved up some funky grooves and pristine three-part vocal harmonies for the party, while popular favourite of the festival- year-after-year – Solder will do what they best do: bring out all the good vibes! DJ Swing, the official DJ for the Storm Festival since 2012 and holder of the Guinness Book of World records for playing 55 hours (Non-Stop), DJ Sam and DJ Nasha among others. Chasing Storm is a special edition of the main festival – Storm which has emerged as one of the top festivals of Asia, in the last few years. Needless to say, Chasing Storm will present a crisper line up of electronic, folk- fusion and indie acts along with popular favourites from the music industry who will do justice to the special celebratory New Year Eve edition. Dates: December 31st, 2015, January 1st 2016 Location: Mercara Downs, Madikeri, Coorg, Karnataka
Read More
Viacom 18 Consumer Products, the consumer products arm of Viacom 18 has recently expanded the popular youth brand MTV from the broadcasting space to an on-ground experience in the form of a first of its kind MTV themed café- FLYP@MTV. Scheduled to open its doors on December 24th 2015, FLYP@MTV is not just another conventional jazzy hangout place catering to the youngsters. Instead, the place is drenched in the vibrant flavors of MTV and offers a plethora of options for its consumers to engage with MTV as a brand better than ever before. From an immersive MTV museum where consumers can view the channels archive content via oculus and controllers to an exclusive menu created by celebrity chef Ranveer Brar and from allowing consumers to pull off a ‘MTV Bakra’ on their friends to a live talent room for budding musicians, FLYP@MTV offers these facilities and so much more that too in a finite space. Everything Experiential reached out to Saugato Bhowmik, Senior VP, Consumer Products, Viacom 18 Media on the overall concept of creating the experiential restaurant and how does the brand MTV benefits from it. “The entire idea of creating FLYP@MTV was to create an experiential space where the youth of the country can come in and experience of DNA of MTV. The fun, quirkiness, boldness, attitude, stature, the overall ethos of MTV is something that we want to put out to our TG and that too in a format that they do not get bored with. Basically FLYP@MTV is an extension of MTV’s philosophy to kill boring. The youth gets bored very easily today and it is important as a brand for us to keep them engaged and connected with us through different offerings“-says Bhowmik elucidating on how the concept of the café was born. Adding further he says, “The youth today begins their day by going to college or offices and when they come back they either go to a place to simply unwind and chill with different sets of people. We have created a space like this only for targeting the youth as FLYP@MTV is a professional working place by the day and this same space will transform into a happening party place at night. At this very place the youth can come in and start their work while loading up on complementary coffee, they can also customize their drinks by choosing the ingredients from our own herb garden here, if they are looking for a slight entertainment between work hours they can head over to the entertainment section where we will play various genres of music that MTV is famous for, they can grab a drink with their clients as well at the bar section and when they are done working they can change by renting one of our lockers and join the party as we have live band performances, DJ’s, multiple themed parties every evening. So it’s a diverse set of experiences that we are offering to our TG with the concept of FLYP@MTV as we at MTV understand that the youth today is vibrant and loves to flip. FLYP@MTV also promises to be an ultimate engagement and connecting platform for its consumers as well. Bhowmik also states that all tables at the café will have a tablet for the consumers through which they will be able to check the different kinds of people in café as the same time as them and connect with them by sending a request on tablet first and upon acceptance meeting them in person next. Additionally, this experiential space by MTV promises to be a learning hub for its consumers as well, allowing them to attend art, modelling, music and other workshops organized by the brand without any extra charges. When asked how many FLYP@MTV does the brand MTV plans to open by next year? Bhowmik responds by saying, “So FLYP@MTV in Delhi is the only café we are opening this year but plans next year are open in Bangalore and Mumbai next. We are going to cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and even Jaipur too but we have not yet figured out the sequence. Plans are to have at least 10 cafes in the next 5 years. Bhowmik also assures that since the audience for the café is aged between 20-35 years, FLYP@MTV is reasonably priced as the main aim of brand MTV with the experiential café is to engage with its consumers better rather than only churning out profitable numbers. FLYP@MTV has developed by Viacom 18 in association with Funbars Hospitality Pvt. Ltd and is situated at N Block in Connaught Place in Delhi.
Read More
The Annual German Christmas Market, took place last weekend at the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, New Delhi. Celebrating Christmas the German way has been the forté of the German Christmas Market and this year too this fun-filled Christmas market proved the same for the visitors. The two-day festivity which takes place under the aegis of the German Embassy and is supported by the German School & Federation of Indo-German Societies in India was inaugurated by Dr. Caroline Silva-Garbade, Economic Counsellor, Embassy of the Federal republic of Germany. The German Christmas Market was visited by more than 12,000 visitors. It is aimed at providing an insight into what Christmas shopping is like in Germany - a unique show in view for the seventeenth successive year. The highlights of the event this year were Christmas Carols, German Food & beverages, German Roof Top Restaurant & Coffee Shop, Traditional German Christmas Cakes, a stunningly decorated venue, a delicately lit up Christmas tree, live band, lucky draw with exciting prizes, a pulsating kids zone with a painting competition and magic shows. And to make the atmosphere all the more Christmas-like, there was `Santa Claus’ too distributing gifts to the little ones. Over 90 exhibitors presented an exclusive palate of interesting lifestyle products and unique gifting ideas for the festive season. Christmas trees, decorations, candles, cards, souvenirs, jewelry, home accessories, art, handicrafts, exquisite cutlery and silverware, innovative paper products, designer wear and much more! The major attractions were the pollution masks being sold at the exhibition. In the true festive spirit, German families and senior executives saw serving home- baked cakes, freshly baked waffles and other German specialities while the children from the German School participated in Christmas Choir. “This is the event where CEOs and senior representatives of International Corporations, Ambassadors and distinguished dignitaries from various foreign embassies and trade commissions meet over chilled German Beverages and Sausages, while their families shop exclusive lifestyle products and enjoys the excellent ambience”, states Mr. Guido Christ, Deputy Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, New Delhi. German Christmas Market is also a way to promote trade and cultural relations between the two countries, sums up Christ. The German Christmas Market has over the years proved to be a successful launch base for companies to test market their products and gain a hands on experience by interacting with their target clients. German Auto giants like Audi have exquisitely presented their state of the art cars, alongside many other well-known German companies participating at the event. Visitors included Beauty Expert Shahnaz Hussain, TV Personality Barkha Dutt, Designers Nikhil Mehra Nida Mahmood, Jatin Kochhar, Anand bhushan, Socialites Gunjan kochhar, astrologer & Vastu Expert Ridhi Bahl etc
Read More
Panchhi events, an event company based out of Dehradun recently executed the 200 year celebrations of the Gorkhali regiment in the Indian Army. Being a 4 day event, Panchhi events was shouldered the responsibility of to create something spectacular for over 10,000 in attendance while taking good care of security at the same time as the likes of CM of Uttarakhand and CM of Sikkim were also to be present at the event. The event company rose to the challenge by conceptualizing and creating 3 light and sound shows for the audience in 3 different languages of Nepali, Hindi and English all played once on all the four days of the event. These light and sound shows demonstrated the history of the regiment in the army and instilled a spirit of nostalgia and pride amongst all the attendees. The main challenge for Panchhi events while executing the event was to engage the crowd in such large numbers. Speaking on how they overcame this hurdle, Rishabh Panchhi of Panchhi events said, “As the audience was also Gorkhali’s, we planned a lot of Gorkhali cultural programs which featured artists from all over the state and also included the special Kukhri Dance which is very popular for them. To further keep the audience engaged with the overall theme of the celebrations we also created a special film on the Journey of 200 years of the regiment.” Elucidating on the reaction of the audiences from the event Rishabh adds, “The attendees were became very emotional after knowing the journey of their regiment. They had no clue how much their soldiers have put in for the country. Though all 4 days of the event we were able to keep the attendees engrossed through elements like dances, live band performances etc. and they really enjoyed themselves.”
Read More
India's harmony with nature, action plans to curb carbon emissions and an e-book depicting the country’s conscious towards environment over the years was showcased at the India Pavilion of the U.N. Climate Change Conference held in Paris. The pavilion created by Showtime Events was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as he switched on the water screen with the message of "just climate action" on it. It is reported that the pavilion also incorporated an 'ipad-forest' from the visitors could avail knowledge about India's commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions, its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), expectations from the Paris Climate change summit, an India quiz and a host of other sections. Additionally, the pavilion also showcased films on environment friendly measures taken up by India via a massive 360 degree projection screen. Talking about the creation, Anjan Chatterjee, Creative Designer, Showtime said, "The brief we got from the Prime Minister's office wanted to showcase the past on how India has lived in harmony with nature but we decided to not go back to the conventional idea of demonstrating India as it was and instead created a picture of what India today is.”
Read More
After the enormous success of IPL, ISL, ITPL and other sporting leagues, brands have now found newer platforms than just IPL to associate and market themselves with it. As a result more sporting leagues are cropping up faster than ever and brands are busy handpicking the best among them to associate with it. In the most recent news with reference to brands sponsoring sporting leagues, the Pro Wrestling League which is scheduled from 10th December 2015, has bagged four major sponsors in its very first year. Inside sources in the league have confirmed that Dabur Chavanprash has come on board as the main sponsor for the wrestling league while Thums Up has become the “powered by” sponsor of the event. Additionally it is also confirmed that Jaguar Lighting and Dabur Red Toothpaste have become ‘In association with’ sponsors of the event. Whle BIG FM and Book My Show have lent their support to the league by coming on board as the other sponsors of the event. Though the total amount of sponsorship by these brands in the Pro Wrestling League have not been revealed yet but sources estimate it to be around 20-25 crores. Starting from today the PWL will be aired on Sony Max 2015 with six city-based teams comprising of the world's top 66 wrestlers. Each team will have 9 players – 5 Indians, 4 foreign, 5 men and 4 women.
Read More
In an attempt to create one of a kind hassle free festival experience for music & dance lovers, Universal Music Group has announced partnership with YES Bank to make its recently acquired Enchanted Valley Carnival cashless. As part of this association YES bank will be facilitating cashless payments at EVC by using “Wrist Bands” which can be loaded at various collection points at the festival, and can then be used for making any kind of payment with a “simple tap”. Speaking on the association, Mr. Ritesh Pai, Senior President and Country Head, Digital Banking, YES Bank commented, “Providing superior customer experience by leveraging evolving technology has been a key focus area for us, at YES Bank. This association has helped us in extending the same philosophy to patrons at the Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival. We truly value our association with Universal Music Group, who with their experience and expertise, are the ideal partners for driving this initiative.” In an exclusive conversation with Mr. Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group & EMI Music, South Asia we at EE find out more details about the association and the kind of experience festival goers can expect from it. How did the association with Yes Bank happen? YES Bank has established a leadership position in Digital Banking and Payments as well as use of technology to enhance customer experience. And since, BEVC has been touted as the festival of firsts, we mutually decided to go in a direction that no other festival in the country has gone so far. Making a music festival of this magnitude completely cashless has been nothing short of brilliant for us. What does the association entail and how will it be leveraged at the Enchanted Valley Carnival? What this association does is that it fully integrates with Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival to give it complete access control with RFID technology, enabling a convenient, secure experience for the event goer that requires just a single RFID device such as a wristband. Is there a digital or technological agency involved behind making EVC a cashless festival? We are working closely with an Amsterdam based agency to provide the technological support for the entire festival. Will Yes Bank also be doing other activations at EVC? Yes Bank is known for their seamless ATM setups across these formats & for us as a festival to provide this facility to all our attendees is a boon. With this association our aim is to ensure maximum ease & convenience for all our attendees. Yes Bank will facilitate Wi-fi at the festival. They will also provide POS systems for payments wherein consumers can use any card for transactions. What are some of the other brands that will be doing activations at EVC and what can attendees expect from their presence? As far as other activations are concerned we have our sponsors Bacardi & Saavn doing some really cool things on site. We have curated a stage along with Saavn to bring some of the best artist from the ‘live’ music space to come and perform exclusively at the campsite. Attendees can expect some brilliant music & entertainment throughout. Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival will be held from 17-20 Dec’15 at Aamby Valley City, Lonavala and is expected to be attended by 15,000 visitors with world-class artists like Tiesto, Oliver Heldens, Fatboy Slim and Far East Movement performing.
Read More
Consumers today are no longer ‘mere spectators’ no longer people who are just ‘watching a sport’… they are experiencing it! Brands have now discovered the real truth of marketing, that there is no better way to influence or connect with the consumer than by immersing him in the experience and pushing the messaging subtly. Thus, experiential marketing has become the need of the moment. It is about creating dynamic brand impressions instead of a steady push messaging format as seen traditionally. The amplified action, music, connection, stirring of emotions and the collective sighs have a deep impact with a consumer than any print ad or TVC. In the Indian context, 2014 was a defining year where a multitude of leagues were born. Cricket was no more the ONLY sport and other sports such as tennis, football, golf and kabaddi gained popularity with the masses. Secondly the entry of international and iconic sporting brands like NBA, Manchester United, Chelsea etc. has seen a rising affinity in India. To create the right connect several BTL initiatives and competitive matches that offer lucrative prizes are being held. This has proven to be a game changer as sports has expanded both vertically and horizontally. Thirdly with the help of experiential zones and grassroots reach, sports like kabaddi and badminton have now gained massive popularity. Smart packaging by broadcasters like Star has openly helped push this message out more effectively. Running is no more an ‘evening activity’ but a serious sport – from marathons it has moved to the bottom of the pyramid with events like ‘Hunt For The Fastest Indian’. The competitive spirit combined with brand messaging creates a smorgasbord of experiences for the viewer that drives a more participatory drive than a spectator drive. Soccer is now the second most watched sport in India and has many big names playing in India. The in-stadia experiences, fan parks, experience zones for teams on-ground and even merchandise form a very important part of the experience. Collaterals for spectators form a huge business for brands and sponsors alike. Meet and greet with stars, fan parks like the ones for IPL (Hyundai and Samsung sponsored these which saw a great turn-out) are great activities to engage the consumer through a memorable way. Red Bull does some of the strongest experiential marketing experiences like the Chris Pfeiffer tour in India that was held across 10 cities and mobilized many through some great stunts and visual treats to push in the brand message. From kite-surfing to snow-boarding they have done many a sporting experiential activities all over India, the latest being soccer. Government events like the Commonwealth Games etc. are also becoming more structured, bigger and professionally organized. National Games which earlier usually flew under the radar of most sporting enthusiasts, now have a battalion of managers and event companies fighting to deliver flamboyant opening and closing ceremonies. Brands are also now opening up to this opportunity and queuing up to engage with consumers at yet another level. Another good example is F1. The experiential zones for fans, meet and greets, sponsor integrations are huge money-spinners for BTL agencies. Brands in turn get sizeable airtime and spectator mileage like in the case of Tag Heuer. The next big trend is about mobilizing corporates through competitive sports like Tennis/ Hockey and even Golf. The Economic Times Golf Challenge, Signature Club Golf, etc. are unique examples of how niche sports also has been able to create great traction for brands through involvement and stirring the right emotions. Even sports like polo that have been around forever have now got big brands sponsoring them and in doing so, infusing more money that makes the sport grow. Brands on the back of these sponsorships spend monies activating these sponsorships and organize events that both enthrall and engage consumers in a more meaningful manner. In conclusion, sports are all about mobilizing emotions. This fervor can be captured and channelized most effectively through experiential marketing and as we move to a more systematized sporting eco-system, this trend is only going to be on a rise! About the Author Vidur Patney is the National Director for Experiential Marketing at Maxus India, a part of GroupM and WPP global network of media agencies. Twitter- @Vidurpatney
Read More
