According to a study conducted in 2013, it has been stated that the BTL industry has grown at over 20 per cent during the last two years. The massive shift in spends towards both ATL and BTL initiatives haveled to the result of changing consumer attitudes. At the same time, technologyplays a great role in differentiating both forms of marketing. BTL allows marketers to better target consumers, and to better track results and measure ROI,as per industry experts. Food brands, and other FMCG products, which fall under the impulse purchase category are dedicating more than 60 per cent of their marketing spend to BTL activations. Elucidating further on the changes seen in BTL activities over the last few years, EE consults industry experts- EE:What kind of brands seek to benefit from BTL- now and then? Valay Lakdavala, Director, Neoniche Integrated believes, “The last five years has led to immense change. An increasing number of brands have shifted their focus towards BTL initiatives to engage audience, Auto sector was one of the early adopters of this channel for car launches and promotions, FMCG and luxury brands which highly rely on word of mouth and direct selling, Consumer electronics brands like LG, Samsung and Sony are constantly seeking opportunities to directly engage with their audience.” Siddhartha Chaturvedi, CEO, Eventcrafter, develops further, “The idea of gaining one to one connect with the target audience and estimating instant response to the promotional exercise provides great opportunity to every client whether it be a telecom service provider, major food chain brand or even a cement or adhesive brand, the idea of capturing real time feedback that’s totally transparent can be derived out of an experiential promotion only.” EE:Why is BTL a better return on marketing investment? AnkurKalra, CEO, Vibgyor Brand Services Pvt. Ltd. feels, “BTL has the ability to measure the returns accurately – one can quantify the objectives and effectively track the returns generated within a stipulated time frame. The assumptions and generalizations are much lesser compared to traditional ATL campaigns and returns are specific, measurable, result oriented and time bound.” EE:In what ways are BTL initiatives different from ATL? BTL directly reaches out to consumers and gives them a ‘live experience’ of the brand. They engage, educate and entertain audiences of brands and touch consumers in a way most ATL campaigns cannot reach out to them. BTL campaigns have the capability of changing consumption patterns, building brand loyalty, creating lasting impressions and inducing instant trials, said Ankur. EE:How are the BTL ideas in India different from those in the west? In the west, campaigns are not constrained by budgets and permissions. Innovations in technology are more easily available and can be used to deliver superior experiences. The use of technology for reporting, monitoring and connecting with consumers is also quite advanced in the west. While there are various technology based activations here as well, case in point being Bullet Time Photo Stations powered by smartphones, a campaign created by Vibgyor, Ankur said. EE:How would you explain the reach and expansion of BTL initiatives in terms of urban and rural marketing? Siddhartha explains that the reason of this growth could not have been anything else but the mandatory need of communication at the BTL level in both urban as well as rural markets. The rural markets have specifically been exposed to brands, services and facilities due to this amplification of reach. Considering facts, Ankur stated, “In my personal opinion if one were to quantify the reach I feel that BTL activations are still being planned primarily in the top 17 cities of India since they contribute to around 60% of the total consumption as per a study of a leading audit firm. While rural holds a lot of potential for experiential, much of it is yet to be explored.” EE:How does BTL support the idea of emotionally connecting with its customers in today’s times? Both Valay and Ankur feel that BTL campaigns have the ability to touch, feel & inspire audiences and create bonds which are difficult to create through any other form of communication. Most BTL campaigns are very well amplified on social media and create emotionally compelling content. Thus brands that interact with consumers at various touch points and create connections in their personal world are capable to change a target group consumer to an influencer. AnkurKalra concludes by saying “The situation of BTL initiatives has changed drastically lot over the past 5 – 6 years with its market understanding increasing excessively. Some of the bigger BTL agencies which were earlier viewed purely as executers are now being considered as creative and marketing partners. We have seen various examples of activations being the focal point of campaigns and BTL agencies being involved at the ideation stage of brand planning rather than just the execution stage – I feel that BTL agencies that provide value have actually moved up in the food chain of brand planning over the last few years.”
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E-commerce, a sector that created significant buzz in the late 90s, has bounced back. Top e-retailers are showing immense interest in experiential marketing and outdoor advertising. India has emerged as the fastest growing and largest Internet market in terms of number of users in the present time. It is interesting to note that the purchasing pattern of Indian consumers has become non-virtual. E-shops are now looking at connecting with potential costumers extensively on offline platforms. Another important feature to note is that even the established brands have really small distribution scale, particularly in Tier I and Tier II cities. Thus Online gives these brands a great platform to reach consumers across the country. Online brands thereby use offline communication mediums like on ground activities for not only brand awareness but also for engagement. Looking at the intensity and galloping growth of the e-commerce industry in India several brands mainly fashion e-retailers took a step forward from online to on ground expansion in the year 2014.Currently marketing spends for e-commerce firms account for 25-40% of their overall spending. Here we look at the broader picture. To name a few celebrated affairs of this year, Jabong launched ‘The Jabong Online Fashion Week’ in the month of July. Jabong being an online fashion store stepped out of its virtual boundaries to embrace experiential in unique and innovative ways. Jabong with Talenthouse India launched the ‘India Online Fashion Week’, a great example to start with. At this five day festival, Jabong engaged fashion designers and stylists from across the country, hosting several competitions. At this event Jabong had enough engagement for both its participants and viewers. It allowed its guests to pick and shop from the fashion show itself. Thus this experiential activity gave Jabong a leg-up on its competition. Well not only this it has also become the official jersey partners of Mumbai FC in the Hero Super League. Another online retailer eBay did an unusual thing which was a gym work out session with ace cricketer Virat Kohli. eBay, in partnership with NGOs Save the Children India and the Virat Kohli Foundation held a charity auction online. The item that was auctioned was a work-out session with the cricketer. The charity auction received immense response with the highest bidding at Rs 1.57 lakh. The money generated at the auction was given to Special Care Center School to provide aid for 245 mentally challenged and hearing impaired children. Also, the highest bidder at the auction got a chance to have a one-hour gym session with Kohli. It is said that for eye optical brands that the only way they can let the customer understand the product is through experiential means. Thus this brand- LensKart engaged its potential buyers through on-ground activities such as eye checkup camps in corporate areas across major cities at free of cost. This gave people a chance to check their eye power. By doing this the company gave its buyers a chance to see the LensKart collection and place orders with on the spot. LensKart.com also provides its customers a home eye checkup program where they can have their eyes checked by a specialist with a minimal fee of INR 100. Lenskart also offers a ‘Try At Home’ facility where they allow consumers to place requests for a set of any 5 glasses which are then sent to their doorstep. After trying them on, if they like it they can finalize purchase and if not, they can return all of them and then call for another set being free of cost. Another renowned fashion e-tailer recently launched its very own fashion weekend- Myntra Fashion Weekend, in Mumbai. Yes it was none other than Myntra. From Rina Dhaka to Masaba Gupta to showcasing Vero Moda’s collection by Karan Johar, Myntra fashion weekend proved to be a treat to fashionistas. This grand event witnessed the presence of Hritik Roshan, Kalki Koechlin, and a few other celebrities. “Fashion is what gets created, Style is what we put together” and hence by associating with such events we get a close peep in understanding fashion that helps us in styling our range of products,”said Gautam Kotamraju, Chief Creative Officer, Myntra. Moving further, KOOVS, an online fashion destination collaborated with Nikhil Chinapa for its experiential venture. To celebrate this unconventional, outlandish range and the association of Koovs with Nikhil, an underground gig dedicated to the culture of EDM was organised in Mumbai. Initiating an experiential activity like “Go Underground with NikhilxKoovs”, Koovs has created a lot of anticipation witnessing consumer exhilaration. Providing a spectacular platform to budding artists around the nation, Koovs has built a brand connect with its consumers. “It’s not about brand value; it’s about doing something that our customers find interesting. Putting customers first is always the best way to build any brand and Koovs is always looking at new and interesting relationships within the fashion world and outside – we also have some great collaborations lined up over the next 12 months – but you’ll have to wait and see!” said Mr. Robert Bready, Creative & Retail Director, Koovs.com.
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Dr.-V.-C.-Vivekanandan-seen-addressing-the-gathering-and-also-seen-in-the-pic-are-Ashok-Ram-Kumar-T.-Prashanth-Reddy-and-Rakhi-Kankaria#sthash.lrIK89gk.dpuf T. Prashanth Reddy, LL.M (Stanford Law School), Practicing Lawyer in IP at New Delhi Seen addressing the gathering - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/indian-copyright-societies-and-the-challenges-of-intellectual-property/#sthash.lrIK89gk.dpuf _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telangana Chamber of Events Industry (TCEI), a not-for-profit organization formed by the representatives of various stakeholders in the Event and Entertainment industry recently organized a seminar on Challenges of Intellectual Property- Laws in Events and Entertainment Industry. Dr. V. C. Vivekanandan, MHRD IP-Chair Professor, NALSAR University of Law was the Chief Guest. T. Prashanth Reddy, practicing Lawyer in Intellectual Property in New Delhi delivered the Key Note Address. Ashok Ramkumar, a practicing Advocate and Prof Dr. Padma, faculty of AP Police Academy participated in the Seminar. Speaking about negotiating with Indian Copyright Societies T. Prashanth Reddy said Singers, Lyricists, Composers are protected under IP. The four rights that exist on a single music track are Composer Rights, Lyricists Rights, Music Label Rights and Singer/Performers Rights, he informed. Speaking on the occasion T. Prashanth Reddy said PPL (Phonographic Peformance Ltd) and Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd (IPRS) are no more existing as Copyright Societies. PPL according to their returns to the registrar of companies stated that its application stands withdrawn. So legally they can not collect royalties. Prashanth Reddy explained what Intellectual Property (IP) means. “Intellectual Property includes music, literature, and other artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Under intellectual property laws, owners of intellectual property are granted certain exclusive rights. Some common types of intellectual property rights (IPR) are copyright, patents, and industrial design rights; and the rights that protect trademarks and, in some jurisdiction, trade secrets. Intellectual property rights are themselves a form of property, called intangible property. Modern usage of the term intellectual property goes back at least as far as 1867 he said. Intellectual Property is a necessity and is protected by law, he said. Copyright Societies are like Stock Exchanges. Copyright collectives are associations that administer the rights of copyright owners. Owners authorise societies to issue licenses for the use of their works and collect royalties on their behalf. Copyright owners register their works with a collective, which then collects a fee each time a registered work is licensed and pays a royalty back to the copyright owner. Some of the Copyrght Societies that exist in India are IPRS—Indian Performing Rights Society which is comprised of Composers and Lyricist, and PPL-Phonographic Performance License which comprises of Music Labels and Administer Rights. The 3rd New Society formed last year is ISRA—Indian Singers Rights Association comprised of Singers like Sonu Nigam and Lata Mangeshkar. Each of these Organisations separately look after the interests of its own Members All want royalties, he said. In the next few years Event Managers will have to pay royalties to all these stakeholders. There is a need to regulate and check these societies and this can happen only by collective action. PPL revenues over the last ten years from Public Performance Royalties has been starting from 4.25 crore in the year 2004 and 2005 rose to Rs 66.80 crore in 2013 and 2014. Similarly IPRS’s Revenue from the Public Performance Royalties in the last ten years has risen from Rs 3.87 crore to Rs 40.48 crore in 2013 and 2014. Radio stations succeed before the Copyright Board – royalties fixed at 2% of revenue against 20% demanded by PPL. The law is amended in 2012 due to pressure from Javed Akhtar & radio stations he said. Organisations like TCEI and its members must be aware of IP Laws in Events and Entertainment Industry. You must stand united and must protect your rights, said Reddy . Dr. V. C. Vivekanandan, MHRD IP-Chair Professor, NALSAR University of Law was the Chief Guest while speaking he said Intellectual Property Rights are created for public’s well being. He also hailed the efforts of TCEI in organising such a technical seminar with the objective of legal awareness. The objective of this Seminar was to bring about the right kind of awareness among the event fraternity said Surat Singh Malhotra, President of TCEI and Founder Head of Namdhari Group. The seminar enlightened the event fraternity about the future implications and challenges in the implementation of IPR Laws said Ms. Rakhi Kankaria, Vice President of TCI and Director of Rachnoutsav Events Pvt. Ltd. The entry to the Seminar was free. Over 100 professionals participated in the Seminar. The Seminar was an endeavour to put forth a Socio-legal point of view on the subject and device strategies towards a win-win situation for both the stake holders said Neeraj K.S. Thakur, General Secretary TCEI The last few years of the growth of Intellectual property Rights in India has given rise to the formation of Copyright societies. Companies like Phonographic Performance Lt(PP) and Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd(IPRS) have been spearheading the cause of royalty collection for the artists, lyricists, performers and music companies, said DJ Piyush Baja, President of Telangana Entertainers’ Association. During the Seminar industry papers were presented by DJ Manish and their challenges. The un-checked and un-challenged manifestation of legal protection of these Societies has today resulted in a grim situation wherein these “societies” have come to become monopolized business houses. The Event and Entertainment Industry, particularly the Event Managers, DJs, Hotels and Property Managers and corporate holding event and entertainments are day-in-day-out are challenges, threatened, harassed and most of the times branded as pirates and criminals. The lack of awareness about these societies and the confusing nature of their claims at times make the event organizer a victim of unethical practices. It is precisely to fill up these gaps of theory and practices of Intellectual Property Rights, TCEI has called for a study of the subject, with particular emphasis on the legal framework and broader implications. TCEI It is an umbrella organization of Event Management, Wedding Planners, Entertainers, Exhibitions, Sound /Light/Video, Production, Caterers and other facilitators.
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“Integrated marketing is easy to preach but difficult to do. I have found the work of the centre to be full of useful tips, case insights and best practice distillations – yet with a surprisingly low sermon quotient!” John Grant. The above quote highlights an important aspect of Integrated Marketing, which is that the process is much easier to talk about but rather challenging to implement. An Event organizer frequently comes across the term while managing an event but rarely knows whom to speak to. EEMA however took the initiative of simplifying the concept to event organizers at EEMGAINE 2015 by hosting an insightful panel discussion spilling the beans on Integrated Marketing. With Ravi Kiran, Co-founder and Managing Partner- Friends of Ambition, as the key speaker,SanjeevPasricha, Chairman- EEMA Taskforce on Standards, moderated the discussion. Ravi Kiran began his address by explaining the development of the term “Integrated Marketing Communication” since its inception. He shared American Marketing Association coined the most powerful term ever created in the field of marketing as Integrated Marketing and the term today has different meanings for different people around the industry. “Integrated Marketing Communication means panning 360*, something holistic that completes all corners and a recent term ‘Through the Line’ has also emerged to explain the same”-said Kiran. Speaking on why marketers resort to IMC Ravi Kiran said, “Customers today have changed with time and marketing has also evolved similarly. IMC as a process is customer centric, consistent, comprehensive and compensatory. It should not be confused with a discipline rather it is an approach and a marketing technique to cater to the increasing demands of a brand marketer.” So what can be the correct definition of Integrated Marketing Communication? To this Kiran responded by saying, “IMC can be correctly defined as the transferring of one’s thoughts through many executions and a few metrics to measure.” Citing an example for the real world he said. “IMC is best symbolized through an Indian Thali, with a variety of dishes served on the same plate, the platter represents the overall marketing of the brand and every single element of the plate represents a different media tool. All the elements of the plate complement each other and serve the purpose of providing satisfaction to the eater and similarly all media tools when complement each other while displaying the entire process is termed as Integrated Marketing Communication.“
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Lack of skill and talent has always been a pressing issue for the events and entertainment industry and a discussion targeted at addressing this concernrecently took place at EEMAGINE 2015- the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and to share their perspectives on the way forward. With the topic “Emerging Trends in Talent Management” in discussion, the panel was chaired by Mohamed Morani, Director, Cineyug, Vijay Subramanium of CAA-Kwan, Tarsame Mittal of TM Talent Management, Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management, Vijay Nair of Only Much Louder and was moderated by Roshan Abbas, Patron – EEMA. The session began with opening remarks by Mohamed Morani who highlighted someprimary concerns withtalent management in India. He said, “From an event agency’s view one of the biggest disadvantage that they face is with artists charging differently from different agencies.” Rahul Gomes, Director Oaks Management raised the issue of last minute cancellationsby Artists with neither them nor the artist management agencies taking any liabilities. To this Vijay Subramanium responded by essaying the current situation and said, ” By collaborating and working together as a team, both artist managers and event agencies can solve issues of differential pricing.” Gomes further said that things were changing and the artist management function in India was getting more and more organized, which would take care of such concerns in due course of time. Suggesting his inputs on the issue Tarsame Mittal outlined six essentials in an artist and artist managers relationship, “Trust and transparency; Accessibility; Loyalty, Being genuinely talented; not being Egoistic; and being a team player.” Vijay Nair while presenting his views on the subject said, “We have taken up an international practice of dealing with artists. As a regularexercise in OLM, contracts are digitally signed first and the artist’s fee is determined for the time after they arrive at the event.” He mentioned that artists were receptive to this and so long as they kept to their end of the contract so did the artists. Nair also mentioned that when there is a breech of contract, it is important to pick that fight to not face the same problems in the future. Taking the discussion forward Mohamed Morani admitted that,for many, relationships with Bollywood stars mattered more than paper work and hence when performers break their contract there is not enough paper work for compliance of legal action. To this Subramanium responded by speaking on the importance of collaboratively working to find a solution and said, “As EEMA we should sit together with all the talent management companies in India and determine a cap for each artists such that no unrealistic numbers become the standard just because one client is willing to pay that amount. Also artist costs should be dependent on their ability to generate ticket sales.”
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With no specific laws in place to safeguard the interests of event organizers, last minute cancellations by performers, security concerns and similar threats have become a routine affair in the industry. But where does the government step in? And what actions should it take to establish a strong footing for the industry was the subject of another insightful panel discussion on the third day of EEMAGINE 2015, the national convention of the event and experiential industry held annually which brings together thought leaders and industry experts to speak about trends and also to share their perspectives on the way forward. Led by Brian Tellis, Patron EEMA, the session “Let’s Work Together In Building the Events Industry” had PoonamMahajan, MP, Mumbai North Central,representing the stance from the government. Brian Tellis began the session by highlighting the key issues perturbing the industry at the moment, “A major challenge that our industry faces today is the lack of recognition and as an industry I feel we are not dialoguing as much as we should.” Brian further explained how the industry faces constant pressure from the governing authorities on issues regarding venues, entertainment tax and security concerns and that the industry needs the government to intervene and come up with a support system for the events and entertainment industry. PoonamMahajan began her address by responding to what is the crux of the term “Politics” as per her. She said, “Politics is all about a human to human connection and the work of politics today is to instigate conversations among people. The more we communicate and converse the better idea we have about the issues and we can then formulate strong solutions to resolve them. We as part of the government are open to take the necessary steps that could benefit the industry by stepping up to work together.” She also explained the role of the authorities in the entire events spectrum and said. “Authorities are confrontational and they are present to support and guide. Today every event organizer wants the same things-single window license clearance, extension of the 10 PM deadline and less taxes to be levied upon. But what we should really look forward to is establishing a partnership between the industry and governance so that everyone can benefit from it.” When asked upon when can the commit and create a timeline for such changes the MP responded by saying, “I think the dialogues can start from next week itself and we as part of government are willing to take every possible step that supports the events industry as a whole.”
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Be it a locally organized film festival or an edition held globally, every film festival witnesses a confluence of the most creative minds, outputs and cinematic genius at one platform. Hence, over the years the emergence of numerous concepts pertaining to film festivals have not only challenged the film making abilities of filmmakers but have also been instrumental in the promotion of various genres of cinemas. This time at EE, we list down 5 unique film festivals across the globe. 1-Incredibly Strange Film Festival (New Zealand) As the name itself suggests the Incredibly Strange Film Festival features bizarre flicks that would otherwise never see the light of day. The festival held every year in New Zealand has successfully completed 17 years, and has screened “greatest collection of cult films ever”. From genres ranging from horror and fiction to something completely bizarre, the festival is open to entrees from all around the world. 2-Fake Film Festival (Canada) Virgin Radio Vancouver regularly holds the Fake Film Festival, where developing directors ham up their own parodies of movies for a 60-second submissions. The entries received at the film festival are judged on their ability to entertain and recapture the essence of the original movie, a process known as “sweding.” With the last edition of the festival featuring impressions of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Juno,” “Bridesmaids” and “Salt.” This one is a must attend for all movie buffs. 3- Cinema in the Cemetery (Australia) As the name suggests the audience of this film festival does not only include the corpses. The Cinema in the cemetery film festival aims to signify that motion pictures are alive and well even in the deadest of locations. St John’s Cemetery, Australia that hosts the festival annually screens a diverse range of classics ranging from Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller “Rear Window” to 1980s cult classic “Ghostbusters.” - See more at: http://everythingexperiential.com/5-unique-film-festivals-across-the-globe/#sthash.xLdBJKGU.dpuf 4-Bring Your Own Film Festival (India) This one displays sheer laziness on the part of festival organizers. The film festival neither has a selection process, nor does it feature a deadline as to which the movies have to be submitted by the applicant. The festival follows a simple concept, if you have a film made, then have it showcased. This east-coast Indian festival has the noble ethos of removing standard film festival hierarchies, competition, juries and laurels.By inviting all comers to showcase their work; it supports a vibrant grassroots community of film enthusiasts. 5- International Moustache Film Festival (United States) If there was a list of the most bizarre film festivals, The International Moustache Film Festival would surely top the list. To participate in the film festival, your film must contain a mustache-related theme, or a key cast member must be “mustachioed”. Another interesting element of the festival is the prize categories that range from Best ‘Stache Growth Story, Best ‘Stache Shaving Story, Best Moustache Death Relationship Story and Best Collection of Moustaches in One Film.
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Gone are the days when you only had one Sunburn festival and one massive queue of electronic dance and music lovers. Over the years multiple EDM festivals like VH1 Supersonic, Enchanted Valley, Karbonn MTV Blockparty, Corona Sunsets have emerged as strong competitors on the basic premise of getting a bigger share of the dance and music frenzied fans. With the increasing number and frequency of EDM festivals across the country, we ask industry insiders whether EDM festivals are racing towards a point of saturation. Siddhartha Chaturvedi, CEO, Eventcrafter says, “I do not think that we are overdoing EDM festivals at all. A small country like UK has hundreds of festivals happening only in the summer and each of those are growing in terms of the various genre of music, various form of performing art needs it’s patrons to get together for it to grow. However, the problem is too much of commercialization of these festival brands. It’s smarter to keep the sanctity and aspirations of one Sunburn to happen once a year rather than making god knows how many sub properties of it. We need more quality experience.” Harshal Kothari, Director, Rising Events said, “The fact of the matter is not that we are doing more of EDM festivals in the country but that it is a tremendously successful event genre that is loved by the youth and hence everyone is trying to come up with their own versions of it. If you look at the college festivals also most of the students demand for an EDM DJ rather than a Kailash Kher, KK or Honey Singh who not only charge lavishly but also require a greater production value. The EDM DJ’s are not only affordable but also require lesser production value and hence more and more of these properties are coming up to cash on the young crowd and their demands.” Sharad Mathur, CEO, EMG Entertainment responds by saying, “We are completely underdoing such genres of events in the country. If you look into the European countries and other developed nations you will find that there are so many things happening and numerous avenues to get entertained. In India looking at the population size, the condition of the bread earner and the overall per capita income of the country I don’t feel we are completely utilizing all avenues of entertainment. So definitely more of such events are required.” On being asked upon to share their choices if asked to develop an IP event, Sharad said, “India is a vast market and a growing economy where you can be experiential as well as experimental. I particularly feel that there is space for so many more IP’s because as an events fraternity we have just started and there is a long way for us to go. I would personally love to call a motivational speaker or a knowledgeable personality like Philip Kotler and create an event around that.” Harshal Kothari completes his stance by saying, “I think an event property surrounding kids would be a fabulous idea as that is a genre I feel has never true been capitalized upon.” Siddhartha Chaturvedi completes his stance by saying, “It’s all at a very complex stage in our country. People want to go to such experiences because it’s more of a cool thing rather than a passion and it is these people who come in herds and make numbers go larger. What then happens is that in the process the community which is passionate patrons of the festival start shying away as they find it uncomfortable amidst these wannabes so they start seeking newer boutique experiences. And I fervently believe that this is the reason why you are witnessing a drop at Sunburn or Supersonic now.
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