New Delhi has forever been tainted by its ‘unorganized’ culture and for this reason, till a few back, was easily overlooked as a destination for international acts, concerts and big-crowd events. So when I heard that Canadian funny-man Russell Peters was planning a performance in the city I was immediately ecstatic. More so as my shameless hints to an influential friend were picked up and now I had a certified ticket in flesh and blood. Nothing could go wrong. Turns out I wasnt the only one who’d heard the big news. Tickets in all four cities-Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru- were a clean sell out weeks in advance. What was initially a feeling of excitement quickly transcended into fear. Now, I love Delhi. But I know if you put ten or more people from Delhi together in one place you have a sure-shot recipe for disaster. This mob culture is characteristic of every event. Be it at a Bryan Adams concert a decade ago or Sunburn Greater Noida earlier this month. There is always this looming fear that someone may get hot under the collar and the whole situation might explode. Last I was this excited was when Metallica had come to Delhi last year and we all know how badly that bombed. I was going to wait for my eggs to hatch this time. As I drove in towards the Huda Grounds arena on the day, I half expected to see a frenzied crowd pushing and shoving at each other, women trying to keep their bottoms from being pinched, people scheming to avoid getting frisked or trying to slip past without a valid ticket. Little did I know, I was in store for a revelation. It was a Delhi from my dreams. Well behaved people, sharply dressed ushers, ‘queues’ for the love of God. 4500 people enjoying the show in unanimity and not one disturbing handphone, pain inducing sound of ‘OYE’ in the backdrop or single casualty in the first-aid booth (surprisingly an achievement for Delhi). Something is different here. Something that has brought forth the good side of the mob. The crowd was obedient, no fights broke out and people came and left in an orderly fashion. So after much observation and calculation, I have reached upon this justifiable formula: Act aimed at the urbane community + trained management/ushers/security + hiked ticket prices – alcohol = A possibly enjoyable event in Delhi.Peters has been performing for the past 24 years and is an international stand-up comedy icon. Though he has toured in India before, use of repetitive material thanks to the internet and being relatively less popular in the country, did not yield expected returns back then. The Notorious World Tour is evidently his biggest wager in the country. The event was sponsored by Micromax, a brand that has embraced experiential marketing tactics with complete gusto. Initially perceived as a chinese brand, Micromax is one of the few companies that has travelled up the funnel in terms of popularity. After successfully establishing itself within the rural market it is now aggressively riding on unique marketing and branding strategies aimed at urban India. “Our marketing strategy is largely driven by entertainment. We know our target audience connects with music, cinema and sports therefore we constantly invest in strengthening our product portfolio through R&D and innovative marketing strategies within this area”, says Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax. In the year 2012 Micromax has sponsored big music events such as Sunburn Goa, Snoop Dogg India Concert Tour, Enrique India Tour and MTV Video Music Awards. “With Russell Peters Notorious World Tour, Micromax is yet again taking a lead in bringing the best in the world to enthrall Indian audiences across the country for the first time”, adds Pal.
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The sixth convention of EEMA – EEMAGINE 2013 came to an end in an extravaganza glistening with industry honchos who shared their expertise, practically redefining the axioms of the events and entertainment industry. EEMAGINE 2013 was organized in Rajasthan and was witnessed industry gurus giving out their best. Sam Cannon, Senior Events Booker, Ministry of Sound, London, Sanjay Vazirani, Min Chang, President Asia Pacific at DAS (Diversified Agency Services) are a few too name. There were a number of sessions on topics including Industry & Innovations, The ever expanding landscape of social events and Role of Activation in Brand Building. The sessions and discussions pointed out how the arrival of Gen Y with their gadgets and social media has changed the very dynamics of the events industry. Also, it bought home the fact that an event is no longer a mere party or award function with elements of entertainment. It is now an art which has the just correct blend of entertainment, marketing and advertising. A panel discussion on ‘Advertising tells but activation sells’ highlighted the importance of activation. The discussion, exhibited effective advertising, and showed that activation will be at the core from now on for it is the strongest option among tangible media tools. Various examples were showed by the panelist which also included Cannes Grand Prix winner Dumb Ways To Die. The most important element of EEMAGINE 2013 was the EEMAX awards. The awards are indeed a boon to the events and entertainment industry as no other body looks at this platform exclusively. Leading EEMAX this year was Encompass Events with a total of six metals. The agency won one Gold, two Silver and three bronze metals. Followed by Encompass Events was Candid Marketing that managed to grab five metals. The agency was awarded five metals with two Gold, two Bronze and one Silver. A number of agencies followed on the third place with three metals including Krayon and Wizcraft International Entertainment. In addition to the enlightening sessions, Brian Tellis, President, EEMA shared his vision for EEMA in the coming year. EEMAGINE 2013 also hosted a number of delightful performances by Shiamak Davar and Ali Zafar. Pakistani Darbar Dance Umrao graced the event to enthrall the audience with her graceful performance. The convention managed to leave a mark on all the participants and it exhibited how much the industry has changed in the past few years.
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Yash Raj Films’ Shuddh Desi Romance, which just made it to the list of Top 10 highest openers of the year, flaunted research findings to market the movie. How do you possibly market yet another romantic comedy? How do you tell the world that hey this one’s actually different? How do you grab eyeballs and also pitch the contents of your film? Yash Raj Films’ new release Shuddh Desi Romance, starring Sushant Singh Rajput (Kai Po Che), Parineeti Chopra (Ishaqzaade) and new girl Vaani Kapoor, took the survey route in a first-of-its-kind approach to movie marketing. With the help of Ormax Media, the production house went about asking 5,000 youngsters across 40 Indian cities their take on relationship, commitment, pre-marital sex and marriage. The results of the survey, which had samples taken from big cities and small towns, were used to drive home the concept of the film – “a fresh and very real love story about the hair-raising minefield between love, attraction and commitment”. Called “Shuddh Desi India ki Romantic Soch”, the research aimed to “create ownership of the three lead characters of the film by creating a resonance with their life and their issues”. It had a four-point strategy to achieve the same. 1. Intrigue: Buzz and anticipation around the research findings to set the genre expectations from the film. 2. Research: The actual research process (field and online) 3. Reveal: Revelation of the research findings and their contextualisation to the three lead characters in the film. 4. Engage: Discussions around the results, involving the lead characters and their ideologies in the film. Once they were ready with the results, the three lead actors – Sushant, Parineeti and Vaani – revealed the findings at Welingkar College (another youth destination) in Dadar. The findings were in direct relevance with the contents of the film Shudh Desi Romance. So if the movie has the characters of Sushant and Parineeti in a live-relationship, the survey results highlighted are: 72% Indians believe that live-relationships don’t end in marriage but in break-up and that 4 out of 5 parents believe that young men and women who enter a live-in relationship are “loose characters”. Again, since pre-marital sex is a big issue in the film, the research underlines that 89% of Indian parents still believe that sex before marriage is unacceptable and should not be practised while 51% youth disagreed with them. The survey added that 50% young men believe that young Indians who are above the age of 18 but still virgins, are old-fashioned and how only 33% young women agree to that. “Why we did this survey was not only to market the film but also bring out facts as opposed to myths,” says actress Parineeti Chopra. “Most people outside the country think that Indians only want to do arranged marriage but our research shows that more than 70% young Indians would rather have a love marriage as opposed to an arranged marriage. The film also tackles this confusion in our society.”
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Einstein said, “If you do the same thing twice and expect different results, then it is nothing but insanity.” Agreed. We all have a learning curve. Steep for some, not so much for others. But the truth remains that no matter what heights you plan to accomplish, or how many times you fall, you always have to rise from the foothills. And the most important thing to remember- you can never move your eyes from the prize! Experience on-the-go, on-field practice and growing wiser with each mistake made is the prelude to any success story. Today we acquaint you with a few such stories. Accomplished event entrepreneurs share with us their first ever experience of organizing an event. The first of many accolades they were destined to receive, the mishaps they could never forget, and if they were to do it all over again, how they would do it today. Rajesh Varma Claim to fame- Founder and Director, CRI Events The first ever event I organized was in the year 1993. It was a Jagjit Singh concert at Shri Fort Auditorium. Godfrey Phillips was the sponsor for the show. I was thrilled to have landed this break but also petrified as I did not have a team in place yet. I knew this event could either make me or break me. In the events industry you are as good as your last event. The prospect of landing any events down the line and the future of my career depended entirely on that one day. Needless to say, I gave it all I got. What also worked in my favour was the amazing team of stage and sound guys and the entire crew actually. And it paid off. The event was a sell out. The sad part- I did not make a penny from the event! Why you ask? Well, mostly because I was young and stupid and did not have the business sense to pan out the financials in detail beforehand. It was a ticketed event and like most such events I was to get a share from the sales of the tickets but it so happened that the sponsors, venue and artists had already reserved a considerable number of tickets for their near and dear ones. Besides them, there were several influential people who were obliged with free tickets. It was definitely demoralizing that I didn’t earn from the event after putting in so much time and effort. But I also knew that I was onto something here and this would prove to be my beginning to something great. And as a rule, since that day, we don’t do any ticketed events anymore. If I were to do the same event today then I would definitely hire the same crew without a doubt. Diligence is indispensible in this field. Back in the day we only used printed backdrops and wallpapers that have been surpassed by digital substitutes today. LED lights, 3D projection, the possibilities are endless. I would stress upon high tech visuals and an advanced sound technology. I would engage my audience on social media platforms much before the event and monetize by airing the event live. And this time I’m confident I wouldn’t go home with empty pockets. Samit Garg Claim to fame- CEO, E-factor Entertainment My first event was thirteen years back in the year 2000 at Jaipur. We were a team of four people and the client was Smirnoff. When I look in hindsight I often wonder how a group of young and inexperienced newbies managed a relatively big-league account such as Smirnoff. Well, the answer lies largely in the fact that we were true to the client and, most importantly, true to ourselves. We were given a budget of Rs 42,000 to wine, dine and entertain a party of 140 people. So we got started by calculating what was expected from us and whether or not we could deliver it. It was our sheer transparency with the client and our promise to get him maximum for his spend. Numbers did not matter to us then as it does not matter to us now. Our focus since day one has been to deliver a memorable experience through our events and we retain this ideology till date. What has changed in so many years is how we package our stuff. In the year 2000, besides us, other companies were taking shape like Wizcraft, DNA, Encompass and Percept. We did not want to be part of this rat race so made the switch towards social events and began carving our niche there. Today 70% of our work includes social events with the rest being a mix of corporate and other miscellaneous events. Our team consists of 40 top professionals from the industry who try and create a ‘touch and feel’ experience with each event. Be it constructing an air-conditioned glass-house for a day wedding during the monsoons or mimicking the insides of a submarine through a 360 degree projection to create the experience of partying underwater, for us challenging the impossible is the ultimate high. Rajeev Jain Claim to fame- Director, Rashi Entertainment The events industry does not operate on the number of people you have employed or how old you are in the business. It runs on the passion you exude and the promise you display. In the year 1999 I was approached by the Dainik Bhaskar group to organize an event celebrating their launch at Ajmer. We were a team of 5 and had to make arrangements for a crowd of over 70,000 people. So we hired 50 local guys. It was a free-for-all event and Jasbir Jassi and Richa Sharma, at the prime of their career, were scheduled to be performing. The turnout at the day exceeded 1 lac people. Ajmer had never witnessed an event of such expanse before. It was surreal. We immediately knew we had been launched into the market. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to manage a crowd of 1 lac people. It makes the head spin. Entire cities sometimes comprise of fewer people. But we had major support from the State police and the government. We were spanking new in the business and had outsourced our light and sound arrangements. They did an immaculate job as per the standards at the time. If I had to organize the same event today, I would erect a multi level stage with 3D mapping and make intelligent use of lights using LED backdrops and Xenon projection. A major challenge we faced that day was that people had to wait for hours before getting into the stadium, also security and safety posed a looming threat. Technology has advanced tremendously over the years. We now use RFID cards (similar to that used to enter and exit train/metro stations) that prove to be time-efficient and are very cost-effective in mapping logistics. To tackle security issues we mainly use Mozzo barricades unlike the feeble fencing used at the time. Since our first event together we have been managing Dainik Bhaskar’s launches, conclaves and power dinners. We truly have been partners in each other’s growth since then.
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When it comes to marketing events using Twitter, planners go all out to experiment with this medium of engagement. As digital proliferation increases, Twitter is becoming a great addition to the event marketing mix in a big way. Here are top tips to get the best out of an upcoming event and ensure brand amplification. Harness Twitter’s power of a social medium:Twitter, at its core is a social media.This means that it requires more than a constant stream of updates like: “Registration is now open”.Using this medium to ensure a dialogue and encourage responses from the audience will be a winning strategy. Co-create content with key personalities: Another form of engagement can involve the active participation of key personalities speaking or performing at the event. Once a status is posted about the presence of a speaker or performer, that dignitary can follow-up with a Tweet of a one-liner or conversation starter. This makes the engagement more personalised. Building up the engagement: Before the event too, Twitter can prove to be a great tool for grab eyeballs. Running promotions and contests to include free passes giveaways as prizes, will generate more interest in the event. Another strategy can also be to post updates about the setting up stage, and even posting photos of that. This can bring about a more personalised touch with the audience following updates of the event. Live engagement:Including Twitter in the live event experience is the biggest engagement strategy. Creating a hashtag for the event exclusively and mentioning repeatedly about it live, can create more amplification of the event. Re-tweeting interesting posts by audience, and thanking them for their Twitter mentions also builds greater engagement. Also, including a live Twitter stream on screen, post censoring, is one of the most brilliant ways of using Twitter. In fact, speakers and performers can also be encouraged to react live to these Tweets. Post event engagement:By saving the hashtag, one can download an archive of the tweets using special applications after the event. This will allow for the instant details of the event to be an ongoing conversation post event as well. Besides, this will be a great tool to share with sponsors to showcase how many times their brand was mentioned via Twitter.
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Indian coupon site mydala showcases local deals in over 150 cities as well as deals and coupons from most leading ecommerce sites. It lists over 150,000 plus deals from over 100,000 brands and business mainly in restaurants, health and beauty, ecommerce, travel sector. “Innovation is what drives and motivates each one at mydala, and thinking out of the box is just an alternate lifestyle for everyone on the team”, says Mydala.com CEO & Founder Anisha Singh. They have come up with some quirky yet remarkable ideas along the journey. Mydala pioneered the concept of “Sure Shot Deals” which were priced at Rs.99 where customers got a guaranteed chance to win products like Apple iPhones, smartphones and tabs. All they had to do was buy as many vouchers as possible and stay on top of the Leaderboard. The format also had a live chat section where users could cheer or heckle each other while trying to win. The concept received an overwhelming response and saw a single deal sell over 1 lac vouchers in a span of just under 7 hours. One of things that mydala rode on initially for creating user engagement and excitement is the ABC’s that cause excitement in India. By relying on astrology, cricket (IPL matches) deals and engaging with Bollywood, Mydala has become Bollywood’s preferred social marketing partner due to the excitement it generates at a local level pan India. Movies like Don 2, Kahani, Agneepath , Barfi , recently Ragni MMS were all marketed on a local level . For example for Don 2 mydala created a game for its merchants and users where if a user managed to click a picture of shahrukh on mydala posters at a merchant outlet and send it in, they automatically got discounts prominent multiplexes like PVR, Cinemax and Fun Cinemas up to 90% off. Mydala also runs several contests where lucky winners could win movie goodies from stars like Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and have done meet and greet with stars like Sunny Leone, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh and many more. “Since we’re all about going local we’re constantly thinking of ways to engage the merchants and users at a local level”, says Anisha. Mydala’s pub crawls, a concept where users gets free drinks and deals on food have become an eagerly awaited event which the users got real time crucial updates on freebies while crawling and walking to different pubs and restaurants at the popular Hauz Khas Village bars and Ambience Mall bars. In order to ensure everyone gets back safely, mydala also tied up with cab services for those evenings for discounts from the venues. A never before seen deal came into light on March 31st this year where select mydala customers got a surprise deal in their mailbox. Who would’ve thought one could literally Rent a Tiger for just Rs 49! Of course this was an April Fool’s prank that got close to 12,000 people clicking on the “buy now” button. Every customer who did though got a “free deals for a month” subscription, so it was a pretty sweet end to the prank. “Our belief is that to keep customers engaged and hooked on; the folks at mydala need to be happy and live it up. Though regular happy hours and celebrations are a norm at mydala’s office rooftop, the “all women” happy hours are famed. The women on mydala ‘s team kick back with cosmopolitans and other cocktails and the partying can be heard all over the office complex,” concludes Anisha.
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Until a couple of years back experiential marketing was a very different ball game altogether. One’s first thought was typically the now dirty word – guerilla marketing. Which meant brand ambassadors would pass out product samples to potential users or a vehicle endorsing the name of the brand would be placed outside an event. Stagnant and boring. Most of the times not even doing any good to the brand. But then came along the rise of SoLoMo (social, local and mobile) technology – and the world was never the same. Brands came to learn the importance of combining digital technology with personal experience to effectively communicate with their consumers. Brands began to recognize that actual physical and emotional experiences, versus just brand swag, help link the offline and online world and build loyalty and trust in consumers, something that really didn’t happen before the influx of digital. Consumer Becomes King The rise of social, local and mobile channels have made the consumer supreme. Now the consumer has complete reign over the experience he wants to have with the brand and share it within his own social channels – albeit any restrains. And everyone knows the value of an independent voice. Check-ins, hashtags, likes, and more have become the de facto standard for many brand experiences and retail doors. Building on how retail has played a role in this, many brands have started to drive awareness, buzz, and even promotion and CRM into consumers’ lives through the smart integration of digital, mobile, and social technology into their brick-and-mortar businesses. For Kate Spade’s new weekend-wear line, Kate Spade Saturday, the company created four interactive storefronts in New York, all digitally powered and including one large touch screen and zero products. Using the touch screen, consumers are able to browse and purchase products from Kate Spade’s new line–a new version of the in-store retail experience. The rise of technology has allowed the consumer to interact with the brand in a plethora of ways. The possibilities are endless and the sky is no longer the limit. What one can do with technology these days is no joke, and to use it to build your brand is genius. Gone are the days of museum like brand space where consumers are invited into a stagnant atmosphere and don’t actually engage with the brand at all, apart from a few free product samples. No More Spams Experiential marketing used to have a tough time convincing consumers in sharing their e-mail addresses and other details as consumers were afraid of being spammed every day by the brands – case in point – constant spam emails for Viagra. But things have changed. Brands have become smarter in how they reach out to their consumers and have started to respect their privacy. There are no more spams, and consumers have come around, engaging with brands with a sense of security and confidence – giving the experiences the license to become richer and more dynamic. One to One, One to Many or even Both It’s no surprise here that brands that create experiences allowing consumers to interact digitally and socially with both themselves and others will succeed in the long term. According to a study, an average person spends at least 6 hours a day on Facebook. And thus the change in the marketing game. BMW’s initiative on Facebook is a perfect example of how brands are using social networking sites to leverage their brand. If one word describes BMW owners, it would be “enthusiasts.” The people at BMW must know that owners love a chance to show off their beemers, so the company’s Facebook encourages fans to post photos and share where they’ve recently taken their beloved car. By suggesting that fans post pictures of the adventures they’ve gone on in their BMWs, the company connects to the fact that it’s a luxury brand, and those who own luxury cars are likely able to go on frequent trips. Fans happily oblige, but their engagement doesn’t stop there. BMW also puts concept videos and pictures on their Facebook page to show fans what the company is developing and what the next generation of cars will look like. It’s like a personal car show right on Facebook, and every car enthusiast is crazy about car shows. BMW’s heavy use of visuals illustrates their understanding that visuals are important for engagement and allows the company to play to its strengths as an aesthetically brilliant brand. Overall, when brands try to build relationships with consumers, a simple plan is still the best plan. Experiential marketers must first put themselves in the shoes of the consumer in order to understand the interaction process and the emotions they are trying to evoke from the consumer. Fortunately, technology can’t do the job on its own, nor will our innovative spirit alone propel experiential activations to succeed. Creative ideas and emotional context remain critical for creating powerful and memorable brand experiences. But after the dust has settled, experiential marketing has a lot to thank digital for.
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‘From now on, we will be seasoning our dishes with excitement,’ says Paco Roncero, a double Michelin Star winning chef. Here he is talking about the most pleasurable gastronomical experience money can afford. And by ‘afford’ we mean the most expensive meal in the world – $2000 per person. What in the world warrants such a hefty sum? Well to begin with, Mr. Roncero is regarded as one of the world’s best chefs. He has two Michelin Stars, three Repsol Suns and the National Gastronomy Award (which he won in 2006) to his name. Next, Sublimotion, his creation, has to be hailed as avant-garde, even revolutionary. What is Sublimotion? Sublimotion stems from the simple concept that what you cook doesn’t end on the plate. It transcends mere taste and extends to the other senses. A mix of culinary brilliance and technological innovation helps Roncero achieve that. Guests are invited into his ‘workshop’ to participate in this experience. The workshop is an aesthetically built room featuring a projection mapped dining table. It also features light installations and fog machines. The entire area is controlled through computers configured to do the chef’s bidding. He controls the guest’s experience. What experience? Each time a guest tries one of the courses (and there are twenty of them in all) Roncero recreates an experience complimentary to its taste. Through technology, he carefully transforms the environment to create a multisensory experience. So if you feel a sensation in the mouth, it is mirrored perfectly by the ambience around you. You are a wayfaring man discovering the world through food. So is the most expensive meal in the world also the greatest? Seems like it. If you wish to know more, Paco is chef at Sublimotion, which is all set to open this May in the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, Spain. The workshop serves only 12 people a day and frankly at $2000 a sitting, we almost think it’s a steal. The innovation is truly personalized and one of its kind. So go ahead and book a table for two.
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