As the airline of Switzerland, Swiss has always been committed towards bringing different people and cultures together. As part of its latest experiential initiative Swiss welcome, the airliner is seeking keen travellers from 17 countries to come to Switzerland, explore the country with local hosts and acquire a unique Swiss experience. In an exclusive interaction with, Titus Fernandes, Marketing & Business Development Manager Swiss Airline India we get an insight on the airliners experiential endeavours and the importance of India as a market for it. Swiss International Air Lines is looking in for people who would like to get to know Switzerland from an individual local perspective. And to this end, SWISS is inviting people in all 17 nations – nine in Europe and eight farther afield – The “A Swiss Welcome” programme already has its own swiss.com/welcome website. And would-be visitors, hosts and voters can all visit the platform and communicate their interest. The best and funniest “A Swiss Welcome” encounters, and the experiences of the visitors and their hosts, will also be channelled into an appealing film that will be featured on the programme’s website from the end of next April onwards. Q-How was the idea of a Swiss Welcome campaign conceptualized? A-After two successful “Seats for Switzerland” campaign which were completely directed towards the Switzerland home market, Swiss decided to create a new campaign that was unique yet still celebrated the motto of Swiss to bring different people and cultures together and thus as a result it was decided to launch “A SWISS Welcome” worldwide. As part of the campaign activity Swiss is inviting people in 17 nations including India who would like to get to know Switzerland from an individual local perspective. Q-How will the Swiss Welcome campaign be rolled out? A-To apply to this unique trip one has to submit a creative one-minute video on swiss.com/welcome platform between now and 30 November. All the videos received will be judged by the online community to determine the 20 best submissions from each of the 17 countries. And a judging panel will then choose a winner from among these for each country by 14 December. The successful entrants will each win an attractive individual trip to Switzerland with personal contact with their Swiss hosts, and with a SWISS flight voucher, their hotel accommodation and a travel allowance all included. Once the 17 winners of these visits to Switzerland have been chosen, the “A SWISS Welcome” programme will enter its second phase in early 2016 when SWISS invites members of the Swiss public to apply to serve as the visitors’ hosts. Here, too, the successful applicants will be selected by a combination of public voting and a judging panel. The guests from abroad will arrive in Switzerland in March of next year, and will be introduced to their Swiss hosts at a welcome event in Zurich in appropriately “Swiss” surrounds. The visitors will then spend the following two to three days travelling around the country with their hosts and experiencing it from a truly personal perspective. Q-How important is India as a market for Swiss? A-India is one of the key and important intercontinental markets for Swiss and a source of profitable growth. It is not only a core long haul market but also a key growth market. Swiss remains committed to the Indian market it offers daily flights from Delhi & Mumbai to Zurich. And Zurich continues to be a key aviation hub in Europe. Q-What are some of the other on-ground experiential campaigns launched by Swiss in the recently? A-A complete Europe based campaign called the “ Art of Attentiveness” was recently launched and is currently ongoing. As part of it together with renowned light artist Gerry Hofstetter Swiss has created a symbol of greater attentiveness between individuals – in the form of spectacular light installations on monuments in selected European capitals. In November, England is due to become a part of this movement. Q-Why defines the marketing strategy for Swiss? A-After establishing a strong position in Delhi & Mumbai as the leading airline connecting India to Switzerland, all our efforts are targeted at maintaining this excellent position. The highly dynamic Indian aviation sector motivates us to constantly innovate in our marketing activities. This is also important for our high end “boutique” approach. We seek a focused quality positioning, to differentiate us from commoditized volume brands. We definitely position Swiss as quality brand. For us every customer is welcome , whichever class he travels. Q-How does the Swiss welcome campaign resonate with the image of the airliner in India? A-Swiss embodies its home country’s classic values of “Swiss hospitality “ “quality in every detail” and “ personal attention and care” . With this campaign and as the Airline of Switzerland . Swiss brings people and cultures together. Swiss is seeking keen travelers from various countries to come to Switzerland and experience these classic values and explore the country with local hosts and acquire a truly unique Swiss experience.
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Tata Motors has recently announced Lionel Messi as the first global brand ambassador for Tata passenger vehicles business. The brand has also launched a TVC campaign made of great with the international football icon. The campaign which aired on November 3 on television is expected to be followed with a digital, outdoor and BTL campaign as well. In an interaction with Tata Motors spokesperson we try to gain insight on the brand’s vision on this association and its future ahead. “Messi is a global icon and stands for attributes like cool, inspiring, innovative, simple, trusted and a self-driven human being. He connects with the audience that we want to connect with and thus he was the apt choice for Tata Motors, as he resonates with the three core values – Trustworthy, Pioneering and Cool.”- says the spokesperson when asked about the reasons behind Tata Motors association with Messi. Talk about the recent campaign and experiential marketing activities associated with it, spokesperson adds, “#madeofgreat is a 360 degree campaign. Besides the TVC, we have rolled out the digital, outdoor, print and will be launching BTL campaigns as well.” Though he did not reveal the kind of BTL campaigns Tata Motors will be launching in reference with this association but it is being speculated that Tata Motors has teamed up with Wizcraft for an all-new exciting on-ground multi-city activation which will involve the footballer and allow his fans to connect with him in a way never like before. The brand has reportedly also launched an augmented reality app which will help the fans of Messi get photographed with him. Speaking about the importance of experiential campaigns the spokesperson says, “Experiential marketing is very important as it allows customers to have better interface with the car. With the new Zest, Bolt and GenX Nano, we have rolled innovative and highly-engaging experiential campaigns like Zest Studios, Bolt Arena and Nano Campus Diaries.” To capitalize on the festive season Tata Motors is offering the special celebration edition range of passenger vehicles to rejoice the auspicious season with its customers. The celebration edition comprises of Bolt, GenX Nano, Safari Storme and Indigo with special celebration kit. The Zest Anniversary edition is also part of the offering. This range will be on sale till November 15, 2015. Tata Motors did not comment on the budget of the #madeofgreat campaign.
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Pepperfry.com, one of India’s largest Furniture and home products marketplace has recently rolled-out a new Diwali campaign exhorting viewers & consumers to make a change in their mind-sets, reach-out to people around them and take some positive actions that do good. Interestingly, the campaign conceptualized by Saatchi & Saatchi reflects a change in the marketing philosophy of the brand. Pepperfry which has so far through its ATL and BTL campaigns like ‘Happy Furniture to you’ and ‘key quality proposition’ launched earlier this year, focused on the ‘rational approach’ to sell its products have now seemed to have taken an ‘emotional approach’ for this one. Speaking about the campaign, Kashyap Vadapalli, Chief Marketing Officer, Pepperfry says, “In the past 18-24 months brand Pepperfry has grown significantly and established itself as the number one destination for Furniture and other home products in the country. We are now in a position to move beyond communicating just the features of a great furniture product or experience to establish Pepperfry as an agent of transformation. We’ve tapped into the Diwali festive spirit to make an appeal to the consumers to: 'Iss Diwali Kuch Badal Ke Dekhiye'” This is the fifth campaign rolled out by Pepperfry since its entry into the market and the second one to have rolled after the online giant having raised $100 million in a Series D funding round from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Zodius Technology Fund. Early in the year it was speculated that Pepperfry aimed to spend nearly $3 million on its brand campaigns to help build and run campaigns across television, outdoor, social, cinema and digital media. Speaking on the reasons behind launching this Diwali campaign Vadapalli shares, “We really wanted consumers to make a change and connect with the goodness within themselves, something that they don’t do in their busy daily routines, and then extend that connect to the brand because of the key role it can play in how this life enhancement can be manifested. Diwali and the days leading up to it - Dussehra, Navratri, Durga Puja etc., - is not only India’s premier festival season but is also a period when people make efforts and take time to strengthen their family and social ties. Hence, we decided to approach the season with a clutter-breaking message that builds on this Diwali spirit. Unlike the transactional nature of every day interactions, in this festive season there is an opportunity for people to reflect on their behaviors and actions and their relationships with others.” Pepperfry unlike most e-commerce giants in the country also sits high on experiential. The brand has previously collaborated with Homestop for pop-up furniture stores to give its customers hands on experience of its offerings and also initiated a set of engaging on-ground activation at key airports of Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. In their last ‘Happy Furniture to you’ on ground campaign, the brand had created “Pepperfry Furniture Lounges” at the domestic departure lobbies of these airports to engage travelers, who could check-out the curated furniture range from Pepperfry. The brand has previously also rolled-out a “Festive Bonanza” and a “Selfie Mania” contest for travelers wherein every traveler who visited the Pepperfry furniture lounge could avail discounts and cash backs on furniture and 12 lucky winners who got the most likes on selfies clicked at Pepperfry lounges were provided with shopping vouchers worth Rs 5000. Speaking on the activity Vadapalli said, “We want customers to experience the quality of our furniture and familiarise them with the brand. These lounges act as Pepperfry display zones meant solely for experiencing the range of furniture from Pepperfry. The activation is an integral part of our larger marketing campaign to multiply our brand reach and build confidence in the minds of our prospective customers.” Additionally, the brand also has an exclusive tie-up the global indoor theme park Kidzania and features two activities for the kids – ‘The Custom Modular Furniture Assembly’ that displays the artistic practice of making furniture and the ‘Custom Modular In-time Delivery’ which enables kids to understand the importance of quality products, punctuality and time management. Both these activities at the theme park are aimed at illustrating the highest quality standards that go into making of great furniture and building a top-of-the-line establishment. Also children who choose to participate in these activities are recognized as the ‘Pepperfry Furniture Champs’. Speaking about how the association with Kidzania fits into the brand ethos of Pepperfry, Vadapalli responded by saying, “At Pepperfry we believe that through this ingenious platform, we will be able to provide children a fun and experiential based learning experience that instils creativity, planning, independent thinking and problem solving in kids. Personally, as a parent I feel that the activities conducted at KidZania Mumbai help to broaden their horizon when they learn how to manage a complete lifecycle of a product or a service through role plays.”
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One of India's most trusted and popular industrial house, the Godrej group was established in 1897 and has since then diversified with offerings across the verticals of FMCG, real estate, agriculture, office, consumer durables and home appliances. With the brand often being lauded for churning some of the most innovating ATL campaigns over the years, it now also boasts of having an impressive presence in the experiential space as well. The Godrej India Culture Lab initiative the brand, is a fluid experimental space that cross-pollinates ideas and people to explore what it means to be modern and Indian. Having been launched in January 2011, the lab is as an attempt by Godej to create an intellectual hub in the city of Mumbai, which would act as a catalyst for conversations about contemporary India. The initiative aims to evoke interactions by introducing representatives from academia, creative industries, corporate world and the not-for-profit sector. Parmesh Shahani, who heads Godrej India Culture Lab for the group is vehement that this endeavor by the Indian multinational giant is making boundaries disappear between India and Bharat. Citing the phycology behind the conceptualization of The Godrej India Culture Lab Shahani shares, “The reason for setting up an experiential space like is deep-rooted in the brands belief. We at Godrej look up to India as an important world power and strongly believe that our contemporary culture needs to be chronicled, amplified and debated across interdisciplinary silos. There was no reference space as such for the Lab as what we were trying to do was rather unique in a corporate Indian context. We wanted to open ourselves out as a platform for outsiders to come in, think and experiment, in a very public sense.” The Godrej India Culture Lab’s interactions take the shape of curated events of different sizes, most of which are held within the Godrej campus in Vikhroli and are free to be attended by all. The theme of the events range from Friday Fundas speaker and performer series to and film and book clubs, with filmmakers and authors in attendance respectively. The Lab also organizes larger events within Mumbai including full day conferences like Urban (Re) Imagination (2011), or lectures with internationally acclaimed speakers like Tadao Ando (2012) or Henry Jenkins or Sheena Iyengar (2015). It also organizes pop-up spectacles like the Museum of Memories (2012) and Vikhroli Skin (2013) that combined the elements of art, science, performance and design in an unconventional manner.
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Finolex Industries Ltd, one of India’s largest rigid PVC–U pipes, fittings and PVC resin manufacturer considers experiential to be the nucleus of all its marketing strategies. Be it through a wide range of industry association events or rural demonstration programs, organizing on ground competitions for its target audiences to creating curated experiences at Nasik Kumbh mela, the brand has done it all. In a candid conversation with Everything Experiential, Nitin Kulkarni, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Finolex Industries, shares why experiential initiatives are more beneficial for his brand rather than ATL marketing campaigns. “The products that we sell are used by a specific group of people. Our target audience is usually skilled plumbers who refer our brand to the customers when they work in their homes and builders who are responsible for the construction of a house. We have tried ATL as well but where ATL lacks today is its limitation of not catering to specific set of audiences. When addressing a lot of people while targeting a small group, there is high probability that you communication will get lost in the clutter and thus for us BTL is the best influencer”- says Kulkarni. The brand which has so far restricted its marketing campaigns in mainly the semi-urban and rural audiences, has with its latest consumer connect initiative Finolex Plumber- Ek number made a shift towards the urban market as well. Under this campaign the brand distributed around 2 lakh FIL branded cups to various tea vendors in areas like Loha Chawk, Sion Koliwada, Ghatkopar West etc (areas which are predominant hardware market base in Mumbai) over a period of 3 weeks. The core idea behind the activity was to create a community of plumbers in the Mumbai region and drive a loyalty program around this concept. Finolex also highlighted the loyalty program on the tea cups which were given to the tea vendors in these aforementioned regions. On the basis of this activity, FIL was able to reach out to over a lakh people. Database of 1050 registered and verified plumbers was sourced through this activation. Additionally out of the registered plumbers 40% have been provided with mobile recharges, 20 of them would be provided with multimedia android phones and 1 lucky winner will be awarded a motorcycle. As a result of this campaign in the period of one month FIL accumulated approximately 850 plumbers and increased share of voice in the Mumbai market in terms of both primary and secondary Sales. The brand has recently also executed an on-ground initiative at the Nasik Kumbh Mela where it distributed branded bags to the attendees as the mela has a strict no plastic bag mandate. Through this campaign, Finolex was able to generate maximum brand recall value for itself amongst a diverse set of target audiences . Talking about the importance of such on-ground campaigns for the brand Kulkarni says-“Experiential is very important for us as a result 60-65% of our overall budget is used for it. We do hire event agencies from time to time for executing such campaigns but there is no agency in particular who is a regular for us.”
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Harley Rock Riders the annual music property of Harley-Davidson India, which brings rock music and motorcycle lovers together is back with a bang. With the season 6 of the property scheduled to be held on October 30-31 in Mumbai, expectations are high on what will Haley Davidson and the execution agency of the event, Only Much Louder bring to the table this time. In an exclusive conversation with Pallavi Singh, Marketing Head, Harley Davidson we gain insights on what’s in store for music and bike lovers in this edition of Harley Rock Riders. Speaking on the overall design of the event Pallavi says, “This year the mayhem of music and motorcycles will come alive at the iconic Richardson & Cruddas foundry with three stages, 20 bands and expects thousands of attendees. Also the lineup of performers this time is diverse and energetic featuring the likes of American thrash metal Megadeth and the Jamaican reggae The Wailers alongside some interesting Indian rock bands including Scribe, Bhayanak Maut, Indus Creed, Superfuzz, Demonic Resurrection, The Lightyears Explode and others.” Much like its previous editions the bike brand will stick to its promise of supporting independent music artists in this edition of Harley Rock Riders too. The signature ‘Find Your Freedom Contest’ winners will be seen showcasing their talent at HRR. Speaking about it Pallavi says, “The Find your Freedom contest at HRR continues, allowing artists the platform to express themselves through music. This year, we will see some great talent emerge.” “An exciting new offering at this year’s HRR is a unique Boot Camp that will commence from November 1, 2015”- reveals Pallavi. Through the boot camp motorcycle enthusiasts can come and get to know their Harley-Davidson motorcycle better, familiarize themselves with the Harley-Davidson lifestyle, culture and also safely experience a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as well. Harley Rock Riders this year will also allow Indian bikers to make a personal statement through the customization of Harley-Davidson motorcycles via a Custom Champions contest. During two days of the festival the attendees will have the opportunity to check out some exciting customized Harleys built by custom bike builders such as TNT Motorcycles, Eimor Customs, Motomiu, Tj-Moto and Godspeed Customs. Shedding more light on it, Pallavi adds, “Self-expression comes in many forms and for years, Harley-Davidson has been synonymous with customization. This season of HRR, we will see that live enthusiasts will also have an opportunity to experience our new Dark Custom motorcycles which are an ideal choice for riders seeking a stripped down, minimalist machine ready to customize!” For those who wish to attend the festival tickets are avialbale in two formats, under 21 ticket at Rs. 1,000, and season ticket at Rs 2,000. Additionally the Harley-Davidson Boot Camp experience ticket is priced at Rs. 1500 and season + Harley-Davidson Boot Camp experience can be availed at Rs. 2500. when asked if Is there any other IP on the cards for Harley after HRR? Pallavi responds by saying-"Over the past 5 editions, Harley Rock Riders has continued to grow bigger and it has really helped the brand to reach out to new customers and brand enthusiasts. We definitely hope to create more such experiential events where enthusiasts can come and experience the Harley culture.”
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In an attempt to bounce back into the Indian automobile market, Fiat recently launched its two new products hatchback Punto Abarth and crossover Avventura. With both the products priced at Rs.9.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) the company’s ideology has now shifted towards providing its target group the thrill of a racing car with the benefit of fuel efficiency that matters the most to Indian customers. The launch event took place at Taj Hotel, New Delhi and was executed by Leo Burnett. Kevin Flynn, MD, FCA India was present at the launch event and spoke about launching a new media campaign to promote the two new offerings by the brand. Apparently, the last campaign by Fiat, “Crafted for Car Lovers’ failed to create any magic for the brand as it registered its lowest sales figures in the previous month of September. When asked about what will the new campaign by Ford focus on? Kevin replied by saying, “We currently have an ad in place that revolves around the philosophy that the steering wheel and a car are not just elements of commute but they are also elements of having fun. At the launch event too, the ambience that we have used is dark and menacing which resonates with the products that we are offering. A different idea like this will surely give us an edge. In terms of experiential we will be doing a lot of mall displays, road shows and exhibitions with these products as I fervently believe that the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” The launch event by Fiat saw an extensive use of LED backdrops and 3D Designs to launch the new offerings by Fiat and was admired by the attendees. Post the launch Fiat also provided the attendees to experience the functions of the cars through test drives. Talking about the importance of India as a market for Fiat, Kevin said, “India forms a massive part of the company’s plans and we are really determined to bring more upmarket products here. We fervently believe that these two new category defining models from Fiat would catch the fancy of car enthusiasts and perk up sales during the festive season.” Highlighting the importance of BTL campaigns for Fiat, Kevin said, “There is already too much noise in the ATL and outdoor mediums today. The answer here is not to invest more money into it to make it noisier but create unique ways to cut through it.”
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Baggit, one of India’s most promising handbag brands is known to heavily use the medium of BTL to market itself. The brand recently was instrumental in hosting its own customized show at the Lakme Fashion Week and also ran its second edition of #PlayTheLifeGame campaign which managed to wow the social media by being the top trending item on twitter. In a candid conversation with EE, Vicky Ahuja, Director Marketing & Sales, Baggit talks about the on ground initiatives of the brand and its marketing strategies ahead. What defines the marketing philosophy for Baggit? Our marketing philosophy is derived from the Brand Vision. The design, quality and aesthetics of the product are at the centre-stage and appeal the most. Without a doubt, our marketing strategies are designed to showcase these qualities in our products. The mall revolution has helped us reach Indian woman without huge investment in advertising. We do realise that with online e-commerce revolution, the rules of the game have changed, further. Hence, we have added a layer of visibility above the traditional methods. As a result we entered the digital platform before other brands in the bag industry. We have social media strategy in place and we also leverage the power of PR. Additionally, we have done some select tie-ups for relevant visibility - Lakme Fashion Week and Bang Bang Movie. Baggit follows franchise model and currently has its presence in 61 cities, including metros and tier II cities with 40 exclusive outlets and its presence in 300 multi brand retail stores. Internationally, we have made a foray into the Kenya market with an ultimate vision to make Baggit, a global brand. What are the marketing campaigns Baggit has rolled out recently and how successful were they? Baggit’s latest consumer driven campaign is “Play the life game” . The campaign celebrates the different roles and moods Contemporary women have in their lives. Keeping this in mind, the bags created have been matched to the moods displayed by women. We have done few innovative videos on our microblogging site where female audience can choose a video based on their mood and accordingly reached out to our TG through activations and engagements at one to one level. The campaign has been very successful. We gained maximum engagement on social media and trended nationally during Spring/Summer 15’ and Fall/Winter 15’. Also, our sales growth is testimony to the success of this campaign. The brand is high on using digital and print campaigns to promote itself. Share with us some of your most engaging on-ground campaigns? Some of the on-ground activations that Baggit has done involves mall promotions, fashion-shows and road shows. We also made our maiden voyage in Lakme Fashion Week with a show of our own, in 2015. We also had a tie-up with Bang Bang movie, which involved more on-ground activations. Baggit merges online and on-ground integration to ensure amplification to the target audience. Since social media plays a vital role in changing the lives of different consumers, Facebook is a critical part of the marketing mix. Facebook campaigns have worked for Baggit in building awareness, customer engagement, to launch our latest collections, invite our fans for events such as Lakme fashion week. What are the upcoming campaigns Baggit looks forward to launch for the upcoming festive season? For this upcoming festive season, Baggit is bringing a lot of interesting offers for their target audience. For the first time, consumers will stand a chance to choose between a plethoras of gift options. While the gifts are guaranteed, customers get a chance to choose between multiple options. Our USP lies in being an eco-friendly brand with a wide range of vegan products. We recently celebrated World Ozone Day to promote sustainable environment, where customers had an opportunity to recycle their old Baggit bag with a brand new Baggit Bag on preferential discount. After Lakme Fashion Week what are some of the other associations down the line for the brand? Yes, we have recently collaborated with Lakme Fashion Week. Infact, Baggit was the only bag brand who had their own show “The Baggit Show” at the Lakme Fashion week – Fall/Winter 2015. We are very opportunistic in the way we grab any opportunity that comes our way. And we make sure it fits in with the long term vision of the brand. What does the brand hopes to accomplish by the end of the year? With the launch of our campaign "Play The Life Game", our association with Lakme Fashion Week and many other fashion events, we hope to raise the brand's equity a notch higher in the minds of our current target audience. Also, we plan to expand by adding many more Exclusive Baggit stores in different cities, through distribution network. With the growth in Online retail, we hope to see baggit's presence strengthened in this sector as well. This goes without saying that our marketing strategies will also be more creative and more unconventional than usual. We look forward to using an interactive mix of on-ground, digital, experience driven campaigns that will help us establish a better connection with our TG.
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