Read Between the Ps

Clara Jacob and Nedra Kline Weinreich discuss at their respective blogs ( Post Haste and Spare Change respectively) about the role of advertising in Social Marketing . Through their insightful thoughts, there is definite take-away for marketers on the role of advertising (which is evolving into new media like mass mailings, media events and community outreach , apart from the traditional ones like public service announcements and billboards ) in social marketing and how it can be leveraged to change the social behavior of the consumers. In her post , Clara avers that Advertising can get people to change behavior for products and purchase patterns. But Advertising alone cannot change social behavior. She illustrates the point with a classic example, when a coupon giving a dollar off a gallong of milk received a 60 percent response rate. This was nothing but a change of behavior which entailed a shift in purchase pattern of hundreds of consumers. However, social marketing does not...

Advertising has no limits and boundaries , but of late, Advertisers have confined it to the retail stores only. Their latest target is the conveyor belts at the point-of-sale, being used as another advertising medium. The opportunity was identified by Frank Cox, president-CEO of EnVision Marketing Group , which has patented the system to print digital, photo-quality ads directly on conveyor belts. According to him," With a store with eight to 10 checkout lanes, you're talking about 100 square feet of wasted ad real estate. " [Source: Adage ] Seems logical. When a limited set of consumers is being chased by an unlimited set of advertisers , each and every square foot of space inside the retail outlet is being tapped. Whether it is the Hand Rails at the Escalator or the Escalators themselves, whether it is the shelves or the restrooms, whether it is the entrance or the point-of-purchase, advertisers do not want to leave out any options of indoor media untapped. The c...

It is not uncommon for budding prospective Marketers to use jargon before they use marketing. Since I am a potential candidate for the above consideration set, I found it pertinent to get some clarity on the terminologies and their application. Found some really nice Guerillas at the ad blogs I frequently visit – Coloribus and Twenty Four . Before I talk/put those campaigns, let me attempt to talk a bit about the concept per se. Guerilla Marketing is a marketing initiative that involves minimum cost for maximum impact . Coined by Jay Conrad Levinson , guerilla marketing is more about matching wits than matching budgets. Wikipedia explains the concept in more detail. It talks about certain principles and communication media, which I have preferred to discount, to avoid restricting my perspective on the same. Where do Viral Marketing and Ambient Marketing come into picture then, and how are they different from Guerilla Marketing? Viral Marketing involves a message or a communicatio...

Entries have been pending for a long time now. Found some interesting things happening around the world lately, but could not post them earlier. Would be blogging them soon. For now, its something interesting about one of most exciting markets – China . A recent survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences published some notable facts about the Chinese Family Names in China. According to the report* (as covered in China Daily ), There are 4,100 family names for some 1.3 billion people in China, of which 94 percent use one of the 300 big family names, such as Li, Zhang, or Wang Out of these, “Li” is most popular family name, with 7.4% of Chinese people bearing that name [ Source - Survey released by China's National Natural Science Foundation in January ] The most used name in China is Wang Tao , with about 100,000 people bearing the name! What’s in it for Marketers? Though this might not be too relevant till the point-of-sale, but looking ahead, a CRM model would ne...

Barcodes have turned into another channel for communicating to the consumers. The company, Design Barcode , based out of Tokyo, Japan , transformed the inanimate barcodes into designs that reflected the product category and redefined the way barcodes are printed on packages. Starting with a book containing various designs, the firm sold the idea to various organizations to begin with. Gradually, with contracts coming in, it built credibility , along with visibility in the market. Publicity came through major media as well as direct mailers initiated by the company. The effort resulted in the desired results. According to the description at the Cannes Lions website , " There are 15 companies utilizing Design Barcodes in their packaging currently, and approximately 60 kinds of Design Barcodes are circulating in the marketplace. There have been zero instances of false readings resulting from these barcodes and the company has succeeded in generating 1 million dollar worth of free pu...

Rural Marketing is not all about low price points and PR building . Marketers in Bihar have found a new way of selling goods in the market – Tag them with the “ Lalu Brand ”. Though Brand Lalu has been famous for more than a few reasons, very few marketers have been able to cash in on it on a sustainable basis. Products ranging from Toys to TV Serials , from toffees to dating sites , from movies to a website are being introduced in the market from time to time under the aegis of the “ Lalu ” Icon. Consistent product introductions in the market tagged with the Bihari Persona has ensured that people remember him. His distinct style of communication and behavior has given him a unique place in the Indian community. So much so that the word “ Bihar ” and “ Lalu ” have become synonymous in the South Asian news circles. Following are a few pertinent branding stories floated in the market - Lalu had gained considerable popularity on account of his involvement in the fodder scams in Bihar. ...

Another piece from Cannes Lions 2006 – this time in the Press Category An insert in the " Fundraising & Appeals " category hits hard on your face through the message it communicates – the impact of Landmines on common man. What is creative about the campaign is the manner in which the message is communicated – using Ketchup as the medium to resemble blood and the sachets used to squeeze it out of the pack. Titled “ Ketchup Sachet ”, the creative is in form of a sachet, which when torn, resembles blood coming out of a child’s legs. It signifies the casualties and damage caused by Landmines, thereby raising awareness about the inhuman act. Ketchup Sachets were inserted into magazines " to demonstrate the horrific everyday nature of landmine affected country ". Created by Publicis Mojo, Auckland (New Zealand) , the advertisement is part of its “campaign against Landmines” campaign (CALM) . Certainly, a unique method of communication, which has resulted in the ad...