Impact of Social Media

I had never doubted the power of social media, and the release of 'Three Idiots' has reinforced this belief. I logged on to fb (Facebook) this morning only to find people in India and abroad vouching for the flick, and guess what, I booked my tickets pronto. Buzz marketing it is, a viral on social media. Yet to figure out how credible, or rather discover the bunch of people whose opinion I want to go by!

- Namrta R

Chrome again

Google has expanded its promotional net to include news sites for popularizing Chrome. I came across this on 'Times of India' and am keen to follow what next!

- Namrta R

Marketing Vs Sales

Philip Kotler asserts that ‘marketing’ focuses on consumers while ‘selling’ focuses on producers. So, in a ‘selling’ approach the producer pushes the products that he finds convenient to procure or manufacture. Whereas in a ‘marketing’ approach the producer gauges and takes into account both the needs and expectations of his consumer, which eventually act as a pull factor for the consumer. Hence, the latter type of approach also calls into play the factors such as innovation, optimum pricing, etc to address the concerns and suit the convenience of the king.. err, the consumer.

However, as described in the modern times, in terms of job roles, marketing and sales carry a different implication.A sales role is a more focused, relationship-based function. It is typically a one-to-one or one-to-few approach, and entails a personal interaction with the prospect or the customer, to understand his need. Huh, will someone care about my needs, please!!

On the contrary, marketing is a one-to-many, and a more intelligent function than sales. Ahem, spare me, I meant it to be more in terms of business intelligence! So you look at the industry trends and statistics; the target audience demographic and psychographic profiles; the pricing, the sales channel, positioning and the USP (Unique Selling Point) vis-à-vis your competitors.


The media used by marketing, it could Above the Line (or ATL) or in the face marketing promotion activities or it could be Below the Line (BTL) subtle marketing promotion activities! The typical ATL activities comprise advertising, mass-mailers, events, etc, while the BTL activities would include public relations activities, theme events, industry events, participation as a third-party, etc.

- Namrta Batra

Focus is back on the Customer!

In these recessionary times, necessitated by the sharp cuts in the marketing and advertising spends, the focus seems to be back on customer relations and customer support, more so in the service industry where both these factors are also crucial differentiators.

Here's an example of how ICICI bank is trying to engage its customers by ingeniously designing a forum appropriately named as 'MILAP'. It is also noteworthy that although my account is with ICICI bank in Bangalore, I have been invited for the meet in New Delhi, to a branch closest to my mailing address. This implies that they have got their segmentation of the audience right. (On second thoughts, I wonder if my bank statements are mailed to me from Bangalore or Delhi!). The initiative is commendable for its innovative approach, and cost-effective promotion (through mass-mailers) and execution (high-tea session at the bank premises). However, the invite, though appealing due to its simplicity and conciseness, fails to convince me to attend the forum; it doesn't make me feel that either 'my opinion' counts or 'I' will benefit in any way. I would also appreciate if it wasn't preposterously signed by a biggie, the head of Retail Branch Banking, instead signed by the local branch manager who will actually address and participate in the forum.

- Namrta Batra

And now, Google hits television!

Eleven brilliant ads for Chrome (below), Google has done it again!

A 360-degree communication entails hitting the target audience through all media in order to cut through the clutter and the noise, and to exceed the minimum threshold level. Google's media planning seems to include consistent web promotions, rolled over several phases, and sporadic television advertising, which is also one of the quickest and most certain ways to obtain mindshare.
>> Read more here

- Namrta Batra

And yet again

Google seems to be experimenting with the 'F' and 'Z' patterns of scanning through a webpage and therefore, I am finding it more and more interesting to follow the 'Chrome download' icons. Find here yet another version the same on Google Search home page (see red box below):

I will continue following-up on this thread as and when I notice something more interesting about Google :)

- Namrta Batra

Google Yet Again

Try typing a wrong URL in your browser window and if Google is your default search page, then you can't miss Chrome yet again (read below):

I was wondering where do all these links take you to, and this is how the download page looks like (read below):

- Namrta Batra

Google: the Big Daddy of All Promotions

Google is setting a new trend in promoting its very own browser Chrome by deploying innovative and low-cost measures. 

Most avid users would list three webpages that they use frequently i.e. Google Search, Mail (usually Gmail) and Orkut (many more users compared to Facebook!). Keeping this in mind, Google probably has started a pilot to promote Chrome by constantly reminding the users of its presence and giving a quick link to an easy download. 

You can't miss Chrome on Google Search (see red box below):

And they wouldn't give-up if you don't. They have other ways to get this done (see red box below):

And when you have finally downloaded, it does exclaim 'bravo!' (see red box below):

 

So why should Google pilot the cross-promotion of Chrome with Search and Orkut? Well, Search because it is the least intrusive and the most popular. Orkut because it can fun, funny and extremely informal as contrary to something very personal such as Gmail. Also, I believe it makes more sense to implement Adsense in Gmail than promote Chrome. Any thoughts?

- Namrta Batra