Sleep with your wife

OOH..!

Yes, OOH or Out-of-home advertising is a booming industry segment, with the key driver being billboards or hoardings. Though hoardings are the most traditional and commonly used medium of OOH communication, yet it's unbelievable to see so many guys go wrong with them.

In my opinion, we should strictly adhere to the following principles for a billboard to serve its purpose better, keeping in mind the placement of a billboard usually a prominent traffic signal or on a highway:

1) It should convey just THE key message, only and only one in number!

2) It should not be cluttered, be it with text or graphics.

3) It should have only the headline and the sub-head; no body copy pls, considering it would be mounted up at a considerable height.

4) It should be catchy enough to draw the attention of the commuters through the route, assuming of-couse that most of them are a prospect for us!

5) And of-course, the only determining factor for selection of the billboard site should be the foot falls of target audience, and not the absolute cost, size, etc.

One of the finest examples of billboards I have seen recently, is a hoarding for Indigo airlines. With a background in indigo, also the corporate color for the airline, the billboard has only three elements, a headline, a sub-headline and a logo - all in color white on a plain, single colored indigo background.

Sleep with your wife

Same day departures from all metros

[Indigo airlines Logo]

No graphic, no design and not even a tint, but never-the-less, extremely catchy and I can also bet, one of the most effective billboards ever. I can't but applaud the genius who created this hoarding, which conveys the key message so ingeniously. With a headline which grabs attention at once, and gels well with the key message or the sub-head, the communication is most catchy, clear and crisp. A 'no-graphic' approach draws attention to the brand logo, which further reinforces the brand recall. Kudos guys for the play of words! Put-up at a prominent traffic signal at Golf Course Road inGurgaon, near the hub of MNCs, it also gets the right eye-balls.

Facts about OOH: According to the FICCI PwC report, OOH is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13% from Rs 11 bn in 2006 to Rs 17.5 bn in 2010. This growth is further propelled by infrastructure development in the form of highways, expressways, airports, increase in commuting time, with the only threats being either the economic downturn or the pace of development.

- Namrta R

The Killer McD

My first few memories of Wimpy's, the burger joint, are of a the then new outlet that had opened up at Pritampura and inaugurated by Shatrughan Sinha a day before we set out foot there. And then there were these occasional stints at the New Delhi railway station! I quite liked their burgers, and recall that I wouldn't stuff myself on the flight, hoping to grab a bite at the station outlet.

Suddenly, however, they just seemed to have been wiped-off. None at the railway station, one mini take-away at Hauz Khas, and one not-so-neat outlet at Connaught Place, which I by-the-way spotted only this weekend. It looked like a weary old man, who couldn't stand tall anymore; and had a cloth banner furling in the air, with "Wimpy's" written on it, and no fascia or branding on the exterior. The menu seemed to be an interesting mix of burgers, pizzas, and even some Indian dishes that could probably qualify as 'Indian fast-food'. The crowd was a decent mix, mostly college couples who couldn't afford a date at expensive joints or average families who seemed to be taking a break amidst their 'window-shopping' spree. The washroom was deserted, and not even equipped with the "must's" such as the soap, disposable hand towels, toilet paper, or even water in all taps. But of-course this was noon, on the weekend; not sure how different would the evening have been though!

As I nostalgically grabbed a burger, sitting alone like old times, I couldn't but help wonder what resulted in this plight for Wimpy's and even other extremely popular chains like Nirula's, which have been wiped-off massively though they exist locally owing to the proximity to a popular commercial complex or housing locality. And after some deliberation, while I turned out to look towards the road through the glass, I was struck with the name of the epidemic - "McDonalds" or McD.

McD has started a new chapter in the history of "cheap" "fast-food" joints. I would like to modify the word "fast-food" to "burger", because burger is the only thing you get "cheap" at McD. There is no competing with McD's on price, since a local chain doesn't have the economies of scale. So whereas a consumer may shell out a little extra for a premium burger, which has an element of exclusivity, it would be difficult to get him to choose Wimpy's over McD. The price in turn is complemented by the wide-spread presence of McD, and even vice-versa, because that's where the volumes emerge from. The footfalls are both a result of price, as outlined above, and the branding and positioning.

The brand has a huge recognition, recall and visibility. Their fascias are a well done-up discernible logo, usually visible from a distance and the outlets have appropriate road signs, which alert you about the distance and directions, eg: "1 km Away' or 'Take a U-Turn here'. And sometimes, they change of your intention of 'not taking a break' to 'let's stop here for a while', more so because its not an expensive joint, and promises fast food, fast service and clean premises. And while the oldies take a break and rest, the children get to meet with their favorite uncle Ronaldo and gobble down restricted items of food.

The positioning of the brand adds a magical McD effect, which has become a part of our lingo and as something that we can relate to, and thus adds to the 'brand recall'. McD has become synonymous with burger, and especially if you want it fast, If you are in a mood to grab something on the go, you would perpetually end-up muttering, 'Let's have something like a burger from McDs', and that irrespective of whether you have a McD in the proximity, you would be able to get across your message and mood.

Other distinct niceties, though noteworthy but not very relevant to the context, are an open kitchen and a courteous, well-trained staff, who don't hesitate to serve you a complimentary burger or coke if you have faced any inconvenience at their outlet.

This sort of branding, positioning and some of the other niceties are difficult to find in most other regional joints, and that's why McD takes the cake while these joints get wiped-off. I would compromise on the branding and positioning, if I am atleast offered good grub at decent prices, and the other niceties in my locality, which is why some of these joints manage to thrive. And then, like I said, some thrive due to their strategic location, and so I get to eat at Wimpy's in Connaught Place last Saturday.

- Namrta R

Random thought

My mind functions like a clock, 24/7, ah, restless me! And there are a zillion of things that I want to write about and share with everyone. Perils of having an opinion on every goddamn thing; regardless of the opinion being good or bad, right or wrong. Perhaps, I should maintain a 'To-write' list!

Blogging indeed is cathartic, it helps you voice 'it', be 'it' your opinion, observation, anything.

So Voice it,

-Namrta R

Chrome Caricature

The Chrome ads seem to work; they also seem to be multiplying, to become omnipresent. It would be interesting to get my hands-on some statistics!

- Namrta R

Picasa

I uploaded over hundred pics on Picasa, and it arranged those pics according to the time and date stamp. Wonder how? After pondering on it for 30 seconds, I figured out that it wasn't really the time-stamp, it was the pic number that Picasa could pick-up and respond to. That was easy, and common-sense! But a lot of picture sharing sites and uploaders overlook this aspect. As a bonus, it also rotated my misaligned pics by 90 degree so as to 'straighten' them! I guess it also has a face-recognition system in place. I was quite impressed. So, Picasa did save me some of my precious time, and a lot of my efforts.


Facebook failed to recognize the sequence of the pics or rotate the misaligned ones by 90 degree, whereas Orkut did rotate my pics but couldn't arrange them. So I was required to do a bit of re-re-ordering after uploading the pics. But then again, its not fair to compare Facebook or Orkut with Picasa, which exclusively is a software for uploading and sharing pics.

A software is supposed to make our life easy by automating a set of pre-defined tasks. (That's another thing that sometimes it complicates our life further when we spend most of our time figuring out what to do with the software itself)! I wonder if we should ask ourselves if that is software for dummies, or has the advent of softwares made us dummies!


- Namrta R

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