Why Airtel??

Airtel has repositioned its Brand Logo and Image through a well coordinated campaign.

Talking about the new brand identity, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Airtel, says, "Fifteen years ago, Bharti Airtel started its journey in India with a promise of delivering world-class and affordable services. Airtel is in now present in 19 countries - 16 African countries, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India."

Mittal adds that the brand was so far known as Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh. "Thus, the idea was to give the brand a uniform presence across all these markets. Also, the world is moving towards digitalization. From now, it's also going to be about social media, commerce and 3G. Therefore, keeping the evolution of the telecom business as well as our expansion in mind, we decided to take brand Airtel to the next level."

While the logo is visually appealing, there is nothing outstanding in the choice of colours, the image, the typset or the concept. Yes, there is definitely a futuristic look and it creates a perception of progress and things to come! Also Airtel has consistently transformed its presence Online and Offline.

But the TV advert, which supports the brand repositioning strategy is a bit of a disappointment. In an effort to appeal to the 19 countries, Airtel has alienated its patrons in India. The models & locales do not seem to be in any way connected with Airtel or India. And so its hard to identify with the the advert. At best the changed Logo and Advert are causing raised eyebrows and confused smiles.Airtel TV Ad

When I think back about the cute pug of Vodaphone, and the Hi Hutch campaigns, I have to say, the connect is missing. 

OLD INDIAN AD

Reminds me of the Hero Honda ad........but nostalgic indeed

5 Tips to take your Brand into Social arena

Its Free. Its right there. Its simple. Everyone is doing it...........If you are the Brand Manager, YOU DON'T!Not until you have it all properly figured out.


For a Brand, Social Media maybe mostly free, yet it has its own barriers to entry and more importantly, its own set of risks!


Make sure the Brand name is ALL YOURS. 
Make sure you grab your Brand , all over the internet and do not allow anyone to use or misuse your Brand identity. Do it NOW, before you even launch your campaign. On the web, your URL is synonymous with your Brand identity, so its a crucial risk to your brand image, unless you have properly secured your Logo, Name and Brand Identity.


Whats your Goal? 
What are you intending to achieve through your SM campaign? Set your metrics , be clear of your mission and goals before you design your campaign.Whats your goal

• Create a Buzz around your Products/New Launch, Brand
• Create Brand Awareness
• Increase Brand Loyalty
• More traffic to website
• Leads, Orders
• Get the pulse of your customers....

Be sure of what you want to achieve.

Whats your Story
Storytelling is integral to branding. so figure out your story before you step into the web arena with your Brand. Who are you? Remember, once you are out there, you will be , what your story online emerges to be. 


The most successful Social presence is of the companies that have interesting stories to share, stories that up the interest meter of the potential customers and involve them into conversations. So define your challenges, history and mission through your brand story.


Select your turf
It is imperative to create a strong, tightly designed plan and be in all those communities and social sites, that have your potential customers . You would not want to waste all your efforts on sites and communities whose members are not conversing or are not relevant to your Brand.


So choose your turf carefully and then invite those who matter. Build your communities as you move along, to increase your footprints and get more and more potential customers conversing and discussing around your brand.


Engage them
Final, and most critical element is ENGAGEMENT of the members on your communities.Work out your strategy in advance. Once you are out there in public with your  brand as the center-point, you have to be prepared for eventualities

• How will social media be integrated into the company’s core strategy?
• Who from the company will engage? Will there be one voice? A team using one branded account? Personal accounts?
• How much time will be spent on social media?
• How long will the company “test” the different sites before evaluating their success?
• If a serious fire breaks out, what is the proper protocol and who needs to become involved?

Customers matter most. Listen to them. What makes them happy, what is annoying them, what gets them critical , whats making them go WOW.....And finally , it goes without saying, evaluate your success!

Social Media relevant for B2B??

Some indicative numbers


32% of B2B companies engage with their customers on a daily basis via social media. 
46% of B2B marketers thought social media was irrelevant.  
60% of B2B firms have no staff dedicated to social media  
10% of B2B firms use outside agencies or consultants.   


Forrester Research is betting that interactive spending will double from 2009 to 2014 to total $54 million. While it’s not clear how much of that money will go into social media, the report was bullish on the new tools provided they’re used correctly. “Social marketing is great for building more intimate relationships with your clients and prospects,” wrote Forrester’s Michael Greene. “But many marketers are diving into social marketing without a coherent social marketing strategy.”


One of the key reason of slow adoption by B2B companies is the perception that Social media is a Marketing tool. Actually its more a CRM tool, with extended Marketing benefits. Its a listening tool, its a hub of conversation, its the opportunity to get the pulse of your market, your customers, like never before.

Its time B2B companies realize how they can connect with and engage their customers and targets and launch multi channel programs , like never before , through Social Media

Playing with words

Yesterday I shared something interesting through this blog and an old friend of mine reverted with strong opinion, leading to a discussion. It ended with him, accusing me of "Playing with words", and that was food for thought indeed!

Being in the business of Marketing Communication and Brands, words are sacrosanct to me! And isn't everything about words at the end of the day? Be it, spoken or written or expressed mutely?

Because we THINK in words. When we speak nothing, say nothing, even hear nothing...there is this little voice in the head, chattering away , forming opinions, drawing conclusions, passing judgments, spewing words, words and more words.

Words are the key means of expression, and absolutely invaluable to a marketeer. A point in case is FCUK! ( Sorry for the controversial example folks!) but it proves the point beautifully. A meaningless anagram , immediately deciphered and sufficiently captivating. Another example was the smart choice of words :

BIGBOYSTOYS
Exotic Pre-owned Cars

Excellent creative expression . It invites the BIG BOYS! Calls the cars TOYS and takes the "secondhandness" off with the clever use of the word EXOTIC.....wonderfully played with words!

So here's to new games with words! CHEERS!

"That's Logistics" Cute!

UPS has recently launched a communications program to demonstrate how it has vaulted past competitors to offer the broadest range of logistics services in the industry. And it has come up with the cutest depiction of the most hardcore Logistics services! Kudos!

“People often think of logistics simply as moving goods to the right place at the right time,” said Scott Davis, UPS’s chairman and CEO. “But with more than a century of experience, UPS understands that logistics can be a powerful tool to help businesses get products to market first, gain operational efficiency, save money and improve customer loyalty. Especially in today’s economy, companies need an edge and UPS’s mastery of logistics can give it to them.”

If I shut my eyes and focus on the essence of what I hear, rather than watching the TV commercial or paying attention to the exact lyrics, it sounds like a young people’s nursery rhyme J.

And also, it reminds me of the refreshing feel of the Blackberry boys!

Wonderful work O&M Team!!

Mahindra Stallio

I like the way, Mahindra chose to drop the N from STALLION to get this name. Along with the n, they seem to have dropped all the sense of wildness which ups the meter for risk. And who could've conveyed the message of SUBTLE LEADERSHIP better than our dear Aamir Khan.

From Brand Positioning perspective, its butter smooth, the way, every other sparkling, king of gimmick Bike has been trashed with a quite grace. Beautiful.Great Job.Jaan, Shaan and Itminaan. I love the 3rd virtue. No hurry. Patience. The way , one wants life to be today. Relaxed.

The mention of waiting mother, very effectively emphasizes the tendency of Indian women to worry about their dear ones on 2 wheelers and the need to take it easy...."not trying to overtake life!"

"There is a fast-moving rhythm to riding a Stallio; it has a sharp up and down movement, much like riding a horse," says Viren Popli , Sr. VP Marketing & Strategy of  Mahindra  & Mahindra.


No tall claims. Plain, simple but extremely impactful message.