Logo Change :Is It a Mere Touch Up??

As the saying goes, nothing but change is permanent, change is continuous too in both external and internal environment of a business and there is a dire need for an organization to revamp itself with the changes in the environment. In today’s operating industry, external environment is volatile, competitors are shifting, new brands are approaching, business cycle is unpredictable, consumers are evolving all the way and there is a change in the industry dynamics. It becomes critical for companies to stay contemporary and connected. As logo with its visual illustration seeks to arrest the intrinsic values of the organization it represents, a change in the environment invites a change within the company and resultant change of logo. Corporate identity, specially when manifest in symbol, gives tangibility to the communication strategy adopted by a conglomerate. As a symbol, logo plays an important role in the overall marketing activities of a company and helps organizations in their brand building exercises.

A growing number of Indian companies are repositioning themselves to be relevant in a cutthroat market, a trend set in motion in the recent past by banks such as IDBI Bank, Canara Bank and Axis Bank and business houses like Reebok India, LG India, Dabur and Godrej Industries have gone for a major facelift to reach out to one of the significant customer base- young Indians and give their customers a contemporary feel. Hence to capture the globe-trotting new generation’s attention span which is otherwise growing thinner, the re-designing efforts of telecom powerhouse Airtel and now the Mahindra & Mahindra’s recently announced campaign ‘Rise’ is on the rise

But how far is logo change justified? Is it a mere image touch up or a serious overhaul? Does it impact their customers at all? In the recent past the logo change has become a significant area for business. There’s a lot of brouhaha, acres of newspaper columns and heaps of e-comments over the recent makeover of the Airtel logo. The brand still continues to be Airtel; the only thing they have done is to change their logo; its typeface followed by some new advertising and their signature tune. Customers are not led away by the way an ‘a’ looks on crimson background. Also the paid “ooohhs and aaahhs” of filmstars does not add to the customer experience. As long as they respond to customers promptly, maintain great pricing, have no call drops and their mobile service is of high quality, the story is all over. Infact that is why a customer purchase a service / product. Do people buy more or less Colgate because of the way “CP” is written or because of their prior association with the brand? If Tata were written with lower case “t”, would customers stop buying them? On the global front,whether the customers of Starbucks are equally excited when the lady (logo or the Siren) goes for seductive makeover?
Even a huge cutover from UTI Bank to Axis Bank failed to discourage customers, may be because they had very little choice. Earlier in the mobile space, Hutch became Orange became Vodafone. Sure they crafted the changeover beautifully. And to be fair – the credit goes to the customers. They figured it would be a bigger headache to switch numbers, as MNP was not available in those days and in any case the Hutch/Orange/Vodafone service is as good as anyone else’s. Hence there are many relatable factors which effect and impact Brand choice – the least of which is the way the Logo and symbol looks. Certainly it is recognition, it is an evocative shortcut to such recognition – but it’s rarely worth the effort spent on it. It has much more meaning for its owners than for its audience or customers. Customers are a selfish lot – they will pick and choose what they want, when they have the opportunity. If they figure out rationally or irrationally what they want then a fancy logo, logotype or symbol is hardly going to be a reason for or against purchase.

Anybody listening to the customer?

Blogging after a long time...to begin with, let me put a question.. How do we react to bad customer service?? Press 1 to toss the phone, 2 to yell at ourselves, 3 to pull our hair, 4 to dissolve into tears, 5 to do all of the above or 6 to reach a customer service associate-although it seems exasperatingly polite and jargon-dripping voice from over the phone (usually unable to help) is the face of customer service of the modern times. On top of it, the delicious irony is that to disapprove /condemn an organization on its Facebook page (the most talked about flavour of the season), we have to register our Like for it first.

How has customer service changed in the past decade, that started off with people getting more relaxed with the internet and now moving onto social media where, it would seem, it’s so simple to draw a company’s attention to how it hasn’t paid any attention to its customers. Promptness has become very significant. Earlier the promise of a visit on Saturday has moved on to Saturday between 12-1 p.m. because customers don’t have the time to wait for hours. Earlier there would be somebody at home all day, but the situation is not same now. Thus, most of the service visits are made after 7 p.m. or on the weekends

Customer service campaigners scrutinize mammoth technological revolution in the past decade has changed the expectations of customers drastically. One can now bypass the tedious queues and book railway tickets online and bank and buy through the internet. The flipside is that the barriers have plummeted, several businesses of the same kind have proliferated and customer service has become a hygiene factor. Business houses, these days are investing in technology thinking it will make the customer happy but they are spending only to be in the race of business. And in this process, they are only focusing on customer acquisition and not on retention. A million dollar question that arises now is whether these companies have the back-up systems to manage the load? Customers of today are much more empowered and enabled, thanks to technology but the core driver needs to be sensitive. Speed of response is a necessary component, but that does not call for an automated response. It’s not only hi-tech but a hi-touch that is important today. People want a voice and a business deal is not just sales, but the total experience with the organization. Products have become commoditized and customer service is the major differentiator. The biggest challenge for the senior management is to institutionalize customer relationships..

Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu.. Shakti Rupenu Samhistitha..

Misty early morning at 4 AM, the mind is refreshed hearing the sanskrit slokas “Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Shakti Rupenu Samhistitha..Namostashya Namostashya Namoh Namaha…”
Yes, I can remember very well being grown up with this.. every year on the day of Mahaloya, mamma used to tell us to get up early in the morning, switch on to AIR, Kolkata..and get ready for the Mahaloya hymns and recitations. I remember, how all of us used to get enthralled hearing the slokas, being recited by Shri Birendra Krishna Bhadra...It is the day, Mother Durga leaves her heavenly abode and starts her voyage along with her children to the earth.. We get ready to welcome the Divine Mother on the earth..

I could remember the days at Guwahati, how me and my little sister kept track of the number of new dresses we purchased...because.. we never wanted to repeat any dress twice during the puja days.. the festivities would begin by the evening of Shasthi..(6th day of Navratra) when the idol of the deity was brought in our community Puja pandal.. we, decked up with our new attire (from our latest collections, of course) were totally excited.. me and some of my friends performing matri vandana.. the purohits performing sandhya aarti.. and few others playing the Dhaak to give a warm welcome to the Mother.. next three days, we used to be extremely busy, adorned in best outfit, the menfolk dressed in Kurta Pyjamas, our mother and aunties draped in bangla taant / pure silk sarees… arranging the flowers, offering thaalis for the Puja…. We all assembled together to offer Puspanjali to the Divine Mother….and then the long wait and that too in large numbers for the community lunch.. “Bhog” ( Khichdi, Payesh etc)..

The evenings had a little different story.. we dressed up in another set of new attires, alongwith our parents / relatives hopped around in different puja pandals throughout the city..and yes, I am able to recollect few of them till date…. Durga Mandir and Rest Camp at Maligaon, the idol brilliantly placed on the Silpukhuri Lake… the exotic electrical display at Beltola and Athgaon Puja Mandap, the huge Ashura at Khubchand, near Fancy Bazaar that used to attract huge number of children…. eating out till late night and so much of hustle and bustle everywhere.. the last day (Vijaya Dashami) we used to assemble to give a tearful aideu to the Mother…

Today, on the day of Mohaloya, while on my way to office, occupying a seat inside the cool Delhi Metro, I could not stop remembering my early days.. yes, even today we do carry on with the puja shopping etc.. but the craze of wearing a new attire every time we move out during the puja days, is no more.. The turns and twists definitely bring change in our life….I could not manage to tune in to AIR Kolkata today… however, switched on to E TV Bangla / Zee Bangla, also made sure that my 11 year old son is awake to see the recitations/ hymns on the occasion of Mohalaya….

Hoping to have a great Durga Puja next week… taking part in all the community activities… my naughty little son also has some plans … offer Puspanjali at Matri Mandir, enjoy the community lunch “Bhog” at Kaali Baari..and enjoy good cultural program at Chittaranjan Park…

Face of Facebook

It's time to discover the face of facebook

A group of individuals spending time either in verandas of homes or in a neighbour’s homes is very much a part of Indian culture for decades. But chances of such jamboree were probably based more on the homogeneity of the group, specially in terms of interests and lifestyles. A social media allows a homogeneous group as well as several heterogeneous groups to blend with one another on variety of aspects. The size and enormity of the groups have been transformed by the digital revolution. This characterization reflects the implication to understand how a social media like Facebook or Twitter impact the marketing of products and services.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc glint off associations of youth, coolness and possibly constant socialization. The world of social networking seems to have created a peripheral thrill among both consumers and marketers and along with the thrill and excitement, comes the challenge of using this mysterious medium. What is the psychology/sociology behind using these social networks? Would they be useful for marketers and advertisers? If so, would these be useful only for mammoth brands like Mercedez or Gucci or Omega or can they be applied to regular and common offerings.

If iphone 4 has product related troubles, it exponentially and perhaps graphically too reaches millions of FB users in amazing and short span of time. If Nike’s campaign on using Rooney’s real life “on the ground” mistakes are to be a part of the teaser campaign, millions on FB or Twitter get energized and a layer of that gets “rubbed off” on Nike. Trust these are the implications of social media for marketing practice and the formation of brand attitude among a target segment of consumers.

It is not the homogeneous groups that demonstrate similarity on several counts that helps marketers; the need for excitement and gratification of discovering a group that is not compatible with oneself is the digital revolution’s value add to the consumer behavior. Few years back, Adidas launched a game on MySpace, which suggested to the visitor two soccer teams (Predator and F 50). Such digital campaign has a plethora of advantages- an opportunity to explore the profile of individuals who register for either teams and their psychographic orientation by follow up efforts, (if required) tracking the attitudes of individuals on the category and specific brands and even using the concepts of virtual personality to know how consumers try to experiment with groups that may not be oriented towards their own self concept.

While the above example is simply to showcase the potentialities of using social media, there are several facets that marketers need to be clear about the media to deliver results. Social media is not to be viewed in isolation- it needs to be viewed as a part of the IMC associated with the brand. Whether to decide social media is apposite, marketers in today’s clutter need to have a conceptual focus. If that happens, FB will present serious face that is good enough to market the traditional Chikkis, Nokia gadgets or even promote a noble thought of keeping Yamuna bed clean and green.

They are the unlikeliest brand ambassadors ever-

People are known more for what they do than who they are.
It is a delicacy to free a brand’s communication from an already overcrowded space that has seen brands use film personalities to well known TV faces to celebrity child artistes to sell to the end users. Mahindra XYLO is not alone; even Mitsubishi has launched its SUV- Outlander with an ad campaign featuring fashion designer Rohit Bal. The commercial shows Rohit being inspired by the Outlander 2010 and launching a fashion line titled Outlander Signature Collection, unveiled next to the SUV at a fashion show.

While professionals who have excelled in their respective area have been used by brands—for example Kiran Bedi or even Chef Sanjeev Kapur; marketers at both Mahindra and Mitsubishi say using unexposed famous professionals help break the clutter. If the positioning of the brand is very clear, this strategy will craft wonder. The Outlander has been positioned as a luxury car with a competitive price and the emphasis is on fashion and style. They looked-for someone from the fashion industry who is wedded to Indian proclivities with international standards. Hence, Rohit Bal was the obvious answer. For a person from a tier II city, which is a burgeoning market for both, passenger cars as well as SUVs, Rohit would be just another model endorsing a car brand- which still wishes for the SUV brand.

The benefit of using unexposed professionals is that there is no danger of the brand ambassador overpowering the brand. In the case of Mahindra XYLO, the emphasis is rested on space and comfort; the attempt was to present XYLO in a fresh commercial retaining its brand values. Most of the celebs are over exposed and XYLO will lose its credibility if they use a celebrity. A specific strategy is taken to promote the XYLO as a spacious and comfortable car. All they wanted is someone really tall for the ad—either supermodels or basketball players. Therefore, Atul Kasbekar who is 6 ’3 ’’ is the right pick. However, Mahindra XYLO didn’t depend on just above the line to push the campaign. A week prior to the release of the commercial, Mahindra ran a competition on Twitter asking people to guess the brand from the stills posted online. Approximately, there were 7000 hits on the first day of the online contest, including a comment from the living legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

In such campaigns, aspiration of the creators are more vital than the ad or the creatives itself. Moreover, it stands out in the clutter because they try to compete with a very low brink of quality. Celebrities are usually cast for the entertainment value… the proof will lie in the responses that the brands get on the floor. Both Mitsubishi and Mahindra claim their respective campaigns have received positive feedback. We need to wait and watch if the promise of these professionals will help these brands drive smoothly on a road seldom taken.

Cola Wars: Where have they gone?

Summers have set in late March this year, yet we don’t get to see much, the war of coloured, sugared, fizzy water on our television screens.. Usually it is the time, when two cola giants spend a lot on TV and more....

The cola wars are actually confrontations made to look like battles by the major cola marketers. The idea is to elevate an otherwise dull and drab category into a high appeal class that has the entire nation gossiping about the television mêlée. The cola giants depend on community media such as television, print, radio, internet and not to forget the social networking sites to chitchat more and take the battle ahead. These battles have been waged season after season and the ingenuity stands worn out in these continuous conflict. I may not be wrong in quoting, that the USP has been exhausted (my readers, if any, excuse me for that) and if one does the same thing repetitively, things are going to get monotonous. Hence, I believe the lull… Colas will undoubtedly continue to remain a big category as India continues to be a major cola market……..

The only larger drink is water… let us look forward for the battle of waters now.

The Fourth Screen

The mobile phone is taking over as the universal medium for most Indians. It is drawing the internet onto its small screen and turning into a tool that offers more than calls and SMS. This is making the mobile screen an increasingly favoured advertising tool. Santanu, my bro, is a true inhabitant of the wired world. Right from the moment he wakes up to the time he hits his bed, whether it is the last minute changes to the client presentation or to check the latest cricket score or to catch up with friends on Facebook or even listen to some foot-thumping music……. His world starts and ends with his Blackberry. This shows how seemingly innocuous looking gadget is quietly taking control and touching our lives in ways unimaginable.

As mobile telephony grows rapidly, it is used not just for voice communication. Even SMS is passé today. Multitasking is the operative word here with a camera, computer and music player, all packed into the hand held. From downloading software to games, entertainment to accessing content across genres, mobile users are looking for new ways to personalise their handsets with utilities and multimedia content that make their mobile experience richer.

The Indian media and entertainment industry stood at Rs 58, 400 crore in 2008 and over the next five years, the industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5 % to become Rs 1,05, 200 crore by 2013. (FICCI ; KPMG) Though internet advertising contributes only 1.8 % of the country’s total advertising expenditure, it has grown a whopping 65% as against 17% growth of advertising on the whole. The newer options for marketing communication are on the shore and are harnessing the hot market of the current time. With the upswing of mobile market and swift rise in their sale, business people are taking the mobile medium as a promising sector for marketing and advertising. For the past few years, marketing practitioners have been suggesting that mobile devices would become the next generation marketing channel and supersede print, audio-visual and email and even web. With 400 million mobile users and 8-10 million more every month, India should be one of the hottest markets for mobile advertisers.

Often called the fourth screen after the TV, Cinema and the Internet, the mobile phone is the way to connect with the next billion and the increasing middle-class consumers in Brazil, Russia, India and China. For consumers, the mobile phone has become more than a communication device, it is now a complete entertainment gadget.. They expect their mobile phones to double as state-of-the-art digital cameras, gaming consoles and web access. These uses increases advertisers’ chances to connect with consumers on the move, who get engrossed in these multi-tasking devices. Mobile advertising will receive another boost because of the shift in the advertising industry itself. Advertisers are focusing away from broadcasting through a one way medium to narrow casting for one-to-one consumer engagement and feedback. Marketing is changing from mass-media-push to mass-customisation-pull… PULL IN ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE is the mantra.

Will keep updating the latest marketing moves made by the hand held device, from time to time..