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25 Oct, 2012
Issue # 96
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Yo!
Shubho Pujo! Happy Dussehra! Happy Holidays! If you are reading this letter, thank you. It has been a lonely week for those of us who attempted to work. I tried to grab the best of both worlds - at Durga Puja pandals for lunch and dinner and then in back in office for a bit of work. India is facing migration across states unprecedented in its recent history and attempts of people to celebrate their festivals far from home prompted this week's article on "Marketing Festivals, Making Memories". I also read Shoba Narayan's book on Return to India which explores the immigrant's dilemma and some of that has to do with the pervasiveness of festivals such as Christmas and trying to retain your own as part of your identity. So should we market our festival assets better?
I've not noticed any cool marketing stuff this week. Strange becuase I have been watcing more TV than usual, albeit, Comedy Central which is playing old episodes of Arrested Development. We also have been out furniture shopping and again didn't see any fancy promotions or deal. Is this a low-key festival season?
On Friday, Santana plays in Bangalore, at Bhartiya City. Will I see you there?
Eid Mubarak!
Have a great weekend!
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Marketing Festivals, Making Memories
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| By Jessie Paul |
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India is a land of festivals. Ask anyone who tried to get some work done this week. Between Ayudha Puja when instruments are worshipped (and take rest) and the 10-day Dussehra/Durga Puja/Navratri celebrations, mails and even spam have dropped to an all-time low.
But are these festivals a commercial
success? Shopping does spike around them, but do we have the equivalent of Christmas, which can account for 25% of the sales in categories such as toys and certain foods? Mind you, as I ask this question, I am wearing my marketing hat, and not that of a sensible economist or protector of culture, or even responsible parent.
Durga Puja in Kolkata/Calcutta is a phenomenal affair. Each Puja Pandal is an art form, and each has a theme - eco-friendly, jute, recycled cardboard and so on. There are prizes for the best pandal and points for matters such as cleanliness, provision of toilets, parking etc so these are among the best run festivals in India now. It wasn't always so - they used to be a mess of pollution, stolen power and shoddy finishing, but corporate sponsors and the competitions have completely cleaned that up. I mentioned corporate sponsors - yes, every pandal is graced by products vying to sell to this target audience.
Read on for more...
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by Parth Mukherjee
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It is well known that serendipity has led to several discoveries in the space of technology (X-rays, heating effect of microwaves) and medicine. But a little etymology research of the word serendipity leads one to the story of the three princes from Serendip (Persian name for modern day Sri Lanka coined from the original Sanskrit name Swarnadeep) and the lost camel.
It is quite a wonder that this story of serendipity was also the inspiration for a similar story in French philosopher and writer, Voltaire's famous novel, Zadig. Further on, it is said to have inspired parts of reasoning in modern detective fiction such as Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin as well as Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. This trail of literary inspiration lays more emphasis on the "sagacious" aspect of serendipity than the "accidental" one.
Recently, while working my way through metrics on SiteCatalyst, my team and I made a useful discovery of our own. In this blog I have reproduced my steps in case some of our readers find it a useful tip.
The steps recounted here are particularly useful for B2B businesses with a large team of sales / business development / account management professionals.
Get the Tips here... |
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Data-Driven Brand Storytelling: 6 Steps to a Credible Story
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| By Patricia Redsicker - Content Marketing Institute |
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How much more compelling would your brand storytelling be if data were the focus of your content strategy?
Without a doubt journalism has had a huge head start when it comes to creating stories that capture hearts and minds. Part of that success comes from using research data (polls, surveys and feedback) to understand what readers find valuable, particularly as it relates to the issues and problems they face.
Do content marketers have the same research opportunities? Of course they do. In fact, if more content marketers were to use publicly available data the way journalists do then branded content would offer new angles, insights, and more value to stories that affect people's lives.
One way for brands to increase content credibility is to introduce trustworthy third-party data as part of their stories. Credible stories are rooted in something that's real, not just your ideas. So for example data, research and numbers can be the foundation of the story, while your ideas and opinions add perspective to the story.
Currently, there are mountains of data available, on the internet and elsewhere, that organizations can use to develop credible stories that are infused with insight, relevance, and inspiration. So how can your brand learn to create data-driven stories?
Here is a six-point process for brand storytelling that you can use to get started:
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Tata Safari Storme Launches With A Storm On Social Media
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by Prasant Naidu - Lighthouse Insights
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How Tata Safari is using social media for the launch of Tata Safari Storme.
The festival season is knocking on our doors. This also means businesses would expect Indians to swipe their credit card more often. Going by every year's market trend, we are going to see new product launches, offers and more, all before Diwali.
Tata Safari, the Indian auto giant, the pioneer in introducing SUV's on the Indian roads, strikes gold with it's much awaited launch of Tata Safari Storme, the next generation of SUV's. The car that has been designed and built for every age group, finally comes out after the Auto Expo preview that took place earlier in 2012.
Starting at a price tag of 9.95 lakh, the top-end variant made sure that the pre and post launch matched up to its class(1). Social media grabbed a bigger pie in the product launch and possibly the only Tata car to do so. If the pre launch was not enough, the brand has made sure that the hype doesn't set off early.
Read all about it...
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We have 2 very interesting events lined up in the coming month:
Maharanis of Business: A Breakfast Roundtable
8 November, 2012, Kingdom of Dreams
An exclusive roundtable breakfast with the leading ladies of business in India in Delhi/ NCR on 8 November, 2012. Meet with IBMs Sandy Carter and exchange views on leadership, personal branding and the role of diversity in stimulating innovation over a unique networking meet. Co-hosted by Paul Writer and IBM this event is by invitation only
More information available here...
CIO + CMO Connect - M.IT.R Fellows
8 November, 2012, Kingdom of Dreams
IBM and Paul Writer bring out another CIO+CMO Collaboration event - for the M.IT.R Fellows (Marketing and IT Recognition). A showcase of success stories of Marketing & Technology integration in organisations. This is scheduled be held in Delhi/ NCR on 8 Nov, 2012. The format is an all day CIO+CMO Workshop followed by cocktail gala evening to recognize the CMOs and CIOs of organisations where marketing and technology work together towards driving business goals and strategy.
More information available here...
Do contact us for more information on these events
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Enjoy!
Jessie Paul
CEO, Paul Writer
Advisory | Workshops | Digital Lab
Upcoming Paul Writer Programs:
Maharanis of Business, Nov 8, New Delhi
CIO+CMO Connect - MITR-2, Nov 8, New Delhi
Visuals sourced with thanks from various online resources. Acknowledgement provided in the main article.
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