Olympic Winners – A new bunch of Celebrity Endorsers!

Wow! This one is great. Not only I am elated for India finally reaching a place in Olympic medal tally but I am also pleased to realize that now, we will get to see some fresh celebrity endorsements with some new faces for the India Advertising. 

Currently it is Bollywood and Cricket which rule the celebrity endorsements arena. Any brand/product category, you will find them everywhere. From personal care to ball pens, from health supplements to technology – you will find Bollywood stars and cricket players across TV channels and selling almost anything. 

With the increasing consumerism and the numerous manufacturers, it becomes a great difficulty for the marketer to make a place in the industry and to create a brand recall. And when ideas are not enough celebrity works wonders for an instant recall.  Even the corporate are associating with these stars for their CSR initiatives and to have a sports encouraging image. This way they also get mileage as an organization which works for the upliftment of society and pulls in a great social image.

And with the bollywood stars and cricket becoming a regular, the Olympic champions will surely instill freshness on our television screens. Besides, these players do not charge as high as the cricketers or the cinestars, and with the agencies and corporate offering revisions quite happily – we can expect many more brands being endorsed by the heavyweights like Sushil Kumar & Yogeshwar Dutt as well as the super mommy brands being endorsed by our own superwoman Mary Kom. With a tally of bronze and silver, I hope the stars pin the Gold in the endorsements. The laurels are already fetching great deals to these and with greater and larger amounts as quoted by the agencies managing the likes of Sania Nehwal, Gagan Narang etc. 

Of course they have all the reasons, these young Brands now stand for Perseverance and Trust, and a month back they were the stars who were struggling to shine. But now they are the ambassadors of India Shining who have left the mark in the world. The Brands certainly have some values and they have proved their mettle already. So shall we say now, Go for Gold. 

The times is to check how far can they impact the India consumers and in what category? Will the agencies be able to create a larger than life image, or they too will get a makeover and create new style statements. Will we go and shop an extra bit for the love of Saina or Sushil?

Whatever the case may be with the brands but we surely love the sound of Rio 2012 and these BRANDS bring in a lot of positivity and hope about it.

14 Ideaz for your Brand in 2012

1. BELIEVE in what you are.
2. Say only what you are. Do not HYPE.
3. DELIVER your Promise. Watch your PROMISE.
4. Exceed the EXPECTATIONS. And then EXCEL.
5. It is alright to go SLOW. Watch your COMPETITION.
6. FACEBOOK is good. Post CAREFULLY. It is about your BRAND. Avoid Repetitions.
7. Take INSPIRATIONS. Offer VALUE.
8. PERSONAL BRANDS will emerge. Do not get overwhelmed. Create ONE if you plan to work CONSTANTLY on the same. Oprah has a personal logo ‘O’. Wait! Do you have it in you?
9. SOCIAL MEDIA will shine further. Use it EFFECTIVELY. Grow your NETWORK.
10. Empower your BRAND on web. Accept PAYMENTS online. (Paypal, Google Wallet etc)
11. Customers are no more looking for Brand Information. Create BRAND EXPERIENCE.
12. Be HONEST with your brand. Work Hard SMARTLY.
13. RESEARCH on Emerging Platforms & Technology. PREPARE and PERFORM.
14. If you are a START-UP brand. Make 2012 – ACTIONABLE.

New & Improved - Brands/Marketing?

Be Alert of the ‘New & Improved’ Marketing:

Alright, these days I have been reading about the post recessionary marketing which most of the brands have taken up in the form of re-branding.

What could be the major reasons behind the brand makeover? Is it just the growing competition? Or it is making a presence felt? Or it is to – stand out.

I personally feel that the basic idea behind Brand Creation is to ‘stand out’ and shout – I am Brand X. And this is my identity. But then I recommend…brand makeover but not re-branding to say so! Brand makeover is like adding up different accessories to your dress to make it look refreshing & even better.

So what do we mean by ‘New & Improved’?

Is it the new & improved product or it is the new & improved cosmetics of a brand?

Are we talking about the change in contents of a product or we mean the change in packaging? If it’s the case of hospitality industry – do we have some add-on facilities at the property or we are talking about the eco-friendly paints designs.

There is a thin line between service offering & service communication and that is where the Brands get confused or rather confuse the end consumer. No wonder the Brand Loyalty is always a vulnerable achievement.

Let’s go back in time & try to recall the brands which have been renewed over a period of time. Could you remember, the more powerful Vim Bar, the improved Rin - ab jyada shakti ke saath, the better tasting - Kissan Ketchup, the double power - Mortein etc. Chances may be that you could only think of - Sqeezo Kissan Jam, The curvy Nescafe bottle, the net bag of improved Rin bar etc.

More often, it’s the packaging which is new & improved and of course the claims like better taste, better immunity, kills more germs or extra powerful etc.

New & Improved – Attractions!

Most of the brands are now into the vicious circle of ‘’New & Improved’’ as the consumer still buys lot of things on the basis of feel good aspect of retail.

The new & improved marketing is most difficult to comprehend in the consumer products as most of the electronic & white goods have better improvements or rather we can say whether communication.

A new & improved automobile brand is almost always acceptable because they say that its engine is improved or may be few add- on safety features etc. The only thing is here the new & improved is an extended service or a facility.

Going with the current affairs of marketing communication, even the real estate is coming up with their new & improved versions. Some projects are sustainable buildings where as other have in-house facilities.

Well, the cosmetic version of new & improved marketing is a temporary change in brand but are we really working on making our brands – new & improved! I leave it on that note.

Sprite's 'Hindustan' vs Pepsi's 'Youngistan'

Sprite's ‘Hindustan’ vs Pepsi's ‘Youngistan’

Latest in advertising is, ‘Yeh hai Hindustan meri jaan’. Did you say Youngistan? Well, finally Coca Cola has given a front & back answer to Pepsi’s much hyped ‘Youngistan’, giving one more ultimate example of Competitive Advertising. Nevertheless, the trend is decades old now.

Yeh Hai Hindustaan Meri Jaan

It’s not the first time, when one Cola giant has mocked another one. In fact Coca Cola and Pepsi have been following the trend quite regularly (read: religiously) from many years. This time it was Pepsi at the receiving end and as a result the quite a funky term of Pepsi ‘Youngistan’ being aired through the hottest and looked after bollywood pair Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika is been mocked as Junglistaan, Firangistaan and even Kabristaan. After all flops, they finally say, “this is Hindustan meri jaan”, depicting the magic of saying straight and dismissing the other notions. As they say, Seedhi Baat Baki all Bakwas!

Let’s wait n watch, what strategy Pepsi’s communication comes up with to fight with the little drops of joy!

Till then, as Coca Cola says, Jashan mana le!