IN CONSUMERIST INDIA 2011, BRAND LG MORE TRUSTED THAN BRAND BAPU!?!

Early this year a report, “The Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2011” was published by Trust Research Advisory (TRA), a leading research organization dedicated to understanding and simplifying concepts related to 'Trust' Based on responses collected from approximately 2,300 participants spread across 9 metros mini-metros of India, the results showcased the level of trust every individual has in these brands. “As many as 61 individual components were identified by TRA which were then grouped into 10 composite descriptions like competence, sincerity, respect, empathy, enthusiasm, responsibility, et al” TRA's CEO N. Chandramouli tells 4Ps BM. After all, 'Brand Trust' is defined as the soul of the primary bond of engagement. However, “over time, the more evident connotations of trust like pedigree, size, performance, et al, have changed and the subtle forces are beginning to extert their influence on Brand Trust,” adds Chandramouli

Well, the results too are astounding! It's dramatically clear (through the study) that consumerism rules and what India trusts most, amazingly, are brands they use extensively or are totally familiar with. So, Nokia, TATA, Sony, Samsung & LG tops the list (and in that order). Even superstars Sachin Tendulkar (52nd rank) and Aamir Khan (242nd rank) feature and... er... are way ahead of an old toothless gentleman by the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi! So, 2011 'Brand Gandhi' is slung out by not only Finish phone makers and Korean consumer electronics major, but also sports and film celebs! Is it that brand Gandhi is finally losing out to Nokias, Lgs and Samsungs of the world?

To answer this, Shyam Benegal is first of the block. He laughts loud and long and is convinced that what the TRA guys need is not a sane response but the number of some very dependable shrinks! “To begin with the comparison is ridiculous. A brand reflects commodification and deals squarely with the equations with the marketable product and its consumers in the backdrop of market forces. Gandhi is hardly some one who can be promoted, positioned or marketed along those parameters because he didn't represent any monetary value. What he stood for (and died for) can hardly be compared with what Nokia, Airtel, Sachin or Aamir stand for. He will always remain a symbol of something much larger – human values that enriched and empowered for all time,” Benegal tells 4Ps B&M. Social commentator Santosh Desia too agrees as he says, “I think these surveys can never be taken seriously. To compare to apostle of nonviolence with Nokia and Amir is bizarre and totally trivialises the whole issue beyond measure. It suggests that any and everything can be branded and they must be judged on the parameter stated. To me it appears nothing more than a populist time-pass venture which no serious or sane person would look at twice!”

Theatre personality & Ad-man Bharat Dabholkar is convinced that it represents a giant step … in the wrong direction! “Does it make sense to compare timeless icons with brands? One is an everyday consumable item, which is constantly being appropriated to appease a hysterically voyeuristic audience base. It obviously taps into people who are more curious and knowledgeable about SRK & Katrina Kaif than Nehru & Gandhi. For them, Gandhi is … Ben Kingsley!” says Dabholkar.

Columnist and writer Anil Dharker however disagrees. He believes that in this information-overkill age, where self-absorptions rules & attention-span threshold is shrinking by the second, where out of sight is out of mind, this is bound to happen. “I believe it's less about reverence and more about an immediate connect. Also it's unfair to go misty eyed about the past and pronounce value judgment because back then there was no insane media-glare and the slow pace allowed for repose, respect and nostalgia. Today in these savage heretoday-gonetoday times, unless anything or anyone is marketed aggressively, it disappears.. and that includes Gandhi. It is clearly a sign of the times and there is no reason to get hyper or overreact. The survey had an agenda. Gandhi fitted in the slot. Period,” Dharker tells 4Ps B&M.

Political journo Paranjoy Guha Thakurta wraps up this debate with a telling take: “To place Gandhi alongside Nokia and Samsung speaks more about the people behind the survey, the agenda & context and the sample-base profile than Brand Gandhi. Besides, to compare a revered and globally respected figure with inanimate objects is something too ridiculous to even discuss. If these are the results emanating from, say-elitist, metro/urban types, that what can one expect from masses!”

Over to you, dear readers...

IN CONSUMERIST INDIA 2011, BRAND LG MORE TRUSTED THAN BRAND BAPU!?!

Recruitment Marketing - Adland's Stepchild ?

Recruitment Marketing has always been Critical and All-Pervasive, Across Dedicated Supplements and Special Pages in Major Publications. however, it has never Seemed to Enjoy a Fraction of Respect, Glamour or Importance Provided to other Categories. Why? Our Consulting Editor Spews Fire :-)

It was the recent Remmy (Recruitment Marketing) Awards that prompted this piece. To most communication professionals, this is a category that certainly exists, but is seldom noticed or talked about. As an acerbic ad-tracker puts it “It is advertising of a very special kind, but for some inexplicable reason, never accorded the attention, respect, importance or inputs forever reserved for FMCGs or the new glam categories – Retail, Real Estate, Healthcare, Education – on the block.” Sad, because there is a lot one can do, but a lethal combination of ignorance, tunnel-viewed mindset and blind obsession with the stereotypical hi-profile products and services have kept the category at the fringe. Goafest and Abbys are hot ‘n’ happening, but how many have heard (or care) about Remmys?

Film, theatre & ad-maverick Bharat Dabholkar is first off the block and agrees to the fact as he tells 4Ps B&M, “I have always been intrigued by this complete lack of interest, initiative or imagination (from a totally creative-driven calling like Advertising) relating to this genre. Do the clients believe that by infusing creativity – engagement, art, emotion – wrong signals will be sent out, making the communication frivolous and eroding the seriousness of the intent? Rubbish!” Dabholkar reminds the killjoy that they forget is that the target group (potential candidates and employees) are first human beings with all the natural emotional responses to any piece of communication in place. They’d be only be too happy to connect with anything that provides the surprise-and-delight factor as value-addition to the main focus. “The everyday, boring, stereotypical recruitment ads are not based on truth, facts or survey results, I can bet,” Dabholkar insists.

Siddharth Ray, Executive Director of Kolkata-based Response, takes the case forward. “We live in an age of branding: brand architecture, brand image, corporate image... in this scenario, I can’t think of a more effective communication tool than this category to project a solid corporate image for organisations,” says Ray. He regrets the dismissal of recruitment advertising by the adfrat who insist on consistently re-affirming the stereotype. “I think in most cases, the advertisers must take the rap, because it is clearly their call. If they have no faith, belief, understanding, insight or knowledge in factoring-in their profile in an interesting, exciting or persuasive manner, how on earth can they ever expect to attract the brightest & bright talent?” adds Ray. Reason: Unlike earlier times, the profile of both the candidate and companies have undergone a dramatic change. Today’s brand-conscious, sharp, savy & confident MBA and IITian – with soaring ambitions and wide choices – is definitely looking for top-class corporate credentials. In that context, this genre is a huge, untapped goldmine ignored due to mindset, ignorance or disbelieving that this is a lesser or unfashionable form of Corporation-Employer-Employee connect.

Veteran Praful Daftari dismisses Ray’s argument with his very own take. An ex-communication consultant with PSUs, he lays on the line, “Let’s get some facts straight. In this Bingo-Pepsi-Coke-Cadbury-Mcdonald’s driven adspace, people are used to a kind of FMCG advertising that is totally entertainment-based. Recruitment advertising is very serious business with neither the time, space, scope nor requirement for anything frivolous. It has a job to do and does it in a direct uncomplicated focussed business-like manner.” Daftari believes that this hue ‘n’ cry has basically arisen because of “this new disease called creativity!”

Leo Burnett’s India supremo Arvind Sharma offers a dispassionate and objective view. “Recruitment advertising, by nature, is direct and does not require great chunks of creativity & brainstorming. However, when there is a competitive scenario or a me-too situation, out-of-the-box thinking is called for and this is when the challenge & opportunity combination comes into play. So basically it is about what is the message, who are you addressing, what is the tone of voice and what is the desired result. So, different strokes for different folks, I guess,” Sharma tells 4Ps B&M.

The last words are provided by Ujjal Sinha, CEO of Kolkata-based Genesis Advertising. He offers an interesting perspective tracing the changing face of recruitment advertising. “It has always been the advertiser’s call. In the good old days, recruitment ads came into the Tender Notice category. Both did what they were meant to. With the advent of digital and skyrocketing publication rates, both zoomed to the net. Unfortunately, recruitment ads never readily took off in that space, like tender notices. Today, in a world of fierce competition, where talent shortage is chronic, advertisers have no choice but resort back to mainline publications-but with a difference: instruct their Ad agencies to do cutting edge stuff. Think of these exercises as FMCG products and power them with the same amount of creativity, imagination and seduction,” says Sinha. Well, change certainly is in the air, for the ones who have chosen to reinvent this genre of communication!

Recruitment Marketing - Adland's Stepchild ?

Is PSU Advertising , changing......?

Dull, boring, Inconsequential...Public Sector Advertising has seldom been taken seriously by The Ad Professionals, critics, or even Mainstream Biggies. Has this category begun to change, Demonstrate Moves that suggest Positivity and Professionalism? Our consulting editor jumps into the argument...

A lethal and flamboyant broadside was unleashed by a young, new-age Creative Director of a hi-profile A-lister ad agency to an ad professional from a PSU-lead adshop at a brand conclave recently. “Jesus, you are with those guys? Get out of that junk-shop fast, buddy, because that’s not advertising, trust me! ‘Marching into a Golden Future’ is their idea of iconic headline! Real life-threatening! It’s advertising by, for and of PSUs! Run fast before you get unemployed,” he said.

Perhaps a loose cannon comment! However, for people who have tracked this PSU category, is the young man’s opinion really too harsh? Or is there (beneath the dramatic exaggeration) some truth? Are PSU advertisements down in the drudgery dunks?

NTPC’s Senior Corporate Communication Manager Ruchi Ratna believes that such language and hi-decibel posturing is unwarranted and some facts must be brought to bear before letting off steam. “To begin with, PSUs are not FMCGs and therefore, to compare an NTPC, BHEL, SAIL or Power Grid ad campaign to a Pepsi, Coke, Airtel or Nike is unfair, silly and irrelevant. Our target groups and consumer base are totally different and so are our basic communication compulsions and blue-print,” Ratna says. Besides, she adds forcefully, “We are a government body and answerable to the highest authorities, and therefore cannot afford the luxury of creative adventuring of the attention-grabbing kind. Hence, most of our communication is information-driven, not imagination-led, because of our agenda. However, some government outfits – banks for instance – are doing splendid creative work. SBI is a terrific example!”

Leo Burnett’s gifted and articulate NCD K. V. Sridhar (Pops), is next. The veteran agrees with Ruchi about great work being done in the banking sector and adds LIC and Maruti to the list, but laments the overall lack of vision, pace and effectiveness. “Three decades ago, PSU advertising was much more meaningful and engaging. But possibly due to the shift from a socialistic to capitalist, and fast-track economy model, PSU communication seems to be more concerned with other mundane issues and burdened by political and bureaucratic compulsions. It’s a pity because, if one sees places like Singapore and Malaysia, government advertising – even in core industries – works as a wonderful agent of change, and is not riddled with dull formats or puerile, amateurish headlines, or clichéd prose (invariably about nation-building and improving everyone’s quality of life) superimposed on a predictable layout comprising the face of half-a-dozen government biggies,” says Sridhar.

Paris-based graphic designer Pia Sen – who was engaged with the genre of advertising during her brief stint with an ad agency in India earlier on – has her take. “I don’t want to play footsie or be sweet n’ cute but it’s basically a total no-win situation in most cases,” Sen gives her views. Why? She believes it has (to begin with) to do with the quality of people who commission and judge the work. “How many of them are really qualified or communication-literate? So you have an amazing situation of total non-professionals judging professionals! How weird is that?” says Sen. Then there is the bidding system and of course the carnival (or circus?) called ‘Presentation’ where frequently, over 50 agencies are invited to present their work within a time duration of around ten minutes! “That some agencies still manage to do some decent stuff is a miracle!” adds Sen.

Power Grid’s, young & dynamic Sr. Manager, Corporate Communication, Naresh Kumar is less sceptical and believes that despite the obvious limitations of not having a consumer-driven product portfolio, PSU advertising has been doing a commendable job. “Today, top managements of most PSUs have recognised the changing contours driven by new-age competition and begun to look at personnel who are professional and communication-savvy to respond to these changing times with quality and speed. This has led to a lot of effective advertising in a domain, earlier dominated by communication that was less focused or target-driven because it was not required. It is easy to be critical, but to create engaging work designed to meaningfully connect with a PSU agenda is not easy. The battle continues and I continue to believe that we are only getting better each day,” says Kumar.

Ogilvy’s NCD Abhijit Avasthi takes Naresh Kumar’s case forward with passion and purpose as he says, “I have major issues with guys who choose to flamboyantly ridicule, mock or dismiss this genre of advertising – for effect! We at Ogilvy continue to challenge this stupid irresponsible and totally inaccurate line of thinking with consistent ground breaking work. Be it a range of banks (considered poison by the pseudo-creative types), or the earlier Incredible India campaigns, we enjoy great comfort levels with this category.” Avasthi agrees that most of these guys are not too advertising or marketing-savvy “but unlike many of the smart, I-know-it-all types, once you win their confidence, they are happy to trust you, full-on and respect your judgment. Unlike the private sector types, they have no illusions of grandeur and nor do they, at the drop of a hat, flash attitude or fancy jargons.”

Dr. Bhawna Gulati, Assistant Director of NABH, in conclusion provides a healing touch as she says, “This category is certainly changing. In fact, the most brilliant examples are Jago Grahak Jago and Incredible India. Earlier, the focus was on informing and making aware of issues to the public, at large. Today, PSUs have understood that they need to go further and effectively communicate their messages to the pre-determined target groups.” What she is saying does make sense. From the advertisements that are regularly released by traffic police departments to even income tax deadline ads, the effects are showing and viewers are noticing the message.

No doubt, on the factor of creativity, PSU ads might still not pass full muster; but at the very least, they’ve started changing. And a good start is the battle half won we say.

Is PSU Advertising , changing......?

Is Branding Yesterday , Passe , Dead?

4PS B&M Consulting Editor Endeavours to Unravel a new-age, Revolutionary, Path-Breaking Philosophy put forth by an Ad Guru that Puts The Age-old and much-revered concept of Branding to Sleep… Well, at Least if you Believe us Blindly !

Branding, for decades, has been hymned, celebrated, exalted, venerated and worshipped as the gospel truth by any marketer worth his FMCG lapels! The high priests have pronounced that the ‘Brand’ is ‘God’ and the ad executives, GCROEs (God’s Chosen Representatives On Earth!). For decades, the ‘brand’ has been acknowledged as the single most important aspect of business. Its success equals the business it drives. Branding’s prime objective remains the same – to make a product look distinct & different from competition and epitomise the vision & values it represents to gain that decisive cutting-edge lead.

The textbooks, to gloat over it, pronounce its value, power and criticality in no uncertain terms. Author Sanjay Tiwari in his much acclaimed book (The Uncommon Sense Of Advertising – Getting The Basics Right) offers his informed take in style: “Brands rule the world of marketing today because they rule the world of consumers today. They have not only changed the way we shop & buy, or consume, but have also had a profound effect on the way we live. Just count the number of brands you interact with since getting up in the morning till you sleep in the night.”

For some of us, he says, it might be more than the number of people we interact with in the same time. We don’t drive cars any more; we drive our Mercedes, Hondas & Toyotas. We don’t wear shirts, jeans or sneakers, but wear our Arrows, Allen Solleys, Levis, Wranglers, Nikes & Reeboks. We don’t drink cola, eat chips, burgers & chocolates, rather we drink our Cokes & Pepsis, eat our Ruffles, Pringles, McBurgers & Kit Kats. The brands that promise us a unique offer of utilities, benefits, values, personality traits, images and associations, that will satisfy our given needs (functional or emotional) and that we can relate to (consciously or subconsciously), are the ones that we identify with and show preference for. Therefore, more often than not, the brand (and its promise) extends beyond the product core. Successful brands often transcend their physical existence, take on a life and build relationship with their consumers. The positive experiences, values & associations that consumers perceive the brand brings to them leads to fulfilment of their expectations. The feeling of fulfilment becomes the reason for the success of the brand, and the basis for the relationship.

Ultimately, building brands is about running a marathon. And it makes huge business sense to invest in brand building. In fact, strong, reputed brands have a lasting bond with their consumers. Their brand loyalty is very difficult to break. The loyal consumer base raises the entry barriers for the competition and enables the company to enjoy benefits like premium pricing and sustained market share over longer periods of time. All these put together result in the brand being able to leverage in equity with the consumers and reap long-term profits for the company.

Chris Jaques, the founder of Spark Innovation Consulting, which specialises in developing innovation strategies to ignite specific business areas, however pooh-poohs this entire gyan and aggressively gives a clinically chronicled 5-point rationale. He believes that the days of branding being the prime discipline to communicate the consistency of a given product and the reliability of its promise, are clearly over. There’s been a paradigm shift in the Market-Product-Consumer connect with the money now going into ‘services’, not products. He supports it with hard facts. “Walmart’s revenues are three times more than the entire revenue of both P&G and Unilever combined! Citibank & ING, too, are twice their size. This is the age of ‘Service’ not ‘Products’ and service marketing requires a totally different set of rules. Services are customised, not mass-produced,” Jaques tells 4Ps B&M. Jaques argues that most of today’s real killer brands are built on concepts, not products.

One example is how Apple produced the iPod with iTunes. First, they commissioned an idea and a design from IDEO. Next, they bought chips from Motorola and put them in a casing from Foxconn. Then they hired developers to create music software. At another level, agents were going tongs n’ hammer negotiating access to content, which incidentally was created by publishers and artistes. Apple only ‘packaged’ it all together, managed it and sold it. It produced nothing!”

But it’s not as if this ‘branding is dead’ doomsday call is new; and it’s not as if it has been accepted by a majority. Tom Barnes, CEO of Mediathink, in response to the ‘branding is dead’ question, once wrote, “Branding will never die – it’s the tools and the means by which we typically use them to achieve the goal of branding that are, in fact, obsolete.” Mark Twain went one better: “The rumours of the death of branding have been greatly exaggerated.” Yet, the rumours just never went away. Jonathan S. Baskin, the author of Branding only works on cattle, writes, “There’s an ugly truth we need to admit: brands are dead, and it’s time for marketers to admit it. Nobody carries brands around in their heads. Nobody has a relationship with a brand.”

In summary, coming back to the Jaques philosophy, if a brand is predictable today, it is most likely to be dead, tomorrow! Apparently, Disney develops a new product every five minutes! Sony produces around 5,000 new products a year. Zara can translate a fashion design from the Paris Catwalk to the shelves in 15 days. Even if one wants to create a predictable brand message over time, one can’t. Why? Because there are over 50 million blogs, 24x7, flashing out messages about brands. These messages are based on customer experience, personal agenda or social rumour not strategic positioning! As Jaques says, brand terrorism is a deadly fact, alive & kicking with China being a soft target. The triclosan gossip savaged their soap & toothpaste sales. Chenggang’s nationalist blog shut down Starbucks in the Forbidden City. In today’s marketscape, business is the brand and brand is the business. The brand is absorbed, imbued & encompassed in every conceivable experience that the consumer experiences – and therefore, in effect, every action a company takes.

Yes, for every Justin Timberlake who is past his prime, we have a Justin Bieber to take his place. But there was only one Michael Jackson. In conclusion, what it means is that those companies that believe their products would sell simply based on their brand, would be the first to reach their doom. As said earlier, Apple is perhaps ‘the’ greatest current technology brand – and even it doesn’t believe purely in the power of its brand; then why should you make that mistake?

Is Branding Yesterday , Passe , Dead?