Eagle Group B6 Source Economic Times 2/1/13

Lessons each marketers, agencies & consumers did not learn in 2012.

  Brand Equity decided to skip the usual line-up of year-end content to focus on a few important lessons we didn't learn in 2012.

1.      Digital strategy does not equal 'Like' strategy

A large collection of fans on Facebook is just that, and it does not guarantee engagement. Neither does the number of "likes" equal brand loyalists. So for starters figure out what you need, it is a big spread and  handsome allocation of precious marketing money to build digital capabilities and expertise .But the outcome cannot be predited anytime now.

2.      No longer is it safe to play safe

In the real world, decisions don't make themselves. And playing it safe will not help you make them. Often marketers are scared to come across as tough within their own organisations and as a result nobody makes the hard decisions to change the game. Most of the world's greatest campaigns exist because of brave clients who believed in their gut, say our experts. Marketers who do not entirely depend on research results that quite often murder good ideas.

      3.     Be prepared, gas-mask and all

Some marketers have been exploring their adventurous side by experimenting with social media. Especially with untrained company employees and agency folk commenting on channels like Twitter, accidental or not, posting videos All it takes is a stray tweet with questionable content, an incriminating video, a hateful comment on a blog, a campaign gone wild, a rogue employee in self-destruct mode; every word is on you, be it offline or online. And it will spread like wildfire. Anything can happen.

      4.     Think Avengers, not Superman

Marketers must get agencies to partner with them across the spectrum instead of creating numerous verticals. Our experts tell us one of the lessons communication groups need to learn is how to communicate, with each other for starters.

     5.    "Old" people exist

It's critical to appeal to the youthful segment. After all it is a growing target group, a well-informed bunch, discerning and worldly and most of them still have their mummies and daddies running their finances. But once in a while spare a thought for the average 35 or 65 year old. And remember not every brand must be youthful.

   6.         IPL & Bebo. There are other properties worth your marketing money

               There's football, badminton, hockey, maybe kabaddi? And a new breed of celebrity        brand endorsers

                to pick.

   7.          'The Innovation' ceases to exist the second time around

·         Have telecom brands hit a creative dead end? Time to ring in some originality                                         

               A newspaper jacket is not media innovation. Launching a TVC on youtube is not media

innovation. Setting up a Facebook page and twitter account for your brand is not media innovation.

At the recently held Effie awards for creative effectiveness, an interesting debate began The buzz was these brands are going through more troughs and fewer peaks of creative brilliance. the telecom category does have a tough task, constantly having to reinvent in a very crowded market. Consider also the fact that telecom has been backed by some of the most creative advertising in the country and so both expectations and scrutiny are of a very high level.

Recently when Idea cellular launched a new campaign to establish the brand's pan-national presence it chose disruption. Instead of the brand's face for over five years, Abhishek Bachchan, it got a jingle to do the talking. Or the humming with the infectiously catchy or just plain annoying) "Honey Bunny." Responds Sashi Shankar, chief marketing officer, Idea Cellular, "The current campaign focuses on network and coverage against the backdrop of the brand having expanded its footprint. 'Jo Tera Hai' for Airtel took off from where 'Har Ek Friend' left off. The Zoozoos returned for multiple seasons to what started to feel like diminishing returns.

The big challenge really is for the 'brand' work to stay as exciting as the 'product category' is. New products, innovations, value added services, applications etc make this category buzz with excitement. "The brand ideators have to ensure that their creativity keeps up with this natural excitement in the category, so that the resultant communication is not seen as passe by the consumer." Says Sourabh Mishra, national planning head, bates.

·         Passage to India: The big brand entries in 2012:-

April :- Elle the French lifestyle brand launched by France-based Lagardere Active Group
May :- Dunkin' Donuts the US-based foods chain opened its first outlet in Delhi, (many say to pre-empt the arrival of its global archrival Starbucks)
June :- Krispy Kreme, the American doughnut company, announced its India launch
July :- Toblerone, the heritage Swiss chocolate brand launched in India by Cadbury India, a part of Kraft Foods
August :- Wonderbra (by HanesBrands Inc) arrived in India.
October:- Starbucks, the iconic cafe brand opened its first store in Mumbai. India is the cafe brand's 61st country destination. Furla, the Italian luxury accessories maker opened its first Indian store in Mumbai.

December:-Playboy, the first name in adult enter ainment , announced the launch of its first beach cafe in Goa. They also unveiled the Indian Playboy bunny "keeping in mind local sensibilities" Roberto Cavalli, the Italian fashion house entered India with the opening of the flagship store coupled with the signature-Cafe Cavalli in New Delhi. KidZania, the world's leading edutainment brand launched India's first ever edutainment theme park in Mumbai.

Volvo Explores Setting Up Plant In India

Published  28^th  December  by Asghar Zaidi

Swedish luxury car maker Volvo is conducting feasibility study on setting up car manufacture facilities in emerging economies like India, China as it targets to nearly double its global sales to 800,000 units by 2020 from present 440,000 units.

The company shall hike prices of its various models at least by 5% or so in India from January next year because of rupee devaluation, inflation, high input costs and rise costs of imports.

The company wants to set up manufacturing plant in India as it targets 20000 units by 2020.

There is a positive sign in setting up manufacturing plants in countries like India and China, will reduce manufacturing cost of company because of cheap labour and resources. This will enables  the company to have competitive advantage over its competitors

Cyrus Mistry to formally take charge as Tata Group chairman on Monday, 31^st December 2012.

 

MUMBAI:  Cyrus Mistry, the new chairman of the Tata Group, will formally take charge of his office on Monday 31^st December 2012, company sources said today. Mistry, who was groomed for the assignment by Tata for a year, had made a visit to Bombay House yesterday. 

"Today and tomorrow being holidays, Mistry will attend office in his capacity as the group chairman only on Monday," sources at the Bombay House, the Group's headquarters, said today.

Mistry, who was appointed chairman to succeed Ratan Tata, is the sixth chairman of the Tata Empire. The Group was founded as a private trading firm in 1868 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.

Ratan Tata retired as chairman of Tata Group after a 50-year run yesterday. He, however, did not attend the office on the last day as he chose to celebrate his Diamond Jubilee birthday celebrations at the Tata Motors BSE 0.49 % manufacturing facilities at Pune. Ratan Tata, who helmed the group for 21 years after being chosen successor by his uncle, the iconic JRD Tata, in 1991, is credited with transforming the group through bold decisions including large global acquisitions, even as some of its peers struggled to stay relevant post economic liberalisation.

Mistry, who has been with the group since 2006 in various capacities, hails from the Shapoorji Pallonji family, which is the largest private shareholder of the group's holding company Tata Sons.

Born on July 4, 1968, Cyrus Mistry completed his graduation in Civil Engineering from London's Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine and followed it up with a Masters in Management from the London Business School.

He was chosen by a 5-member panel last year to succeed Ratan Tata.

VE Commercial Vehicle sales down 20 per cent in December

NEW DELHI: Automaker VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) today reported a 20.17 per cent fall in its total sales at 4,032 units in December, 2012. The company, which is a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher MotorsBSE -2.19 %, had sold 5,051 units in the same month in 2011.

Domestic sales decreased to 3,598 units in December 2012 from 4,512 units in the year-ago period, a decline of 20.26 per cent, VECV said in a statement. Exports also went down by 19.48 per cent during the month to 434 units from 539 units in December 2011.

VECV's sales of light commercial vehicles in the Indian market dipped by 22.61 per cent to 2,474 units during the month from 3,197 units in the year-ago period. Heavy commercial vehicle sales fell by 27.80 per cent to 678 units from 939 units in December 2011, it said.

How brands like Nokia, Tata Nano, Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Cognizant have built India-23rd Dec

 These brand are from a diverse range of sectors but they have one ability in common,to change aspirations and lifestyles.They have fulfilled the Indian consumers' aspirations, guided them and held their hand. It is not one brand but a collective of brands from across sectors, be it telecom, auto and entertainment (provided exposure and education) and the airline category changed the way people travel in this country.Companies like Hero Honda,Bajaj,Maruti Suzuki turned out to be social liberators with their affordable scooters and cars.Another sector which has played an important role is telecommunications.According to brand consultant Harish Bijoor, at different points of time in the legacy of a nation different brands do service to it. Nokia, for instance, served the nation at a time when India was at its take off point.Today a mobile handset in the hands of a consumer is empowerment.They have had the biggest social impact on the people in India.

Mahindra & Mahindra to strengthen Rexton production to cut waiting period

Domestic auto maker Mahindra & Mahindra is ramping up production of recently launched premium sports utility vehicle (SUV), the Rexton by 500 units with an aim to lower waiting period. Waiting period for Rexton is 4-8 weeks and Rexton booking stands at 1300 units by Dec last year. The demand for SUVs like Rexton continues to be good.Rexton is the first product launched by M&M from the portfolio of Korean subsidiary Ssangyong.