No obituary for Dodos

The wheels of destiny

Yesterday I got out of  the train at the Central railway station, after an overnight journey, The red shirted porters jumped in the compartment looking for  passengers with heavy luggage. But, except a few most of the passengers didn't even notice the porters - as luggage with wheels has become the norm.
I felt sad for the thousands of porters around the world, who have been made irrelevant with just a small technical addition made by some design engineer - 2 tiny wheels! 

The wheels on the box go round and round ... 

Knock-Out punch out of the blue
While KravMaga sparring, sometimes I get hit by a kick or punch which came out of the blue, I used to feel stupid for not noticing that coming.
That's what happens to many business too. A small technical tweak in the product can wipe away thousands of jobs. like a sweeping plague.
Billboard artists and wall painting artists became irrelevant overnight when digital printing was introduced.

Movie publicity cut-outs were a craze till 90s!

Talented wall painting artists are rare now 

No obituary for Dodos
When I entered advertising industry in the 90s, the Art Directors were Prima-donnas. That was until the Apple McIntosh entered the industry and within 2 years hijacked graphic design out of the Art-Director's fiefdom.

Steve Jobs's McIntosh separated Graphics from Art

In their place stepped in the yuppy  "Cats with Mouse" who rewrote the grammar of communication graphics. The Art Directors who smirked at these 'insensitive' machines became Dodos quickly, and spent the days drowning their sorrows in whiskey, nostalgically rambling about the 'good old days'. to whoever bothered to listen to them.

1980s advertising Art-Director who said PCs cant replace him

Two sides to the coin

The Innovation also will create job somewhere else while killing jobs in one area.
After Zoom car came in I don't engage a driver when travelling.  I just click my app, get in driver's seat and follow the GPS directions, even if the town is strange and the local language doesn't make sense.
The local cab drivers who are losing revenue to self-driven rental cars are probably getting new business from aggregators like Ola.

Change focal length

Only Businesses and Individuals who are agile and adaptive will survive these technology knock-out blows.

Classic case is the mobile industry - the largest peddler of Information, Communication & Entertainment in a single device. Mobile brands like Nokia or Blackberry which did not foresee or adapt this technology trend are Dodos now.

One small tip to get this ability to adapt and survive is - Don't focus on your product /Service in isolation. Change the focal length to see the industry as a whole and assess in which direction is it moving.
Do a stock taking to ask the uncomfortable question "Will I still be relevant in the future?"

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SreeRam spent 3 decades in advertising and leading MarCom initiatives for product and service companies in Chennai. He can be connected on - nathansmedia@gmail.com

Touch points to Tipping Point

One of the frequent and anxious question asked by the client to ad-agency is ..

"I spent Rs. 40000 on that news-paper ad!
 I got only 4 phone-calls. Why?"

"I distributed 10000 leaflets last week!
 Only 7 Customers walked in! Why?"

Sometimes, the ad-agency is even accused of making the client over-spend or for bad creative execution.

This anguish is pretty reasonable, if the Client's Product is of reasonable quality, the price is competitive and it does satisfy some specific need of the target audience. The Client expected the target audience to respond, but he is left grumbling - 

“I have offered a fair deal.
Why is the Customer not coming in and purchasing the product?!”

Why this big difference between Expectation and Reality, when it comes to generating sales?!

Well, the marketing reality which one finds out over time is -
"Customers don't make a purchasing decision impulsively;
especially, more the value of the purchase, more the Customer deliberates."

Why this deliberation?
A potential customer needs reassurance of his choice and this happens over a sequence of Touchpoints with the brand. 

A typical scenario will be as follows -
Let’s assume you are keen to buy a car. Unconsciously you start noticing car advertisements - (Touchpoint No:1).
Then you keep staring at various makes and models of cars, while commuting. In course of time your heart starts short-listing some favourites - (Touchpoint No:2). 
One day while filling up fuel you strike up a conversation with the driver of the nearby car, which is one of your short-listed choice - (Touchpoint No:3). 
Another time, you pick up a auto magazine and read a review of the car - (Touchpoint No:4). 
You pick the brain of the mechanic, at the garage where you go regularly (Touchpoint No:5). 
In the meanwhile you see more of advertisements of the car you like most (Touchpoint No:6).
You go online and read various review sites. You compare your choice with competing models (Touchpoint No:7). 
You go to the car dealer and experience a test drive(Touchpoint No:8).
Now you have decided in favour of the car and sit down with your chequebook.

A minimum of 7 touchpoints with the brand has to happen, before the tipping point to make the purchase decision happens.

The critical point for the Client to note, every touchpoint has to reassure the Customer and reinforce his initial opinion. Your product, pricing and promotion has to work coherently, without any dissonance.

So next time, don’t panic if the Customer doesn’t come barging in immediately after seeing your advertisement. Give him time and nurture him till the tipping point.

(In the next blog, I will talk of the kinds of Customers, which is another variable affecting the purchase decision.)
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Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

If you like this post, share it with your friends using the Social links on the right side of this post

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SreeRam is a marketing communications consultant for SMBs – based in Chennai, South India.
The work of his consultancy firm can be viewed by clicking on NATHAN’S MEDIA GROUP.
He can be reached by calling 0-934 000 66 00 or mailing - nathansmedia@gmail.com

Case Study Papers - How to make them a killer marcom tool

 Recently the design team at my client eNoah Solutions wanted to pick my brain on the case-studies they would like to have on their website. I told them I will come back to them with a structure and sat down to write the salient points of a good case-study paper.
Then it dawned on me "Why not use this opportunity to practice what I preach!" So here its a sample case study on case-study!
(Right Click on the image below and open in NEW WINDOW for a readable view)

CASE-STUDY PAPER

Had fun doing this.. so more to follow on similar communication tools
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Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

If you like this post, share it with your friends using the Social links on the right side of this post

……………………………………………………………………………………
SreeRam is a marketing communications consultant for SMBs – based in Chennai, South India.
The work of his consultancy firm can be viewed by clicking on NATHAN’S MEDIA GROUP.
He can be reached by calling 0-934 000 66 00 or mailing - nathansmedia@gmail.com

TIPS ON BLOGGING

"Ever since her grand son taught her to blog,
she never pampers us"

Everybody and his uncle is into blogging.. 

which just shows how dormant creativity is waiting to be unleashed inside everyone of us.

Here are some tips to make your blogs more engaging.. 

Imperative if you are blogging with a commercial agenda …
just useful if you are blogging to make the world know your viewpoint.

MAKE YOUR BLOG POSTS SHORT

• Ideally the posts should be between 300 to 500 words.
• Don't demand people's attention for more than a few minutes.

TREAT BLOGS LIKE A SHORT STORY

• One Post = One Idea
• Take one idea and stick to it. No need for extensive elaboration.
  
  in other words...

 ENTER LATE. EXIT EARLY

• This is a rule in constructing a scene in movies - Without getting embroiled in what happened before this scene, the narration starts with some minimum cues to make sense for the viewer..and, once the purpose of the scene in the story is served, narration moves on to next scene.
• Similarly, edit your preamble and summing ups.

ATLEAST BE HUMOUROUS, IF YOU CANNOT BE FUNNY

• Everybody likes to smile..so avoid being morose and monotonous.

IF YOU CAN’T BE HUMOUROUS, ATLEAST BE PASSIONATE

• Bare your heart and be provocative
• Remember, you can be either loved or hated, but never ignored.

IF YOUR SUBJECT IS SERIOUS OR ELABORATE, MAKE IT AN EXTERNAL LINK

• If your subject is serious and cannot brook any dilution, make the blog post short and indicate what the reader can expect if he wants to dig down further, by clicking that link.

BE CONSISTENT IN TONE & CONTENT

• Branding is a long term exercise and it’s all about taking up a Character & Attitude.
• So your language and presentation should be consistent enough to reinforce the mental image you want to portray.

BE REGULAR

• ..unlike me.

     SreeRam, Communications Consultant,
Chennai, India.

     9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr96
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

Is it PR? When courier boys become power brokers!

When courier boys become power brokers

"...in any ministry, if there is no vested interest in a proposal, nobody is interested to push it forward and upward. It gets a silent burial."

Last month, just a few days before the Nira Radia tapes kicked up dirt, I was in a radio debate on the "future of PR", which was moderated by Sanjay Pinto, of NDTV.
Sanjay Pinto, at one point, strongly made a statement that the PR fraternity were mostly doing a 'courier' job. Oh yeah! I smugly smirk now since Nira Radia just proved what heights a proactive 'courier' girl can reach!

Lobbying - is the second oldest profession
Lobbying to get the attention of powers-that-be towards an issue did not start with Nira Radia. All the industrial bodies were formed to collectively conduit the aspirations of an industry. What do CII, NASSCOM or any industrial body do in the months before the March budget presentation? Go to Tirupathi and pray?
Come on now, grow up, please. Accept the reality in any system where there is concentration of power, influencers will thrive like amoeba. In the corridors of power at Delhi or any nation's capital, every file in every ministry has the tag of a lobbyist.
In fact, in any ministry, if there is no vested interest in a proposal, nobody is interested to push it forward and upward. It gets a silent burial.

Have’t YOU lobbied?
Everybody who snort self-righteously and bemoan the state-of-the-nation should ask themselves whether they have patiently waited for the school's decision in giving admission to their son or daughter. How many contacts they would have tapped into to reach the correspondent or the Head mistress?!

Don’t equate PR with lobbying
PR is much more than mere Lobbying. Content marketing or collaborative marketing using social media apart from traditional channels will become the mainstay of the PR industry.
Unfortunately, since PR industry has no entry criteria, the influencers who have no other apparent skills, cloak their murky services under the euphemism of PR. That provides them a formal front.

What the PR industry should do
Like the advertising industry which has unified to provide diploma courses, the PR industry should come together and make a curriculum. At least a short course will set the path for giving a semblance of professionalism and be a step in regaining respectability. 

SreeRam, Communications Consultant, Chennai, India.
9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com

MARCOM BLOG -  http://marketing-communications-ksr.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr960
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

How to write better Email that retains the reader?

The 13 points which will hold a reader, who is making a choice of what to read from the numerous emails flooding his in-box -
   1. Ask the 4 Key Questions before you begin to write -
          * What am I selling (at emotional level)?
          * To whom am I selling?
          * Why am I selling this now (will it make sense to the customer)?
          * What do I want my reader to do (Calls to Action)?
   2. Consider Your Font Style: Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica, are easier to read online than serif. If people find it difficult to read your copy, they won't!
   3. Read Your Copy out loud: This will help you hear what your readers hear.
   4. Cut the Clutter: William Zinsser wrote that "clutter is the disease of American writing." The quickest way to improve your copy is by removing any uneccesary words such as "that"or "to."
   5. Use the Rhythm of 3: List your examples in groups of three. The Rhythm gives a great cadance to your copy.
   6. Use Bucket Brigade Words: Bucket brigade words help you move your copy forward. They include remember, and, but, consider, however, for example..and more!
   7. Vary Sentence Length: It is important to vary your sentence length to hold your reader's attention. And don't be afraid to use sentence fragments - this isn't your college English class!
   8. Differentiate Between Features vs. Benefits: Features are what the product has. Benefits are what it will provide the customers. The customer will always ask, "What's in it for me?" Be sure you tell them.
   9. Write In the Second Person: Focus on one person (you/your) rather than a group (our customers). This makes your reader feel special and highlights how the product can benefit them.
  10. Write Less Copy: People read 25% slower online than offline, so you need to write less copy so they will read it.
  11. Don't Hide Your Key Points: Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs, bullets and lists.
  12. Keep Paragraphs Short: Make sure your paragraphs are no more than 3 lines long. Otherwise you might lose your reader's attention.
  13. Remember Odd vs. Even: Odd numbers are easier to remember than even, so use an odd number whenever possible.
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SreeRam, Communications Consultant, Chennai, India.
9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com

MARCOM BLOG -  http://marketing-communications-ksr.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr960
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

PR nightmare vs Opportunity PR - on Social media

UNITED BREAKS GUITARS - How a PR nightmare for United Airlines became a dream-come-true PR opportunity for Taylor Guitars

The PR Nightmare for United Airlines

The song "United breaks Guitars" made YouTube history in 6th July 2009 by garnering 1,50,000 views within a day.  Since then it has propelled a little known musician to big time, Dave Carroll -who today has become synonymous with a disgruntled customer taking on a big corporation - the typical David vs. Goliath story which public love.

It all started with some baggage handlers' negligence in an airport. (If you are not already familiar with what actually triggered this fiasco, click on this). 

Anyway, this is NOT about how United Airlines mishandling of a customer grouse has made viral-marketing case history with 9.4 million views and many TV shows

This is about

How Taylor Guitars created the PR opportunity

In a classic case of ambush marketing, Taylor Guitars reacted really fast. They put on their own YouTube video on 10th July 2009, within 4 days of "United breaks guitars" coming online.

In this video Bob Taylor reassures all guitarists how they can restore their damaged instruments. He also guides guitarists to the company website where advice on transporting guitars and airlines' policy are available. Bob goes further to promise support for even guitars of other make!

That’s pretty efficient.. considering within 48 hours they sensed an opportunity, wrote a neat script, probably updated their website, shot the video in the factory, which makes it very credible.

And till date (1 Nov 2010) this video has got more than 0.5 million views and the positive vibes are evident from the viewer comments.

Forget Crisis PR for the moment. Let’s talk Opportunity PR

Tons of advice is available on handling disappointed customers. Especially I have hinted at negative repercussions of Social media earlier. I may probably add more tips on Crisis management using social media later. But this article is more to highlight the other perspective - that’s jumping at a remote opportunity and getting a positive rub-off using social media.

What’s evident is Taylor Guitars has been active on social media since 2007, going by their YouTube channel establishment. They give tremendous visibility to musicians with Taylor road shows. These road shows are also featured on YouTube and promoted in FaceBook.

The inference is Taylor Guitars seem to have invested some dedicated resources for social media. This makes sense, since creative professionals and musicians relate to social messages more intensely, than a left-brained professional.

And its evident Taylor Guitar kept its eyes and ears sharp with constant monitoring of the web-landscape. So when "United breaks guitars" video started gaining viral popularity, they were able to identify an opportunity to seize and leverage it asap.

SreeRam, Communications Consultant, Chennai, India.
9340006600, nathansmedia@gmail.com

MARCOM BLOG -  http://marketing-communications-ksr.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK - http://bit.ly/nmg_fb
LINKED IN -  http://in.linkedin.com/in/ksr960
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

Why Social media causes ED to an ad-pro! Part II

In Part I we looked at the causes. Now we look at the cure

ED is aggravated by ‘Stress’.  So what’s the stress the ad-pro today is being subjected to, of late?

 It’s the gradual shift in his influence over the consumer. What that shift and why is it happening?

The 3 generation shift in advertising thinking

Just in time, I curbed typing out the clichéd 'paradigm shift'. Those two words have become an instant put-off.

 Probably this is also a symbolic moving away from shallow advertising dictums, which used to view the customer as a unified entity begging to be manipulated.

The ad-pro realises that Marketing has evolved across three generations –

·         From the first one of 'Demand Creation'
·         to the second generation of 'Need Satisfaction'
·         and to the present one of 'Making Life Better' 

The coming-of-age genre replaces the feel-good genre

Going back to analyse the analogy of three generations, initially the advertiser's  script was simple and straight forward - address only the physical needs of the consumer. "You have a need.. we have this product to address that need.. why can’t you buy this?"

Within a few decades life got complicated for the ad pro. The scene was getting crowded and the consumer was getting flooded with choice. So he had to reorient his script with the message, “Please notice how our product is different from what the others are offering .. so you should be buying this rather that that.. Isn’t it?" 

Unfortunately, the 'Product Differentiator' script also has now become jaded. Even with visible, tangible differences staring at his face, the consumer is making purchase decisions that defy proven logic.

Slowly the realisation is dawning on our fraternity that an intangible element has to be tackled now - 'The Emotional Connect' with our Mrs and Mr. Customer.

Moving into the realm of comprehending and tackling emotions is emotionally draining for a marketer used to working with measurable metrics. This is a big grey area.

The relevance of social media in 'Emotional Connect'

As we said earlier it’s no longer about 'My Product' or 'Your Need'. It’s all about "Our shared Values".

When one starts talking of Values and Sharing, one has to pre-suppose a 'relationship"; a bonding which has to start long before the Purchase, and which has to hand hold the consumer even after the purchase.

And that’s where social media steps in; because it’s all about sharing.

"Oh...Come on. This is just a fad. Advertising has always been about 'Emotional Connect"

We advertisers took pride in talking of subliminal mental cues, psychology of colours and personality associations. "We were connecting on an emotional level, weren't we?!"

Oh yeah, we were connecting like a tele-marketer, trying to sell us an insurance policy or a car finance. Our tone was as phony as that and our involvement with the consumer was as fleetingly shallow.

The Smile has to reach the eyes

Like how the students of micro-expressions can easily make out a salesman-smile, the customer can see through these 'cosmetic emotional connections'.

Today the advertiser has to give and share information, which does not in any way pressurize the customer towards an immediate purchase. The customer has to associate that particular brand with his ingrained and unvoiced values and not just his life-style.

The secret is in Giving unconditionally.

Coming back to our ad-pro suffering the ignominy of ED, he now has to realise that long term salvation rests on building a deep emotional connect with his partner, which will rekindle the dying embers.

That comes with giving love and concern unconditionally. This secret mantra is what the ambitious Joe realises in 'The Go-Giver' by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

Of course, the ad-pro has also got to do some short term things to recoup his physical health. We will discuss more about that in the next salvo. 

SreeRam is a Chennai based marcom professional.
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SOCIAL MEDIA - HOW WILL IT AFFECT TV

The characteristics of Social media are –

·         Customized media feeds, tailored to individual need

·         Citizen journalism

·         Convergence - the same content reaching the public through various channels
( Conventional medium, Internet and Mobile)

These 3 dominant trends, which have affected the other mass-media channels like print, is catching up on TV too. Today major content creators like CNN and BBC have their footprint in varied channels apart from TV.
Down the line, to view TV programs we won’t need a TV!

The die-hard cynics will laugh at this, no doubt.
They will point out News papers did not die after TV news became popular.
They will point out movie going did not die after TV reached the mass.
They will point out radio did not die after TV became the entertainment vehicle.
Agreed!

But look at the usage share, the mind share, the revenue share.
The consumer does not rely on one single channel of media to catch up. He uses each medium at his convenience.
Newspaper for morning coffee and the loo.
Radio for commuting.
Internet for work, communication and pursuit of interests
TV for unwinding after a stressful day or specific events.

For entertainment, the share of time in front of the computer monitor is increasing; especially after the social media. Why?

·         The choices are plenty.

·         My peers' opinions are ready for me.

·         The measurement metrics tells me exactly how popular the particular content is.

·         The timing is to my convenience.

·         and above all, I can voice my opinion and convey it to my community immediately.

So satisfying!

Like any efficient life form which has survived millions of years by adapting to changing conditions, TV also will survive. But TV will survive by taking different avatars. The evolution is slow but sure.
Still doubtful?! Go to www.hulu.com.

SreeRam is a Chennai based marcom professional.
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Should the Advertising man be more intelligent than the Client!

CLIENT vs AGENCY

The advertising fraternity mostly faces an uphill task in selling an idea to the Client's management.

As advertising pro, I have been in client meetings where the process has even degenerated to fist-cuffs! Later being on the other side of table as Client, I have myself ripped apart the agency's idea that they shuffled out of the meeting room muttering "et tu, Brute?"

Ries & Ries recent observations on the conflict of Left brains of Clients and Right brains of Ad pros threw some light on this eternal struggle.

SUBJECTIVITY vs OBJECTIVITY

The Client has lots of industry internal knowledge and subject matter expertise. So when he faces a marketing problem, he looks at in the context of all this accumulated baggage.

On the other hand, The Ad pro looks at the problem as a Positioning/ Communication / Differentiator challenge. He is not in purview of the internal market dynamics as the Client is.

That may be one of the reason for the common complaint of many Clients that the Ad agency's understanding is shallow and it’s trying to palm off template solutions from its shirt pocket. The Ad pro defends himself saying he has spent quality time and energy to give the creative solution.

Fundamentally, it’s a case of " Looking OUT from IN" vs "Looking IN from OUT"

THE CREATIVE LEAP

The Client is rooted in reality and his translation as a left Brain decision maker is Verbal.

It’s the Ad pro's responsibility to take this torch from Client and run further to take the Creative leap. His Right brain will translate the Client's verbal brief to a Visual canvas.

This Creative Leap should bring forth the "Wow".

The verdict is, The Ad-pro need NOT be more intelligent than the Client. But he should think differently from the Client. That’s the value he brings to the table.  

The best advertising ideas have their feet planted firmly in left-brain logic, but the head is held high amongst the clouds of Right brain brilliance.

SreeRam is a Chennai based marcom professional.
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Why Social media causes ED (Erectile Dysfunction) to an ad pro! - Part 1

There are tons of thoughts on leveraging Social Media, from different perspectives. But very few of them are from professionals who have made the transition from the age of Print.

Having made the transition, I just want to point out 2 aspects of Social Media which can give symptoms of ED to a traditional advertising person. (My woman says "Don't blame social media")

Fear No:1

For the first time information is coming in the opposite direction - towards the company.

Having always been used to play the consumers' psyche like a keyboard, we are now quivering at this onslaught of unbridled opinions.

In the golden age, if faced with negative consumer opinion we commented with a shrug “Opinion is like an ass-hole. Everybody has one", and asked our PR guys to do damage control and concentrate on our job of Sell, Sell.

In fact, we took pride in a rising sales graph against a flagging consumer confidence. "Give a freebie to the consumer or Increase Dealer margins with attractive schemes" Hmm.. Life was simple!

Today, a cheeky spoof on my advertisement gets more views on YouTube than my uninteresting me-too TV commercial.

A Facebook group against a Dove or British Petroleum is much talked about and leaves a trail of information which the companies cannot erase. Every time someone googles my brand, I cringe.

Net take - My brand is no longer dictated by me. My consumers dictate my Brand.

Fear No: 2

The business can no longer talk about ‘Us or Our Product’.

It took some time to realise that the Consumer switches off if I start my pompous communication. From the age of 'rub-in', we are waking up kicking and screaming in the age of 'rub-off'.

Instead of directly talking of 'Me and my Brand', I am forced to learn the language of 'Brand association'. As an advertiser, I am today forced to be in sync with my consumers' aspirations. I have to please him, so that he sees my Brand not as a persistent salesman but as a well-wisher interested in him.

I have to entertain him, titillate him and educate him; at the same time being relevant to my core offering.

Net Take - Give the consumer associated value useful to him and be generous in giving that. Dont hold back.

The Viagra for the ad pro

From the Fore-play of Communication to the Consummation of Purchase, the tango is now being led by the Consumer.

And it’s going to be more acutely felt as we move into integrated communication era; where the defined lines between Information, Communication and Entertainment start eroding.

Remember, ED is cured by 2 ways -

Short term Medication and Long term life-style Changes.

As advertising professionals we emulate that in our professional life too. Let’s see how it’s done and we can resume our frisky romp with the Consumer, in the next part.  

SreeRam is a Chennai based marcom professional.
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