What the Hell was that All About #2
Like I said there shall be enough material to make this ad busting into a series. In fact I have to restrain myself on most occasions when watching some of the “new” stuff on air at the moment.
Millions of Rupees and in some cases Dollars are spent on a few seconds and the following is sometimes what gets dished out. We start with the Fanta commercial with Rani Mukherjee making some weird sounds to an equally obnoxious soundtrack/jingle. The visual realm also suffers here with what seem to be the single most barf inducing graphics ever in an ad. There is no thought behind this project. If there is please let me know and put me out of my misery.
The high point of the ad is when they rhyme the words, “P.K. Bose” with, “Fanta ka dose”. How this ad ever got on air is anyone’s guess. My heartfelt condolences to the client.
Next on this list of shame is the latest Clipsal switch ad where, this lady seemingly a helper dressed in an over sized white frock is going about doing her dusting albeit rather grudgingly. We see a horrible Plaster of Paris statue scaring the crap out of her as well as us, and then for apparently no reason what so ever she flings some books towards this switchboard on the wall. Then again for no reason at all, the entire house begins to crumble. Things around the house come crashing down as if she has hit a switch that controls high magnitude earthquakes. Once again what’s going on here and more importantly why – has got me in a right twist.
Maybe one day I shall have answers to my humble queries.
What has to be my favorite or should I say my anti-favorite recently though has to be the new Indica Diesel ad. You know the one that takes forever to setup and flashes you the actual product on sale so quickly that it seems like they almost don’t want to show it to you. Usually teasers are only 5 to 10 seconds long. What we have here is like a 50 second ad with a 45 second setup. And a 5 second product shot, which is so blurry that you, cannot see much anyway.
Why oh why is this happening. May be TATA has too much money and they don’t know what to do with it. Showing a guy setting up a fishing seat in the middle of a lake for so long and then barely showing the actual product that’s on sale seems like an unsuccessful attempt at hoodwinking the masses. Why do we have to be so clever? Why do we need to waste 50 seconds selling something we don’t actually show?
I am full of questions swimming around in my head that are drowning me. Help!
Sasha Masand the founder of Indian Voice Overs is an award winning Television Producer who has been part of the Indian media industry for over twelve years.
The Building Blocks to Effective Marketing
The Building Blocks to Successful Marketing
It’s More than Sales and Advertising
By Julie Chance
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop, to be successful, you must have a marketing strategy and you must implement it consistently. However, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune and you don’t have to be a creative genius.
The key is developing a marketing strategy that forms a solid foundation for your promotional efforts. Implementing promotional activities such as advertising, direct mail or even networking and one-to-one sales efforts without a marketing strategy is like buying curtains for a house you are building before you have an architectural plan. How would you even know how many curtains to buy or what size they needed to be?
You can develop a strong marketing foundation by:
- Defining your product or service: How is your product or service packaged? What is it that your customers are really buying? You may be selling web-based software tools but your clients are buying increased productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings. And if you offer several products or services which ones are the most viable to promote?
- Identifying your target market: Everyone or anybody might be potential clients for your product. However, you probably don’t have the time or money to market to Everyone or Anybody. Who is your ideal customer? Who does it make sense for you to spend your time and money promoting your service to? You might define your ideal customer in terms of income, age, geographic area, number of employees, revenues, industry, etc. For example a massage therapist might decide her target market is women with household incomes of $75,000 or more who live in the Uptown area.
- Knowing your competition: Even if there are no direct competitors for your service, there is always competition of some kind. Something besides your product is competing for the potential client’s money. What is it and why should the potential customer spend his or her money with you instead? What is your competitive advantage or unique selling proposition?
- Finding a niche: Is there a market segment that is not currently being served or is not being served well? A niche strategy allows you to focus your marketing efforts and dominate your market, even if you are a small player.
- Developing awareness: It is difficult for a potential client to buy your product or service if they don’t even know or remember it exists. Generally a potential customer will have to be exposed to your product 5 to 15 times before they are likely to think of your product when the need arises. Needs often arise unexpectedly. You must stay in front of your clients consistently if they are going to remember your product when that need arises.
- Building credibility: Not only must clients be aware of your product or service, they also must have a positive disposition toward it. Potential customers must trust that you will deliver what you say you will. Often, especially with large or risky purchases, you need to give them the opportunity to “sample”, “touch”, or “taste” the product in some way. For example, a trainer might gain credibility and allow potential customers to “sample” their product by offering free, hour long presentations on topics related to their area of specialty.
- Being Consistent: Be consistent in every way and in everything you do. This includes the look of your collateral materials, the message you deliver, the level of customer service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important than having the “best” product. This in part is the reason for the success of chains. Whether you’re going to Little Rock, Arkansas or New York City, if you reserve a room at a Courtyard Marriott you know exactly what you’re going to get.
- Maintaining Focus: Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time and money. Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if you use it to promote a single product to a narrowly defined target market and if you promote that same product to that same target market over a continuous period of time.
Before you ever consider developing a brochure, running an ad, implementing a direct mail campaign, joining an organization for networking or even conducting a sales call, begin by mapping a path to success through the development of a consistent, focused marketing strategy.
About The Author
Julie Chance is President of Strategies-by-Design, Strategies-by-DESIGN, a Dallas based firm that helps small and medium sized businesses Map A Path to Success by providing consulting, training and skills based coaching in the area of marketing strategy development. For more information go to www.strategies-by-design.com or call 972-701-9311.
jchance@strategies-by-design.com
Break the Habit!
Habits are easy, and they help us get through the day. Do them too often, however, and you end up in a rut. Let the ruts get too deep and it is hard to find a new solution to a problem or challenge. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to break out of the rut.
Break the Habit – Try a New Approach
If you need a fresh idea, try a new direction. Consider using a technique called “Random Input.” This technique helps you break away from restrictive thinking patterns. It opens a conversation about new solutions you normally might not associate with the problem.
How it Works…
Begin by selecting a random noun from the dictionary or one that strikes your fancy. It works best if the noun is something that can be seen or touched (e.g., helicopter, dog). Use this noun as the starting point for brainstorming.
Next, look for ways to connect the noun to the challenge at hand. As you brainstorm, do not eliminate or evaluate ideas. Let your mind wander. Capture every idea. Yes, you will have some useless ones. Others may lead to valuable insights. And at least one is likely to make a startling, creative leap.
Example – Breaking Away
Here is an example of how Random Input can work. Imagine your challenge is to find a new fundraising project for a teen soccer team. You have considered all the conventional solutions, but nothing really exciting comes to mind.
Now is a good time to try random input. You see your favorite plant on your desk and decide to use the word “plants.” Brainstorming may lead to some of these ideas:
Planting seeds in the spring, and selling the young
Offering lawn care services instead of the typical car
Selling decorative floral arrangements for holidays
“Selling” or “renting” trees or plants around the playing field to sponsors and supporters
Engage Others
You will generate even more ideas if you brainstorm with others. Invite 3 – 5 people to join you for short (20 – 30 minute) sessions. When it comes to brainstorming, two heads are definately better than one!
The ideas will be sketchy at first. Many will be may be useless or impractical. Yet, one might be original enough for the basis of an entirely new concept. Try it! Random input is a great new habit to develop.
A twenty year veteran of corporate America, today Lorraine Ball helps small business owners use planning and creative thinking as a starting point for growth and change.
Active in the local business community, Lorraine is the recipient of 2005 Rainmaker of the Year Award. She serves on the boards of Rainmakers and the Network of Women in Business.