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Trying to recapture the moments when I was pursuing my graduation. A teenager who had her own dreams ,  always trying to go that extra mile and always finding ways to add a pinch of creativity with a proper analysis of what needs to be done. This approach actually nourished my inclination towards the field of  Advertising. As a teenager , I always thought that advertising is all about creativity , saying things differently and thus engaging people in the best possible way. Though this 'first-cut' image was not all wrong but when I actually joined an agency , I came to know that advertising is much more than that.
Just like any other student , I was fascinated by the Big names of the Industry. Piyush Pandey , Alyque Padamsee , Pushpinder Singh , Prasoon Joshi ,Bharat Dabholkar ..tried to gather the smallest piece of information ,the agencies and brands they were associated with, reading their articles and interviews always added a zing to my dreams. It was so very inspiring that I decided that whatever I do , I will try to give my best shot to it . Though the advertising industry in a city like Pune is not all that promising ,still in a span of  7 years , it has taught me a lot and blessed me with that one thing ' a constant hunger to learn' , to improve myself as a professional.

I don't know the degree to which I have succeed in calling myself a 'Professional' but one thing is sure the hunger to learn and the zest to perform better is getting stronger with each passing day.

Image Makeover of Brands

Today, while going through the News Section of www.afaqs.com the news which caught my eye was about the identity makeover of Amrutanjan.Though I have read so many articles about brands getting a face-lift or a complete makeover ,as a customer i am compelled to think that  why brands change their identity after such a long period considering the fact that they have such a strong association with customers for more than a decade ??

I completely agree that changing the identity makes a huge difference . In the past few years , we have witnessed the image makeover of many big and known brands .The companies want to keep a pace with the ever-changing market in which the knowledge base of the customer is also evolving with innovations and technology and so are their expectations towards everything they are associated with or want to get associated with.As such today ,whatever you want to convey to the TG and the image you want to build around has to be woven around the essence of technology so as to prove that your brand is not lagging behind in the rat race.

 Further, what comes to my mind is that the brands which are present in the market for quite a long time ,has a user base which comprises of the old lot of users as well as the newly acquired ones. The older ones are quite used to see the look and feel for a long time and perceive the brand in a certain way.It may happen that they may welcome the change and may not feel happy to see the modern look. Some major names which have undergone a makeover are:

Hindustan Lever Ltd. (Now Unilever)

Dabur

Bajaj Auto

Videocon

Airtel

Star TV

ZEE TV and many more.

Changing the identity may make people think that there is a possible change in the ownership or the values associated with the brand.So the brands with a strong emotional attachment may get a jolt as the customers have a sense of attachment to certain features and characteristics of the brand. Over a period of time , some brands become a part and parcel of your life and people starts associating those with their daily habits. And so the brand becomes an indispensable part of the personality of the customer .

So ,in my opinion , the makeover should follow the route of evolution not revolution.

Chandana Mungre Kashid

My Contacts

Testimonial Advertising

We all must have seen ,heard or read statements in ads like 'Maine XYZ product use kiya aur ab meri skin nikhar gayi hai' or the same blah blah with some different words. These 'testimonials' from the consumers or an influential person amongst the target group or a celebrity are said to do wonders not only to your sales target but also the way people perceive your offerings and your brand.

As a matter of fact , I handle a client who firmly believes in exploiting Testimonial Advertising to the fullest and so leaves no chance to highlight them in most of the communication collaterals. It actually sounds quite boring to incorporate so many testimonials every now and then and it actually has compelled me to think that is testimonial advertising always effective??

If you try to put yourself into the consumer's shoes, you always want a proof which is convincing enough to make you believe that all the claims in the company's communication is true .Its true that people actually look forward to others who have already tried and tested the product, but today's intelligent and well informed consumer is aware of all the ways advertisers are using celebrities and public figures in endorsing their products . How interviews and statements are cooked up.They know that many a times the claims are nothing but a marketing ploy to get you to buy the product .It has become a common practice to woo consumers by misleading lines and so many a times its an 'automatic turn off' for the customer. So instead of blindly going ahead with the trial of the product , he actually does some research on his own (thanks to Google) and only when they are pretty convinced and comfortable with the product they are enticed to try it.

Also, many a times the potential customers start creating an image about the brand/company on the basis of the consumer base associated with the company. The existing customer base as such becomes the face of the product/ company. For example while promoting a healthcare provider all testimonials come from customers who fall in the middle class or SEC B or say SEC C , many potential customers may turn away perceiving it as a mediocre name to be associated with .

So the testimonials have to be used very carefully and judiciously so that they can actually help you in attracting new clients and build a trust around the brand name.

Writing a Creative Brief

Client : 'Is Ad..main kuch maja nahi aaya'..'Itni badi ad li but response hi nai aaya ...'

The head of the team is pissed off with the blame game and so after coming back to the office , the first question in the 'rapid fire round ' is  'Brief kya tha'?? There is a murmur among the team members and finally every finger is towards the Account Executive . The Account Executive mumbles few words that 'there was no brief as such..just a mail saying the client wants to release an ad for XYZ product'...And here the importance of the 'Brief' comes in picture.

For any advertising a creative brief is the most important document which outlines the directions and instructions for the creative team .The main objective of giving a brief to the creative team is to ensure that every member in the team which is going to work on a particular ad , gets the same direction the basics of which were discussed and mutually agreed upon by the client and the AE. But a lot many times either it's the AE who is least interested in putting some efforts to make a creative brief or  a 'super creative person ,with extra-ordinary ' analytical skills who is simply not interested in going through that 'piece of shit'.

On the basis of my few year's of experience , i am trying to outline the important steps which go together in writing a Creative Brief which may be useful for the beginners / freshers:

• Before starting with the Creative Brief , go through all the points which you had discussed with the client regarding the ad .If possible jot down the main points while you are still discussing the topic with the client .It will help you in ensuring that you have not missed the minutest of detail.
• If possible , do some research about the product , other players in the same industry domain, past advertising and marketing strategy /initiatives of the company.
• Also go through the earlier ads or any form of communication of the company, which will help you get an idea about the tone of communication used in the past.

A creative brief always takes following points into consideration :

1. Communication Objective :  This is the most important part of the process as it helps the creative team to decide upon the direction towards getting the desired response from the Target Audience.The objective should always be crisp and written in a lucid language so that there is no space left for any kind of ambiguity.  
2.  Defining your Target Audience: This is the second important step in defining who your target audience is as the sole purpose of the ad is to make them react and feel in a certain way . For this purpose , one should try to get every possible details about the demographics, psychographics, beliefs ,attitudes etc .
3. Proposition : The proposition is a statement / message that you want your target audience to focus on.As such it is the sum and substance of the exercise.You don't have to use ornamental language while writing the proposition statement.Remember that you are not writing a headline so keep the proposition statement as simple as possible.
4. The Reason why? : This section covers the rationale ,competitive advantage of the products and other support points as to why the Target Audience should believe whatever you are saying through the ad.
5. What should be the 'tone' of communication? You should also consider defining the tone of the communication to be used while talking to your potential and existing customers. The tone can be dynamic , funny ,warm ,direct or formal. This helps the creative team to decide upon the selection of visuals ,colors and words.
6. Deliverables : Clearly define the list of deliverables with details regarding the size , number of pages (incase of leaflets/ brochures) etc. Incase of print jobs ,involve the production team as well right from the first step so that they are also aware of the ideation process and can keep you well informed about the limitations during the production process.
7. Other important points:
1. Who are your competitors?
2. Mandatory / 'No-Go' areas .Provide the Brand Manual (if any) which will ensure that the creatives strictly adhere to the guidelines defined.
3. Deadlines
 

In most of the agencies, there is a specific format /form to write a creative brief. Even if you have to write it on your own, just follow these simple steps and you can be assured of not leaving any space for a 'mishap' in the way of your bang-on communication plan.

Chandana Mungre Kashid

Contact me: chandana.mungre@gmail.com

Picture Courtesy : Ojas Parkhi 

Marketing & Communication in the Healthcare Industry in India

Gone are the days when  Healthcare Communication  was only associated with 'done to death' copy and 'over-exploited' visuals of a doctor or healthcare professional with a plastic-coated smile or a happy family for whom the secret of their happiness lies in being healthy. But in today's cluttered scenario , can the consumer actually differentiate between a healthcare ad or a mutual fund ad and so on and so forth??

The Healthcare industry and the FMHG is growing with a fast pace and just like other industries ,advertising and promotions play a crucial role. Today the consumers are empowered with ample information which they acquire through multiple channels like  friends ,family ,chemists and physicians and not to forget Internet i.e. via Search Engines which provide millions of links on a particular topic.

Few years ago , the marketing initiatives in the Pharma industry were restricted to -

• Medical representatives approaching Doctors with free samples of medicines 
• Providing merchandising branded with the company logo including Pen, letter pads, calendars etc.

As a matter of fact doctors play a very important role as opinion leaders/ builders for healthcare products and so to a great extent , the success of the brand or the company providing healthcare products/ services relies upon the word of mouth of these opinion leaders.But still , considering the new challenges in the medical filed and the inquisitive consumer of today's times , the players in the healthcare industry should look at a harmonious blend of the traditional and the new marketing and communications initiatives .

• Before deciding upon the marketing initiatives , the focus should be on the rapidly changing customer behavior. 
• There has to be a  Clear-cut product differentiation or atleast a USP .As a matter of fact there is very little to differentiate one doctor's  care versus any other’s .
• Exploiting new initiatives to break the 'information overload' and innovative ways of reaching to the end user
• Also Identifying a particular segment of your TG which is exposed to the likes of the digital and social media and then taking steps towards exploiting various available mediums.
• Internet can not only be used a source of information but can be very well utilized for direct contact with the customer and can also be a customer care medium.
• Promotions with the help of opinion leaders.

 Last but not the least ,the communication should essentially focus on the 'experience'  i.e.providing a pleasant ,uncomplicated and hassle free procedure as an example afterall , it is the patient’s opinion about the healthcare provider that governs their decision.

Chandana Mungre Kashid

Contact me: chandana.mungre@gmail.com

Advertising Stratgies for 2011

'Advertising is usually considered as a current expense but a part of it is really an investment that builds an intangible asset called brand equity.'- Philip Kotler

But the most important thing which one needs to consider while making this 'investment' is

• what are we trying to convey through advertising and 
• ensure that what you offer, meets the consumer's need, what competitive advantages your product has over other players in the market.                                                                                                           

For this ,one needs to understand that what kind of advertising strategy will be needed for the formulation of a message that communicates effectively with the target audience about the benefits of the product or service offered.
While chalking out an advertising strategy , one needs to consider the ever changing marketing environment in which the customer is always the king and our advertising strategy should ensure that we lure the king with every possible tool available. Anything which is not in accordance with the dynamic market ,will soon be out from the consideration set of the consumer. Here ,we will discuss about what trends we can follow for the advertising strategies in 2011:

As one rightly says that advertising is an expense so like every expense ,the one who is spending on it , would like to keep a track of the results advertising is yielding. With Media costs soaring high, advertisers are looking into every penny spent through different tools available like the ones offered by Google which empower the Media Planners and the advertisers as well.

1) Measuring Advertising Effectiveness: Online advertising which is an emerging area in the firmament of Global Advertising ,provides accuracy to a great extent in measuring advertising effectiveness. Measuring the cost per click, cost per impression ,user engagement programs etc give you a fair idea about how to make the strategy better.
Also, not only these tools engage your existing customers but also provides the data regarding prospective customers as well giving you a fair idea about the Target audience, the market and thus incorporate corrective measures(if any) in the existing advertising strategy.

2) Data-based Marketing & Advertising Initiatives: The Media planners and the advertisers will exploit every single tool available to access the data and numbers related to their Target audience and the market they are going to cater to so as to come up with a better advertising strategy and the output in terms of marketing communication collaterals viz. ads ,sales promotion tools and other forms of ATL  & BTL.

3) Working Backwards: Instead of the old trend wherein the firstly the client used to decides what he wants to communicate and the agencies executed the idea accordingly and serve it on the platter to the customer ,the new trend of placing the voice of customer comes in the first place even before designing a rough cut. Most of the marketers are talking to the customers first ,let them speak their mind so as to get an idea about what appeals to them and then designing the content .

4) Slice of Life Advertising: What comes to your mind the moment you hear 'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye' ?? The answer is so very predictable..The subtle tone and the lucid language is what consumers love to read and listen ,language which they feel is a part of their own self. That's why a lot of focus these days is on using easy messages instead of the old trend of using ornamental language and heavy headed words.

So keep your eyes open and keep on reviewing the trends of the past couple of years which will help you determine your own path straight towards your TG.

Chandana Mungre Kashid

Contact me: chandana.mungre@gmail.com