Marketingpundit

Marketingpundit is a forum to share and discuss ethical and unethical trends in marketing, branding, advertising, insights, brand activation, selling, sales figures & statistics, qualitative/ quantitative primary and secondary research, product and service launches or relaunches, packaging, social media, training, awards, interviews, press releases, career movements, etc from around the globe. For professionals and students, Marketingpundit should serve as a treasure trove of knowledge.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Haldiram's 'namkeen' packed on 1st Sept 2014, available on 31st August 2014

Haldiram's (Nagpur) Namkeen packet of 17 gm supposedly packed on 2014-09-01. However, it was available in the market on 2014-08-31.
Consume the next pack at your own risk.
Such acts and omissions deserve no pardon from we customers who are the king or queen.
P.S: The glaring fact has been brought to light by none other than popular TV actress Dolly Bindra.

Send Secret Promotions With Instagram Direct Messaging

Send Secret Promotions With Instagram Direct Messaging

Instagram is a one-feature wonder, which I love; but many marketers have a hard time figuring out how to use the platform to make money, grow their subscribers or build their email list.

Instagram’s new direct messaging feature can help.

Send private messages to share select offers to your Instagram followers.

Within the direct messaging feature, you can send a private message with up to 5 pictures to up to 15 people at a time. We’ve been using direct messages for follower appreciation, secret promotions, even text responders to build email lists.

Because VERY few marketers have caught on to this tactic, the conversion rates are incredibly high!

Socially Tag People Who Are Involved With Your Content

Socially Tag People Who Are Involved With Your Content

If you want to build stronger connections with high-value contacts, take your activity across more than one social network.

This will increase your visibility by giving you a stronger presence in several social networks.

First, know whom you’re targeting. Generally, I look to connect with bloggers and content creators, but it’s even better if you’re networking with thought leaders and prospects.

This tactic works best if you keep sharing your content in the days, weeks and months after it was published.
Next, make sure you know where those people are active. There’s no value in mentioning someone on a network they pay no attention to.

Watch the timing to take advantage of all opportunities. After you share content in one place, wait to see if it’s re-shared or generates comments. Then cross over to another network to thank and mention people who engaged.

The key is to watch for actions on one network and respond to them on another network. Here are some examples:

They share your content on Twitter and you thank them with an invitation or message on LinkedIn.
They like your post on Facebook and you thank them next time you share the post on Twitter.
They comment on your post and you thank all of them with a mention when you share it on Google+.

The combinations are endless and two things can happen when you employ this tactic:

1. The people you target may share it again on the second network. This is likely because they like it.
2. They may follow you on the second network. Now, you connect to high-value contacts on several networks, not just one.

Smart marketers think cross-channel constantly. They’re diversified, yet targeted. They don’t put all their eggs in one social network, but they’re very focused on specific opportunities, connections and potential collaborators.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Spot the 'stars' vis-a-vis 'laggards/ deadwoods"

Inspired, rather disgusted on seeing a bill-board at Rashbehari Avenue - SP Mukherjee Road crossing in front of Kalighat Metro Station in Kolkata on 28th August 2014.
The outdoor advertisement by West Bengal Tourism was trying to sell Digha as a destination point.

Don't let valuable data go waste

Consumers are constantly creating and consuming extraordinary amounts of data. Hundreds of millions of mobile phones weave infinite tapestries of data, in real time. Each purchase, search, status update, and check-in layers the web world with more of it.
How we respond to this opportunity defines not only our success or failure but also our future.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

BJP Brand Marketing Campaign for Lok Sabha Elections 2014

BJP Brand Marketing Campaign for Lok Sabha Elections 2014.

Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar (as the message) in a non-responding ATM Customer Advice slip of State Bank of India in Kanpur.

#LokSabhaElections2014 #HowIndiaTravels #MarketingPundit

First seven seconds of an advertisement

First seven seconds of an advertisement are the most crucial in capturing a consumer’s attention and can boost a consumer’s opinion of the brand by 15 % to 20 %

#MarketingPundit

Job openings for twins as 'Front Office Executives' - Weird Advertisement

Quite a weird advertisement for job openings as 'Front Office Executives' for an Automobile dealership in Pune, India.

Why do you think they want only twins (M/M, F/F, M/F) to apply for the job. What could be the logic?

I am baffled!

#HowIndiaTravels

Friday, August 22, 2014

Friends are like BRAs - Nonsense!!

We may not be too far off from a TV commercial where the lyrics of the jingle of a lingerie brand could be:
"Har Ek Friend BRA Hota Hai"!

The advt copy of the print advertisement sucks ..... I wonder what has been the kind of response.

Incidentally, a few years ago, a bill-board (on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, opposite the NUJS Kolkata Campus) of the same brand was frequently mutilated by a group of elderly morning-walkers seeking small doses of wayward pleasure.

Vanilla Ice Cream that puzzled General Motors!!!

Never underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it mightseem! This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer Care Executive.

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors: 'This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy. It is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies. Every night, after dinner, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem.

Every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get anyother kind?"

The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it out anyway.The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the icecream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start. Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem.

Toward this end he began to take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla thanany other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in freezers right inside the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.

Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka ...... time was now the problem - not the vanilla icecream!!!! The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock".

It was happening every night, but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the gentleman got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking. Don't just say it is " IMPOSSIBLE" without putting a sincere effort ....What really matters is right attitude and logical perception.

Moral of the story "Try to Fix the Bug instead of making it as a Known Issue".

Monday, August 11, 2014

Delivering 'personalized experiences'

Delivering 'personalized experiences' is a challenge for all marketers.