EggFirst Marketing

EggFirst Marketing was launched recently on 3rd July, 2010, which also happens
to be the 20th birthday of the Founder, Mr. Sunny R. Sadnani.
It is commendable that at such a young age, Mr. Sadnani has planned to take the
plunge and step into the very volatile and competitive Branding market.
Although at a young age, Mr. Sadnani’s work profile includes experience in
FAMILY REAL ESTATE BUSINESS to also working as an intern at O & M.

Founder’s Words
“We are a bunch of thinkers. Twigging your marketing objectives and
requirements; wracking our brains to go beyond known horizons, into the
unknown, to scramble ideas that click and coming back to reality to roll-out the
ideas and unscramble your business. We are artists.
Putting up a great balancing act of acute business sense and intense creativity to
deliver winning solutions.
We believe brands are living things.
That is what we at EggFirst do. We are passionate about creating and fostering
brands.”

Did the egg really come first?

What came first, the egg or the chicken, is anybody’s guess. Likewise, in the real
world, it’s extremely difficult to accurately predict the outcome of many business
decisions. However, businesses need to have conviction in their decisions and
take action. Fence-sitting doesn’t get one anywhere.
EggFirst believes in taking a stance, an unwavering position, an unequivocal
conviction.

“Because we believe that conviction enables.”

Approach
Is that of Brand Management i.e. building brands of Films, Artiste, Retail Stores,
Albums, Sports Events etc. through the application of Principles of Marketing.

Our Philosophy
At EggFirst, we work that extra hard. We put in that extra effort. We stretch that
extra mile. And it all directly translates into superlative work for you.
We follow the old fashioned mantra - your success is our glory.
That’s precisely why it is in our culture to service each of our clients like he is the
only pebble on our beach. More importantly, we really understand what you’re
looking for - genuine value-add, a smooth service experience and commitment to
deadlines.
We stay firmly on the ground, sometimes going underneath it, to understand
what will help you sell better. We bring to you a perspective that is practical,
genuine and on the mark.

The USP of your product, the psyche & demographics of your TG and the
competitors’ strategy are just some of the most integral things we consider while
brainstorming on your ‘big idea’. And even while we are at it, we are just a
phone call away.

Brand Building Blocks

Brands are very human. Ignore them and they have gone the way of all to wither
in the realm of anonymity. Give them the attention and they blossom. Brands, by
nature, are fragile, hurt easily and when they fall, it takes some doing to get them
back on their feet.
This explains why brand guardians have to always be on their toes.
Moreover, brands need to have a personality too.
Mercedes Benz, for instance, is not just another quality car, but one that reflects
class and status symbol.
Colgate is not just any other toothpaste. In India, at least until lately it meant
toothpaste.
How do you build a brand?
Quality and innovation take the brand to the next level; however, it’s the
emotional experience of the brand that facilitates trust and loyalty. A brand is an
ingrained habit. Imagine a day without your favorite brand of toothpaste, tea,
and newspaper or television channel.
The standard rules are very well laid out – great product, great marketing
including great advertising, consistent application of adequate resources and
imaginative and consistent commitment to core brand values. However, great
brands have broken all rules and stuck to one philosophy – consumer
connection.
In other words, bond with your consumers.

For the customer

In a nutshell,
Coming to EggFirst with a marketing problem is like going to a restaurant when
you're really hungry. There's everything you care for (End-to-end advertising
solutions).
We offer a seven course meal (Research, Branding strategy, Creative strategy,
Creative rendition, Media planning, Media buying, Launch).
With the flavoring of your choice (Creative, direct, humorous, emotional).
Every item on the platter gets our special attention - right from the time of
handpicking the raw materials till the time we lay it out for you.

First Course: Research

Second Course: Branding

Strategy
Third Course: Creative
Strategy

Fourth Course: Creative

Rendition

Fifth Course: Media planning

Sixth Course: Media buying

Seventh Course: Launch

Creative Strategy and Execution

Our thoughts are often limited by a straightjacket of habits, norms, conventions
and presumptions. Add to that iron boots of the fear of failure. There's need to
break-away from the constraints of traditionalism and explore the unknown.
Unbound even by infinity.

That's exactly what we at EggFirst do. We use creativity to give you your brand
the uniqueness.

Brand Building and A distinct brand identity that

Corporate Identity stands out from the crowd in
a meaningful way.

Campaign Integrated messaging across

media.

Print Strategically aligned and

creatively driven ads -
newspaper, magazine and
 other print media.
AV/ Multimedia TVCs as well as audio-visual
representation (linear or
non-linear) for corporate
presentations, product
presentations, launch
presentations, demo
presentations, etc.

Outdoor Traditional outdoor

collateral like hoardings,
banners and bus-panels as
well as shop signages & wall
paintings.
Events, Exhibitions and Event, Exhibition and
Promotions Promotion specific
campaigns that include
theme ideation, pre-
invitation mailers, stall
backdrop design, event
collateral design, AV
presentation, post-event
mailers and gift ideas.
Internal Communication Campaign ideation and
execution for internally
spreading specific messages
like Customer Sensitivity,
Employee/ Customer
Feedback, Training/
Induction, CSR, IT
Awareness, Voice of
Employee, Employee
 Motivation etc.

Sales and Marketing Newsletters, brochures,

Collateral presentations, white papers,
case studies, data sheets,
POP collateral, posters, etc
Web Interactive website using
various technology
platforms, Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) and
Search Engine Marketing
(SEM) to drive traffic, and
online campaigns (banners,
emailers, newsletters etc.)
including pay-per-lead email
campaigns.
Direct Marketing Communicating on a one-on-
one basis with audience.

Media Planning
The final frontier.
Connecting with your target audience in the most effective way.

Each brand is unique. So how why should the medium be common?

Long back, a farmer in England, who used to rent out his cows to companies, came
up with a unique and an extremely effective marketing strategy. He sprayed
company logos on the cows. This helped the companies get recognition and
visibility; increasing their brand equity.
In today's context, 'cow' is a metaphor for everything that's innovative in
marketing while 'spraying' can be a new brand, a new fashion style, a new
development.
This is exactly what EggFirst strives to achieve.

Traditional media, though popular, may not be the most effective branding
strategy. We delve deep into your brand's psyche and carve out a unique path
through which it can conquer the final frontier.

• Media Planning:
Planning a mix of media, a judicious blend of traditional and innovative, in a
way that it helps you break-through-the-clutter and reach out to your target
audience effectively.

• Media Buying:
Capabilities to buy media that best suits the strategy. Moreover, ensuring that
‘non-availability’ is never an obstacle in your path.

Movie Marketing
Principles of Marketing and Related

Communication

1. Brand Marketing

2. Account Planning

3. Market Research
 4. Media Planning

5. Direct Marketing

6. Corporate communication

Film Marketing Present Approach

 It also includes:
• Announcement in all trade magazines

• Flamboyant brochures - trade

 • On location coverage

• Controversies/delays

• Completion parties

• Music launch parties/ground promotion

• Music release campaign – Standard packages – Consumer campaign

Film release publicity and promotion across all media’s – a ‘one man ship’
approach rather than a plan/strategy strictly based on producer's fancies like,
what his competitive producer has done, what he himself did with his last film,
hoarding at routes which he or the industry uses, channels which he and his
distributors watch must carry his promos etc.
• Film release
• Post release promos – Hit – Super Hit – Running to full houses
• THIS IS NOT MARKETING, THIS IS ONLY POST-PRODUCTION

Proposed approach – ‘Mastermind Approach’

EggFirst Team has designed the ‘Mastermind Approach’ with a view to break
free from the conventional norms of movie advertising & quench
• Getting marketing activated at the concept stage, as a part of the core

team of – Directors, Music Director, Choreographer, Art Director etc.

 • Director - Marketing, becomes a part of the core team at concept stage

• DM – responsible planning & executing of all aspects of Marketing

communication plan but go to the extend of briefing and involving the

team and ensuring affectivity

• Focus Area – Trade & Consumer Marketing communication of the film

through the life cycle of the film

• Key responsibilities – Project doctoring, design/creative, PR, ground

events, Media planning and buying, below the line activities, alliances,

research, implementation supervision etc.

Need for such a [Mastermind] Approach

• Business is getting complex – ‘one man show’ attitude will not work, you

need specialist and experts in every area including Marketing

• New genre of films and film makers are evolving – professionalism

• Newer formats & technologies are emerging - Multiplexes,DVD’sDigital

Cinema, internet – adapt and capitalize by driving synergies

• Complex audiences, with options from newer formats & concepts, retain

interest in films - TASK

• Exposure to global cinema – Benchmarking against international films

• Professional help and fresh mind set is needed at concept stage to

strategize OR else it is more of salvaging act than a strategy

• A professional approach is needed for all marketing and promotional

needs of a film – to ensure control and consistency in information
dissemination
Benefits of ‘Mastermind’ Approach

• Total involvement and ownership approach – Involve at concept stage

• Professional, scientific and updated with current trends

• Focus on Marketing communication – marketing perceptive

• May help improve Hits : Flops ratio

• Drive revenue through new media businesses – Mobile, IT, Satellite

Radio, GPRs, DVD,VCD etc

• Better efficiencies and affectivity

• Single point control will result in a cohesive and planned approach as

against ‘one man managing all’ approach

• Control, Consistency and Better coordination with other team members

• Result in cost savings without compromising on the quality or

deliverables, by eliminating wishful spending

• Need and strategy driven rather than individual driven - objective

• Film will be treated like a BRAND rather than a product

Films – Emerging trends

• Increased focus on packaging and marketing of films

• Increase of global majors through Indian Subsidiaries or alliances

• Higher focus on return on capital and payback period

• Production of Niche Films

• Newer distribution/exhibition formats- Video parlor, digital films, Cyber

centers, mobile phones etc.

• Films for TV, Multiplexes, Cities, NRI’s, Home viewing etc.

• Films with tight schedule and tight budgets – Timely completion

• To ensure profits [ not necessarily HUGE profits] win – win model

• Each film will be a profit center, losses/profits will not be carried forward

or rationalized

• Increase in films production by Music companies, because of high cost of

procurement of music, zero control and unreliable delivery schedules

• Royalty/revenue sharing model as against MG/fixed cost – at all levels

SPORTS MARKETING
(SPORTERTAINMENT)
Sport & Entertainment Marketing

At EggFirst, Sport & Entertainment Marketing are part of a larger body of

marketing known as “lifestyle marketing”

We define Lifestyle marketing as a strategy for seizing the concept of a market

by its most meaningful recurrent patterns of attitudes and activities and then
tailoring products and their promotional strategies to fit these patterns.
At EggFirst we define sport and entertainment marketing as: all activities
designed to meet the needs and wants of consumers through exchange processes.

EggFirst SPORTERTAINMENT Service has 2 major thrusts:

• The marketing of sport and entertainment products and services directly

to consumers
• The marketing of other consumer & industrial products or services
through sport. (Done through sponsorship and/or licensing agreements)

The sport product is invariably intangible and subjective --what each consumer
experiences is subjective--it is subject to different interpretations and also to
different degrees.
This couples with the fact that when leaving a sporting event, the consumer
leaves with a memory compounds the problem for sport marketers in trying to
ensure customer satisfaction.
There is no script that guarantees the result but the sport marketer can guarantee
the quality and consistency of the event.
A greater percentage of the marketing emphasis must be placed on the product
extensions rather than the core product

“Can’t control the quality of the steak --but can guarantee the sizzle”.

Marketer has little say in the product --works outside the lines

Sports- The Marketer Itself

The sport product (in an event form) is a perishable
commodity: it must be pre-sold
• There is no inventory
• It is simultaneously produced and consumed
• Once a game has been played it has been played
• The empty seats are reminders of what could have been.

Expectations and performance as well as competition are

critical factors in pre-selling.

No other product evokes such a strong personal

identification and emotional attachment as sport

Sport has an almost universal appeal and pervades all

elements of life
Thus sport marketers have a variety of target markets and must create product
variations based upon price and time to provide opportunities for involvement to
a variety of these segments.

Sport is both a consumer and an industrial good

Sport is produced as an end product for mass consumer appeal for both
spectators and participants while at the same time it is being used by businesses
as a way to reach their consumers and to sell their respective products and
services.

No business other than sport is viewed so simplistically to

the point where the consumers view themselves as experts in
terms of product knowledge
This is exacerbated by the number of media outlets --talks shows etc, devoted to
sport.
According to EggFirst survey in collaboration with O & M
 • 52% feel they could play
• 74% officiate
• 51% coach

The Sports Product

A good, service, or any combination of the two that is designed to provide

benefits to a sports spectator, participant or sponsor.

Types of Sports Products

Sporting Events
 • Player Appearances
• Arenas/Stadia

Sporting Goods
• $60.2 billion industry comprised of four segments (equipment,
transportation, apparel, and footwear)
• Collectibles and Memorabilia

Sports Training
• Fitness and Health Services
• Sports Camps and Instruction

Sports Information
• Newspapers, Internet, Magazines, Radio, etc.

The Structure of the Sports Industry

Consumers
Spectator: Consumers that derive a benefit from observing or following an
event
Participant: Consumers that derive a benefit form physically participating in
a organized or unorganized armature sport at some level of frequency

Customers
Corporations, business, and media (both with and without sponsorship
agreements) that leverage sports equities to attract that sports consumer

Growth of the Sports Industry

India’s output for sports goods and services estimated at $213-350 million
annually

Growth measured in:

• Attendance Figures

• Media Coverage

• Employment Figures (4.5 million jobs)

• Global Markets

• Sports Goods

• Sports Information

34% use Internet for sports Info

ESPN.com reaches 15 million unique users

Media Coverage is Increasing

• 200 million people watched NBC coverage of the Summer Olympic

Games and 3.7 billion people watched worldwide

 • ESPN, the original sports-only network launched in 1979, reaches some

76 million homes with its 4900 hours of sports programming and,

remarkably, ESPN2 reaches 65 million viewers.

• $2.3 billion to secure the broadcast and cable rights for the Olympic

Games in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and additional $2.2 billion for 2010 and

2012

• Overall for the week, NBC averaged 26.7 million viewers in primetime,

more than three times the 7.2 million for second-place CBS. ABC was

third with 4.5 million, followed by Fox with 4.4 million.

• $2.64 million paid by IPL and BCCI Board to televise the matches.

Ambushed!

Having seen so many brands engage in slugfests, hoardings, television sets,

newspapers and other such media might as well be called modern-age
battlefields. The latest battle seems to be between two of corporate India’s
powerhouses - Procter & Gamble and HUL.
Some people learn only from bad experiences. Proctor & Gamble marketers had
one such experience recently. The big launch of P&G’s all new ‘Pantene’ was
crushed even before it saw sunlight. This is what happened: P&G came up with
the ‘Mystery Shampoo’ teaser campaign, claiming that 80% women say that
there’s a mystery shampoo that is better than any other. The teasers went on for
over a week without the slightest hint of it being Pantene.

Meanwhile, HUL ambushed the campaign, claiming that Dove is the mystery
shampoo before Pantene could reveal its identity.
Pantene reacted swiftly to Dove’s gimmick, and soon launched its own ‘reveal’
campaign. So, we had two shampoos claiming to be the ‘mystery’ shampoo.
While Pantene was the genuine ‘mystery’ shampoo as per their plan, Dove was
the intruder and hijacker.
Did you know, just like Dove did in India, Sunsilk pretty much ate into the
Pantene campaign in Philippines. Nearly 63% people just couldn’t relate
Mystery Shampoo to Pantene in Philippines. Talk about a gimmick gone wrong.
Twice!

Coming back to the original question, what did P&G learn? Long teaser
campaigns give your competition plenty of time to kill your brilliant idea. Vague
claims and no hint of your brand in the ad will definitely back fire. What most
brand managers fail to do is think through the simple question of how the
competition may react.

One should know that this is an age old practice. Going back to the Pepsi Vs.
Coca Cola days, when Coke became the ‘official’ sponsor for World Cup 1996
and Pepsi came up with the brilliant ‘Nothing official about it’! Sports have
always been a magnet to ambushing: McDonald's was the official sponsor of the
Beijing Olympics. But in the lead-up to the games, KFC used the marketing
slogan "I love Beijing", while Pepsi replaced its usual blue cans with red ones "to
show their respect for the year of China". An ambush times two.

Ambushing seemingly goes deeper than off the shelf consumer goods.
Newspapers are another set of victims. DNA, launched in 2005, came up with
‘Speak up. It’s in your DNA.’ campaign. Maharashtra Times ambushed it with a
simple mention of their name at the end of the quote. This wasn’t the end of it.
Indian Express countered that with, "No one can stop me from speaking up."
Towards the end of the story, though Indian Express and Bennett Coleman were
sued by DNA, the damage was already done.

While the back stabbing is amusing, what remains forgotten is the end
consumer. It’s not just the advertisers and marketers who decide the fate of a
campaign, what truly matters are what the audience takes home. Most people
look at the ads and shrug; few actually noticed the on going ‘war’ of words.

All said and done, guerilla marketing has and always will be a favorite amongst
FMCGs. Bets are that we haven’t seen the last of ambush campaigns. In the
brand-eat-brand world, the rule of the jungle will apply - survival of the
smartest, swiftest and strongest.

Ganna de, “Anna”. 07 June, 2010

As I was scanning the pages of a daily, I came across an interesting article. It
spoke about a sugarcane juice vendor and the amazing marketing tactics he was
deploying to attract customers. And what tactics they were!
Surprisingly simple and assuredly effective.
Sample these:
1) Participate in sugarcane juice drinking competition and win a TV set.

2) Unlimited sugarcane juice for Rs. 35.

3) One glass free on every five glasses.

4) Unlimited sugarcane juice on monthly coupons of Rs. 240.

The scheme was surely working, and it left me thinking for a while. The
sugarcane vendor’s got a genuinely good sales scheme – meaningful to
customers. It entices and drives serious up-sell. It makes people pull others along
(to get the sixth free glass of juice).
His approach is decidedly clear – bereft of confusing or ‘intellectual’ creativity.
The creative put up is also very specific: the offer is highlighted upfront, followed
with key details all the way up to the point of the ‘conditions apply’.

Honestly, this is how simple and inexpensive marketing can be. Stick to the
basics. The first principles work.
The ganna-wala anna surely deserves a humble salute.

Aal is well.
Over 100 crores in 4 days!

Over 200 crores already!

Poised to become the highest grossing Bollywood

movie of all time!

Clearly, the makers of the movie are singing, “aal is well”. Over and over again!
The movie, 3 Idiots, is winning over everyone and the audiences are lapping it up
as if it was a gift from Santa. And with the great reviews and an amazingly
positive word of mouth publicity spreading like wildfire, the movie is only poised
for greater glory.

The content was indeed neat, but honestly, in today’s world, is it enough? If it
was, we would have had movies like Bolo Raam (heard of it?) doing pretty well,
if not blockbustering its way through. But what 3 Idiots had going for it is the
brilliant marketing minds behind it.
With the promotional tours, the ‘catch me if you can’ Aamir Khan Gimmick and
the immense PR it generated, it was only one way the movie was going to end up.

And then of course, there was the well-covered controversy about script credits.
The media had several field days covering the war of words. It all augured well
for the movie, with 3 Idiots doing extremely well in its 3rd week as well.
Just shows that being in the news is never a bad thing, whatever are the reasons.

What an Idea, Sirji!

For long brand managers have come up with creative ideas on how to sell their
products. Their marketing strategy has always been about the product benefits
and product features.
But it is really refreshing to see the way Idea has decided to market its telecom
service.
It has decided to take up social issues and spread awareness about them and also
focus on how communication is making the world a better place. And the Idea
sure has worked! Idea has quickly become of the big players in the cellular
market.

A case in point can be the latest campaign they undertook on 26th November,
2009. On the anniversary of 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, they announced
that all profits made from calls made between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. would be used to
buy bullet-proof jackets for the Mumbai Police personnel. The lack of these
jackets was responsible for most of the lives lost of police officers on that fateful
day the previous year.

We can’t say exactly how much money was raised for the same, but the
campaign does give us a good feeling about the brand and makes us want to be
associated with the brand.

Seriously, what an idea, Sirji!

The Power of 7
A lot of ‘not so nice things’ had been said about Microsoft ever since they
launched Windows Vista! Not only was the operating system very slow, but it
also had a lot of bugs. And even after Microsoft fixed a lot of its issues via
patches, critics continued to lampoon it.

What went un-noticed was the fact that Microsoft did not say much in public.
They instead went back to the drawing board and rebuilt the operating system to
iron out all its flaws and lined up the new Operating System, Windows Seven,
within 3 years of the release of Vista.

What really impresses is the confidence Microsoft has in its new operating
system, Windows Seven. So much so that they are offering current Windows
Vista powered PC buyers a free upgrade to Windows Seven when it releases!

Quite predictably, the sales of PCs have shot up again! Now whether Windows
Seven lives up to the hype is what remains to be seen. But meanwhile, we can
admire the smart strategy applied by Microsoft to boost sales of its PCs even
before the release of Windows Seven.

What's in a name!
Picture this. The client is awaiting a certain mail from us. We, as usual, are on-
the-dot and send him the mail well within the deadline. After a while, a frantic
call greets us, "Hey, have you sent the email?" Puzzled, I check my sent mails. It
shows that the mail was sent a couple of hours back. More puzzled, the client
checks his inbox.
Nothing!
We mail him again. And again, nothing in his inbox.

We check with our respective IT guys. "No problem," says ours. The client tells
his, "Hey, I'm not receiving any mails from Eggfirst. Could you please check?"
And then a strange thing happens.
Quite unexpectedly, the IT guy quips, "Our servers are all non-vegetarians and
we believe the chicken came first!" And they burst out laughing. A Gem. Pure
gem.
Especially coming from somebody with a technology background!!!

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare had once proclaimed. A lot, we say. The way
our brand name - Eggfirst - connects with audiences across. Through and
through. It communicates independently.
Creates perceptions. And establishes a connect with people - one of golden rules
of advertising. And equally importantly, at the core of it, the name conveys what
we believe in: conviction pays.
Don't sit on the fence. Take a stance. Take a decision. Move on. Make things
happen. Just do it! Fun isn't it?

The year that was...

Bindra dug gold,

Economy caught cold,
Of the moon we got a hold.

Dhoni's boys reigned,

1-2-3 claimed,
Confidence UPA regained.

Vishy ruled,
Bollywood fooled,
Over Nano everyone drooled.

Politicians terrorized,
Terrorists politicized,
Mumbai incised.

Adios, 2009. Namaste, 2010.

Here's to joy, prosperity and peace in the fresh year. Cheers!

'Watch' out!
Many Mumbai citizens have added a skill-set to their profiles, especially during
the rainy season - swimming! The rain Gods have been overwhelmingly generous
on Mumbai city for the past three - four years. And trust the wily marketers to
capitalize on such a situation as well.

I came across a truly innovative marketing idea. From the least expected
quarters. Watches are one of the biggest sufferers during the monsoons. And the
promises of water-proof watches have fallen flat with the consumers. But what if
you have someone who backs the promise with live proof? What if you have
someone who's selling watches that are immersed in a bucket filled with water...
with the watches running perfectly fine?
What a way to walk the talk!
Without having to shout your lungs out.
Genius!!!

Move aside marketing managers and marketing gurus. A

roadside hawker proves that simple logic is all that’s
required to do marketing wonders.

Virgin Mobiles
"We are more experienced than our name
suggests!" ;-)

Virgin Mobiles, a cellular service provider and one of the brands from the
Richard Branson owned Virgin Group's stable, was all set to be introduced in
India. However, the fact that the Indian telecom market was already crowded
with many established players, Virgin Mobiles needed to do something strikingly
different to penetrate and stand a chance to be called 'successful'.

Choosing the Indian youth as their target audience, Virgin Mobiles entered the
Indian market with a strategy that summarizes what they needed to do - "Think
hatke" ('Hatke' is an Indian word meaning 'different').

The marketing ploy was simple yet brilliant: A Virgin Mobile user would earn 10
paisa per minute for every incoming call from any network! What makes this a
path breaking marketing idea was the fact that where most rival cellular
companies were boasting about how all incoming calls were free, Virgin Mobiles
went a step ahead and offered to pay its users for every incoming call!
Now this is undeniably 'Hatke' thinking!

Safe drinking water wherever you go

Aquaguard is an established market leader in the water purification systems in

India. However, its crown has come under threat by entry of new players in the
market. But trust a true leader to come up with a stunning marketing strategy at
such times.

Aquaguard has tied up with the Indian Railways to set up stalls at major stations
where safe and purified water, directly from the Aquaguard water purifier
system, will be sold. The strength of this unprecedented, pioneering marketing
initiative lies in the fact that while bottled water is sold at Rs. 7 (500 ml),
Aquaguard will sell their water at just Rs. 2!!!

With this, Aquaguard has targeted the vast middle class population that uses the
Mumbai local trains. Not only will the brand Aquaguard get great visibility and
hence enhanced brand recall but the initiative will also help Aquaguard further
strengthen its promise of ‘pure, safe water’.

Turning it around
One of the biggest reasons for losses in the Indian Retail Marketing sector is the
unavoidable damage of goods while handling and transportation.
However, if the new-age marketers have their way, companies will not only put
an end to this problem soon, but also turn it into a profit making business.

Future Group is leading this innovation by planning to open stores where these
damaged goods will be repaired and sold at a discounted rate. This is a perfect
example of exploiting the Indian consumer's psychology of ‘compromising on
quality for cheap pricing’.
This will not only be profitable for the company but will also please the appetite
of the Indian consumer.

Laughter during relieving

Free movie tickets. A bucket full of popcorn.
Just what you need to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. We had got one such
invite for the movie 'Beowulf'. Angelina Jolie was making things quite jolly while
we feasted on popcorns and had a popcorn fight with the front row kids.
Slurping on the large size cola overloaded my bladder.

As I ran towards the men's room to unburden myself and was just about to shoot
the pot, I saw a very interesting thing written on the wall right in front of me. It
was a dialogue from a movie; it read, “Not bad for a human.” – Aliens (1986). It
got me grinning. Relief plus laughter! That was one of the most satisfying leaks
ever taken.
The rational mind!
It's not right to overhear conversations. However, in public places, there's little
you can do. A girl and her friend, in the seat next to mine, were having a rather
interesting conversation. The girl seemed pretty upset with her inability to find
the Mr. Right for herself.

"It's been six years since college and no luck as yet. I don't think god has made
anyone for me." Her friend tried consoling her with the clichéd PMA (Positive
Mental Attitude, sic) blah blah. Naturally, it didn't help cheer the girl. Then
quickly changing tact, he said, "Hey, I think God really loves you and doesn't
want to share you with anyone!"

Now, that did the magic turning the whole thing around. The girl was smiling
wide on hearing that. And so was I.

As they say, the medium is as important as the message. 'Packaging' your

communication is vital. Being boring is passé. You and I know what the reality is,
and so does the girl.
But the emotional mind just wants to hear things it does.

Strangely enough, most consumer decisions are dictated by the emotional mind,
and then rationalized by the intellect.

Hostile reception!

A fortune 500 company… one of the biggest banks in the world… customer base
of more than a million, worldwide. You expect such a bank to be welcoming,
friendly and pleasant, don’t you? But is it so in reality?

Recently, I was on a personal visit to the Mumbai (India) branch of the Bank
(described above). Right at the entrance, I saw a bottle of a hand sanitizer with a
message that read, “Clean your hands with this hand sanitizer before entering
our premises.”
My first reaction was, “That’s insulting!!” Are they telling me that my hands are
dirty and would contaminate their premises? This ain't a hospital, is it? I
understand the concern for employees. I understand the need for a 'clean'
environment. But what’s with the arrogance? The intention may be fair, but the
way it was communicated was distasteful and quite insensitive.
How about being a little friendly and warm while communicating.
Something as simple as, “It’s your bank. Let’s keep it germ free.”

Being direct is one thing; being outright offensive is another. Never undermine the
importance of communication. No matter how big a company you are.

You are being watched

“Shoplifters beware! The store is under electronic surveillance!” or “You are

being watched all the time while you’re in this store.” The age old posters always
make me feel uncomfortable (even though I have no intentions of mugging). It is
kind of offending too. But to be fair to the companies, it becomes difficult to
balance the subtleness as well as the effectiveness when putting such a message
across.
But ‘Croma’, an electronic retail shop in India, has done it in a warm, friendly
manner.

I recently visited Croma to buy an electrical appliance. In there, I was pleasantly

surprised to read a poster that said, “Keep smiling, you’re on camera!” It
immediately brought a smile on my face. The warmness with which they
conveyed a blunt message is really commendable.
I started pondering and recalled their brand slogan, which says, “We don’t sell.
We help you buy.” Their slogan reflects how they put customer service before
everything else.
And the message, “Keep smiling, you’re on camera!” is so perfectly in line with
their brand slogan!
Three cheers for Croma.

Vote 4 me

It’s pre-election time. A candidate is addressing a crowd of about 10,000. “Please

give me your precious vote. I promise to bring electricity to every household,
water 24/7 and education for every child…” While the typical speech is going on,
you have some people in the crowd catching some quick sleep, while some are
discussing the latest movie and so on. The point is that it’s really difficult to
address each voter individually. However, recently a political party in India tried
a different tactic.

The mobile phone has become a household item in India. Even in the remotest
rural parts. A particular political party decided to capitalize on the popularity of
the mobile phone and launched a mass SMS campaign. Voters would receive
SMSes, with the candidate’s name flashing on their mobile phones, urging people
to vote for him.
It immediately caught people’s fancy and made them feel
important. Political leaders here share the same celebrity
status like some of the Hollywood stars do in the West.
Imagine receiving an SMS from Jennifer Aniston! Won't
you feel like a celebrity yourself? Political leaders banked
on this sentiment.

The SMS campaign did leave an impact and the experts say
it did help the candidates to garner votes. This is the power
of communication!

Winsurance!
This is surely a winner! India’s leading insurance service provider, LIC (Life
Insurance Corporation) has come up with a striking outdoor marketing
campaign that communicates the message simply yet effectively, using the local
trains of Mumbai as their medium.

The local trains of Mumbai are known for the huge amount of crowds they
commute everyday. No less than a million people use the local trains daily; way
beyond the capacity of the trains. As a result, you have people hanging by the
doors precariously. The numbers of casualties reported every year by the
railway authorities is unmentionable!

LIC saw an opportunity and seized it. Their logo consists of two hands (forming
a ‘hand cup’) protecting a flame. Now, what LIC did was placed each ‘hand’ (the
logo element) on either side of the doors of the local trains. So when someone sees
it, it looks like the two hands of LIC are protecting the people hanging from the
doors. Isn’t that what insurance is all about? The message conveyed.
Bravo, LIC!

Uncle, which way to your Kitchen?

Uncle’s Kitchen is one of the most popular Chinese joints in Mumbai. However,
it was faced with a very strange problem. Since it was so popular among the
masses, everyone knew about the joint but the problem was no one actually knew
where it was located. (It’s like how everyone knows about Iraq but they think it’s
in Afghanistan!)

Since it’s a small time place and already quite popular, advertising wasn’t really
the solution. Instead, the owner came up with an ingenious plan. He provided all
the traffic cops in the vicinity with an elevated podium.
The podium had the directions to Uncle’s Kitchen printed on it. Traffic cops
would stand in the podium, bang in the middle of the road, to monitor the traffic.
The spot was unmistakably noticeable! Everyone coming to the area would now
definitely know where Uncle’s Kitchen is. Well done, Uncle! You’re driving the
traffic right into your kitchen.
Has Ronald McDonald got a job-switch?

When hop scotching through a busy market area, I noticed a colorful character
standing across the street, right in front of a McDonald’s joint. It was
surrounded by a mob of kids (in India, McDonald’s is positioned as a joint for
family, especially kids). As I crossed the street to get a better picture of what was
happening, I realized that it was some guy dressed up as Ronald McDonald. Or
was it?!

Well, it certainly was Ronald McDonald, but he wasn’t promoting McDonald’s.

A hotel had employed a chap and had him dressed up as Ronald McDonald to
promote their kid New Year’s Eve party.
And the little kids were sure flocking to ‘Ronald McDonald’! With the least
amount of resources, they effectively promoted their event, capitalizing on some
McDonald’s popularity!
Guerilla marketing at its best! Well, almost.
EggYolk
Although EggFirst is a haven of young and dynamic individuals struggling out
there to contribute in this demanding sector, we lay immense emphasis on
education.
Most of our employees are currently pursuing their post-graduate degrees along
with fulfilling their work obligations.
Our Founder, Mr. Sunny Sadnani, himself is pursuing a degree in Corporate
Law.
Keeping this in mind, the company launched a weekly magazine for management
students, ‘EggYolk’.
EggYolk was launched on the same day as EggFirst.
This move was undertaken as a marketing strategy for the company to establish
itself as also to make learners aware of the recent developments in the Branding
Industry.
It is thus a matter of immense pride for EggFirst that circulation of EggYolk in
its 2nd month of launch has crossed the 5 lakh mark, and the company now plans
to launch a nationwide weekly to feed the ever growing hunger of learners.
EggYolk College, a special edition for our affiliated colleges in the city has found
liking with learners of 32 institutes in the city and is ever growing.
EggYolk also encourages freelancers with new ideas irrespective of age and sex.
It is a rising platform for them to showcase their creative thinking.
The following are some of the excerpts from “EggYolk”.

Acknowledgement
I convey my sincere thanks to Prof. D’costa for his valuable
inputs and guidance which has been of immense help in the
making of this project.
The views and ideas furnished in this project are completely
original and no plagiarizing has been done.
I am grateful to Prof D’costa for allowing me complete
freedom of views and opinions which have gone into the
successful completion of this project.
Thanking you,
Sunny Ramesh. Sadnani