Occupying major share of the marketing budget pie, digital marketing is not only crucial but the need of the hour. With newer technologies sprouting every second day, it has become essential for marketers to be ahead of times and cater to their TG. Digital marketing is important in not only acquiring new customers but also retain existing ones. In our weekly BrandWagon Ad Talk series, industry experts highlight what has changed over the years and more importantly, are these changes here to stay. Megha Agarwal, head of brand and marketing, WeWork India, talks to BrandWagon Online, about the dos and don’ts of digital marketing, best marketing campaigns, and more. (Edited Excerpts)
What is the difference between launching a brand in today’s digital era versus earlier?
In the era of digital transformation, it is possible to launch and build a brand more rapidly, affordably, to a much larger audience group than ever before. Social media has revolutionised the way brands can introduce and engage with consumers. The manner in which consumers engage with brands has also gone through a tremendous transformation over the past few years. The power of digital and social media presents opportunities for brands to rapidly expand their reach to hundreds of thousands of potential customers and engage with them in the most meaningful way through their purchase journey. In the past, launch marketing strategies focused heavily on creating impactful brand campaigns and driving high recall at the time of purchase. With the increasing choice and evolving nature of digital touchpoints, marketers must make real time adjustments to the marketing plan to ensure their strategies and resources are aligned with the evolving consumption pattern of modern consumers.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
The recent Lenskart campaign featuring Karan Johar and Peyush Bansal was quite good. It tackled the long-standing misconception that good style is synonymous with high prices in an engaging and clutter breaking manner. Humour if done well can be great for a brand and ensure high recall as it becomes powerful shareable content and conversation starter with consumers who are always online and appreciate great snackable content.
By leveraging this advertisement, they effectively advanced their core value of disruption, prompting customers to reevaluate their choices and shopping behaviours. The campaign combined elements of exceptional cinematography, a well-crafted script, and impactful messaging and storytelling in a style that consumers love and relate to. It proved to be a mix of various creative elements, contributing to its effectiveness in capturing audiences’ attention while conveying the brand’s message.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
Digital, data and technology are non-negotiable for brands to stay ahead of the curve and develop a passionate, loyal customer base that not only buys their products but also believes in them and advocates them.
On that front Licious has been doing some great work. Realising the importance of connecting with its customers directly, they carry out differentiated initiatives such as the recent ‘All You Can Meat Buffet’ festival and leverage digital platforms to amplify it further and spur conversations. The Great Khali was a very interesting choice for the campaign where he perfectly synergised his king-size love for meaty treats with the grand scale of the festival.
In a post covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
Leverage social media: Over the years, social media has evolved to become a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their target audience. Through the use of engaging content, influencer marketing, and other strategies, businesses can create a robust online presence, foster personal connections with their audience, and gain valuable insights into consumer behavior. This can improve brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately drive sales and revenue growth. This close connect with consumers empowers brands with real time consumer insights and gives them an edge vs competition
Make the messaging authentic: Today consumers are hit with information and data from multiple brands throughtout the day via various platforms and touchpoints – It is extremely challenging for brands to cut through clutter and therefore it’s easy to get lost as a brand in the crowd. Ensure that the authentic/ impactful/ clutter breaking brand messaging is reaching the right audience and resonating with them across all channels.
Respect Consumer privacy concerns: With an increasing number of people using digital medium everyday, privacy concerns are on the rise. Businesses should ensure that they remain transparent about their customers’ data collection and comply with privacy regulations. Businesses should have an open channel of communication with consumers – for that consumers need to be constantly reassured that the brands are engaging with them in a transparent secure environment.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen and why?
Advertising is a complex and subjective field. Hence what may be considered a “bad” case of advertising by a few may not be viewed in the same light by others. The end goal is to connect with the target audience, in line with the brand’s values and messaging. As marketers all efforts are to move brand to next level – sometimes a campaign can edge the brand a few steps ahead and sometime leaps ahead – the focus should be on efforts to pivot the brand to its next level – and be a brand that consumers love!
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