Whom are we speaking to?

Scene- My desk, on Phone

Me: Hello, I am Vikas Sachdeva, I am in Marketing Team, Can you please help me with the sub categories of awards for the entry - Advertising, Events, Print ads, TV ads,Communication collaterals, any research insights, concept innovation etc?  I have sent all the entries for the awards.

Other side: Yes, I will mail you all the details.

Scene 2, A glass cabin mixed with few walls 

Me: Sir, I will be getting the details of sub categories of awards

Other side: whom did you speak to?

Me: Some representative from awards, but i don't know the name.

Other side: Its always good to know who is the person we are speaking to, at least the name.

Though this conversation has become the pretext of the thought , I have been thinking for last 6-7 months about

Whom brands/marketers speak to promoting their products/services/brands/companies/offerings.


I read somewhere "Marketing for prospective customers needs to be different than Marketing for already acquired customers"

So whom are we speaking to?

Only communication perspective

Prospect 

Brands speak very nicely to him/her, he/she is the most pampered person on this earth, he is approached/influenced on everything, Which car he should buy, which phone is best for his/her needs etc , Brands make him believe that they are the only best choice available to him if he wants to redeem himself.

If we are speaking to prospect, In our communication, We should be

• Giving him knowledge about the product/service than pushing it 
• Giving him experience of our brand/product service first than telling him its advantages over others
• Lucrative incentives to try  

As a prospect, i may not know what to buy, it is the trials with the different brands which will help me choose. Better is the experience , better are the chances of getting picked.

Through deal sites like Snap-deal/group on, what they do is, they discount the full time service/product to trial mode, customer pays say Rs 599 for a spa treatment where he/she experiences services and then choose full time packages.

 If a toothpaste or a cream continuously speak about how it is better than others, beyond a point people start mistrusting the same.

Customer

It is the most misunderstood word, There is a distinct difference between customer and a user. I may be a customer of a hypermarket when i buy detergent but i am not the end user. The requirements of end user may be different than a customer. While I may choose X brand based on availability/location of the hypermarket/convenience while end user may think of price/quality of the product.

If we are speaking to a end user

• Focusing on targeting/communication based on quality of the product/durability/tangible aspects. He/she always looks for functional aspects first
• Comparisons with other brands/services, challenging his rational mind to think, giving him reasons to choose your product/service rather than you pushing it
• Offers/discounting

In the end , I should be proud of my decision in choosing the brand/product/service. If i as a end user have not got kick of purchase, if my rational mind is not happy, all in vain.

If we are speaking to a customer

• Focusing on targeting his triggers of choosing the products/service, We need to involve the customer into our journey, how this product/service is made, how it started, engaging him more through story telling.
• Giving him more reasons to be loyal, family outings in the plant where we manufacture the products, making him feel special, making him feel important and valued
• Involvement of his friends/family in your business
• Involvement of his in new product/service design
• Understand his/her emotional needs

Today thanks to tight budgets over variety of media options available, same communication is released for all types ( prospects/customer/end user), then we wait and wait for the results. 

We need to craft tailor made programs for each type we are targeting and administer each program effectively.  

At the end, i would like all of us to think " Communication/Marketing for Prospect/Customer/End user is distinctively different from each other, we need to think differently for each set" 

By the way, Just 20 days left , we will have new government at the center.

Keep smiling!

Vikas Sachdeva

Connect- The Vital driver

For Last 2 weeks , I have been thinking that why women love tele- serials so much? .They leave everything ( food, rest etc. ) to know what Anandi is doing, what is happening between Mr Ram Kapoor and Priya? How DV will save Saanchi?

 Amazing connect!!

Hats off to the people who keep on generating content for these serials which have been successful in creating and maintaining the connect with all these women 6 days a week, 4-5 hours a day ,all 365 days in  a year!

A thought came into my mind!

Connect!

Is it that important? Why it is important? How we can create connect? Who all can connect? Why is that you connect with certain people and you co - create something of your liking?

Connect can be between people, people & brands/brands & people.Why we buy certain brands
 ( considering price, value etc to be constant), because we connect with those brands.

For e.g.Why buying dettol makes us think that this soap will really help in removing all the bacteria and other xyz brand will not. Why buying iphone gives us a feeling of satisfaction while same features are available at a much lesser price.

It is all about connect! for sometime,forget what you have learned uptill now about brands & just imagine brands as people working in your office.So we have Mr Harley davidson who seems to have his own big cabin and sitting in the corner & people rushing to him and interacting with him      ( Only selective people who connect with him), then there is Mr Bajaj who has small cabin wanting to connect with set of people who value power more than milage.

Miss fair and lovely is busy in making all the women beautiful which are fairly large in number.  Olay total effects is speaking to her group about benefits of its use and hence charging more money.

Kids connected more with Oreo Biscuits.

Every brand has its own set of customers, it is how that brands connect with its base matters. There are people who do not want to buy Maruti Cars because they do not connect with it despite its best mileage and number of  service centers, also there are people who connect only with Maruti Cars and will buy only Maruti.

What matters is customer connect.

Gone are the days when companies survived only on push marketing shouting about themselves in the market, offers, discounts, communication in print, radio, outdoor etc. They were everywhere !. but now times are changing. What customer seeks is more connect with the brand, how brand is helping him, how the brand is interacting with him, understanding him, growing with him like a friend, its no more a one sided relationship but two way and more demanding.

People don't buy products, people buy brands.

Why people connect with Lord Shiva and not Bramha ? Bramha is creator of the univerise, the mastermind, why less people connect with him? has he done less? no way!

Just like you want to be with people you connect with, brands also like to be with people who associate with them, who connect with them. On Social Media, The reason a post garners more response from the friend list is because they connected with the thought you posted. 

Yes, the world is rational, if the basic core of the business are not met, then whatever you do will be a failure. What if the food of a restaurant is not good despite of having great ambiance and service and vice versa.How it will affect your decision to go to that restaurant next time?

Connect helps people to be with you for that 'Next time' ( Yes there is always a first time). Connect decides whether after experimenting you will choose Y over X. ( Given all other factors as constant).

Since life is all about people management ( From B2B to B2C to H2H- Human to Human, I found the term i was searching to express the essence of this blog) , brands also think that way. They think whom they have to manage. Brands are becoming close groups which are trying to connect its base in smaller ways going beyond the traditional way of pushing.

It is the Brand pull & connect which will matter more than the Brand Push in future.

So, did you connect with me somewhere in the blog?

Stay tuned

Vikas sachdeva

Fusion- Sun signs and brands- What brand are you?

Fusion- Sun signs and brands- What brand are you?

By no means i am a astrologer, by no means i want to hurt anyone's opinion but yes by all means i am expressing here fusion of sun signs and brands.

Sounds Interesting?

Fusion is the way forward or the future, Cars will be convertible, they will be flying, one remote control will operate all the devices at home, multipurpose wives or husbands will be in demand ( is that fusion?, anyway).

Here i am trying to explain fusion between brands and sun signs, common thing between them is they behave in certain way which makes core of both and then they do layering of characterstics or augment them so as to make themselves sellable.

There may be characteristics which common across the fusion hierarchy, i am just touching the core characteristics of both- Brands and sun signs.

Here starts the fusion

Pisces Brands

Having unmatchable ability to connect with people, eye for detail, emotional connect,sensitive, innovative, solution provider,catalyst,ability to differentiate fake vs real, Creative and articulation are typicaly features of these brands. for instance, Cadbury falls into Pisces brands category, since its inception,cadbury have connected well its audience, building a connect and then taking them beyond chocolates. From Celebrations in the cricket ground, replacement of sweets, highlighting occasions in human life cycle like birthday's , marriages etc , shubhaarambh, kuch meetha ho jaaye,  Cadbury now have moved beyond chocolates.Tanishq is also following same steps however its a bit more rational due to its category- gold.

  
Leo Brands

Committed, focused, fierce lovers, daring,  Owning one complete segment, decision makers are the features of these brands. Harley Davidson is one such brand, look at its buyers! oh boy! distinct! these brands believe in setting new standards for the people. They don't settle for ordinary, these brands have define set of customers, not everyone is their customer, not everyone can afford being a Leo brand. These brands love their customers like anything, they make them feel special. Leo brands are head turners.

Sagittarius brands  

 Sagittarius brands are fun brands, they love to party, there is largely no dull moment in these types. they remember tiny details of its customers. These brands have good sense of humor, meet a Sagittarius brand and they will bring smile to your face. They don't believe in repetition but can easily be mislead. Mentos, Appy, Samsung are Sagittarius brands, these brands believe in latest fashion yet simplicity. they are the perfect blend of art and modernity. 
 
 
Scorpion brands

These brands have many similarities with leo brands however they find themselves filled with too much overload on their head. Tit for tat is their philosophy, these are most passionate brands, they are straightforward lovely brands who love to tell you on the face. You cant lie to a scorpion brand, they understand before you imagine. You will not how much they love or hate you unless you experience these brands. Coke is such type of brand, carrying its legacy since ages. These brands want to achieve so much in so little time hence prioritization becomes key for these brands.



Cancer brands

Oh Boy! these brands needs security from all nukes and corners of the world, These brands are safe players, they do not take risks and believe in harmony in the system. They are most caring brands that one can not imagine. Meet a Cancer brand and they will shower all the love to you. These are brands which strictly follow the institution of marriage between a brand and its customers. However , due to high interest in seeking security from the world, they become vulnerable. Bajaj is a cancer brand who loves the idea of building one product ( remember hamara bajaj) and tend to rule with that offering.

Aries brands

Individualistic, curious, always eager to know more about everything, fun to be with are core characteristics of these brands. These brands always tend to prove something to themselves and to the world and thus perceived as self centered brands. These brands love themselves more than anybody else. They are a good competitor. Apple comes under Aries brand.

Taurus brands

These brands believe in becoming selective in nature and these are no nonsense brands. These brands believe in friendship with limited no of customers vs a large no of people. Once understood, These brands have element of fun in them. Hints of dominance and authority, never give up attitude, focused, committed, hard working are the characteristics of these brands. Nike,Adidas & IBM come under Taurus brands. They mean business.

 Gemini brands

These brands know where to park there money, they judge people very well and respond accordingly. They are loving and cunning, both at one time. These brands have good sense of business and know how to scale up quickly. These brands have hint of meanness in their behavior hence these brands take more time to connect with people. They can pull a crowd on their own and showcase leadership with a defined period of time. LG comes under Gemini brands.
 
Libra Brands 

Charming, Collaborators, Good customer managers. These brands know how to connect with people without actually being connected. They use beauty,charm and heart ( soft skills) as their weapon and take the mind space of the customers. They believe in fair world and continuously work in bringing the equilibrium. these brands love compliments and are the best flirts in the all types of brands. however they generally are poor judge of people. They need validation from the customers on a continuous basis.P&G, Uniliver,, Facebook are types of libra brands.

Aquarius brands

Independent, lively, go getter,  Peacemakers, largely clear in their head. These brands are more focused in their approach towards their customers. They are truth tellers who believe in communicating at the right time and do not go preaching about themselves. they have a good connect with its customers. They believe in expanding their horizon with experience. They have all the weapons in their Armour. They believe in substance than talking big. Google is an Aquarius type of brand which by its strengths in clarity moving up the ladder.


Capricorn brands

Simplicity, high self esteem,fast, experimenters. These brands do not believe in disturbance and have their own set path. These brands believe in systems and procedures. These brands tend to make an impact on overall society. They believe in patterns and studying them. Logic is the key ingredient in their approach. They foster calculative experiments. These brands generally are more likely to get success if they decide on something. They do not believe in disruption and maintain harmony by being effective. Microsoft is such type of brand.

Virgo brands

These are the brands who believe in give and take. these are hard working for its customers. These brands tend to keep lot of information within themselves and seldom use it for maximum use. They believe in making immediate customer happy and satisfied. they often stick to one direction and continue walking that path. Nokia & Toyota is such type of brand.

Views expressed are personal only and people may have different opinions.


So, million dollar question, Which fusion are you?


Vikas Sachdeva