Programme sponsorship & Product Placements - the Good, the bad and the ugly!

The modern world is cut throat and only the fittest of the fittest survive. Companies resort to any trick of the trade to achieve eyeballs (more recognition and awareness of one’s product than that of the competition). Usually the easiest way out is sponsoring a programme on the TV or the radio. Most companies think it is a simple matter. Picking up the most popular programme (read the programme with the best TRP rating) and sponsor it.

The reality check is very different. “Padutha Teeyaga” a popular telugu music programme compered by P. Bala Subramanyam was initially sponsored by Bajaj. Bajaj later withdrew. There was nothing a Auto major like Bajaj could gain by sponsoring a music centric programme. Antakshari ( a music programme like the American Idol) was initially sponsored by Amrutanjan (a pain balm reliever). Watch Antakshari get headache and get it treated by Amrutanjan! Is it an insult to the programme or to the sponsor? The viewers has to decide for themselves. Finally sanity prevailed and the apt sponsor was found for Antakshari in Close-up. A splendid idea, get Close-up tooth paste as a sponsor which stands for freshness of breath and for a programme where the contestants (usually a boy and a girl) come very close to each other to crone a song.

We generally find that product placements in programmes are done very crudely. Many telugu movies have songs where a scantily dressed heroine dancing (sometime in rain). The background is lit up with gaudy hoardings of products or even worse an array of Kinetic Honda scooters or hero Honda motorcycles with their head lights/blinkers/side lights coming on and off. The viewers are put off by these in your face product placements.

Product placements are tackled very professionally in Hollywood. James Bond movie uses product placements but with lot of suave. James Bond wears an Omega, uses a Motorola and drives a BMW. A very apt product placement was for a television programme called “Chutke Bajake” which featured the famous Marathi actor Ashok Saraf. The hero in the serial snaps (Chutke) his fingers and gets involved in very interesting adventures.

The sponsor was quickfix. The connection? Quickfix at that particular point of time was running an advertisement film that showed a boss (Satish Shah) clicking his fingers and getting frantic attention from his harassed lady secretary played by Renuka Sahane. The solution to the problem - the secretary puts a small drop of quickfix between the thumb and the index finger of the boss. He no longer can click and when he can’t click he cant order his secretary around.

Whenever Ashok Saraf clicks his fingers in the serial one immediately gets reminded of quickfix. The double whammy is the title of the serial is also reminding the viewers of the advertisement. A wonderful marriage between the product and the programme.

Best marketing videos - The Ries report - Storyboard - All About Ads - 3 minute advertising films by advertising age

Today we will be discussing about the best marketing videos that a marketing professional should be seeing. The one set of videos that I would immediately recommend are the set of videos available on the YouTube and also on the web site www.riesreport.com. This is a video blog and has very informative video clippings about the latest happenings in the field of marketing. The author is Al Ries yes the same Al Ries of the iconic pair of Al Ries and Jack Trout. The video blog is great fun and is a compulsory watch. One can see streaming videos of the Ries report on the Youtube.com too.

The second set of videos that I would recommend watching is the videos of popular programme “Storyboard" aired by the television channel CNBC- TV18. This very informative programme is a weekly and carries latest news about marketing, advertising and media. It is a programme that is very heavy on Indian content. But the videos are very educative in nature and can be great supplementary view after reading the text book. Readers can get some content on the YouTube and also on a site storyboard.in.com. The Anchor of Storyboard started in 2001 is Anuradha Sengupta.

Another of my favorite television programme is aired on the NDTV profit and it is called “All About Ads". Again a very long running TV programme “All about ads" is a nicely packaged and presented show about marketing and advertising. The Anchor of this programme is Shruti Verma Singh. What I like about All About Ads is more focus on the advertising part and its very popular year end countdowns of the India’s' best advertising campaigns. These specials are very good for collection and are a treasure cove for academicians. All About ads also carries specials like "brand Sachin" "Iconic advertisements of the 70s and 80s" etc.

Brand Equity a marketing supplement of Economic Times was a great favorite of management students like us in the eighties. It was a supplement that we used to wait for. The Times of India launched a business channel called “ET NOW” and it was not surprising that they immediately launched a programme called “Brand equity”. Brand Equity the television programme is as much fun as the print version of Brand equity. The videos of brand Equity area available on the website of ET NOW. All the readers should try to catch the programme live on the television or go the web site of ET NOW and see these very informative videos.

From an international perspective I find the 3 minute videos of Advertising age to be very educative. These small but very knowledgeable videos of the magazine advertising age are available on the YouTube and they should be watched to know how to present a single topic very effectively and in the shortest possible time – 3 minutes flat. No wonder that Adverting age does such a great job, After all advertising is a field is supposed to sell a dream and that to in the shortest possible time – in a few seconds.

APSRTC - A shining example of market driven public sector organization

It is fashionable to talk about private sector as paragons of virtue and public sectors as the slow coaches dragging the economy backward. But certain public sector organizations stand out as examples of what can be done if the top management has a vision. One such excellent marketing organization is APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation). Given below are some very surprising and innovative marketing schemes of APSRTC.

CAT Card: Concessional Annual Travel (CAT) Card". The cost of the card is Rs.200 (around 5 US $). The card holder will get concession of 10% on fare and additional compensation of Rs.1.50 Lakh (3,750 US $) (accident benefit) for the first time buyers and in case of repeat buyers it is Rs.2 lakhs (5,000 US $).

JHT & IJHT (Jubilee Hi-tech & Inter-State Jubilee Hi-tech Tickets):  which are (valid for 7 days) to travel anywhere in Andhra Pradesh. The tickets are JHT for Intra-state travel and IJHT for inter-state travel. The tariff of Jubilee Express Ticket is Rs.700/- (17.5 US $) for adults and Rs.350/- (8.75 US $) for child and Inter-state Jubilee Hi-tech Ticket is Rs.1100/- (27.5 US $)for adults and Rs. 550/- (13.75 US $) for children.

TREATS (Travel Regularly and Earn an Additional (free) Trip Scheme):  targets frequent travellers. Under this scheme, a member of frequent traveller programme will be extended a free trip after performing 5 single trips in a period of 60 days, thus, giving a concession of 16.66%.

‘Travel as You Like' Tickets & holiday Tickets: valid on city and suburban routes are issued to the General commuters in cities / towns where City/Town / Suburban services are under operation. These tickets are issued in two types viz., Ordinary and Metro Travel As You Like Tickets entitling the holders to perform unrestricted travel by all services operating in that city / town for that day.

Link Ticket System/Return Journey Ticket:  Facility to Tirumala & Tirupati ( the richest and one of the most busy pilgrimage centre in the world): To avoid waiting in queue for purchase of tickets on reaching Tirumala, the system of link tickets (Rs.24/- (0.6 US $)for adults and Rs.12/- ( 0.3 US $) for children) has been introduced. These tickets are available at all the advance reservation counters and with the service conductors of Tirupati bound services. Similarly, both up & down journeys can be purchased for Tirupati to Tirumala in the up journey itself.

Student passes in Cities/Towns: The students studying in the colleges located in cities / towns are issued with slab rated quarterly route bus passes for a minimum slab of 4 KMs. to 22 KMs. maximum.

Special general bus tickets: APSRTC is also issuing Special Monthly General bus tickets in cities / towns to the students who are studying Job Oriented Courses. These bus passes are priced a little higher than the tariff charged to other regular students.

Exclusive trips to special schools/colleges: APSRTC operates exclusive buses to special schools/ colleges, where the number of students utilizing the facility is not less than 60. This facility is available both in cities / towns and in rural areas.

Physically challenged Bus passes: APSRTC also issues bus passes to the Physically challenged, mentally retarded, blind, deaf & dumb persons to travel free by the buses operating in cities / towns.

Monthly general bus tickets: These passes are issued in three categories viz., Ordinary, Metro Liner, Metro Express validating the holders of the pass to perform unrestricted journeys by the services applicable for which it is valid and operating in that city / town. The holders of superior class of bus passes viz., Metro Liner General bus ticket holders are allowed to travel by other inferior class of services viz., Metro Express,

Bus passes to NGO's.: the NGOs i.e., Govt. employees are being issued Monthly General bus passes for travel by the city / suburban services operating in these cities to enable them to attend to their duties

Free bus passes to youth attending interviews: Youth attending interviews conducted by the Government agencies like APPSC, DSC and State owned Public Sector Undertakings are issued "to & fro" free bus pass.

MLA's (Member of legislative Assembly their spouses and MP's (Member of Parliament): APSRTC allows all the MLA's., their spouses and MP's hailing from the A.P. to travel free by all its services.

Freedom fighters of Andhra Pradesh: APSRTC issues bus passes to all the Freedom Fighters of Andhra Pradesh who crossed 65 years of age and receiving pension either from the Government of Andhra Pradesh or from the Central Government.

Employees children: As a welfare measure to the employees of APSRTC, all the children of the employees of APSRTC studying in schools / colleges are extended all types of student bus passes at an additional concession of 75 % over the rates of bus passes charged to other students.

Hail & Board: All the village bound buses will be stopped wherever the passengers hail with an intention to board the bus.

Request and Alight: All the buses will be stopped on request at the passenger's convenient place en-route to alight

Amazing isn’t it! And to think that APSRTC is in the public sector. But APSRTC is definitely market driven. APSRTC has GPS systems, FM radio facility on many buses, and has a fairly good safety record. It is quite successful in marketing itself as an ideal vehicle for OOH media. It has instant feedback mechanism in the way of display of mobile numbers of depot Managers written right next to the driver. Pallevelugu (Village bound buses) have the entire front part of the bus devoid of any seats to enable villagers to carry their farm produce to the nearest town or village.

The driver is instructed in very plain telugu to press the clutch when changing the gear (written next is the message which says that doing so will increase the mileage and thus increases efficiency). Slogans goading the drivers to increase mileage and save the organization are prominently displayed. The back panel of the bus very proudly says “Journey by APSRTC is safe and secure and journey by private buses, autos, jeeps, tempos, seven seaters are unsafe and hazardous”.

Ten Commandments of Common sense marketing practices

1. 
   
   Thou shall make the customer feel elated and important: In the modern marketing era the customer is a king and he is a fickle king. He flirts between products and companies and demands utmost attention. It is imperative that we treat him with butter gloves and make him feel that his patronage really means a lot to us. How about saying thanks next time you serve a customer and that too with a smile.
2. 
   
   Thou shall show that you care: The customer may come to you with any problem real or perceived. You shall not belittle him or try to show off your product knowledge on him. Remember that his product is new to him and it is better to educate him about the usage of the same. Wrong usage could lead to dissatisfaction and can result in negative word of mouth publicity.
3. 
   
   Thou shall listen to the customer: Listen do not interrupt. Good marketing people listen more and talk less. An irate customer should be allowed to air his grievance for as long as he desires. The more he talks the more he will vent his frustration and the more you will know about his problems.
4. 
   
   Thou shall try to help him solve his problem and aviod trying to sell an unwanted product: The customer might actually need a pin and ask for a stapler. Just because he asks for a stapler does not mean that you will sell him a stapler. Probe to find out real wants and sell only an appropriate product. A pin seeking customer  who buys a stapler might never return as he feels cheated at a later stage.
5. 
   
   Thou shall not fool a customer and try to pull wool over his eyes: Please do not confuse the customer with lots of Jargon and tech speak. Speak plainly, speak his language and use simple language. For example do not say 21" wing span for a ceiling fan instead say the fan wings are so big that breeze can reach the remote corners of the room.
6. 
   
   Thou shall be truthful and honest: If a certain thing is not possible simply say so. A marketer is a not a magician. He can’t pull rabbits out of a hat. It is better to say no and save the face for a future interaction. Remember you can fool many people many times, some people some times but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
7. 
   
   Thou shall try to fulfill all promises: Make only those promises that you can fulfill. The trick is to under promise but over deliver. This leads to customer delight. In simple words if the delivery of a certain item is 10 hours commit 16 hours. Delivery of the item even in the 15th hour will result in delight as the customer is expecting delivery only in the 16th hour.
8. 
   
   Thou shall keep in touch and network: The marketer who networks will be a very successful person. A good marketing job results in a satisfied customer. So what is stopping us in networking with the customers and soliciting his friends, relatives and acquaintances addresses? Your satisfied customer’s reference will open doors of opportunities and chance to generate more sales.
9. 
   
   Thou shall try to be faithful and show zeal to buyers and non buyers (window shoppers): It has been noticed that marketers fawn over customers showing willingness to buy immediately and show a cold shoulder to casual window shoppers. How does one know that the casual window shopper is not on the threshold of a major buying decision? Treat all customers as if they are about to buy the product.
10. 
    
    Thou shall be courteous and respectful towards competitors: One thing that all marketers should avoid is to bad mouth the competition. The best way to tackle competition is to say “Yes they are good, they have good products but we have better products. Better on price, better on features, better on service and we have more satisfied customers”. It has been noticed that bad mouthing competition has startling negative effect. Continuous bad mouthing will lead to the customer actually talking favorably about competition. The customer feels that he has to defend the competition as the competing company is not present to defend itself. So by badmouthing the competition you may actually be pushing the customer towards the competition!

Smart selling Commandment 1 (Part - 1)

The author himself, most of the practitioners of management and the young aspiring enthusiasts have been weaned on a stable diet of the principles and practices of management gurus like Philip Kotler, Peter F. Drucker and Elmer Wheeler. But the real education comes from the mother of all teachers that is real time, on the job experience. It has been proved that the real successful managers have been the ones who had put-in valuable experience in the field before learning the nuances of the art of manage-Men –Tactfully. (MANAGE-MEN-T)

I would highlight some of the smart selling techniques taken from my own life.  These commandments are culmination of observation.  Observation is the most invaluable art which all management practitioners should actively cultivate. The commandment that will be discussed today is Smart retail selling or Psycho - selling.

Visualize a scene common to all of us who shop for daily requirements from the numerous kirana shops that dot the vast expanse of India. The customer approaches the shopkeeper and in a quiet voice asks his requirements. The usual response from the nose picking, pan chewing, shopkeeper is a curt " Nahi Hai" (I dont have it!). The shopkeeper is least bothered about customer’s need nor is he bothered about satisfying the same. Most of the customers would beat a hasty retreat after such a rebuttal. A brave customer might venture further to enquire as to where one could procure the desired article, only to be met with a stone walling reply " Nahi Mallom ". ( I don't know).

Let us venture into the shop itself. Ask for your articles and the surly shopkeeper would shout obscenities to the timid attender who in panic would sloppily weigh out the item in the fashion described below.

The attender would take a paper packet and put it in the weighing scale and hunt for the non-available weighing measure. If it is found it's alright, but if not found he would pick up any already packed item of the same weight and use the same. Then he would pour the item into the other side and inevitably pour more quantity than required. Then he would proceed to take out the quantity of the item to get to the desired weight.

Meanwhile the shopkeeper is impatient. He just can't wait. He would quickly calculate the bill, grumble about the change, make some snide comments, try to palm off some eminently uneatable toffees in lieu of loose change. The deal over, he would slip back into a world of his own and wonder why his customers never seem to come back. The end result is a dissatisfied customer who vows never to return to the same shop.

Let us now see how it can be done and how it is being done in many cases. The shopkeeper is eager to help the customer. He is courteous and will direct you to a place where you could procure the desired articles. Once inside the shop the difference is palpable. The shop is spic and span. The attenders are ready and eager. The weighing scale is smart and the weighing measures are near by. The attender would take a plastic pouch and the item that is to be weighed will be poured little by little into the pouch and the same process would be continued till the weighing scale slowly tilts down.

Psychologically and without our knowledge the shopkeeper is scoring winning points. When the item is poured in excess and subsequently taken out we feel cheated because we would feel that the quantity that is being taken out is ours. In the second instance when the quantity is being added we would feel that we are getting more quantity. As simple as that.

As the customer is moving to the paying counter the alert shopkeeper would come out with " Saab Ji, Anything more". What is the shopkeeper trying to induce? Nothing but to trigger our inherent trait of impulse purchases. The customer ends up buying products like chocolates, biscuits, noodles etc.