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October 29, 2024

Not so Sweet Jab: Paytm takes a playful dig at Zepto's free Soan Papdi Campaign!!!




Paytm's new campaign, ‘Iss Diwali gifting ka naya tareeka shuru karo (this Diwali starts a new trend in gifting),” comes as a surprise. Paytm is a fading brand in the payment apps. It is seen as a Nokia in that category. Just like Nokia, it grew the segment only to give way, market share, word of mouth, and top-of-the-mind awareness to Google Pay and Phone Pay. Phone Pay and Google Pay have become the default payment apps, and Paytm is slowly fading into the background.

The advertisement shows a family visiting their friend’s house on Diwali night. As they are ringing the bell, they hear voices from inside the house. The husband is commenting, “What did you get as a gift from your office?" His wife says, “Soan Papdi, what else? and adds, “If anyone else gifts me Soan Papdi, I will shove it down their damn throats.”.

Hearing this, the visiting couple hurriedly dumps the offending soap Papdi gift packet into the bushes. Pleasantries are exchanged, and the cheeky little boy asks, “Uncle, what gift have you brought us?”. The friend couple is nonplussed for a second but recovers dramatically and transfers Rs 1,100/- on Paytm, and the day is saved. But rubbing salt into the wound, he cheekily comments, “With that money, your dad can buy you gifts or can buy you—Soan Papdi!!!”.

In the present scenario, it is quite strange that Paytm launched this campaign. It was okay to talk about its own USP (it is no longer Paytm’s USP) and try to promote itself. Instead, it is trying to make fun of Zepto, who is trying to do a noble thing in trying to bring back glory for Soan Papdi.

While the Zepto campaign brings a lump to the heart and makes us smile, the Paytm campaign tries to be too smart for its own good. It is smart alerky and sounds like a campaign executed by a fresh behind-the-ears management school employee trying to be funny and falling flat on his/her face.

And while Zepto and Paytm have a symbiotic relationship. Each is dependent on the other for survival. Customers use Zepto and Paytm for convenience. So, is it worthy to make fun of your business partner? Not in my view. Both need each other to survive. All in all, a campaign that could have been avoided. 

October 20, 2024

Great one Zepto, "Make Soan Papdi Great Again" Campaign




In a world filled with overstimulation, overexposure, and Deja vu, I had to be triggered off my Sunday slumber to write this piece. This campaign shook me up!

In India, everything is a status symbol including sweets. Once Padma, my wife hesitatingly asked me, what is your favorite, "sweet?".  Without batting an eyelid, I answered "Ravaladdu". Padma watched me with a wide-open mouth. She was astonished "Ravaladdu?". 

She expected that my answer would be Ajmer Kalakand, Kaju Katli, Badam roll, dry fruit laddu, Matka rasagulla, or something costly and exotic. She sheepishly told me that her favorite was an equally humble sweet, "Jilebi". 

I could never understand how sweets could even become status symbols. I worked in a country where eating sweets was considered a sissy (girlish) habit. There are no sweet shops in entire Ethiopia!!

I am puzzled why Soan Papdi is the Butt of all jokes when it comes to sweets. It is not preferred and is among the least-liked sweets. It is rarely gifted during the festivals and even if gifted, is rarely consumed and the lovely Soan Papdi hardens into lumps and finally is thrown into the dustbin. 

What a pity. This mouthwatering sweet that is easy to eat, and ridicule is actually quite tough to prepare. It needs great muscle power to prepare Soan Papdi. It does not create a mess like the syrupy Gulab Jamoon or the Rasagulla. 

Thus it is heartening to see Zepto partner with a Soan Papdi maker to run the,  “Make Soan Papdi Great Again” campaign  

This festival season with every delivery,  Zepto customers would receive a free box of Soan Papdi and stand a chance to win prizes worth 5 crore rupees. 

Brilliant campaign Zepto!! You have hit the bull’s eye. This one resonates. Triple whammy I would Say. Firstly Zepto is giving a sweet box and receiving a sweet box is considered auspicious, secondly as the sweet is Soan Papdi, Zepto would get a great deal as it is a generic promotion for the product.

The cost of Soan Papdi is reasonable and Zepto would not have to burn a hole in its pocket to get huge quantities. The well-known Soan Papdi makers would give their Soan Papdi free to get favourable word-of-mouth publicity and to garner eyeballs. 

Thirdly as there is a chance to win Rs 5 crore worth of prizes many customers would switch to Zepto for their parcel deliveries. Great way to go Zepto,  a man biting a dog campaign.

update 23-10-2024

My Cousin Mrs. Vasundhara Nanjappa from Bangalore sent a WhatsApp message saying that 100 grams of Soan Papdi was given. Karachi Bakery a Hyderabad based company has tied up with Zepto for the supply of Soan Papdi. Thanks for the update. 







July 21, 2024

When insulting customers becomes your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)!!!

 



I keep finding videos about this guy on my feed. Some find his kachoris to be excellent and some extremely bad! 

What is puzzling is this person's extreme rude behaviour. He is seen mouthing obscenities aimed at customers. He calls a customer "son of a pig". My point is if you dont like this guy then don't patronize his shop. As simple as that. 

The most appaling thing about this shop is the way the curry is scooped into the container made of leaves. It is sloppy and we can clearly see the spilled gravy. It is very unhygienic and it is true with many street sellers. 

These street sellers think that speed is the only thing that matters and they throw egg shells with impunity on the street. I have also seen dosa makers flip that extra batter at the edge of the tava directly on to the street. Many have developed quirky and funny ways of making these street food. 

For me the end product matters and I am not really impressed by the threatics. Threatics are best left to the actors!

June 26, 2024

Unlocking the Power of Experiential Marketing: Transforming Audiences into Advocates!!


The media explosion has left customers jaded, with a clear sense of déjà vu. They mentally yawn and say to themselves, “Oh yeah, so what? Bring on the next one." Nothing excites or stimulates them. They tend to pass on or ignore most of the promotions. 

Companies face a double whammy. They must think outside the box and invest significantly, as the media landscape is vast and highly fragmented. Creating a buzz around the brand and its promotions is essential.

Experiential marketing is a marketing strategy that creates unique and memorable customer experiences to engage with a brand. 

Handing out freebies and free samples simply doesn’t work any longer. Companies and brands must generate the "oomph factor" to make their brand stand out. Create a buzz that gets the customers talking and engaging with the brand. Create a unique experience that encourages people to share their engagement on social media. The promotional campaign should become the talk of the town, attracting enthusiastic participation in the experiential marketing effort.

Here are some highly innovative experiential promotional campaigns that evoked the "Voila, wow, c’est excellent" (Wow, that was excellent) feeling among the target audience.


Discover the 007 in you - Coca-Cola Zero Campaign!!!
James Bond is the most iconic spy character in the world. "I like my martini Shaken and not Stirred" and "My name is Bond, James Bond" remain etched in our collective memory. For the movie "Skyfall" the producers tied up with Coca-Cola. 

The campaign was titled "Discover the 007 in you". From start to finish the interactive campaign unfolds like a regular James Bond movie. The participants race against time to reach the predetermined spot. The successful participants earn free movie tickets. 

Coca-Cola and the movie makers should be appreciated for such a unique experiential campaign. I am sure that the participants would have enjoyed the contest and would have given it lots of free publicity on their respective social media handles.      

Live Angry Birds 

Smart Ford Electric Car 

Volkswagen

Yoplait - Yoghurt

Lipton Ice Tea Misting Stations 


Span Air - Christmas Gifts 


ASICS  Sports Shoes 


National Geographic - Virtual Reality 

Coca-Cola Hug Machine 

Coca-Cola Small World Machines 

Sprite Shower 

Taking Snaps with Super Models 

Nike Super Dunk 

Fiat Cafe 

Macy Example