From the web to the consumers' doorstep; enabled commerce for FMCG brands.

FMCG brands are uniquely challenged when it comes to exploiting the digital boom. The in-ability to close the loop using a traditional e-commerce route has plagued the sector forever. 

Almost all digital spends undertaken by FMCG brands have resulted in an increased awareness and engagement, however, resultant transactions have been a challenge. 

Traditional ecommerce has been a non-starter in the sector due to low product cost, lower retailer margins, very high logistics costs etc. 

AaramShop’s unique model, enables FMCG brands to extend their digital campaigns to have a last mile connect. 

Connecting digital assets to last mile assets for FMCG brands

AaramShop enables home delivery of your brands to millions of households across India via its thousands of partner retailers who are strategically placed within the neighborhoods. 

View a simple example here of how a “buy now” integration can change a touch-point to an action point. 

To ensure that your next digital campaign or your existing digital assets get you a higher and a trackable RoI, do contact me.

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• AaramShop Grocery Festival - the power of many.

AaramShop Grocery Festival - the power of many.

We have all seen "festivals and discount sales" being advertised by leading retailers on a month on month basis - and therefore it is quite obvious for folks to turn around and question the uniqueness associated with the AaramShop Grocery Festival which has been announced today for the next 8 days. 

The similarities end it being called a festival - the format is unique as it is probably the very 1st of it kind of multi-retailer, multi-brand format focused on FMCG / CPG brands.

The festival would run for 8 days at over a 1300 independently operating neighborhood grocers across New Delhi and 5 satellite towns catering to a population of over 22 million. 

AaramShop Grocery Festival is the largest unified consumer promotion created for small, independently operating retailers operating out of our neighborhoods.

The ASF is not designed as a "discount sale", but rather about creating pleasant surprises for shoppers when they buy any brand of groceries and daily essentials at their trusted neighborhood store. It is all about getting a little more than what the shopper had expected. The shopper gets to be part of the festival either by walking into the store or by ordering on the phone or by ordering groceries online from his neighborhood retailer using AaramShop.

The festival has been cleverly created to adopt to the varying business practices of the independent retailers and thus does not need modifications in the "business as normal", while at the same time helping the retailer grow his business.

The festival also helps brands connect with their consumers and retailers in a meaningful manner and therefore the festival has been partnered by some of the leading brands. The lead sponsor of the festival is Catch Salts & Spices (DS Group) & it is co-sponsored by Kohinoor Rice (Mc Cormick), Colgate Total (Colgate Pamolive), Saffola Oats (Marico), Red Label Natural Care (Hindustan Unilever), Sofit (Godrej Hershey) & Vanish (RB). 

 

The Delhi & NCR edition of the festival is the 1st of the series of festivals which would be held across the country and with the hope that the festival would have a positive impact on the businesses of the retailers over time and during the initiative. Contact us to know more about this initiative.  

Extending the print media. The New Standard.

It is wonderful to see the Augmented Reality (AR) integration with print media brought about by Times of India and Adstuck Consulting.

What sets this use of AR aside is that it is not designed as an one-off advertisement that has AR integration which are generally viewed as gimmicks, but rather is firmly planted as a standard feature on the morning newspaper on a daily basis and that will ensure its wide-spread adoption and usage in a short time.  

This technology has been around for years as QR code readers, but no newspaper in the world has used it editorially to delight its readers and create a new level of interactivity.

Believe this is how the future of not just newspaper but most print media would look in the era of convergence. The increase in the user base would have a huge and a positive impact on the usage of the technology for advertisers.

Download and test it from here and let me know what you think.

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10 Brand Marketing Trends that Should Dominate 2013

Came across this article in Forbes and I thought it was worth sharing - as these are the brand marketing trends that can open significant opportunities or create big challenges over the next 12 months.

What makes it even more interesting is that 7 of the 10 trends (to a lesser extent the other 3 as well) are significantly dominated by social media. Interesting to see that Susan has given traditional media a skip, other than stores that help create "brand experiences".

Wonder if brand's media marketing spends are going to follow the marketing trends.

Read more here

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A New Era For Experiential Marketing

Experiential marketing has been around since the days of the traveling salesman. But with a strong assist from technology, it now it is re-emerging as the backbone of many branding plans.

Came across this wonderful article on CMO and felt it was worth sharing. 

The article captures the key changes and the fact that the empowered consumer has made experiential marketing a necessity in some areas, such as retail and electronics, where showrooming is turning products into commodities. 

And with the rise of online and mobile shopping empowering consumers to commoditize products, a tactile experience becomes a good way to set one product aside from another.

Read the full article here on CMO

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KLM Travelpredictions

Here is another great example of good use of digital by KLM. Using the digital footprints we leave on Facebook, KLM Travelpredictions is able to "predict" a future travel destination based on the interest graph. 

This was created by River. The service is launched in 25 markets and is now earning revenue from actual sales.

Try it here

Online and offline channels converge - 2013 and onwards.

Rebecca Lieb in her recent article titled 7 digital marketing trends to watch in 2013 refers to online and offline channel convergence as one of the big trends to watch out for. 

While she broadly refers to it as media becoming more digital, and that we're seeing digital messages appear in new places. Out-of-home channels such as billboards and digital signage - as well as TV screens - are hosting streaming and social media, I would like to suggest a step further. 

I would suggest the emergence of an increased seamless interoperability between the online and offline media and the blurring of the boundaries of the media formats. For e.g. a QR code on a print ad / OOH media leading the consumer to the website / mobile app with an ability to order the product via an eCommerce site or from a store. 

I had written about how we are enabling "Clicks to Bricks" integration for FMCG brands' digital campaigns.

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• Online and Offline shopping experiences are blurring.
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Measure the results of your digital initiatives with BS detector.

Buzz words are everywhere and often over-shadow the need for a well defined marketing analytics framework, which generate and track meaningful results. Adobe has got it bang on in the above video. :-)

We are going beyond the buzz words. We are Simplifying Einstein

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The mobile train has left the station: Are you on board?

Brand marketers and retailers are often unsure of the need to up-the-ante when it come to mobile commerce and still consider it something that is too far out into the future. And then suddenly it seems to hit us hard. 

This past Black Friday was the day we realized that mobile shopping would be the future and while the numbers that came in correspond to the US, the trend is what needs to be looked at.

 

On Black Friday 2012, one out of every four dollars spent online at retail websites came from a mobile device. This amounts to more than $300 million dollars in one day alone. 

For those retailers (and brands) who’ve already embraced mobile, it was a day of celebration, a culmination of their hard work and foresight. For retailers who didn’t get their share of this new mobile world, it’s a wake-up call: Get with the mobile program, or have consumers leave you behind.

Read the full story here and if you are a FMCG / CPG brand or retailer talk to us to understand how mobile commerce would work for you and how it can be part of your marketing strategy.

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Superb Marketing Campaign for Nature Valley Granola Bars.

This is a fantastic marketing initiative by General Mills Nature Valley Granola Bars.

Awesome objective, great strategy, superb brand fitment and creation of not just a great campaign, but something that will be used for years on end by a thankful target audience. 

I rate this as one of the best marketing initiatives that I have come across. 

The video link below captures the process and the impact and I would suggest that you experience it here on the website

Got Milk? A digital activation.

Soy, coconut and almond milks are saying they’re healthier than real milk. But why? What’s in them? Here is a website to celebrate just that, all the ingredients that go into imitation milk. 

Has been Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the Califonia Milk Processors Board to drive awareness.

I liked the thought, the strategy and the integration of devices; however, I did feel that the video interface makes the experience a little jerky and not as much of fun as I would have liked it to be, especially on the mobile device.

Visit the website here

CPG Mobile Marketing Strategy

Here is a comprehensive presentation by Brunner on how & why CPG / FMCG companies can adopt mobile marketing and make it an integral and "growing in importance" part of their overall strategy. 

The Future of Marketing by Gerd Leonhard.

Another gem by Gerd Leonhard - the futurist. 

Rebooting Media: From Ego to Eco

Fantastic presentation by Futurist Gerd Leonhard. Almost every slide is a lesson in business.  Enjoy.

Smart SM response management.

There are number of cases where bad management of engagement on social media can become a nightmare for brands and people (tons of examples of late). 

But here is a refreshing way to respond to a tweet. SmartCar responded to a tweeter who took a jab at and joked about bird poop totaling a SmartCar. It offered some compelling math and provided an infographic to show just how much bird poop it would actually take to total a car. 

Smart social media management. 

It’s time for dinner! Lawry's Digital Dinner Bell.

Lawry’s Digital Dinner Bell was born as the modern way to get family and friends to the table. 

The initiative / campaign is focused on the core of Lawry's recipe database.  

Start by selecting a flavor for tonight's dinner. Next, browse the Lawry's recipe database of the chosen flavor, pick a recipe, and prepare it. 

When it’s ready, invite family and friends to dinner. 

With a simple shake, your phone rings the Digital Dinner Bell and lets your family know that dinner is ready via SMS, Facebook posts, or a personalized phone call. 

It’s the modern way to get your family and friends to the table for a quality, family meal. 

Download your own dinner bell from here (Android only) and enjoy a family dinner.

Dove Ad Makeover.

From superficial makeover to mental makeover. Great consumer powered campaign. 

The idea of 'displacing negative ads' with ones designed to make women feel good about themselves, came to life by harnessing the Facebook Marketplace API. Rather than following traditional methods of the brand deciding on what the user should see we put the power of displacing negative advertising directly in the hands of women.

The Naked Espresso.

Loved the idea of unwrapping the core of the Espresso Machine to give individual identity to each poured cup. 

And suddenly your coffee has got character.  

In an aim to challenge Australians perception of the brand and position Breville and it’s Dual Boiler in a complex opinionated premium espresso market, Reborn (the agency) needed to highlight the premium features and specification of the espresso machine.