Why Wfactor works so well.

BUZZ works…period.
The trick is how to create the BUZZ around a product or service.

As an agency we started marketing into social networks some years back and developed a nation-wide network of housewives which give us permission to market/ place/ integrate the brands within their social networking times. The tryvertising leads to amazing results, both from the perspective of creating a buzz to also creating retail footfalls.
While the activation is predominantly focused on brands where-in the decision makers are predominantly women – the categories can be endless, ranging from the obvious once like f & b products, household products, women specific product to newer domains like families health care and insurance. The lady of the house influences buying decisions, esp. if she is passionate about a specific brand.
The format allows long encounters with the brand… as against a 30 sec TV spot. There is reason to try the product and experience it in the right ambience, discuss its qualities and benefits, ensure peer endorsement and approval. The group is also very vocal and is willing to share usage patterns, competition product reviews and your own product reviews (so much for vanilla packaged focused group research )
Product placement at the retail front and a clever use of redemption schemes normally ensure extended retail involvement and off-takes. Strategically brands can ensure “no white areas” in the premium geographies and all this while having an ability/option of staying far away from the expensive mass media techniques.
Due to the intensity of the interaction, the consumer not only becomes a buyer, but becomes a brand ambassador, creating the ripple effect within peer groups.

While on a different format P&G had enlisted 225,000 teenagers to tell their friends about brands like Herbal Essences and Old Spice. Last year, figuring the strategy could be just as effective with adults, P&G signed up 500,000 volunteers, all mothers, for Vocalpoint, a program in which the moms evangelize about pet food, paper towels and hair color. P&G gives the women marketing materials and coupons, but they are free to say whatever they like (or nothing at all) about the products. The so-called agents are provided with information about the clients' products and in return give detailed feedback about the conversations they have. Read more about this at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1609809,00.html

The interactive freedom.

What really makes this site http://www.mvm.com/en/index.htm stand out is that it goes way beyond only creating / generating a buzz. The content is interactive in the real sense of the word and will draw visitors, ensure that they try out the product – virtually and then buy. It provides an alternate (and may I say better) shopping experience.

While early adaptors of interactive content, like the Subservient Chicken, generated not only buzz, but a good amount of traffic for Burger King – my believe that a lot of “interactive content” pushed in by various brands and agencies is more to do with “me too” buzz rather than looking at an ROI from a good interactive web presence.

My belief is that success has to be found on combination of buzz (to drive traffic) and utility (to ensure ROI). Only buzz to me sounds very much like the “eyeball” game prior to the dotcom meltdown. The buzz needs to be taken over by usefulness or stickiness of the product and MY VIRTUAL MODEL achieves the same in a simple yet exciting manner. Anyone (some of my pals included) who has used this app (if I can call it that), have taken a few seconds to understand and then have stayed online, trying different brands, styles and colors and all on models which are their clones (well almost) – do you want to guess the average time that an individual can spend on this site?

Now imagine the “the long tail” of product line which can be retailed using this model – it is never going to be possible for a traditional retailer to stock the options.

This is the start of the end of brochure-sites on the web.

Excellent use of outdoor.

Innovative use of the SMS technology embedded with an outdoor campaign. The media seems to come alive and interact. Refreshing.

The virtual interface

Get a Voki now!



This is further to my earlier comment on the “interactive freedom”. Here’s is an app which goes a step further. Next step, digitizing the users photograph for a real look. Do visit www.voki.com

Is BTL all tactical?

It is more prone to more quicker and measurable success and hence I think it is more tactical then some of the mass media options. However, in a recent meeting with a brand owner, I observed the brand owners dilemma – where-in the “awareness” of his brand is on a high, however, the conversions at the last mile is what was missing. This is where he requires tactical approach and he turns to a BTL agency like ourselves.

His challenge is not about positioning or awareness – is challenge is about conversions and success.

Awareness (read ATL) for the top 3 to 5 brands in any category across most geographies is very high and is similar. While there could be a favored brand – however, it would be touch to get a brand which is “way far out”. The brands are cluttered together at the top without any specific reasons for one being far better than the other.

Take a classic case of a Coke vs Pepsi – which is better, which one is so special that the customer will move out of a restaurant if he is not served his favored option – unfortunately unless the customer is a mystery shopper J, he or she is willing to switch based on the salesman’s pitch or availability. While this is true for the 50 cent cola it is also true for high end televisions, shampoos and soaps.

I believe this is when advertising needs to shift towards tryvertising. The brand owner needs to re-think on percentage allocation towards brand building or awareness – when does the spend become an unnecessary burn and hence waste.

Strategically using tactical promotions, activations and campaigns ensure wins at the last mile – at the point when the decision is being made and at the point when choosing between “the top few brands” is not an earth shattering decision for the customer as it is for the brand owner.

The one on one connect at the last mile, where-in the concerns of the customer are highlighted and addressed, the brand proposition translated to product proposition and where the interaction move away from the 30 sec TV spot to a 3 minute interaction can change the customer’s current purchase and make him loyal for at least the next few purchases (esp. in case of small ticket purchases)