As attendance levels drop, the opportunities don’t need to.

Every B2b brand owner and every agency is worried about the increasingly larger numbers of “dropout” audiences at their business / lead generating events. On the surface the concern seems serious; the brand spends a lot of time (and monies) targeting, reaching out and securing registrations from its potential customers, channel partners and more. It then spends monies in staging an event, where-in, the dreaded attrition sets in.

Agencies and B2b brand owners are now battling a 50-60% attrition at most business cities across Asia and the reasons are multiple ranging from the prospect receiving too many invitations to attend forums (and getting pursued too hard by the agencies), to not enough content in the forum and also to deadlines at work back at the office.

So as the attrition percentage increases, is this the beginning of the end of the business events?

Far from it! But it is the beginning of the need to attract and retain attention. It is not enough to host an event in a fancy hotel with an excellent F&B spread – the serious prospect does not dig it anymore. The ability of these events to generate good ROI is increasingly reducing.

Content is king. It is better to host fewer but more powerful forums. While the logic is simple, very few seem to get it. Delegates complain to having to spend time on a subject which deserves nothing more than a white paper. Brand owner’s need to go easy on blatantly & naked lead generation oriented sales pitches at events.

However, attrition is the part of the game and hence the logical thing to do is to ensure that you have a plan to address the “drop-outs”. The plan has to integral to the overall plan to host the event. The techniques of addressing the drop-outs are plenty but thy need to be an integral part of the campaign.

Some of the more efficient tactics include a CRM program which is designed to address the drop outs, by way of access to whitepapers, presentations, courseware and methods of communicating to presenters like a well moderated discussion forum. Access to a delayed web-cast of the forum is another great way to reach the delegates who are interested, but are unable to attend the physical event. The analytics linked to the web-cast allows an excellent filtering mechanism to zero down on the interested potential customers. Review a good example of a web-cast here.


The law of percentages and a 50% attrition level; ensures that a well crafted and an integrated campaign to address the “drop-outs” will increase the ROI by 100% from its current levels. Don’t fret attrition, learn to ride it.

Shatter the classic servicing dilemma.

Over the years and through hundreds of client meetings we have observed the various issues which are of great criticality for the client, and his / her key expectations from the agency and have tried plotting them together to unearth an interesting trend – there are only 3 expectations which a client has from his agency. (esp his marketing services agency)

Of a lot of expectations which a client might discuss (which he believes he has from his agency) when giving a brief, they all boil down to the three most critical once:

1. Need to make the concept / idea “Bigger” and “Better” than what has been done in the past.
2. Need to do the same at “lower” or “effective” costs.
3. Need to have the proposal/ideas/concept/solution at the “earliest”.

Think it thru’ – Is there ever a 4th major issue ?

This is where the dilemma begins; (A state of things in which obstacles present themselves from every side, and is difficult to determine what course to pursue, a vexatious alternative or predicament; a difficult choice or position.)


However, like the corners of a triangle which cannot meet, this dilemma cannot be resolved by regular procedures.

Tell the client he does not have the privilege of 3 options but of 2 - any two, in order for him to resolve the dilemma and for the agency to give him a solution which meets the objectives.

He can choose:

Option 1: Better & Faster but not Cheaper
If the solution has to be great and it needs to be turned around in a short time, it will need a lot of energy and hence it cannot be cheap to provide that service. This solution would be expensive.

Option 2: Better & Cheaper but not Faster
If the clients wants a solution which is great but has major budget problems and also want it to be cheap, then a solution could be presented but the same would take time to conceptualize.

Option 3: Faster & Cheaper but not Better
If the client is in a hurry to implement a solution and wants it cheap then the solution cannot be great.

Use the simple triangle, to help resolve the issue for yourselves, the client and the agency. When you are able to BUST this dilemma and clarify the position to the client you will have the ease of communicating the requirements internally and present to the client the solution which he or she is really looking for.

Keeps the viewer engaged beyond 30 secs, at least.

The Kraft Food Holdings Inc’s online campaign for Easy Mac is interesting, though short of brilliant. The Easy Mac Micro Maniac keeps one engaged & interested for a while. Everybody has had an urge to “microwave” stuff which should not be ideally put in the microwave. The anticipation of results and the expected explosion keep you wanting to try different things. Try putting the eggs in the microwave !!

I believe it could have been more interactive and fun, if the list of what could be “microwaved” was user-defined, and went a little beyond the current list. Other sections are interesting but too “commercial”.

View the site here.

RIP ~ ATL (well almost)

We have been discussing & reading about research which indicates drop in the ATL spends while there is corresponding increase in the BTL (including online) spends by one industry vertical after another. However, the recent research article based on the survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK – the "Marketing Trends Survey," conducted by Ipsos MORI, kind of made me sit up and marvel at the speed at which the change is happening.



As per the survey only 15% of the marketing budget is planned to be invested into adverting, the balance is opportunities in the “btl and digital” domains: deep dive into the article here:

However, going a little back in time, the trend was eminent (the scale and speed are stunning) and inline with a different research undertaken by IDC in the US years back, which was focused on the major IT industry spenders, which very clearly indicated an intention to drop spends on both org. personnel and the $ spends on ATL (as much as 20%) while moving larger allocations to Direct. This was 3 years back.


Also very clear where the areas of focus for most marketing decision makers / spenders. They were obviously gunning for tools which had worked and showed the higher returns on the
marketing dollars as against the traditional media. This was more so in verticals where the marketing spends were predominantly focused on a B2b or B2 “a well defined C” formats. Lead generation and digital were the areas to place bets on! (refer below) In a way what was projected as “possibilities” in 2003 are turning to realities in 2007.


However, I think the trend has never been questioned in the last decade or so (other than by a few die hard ATL fans). It is also very obvious from the investments being made by media holding companies: they are without doubt investing into marketing services and digital. That’s where the growths are.

The fact that BTL (read promo) outweighs ATL, was established in markets like the US as way back as 03. Well documented in the PMA and Promo study. Below is the image from the study presentation which had shaken all of us then, where-in it was 1st established that Promo spends are higher than ATL in the US.





While the facts and figures are beyond doubt, and the trend is moving eastwards, the reasons for the change in scenario is simple – better and defined ROI, period.

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