What?s that one thing many brand managers do after joining an organisation? Start a brand page on Facebook or create a Twitter handle. A majority of such initiatives are abandoned soon after they are started and there?s hardly an attempt to come up with a sustained strategy to tap the potential of the medium. Brandwagon speaks to Parijat Chakraborty, senior vice-president, technology and B2B and Shailendra Gupta, assistant vice-president, technology and B2B of TNS on the dos and dont’s of an online presence, the right way to monitor social media and the future of digital in India. Edited excerpts.
Why are brands being seen as intrusive when they have a presence on social networking websites?
Gupta: There should be a strong strategy to address social media and leverage it in favour of your brand. In developed/mature markets, consumers understand the game played by brands when they start pushing their content. India is very new as an internet market and it will take some time for people here to have clear preferences in terms of content. Having said that, 60% of the Indians online want to know about products and services on social networks and a sizeable portion of this is interested in buying as well. So there?s a great opportunity for marketers who understand the importance of utilising the medium in the right way.
According to you, what are some dos and dont’s of an online presence?
Gupta: First, one must understand the customers and what they are looking for. Then the company should consider the available resources within the organisation because driving social media is entirely different from managing traditional offline mediums. This will involve orientation of the entire organisation towards digital. At the same time, it is not necessary for every brand to jump on the digital bandwagon. While some companies can continue to rely on traditional mediums, in certain categories where online engagement is very high, there is a need to move forward with a strong strategy.
Today, companies (MNCs and domestic) are increasingly relying on agencies to take forward their digital stories. Is the modern marketer serious about the medium?
Chakraborty: The current level of awareness about digital is not very high in India. Every marketer is under pressure to create some sort of presence in this space without a clear agenda in mind because that?s what the herd mentality is. This is backfiring. It?s like waking up a Frankenstein and not taking care of it. Digital is both powerful and a dangerous medium. There are fewer examples of companies that are doing a great job in terms of making digital a crucial part of their media plan and more of those who are treating it as a formality.
Many times we see brands generating monotonous content online. Does controlling social media work?
Gupta: I do not think it makes sense. Very few people trust the opinion of others on this platform. But yes, there are some companies which are doing a good job in terms managing the digital conversations. As we speak, a leading PC manufacturer is doing this in a holistic way by employing a huge team that tracks blogs, answers consumer queries on social networking websites and also use it as a servicing platform. When you work in a structured manner, people will notice and consider you in a positive light.
Chakraborty: Managing social media is a tricky job. There are some companies that bring 500 people onboard for content generation. When consumers go through such content which always projects the brand in a positive light, they tend to be repulsed.
What?s the future of online content in India where internet penetration levels are way lower than that of the developed world?
Gupta: Proliferation of internet and devices will drive India?s digital growth story. This year has also witnessed the launch of some low cost tablets from Indian companies. Most of the telcos will be able to roll out 3G within next year. The government is also utilising Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) in a big way for subsidising the countrywide rollout of rural wireless broadband networks across the Panchayats. So more people will be accessing content online.
Chakraborty: For a majority of mobile phone population, content is still irrelevant. In India, youth may be the main TG of most of the brands but other age groups cannot be ignored. Developed markets have some exciting applications for housewives and retired men and women. So there?s a big gap that must be filled.