The pandemic has brought about notable shifts across industries, and the case has been no different for marketing. Today, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect in order to acquire new customers and retain existing ones. In our weekly BrandWagon Ad Talk series, industry experts highlight what has changed over the past two years and more importantly, are these changes here to stay. Amit Relan, co-founder and CEO, mFilterIt, talks to BrandWagon Online, about the dos and don’ts of digital marketing, best marketing campaigns, and more.
What is the difference between launching a brand in today’s digital era versus earlier?
Launching a brand in today’s time has evolved from earlier times due to the change in content consumption behaviour due to the penetration of mobile networks and easy access to the internet.
The traditional advertising mediums had their limitations and reaching a large audience base required a significant investment. Whereas, with the emergence of digital, brands can now connect with audiences across the globe with minimal investment. Apart from the improved accessibility and reach, digital platforms provide an opportunity to engage with their consumers through social media, blogs. This provides access to real-time feedback and conversations with users enabling brands to build long-term relationships and improve products and services.
Earlier, consumer behaviour was analysed based on physical surveys and market research. Today, with the help of advanced analytics tools brands can access detailed insights into customer behaviour, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. This enables the new age businesses to customise their message for each individual they are reaching out to.
Digital has made it easy for brands to set up a store, start a business with a meagre investment and reach a vast audience within the comfort of a house. Digital has also bridged the gap between customers and the brand. Today, brands are expected to be transparent and socially responsible.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
Nowadays, advertising campaigns are used to inform and educate the end consumers. Brands are going out of their way to bring creative advertising campaigns to not just promote their products but also bring a change. Some of the recent advertising campaigns that caught my eye were “Vigil aunty campaign by HDFC Bank”, “Buri Neeyat wale tera call laal” by TrueCaller, and “Power of One” by RuPay. These campaigns portray a strong message to bring awareness. While HDFC Bank and TrueCaller used the advertising campaigns to bring awareness to scams happening in the BFSI and telecom sector, the RuPay campaign reflects the growth and adoption of digital payments in not just urban but rural parts of India.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
One of the most creative uses of digital was by Oreo during their “Bringback2011” campaign where they leveraged
MS Dhoni, and the cricket fever in India. This was a creative approach taken by the brand to drive enthusiasm across the country and give a playful shift to the cultural nuances related to stereotypes of cricket in India. Their 360-degree marketing approach covered all the platforms and created a buzz to bring together the entire country to make India win.
In a post-Covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
The landscape of digital marketing has evolved in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some key do’s and don’ts for digital marketing in the post-COVID era:
Do’s:
• If you’re not online, you’re leaving money on the table. Embrace the online presence and strengthen it with a website, social media and ecommerce platform to be seen by the right people.
• Focus on quality over quantity and try to address the concerns and needs of your target audience.
• Be flexible and adapt to the ever-evolving marketing conditions and customer-centric approach to build trust and loyalty.
• Leverage data analytics to make informed marketing decisions and refine strategies for greater efficiency.
Don’ts:
• Be mindful of data privacy regulations and online security to maintain trust with customers.
• Ensure to adhere to ethical practices in your marketing efforts.
• Maintain a balance between human efforts and automation processes to reduce errors and increase efficiency.
• Proactively monitor and analyse competitor’s digital marketing efforts to stay ahead of the curve.
• Pay attention to customer feedback and adapt strategies accordingly.
• Maintain brand consistency across all channels to build a unified brand image.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen, and why?
Brand safety threats have been a serious concern in digital advertising and require immediate attention to safeguard brand reputation. The risk of ad placements besides unsafe and harmful content has rapidly increased. A recent study by Adalytics shows that the ads were displayed in subpar ad formats, were muted 80% of the time, could not be skipped, and autoplay off to the side screen.
Another threat has been the rise of made-for-advertisement websites which pose potential risks to a brand’s reputation. These websites often have low-quality content, hosting pirated and illicit content. Being associated with this content often raises a question about the brand’s image and leaves the users disinterested in the users.