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. Komal Mishra, associate vice president, OML Entertainment 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?
With digital becoming a launchpad, and not just a support medium to mainline, it’s easier and faster than ever to bring brands to market.
While options multiply rapidly, the journey between awareness to purchase has shortened significantly. The same consumer is engaging with your brand differently on different touch points, while also engaging with several other brands. Consumers are increasingly demanding personalized experiences that cater to their unique preferences.
Which is why tailoring your digital strategy for different consumer cohorts, distribution channels, and swiftly recalibrating based on what’s working is key.
Brand marketing on digital and performance marketing go hand-in-hand now and applies to brands across sectors.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
There’s more than one that stood out for me for different reasons. Oppo’s cleverly and boldly crafted campaign with Ranbir Kapoor to launch Reno8T is an example of an engineered viral moment done right.
It started with Ranbir’s video making it to Instagram where he was seen tossing a fan’s phone.
It capitalised on Bollywood’s fandom to create an instant stir; used Ranbir who has no presence on social media and has never been seen in an orchestrated stunt, making the act very believable. The chatter built organically to viral proportions before Oppo stepped in and owned it.
Some brands are setting a great example of using AI to deepen the engagement with consumers, and not just make their presence felt. Dark Fantasy’s recent campaign – Har Dil ki Fantasy with Sharukh is an example of this.
Another one is Coke’s Create Real Magic, where Coke enabled people to create their own unique artworks with the iconic bottle using GenAI. It’s a brilliant example of a brand putting AI in consumers’ hands, not adhering too rigidly to ‘branding guardrails’ and making people feel closer to the brand.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
I’d say Swiggy – They’ve cranked up the number of stand-out campaigns in the last 1 year to drive saliency in a hyper competitive category. Their digital strategy is a tidy mixed bag of disruptive campaigns like ‘Why is this a swiggy ad’, a community building approach to social, meme marketing that strikes a chord with GenZs, brand collaborations that ride topical massy pop culture moments.
In a post-Covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
Do’s:
Evolve your influencer marketing strategy with the landscape. In a year when there’s more creator content than ever before, identify the right faces who become consistent advocates for your brand.
Micro influencers are emerging through the clutter as the fastest growing category because of personalized, authentic content. Extend the creative liberty to creators to craft content that is native to their audiences.
Recalibrate frequently. Gone are the days when the marketing strategy was built at the start of the year.
Don’t:
Using topical social moments/ causes for spike activations that you can’t support with a sustained effort. Tokenism is worse than absenteeism when it comes to brands taking a stance.
Rushing into using the newest tech innovation and platforms. If it doesn’t have a strong cultural relevance, it’s most likely not going to last. Eg. Threads vis a vis Twitter (X), Meta vis a vis AI.
Hyperconnectedness: Building ‘top-of-mind’ can very quickly veer towards brand fatigue.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen, and why?
This one has to be Zomato’s ‘Kachra’ campaign. It had the right mix of a relevant cause, nostalgia and humor, but used a grossly insensitive approach.
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