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. Abhishek Gupta, JMD, BEI Confluence Communication, 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?
The fundamentals have changed and changed drastically. Today, the brand must have a strong presence across the digital platforms right from the marketplaces to D2C, to very strong social media presence since the consumer perspective has changed. Online Reviews matter. Online Reputation management matters. Brand advocacy & word of mouth matters. And most importantly creating a two way engagement matters. Consumer & brand both will have a perspective and marketing should enable consumers to talk to brands and communicate their feedback effectively. Earlier it was mostly a one way traffic. Now brands need to be much more transparent & efficient across all disciplines to really stand out as a modern day brand.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
There are many. But some catch attention more than others. CRED is a great example of effectively breaking clutter amongst a million brands. Whether you like it or not, you’ll remember CRED advertising no matter what. Zomato is another great example. Forget film’s, Zomato created the AI enabled Mothers Day, Father’s Day campaign urging consumers to customize the message via celebs like Boman Irani or Vidya Balan. The name of your parent is spoken out by the celebs creating a personalized campaign which is not just effective but memorable.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
I loved the way Burger King launched their new menu / offerings via a controversy they created using Hrithik Roshan. It caught everyone by surprise. Of course, it was staged but the way they used digital PR to create word of mouth ensured we as consumers talked about the campaign. Quick mention also about the Food Pharmer and his campaign against unhealthy foods or the importance of reading the label. It is a groundbreaking digital first campaign in my mind. He may not be a brand but thanks to his digital marketing in the last year he is now definitely a brand.
In a post-Covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
It’s simple. The big thing is like I mentioned above, be as transparent as possible. Whatever your brand story is, communicate it transparently. Consumers will find out anyway. And they appreciate the truth.
The don’ts are just the opposite. Take your customer feedback seriously. If they have a perspective or a suggestion or any kind of complaints, do not brush it under the carpet. Address it in the best possible way your brand can. If you’ve made a mistake, be humble and accept it. Consumers will forgive you. But if you ignore them, they’ll come after you.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen, and why?
This is highly subjective. And it’s not really fair to comment on anyone’s work as everyone does their best, I’m sure. And also multiple variables are attached to a certain end product. But to answer your question, I’m not sure if the new Ranveer Singh Bold Care launch Ad (the saas bahu setting storyline) is really making the point keeping the sensibilities in mind. It is a sensitive subject and maybe there could be different ways in which this idea could be cut. Maybe a stronger human insight could have been tapped. The brand’s message does catch attention but could it have been packaged in a more humane way. Maybe.