Google Search Films - Business sense with Marketing 3.0

So what was the need for Google, already enjoying more than 95% of market share to make a series of ad films (Google search) promoting its presence and products?

When you are 95%+, it means it is just you!

The campaign is called Google search and was launched on 13^th November for netizens.  It has five films with the first film setting the tone for the other 4 films. The first film(Reunion) is 3:03 minutes long while the other ones are between 40-60 seconds each. We will stick this post to the first film which is the introduction and highest viewed film among the set of five.

With a view count of more than 6 million in less than 2 weeks and 66000+ likes, it is clear that viewers have accepted the ad and the concept whole heartedly.  Some of the comments on the film on youtube will make Google guys very proud of themselves.  The ad is going to be broadcasted on television from 25^th November. TVC space is expensive and the unique set of audience these ads will encounter on TV, will be the one which is not internet savvy, unlike the ones which have embraced the ad so strongly on net-space. Hence the question becomes even more critical. Does Google need this?

Before we answer this question, let us understand why this ad made such a furore on internet. Most have already figured out multiple emotional touch points these ads titillate, which have connected very well with the audience.

These are emotion of a generation who witnessed partition, friendship, affection, care etc.

Apart from this, Google has adopted an intelligent strategy of passive pitching in these ads. Nowhere in any of the film or voice over, the word ‘Google’  has been used. Hence, Google didn’t try to intrude the emotions and place its sales pitch into the films. Audience is intelligent and it always appreciates such gesture. A hard-sell approach would have killed the emotions!

Technically, this worked for Google since it is well-known by the viewers as a brand and hence it could afford to sit quietly as a product/service placed at multiple spots in the film but not announcing its presence. It worked better for Google because the films were released only on internet which means that it went to an audience who already knew what Google is.

Now coming to the ‘why?’

Shift towards  Marketing 3.0 –  With this campaign Google has promoted itself to Marketing 3.0 which as per Kotler is –

“...companies practicing Marketing 3.0 have bigger missions, visions, and values to contribute to the world; they aim to provide solutions to address problems in the society. Marketing 3.0 lifts the concept of marketing into the arena of human aspirations, values, and spirit”

This gives an edge and recall to the brand in audience’s mind as the brand is shown to celebrate human spirit and emotion.

The ad unlike believed however, is not a social or emotional build-up for nothing. There are subtle placements of the product/service which will make space in consumer’s consideration set without he/she being aware of it. These points are doing multiple things with multiple users –

• It is educating the unaware about the product
• It is bringing the product into consideration set for the fence-sitters
• It is making itself as the preferred choice for hopping consumers and win their loyalty

Here are these points which without being loud, registers in audience’s mind sub-consciously –

•  The first search shown in the film does not only show that Google is used for search, But it shows itself as the natural destination for search related services. It also shows Google to be the homepage which makes a lot of difference in the usage for a search engine
• Google autocomplete is shown to help the user with their searches hence pitching this small but clever innovation that adds to customer ease in internet search
• The very fact that the ad film seamlessly goes from a small mention of an old friend to them actually meeting shows the effectiveness of Google as a search engine. It basically suggests that Google search results are accurate and relevant to the search queries made
• In a very clever way, all the offerings were bundled together seamlessly in the film – Google maps, Google plus, weather app, flight information app. The one-stop shop idea was smoothly integrated with the script which educated the audience about other services

Apart from the above mentioned, there are three communication points that stand out in terms of the bigger strategy that Google might have in mind. While the above mentioned are subtle insertions to promote the product and service the next three are more important in terms of adding users who have not been to internet yet and those who are going advanced in terms of mobile technology.

The idea of the two young people being very comfortable with Google applications goes on to show the connect the brand has with youth. It shows that the youth has invariably accepted Google as their “know it all” friend. It positions the brand itself as a young brand. A trait very important for a brand to posses in a country where two-third of its population is under 35 years of age.

Another interesting aspect was the young boy in Pakistan in his sweet-shop using internet and Google applications with ease. It shows that the tech savvy tag is not exclusive to corporates and students any more. Google shows that it has breached these boundaries to go to people and have brought them in a bigger pool of “tech-aware” consumers if not tech-savvy.

The most important point is the demonstration by Google on its seamless and logical integration of mobile devices for using its applications. The share of mobile devices in internet usage has been increasing rapidly. The mobile devices account for 62.5% of internet usage now as compared to 37.5% from desktops. Google has acknowledge this fact and showed its applications being used as comfortably on tabs and smart phones as on laptops. This is a master stroke where, without going away from the concept of the film, the mobile adaptability of the product and service is communicated.

Put together, the subtle insertions of various communication points in the films is brilliant marketing. How are these ads taken by TV audience which is a different set form internet audience on many parameters, will be interesting to see.

Cheers,

  

Pranks are good - So says Prankvertisers !

Prankvertising is a hot debate these days in advertising world. The idea to capture your audience with a visceral reaction and emboss an idea/brand/set-up in their mind has always been tempting for the marketers. However, what makes this form of advertising an art and a science both is - how much creativity you can employ into these at one hand and how precise and calculated you should be on the other hand to keep the whole experience interesting and relevant. Most importantly, how clearly and effectively the experience can communicate the intended message to the targeted audience effectively.

     
                                  Prankertising for the movie CARRIE - 500,000 + views in 1 month 

 
Prankvertising is a high-profit-high-loss chip. Right from the point where the idea of creating a prankvertisement is conceived till the point it is in public domain, there are multiple points that can make or break the whole experience for the marketers and audience.

                                    TNT Belgium Launch - 46 million views since Apr 2012

These ideas are top-of-the-roofs idea which are (and should be for the right buzz!) loud and subtle at the same time. They are largely clutter-breaking ads. This is also the sign of a good prankvertisment. It should be loud in the content but subtle in intent. Hence, it should be able to generate top-of-the-mind recall due to its content and must also be able to pass on the message to the audience in a simple yet effective way.

The cost associated with prankvertising is less since these are generally created to be aired on social media or fan page and not on expensive TVC slots.  Generally, these are created with the idea to promote a concept or a product in the public domain and rarely warrants for an action from consumer there and then. Hence once the ad is created it is released in social media which is the most common platform for such initiatives. These campaigns largely rely on social sharing and creating a buzz on the online communities. Word-of-mouth and social sharing hence are the strongest medium for propagating the same.

                           LG IPS Monitors - So Real, Its Scary - 20 million views since Oct 2012

Challenging part in this is the fact that since the reliance on taking the ad and hence the message forward is on audience prerogative. This means that if the content is interesting, the sharing and buzz-creation will work on its own. In case the content is not strong enough, it will be killed at very early stage by the TG and netizens. Hence, the first measure of success for prankvertisers will be the penetration (rate and absolute numbers) for the ad put in public domain.

However, as mentioned earlier, prankvertising is a dual-edged sword. These ads usually catch people out of prior information hence there always is a risk of events taking a turn which was unaccounted for. Sometimes the prank may not go down well with the audience who might feel offended. Such unwarranted events lead to bad publicity which is difficult to shed off.  The more practical problem with such events is that they sometimes become too loud and ignores/misses the second important part of the campaign – pass a message to the audience. Hence, one should be extra cautious while bring in a plan for prankvertising to the table.

Not to forget, sometimes questions are raised on prankvertising about its credibility and authenticity. Many argue that the people who are presented as ignorant passers-by and unsuspecting audience, are usually actors. This takes away the appreciation of the surprise element that the audience is shown to have gone through in the whole experience.Ethical behaviour is another factor that is invoked whenever such ads make rounds. Critics questions the rightfulness of involving people into a video making or campaign/ad without taking their prior permission.

However, on a pure advertisement perspective, It is clear that a well-thought of prankvertising campaign which manages all the macros and micros of planning and execution is a strong clutter-breaking method which also come out as cost-optimized and effective. Keep the prank mode on!

Cheers,

Brand Building Series #1

CPM – Three Pillars of Brand Building 

Branding is everywhere. And hence, it has gone through what everything that is everywhere has – for ever and ever. Overburdened! Cliched!Confused!

Unfortunately, definitions and explanations sought on branding are more likely to confuse the seeker than clarify. The reason is the vicious mumbo jumbo everyone chooses to rattle rather than KISS-ing (Keep-ing it simple!)

This short piece is to make things really simple for everyone.

Brand is not the name of a company or a logo or a colour its mnemonics carry. Instead, these are part of the brand identity.

Brand, simply put is – What people perceive in their mind about 

• A person
• A company
• A product/service

Obviously when we perceive something good about apple or amazon – It means that these companies have been successful in creating an effective and beneficial brand image for themselves. In broader terms they have been able to create a brand for themselves.

But how have they been able to do that while others either failed or were not so successful?

It takes more than just pumping money in campaigns and promotions to create a brand. It is generally a slower process and hence demands utmost discipline and patience.

In this piece, we only invoke the three pillars of brand building while keeping details on how a brand is built, for the next parts of the series. These pillars must be closely analyzed in order to move in the right direction to build a brand that lasts!

The three pillars of Brand Building are, CPM –

·    

• Customer
• Who is my customer 
• Target Group and traits
• What delights him
• Know what they expect and exceed it
• What influences him 
• Decision-making and influencers 
• Product
• What is my product type
• High/Low Involvement              
• Mass/Niche catering
• Innovative/Me-too
• Where does it fit in
• Need
• Comfort
• Aspiration
• What is its UVP  
• Unique Value Proposition
• Market
• Competition
• Acknowledge
• Observe
• Study
• PoSs and PoDs
• Points of Similarities
• Points of Differences within products available in the market
• Industry trends/Norms
• Fundamentals of the Industry
• Influencing factors

These pillars must be thoroughly understood by every marketer who wishes to build a brand.  Each parameter/question/factor mentioned under the pillar and sections under the pillar requires deep analysis which leads to certain answers.

Based upon these answers, a strategy is devised to help in building a brand. More on this, in the sequel to the series.

Cheers,