Tips From The Pits - Part 1

As a marketer you'll often come across some amazing marketing tactic employed by a local brand that clearly the marketing bigwigs are missing out on.

So Tips From The Pits will hopefully be a series (I hope to find more). And no, by 'pits' I don't mean that these companies or brands are bad, just that they're small timers who can probably teach us more than a thing or two.

Tizen Mens wear

I came across this ad in the local train that I travel to work by every day.

From

I was a bit far from the poster so the image isn't too clear, but here is what it actually says...

"SMS Tizen  to 56677. Example Tizen dadar to 56677"

This is why this one poster is just fantabulous

1. They know that men in the first class cabin of the train have a lot of time to kill during their long mumbai commutes. So they'll read my poster.

2. People who travel by locals generally prefer that mode alone and are more likely to visit shops/outlets that are close to a railway station. So why not give them info about my closest shop with respect to a railway station.

3. I can't list down all of my outlets, besides people aren't going to remember it all anyway, so let me tell them only what they need. Let me ask them for their preferred station.

4. Of course I wouldn't want them to forget the details so I'll just sms it to them

I don't know how many people have been to a Tizen showroom because of the poster, but I did send Tizen an sms. I know their address in Mulund now. It's stored in my phone because I have a lot of internal memory and don't need to delete every message as it comes (prolly the same for us all). So if tomorrow you ask me for a men's wear outlet in mulund, I might just forward the msg to you.

Or you could just sms tizen to 56677 :)

PS: I saw some cool jugaad tricks to get your business going, here.

Sony Pix - The brand that could have been?

When I was studying at MICA, one of the projects that came to us was on Sony Pix (or Set Pix?).
We were told that Sony Pix simply could never match an HBO because it did  not have blockbuster titles. It did, however, have some award winning movies.

So they said 'we tell stories'. 'Wow', I thought. That's smart. Interesting.

We tell stories.
There was something so powerful in this line for an otherwise lackluster channel. The movies had no great stars but surely... it had some stories?

I just simply adored the idea of watching a channel that tells stories and doesn't just show me Brad Pitt's armpits. (this worked well for the aspirational angle too where you want intelligent and heart-felt cinema?)

The we-don't-have-the-stars-but-we-have-what-matters approach sounded simply yum!

Missed the bus?
However I can't help but feel that where a channel could thrive around the 'we tell stories' approach, it still hasn't done enough to capitalize on it.

For example, if you told good stories but nobody had heard of their names, wouldn't you want to catch people and engage them with previews of the stories instead of sad TV listings, where I'd rather pick an HBO's MissionImpossible over you?

Also I can't for the life of me understand how the tacky promos for Chicks on Flicks would gel with your stand on telling stories? How in the world would calling women 'chicks' and movies 'flicks' work for you? Are you Star Movies? Cmon, you're more powerful than that. You tell stories, remember?

Why in your, otherwise lovely, 'The Pix Story' section, would you have Diamond Comics-like sketches in the corner to illustrate the point?


Bah! Nevermind. I'm just upset because I love Sony Pix and it's becoming a brand that-could-have-been.

Thankfully during my recent visit to Crossword with Sonali and Meenal, I saw this Set Pix branding.



Now that makes sense! Cuz you tell stories. Would be nice if somehow one could know what those great stories are ... could've added a link to your site there, but I'll shut up :)

PS: Sony Pix or Set Pix? Which is it?

A PR story?

I have no clue what this new milk brand (Sach) in the market is (see image). I've been away from the net/newspaper etc lately. But I did go to Big Bazaar and see this new milk with Sachin's photo and signature on it.

Is it PR or just a coincidence that there has been news of an award to Sachin for his good health and his love for milk before a match?

"tendulkar likes hot milk with turmeric before a match"

"Sachin Tendulkar is healthiest and happiest person in India"

"Milk is the secret of Sachin's fitness"

Maybe it's pure coincidence or have I become too cynical?

It's my brand

Agencies have long been telling clients that the brand no longer belongs to a company but instead belongs to the people who use it, view its ads and spread the word.

MTV took a leap with "It's my MTV". Though I'm not sure if that was a conscious step towards letting the consumers own the brand.

With the internet, the consumer's voice has only gotten stronger by the byte. And though companies are obviously not ready to surrender their billion dollar brands to the people, in some cases they are left with no choice.

After tonnes of people voiced their displeasure over the TVC, Verizon decided that it was best to just yank it off air. An example of a company bowing down to the consumer. Of course this has happened tonnes of times before. But it's quite cool that with the help of the internet consumers can help shape the brand and what it should stand for. In most situations it would work best for both parties.

Yes, there may be that chance that a brand will be vandalized, but brands can still attempt to relinquish control, one baby step at a time.

Passion works both ways - II

In Part - I of this post I'd talked about how silly ads and marketing strategies piss people off, enough for them to switch their brands for good.

People may love a brand but they also have an equal tendency to hate it with all their heart and soul.

Here is another example of a woman who got mighty annoyed at the whisper ' have a happy period' global campaign. (shared with me by Prof Falguni Vasavada)

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants. Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.' Are you **ing kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

Do share any more example of people switching brands because of its advtsg. Thanks!
You can read Part - I here.

The 'e-mail-a-marketer' experiment

I was watching this Jaffe Juice video on how companies are clueless about how to deal with their consumers since thanks to the internet they now have a voice (OMG!).

I decided to put that to test in India. You know, write a few mails and see what I get.

So I picked three companies. No, I did not want this to be a personal agenda against a company that I despised anyway. So I picked three that I positively loved.

Company #1

(snacksmart)

I'm a chips junkie and I figured it'd be great to just mail them and check up on why they aren't selling any Uncle Chipps (which is the best!) in half the country.

Company #2

I love my chocolates too. And having seen their advertising about the Cadbury Lite, I figured I'd ask a bit more about the product.

Company #3

Since I don't work in pest control, my love for Mortein might seem strange. But trust me, when you're living alone in the mumbai monsoon (with no mom to rescue you from cockroaches and rats) you need your Mortein! I wrote to them with a query about their rat poison.

And here is what I got

Lays The mail bounced back.

Cadbury Server error.

Mortein No reply.

While more and more marketers rush to climb on to the digital wagon, they forget that sometimes just simple old emails do the trick. When I wrote this, I assumed they would at least send a reply, even if it was stupid.

Picsquare once answered my email within 20 minutes of my query. Oh and it wasn’t an automated reply.

Update. When Kapil didn't receive a DVD with his magazine copy from Infomedia, the company actually sent him a copy with their next issue. Wonder when the sleeping marketing giants will wake up and smell the coffee.

Update 2. Kapil also shared this interesting post by Jenny and Dave who talk of the amazing customer service in India. It's a unique take and a must read.

PS: is anyone else has had such an experience, mail me. I'll add it to the list.

Passion works both ways

While many people are busy buying your cola because they loved your ad (yes for some it is as simple as that), there are plenty who aren’t buying it because they hated your ad.

When something with the ad goes a bit wrong, at most we expect people to switch the channel. However nowadays people receive so much of advertising that they're self styled experts and will judge you for the vermin that you are.

Consumers are no long indifferent to shoddy advertising. In fact many are being quite harsh to poor advertising.

A recent verizon ad that shows a nasty pittbull has been at the receiving end.

[excerpt from Ad Age] Veterinarian Susan Ralston sent Ad Age her letter of complaint to Verizon, which says, in part: "I don't know what your company was thinking. I don't know how much money was wasted on this despicable ad. Perhaps you should donate the million or so spent on that 'creative' to pit-bull rescue in an attempt to undo the damage. I switched my BlackBerry to T-Mobile. Maybe if enough folks do the same, it'll get your attention."

Now it’s possible that there are only some 7-8 people who think the ad in question was inappropriate, but if those 7-8 people are blogging and commenting about it, then they’re the ones helping me form an opinion about your brand. (that's where the internet really kicks ass)

Oh and by the way, I don’t drink 7Up. They did a very insulting radio spot on RadioCity once with a man eve-teasing a woman (in the cheapest way imaginable), only to be told that it’s the new 7Up curvy bottle. Like it isn’t bad enough having to hear suggestive stuff on the streets, now you gotta go and put that on my radio. Oh man!

Ads that 'stereotype' women may be banned

A recent article in TOI claims that there may soon be a move to ban ads that stereotype a woman and her role in society.

" Women in "stereotypical" roles like playing the ideal homemaker or advertisements that reinforce ideas of skin fairness to achieve success could be a thing of the past, if the National Commission for Women (NCW) has its way. "


Sure, great move and all. But this is just going to be so damned subjective. Now will it be illegal to show a woman recommending a washing machine? Or a woman discussing problems of a home maker? If most of India lives like that, I wonder if showcasing the 'new woman' too much would amount to gross misrepresentation.

I believe there was a study (done long ago) in the US that showed that people of colour were under represented on television while they constitute a good 30% in real life America.

Is there also a danger in over-representing the jet setting woman and alienating the society's concern with the woman who is still struggling with her middle class home maker values?

The opinion on each TVC will be subjective. And there's no saying where this will stop. While I disagree with the Fair & Lovely ads, I still don't think NCW has got it right. We can't project a world too far from reality... or we might end up screwing reality itself.

The More Syndrome

A recent discussion on the new Titan ad (Be More.) got some of us pretty sick with the ‘More’ word.

Yeh Dil Maange More

Be More.

Thoda aur wish karo.

While as people we may wish for the best and want all that and more, I’m not sure if saturating media with that one message will help. When everyone’s yelling for more… TBWA’s disruption would suggest we go for the less. Now’s the time.

The yelling, the traffic, the spending, the beta hydroxyl shit, the silver ions in my washing machine!

Perhaps our lives ask for a whole lot to be subtracted.

Ajanta Hotel takes to the web

I came across a banner ad for a hotel in Delhi and I’m not sure what it was about the ad, but I clicked. And I’m glad I did. Ajanta hotel is perhaps the best example of an Indian Hotel using the web to its max potential.

A quick look at the site and you’ll find video testimonials, quick-booking and even a ‘send-an-sms-feature’(though I wonder why).

Clearly this hotel is looking to attract the foreign travellers and they’re doing it well.

The Hotel has a page on facebook, it supports UNICEF and is pet friendly as well. The perfect triple sundae to get those foreign tourists salivating.

Now that’s a businessman, who knows his TG well and is going all out to make it known. And yes their online banners show a nice picture of a clean hotel and their emphasis on ‘budget hotel’ sure made me click.

I’m really impressed by the way the hotel has taken to the internet and has said all the right things.

Their homepage is perfect and tells me everything I need to know. Their booking system is lovely and even shows you thumbnails of rooms to help you decide which one to pick. While booking you can even add a trip to agra if you wish.

That’s a wow for a little hotel in New Delhi.

there's something about twitter

Wassup?!

Wassup is the most asked question among pals and one that provides answers from ‘nothing much’ to ‘thinking about the meaning of life’.

But what if you have too-long a friend-list and can’t ask all your pals this all-important life-changing-question?

Enter twitter. It’s a site that basically ‘wassup’s your friends all day long and lets you read their answers if you choose to subscribe (follow: in twitter parlance).

Twitter lets you publish updates about your life in 140 characters or less to family or friends who choose to follow you. (people on your twitter contact list are called followers)

All you need to do is answer the question. ‘what are you doing?’ through your phone, messenger, site or even email.

‘Life happens between blogs and email’

As Common Craft puts it, ‘Life happens between blog posts and emails’. And it is this life between the blog and email that twitter lets you publish.

While many people send out updates like “had an amazing cup of coffee” or “going for a jog”, twitter is increasingly being used by people to share their thoughts and links to things they are reading.

There are many benefits to twitter, other than of course keeping up with the lives of your pals.

For one, it’s easy. With technology at our beck and call, we’re pretty much a lazy people. Blogs of 300 words or more are passé with people turning to micro-blogging from the comfort (or the stylus-inflicted awkwardness) of their mobile phones.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s twitter!

Saving men, helping the helpless, almost sounds like superman.

Twitter recently saved a man from jail and got an unemployed person the job of his dreams. A man who was jailed in Egypt sent frantic tweets (updates) and his ‘followers’ (contacts) mobilized forces to get him out of jail. Another man in the US sent out a minute-by-minute update of the day he was laid off by Yahoo! His followers were glued to their screens as he sent updates about packing his belongings, meeting HR and leaving office. Before he knew it, job offers from helpful netizens were pouring in!

Of course this doesn’t mean that all the one million twitter members get such dramatic results through their tweets. Why then does twitter generate so much interest?

Thoughts. Ideas. Conversations.

Twitter ignites new thinking, conversations and ideas. It allows people from across the world to come together and share their thoughts and lives. It brings together people and their ideas which lead to newer conversations and lines of thought.

Twitter lets you follow the most creative, bizarre, new-age thinkers on the internet. So if you’re bored of getting the same old updates from friends, you can follow some CEOs, inventors, thinkers.

Follow Scott Goodson (CEO, Strawberry Frog) on twitter and

you’ll get updates about what he’s reading, thinking or doing. It’s pretty much like being with the person 24*7, only that they choose what you get to see.

Twitter’s also great for self promotion and resource sharing. You can send updates about your company, your work or share links to resources that are of value to you and your followers.

Tweeting brands

Brands too have jumped headlong into twitter and few are faring well.

Some twitter users believe that brands that exist on twitter are ‘lame’ since they aren’t people and are pretending to be part of a conversation where big corporates don’t belong.

American airline, Delta Airlines is on twitter and sends our tweets about offers, promos and other airline related information.

Tony Hsieh, CEO of popular online company specializing in footwear - Zappos, is on twitter too, though his tweets are as much personal as professional. He has a whopping 7000+ followers. What that does for his brand is debatable, but here’s a CEO striking a conversation with his TG in a space of their choice.

Twitter it right

As much as I may love twitter, there are enough people who hate it. Complaints about receiving silly updates like ‘in the loo’, ‘eating a muffin’ are aplenty in twitter world. But then twitter is a network, and a network is only as good as the people in it. Pick the right ones to follow and you may just find yourself tweeting gladly in twitter world.

Oh and for those who hate the 140 character limit, there are always blogs…

PS: the Zappos CEO is now following me on twitter... it doesn't mean much since he follows many, but it's a step in the right direction for the brand.

NOTE: twitter works on the give and take principle, so follow a couple of people to have people follow you. You can't hoard in the internet space you know!

green marketing - can we only plant trees?

PrimeGreen is perhaps one of the only Indian agencies to offer 'green solutions' to its clients. They do some amazing work in solar powered hoardings.

But when it comes to brand equity, it needn't be all about planting trees and saving energy. You could go ahead and save something totally cooler that links better with your brand and makes it endearing.

HaagenDazs did just that. They decided that they'd like to save the bees. Like 'The Happening' tells us, there'd be no world (no fruits, no flowers, no nothing) if the bees died.

Haagendazs decided to save the bees that are responsible for the natural flavours of their ice creams. And ofcourse they used the 'cute potential' to the max.
Help the Honey Bees is a cool initiative by Haagendazs and you get to learn how to save the bees an even create your own bee self.
The site is cute and sweetly done. And once you create your own bee self you'll love the little stripey creatures so much that you'll swear to save them.

Stuff to remember when marketing the green:

1. Choose a cause that is linked to your brand/product
People need to remember your brand. That's really why you're doing it. And if your cause and brand are headed in different directions, chances are people will remember the cause and ignore the brand (shudder). Haagendazs chose a cause that was closely linked (or they linked it anyway) to their product.

2. Choose a cool cause
Everyone is saving the trees, the forests, women, children. Pick a cause that won't be lost in the crowd. And trust me, there still are many very important causes left in this miserable world.

3. Don't let the cause overtake your brand
Every time you read about the bee, the site reminded you that the bees were responsible (not for nature) but for Haagendazs lovely natural flavours.

My take-aways as a site visitor
1. Bees are cute. and they're important. I'd like to save 'em.
2. Haagendazs uses natural fruit.
3. Haagendazs is classy and cool.

PS: This is the bee-me.


Create your own and off you go! Wheeee! I mean Buzzzzzzzzzz.

if you're marketing, you're dead

We all realize that the digital space is about engaging people and having a conversation with them.

One-way marketing messages mean you'll rot in digital hell. (which isn't any better than the real hell, what with the distinction between the real and the virtual blurring)

While trying to promote a website for diabetic kids (chidia.com) I ended up plastering orkut and facebook and created a page for the lovable little chirpy that was the mascot.

I had committed the dreaded M word. Marketing. I tried to post mention of the public-service-site in as many forums as possible without giving any thought to the existing conversations on the forums.

Why the digital space is tough on marketers
1. It takes too much time and patience to be a part of the hundreds of conversations online!
2. Poor things, they confuse digital and broadcast all the time. Marketers have been broadcasting messages forever and it's not easy to suddenly have to have a 'dialogue' with consumers, who historically were supposed to just shut up and listen.

It's so easy as marketers to just advertise. I shouldv'e known it wouldn't work. I mean, if I was having a conversation with my friends and an idiot of a marketer jumped in, mouthed a jingle or a message and ran away, I think I'd be pretty pissed.

So, here's to having more conversations about chidia.com and lesser social-network-bombarding.

Meet Jensport, Jansport’s Indian sister.

In India we love our brands. We love them so much that we want them to have a family.

This is Espreet, Esprit’s Punjabi aunt.

Or this is Adidash, Adidas’ sprinter brother.

Once upon a time

Jensport and Jansport lived in the US. They were very close to each other and looked so much alike that often people confused one for the other.

When Jansport became really famous and started visiting countries across the world, jensport realized that she could do the same in India by allowing people to mistake her for her sister.

But this was not done for any personal benefit. In fact Jensport came to India much before her sister Jansport and helped build the ground for her sister’s success. Indians soon got to know that someone by the name ‘Jansport’ existed all because of Jensport.

Needless to say, Jensport’s frayed clothes and tattered ends helped people realize that Jansport (the pretty, colourful one) was the true star and they soon began to aspire to meet Jansport instead.

Soon Jansport achieved celebrity status without doing a thing. Sure sure, Jensport did make a quick buck and earn cheap publicity, but she did it all for Jansport.

May every brand find a sister as true as her. *(Love thy clone)*

BREAKING NEWS: digital natives' super powers discovered!

It has come to our attention that digital natives possess the super power to automatically block any online banner advertising.

It seems at least 600 marketers have been fired, though reports coming in claim that the actual number is much higher.

Listen up all digital media specialists, marketers, offline-but-wanting-to-go-online-planners.

Sonal Jhuj reports: “While marketers are busy buying millions worth of banner space over the internet, news has just come in that all digital natives in fact have the capacity to ignore it.

Surprisingly they do not ignore online advertising consciously. It seems that this is an ability that functions without the individual even being aware of it.

This is a worrying sign for marketers.

i-spent-4million-on-banner-space-marketer says “How can they not see the banner! It’s ridiculous”

digital native, Ajinkya looks puzzled, “banner? Hmm?”

Keep watching, we’ll be back after a short break. Luckily for us, there exists no super power for you to ignore the TVC.

Muahaha

... Damn they found the remote!”

3-point digital checklist

While I cannot claim to be a digital expert, I still do have a personal checklist for digital work. And it goes something like this...

1. Is there a brand connect?

Putting up a microsite with skimpily clad women might be just the thing for Axe, but if you’re going to chipkao (lazily replicate) your idea on another unsuspecting brand, it can be quite injurious to the brand’s health.

*Off-set the evil*

Just today a colleague introduced me to http://offsettheevil.com/ .

They made a violent evil game (condemned 2) and to showcase the experience of the game, they decided that to off-set the evil of the game one should visit http://offsettheevil.com/ . The site is cute, beautiful and happy. The game is now etched in my memory as bloody and violent. I suppose that is what they were hoping for.

2. Is there any brand ‘experience’?

Recent work done by Tribal for MTV Roadies is one of the best online brand experiences in recent times.

*MTV Roadies Auditions*

MTV’s reality show Roadies has one of the meanest auditions ever. And they took the mean judges online to recreate the show’s experience. Quite an interesting thing. Try taking an online audition here.

3. Are you involving me for WOM?

I’m a little concerned about the viral. No, I don’t imagine it’ll die or anything. Just that we’re pretty much taking the viral for an online TVC, which it is not.

Sure, you show me some weird flash video and promote your chips, but I see no reason why I would want to send it across to all the unsuspecting contacts in my address list.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not too keen on getting blocked by everyone I know!

*Elf yourself* by OfficeMax

This is best involving and therefore WOM-able piece of work I’ve seen recently. Within minutes my entire gtalk list was flashing their own elfyourself videos.

All you need to do is upload a picture, and watch your eflved self make some real cool moves.

Mine was particularly cute *blush*. But I didn’t save it anywhere. Watch this one instead.

It did manage a small peak in an otherwise declining graph for Office Max.

my avatar my life

I’m not big on avatars. I mean, I have my fun dressing up an avatar but I lose interest in it soon enough. (Though I must admit, the southpark avatars did catch my fancy.)

But obviously I am not a majority, since there seem to be quite a few people spending amazing amounts of time and money .. and *money*

NHN Hangame , a Japanese game portal, recorded revenue of US $36.8 million from avatar and related sales.

Avatars are pretty big in schools even in my hometown of Chandigarh. My kid cousins routinely change and re-do their avatars (though quite a few are too sexy for the 13 yr olds to sport).

why the avatar is big

The avatar isn’t just a doll you dress up. Unlike a Barbie, where we’re dressing up another ‘person’, we think of the avatar as ‘ourselves’ (even if it doesn’t sport the paunch we do).

The avatar therefore ends the classic struggle between the ‘self’ and the ‘other’.

In reality, we have a self (towards which we may feel love, hatred etc) and the ‘other’ who is everything the self is not (which again we may like or dislike). The differentiation between the self and the other is essential for one’s understanding of oneself.

The avatar puts those two together, allowing us to create that which is us and at the same time is the other. Much like an actor. Only this time, the virtual is almost real (second life marriage).

stages of your avatar-ed self

The ‘connect’ stage is really the same as ‘discovering online chatting for the first time. There is a tendency to be all that you aren’t. Saying things you otherwise wouldn’t. Experiencing freedom from your physical self.

The ‘merge’ stage makes for a curious study. Here the virtual avatar begins to reflect the real self as one slowly becomes comfortable with oneself and opens up to the virtual world.

It is perhaps this mix of the ‘self and the ‘other’ in one, which merges the boundaries between the real and virtual

William Gibson said:

“One of the things our grandchildren will find quaintest about us is that we distinguish the digital from the real, the virtual from the real. In the future, that will become literally impossible. The distinction between cyberspace and that which isn’t cyberspace is going to be unimaginable”

the microsite invasion

Want to do a promo?
Want to engage the customer?
Simply don't know what to do online?

Do a microsite. D-uh!


With millions of microsites floating around it's obviously an idea that client's are willingly accepting.


While a microsite's great for..
1. creating some short term buzz
2. providing some superficial brand experience
3. encouraging a reluctant client to step into the digital space
4. an emergency pitch


One should really watch out for..
1. Non-WOM-ability (non-viralability)
2. Flash games and things in which we've forced the brand
3. Requirement for major offline support

I’m not saying I hate microsites. But is that all digital’s good for? Virals and microsites?

While they surely gets the numbers and are perfect for short term brand promos and experiences, one can't help feel that it's a short cut solution that's so easy that we don't bother taking the bigger leap.

Why the viral will not die

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and many marketers are sick of hearing the ‘let’s do a viral’ idea. Most are convinced that since everyone’s doing it, they shouldn’t; or worse, everyone’s doing one, so let’s! But the truth is, a viral is not something that has been done to death. And, a viral is hardly something you can ‘do’.

What is a viral

Viral: A self-propagating practice. It could be a video, image, text… any message.

And in that ‘self-propagation’ lies the excitement and the misery of a marketer. While a true online viral means limited marketing spends, it also means that netizens decide its worth and love or trash it at will.

No, a 2 minute video that a marketer believes is funny and releases to a bunch of netizens, is not a viral. It is a ‘viral-to-be’ and the power to make it viral rests with the viewer.

Not again!

While most marketers are yet to warm up to the idea of a viral, ‘do a viral’ is becoming quite a boring brief that keeps coming one’s way. Simply because not every brand can and should be viralled.

Why the viral will not die

1. Virals are fun

They entertain. And considering how everyone around me is ‘so bored’ all the time, I guess virals help.

2. They make people feel important

People love to be the ones who know things and can tell others about them (“Oh! You didn’t know that! Let me tell you.”)

3. They make people feel like they had something to do with it

This is perhaps the best part of a viral. In the act of forwarding a viral leads the forwarder to believe that he/she had something to do with it. Forwarders almost believe that they play a part in the viral (and they do!) and it allows for the coolness or funniness of the viral to rub off on them.

‘Popular by association’ is the name of the game.

4. Even the lazy ones can share

It takes just a click. Serves the lazy ones well.

What will die

1. Patience with poor virals

Show me one more annoying viral masquerading as an attempt at ‘engagement’ and I vow to not use your brand!

2. Marketers patience with the digital medium

They’ve only just warmed up to our medium and there we go giving them virals that never viral. Ladies and gentlemen say goodbye to your digital budgets.

The viral will not die (no matter how much we wish the ‘do a viral’ brief would).

But really, a viral needs to viral.