Sony and MS Dhoni

The recent news of MS Dhoni pulled up by the ICC for a case of ambush marketing for Sony’s HD TV campaign wasn’t intentional. No publicity is bad publicity doesn’t apply to Sony. It is too big a brand. On the contrary, I feel Sony doesn’t even need the Indian captain MS Dhoni too.

It was rather surprising to see that Sony has signed on a brand ambassador for its TV brand. They had Kareena Kapoor for its VAIO laptops. It was a brand fit since Kareena was in the news for her ‘size-zero’. And the new laptop was positioned as a ‘size-sero’ laptop with its thin width. Hrithik Roshan was brand ambassador for Sony Ericsson cell phones. But Sony never had a brand ambassador, at least in India, for its flagship product, TV. Many people might not agree but for Sony, I think TV is their best selling product.

Sony is one of those brands which really has an effect of envy for the non-owner. It’s one of those distinctive brands which is ahead of its competition in terms of brand equity in India. Dhoni or no Dhoni, Sony TVs would have sold. Moreover, I don’t think Dhoni is a brand fit for Sony. Although MS Dhoni is a cricketer par excellence as an individual player, world cup (T20) winning captain and captain of no 1 test playing team, and Sony is excellent in its quality, they some how don’t go together. Dhoni is quite young whereas Sony is a legendary brand. Sachin would have been a more apt choice. I can already see many people up in arms and refuting my choice. It is just a point of view and a different view. Not that I am right. Sony would have their reasons and rationale. Its just that I have a slight diverse take on it.

Considering the creative side of the TVC, I am disappointed. Clarity is a very obvious differentiation that they are talking about. A very clichéd representation.

Diwali- A Marketer’s Delight

Diwali- the festival of light is celebrated with much fervour across the length and breadth of the country. Diwali is equivalent to Christmas in the North America and Europe, Id in Middle East, Boxing Day & New Year celebrations in Australia and the carnivals in South America. The whole of India is on a a shopping spree during the Diwali week beginning with Dhanteras to the Diwali puja day and ending with Bhau Beej (brother-sister bonding).

Two sets of people wait for Diwali. One, the common people looking forward to a lot of festivities, meeting friends and relatives expecting a lot of joy and happiness. Two, the marketers (you cannot keep the marketer away, they pounce on any given small opportunity and this being the biggest of them all). All product/ services have an exponential jump in sales during this time. Looking at the current Diwali, you will not miss the ‘discount’ ads screaming at you through the newspapers from apparel and white goods brands. Car manufacturers too are giving attractive financing options, low EMIs, and other host of car accessories as freebies to increase sales.

Cadbury is a classic example of a brand which has entered the Indian tradition mould through its replacement of the Indian homemade sweets with Cadbury chocolate packs. The communication of ‘kuch meetha ho jaye’ earlier to the current of ‘kuch meethas ho jaye’ and the ‘shubh arambh’ campaign have really worked wonders for the brand. It has cut across the socio-economic parameters and is gifted by the middle class, the upper middle and the rich alike. May be only the filthy rich use more expensive sweets. Coming back to the market, brands from home appliances, upholstery, home decor, home colour, FMCG products such as scented soaps, scented oils and a ensemble of packaged sweets.

Gold being expensive due to the economic scenario in the world has not dampened the spirits from spending on the yellow metal with Dhanteras recording high sales year on year. Although a commodity, brands such as Tanishq, TBZ, Gili, Geetanjali and a host of others have gone on spending big busks on full from page ads on leading dailies just to the customer attention in the clutter.

Conspicuous consumption is back among the public after the lull last year due to the economic slowdown on the back of good growth of companies. Travel and tourism industry also grows due to people travelling to meet their near and dear ones and extended families. Road, rail and air are all booked pre and post Diwali. Some people take an extended off and have their vacations at tourist hot spots away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

All brands go on a promotion spree to get the most of the consumers’ wallet. Plans are firmed up months in advance with no stone left unturned to reap in the profits from increased sales. Vodafone has launched a new campaign, and so has Tata Sky DTH. White good majors such as Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and Videocon are more visible in the mainstream media launching new products and displaying their wide range of product mix. Airtel, Aircel, DoCoMo, MTS, Idea are spending even more. Tata Nano is making a lot of noise and the usual ad spenders FMCG giants have spiked up for the festive season. A very busy week for all marketers but a very happy indeed.

IPL- truck load of brands

“Break The Clutter”. One of the first things a client asks when an agency presents a concept for a TVC is whether the ad will stand out on its own by breaking the clutter of other brands on TV. Whether it has a recall factor by ways of a celebrity or a jingle or just a completely new way of dissipating information (ala zoozoos). Frequently we hear the agency saying that this ad breaks the clutter but it rarely does because when the agency presents the commercial to the client in the clients’ boardroom with all the speaker sound at its peak, complete silence and everyone in rapt attention focused on the screen. With so much attention, any averagely good ad would seem good. The real litmus test starts when the viewer has the remote in his hand with options available to change channels during program breaks.

IPL 3.0 currently being aired on TV has all the mass product/ service companies hopping on to the bandwagon showcasing their wares. The official sponsors of the event are DLF, Vodafone, Hero Honda, Fly Kingfisher, Citi, Karbonn Mobiles and Maxx Mobiles. Thus we have a sponsor name for each event in the match e.g. DLF Maximum, Citi Moment of success, Karbonn Kamaal catch, Maxx Mobile strategic timeout just like we have Hyderabadi Biryani and Kashmiri Pulav. The commentators use these phrases as if they are getting paid to mouth them as frequently as they can. Whenever the MRF blimp is shown, the commentators say a very uniform line which seems that they are given a script to read out. It goes like this “MRF blimp. At the forefront of technology. The first to get the blimp in India”. Thus there are 8 official sponsors.

SET MAX which broadcasts the tournament and has paid a mammoth amount for the telecast rights also has its own set advertisers. The cola Majors, Pepsi and Coca Cola, Consumer durable majors such as LG, Samsung, Videocon, Godrej, Sony, Whirlpool, telecom service providers Vodafone, Idea, DoCoMo, Aircel, Airtel and the latest entrant Videocon, Mobile handset manufacturers Videocon, Karbonn mobile, Maxx mobile and Micromax. Apart from these, some others such as Hyundai i10, Kent water purifiers, Vaseline, Metlife insurance and Havells. Whats more, now there are ads between balls compared to between overs earlier. There is no place in the stadium without ads plastered. The boundary roped, boundary boards, stadium walls, the playing field, the stumps, umpire’s attire, third umpire display board, the sight screen. The total tally thus is 21 plus 8 i.e. 29 With such a huge number how does one expect to break the clutter?

Kareena and Sony VAIO: Two ‘size zeroes’

India is one of the fastest growing markets for personal computers. Over the last decade or so, laptops have started to be the preference over desktop PCs for the middle and upper middle class due to the crashing prices of laptops per day. It was always the preferred choice for affluent class when they even bought it for more than a lakh.

The cumulative sales of laptop and personal computers in India is around seven million and is likely to grow at 9.7 per cent compounded annual growth rate for the next five years. At present, the ratio stands at 35:65 with the dice loaded heavily in favour of personal computers.

Thus all the major laptop manufactures are present in India namely Sony, Toshiba, and Compaq, Acer, Dell, Samsung, LG, and Lenovo among others. India’s own HCL too is giving these foreign players a run for their money. Apple is a big player which though is surprisingly absent. You will rarely find a Mac unless it is bought from abroad by an Apple enthusiast.

All these players have a brand ambassador for their TV promotions. Compaq has Shah Rukh Khan which I find surprising since SRK isn’t known for this intellectual abilities with due respects. He is a fabulous performer but in films which are his domain. Acer has Hrithik Roshan whose case is similar to SRK. I do not agree to him as a brand ambassador for a laptop. Toshiba has Vidya Balan which is not just surprising but almost shocking. I really would like to know the reasoning behind her as a brand ambassador. Others such as HP, Lenovo, HCL LG, and others advertise but they do not have a specific brand ambassador.

Sony recently signed up Kareena Kapoor for launching Sony Vaio's (Video Audio Integrated Operation) new 'Size Zero’ laptops. The reason for signing her is easy to understand. It is one fo the most perfect fits for a brand. She was the first Indian brand ambassador of Sony Vaio. The actress was responsible for making 'Size Zero' a household term a couple of years ago. She is the only person who embodied what the brand stood for. And the new range of Sony Vaio's 'Size Zero' laptops is compact, classy, chic and sophisticated just like Kareena.

The audience could easily relate the product and Kareena. The TV commercial made is also classy and made considering the affluent class as the target market.

End of the 'devil' for Onida?

Onida has been aggressively marketing its consumer durables on Television since last couple of months. These include TV set, Washing Machine, Microwave oven and home theatre. But there is one thing missing in the TVC. Well, no point for guessing since it is so simple. The bald devil with horns, the most important ingredient which separated other consumer durable company ads from Onida’s. The present “Tumko dekha toh yeh Design aaya” ad is usual run-of-the-mill ad devoid of any clutter breaking copy. We will discuss the ad later but before that, why did Onida do away with the devil from its ads?

The devil was so impregnated in the minds of consumers that it reminded them of Onida. That devil stood as the Onida mascot. This unique identity separated Onida from the other ‘me-too’ products. That identity has been lost now. The devil had a top-of-the-mind recall.

The rationale given for doing away with the devil was that the emotional appeal of the ‘neighbour’s envy’ isn’t applicable in the present environment. Nothing can be further from the truth. When Onida had come with that concept, it was initial years of opening up the economy where Onida stood for class and only the rich people could afford it.

Post 2000, all MNCs have taken over that space. With increase in number of salaries, people buy these foreign brands and Onida was left no positioning. Onida could not sustain its premium positioning. Sony has taken over that premiumness which is used to impress their neighbours. Thus Onida has failed in its attempt to sustain the original ‘envy’ factor.

Now to talk about the new ad, it shows a young couple (seemingly newly wed) talking about the various products of Onida in its different ads. Thus the target market seems (intentionally or unintentionally, I am not sure) to be young newly married couples without children. Had they shown a middle aged couple with one or two children in the ad, this anomaly or doubt would not have cropped up. Apart from this, young couples nowadays are well aware of the various brands and they know the attributes and benefits of all. So technologically they know the quality of foreign brands is much better than Indian. It is a very mediocre ad with no creativity.

Onida needs to rethink its promotional message and go for a much more precise and focused outlook.