K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH VOL. VI | ISSUE II | JUL’ 15

MARKSMAN The

Brand

Markive:

Tiffany’s

>>pg 06

Special

Story: Down-

stream

Market, Up

for Grabs!

>>pg 12

Marketing

Faux Pas:

Champions

League T20

>>pg 15

Pioneer:

Anurabh

Kumar

>>pg 19

JULY 2015 01

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Readers,

As the rain drops grace the earth with freshness and beauty, we welcome you all to the

much awaited July edition of our magazine ‘The Marksman’.

The title of the cover story for this month is ‘Foreign Branding’ that gives you a glimpse

of how the trend rules the market and the lives of people.

A sparkling section of Brand markive on Tiffany & Co, is sure to amuse all female

readers dreaming of owning a diamond of their choice. Faux Pas covers the story of

the over-hyped Champions league T20 that finally uncovered its reality in the last phase

of its promotions that failed miserably.

An interesting read about Skysports in the Hallmark Campaign section is dedicated to

all our die-hard football fans. All famous achievers rise beyond rejections and criticism.

Arunabh Kumar, owner of channel TVF is the pioneer of this month, whose success

story is worth applauding.

Don’t miss out the Bookworm section, if you are really one amongst those interested

in deciphering insights & reading the minds of customers.

We are delighted to announce Rohit V.B, from KJ SIMSR, as the winner of our ‘Call

for Articles’ section. We thank all our participants for sending their articles and

encourage them to keep writing to us with same fervor.

We would appreciate your feedback and articles in the future as well.

Stay connected with us on

http://www.interfacesimsr.com/the-marksman.html

Follow our Facebook page for more updates.

02 THE MARKSMAN

Contents

Tweets 03

It’s All About Ad-itude 05

Brand Markive 06

Cover Story: The Highways And Bylanes

Of Foreign Branding 09

Special Story: Down-stream Market,

Up For Grabs! 12

Marketing Faux Pas 15

Hall-mark Campaign 17

Pioneer 19

Bookworm 21

Buzz 26

TWEETS

JULY 2015 03

CreativeLandAsia #Lost&Found

Post the CLA and Parle-Agro mutual client-

agency separation in November 2014, the

agency has managed to bring under its wings

twice the volume of businesses it had lost.

Domino’s, The Indian Express, Godrej No.1,

Real estate player Kalpataru and ‘She’

comfort sanitary napkins (from Emami) are

some major names it is now associated with.

According to CLA founder and creative

chairman Sajan Raj Kurup “Advertising is not

going to be the end-game”. Besides the new

business wins on the advertising front-

Building IPs, launching products & brands, TV

content (CLA pictures) and new digital

identity (CreativeLand technologies) are

newfound focus areas for the agency too.

For Domino’s CLA has been entrusted with

the digital mandate and would be working

alongside its incumbent contract. For Godrej

No.1, it will be handling the integrated

mandate while for Emami, the re-launch of

She comfort brand is on the cards. The

agency will also be revamping The Indian

Express.

Maxus to sail the Paper Boat

Following a multi-agency pitch, Maxus- the

global communications consultant and

rated the “Most Dominant” agency in India

by RECMA for the fourth year in a row

(2014), bagged the media mandate for

Paper Boat (Hector Beverages). The

account will be handled by the agency’s

Bengaluru office. Hector Beverages sells

packaged beverages in very Indian and

localised flavours including Jal Jeera, Aam

Panna and Kaanji. Steering the brand’s

vision of expansion in more than 50 cities

in the current year, the agency proposes a

brand positioning of memories through an

effective media mix and creative strategies.

A part of Group M, Maxus is also one of

Ad Age’s ‘Agencies to watch’.

TWEETS

04 THE MARKSMAN

Over to you, Mr. Taylor – P & G

Procter & Gamble Co. directors, for the second time in six years, are replacing Chief

executive A.G. Lafley with an insider he groomed. David Taylor, 35-year company veteran

will be taking over as CEO in November this year while Mr. Lafley shifts to the role of

executive chairman. The incoming CEO has already served in various senior roles across

the business and seems a safe bet for the organization. However, with P&G’s ongoing

issues around its product ranges and ‘questionable marketing’- his tenure will not be

without its challenges.

Three major challenge that can prove troublesome in the future are a well-publicised

streamlining process of its brands over the last year with almost 100 brands being

divested in the drive: its decision to continue commanding premium prices which isn’t

winning fans in its home market- U.S., overseas growth and addressing ‘Gilette’.

We know that Prasoon Joshi has a way with words, but his agency McCann India didn’t need

any for this print campaign for Dabur’s Gastrina Digestive Pills. The three print ads feature

no copy, but have simple & effective art. It has silhouettes of people with wind instruments

representing their digestive tract.

Musicians are cool and get the girls to drool over them, but we surely don't want to play

these instruments in a room full of people. Stop the music with Dabur Gastrina Digestive

Pills.

IT’S ALL ABOUT AD-ITUDE

Print Ad

Television Ad

Client: Pepsi

Agency: Walter Pakistan (JWT)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5RP6NMeSs8

JULY 2015 05

Client: Dabur Gastrina Digestive Pills

Agency: McCann World group, India

Its Coca-Cola's USP to arouse emotions with their heart-warming experiential campaigns,

but this time Pepsico gets one over on them with the #LightingUpLives campaign in Pakistan.

Through this Campaign, Pepsi will donate Re. 1 for every 1.75L bottle of Pepsi purchased

during the month of Ramadan.

This Campaign was driven by Walter Pakistan (a part of J. Walter Thompson) and had an ad

film which went viral on Social media & featured Pakistani actors Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sanam

Saeed, Syra Shahroz and Azzfar Rehman. It had the actors stop Pepsi drinkers from throwing

away the empty bottles. They collect these bottles and use them to light up & illuminate an

entire village.

BRAND MARKive “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”

Tiffany’s – Selling Dreams One Sparkle at a Time

06 THE MARKSMAN

Some brands in the world have

become so famous that when you think of

that product category, it is usually associated

with that brand, for eg., all photocopiers are

called Xerox and all mineral bottles are

Bisleri. So when it comes to jewellery, and

more specifically diamonds, Tiffany’s is the

name for you.

Tiffany & Co, popularly known

as Tiffany’s, is synonymous with diamond

jewellery and has been the world leader in

the industry for more than a century. Since

its inception in 1837, Tiffany has become a

pioneer when it comes to diamonds. It has

expanded into various segments including

crystals, china, perfumes, watches, sterling

silver, bottles, stationary, leather goods and

personal accessories. In spite of the

diversifications, Tiffany’s still basks in the

luxurious position as the market leader

when it comes to diamonds.

Originally founded as a

stationary and antiques emporium by

its co-founders Charles Lewis Tiffany

and John B. Young, its named was

adopted to Tiffany & Co. in 1853 when

the company was solely owned by Mr.

Charles Tiffany. This was when the

focus of the company shifted to

diamonds as their main product line

for the company. Little did they know

that Tiffany’s would become the

epitome of the diamond industry.

Tiffany’s is in the business

of not just selling diamonds but hopes

and dreams. They sell happiness in the

little blue box, which has become the

trademark of the company. Every girl

aspires to receive that perfect Tiffany’s

engagement ring that would shine on

forever.

BRAND MARKive

JULY 2015 07

The first marketing strategy

adopted by Tiffany’s was the introduction

of the “Blue Book”, which is a product

catalogue and has been used for

showcasing their products for the

customers from where they can order

and register. The book is still published

and is adored by customers’ world over.

Tiffany’s has used radio, television, print

ads, jewellery exhibitions, etc. as a part

of their regular strategy. It has launched

its own apps in the IOS and Android

market which are freely available for its

customers. They launched the same-sex

campaign in 2015 making it the first ever

company advertising for same-sex

marriages.

Other than the marketing

strategies that have been devised by Tiffany’s

themselves, a lot of the publicity for the brand

has come from Hollywood movies, songs,

novels, celebrities, etc. Hollywood celebrities

have often flaunted Tiffany’s designs on the red

carpet and in parties, weddings, etc. There

have been mentions of Tiffany’s in songs by

Marilyn Monroe, including the very famous

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. In the

James Bond movie “Diamonds are Forever”,

Bond’s love interest is named Tiffany and she

mentions her name came from Tiffany & Co.

She has been distinguished to be the first ever

Bond girl.

08 THE MARKSMAN

BRAND MARKive

There have been novels like

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Summer at Tiffany’s and

Something from Tiffany’s, which have all

revolved around the diamond showroom. Out

of the three, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Summer

at Tiffany’s have both been adopted into

movies. Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey

Hepburn has been an iconic classic and many

of the scenes were actually shot in the New

York 5th Avenue showroom of Tiffany’s. Other

movies like Sleepless in Seattle and Sweet

Home Alabama have also featured the

showroom.

Tiffany has a legacy and

heritage that is beyond imaginable.

They were the first ones who came up

with the carat metric system which

was adopted worldwide. Tiffany’s

standards for sterling and platinum

have been adopted by the US. They

designed the gallantry awards for the

US marines which was later adopted as

the logo for the New York Yankees.

They have designed all the china

present in the White House, which was

ordered by the then first lady Bird

Johnson in 1968. Tiffany also designs

the Super Bowl trophy, NASCAR

trophy and many others prestigious

awards and trophies all over the globe.

Tiffany’s yellow diamond, which is a

128-carat stone found in 1878, has

been its most prized possession and

has never been sold, but is always on

display in many of their showrooms.

The iconic designs and the

varied coloured stones make Tiffany a

distinguished brand when it comes to

diamonds. The showroom mesmerizes

you with the glitter and sparkle and

entices you by making you feel very

special. As Audrey Hepburn puts it in

Breakfast at Tiffany’s “It is the best

place in the world, where nothing bad

can take place.”

COVER STORY

From the high praise of

Chinese silk through the ages – the great

Sītā herself is said to have received it as gift

on the occasion of her wedding – to the

dubious subtext that “Made in China” today

calls to mind, products and qualities have

been associated with geographies of origin

long before Friedman announced that the

world had become flat.

Not least of all in today’s hour of

globalisation, Shakespeare’s dismissive quip

of naming can only nominally be taken

seriously – for some corporations, the game

revolves around the name. Many prominent

brands owe their success a good deal to the

value signalled by their name. French is the

standard choice for conveying hedonic

quality – Chocolat Pavot is owned by a

German manufacturer, while L’Eau Bleu is

the work of a Japanese fashion designer.

In the case of some, the history of the brand

is much more complex than stumbling upon

the right exotic name.

Parlez-vous Francisé ? The Highways and Bylanes of Foreign Branding

Häagen-Dazs, hinting Danish origins, was

founded in 1961 in the Bronx. The greater

irony is that even the name isn’t properly

Scandinavian – it was made up by co-

founder Rose Mattus, ostensibly in memory

of the less cruel treatment of Jews in

Denmark. Not that behind the successful

brand that yielded over $488m in sales in

2014 there isn’t ice-cream that consumers

derive pleasure from, but its history reveals

a different source of strength – Häagen-

Dazs was founded when the ice-cream

shop run by the uncle of Reuben Mattus

(Rose’s husband) was facing price-cutting

competition from bigger ice-brands brands,

when Reuben figured that there was a way

to charge much higher and gain volume too,

namely, by adopting the right name. In 1980,

when another American ice-cream maker

founded itself as Frusen Glädjé (which does

actually mean “Frozen Delight” in Swedish),

Häagen-Dazs filed a suit for jumping the

bandwagon – the court ruled against

Häagen-Dazs for having unclean hands

itself.

JULY 2015 09

Of course, customers do read “Made In

…” labels much more frequently than such

companies would prefer. Some firms get

around this difficulty by actually

manufacturing it in the country-of-origin

they are trying to suggest – e.g. in

Florence, the center of Italian fashion, over

three thousand Chinese businesses

manufacturing low-end clothing and

accessory employ Chinese workers and

market their products worldwide as

“Made in Italy”. In fact, consumers are

increasingly looking up the country of

origin rather than settle for the one

implied by the sound.

In The Double-Edged Sword of

Foreign Brand Names for Companies from

Emerging Countries (Journal of Marketing,

November 2012), Melnyk et al. reported a

“consistent pattern with an asymmetric

effect of incongruence between implied

and actual country-of-origin on purchase

likelihood for hedonic and utilitarian

products”. This makes using foreign

sounding names a high-return high-risk

proposition. They point out that a prestige

brand extension can turn out to be

successful for just this reason. In an

interesting aside, they also show that

including a rhetorical question through ad

copy is effective at reducing negative

impact of incongruence and also bringing

purchase likelihood levels to those of

cases in which the cues/signalling is

congruent with the actual country-of-

origin.

COVER STORY COVER STORY

“Promise, large promise, is the sol of an advertisement. “

- Samuel Johnson.

Back in China, many homegrown brands are

eager to project an image of

internationalistic (read developed nations,

read first world, read European)

sophistication. Instead of the predictable

Mandarin name – even if as the translation of

a major Western brand -- some of the major

clothing brands are named Hotwind, Orgee

and Marisfrolg. Some foreign brands like

Coca Cola have adopted Chinese names that

have appropriate meanings. Some, like

McDonalds, seem not to really need bother

with naming much, and resort to just a

transliteration. Some others like Cadillac

have crafted meaningless strings of syllables.

This aspect has transferred such that some

Chinese firms adopt the latter method to

signal foreign cachet despite having fully local

origins. The Chinese have successfully plied

such strategies even on foreign territory –

brands like Haier and Galanz capitalise on

names carrying a German undertone that

lends credibility of technological excellence

even though they are actually Chinese

companies.

10 THE MARKSMAN

COVER STORY

In 2012, the Italian Trade Commission moved court against 30 odd Chinese

companies for claiming links with Italy to signal product quality or origin – actually

having neither, but still having asking prices of Italian import items. The scene is

fortunately improving in favour of developing nations as they are seeing a greater

number of homegrown brands asserting their origins and their competence. Large

corporations in these countries are also buying major foreign brands, be it Tata

Motors taking over Jaguar or Wipro buying out Yardley. So rapid are the changes

that there also exist confusing multiple-level ironies like Indian men buying Peter

England.

Corporations must keep in mind that as the borrowed cachet of a foreign language

name becomes an asset, a corresponding liability is also simultaneously created –

no other way to keep the balance sheet in order.

JULY 2015 11

Special Story

Down-stream market, Up for grabs!

Imagine the scenario two

decades ago, there were no supermarkets,

hypermarkets or malls. The retail business

landscape then comprised of departmental

stores and the mom and pop shops (the

famous kirana shops). This has to be

brought to notice to introduce the

evolution brought in a sector which today

contributes to 22% of India’s GDP.

Now let us look at another

sector all together. Just a fact for a mere

comparison, Petroleum products relate to

15% of the country’s GDP. And what has

changed in the providing of common people

these valuables in the last twenty years or

so? Almost NOTHING.

What does that call for?

A revolution in this marketplace.

When is it going to happen?

Well, it has started already.

The analogy may not deem fit

for every reasonable person, for the change

in the business environment may not be

directly related to the contribution an

entity provides in a nation’s stature. But for

a country whose global proposition lies in

being one of the fastest growing economy,

the development in an eminent market,

which is also directly proportional to the

global relations a country serves and

indirectly related to the prices of almost

every other commodity, this is only

reasonable to grow and thus, evolve.

It is to be noted again that the

prices of almost every other commodity

are driven heavily by the transportation

cost incurred. That in a country where the

gap between the demand and supply is

hundreds of kilometers and roads being the

favourable mean of commute outweigh any

other possible mean by a big-big margin.

Thus, the prices of these products which

directly impact the transportation cost, if

argued, may be the driving factor for the

inflation rate, and superficially, the PESTEL-

factors for India’s current positioning.

The scale of this can only urge

any budding marketer to be ready for the

reformation that is going to happen post

the deregulation of Diesel. The reason why

deregulation of Diesel, and not Petrol, has

awakened the starving private players’

activeness is because it contributes to

around 70-80% of the total petroleum

products.

12 THE MARKSMAN

SPECIAL STORY

Just to give a heads-up,

deregulating the oil prices by the

government means it has waived off the

subsidiaries provided, hence taking off the

edge with the state-owned OMCs and

providing the private players a chance to

price their products competitively. The

last time Government had a mini stint

with deregulating Diesel resulted in

Reliance capturing about 15% of the

market dominated by over 95% captured

by three-biggies, IOCL, BPCL and HPCL.

However, this time the opportunity is not

only hard to capture but also bigger to

cash-in. Reason? The global crude prices

are not only at their apt best, but also

towards stabilizing.

The upstream and

midstream markets include the extraction

and transportation part are lesser likely

to be affected unless there occurs a

major technological advancement.

Therefore, what is to govern the

difference in the revenues of one

company from the other is the

downstream market, which includes the

marketing and distribution of such

products.

What this gives to any

person related to the industry (or willing

to be a part of it) is a vast opportunity to

play an integral part of the change which

is going to change the whole picture

upside-down. The private players

including Reliance, Shell, Total and the

state-owned MRPL will be looking to

grab a share as big as possible through

one and only one route: Differentiation.

The end-consumer is more or

less unaware of the back-end process

included, it’s the brand positioning that

drives him to a forecourt. While Reliance

enjoys ability of vast horizontal-integration,

Shell assures the customer’s security while

MRPL possesses logistic superiority in select

areas. Each of them have their own abilities

to conquer and their own audience at stake.

While loyalty programs are the

sure-shot lucrative factors, direct marketing

may allow these companies a fresh chance

and the impact of digital cannot be ignored

in the youth-driven population, let the

business being conservative. Thus, each and

every marketing tool can be utilized in a field

like this, just that, in a smart and subtle way.

JULY 2015 13

SPECIAL STORY

On one side they would be eager to solve the logistics issue in the best way

possible, on the other, they would be looking to run that extra mile to create a strong

impression not only on the end-consumer but also their dealers and other stakeholders in

the whole supply chain.

Today is not only the point where one gets to fill the colours but also to

decide what is to be drawn, and in a step-by-step trend repeating corporate world, this can

be a big opportunity. Think of what all can be done by putting all the marketing acumen with

the names featuring most frequently in Forbes’ lists, in a commodity brought by every other

individual and business, at the time which decides the future of the country’s economic fate.

One thing is for sure, this Down-streaming Market, is Up for grabs.

14 THE MARKSMAN

MARKETING FAUX PAS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE T20

There are disappointments and

there are mistakes; but it is very seldom that

we see a disappointing mistake of such epic

proportions. The fairly recent news about the

annual Champions League T20 being scrapped

didn’t come as a surprise to many and truth

be told, it was quite high time that this six

season long debacle was shown the door.

Following the huge success and wide

acceptance of the T20 Cricket World Cup and

The Indian Premier League, Champions

League T20 was designed on the lines of

European Club Football and it aimed at

replicating the format’s international glitz and

glamour in the cricketing domain. However

the event failed miserably at getting crowds

into the stands or in front of the television.

Despite it being termed as a

marquee event, the reasons of this mega

brand’s failure are many. One of the major

reasons for it is the over representation

of Indian teams and a lack of

representation from other major test

playing nations, giving it the feel of a

second IPL. Furthermore, the lack of big

names in clubs of other nations further

reduced the charisma of the event and

therefore, the tournament could not pull

the numbers that were expected of it. On

the flip side it was also seen as an

overdose of cricket. The calendar of

International Test Playing nations is more

often than not, jam packed and another

such format was viewed as an unnecessary

overkill.

JULY 2015 15

MARKETING FAUX PAS

Coupled with the aforementioned points the frequent change of sponsors

did little to enhance the image, on the contrary it further ruined the chances of any

concrete brand image setting in. Companies like Airtel, Nokia, Karbonn and Oppo all

threw in their support but shunned the tournament equally quick. Even the official

broadcasters, Star Network were losing close to $100 million every edition.

The last straw perhaps, was the verdict which suspended ex champions

Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings for two years. Immediately following this

decision the BCCI announced that Champions League would be no more.

Marred by controversies, starved of viewership, begging for sponsorship, it

was a wonder how the tournament lasted six editions. The lopsided Indian centric

approach of the tournament and virtually nil acceptance in the rest of the world gave the

impression that the tournament was only an extension of the IPL and made it into a

recipe for disaster. When the makers started the tournament, they had forecasted that it

would be the biggest and most successful format for T20; but it’s a shame the brand’s

viewers never shared the sentiment.

16 THE MARKSMAN

Hall-MARK CAMPAIGN

Sky Sports #PLmoments

Over the past few months we

have witnessed a lot of successful

campaigns that range from consumer

products such as Coke’s #ShareaCoke or

Oreo Cookie’s #DunkSwag to financial

products such as HDFC Life Insurance’s

#YoungStar or Bajaj Allianz’s #LittleThings.

The previous editions of “The Marksman”

have covered a variety of them. A recent

example is the Government of India’s “Beti

Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” campaign.

Needless to say, it garnered a lot of fame as

people began to post selfies with their

daughter on Facebook and the message of

the importance of female foeticide

eradication and safety for women was

delivered loud and clear to everyone.

It is a no brainer that to have customer

engagements, such campaigns are very vital.

And if the campaign resonates with the

emotions of people, then it is guaranteed

that the purpose will be met. And that is

exactly what Sky Sports came up with in

their new Ad and Social Media Campaign

#PLmoments.

Come August 8th! The war for the world’s

most famous premier league title

commences. The Blues will fight to defend

the title and the Gunners will unleash the

fire. While the Red Devils will look for

revenge, their Noisy Neighbours will try to

leapfrog all. And in the midst of all, the Reds

will try to fit in the top four. By the time

football fans read the above lines, emotions

will be soaring high taking them back to

their favourite club’s unforgettable moments.

The derby fights, the historic last minute

goals, the penalty shots and what not. Click

the below link for the ad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCnfnZ

Xazzg

JULY 2015 17

HALL-MARK CAMPAIGN

Thierry Henry, the Arsenal

legend is the protagonist who goes back in

time to visit the iconic moments in the

history of Premier League. He celebrates

with Sir Alex Fergusson and says its Fergie

time.

He casually wanders on the pitch and

witnesses The King’s (Eric Cantona) famous

goal against Sunderland in 1996. Several

other nostalgic moments such as Wayne

Rooney’s bicycle kick, Sergio Aguero ‘s last

minute winner to handle Manchester City

the title is also being shown. The highlight of

the Ad is the Gunners’ celebration at White

Hart Lane where in Thierry Henry is seen

alongside himself saying “The Invincibles”.

And to top it off, Henry hides near the

tunnel witnessing the infamous fight between

Keane and Vieira. All these iconic moments

trigger passion and emotion in the fans and

Sky Sports have capitalized on the same.

The ad soon became viral and it has been

shared approximately four lakh times in the

past week. The Twitter campaign

#PLmoments saw people posting photos of

various iconic moments. In the UK, Premier

League is broadcasted in BT Sports, Sky

Sports and ESPN. With the advent of this

ad, the TRP rating for Sky Sports has

increased tremendously as compared to

others resulting in more lucrative

sponsorships and advertisements thus

generating considerable revenue for the

channel.

In short, the exposure and engagement

generated by this ad and #PLmoments

campaign makes Sky Sports a perfect

entrant for this edition’s Hallmark

campaign.

18 THE MARKSMAN

PIONEER ARUNABH KUMAR

• First YouTube based channel to reach a

million subscribers for online content

within the shortest time

• The first company in India in the realm

of entertainment network to blend

reality and parody in their creation

ushering in a new genre of

entertainment

• First online network to extract content

contribution from A grade Bollywood

celebrities (Shah Rukh Khan, Ayushmann

Khurana, Anurag Kashyap, Ali Zafar,

Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh, and

more recently The Chief Minister of

Delhi Mr. Arvind Kejriwal)

• Creator and distributor of 12 online

entertainment hits such as Qtiyapa,

Barely Speaking with Arnub, Permanent

Roommates, Chai Sutta Chronicles,

PITCHERS etc

• India’s sole representative at the

International YouTube Fan Fest 2013

With 2 million subscribers, 118 videos

and more than a hundred million views

The Viral Fever has become a household

name but the real credit goes to the

mind behind it – Arunabh Kumar,

Founder & Creative Experiment Officer.

Kumar, who holds a masters in Electrical

Engineering from IIT Kharagpur quit his

job of a Research Consultant for the US

Air Force and joined Red Chillies

Entertainment as an Assistant Director

on Om Shanti Om. Slowly and steadily

he made his way into the entertainment

industry making short films, music videos

and freelancing for various advertising

agencies.

JULY 2015 19

PIONEER

Turning point of his career was the

rejection of a youth-centric television

show, Engineer’s Diary by MTV and other

channels on the grounds that the youth

wouldn’t want to watch it. In a bid to

prove them wrong, Arunabh along with a

few of his friends started the YouTube

channel The Viral Fever.

TVF started its journey with Inglorious

Seniors, a spoof of Quentin Tarantino’s

war saga set against the backdrop of

college ragging that instantly struck a

chord with the youth. They followed it up

with one of their most popular outings -

Rowdies.

Staying true to its name, TVF delivered

viral videos one after another that

garnered millions of views and

subscriptions for the channel. Some of its

most popular videos include Gangs of

Social Media, Barely Speaking with Arnub

and Gana Wala Song.

Diversifying from pure comedy to drama,

TVF recently launched two original web

series – Permanent Roommates & Pitchers.

While Permanent Roommates is a live-in

rom com which became the most watched

web series in the world, Pitchers is a take on

the booming entrepreneurial wave.

The success of TVF has further contributed

to the development of web-based

entertainment with channels such as AIB,

Scoop Whoop and Shudh Desi Endings

following suit.

20 THE MARKSMAN

Bookworm

How to Mind-Read Your Customers? - David P. Snyder

It is a marketer’s biggest quandary, one of

his biggest fears, but if understood, it can

also be his biggest strength, the source of

his biggest successes. For a marketer,

understanding the customers is imperative.

It is only if a marketer can create a lasting

impact on a customer’s mind then can ever

be a possibility of a long-term relationship,

one of trust, admiration and mutual respect.

This book is a passage that opens to this

secret world of the minds of our

customers. Marketing is, in essence the

ability to sell, the ability to create a

fascination that is engrained in our

customers’ minds. It discusses and

describes salesmanship from the

perspective of a scientist and an artist,

supported by empirical studies as well as

studies that are aimed at stirring the

creative side.

The mind is a complex entity and this book

dives into this complexity to disintegrate

several of its myths and beliefs. Consumer

psychology has been used extensively in

this book through its studies and

interviews. The book gives instances of

what differentiates a remarkable salesman

from a mediocre one.

JULY 2015 21

The trick, lies in the ability of the salesman

to maintain a state of modest self-

confidence. It is seen that when customers

encounter a salesman who believes in what

is to be sold, they are more likely to be

attracted or interested.

The book is full of instances of some of the

best salespeople the world has seen. The

introductory chapter paints a picture of how

Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin

Group of companies, is a master salesman.

There are several commonalities that can be

drawn between all these master salespeople:

their demeanour, their confident humility

and their ability to be absolutely comfortable

in their own skin.

Two key themes of the book are;

salesmanship and psychology. The author

himself has been a student of psychology and

puts forth several of his key learnings in the

book. The most striking feature of this book

is its simplicity. It is a guide to the

understanding of personalities of every type

and how to sell to them. It continuously

reiterates how each human personality is

unique and that is what necessitates an open

and rational mind.

PIONEER

The ultimate aim of the book is to make

the reader an integrated thinker, a judicious

mix of a salesperson, a marketer and a

customer service executive. This book is

highly recommended to anyone who

wishes to understand the nuances of

salesmanship intermingled with psychology.

At the end of the day, aren’t we all

salespeople in different walks of life?

22 THE MARKSMAN

You know that you had heard in a Youtube

video playing in the backdrop of a ….. cat

video? And you HAD to have it”, so you

commented - “PLZ PLZ SOMEONE TELL ME

THE SONG’s NAME!!” Calm Down son!

“Darude-Sandstorm” is probably the only

reply you got, causing an inception of very

bad thoughts for that person in your mind. I

was in this quandary where there was no

way I could hit that song anywhere on the

web.

Then…Bam! Android! Wait, what? SHAZAM!!

Huh…….?

Yes, Android we know. Shazam, an Android app,

only wants you to hold your phone near the

music that you desperately want to

download, and voila! You get the track &

artist name. That’s it. Just open the app, hold

your phone near the music source, the

microphone will catch the sound, and

through the wizardry of Android code (Yes

Android Is life), you have the song you were

swimming for in the depths of Google, in a

second.

Face the Music: Marketing opportunities for Music Apps

FEATURED ARTICLES

When you think digital,

there’s just no ceiling to innovation.

There is an answer to everything. And

music, you don’t need to sell as a

product, you only need to market

around it. Which unique Equalizer do

you have? Does your App suggest results

adaptive to your preference? What’s

that, you have every Indian classical song

ever made? You give buffer less audio

streaming? Pff! You get the picture.

According to Midem Blog,

the mobile music industry was worth

$23.2 billion in 2014 last year with

revenue from ringtones, full track, and

streaming-music purchases, with the

maximum revenue accumulated from full

track downloads. In two years, iTunes

increased by around 200% in the

number of music apps in October 2014.

And it’s not just the number of music

apps that has been increasing but the

number of music app downloaders is

rising as well.

With such increased

accessibility and freedom offered by

music hosting sites like Soundcloud,

Spotify, Youtube et al, there is huge space

for free advertising. Justin Bieber, Sungha

Jung are some of the “Youtube Stars”

that the digital market has “blessed” us

with. Conception is just waiting to

happen.

Rohit V.B

- K J SIMSR

JULY 2015 23

FEATURED ARTICLES

But. No flower contrasts without its thorns.

Streaming platforms like Beatport, Spotify,

Pandora, Rdio et al, are subscription based

services. These sites have to pay ~60% of

their revenue as royalty to the record

labels, artists and other related parties.

Not so Much Now..!

India’s own Dhingana received a fatal blow

in March ’14 with the hike in record labels’

hiked licensing costs. Earlier in ’13, the plug

was pulled on Nokia Music India, just days

after Microsoft acquired it. The survivors of

today are such names as Saavn, Gaana etc.

Though the subscription system can’t be

completely abandoned, selective incentives

can be given. Saavn’s tie up with Snapdeal

allows customers many offers and

discounts. Saavn has also gone the Twitter

way with an online tweet based online

radio.

Hungama CEO Neeraj Roy says that with

the availability of low-end smartphones, the

aggressive data pack marketing by Telecom

Service providers and most importantly,

customers on the internet consume

entertainment the most in a time spent,

he’s confident to see an increase in the

music streaming market in 2015.

face down at the feet of many a record label,

or a concert producer, while he wipes his

buttocks with your demo CD. Yes this is a

true story. But you get through eventually. While

that’s going on, hey, why not make an App for

your music and upload it to the Play Store.

(Once Again, Android Zindabad) You can do this

through appmakr4bands.com. This app

lets you market your music and band by

updating your band info, demo releases,

concert dates etc. on your own custom app.

Last.fm is already an established “intelligent”

platform, in that it modifies search results

based on your listening penchant. It suggests

similar bands/songs that connate to your

answers to questions like predilection, taste

etc.

The Last.fm mobile App is your one-stop

shop for music search needs. So you really

like that Melodic Death Metal riff style?

Want to uncover similar obscure bands that

are out there? Just ask Last.fm.

Online music marketing does not say “This is

a blah blah blah music/genre/song. If you

want blah blah bliss and serenity in your life,

search no more.” It only says “You like music,

well here’s a cushion, lie down and relax

while I make your listening experience more

comfortable and lasting.” Even online radios

available are high-octane. Apps like Pandora

allows you to create dynamic stations based

on your favorite artists. You wake up in the

morning listening to inspiring songs of your

choice.

Or say you have a band.

And you are in the

“struggling phase” lying

24 THE MARKSMAN

SquareHead

JULY 2015 25

BUZZ

CLUES

PUZZLE ACROSS

Digjam is a product of which

enterprise? (5)

_________ has the punch line

Breath easy. (4,4)

Wills Lifestyle belongs to which

corporate group? (3)

DOWN

Close – up belongs to which brand.

(3)

The Power of Dreams is the punch

line for which brand? (5)

The World’s local bank is ___. (4)

The cookies ‘Hide & Seek’ is

manufactured by which company? (5)

Which jewellery brand has Jaya

Bachhan endorsed?

1.

3.

5.

2.

4.

6.

Answers:

Across:

1.Oswal 3.Blue Star 5.ITC

Down:

2.HUL 4.HONDA 6.HSBC 7.Parle 8. Tanishq

7.

8.

26 THE MARKSMAN

Call for ARTICLES

CALL FOR ARTICLES AUGUST 2015

Articles can be sent on any one of the following topics*:

*Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all references are

clearly mentioned.

The best adjudged article will be given a Winner’s Certificate.

Deadline for the submission of article will be : 20th August, 2015

1. One article can have only one author.

2. Your article should be approximately 800-850

words and MUST be replete with relevant

pictures that can be used to enhance the

article.

3. Font Type: Gill Sans MT

4. Font Size: 14.

5. Send your article in .doc/.docx format to

marksman.simsr@somaiya.edu

6. Subtitle line: Your name_Institute

Name_Course Year

7. Kindly name your file as : Your name_Topic

1. BCCI and Paytm: Will the troubled waters of the

cricketing world prove troublesome for Paytm?

2. Movies as brands: An idea that is one in a minion?

3. E-commerce platforms becoming app-only: a

killer move or a fatal error?

JULY 2015 27

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THE TEAM TWEETS by

Kavya Dubey

It’s all about AD-itude by

Siddharth Bhandarkar

Brand MARKive by

Palak Thakkar

COVER STORY by

Akshay Peshwe

SPECIAL STORY by

Abhijit Sharma

FAUX PAS by

Dhruv Maheshwari

HALLMARK CAMPAIGN by

Dilip Anantharaman

PIONEER by

Sankalp Thakur

BOOKWORM by

Sukanya Remesh

SquAreheaD by

Vasundhara Tewari

BUZZ by

Minoli Sheth

PROOF READ by

Disha Shah

DESIGNING by

Palak Thakkar

Sankalp Thakur

PROMOTIONS by

Palak Thakkar

Sukanya Remesh

The MARKSMAN is the

newsletter of INTERFACE, the

Marketing Club at K.J. Somaiya

Institute of Management Studies

and Research, Mumbai.

Images used in THE

MARKSMAN are subject to

copyright. THE MARKSMAN

does not take any responsibility

of any kind of plagiarism in the

articles received from students

of other colleges.

The TEAM

28 THE MARKSMAN