Tuesday in UK: Home is Where Google Is

There's the moment, probably no more than one Earth second, in which you know something is good.

It's the sweetness of  caramel shortbread after long diet, it's the sound of the sea after long working months.. it's the self-conscious storyteller in the beginning of this ad.

Say hello to more Google at home.

And more you there as well.

Not a zero cool ad, but great.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Tuesday in India: Hop, Skip and a Jump to the Great Concept

Stand up for your right to get a rupee instead of a candy for change!

Paytm has rolled out an ad (conceptualised by McCann Erickson) that vividly presents the cashless transfer of money.

Not sure about how usable it is in reality but it looks powerful.

Hoping for some revolution in India if all goes well..


P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!>

Tuesday in India: It's a Winning Game for Amazon

Flattery will get you everywhere.

Amazon India explored well the essential nature of Indian shopper and rolled out a multi-film campaign, riding on some typical Indian traits.

Check out how enjoyably Indians and Amazon connects through "asli", "jaldi" and "friendly" characteristics.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!>

Tuesday in China: Leftover Woman vs Independent Woman

"I am a leftover woman".. ..

no modern Western woman ever said.

But in China (and neighboring countries) "leftover woman" is a common label to mark all single women over 25.

That's a massive social pressure because not all women wish to be in a relationship or get married young.

Check the latest P&G skincare brand SK-II campaign trying to bring a little hope for independent women in China.

Warning: It will make your eyes watery and heart heavy.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Tuesday in India: In The Midnight Hour They Cried - "More, More, More"!

Move over, Millennials, here comes the Generation Z.

And brands follow.

Generation Z youngsters are the first true digital natives and they know they want more.

Because if there is one thing better than having a cup of gorgeous tea, it's having a cup of gorgeous tea AND a molten chocolate cake.

Spot on with #AndGeneration, Micromax.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Tuesday in India: This Makes Me Unquestionably Jump for Joy

Let me just say that this DBS Bank's campaign "Chilli Paneer 2" received a Gold and Silver at the Midas Awards 2015 a moment ago.

And there is a real steak not just some sizzle.

It's the most engaging campaign for the banking services that I've ever seen.

Superb innovative storytelling with a pinch of genius selling.

Warning: the film is 20 minutes long!

But you have permission to be blown away, trust me.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Tuesday in India: The Cement Ad Which Everyone Is Talking About

You wouldn't expect much creativity from a cement ad.

But mix nice idea with India's WWE World Champion Great Khali and you'll get a 'Wow' feature.

In the end, it tickles the same idea I had for years after living in there -  oh, just stop building crappy houses in India.

I'm sure the team behind this ad got some inspiration from the time-honoured ad on Mr. Wind:



P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Tuesday in India: The Blurring Line Between Ads and Movies

The advertising landscape has changed and boundaries between short movies and advertisements are becoming more and more invisible.

This 6-minute film from Lipton India is not making much noise in the advertising fields but it's still very nicely done.

"Why ask why, when you can say why not?"

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday Research: Your Customer Wants It The Hard Way

When Will You Use This?  

Developing your products and creating consumers experience.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Traffic jams make me feel helpless. Then I think, how important is it to be in control as a consumer?

Current research* explored how feelings of control influence selection of products that require either high or low effort.

For example, in one study, basketball players who had either just won or lost a game were asked their opinions about a new basketball shoe. Players saw a photo of a shoe with either the tagline “Work less, Jump higher” or “Work harder, Jump higher.” The players who had just lost the game were more likely to purchase the shoe with the “Work harder, Jump higher” tagline. Players who had just won did not favor one shoe over the other.

Results revealed that when a person’s sense of control is threatened, they are more likely to seek out products that require hard work to restore their belief that they can drive their own positive outcomes. However, when progress feels too slow for someone already in a low-control situation, they are likely to switch their product preferences toward lowering effort— succumbing to things like “get rich quick” schemes and “lose weight without trying” campaigns.

"Did They Just Say I am a Looser? I'll Show Them in a Year!"

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

As authors suggest, "with the plethora of low-effort products on the market today, a brand’s intuition might be to provide consumers with the easiest, most high-tech routes to achieve their goals. However, our research reveals that the more consumers experience threats to their sense of control with respect to health or fitness goals, the more desirable a structured, high-effort program where consumers drive their own outcomes."

*Cutright K.M., Samper A. “Doing It the Hard Way: How Low Control Drives Preferences for High-Effort Products and Services.” Journal of Consumer Research: October 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with increasing customer's self control? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday in India: Don't Bother Asking the Whole World. Ask Experts.

Indians love advice, guidance and tips.

Both, give and receive.

Even about the things they have no idea or knowledge of.

That's why this new video campaign from CarWale is a spot on.

P.S. When you’re done reading and watching, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday Research: Why Your Shoppers Want to Consult Salesperson?

When Will You Use This?  

To improve your understanding of shoppers behavior, training your salespeople.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Most retailers believe in the value of salesperson consultation. But does it really increase store performance and, if so, what could motivate shoppers to seek salesperson's help?

Current research* investigates 425 shoppers and develops a model of four utilitarian and hedonic motivators of shopper consultation with salespeople. The results demonstrate that situational and individual influences, both utilitarian (i.e., shoppers’ purchase uncertainty and efficiency orientation) and hedonic (i.e., shoppers’ situation-related affect toward salespeople and shopping enjoyment) motivate retail shoppers to consult with salespeople. Moreover, salesperson consultation is found to be positively related to the amount of money spent by shoppers.

Don't Be Fooled: Purchase Uncertainty is Only One Possible Motivator Of Seeking A Salesperson

*Haas A., Kenning P. "Utilitarian and Hedonic Motivators of Shoppers’ Decision to Consult with Salespeople", Journal of Retailing (June, 2014) {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with motivating shoppers for salespeople consultation? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday in India: Lufthansa, Moving Indians With Fresh Marketing

India is a big, important market for the eager German airlines Lufthansa.

And they want to make a good impression.

Or change the intuitive not-so-good one.

‘More Indian than you think’ campaign is cute and connects well with a viewer, I feel.

Way to go.



P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday Research: East or West - Consumer's Distinct Quest!

When Will You Use This?  

Planning and developing your branding and advertising strategy.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Spending huge amount of time in UK and Europe (West) and India (East), I couldn’t help but notice the difference between consumers preferences, consumption expectations and brand experiences. Time ago it has been observed that how consumers feel about an unhappy consumption experience depends on who makes the choice and, more significantly, in which cultural context the choice occurs. Actually there are important differences in how Easterners and Westerners view themselves.

Previous studies shown that Westerners tend to expect individuals to act to promote their own interest (coming from beliefs that individuals are self-reliant, self-centered people with autonomy over their own behaviour). On the other hand, in Eastern cultures, people expect groups to act to promtoe the interest of the group (coming from beliefs and values that places greater expectations on working towards the well-being of a group).

Current research* found that Westerners are more likely to switch brands when the unsatisfactory consumption experience is a consequence of their inaction relative to the inaction of a group to which they belong. In contrast, Easterners are more likely to switch brands when the unsatisfactory consumption experience is a consequence of inaction on the part of the group to which they belong relative to their own inaction.

Unhappy Eating Experience: Who will actually change the restaurant?

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

This study suggests a few ways how a company might benefit from this study in the areas of brand management and advertising. As authors say, “in bicultural settings (such as Singapore and India), firms would do well to consider the possibility that subtle message frames might yield brand loyalty or switching. Given the behavioral consequences of felt regret, an induction of regret can activate a change in the mode of behavior, such as brand-switching. For instance, a firm might be able to limit consumer switching following an unhappy experience, by emphasizing individual action or group inaction (in a Western setting) or by emphasizing individual inaction or group action (in an Eastern setting) in their persuasive communications, since such an emphasis is likely to elicit relatively less regret. By the same token, when consumers have an unhappy experience with a competing brand, a firm may be able to induce consumer switching by emphasizing individual inaction or group action (in a Western setting) or by emphasizing individual action or group inaction (in an Eastern setting) in their persuasive communications, since such an emphasis is likely to elicit relatively greater regret. Therefore, by appropriately accounting for elements that likely affect consumer regret and brand-switching, firms might enhance or limit brand-switching following an unsatisfactory consumption experience, an issue of considerable interest to firms addressing culturally diverse markets, both domestically and internationally..”.

  

*Sharon Ng, a, Hakkyun Kim, b, Akshay R. Rao,c,"Sins of Omission versus Commission: Cross-Cultural Differences in Brand-Switching Due to Dissatisfaction Induced by Individual versus Group Action and Inaction" Journal of Consumer Research, Upcoming 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with cross-cultural marketing? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Friday Research: Your Experience With Identity Marketing Could Flop

When Will You Use This?  

Creating marketing messages that target consumers on the basis of their identity.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Marketing messages often appeal to consumers because of their targeted identities, for example, Crisco targets culinarians by noting that "Cooks who know, trust Crisco" and Jell-O asserts that all real Americans eat their desserts.

However, could identity marketing flop?

Current research* demonstrates that explicit identity-marketing messages can backfire. As authors note, "identity marketing messages that explicitly connect consumer identity expression to a particular brand may highlight the role of external forces in determining consumers’ purchase behavior. In doing so, explicit identity marketing may inadvertently reduce consumers’ perceptions of personal agency in identity expression, undermining the value of brand purchase as a meaningful expression of identity. Five studies support this theorizing and demonstrate that explicit identity-marketing messages may reduce purchase likelihood. Consumers perceive such explicit identity marketing as a threat to free identity expression and avoid brands they would otherwise prefer..".

Xbox One Invitation for Real Gamers: Is This a Meaningful Expression of Their Identity?

* Bhattacharjee, A., Berger J., Menon G., “When Identity Marketing Backfires: Consumer Agency in Identity Expression". Journal of Consumer Psychology: August, 2014. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with identity marketing? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Friday Research: Trick Of Letting Customer Get All Lovey-Dovey With Your Product

When Will You Use This?  

Planning product launches and promotional campaigns.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Theodore: I've never loved anyone the way I loved you. 
Samantha: Me too. Now we know how. 

This quote from the movie Her (2013) wouldn't sound odd until we knew that this dialogue actually happens between a real man and his operating system Samantha. And maybe even then it's not so weird afterall, in today's lonely world people start bonding with various products on deeper and deeper levels.

Current research* suggests an idea that people might be “bonding” with products without even realizing it, and examines whether physically interacting with products in an affectionate manner (e.g. hugging, stroking) might lead people to grow attached to those products.

This research finds that when people performed the affectionate gestures, they grew more attached to the products, and accordingly liked the products more and were more willing to buy them. Authors note that "this was only the case when the designated product had some visual human-like traits (e.g. a human face on the packaging). That’s because affectionate gestures like hugs are usually reserved for human-to-human interactions, and thus the products must be somewhat humanlike for the gesture to result in affectionate feelings." Also, lonely people were even more likely to get attached to a specific product in consequence of performing an affectionate gesture towards it.

Am I So Fond of You Because I Can't Stop Hugging You?

*Hadi, Rhonda and Valenzuela, Ana,"A Meaningful Embrace: Contingent Effects of Embodied Cues of Affection". Journal of Consumer Psychology: 2014. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with nurturing customer's attachment? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday in India: What Could Make Chopping Trees More Backbreaking? Camlin Knows...

Can't see the wood for the trees?

Can't see the tree for the individual living thing?

Focused on that, Indian stationery company Camlin with a bunch of ever-energetic kids planned a great initiative to make cutting down a living tree tougher.

You'll be surprised.

 

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday Research: Early Adopters Might Lead Your Customers To Smoke And Mirrors

When Will You Use This?  

Planning and developing product and services launches, innovation projects.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Early adopters, who live, eat, and breathe everything fresh and new, can be invaluable for your brand. They can start a great sales rollercoaster with spreading the word and encouraging others to try the product.

However, early adopters with a high need for uniqueness may experience a communication dilemma: should I or should I not tell other about this cool new product? As once others adopt the same product, the level of differentness will radically decrease.

Current research* examines early adopters’ communication dilemma and how it leads to the “share and scare” strategy. The research reveals that sometimes early adopters use “share and scare” strategy and share information about their adoption with others, yet scare them out of adopting it, e.g. by focusing on features that diminish the innovation’s appeal for later adopters, such as its complexity, high price, or radicalness.

Limited Edition beats the Fear of Imitation?

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

This research shares a few tips to help you accomplish successful innovation launches. As authors suggest, "first, by launching a limited edition of an innovation, or premium versus common editions of the product, managers may diminish early adopters’ fear of imitation, because imitating them will be impossible. Second, managers can adjust the content of marketing campaigns to fit the needs of different adopters over time. For example, at launch, managers may appeal to early adopters with a high need for uniqueness by highlighting the product’s uniqueness and scarcity, and in subsequent stages, appeal to later adopters by emphasizing the product’s commonness and popularity. Third, managers can completely prevent the communication dilemma and the consequent “share and scare” strategy by appealing to early adopters with a low (rather than high) need for uniqueness. By focusing on benefits of the innovation separate from its uniqueness—such as functionality, hedonic value, or cognitive challenge—managers will appeal to early adopters who have a strong need to recommend the innovation but not to scare others."

*Moldovan, Sarit, Yael Steinhart, and Shlomit Ofen. "Share and Scare": Solving the Communication Dilemma of Early Adopters with a High Need for Uniqueness, Journal of Consumer Psychology: July, 2014. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with early adopters? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Friday Research: What's The Real McCoy Behind Luxury Shopping?

When Will You Use This?  

Developing promotional campaigns for your luxury brand or products.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

The luxury goods market has been increasing for many years.

There are many reasons why consumers purchase luxury goods - a sense of status, wealth, and exclusivity being a few of them.

Current research* investigates psychology of pride in luxury goods shoppers and shows that there are two ways pride operates: there is Authentic Pride (feeling which motivates a desire for luxury purchases as a signal of accomplishment) and there is Hubristic Pride ("feeling that one derives from displaying those same products" or snobbery).

This study reveals that consumers purchase luxury brands' products in search of heightened feelings of accomplishment, however, other people perceive it as a signal of arrogance (rather than accomplishment).

Luxury Goods: Sign Of Arrogance or Accomplishment?

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

 

If you're selling luxury goods, there are a few tricks to add to your bag. As authors note, "luxury brands are sometimes positioned in a manner associating them with snobbery, for instance contrasting their wearers with laborers of lower status professions. Others, such as Rolex’s “A crown for every achievement”, suggests its product is a marker of accomplishment. Our research shows that although consumers indeed associate luxury goods with both accomplishment and snobbery, the former is more motivating in creating consumer desire. Beyond purveyors of luxury goods, the growing obsession among some consumers to acquire luxury brands, particularly when they cannot reasonably afford them, is also a concern. For those interested in helping consumers better regulate their expenditures and avoid additional debt, our results speak to the psychological factors that motivate consumers to buy products that may make their lives economically precarious."

*McFerran, Brent, Karl Aquino, and Jessica L. Tracy. Evidence For Two Facets of Pride In Consumption: Findings From Luxury Brands, Journal of Consumer Psychology: April, 2014. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with marketing luxury goods? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday in India: I Am a Girl & I Gossip About Politics #BreakingStereotypes

You are a man so you love fast cars.

You are an IT consultant so you don't have life.

You are the only child so you're spoiled.

You love soup operas so you're dumb.

The world is built on stereotypes and labels, and in such a multi-cultural and diverse society as India, it's particularly common to be framed and judged.

Matchmaking website TrulyMadly.com came up with a new campaign to break some of the stereotypes existing in India.

Check a few pictures below to get a grasp of this lovely initiative.

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign used to raise awareness for social issues? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday Research: Imagine All The Consumers Imagining Your Products

When Will You Use This?  

Developing marketing and promotional campaigns.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

It was noticed long time ago that majority of consumers tend to imagine themselves with a product (in specific future situation) before making a purchase.

Current study* looks into the obstacles that suppress a consumer’s imagination (or "imagining the consumption of a yet-to-be-purchased product in a future situation"). Authors suggest an idea that the consumer imagination combines sensory information about a promoted product with relevant prior experiences from memory. For example, Ann is reading a magazine and spots an ad of a dress she really likes. She first imagines how she will appear at work's coctail party wearing an advertised dress. Moreover, information from memory about similar, relevant prior experiences is used to create a mental rehearsal of that future event. This information from memory includes not only relevant prior experiences but facts related to those experiences, such as type of clothing worn or food served at such an event.

This study highlights that the consumer imagination, rather than considering product features, increases purchase intentions because consumers are more likely to feel a sense of ownership.

Give your customers space for imagination race...

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks  

 

You might find it really useful to know when your customer's imagination should be tickled with your campaigns. This study particularly suggests that "clothing, sports/exercise equipment, electronics, and furniture are product categories in which touching before purchase is important. Thus, in an online shopping site for such products, a promotional emphasis on considering product features may be more convincing than stirring the imagination, especially for those consumers who like to touch products before buying. Likewise, marketing efforts designed to stir the imagination should be more fruitful for occasions that are likely to have an element of ambiguity, such as holiday parties or perhaps job interviews. On the other hand, ad appeals for products purchased for unambiguous occasions, such as going to work, may not benefit from efforts to evoke the imagination and do just as well with an emphasis on showcasing product features and attributes."

*Spears N.,Yazdanparast A. Revealing Obstacles to the Consumer Imagination. Journal of Consumer Research:01/2014.{Thanks for the material}
 
P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with rankings and evaluations, how do they help to sell? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.