Tuesday in India: Not Too Shabby for Any Shaadi

Love may be the losing game, but luckily at least wedding is a fun one.

Hotel chain Marriott India has rolled out a digital film (conceptualized by OgilveOne) to promote itself as a destination for weddings.

Elegant, emotionally charged and delivers gorgeous, lightweight brand presentation.

Some scenes were a little over the top for my taste, but my Indian girlfriends loved it and there was not a dry eye in the house.

Target reached!

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: McDonald's Isn't Just For Making Pig Of Yourself, OK?

We're so self important today.

I save the trees, I eat the low-fat cheese, I train my knees!

But do you know what's the favourite movie of your BFF?

McDonald’s India has launched a digital film as part of its #ThodaTimeAur campaign for the Maharaja Mac, and it's actually an interesting one!

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: You'll Be Shedding Tears Before You Can Say Jack Robinson

A little effort goes a long way.

"A phone. A picture. And a lifetime of friendship in Kashmir."

The ad ends with a tagline, 'Keemat bhi, kuch keemti bhi' (something like "Best price, as well as something priceless!") - and that makes me thoughtful and.. almost tearful.


  

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: Breath Fire into Your Retail Pricing Strategies

When Will You Use This?  

Creating retail pricing and discount strategies.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

We all love good deals and low price. So can one retail pricing strategy be better than the other?

Current research* looked at the impact different pricing strategies have on the stores people shop at when they do not know the product prices unless they visit the store. Results revealed that when trying to maximize savings, consumers will choose retailers they believe offer the lowest prices the majority of the time.

 As authors explain, “to simulate 100 weekly purchases from a retail store, study participants were asked to purchase products from one of two competing retailers 100 different times. Participants were given a monetary incentive to minimize their total spending and were instructed to base their selections strictly on price. On each shopping trip, participants first selected a retailer before they were shown the store prices for that week. The authors manipulated the pricing strategies, but in most cases, one retailer used deep-discount pricing while the competing retailer used everyday low pricing or frequent (but small) discounts. While the average price of the two retailers was the same for most experiments, results showed that people consistently tend to choose the retailer they believe is less expensive more often than the retailer they believe is cheapest on average. This pattern held whether or not the retailer used frequent discounts or an everyday low price guarantee."

Discount rule: many little ones are better than banging one!

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

Authors suggest that this research offers great insight "for companies regularly using deep discounts or pricing their products lower than their competitors’ average prices. The authors suggest a more effective strategy is to simply offer prices that are generally always lower than their competitors’ prices. <..>One reason consumers find these retailers so attractive is that their product prices tend to be cheaper than those of their competitors on the majority of shopping trips. Consumers seem to prefer many small discounts to a few large ones."

*Danziger S., Hadar L., Morwitz V.G. “Retailer Pricing Strategy and Consumer Choice under Price Uncertainty.” 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 discount strategies? 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: Holymackerel, Don't Let Your Customer Buy and Avoid Buyer’s Remorse

When Will You Use This?  

Developing tactics in order to increase customer satisfaction.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

We all know this feeling: it’s the last day of the month, your wallet is light as a feather.. Suddenly, you get seduced by a very attractive ad and buy a new pair of beautiful pumps. Just like that. They are really beautiful but you suddenly get mixed feelings: satisfied and guilty.

Current studies* measured satisfaction from purchases made with the last of participants’ financial resources. Results revealed less satisfaction with a purchase if someone thinks it will be difficult or take a long time to replenish their budget.

On the other hand, if someone comes into money without any effort—like winning cash from a contest or a lottery—they are more satisfied with their purchases if funds were running low compared to if they already had plenty of financial resources.

So Happy, So Broke!

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

As authors suggest, "brands looking to increase customer satisfaction can run product promotions during times of the month when they believe consumers have more money in their budgets. Additionally, to reduce the pain of spending one’s last dollar and increase product satisfaction, brands can use coupons and special pricing incentives at times of the month when they believe consumers have exhausted their budgets."

*Soster R.L., Gershoff A.D., and Bearden W.O. “The Bottom Dollar Effect: The Influence of Spending to Zero on Pain of Payment and Satisfaction.” 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 satisfaction? 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: Rude Service - Yes, Give Me More of That!

When Will You Use This?  

Creating and developing various ways of improving your customers' experience.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

It’s quite common to hear luxury shoppers complaining about snobbery and rude salespeople at the high-end boutiques. But could this be good for your luxury brand?

Current research* examines the circumstances in which consumers increase their regard and willingness to pay after brand rejection.

Results showed that after threat, consumers have more positive attitudes and higher willingness to pay when:

1) the rejection comes from an aspirational (vs. nonaspirational) brand,
2) the consumer relates the brand to his/her ideal self-concept,
3) s/he is unable to self-affirm before rejection,
4) the salesperson delivering the threat reflects the brand,
5) the threat occurred recently.

'You think I don't belong here? Bring me everything from the menu!'

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

This research reveals that participants who expressed an aspiration to be associated with high-end brands also reported an increased desire to own the luxury products after being treated poorly. This was only true if the salesperson appeared to be an authentic representative of the luxury brand.

Basically, this shows that some people, when made to feel they don’t fit with the luxury brand, are motivated to prove they actually do - that is by making a purchase. When a retailer signals, “’No, you don’t deserve to be here,’ it looks like a challenge and a customer thinks, “I’m going to show you I have a right to be here.”

However, while the snobby salesperson could encourage an impulsive purchase, the experience ultimately leaves customer with a poor impression of the brand. The winning formula to increase sales for your luxury goods is to make your store and staff more approachable and less intimidating.

  

*Ward M.K., Dahl D.W., “Should the Devil Sell Prada? Retail Rejection Increases Aspiring Consumers’ Desire for the Brand.” 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 luxury shopping? 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: You'll Never Look at Festivals The Same Way Again

Regular terror attacks in India send shivers down my spine.

That's why every initiative by the police to tackle this issue is welcomed with open arms.

Recently Mumbai Police has launched a film campaign in Mumbai cinemas urging citizens to stay alert and look for suspicious objects during the Ganapati festival. Time and again people go about the celebrations without paying attention to anything fishy. And this is a biggie.

Stay observant and keep your eye on the ball.




 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: 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.

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: Somewhere Coca-Cola Bottle Caps Are As Good As Money

Coca-Cola and me. No love lost.

And while I might hate their drink, I admire their marketing.

This time again: natural brilliance.

Coca-Cola had set up phone booths (as a part of “Hello Happiness” campaign) for South Asian workers all over Dubai so they were able to call back home more often.

What makes those booths special is that they accept Coca-Cola bottle caps as currency instead of coins.

 Pretty cool.

 

P.S. Just wondering how much is Coca-Cola bottle in Dubai? As workers are kind of forced to buy bottles to make calls. Precious money is still spent...

P.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!

Tuesday in India: This Woman’s Place Is Definetely In The Kitchen

Fight for gender equality is still very much on in India.

That's why I welcome and applause every brand's effort to tackle this issue.

Today I'm sharing an ad from Havells Appliances. As they say, it encourages you to always respect women and in every role.

Nice concept. Beautiful remake of the classical song. Great branding.

 

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!

Sunday Video: Warm Your Customers' Hands and You'll Have Their Warm Hearts

All the self-respecting Marketer needs to know this.

Temperature shapes your consumers' purchase decisions and affect their spending.

Get ready for the sunny summer and plan your warth-filled winter.

Watch the video below and take a leaf out of my book.


 
P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!

Friday Research: Make The Most Of Your Customer's Touch

When Will You Use This?  

Developing your online and offline marketing and sales strategies for tablets, touchscreens and touchpads.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

The role of touch is increasing: touchpad laptops and touchscreen tablets continue to spread among consumers. Earlier it has been observed that touching something creates a perception of psychological ownership and ownership creates a perception of increased value (it’s called endowment effect).

Current research* aims to explore the effects of varying touch-based interfaces on consumers. The study reveals that touchscreens create stronger psychological ownership over chosen products in online shopping scenarios (when compared to touchpads or mice).

Researchers highlight that touch-based devices like tablets can lead to higher product valuations when compared to traditional computers.

Welcome to The New World: Touchscreen Wending Machine

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

 

Touch-based interfaces are not newbies in the market: restaurants are testing tablets as ordering systems, tablets are becoming common in product showrooms. As this research notes, consumer interactions on tablets are quite different from the interactions on a traditional computer and you might want to include it into your marketing too:

 - Create special interactive space in your store or venue and allow customers to use their own personal touchscreen devices to connect with your brand, to browse the products, to get some special momentary offers

 - High resolution photos, bright colours, product from different angles, presentation videos, etc – use vivid stimulus to enhance your customers experience with their touchscreen devices.

*Brasel, S.A. & Gips, J., Tablets, Touchscreens, and Touchpads: How Varying Touch Interfaces Trigger Psychological Ownership and Endowment, 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 on touchscreen devices? 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.

Research Friday: How To Become The King Of Loyal Customers?

When Will You Use This? 

 

Planning and developing your commercial settings to provide meaningful experience for your customers and encourage place attachment.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today?

 

Place attachment is defined as one’s strong emotional bond with a specific location.

Current research* examines how people develop, experience, and act on place attachment in commercial settings. It is found that commercial place attachment emerges from experiences of familiarity, authenticity and security offered by the commercial setting, and from the associated experience of homeyness.

Moreover, it’s noted that consumers experience this unusually domesticated commercial experience as a gift from the service provider, and reciprocate with supportive behaviors toward the place, in particular volunteering, over-reciprocation, and ambassadorship.

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

 

Your business would only benefit from strong emotional bond with you customers. In order to provide enjoyable, extraordinary, and meaningful experience and social interaction, you don’t have to go for something extraordinary or spectacular. Make sure your customer feels comfortable at your business settings; there are a few symbolic elements that are similar to the general home environment; your interactions are always warm and respectful; your customer feels secure and safe, and it’s easy to find one’s way around a place.


*Debenedetti, Alain, Harmen Oppewal, Zeynep Arsel), Place attachment in commercial settings: A gift economy perspective, Journal of Consumer Research, 58 (Feb), 2014. {Thanks for the material}


P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with place attachment? Do you have one specific place (not your home!) you could go to war for? 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.