Harvard Business School Students to collaborate with DY Works and Reliance Retail for hands-on programme

A team of students from the Harvard Business School will be working closely with DY Works and Reliance Retail India in January to understand cultural trends and consumer triggers in the Indian context. The experience is part of a required first-year course at Harvard Business School called FIELD, which stands for Field Immersion Experience for Leadership Development. DY Works is one of 156 FIELD Global Partners spanning 13 countries around the world. Together they will host more than 930 students in all.

“We are looking forward to this engagement. As a company that bases its work on culture and semiotic enquiry, this experience falls seamlessly into our vision of research”, said Alpana Parida, President DY Works.  “We are pleased to be working with Harvard Business School to provide students with a real-world learning experience in Mumbai, India. We feel certain that the students will gather insights here that they would never be able to glean from a classroom discussion alone.”

FIELD has three modules that run through the entire first year of the two- year MBA program. The first module focuses on developing individual leadership skills through team feedback and self-reflection. The second focuses on developing global intelligence by immersing them in a foreign country to develop a new product or service in the country for their Global Partner organization. The final module brings all the lessons together by challenging students to develop and launch their own micro-business as part of a small team back in Boston.

This collaboration includes India’s retail giant, Reliance Retail who will facilitate the engagement of the students with consumers and their purchase environments. DY Works executives have been working with the team remotely in the months leading up to their arrival in country. While here, they will pitch their ideas to the leadership team, conduct field research with consumers around Mumbai and present their final recommendations to management.

Harvard is quick to acknowledge that this important learning experience would not be possible without the Global Partners.

 “We are extremely grateful to DY Works, Reliance Retail and all the FIELD Global Partner organizations for all they do on behalf of our students,” said Professor Tony Mayo, the faculty head of FIELD. “The students benefit immeasurably from this experience and we hope the partner organizations do as well.”

NAAM MEIN AAM HAI – WHAT’S IN A BRAND AND BRANDING!

AN AAM SITUATION

A brand is a brand is a brand – William Shakespeare*.
So what is a brand? A brand WAS something that farmers and herders used to identify their livestock from the rest of the cattle, with a hot iron rod. As the definition evolved, it became a lot less violent and a lot more important. Fast forward to 2014, where companies are seeded by the millions, consumer minds are cultivated and monies are harvested by the truckloads. In this case, an aam mango tree; a metaphor from which you will harvest possible truckloads in the foreseeable future. How do you make it happen?
Now, it is a fair assumption that you are not the only mango tree around, after all a mango tree is quite aam. What you need to do is set it apart from the rest of them. Make it unique. Make it memorable. Make it a brand.

Here are a few points to give you a head start.

• Immersion: Not quite the festive dunk in the nearby river that you think. You need to understand and assimilate into your organisational being, the audience, the market, the logistics and the dynamics. Get to know exactly what industry you are in and what you do. Understand who your target audience is and what THEY do. Who are the players who are already in the market and how are they differentiating themselves? Narrow it down as far as possible and create an outline of it.
• Immersion results: You are an organisation which seeds, grows, picks and delivers mangoes to an audience that ranges from 5 year olds to 50 year olds. You have a great product and a good delivery system in place. There is one other player in the market who is almost exactly like you. Its name is The Aam Aam. They have a fast delivery system where machines pick it off from the tree, dump it into containers and distribute it as fast as possible. 
• Naming yourself: If the people you deliver to, like you, they should remember you, right? Your name should be everything you are and everything you want to be. It should be built for the present and the future. 

• Naming Results: With extensive research, careful consideration, workshops, storming brain things, analysis and in the name of the lord of branding, you are now AAM-EN!
• Brand Definition: If you have done it right, you can make accurate deductions about yourself and your competitors and create a set of unique values for your brand. This unique set of values will also imbibe the essence of your brand and what you stand for.
• Brand Definition Results: The results are in and…you will get trounced if you compete with The Aam Aam on the same playing field. You are not catered for a fast delivery system. What you do differently is that you hand-pick the mangoes. You have a group of very talented, passionate mango pickers and packers who, unlike the competition, do not compromise on the quality of mangoes. As an organisation too, you take pride in your work and your workforce, where integrity is your biggest asset and quality your biggest commodity. 
• Creating an identity: An identity in this case, is the LOGO of your brand. You can follow quite a few brand models that can help you define brand values and create a logo. For example, the Kapferer Model of Identity. The model has been used for big brands such as Pepsi, L’Oreal, Carlsberg, etc.The model is in the form of a prism to make it easily understandable and underlines the 6 most important aspects of creating your identity. This includes:
• Physique: This invokes the physical aspects of your brand in the mind of the consumer.
• Personality: The character of your brand. This includes the style of writing, specific design features, colour schemes, ambassadors, etc.
• Culture: Refers to the kind of environment you promote inside your organisation. What are the highlights and the ideals that everyone in your organisation follows? 
• Relationship: What your relationship is with your customer/consumer. It can be a set of beliefs that your customers share about you.
• Reflection: What is your image in the mind of the consumer? What do they think about you? Are you reliable? Value for money? Undefeated in quality?
• Self-Image: What do consumers think about themselves when they buy your product/service? For example, Lacoste users consider themselves as sporty, even though they may not necessarily play a sport.

AAMING FOR THE STARS

You now have a full-fledged brand, up and running. You have to now concentrate on building equity for your organisation. This includes using branding to build reputation, loyalty and trust for your brand. Using traditional branding mediums such as print media and TVCs or the engaging the internet efficiently can leverage you as the most trustable and memorable mango brand in the minds of your consumer. Of course, in the life of your brand you will encounter new players, new markets and newer avenues to expand and branch off. Your brand will have to understand, assimilate, evolve and rejuvenate, time and again.

With a good brand and good branding, you can aam for the stars.
Wishing you only the very best of luck in your business.
* Disclaimer: Don’t believe everything you read on the internet…Except what you read here.

By

Ganesh Subramanian

Copy Writer

DY Works

THE HOLY GRAIL FOR SMEs – SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BRAND BUILDING

The legend goes that if you drink from the Holy Grail, you will gain immortality. Translate that into the SME brand world, where organizations compete with each other to find their place in the mind of the consumer. What could be such a game-changer that would rise above the rest and become a brand that everyone remembers? Social Media.

What is it about social media that can become indispensible for SME organizations to build their brand constructively? First off, social media is where social interactions take place in the virtual world, specifically the internet through mobile and desktop platforms. Some social media sites include Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Quora, etc. SME’s using social media can avail of the following advantages.

1. Directly connecting with your audience: Social Media is ALWAYS interactive. When you post something on social media, you will get responses to it directly from your target audience. You will be always connected with them.
2. Reputation Building: Sustained presence on social media and relevant material posted online will improve your reputation both as a brand and as people in the know.
3. Great Value for Money: If you have a limited budget, social media is for you. As opposed to any media, the pay per click concept is unique to social media. The investment that you put in social media is minimal and surgically targeted towards your audience. While traditional media is not easily quantifiable, social media content can be quantified accurately through efficient tools such as Google Analytics, Google Trends and several others. With this treasure trove of information, you can redesign your content to get better traffic into your content and make real-time conversions more regular.

THE SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL – SPADEWORK FOR YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Indiana Jones didn’t just know where to find it. Finding your Social Media Holy Grail will require some spadework. Here are some pointers.

Know your audience: You have to first understand who exactly your target audience is. The first step to create an effective Social Media strategy is to have a clear picture of your end consumer. Chalk out the following details:

• Understand Demographics: Whether targeted towards male/female, their age group, they can probably a specific ethnicity, anything that will narrow down your target from the masses. Ideally, it should be ONE CHARACTER that exactly signifies your target audience. Let’s call him/her Alpha.
• Gather Topics of Interest: Now, Alpha will have specific topic of interest. It is in your interest to find out what are their likes and dislike. With this information you can choose your tone of communication and your overall strategy.
• Assimilate Response Behaviour: How do they respond with content that they like and things that they don’t like? Do they share with their friends? Ignore it? Go on and purchase? You can adapt your strategy according to these inputs.
• Use available resources: Google Analytics and Google Trends are great tools that will help you bottleneck your audience into a tight, concentrated group, who WANT your communication.

Differentiate or Die

Charles Darwin wrote in his Evolution of species that genetic mutations allowed species to evolve. Those that evolved differently from their peers to adapt to the special conditions surrounding them won the survival race. Many brands today are fighting a similar survival for market share. Here is a quick look at why and how brands, especially corporates, can win the survival race.

Michael Jordan vs Vietnam

As an ardent socialist during my days at Mumbai University, I remember a debate where I had sprung an ace at my opponent. My question was supposed to be unassailable in a debate to prove the merits of socialism over capitalism. 

"How can Nike pay Michael Jordan more than the entire staff of the Vietnamese shoe factory?"

While I grinned confidently, my opponent answered smugly - "there are millions of Vietnamese workers ... But there's only ONE Michael Jordan". I learned the concept of diminishing marginal utility well that day. I also learned how we, in a capitalist society reward skills. Like the Vietnamese workers, many of the corporates and products are relegated to sphere of commodities, fighting for marginal cost and a bid to survive another month. Differentiation here was Michael Jordan's skill. For brands, it needs to be a unique and relevant position in the mind of the customer.

Differentiation for B2B

Many of the business promoters we have met of the last decade have heard us make this point and have reacted in a similar manner. "Branding is for products, and it needs a lot of marketing." Our submission is that a differentiated brand starts from the Corporate Level.

Why differentiate at a Corporate Level

1. Attracting the right investors and business partners
2. Attracting and retain best in class talent
3. Using your differentiated corporate brand to help your new business divisions gain respectability and margin share faster than other competitors
4. Leverage the social impact of your corporate while others only hawk products
5. A distinct and different corporate brand becomes a rallying point and a biding agent for your stakeholders and helps drive a common vision and agenda

There are enough and more examples how differentiated corporate brands are able to straddle different business easily. One of our favorite corporate brands is Virgin. The company has been able to take the image of it brash, nonchalant explorer founder and use it to build diverse business across the sectors like airline, telecom and entertainment.Even the name suggested they are proud of not having baggage in any industry yet having the gumption to take on existing players.

Becoming the different Finch starts with You.

In Darwin's research, finches that has specialised beaks for coconuts did better than other finches on the island. While Finches may not be conscious about the process of evolution, as business owners and corporate managers,we need to be mindful of the need and power of differentiation. The quest for differentiation and survival start with your own conviction.

By

Devatanu Banerjee

Head - Integrated Corporate Practice 

DY Works 

Brand Architecture Design as a Revenue Stream

Brand architecture comprises of facets of a brand. An architecture is simply a representation everything that is owned by a brand across its range.

Brand architecture is a higher-level plan of the brand eco system. It’s about building one brand and representing its core value across its range under one umbrella to showcase the diversity yet unification. If multiple brands, the relationship can be mother, child, parent, etc. Configuring the brand architecture before choosing which assets to build is a vital step. It helps the board develop the assets that will take the business beyond the ‘reputation’ stage.

Once this is clear, any product defined as a sub brand can be relative to the umbrella brand in order to create a clear distinction. Then starts the visible cycle of revenue generation which can likewise be segregated to achieve individual SBU profits & loss.

Most marketers visit the mode of brand architecture only during rejuvenation. During times of change, like mergers, acquisitions, rebrands and product launches. And, at those times, understanding the relationships between the brand names in your company’s portfolio is essential. Brand architecture design is a relative approach to keep a track on all P & L activities, measured at ease due to a simpler umbrella brand thereby imbibing best of the parent brand to child brands.

As a requirement, brand architecture design should be made as a mandate before any organization begins its branding exercise.

Fully realizing the power of brand architecture starts with documentation. You must spend time outlining the relationships within your company’s portfolio. How do your current brands, sub-brands and products relate to one another?  How do their market positions relate to one another?

All brand architecture strategies fall into one of two approaches, a branded house or a house of brands. In a house of brands strategy, the company name is not identified at all. Instead, product names drive purchases. A branded house strategy has one unique brand name that motivates purchases and offers value. Many organizations use a hybrid or variation of one of the two approaches.

Here are few common brand architecture examples that will help you define your existing strategy:

Four Brand Architecture options:

·         Sub-Brands: There is one corporate trademark and sub-brand trademarks. For example: Apple iPad.

·         Masterbrand: There is only one trademark and then descriptive names. For example: AT&T Device Protection & Control.

·         Freestanding Brands: There are many brands, speaking to many different audiences designed to stand apart. For example: Pringles, Old Spice, Gillette are all freestanding brands of Proctor & Gamble.

·         Endorser Brand: There are product brands linked together by an endorsing brand. For example: Oreo Cookies by Nabisco

By

Deepak Bhatia,

Integrated Corporate Practice

DY Works

Perception Management in Corporate Branding

To begin with, Perception management is a term originated by the US military.
Another term used for perception management is impression management subtly defined as an attempt to control the perceptions or impressions of others. Targets are likely to use impression management tactics when interacting with perceivers who have power over them. Several impression management tactics include behavioral matching between the target of perception and the perceiver.

As we know, brands always evoke emotions. From these emotions, form perceptions. Hence in corporate branding, perceptions become an integral part of brand management. Overall, perception management therefore becomes a science to deal with.
Perception management cannot be managed individually without it being a part of the overall brand management process.

Now the question is- where do we find such perceptions happening and possibly capture them?
Social Media is a possible platform wherein different perceptions can be captured.
In the corporate world, perceptions are important and mapping them is equally important as it adds to the overall dynamics existing in the corporate world. To showcase this to the external as well internal audience, the same has to be capsulated via the branding route. Brand perceptions are much more often created by the product or service experience itself than from brand communications or any such campaigns. Brand campaigns are much more effective in building brand awareness than it is in creating or changing brand perceptions. It doesn’t mean that branding cannot be used to help change perceptions, but it can’t do it unless the perception management in the entire gamut of branding is captured.

What’s Trending in Football?

5 things to keep in mind while posting about trending topics

The 2014 FIFA World Cup has been a football lover’s dream. It has generated precisely the level of thrill, excitement, nail-biting, nervousness and satisfaction that a fan desires and expects from the greatest sports tournament in the world.

Mario Goetze’s extra time winner for Germany in the final against Argentina was the 171st goal to be scored in the tournament equaling the all-time world cup record of most goals scored. Each and every team registered on the score sheet at least once. 8 out of the 16 knockout games were decided by Extra time or on penalties. If this isn’t exciting enough, the World cup saw more than its fair share of shocks, controversies and upsets. This World Cup was the justification of FIFA President Joao Havelange’s decision in 1998 to increase the number of participant teams from 24 to 32 as it showcased the potential of the “underdogs” with Chile, Costa Rica and Columbia punching way above their weight. On the other hand, World Cup mammoths like Portugal, Italy, England and reigning champions Spain were thrown off their pedestal pretty early into the tournament. Pundits are describing this as the greatest World Cup ever and it has done nothing but add to the already massive popularity and fan following football as a sport enjoys.

FIFA, the governing body of world football now has more member nations than the United Nations. It is truly a global sport and isplayed or followed by billions of people around the world. It is a sport that requires minimal equipment and is played by people from all races, religions, castes, genders or income groups. Football is played on the beach, in the snow, in the desert, on a ground, indoors and even in war zones. It is this flexibility and adaptability of the sport that creates an unparalleled fan following and loyalty.

The tears in the eyes of fans when their team is losing, the celebration during victory, the anger at the transfer of their favorite player from the club they’ve been supporting since childhood to the direct rivals, the delight of qualifying for the Champions league and countless other emotions are shared universally by billions of fans across the globe. These fans respond very positively or very negatively to every piece of news that the world of football provides and one can count on football to provide regular and ample fodder.

Suarez biting Chiellini, Zuniga’s outrageous tackle against Neymar, Lois Van Gaal’s appointment as the manager of Manchester United, Germany’s mauling of Brazil and Kroos’s move to Real Madrid are just a few examples of gossip that football offers on a daily basis.

In digital marketing terms these are called “trending topics”. The fans discuss this exhaustively online and love to read everything they can about every topic there is.

Herein lies the opportunity for marketing, advertising and building a brand.

Posting about these trending topics has really picked up in recent years with memes, jokes, 6 second videos called vines and tweets. These posts on trending topics that fans want to read about can be used to create brand awareness and loyalty. Users would love to read about, laugh at or enjoy such news or gossip and the presence of your brand name along is a sure shot mantra to increase brand loyalty.

Some examples of impactful posts are-

“But the most important question is: Do the Germans know who Sachin Tendulkar is?”

“Hey @luis16suarez. Next time you're hungry just grab a Snickers.”

“David Moyes....The UnChosen One...”

Brands like Amul, Snickers and McDonalds’s do a great job at this while some brands fail miserable. It does not require a creative genius to come up with these posts. A few things if kept in mind would ensure that your brand benefits the most from these trending topics.
 

5 things to keep in mind while posting about trending topics:-

1)    Do not lose focus- Your brand is not the hero of the post, the topic is. The limelight must be on the topic as that is what the users are interested in.
2)    Be precise- The posts would either be memes, tweets, vines or jokes. No one has the time or inclination to read lengthy paragraphs. You must not try and communicate everything in a single post.
3)    Do not be late- Nothing tastes as bad as expired bread. Post when users are interested to know or read about the topic or do not post at all. No one would be interested to read about the Louis Van Gaal’s appointment or Fabregas’ move to Chelsea now.
4)    Use visual cues- Majority of the users scroll down their news feed without reading each and every post. Usage of distinct and attractive visual cues like giff videos or images is the only way to grab their attention and indicate the post’s link to the topic.
5)    Take risks or be different- Last but perhaps the most important point is to take risks or post unique content. Posting the same kind of posts as the competition will not grab any eyeballs. For example – every possible post against Lionel Messi winning the golden ball has been already posted. A post supporting his selection and making an ideal case for it would be refreshing and stand out from the crowd.


By
Siddharth Shetty,
Marketing Intern,
Integrated Corporate Practice
DY Works

MasterchefAU v/s MasterchefUS

The 'Ugly American' is in flagrante delicto at the Masterchef kitchen. The Australian series is characterized by a generosity of the human spirit, inspiring enablement and a superlative passion for the craft and ingredients. The Food rises above all - at the end of the day, setting ever higher benchmarks.
The American version is pusillanimous, mean-minded, low calibre and sickening in its celebration of the self-absorbed contestants. It is the Jerry Springer of cooking shows. While it is obvious that the contestants have been given a brief and may be scripted to some extent, it is nonetheless telling that such a brief is supposed to drive up ratings. The show has tarnished brand America - beyond a doubt and a canny foreign policy wonk would do well to recommend it being pulled off the air.


By
Alpana Parida
President
DY Works

Get Wellness Soon!

Consumer experience is evolving at every moment. With the advent of this evolution, the consumer market has got better in terms of quality, technology and in terms of providing exhilarating consumer experience. As a result, wellness as a category spawned in the process of making “the experience” better for people. Spas and resorts form a major part of wellness sector in India.

                                                             
The International Spa Association (ISPA) defines Spas as “places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit”.

The ISPA further categorizes spas as:

Day Spa: A spa offering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a day-use basis.

Destination Spa: A destination spa is a facility with the primary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits.

Resort/Hotel Spa: A spa located within a resort or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components.

Club Spa: A facility whose primary purpose is fitness and which offers a variety of professionally administered spa services on a day-use basis.

India, with its deep-rooted traditions, is known for being a hub for alternative treatments dominated by ancient healing –Ayurveda & spirituality. In recent years, enormous growth has been identified in the Indian spa industry. With over 2,300 spas, the industry makes around $400 million annually.

According to a report release by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, the Ayurveda and yoga segments, alone, were expected to earn a business of 600 Cr and revenues prospects for medical tourism predicted to be around 400 Cr.

Despite these numbers the wellness sector is largely underdeveloped in India especially because it is unorganized & there is less awareness about the services offered by this sector. There are a very few wellness brands which have succeeded in positioning themselves in line with the modern consumer’s need for a wellness experience. The core problem which one can identify is right branding in the right place.                                          
A lot of upcoming wellness brands entering this segment position themselves as rejuvenation destinations which offer authentic traditional treatments. India’s destination resorts, wellness retreats and spas address body, mind and spiritual wellness through the traditions of yoga, ayurveda and numerous other healing practices. Their branding is also strategically done. Ananda in the Himalayas is one of the examples. Have one look at the website and you will realize how strongly it represents the essence of India and its traditions.  The font style used in creating the identity also has a certain feel of ethnicity.

                                                                                                               

Vivanta by Taj is another example. Their spa brand is identified as ‘Jiva Spa’ which is in line with the spirit of India. Major components of Branding like the attire of the staff inside, the aroma; the products used, strengthen the essence of India and create a unique experience for the customer.                                                                                                              

                                                       
Subtle branding as one can understand is the key to create the right awareness by wellness brands among their target audience which still has a long way to go. Once, the power of branding is realized by the wellness sector, there should be no looking back as the consumer waits for “the experience”.

As this category is growing, the players are growing stronger with their branding, and there certainly is a lot more for us to observe.
                                                   


By
Avani Bapat,
Integrated Corporate Practice,
DY Works

Technology, Jargon and Branding

India is a very social country. People love talking, about everything under the sun from rocket science to global economy to what time the neighbour’s daughter returned home the previous night. We love to talk, gossip, discuss and debate with an authority that seems formidable on the subject but rarely has enough substance if tested. Just for example, last evening as I was returning home by the local I overheard two co-passengers discussing the about-to-start FIFA World Cup and how Real Madrid are the favourites having won the Champions Trophy! I did not bother pointing out the several flaws in each of his statements; he was just another brick in the wall.

But as we have evolved, so has our ability to consume data and information from everywhere around us, grasp the finer points and then make our conversation more relevant. We consume at an immense pace, keeping track of not only ours but pretty much the world’s activities through the virtual world that is wrapping us. Whether it be stalking a friend’s FB wall or following their thoughts via Twitter, we are everywhere consuming all kinds of information, and then happily spreading it around. Social collaboration is at its all-time high without an end in sight.

 

We just love being social!

Source:http://thinkmarketingmagazine.com/

High-speed Rail: An Investment in future?

As the BJP manifesto spoke about implementation of bullet trains in India in their election manifesto, many Indians saw a ray of hope of a new dawn to arrive in India’s crippling infrastructural woes.

Bullet trains, which are already running successfully in several European & Asian countries, has ignited the imagination of a billion plus country. China, which currently connects its major cities with Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) trains, has successfully demonstrated the power of what high-speed rail (HSR) can achieve.

Maglev Train (China)

TGV- Bullet train ( France)

When Laloo Prasad Yadav was at the helm of rail affairs, he had clearly taken aside the proposition of India ever having a high speed rail network citing soil, climate and land factors as permanent hindrances.

However, with the promise of the launch of the Diamond Quadrilateral project - of High Speed Train network (bullet train) tourist rails, railways modernization, R&D for indigenous railways, and special focus on developing skilled human resources, India can gain a lot out of these.

Shinkasen-bullet train-Japan

Quoting the head  of State of Columbia wherein he said   ” Any country cannot be called ”developed” until its citizens whether rich or poor use the same mode of mass transport system.”

India’s infrastructural woes can be sorted by developing this mode of transport which not only positively affects the real estate, manufacturing & service sectors, infact it creates the ease of living a far more comfortable life and saving years, yes years, since an average mobile Indian spends 80 % of his time traveling.

ICE-Bullet train (Germany)

Also if we look around the world, most of the airports are slowly reaching a saturation point where expansion is impossible and hence may become an extremely costly affair. Something like bullet trains can come in handy in such a situation since they can handle the interstate and intercity travel freeing the airport for more important international travel and very long distance travel. The existing bullet trains like the TGV (France), ICE (Germany) & the Shinkasen (Japan) have average speeds upto 450 km/hr,faster than a F1 car. Infact, new technology in high speed trains like the Maglev can achieve speeds upto 3000 km/hr, way  faster than an airplane.

Is it feasible?

Yes it is feasible, and the answer lies in going in phase wise across India. Such a system can definitely help India build new cities and new industries. It is a known fact that cities around such a high speed network have become engines of growth and prosperity.

As the new government promises a strong developmental agenda, this will be one of the most discussed subjects. While we discuss, our neighbour China has shown the way by building a world class HSR network to the tune of more than 10000 Kms with a daily ridership of more than 1.33 million. And the decision has transformed the way people used to travel and do business in China. Hope we also start investing in building capacities which may serve us well for the coming decades and change the way we travel and do business in India.

Hope 7 Race Course Road is listening.

By

Deepak H.Bhatia

Integrated Corporate Practice

DY Works

Building Brand Modi

On 16th of May, 2014, when it became clear that Narendra Modi, known to the nation as the man behind the progress of Gujarat, has led the BJP to a historic victory (the party has won 282 seats itself, a first since Congress’ win in 1984), even the ones who had predicted the victory for him were surprised. No one could’ve anticipated such a landslide win. No one. Well, except for the think tank who strategized Modi’s campaign and made him more than just an authoritative political leader. They made him into a brand which resonates strength and a freshness which the voters thought should be made the representative of a new India.

Personalizing a political campaign is nothing new. Obama’s historic victory in the 2008 US presidential elections is a prime example. What was unique about Modi’s campaign is that not only it put forth Modi forward as an iconic leader but also built an image of him that is so great that it surpassed the reputation of the political party that he was a representative of. And the more interesting factor is that all of it was intended.

Creating a strong brand presence isn’t easy by itself. But creating a brand presence which is trying to break away from a tainted image is even harder. The BJP had employed the best of the best in concocting and applying their media strategy. Household names such as Piyush Pandey and Prashoon Joshi led the campaign. They brought in well known agencies which developed themes and concepts which aided the one specific message that the campaign was trying to communicate to the voters. Growth and development.

By decoding the colours Saffron and White which consequentially transcendent into strength and purity, the campaign through its visuals gave out an impression of stability.

The message was clear. But what separated it from rest of the political campaigns so far is the unique way in which the same message was delivered to different segments of the voters by customizing the approaches. The youth had been specifically targeted. The reason being that they make up for largest no. of voters in the country. With exhaustive social media campaigns with hashtags such as ‘#NaMo’ and taglines like ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkaar’ which went viral it was ensured that the voters are not only aware of Modi as a brand but also they’re interacting and engaging themselves in the digital environment with the brand’s presence which later inevitably transfers itself to the outside world.
This was only just a small part. Corporate leaders backed Modi, during his public addresses and this in turn translated into the hope of strategic and sustainable development. This particular campaign saw some commendable innovations in BTL promotional activities. With campaigns such as ‘Chai pe charche’ and etc. that particular segment of the voters who are by nature media ignorant were targeted. Places where the aggressive print ads, radio jingles and TVCs could not reach, trucks loaded with Modi posters, pre-recorded speeches, speakers and lights were sent out. Even 3D hologram images of Modi were distributed.

The Long and Short of it

DY Works took the idea of story telling and the concept of the idiom – ‘Long and Short of It’ to create a language that the brand can call its own.

Brand Task:
For a city that never sleeps and houses a variety of eat-out-options from all day cafe’s to fine dining to discos, pubs and lounges, the concept of a Gastrobar fitted the best to cater to the taste buds of foodies in the city. InterContinental – an ocean front boutique luxury hotel, in the heart of Mumbai’s business and financial hub making it a perfect plating.

DY Works was entrusted with this exciting brand identity project to deliver an identity that captures the true essence and mood of the restaurant. An unpretentious, casual and comfortable any time hang out that allows for stories to be born and relived

Brand Solution:
Our concept revolved around creating exciting and cherish able stories or table conversations and moments. We looked at the Idiom – The Long and Short of it, as a point of inspiration. The literal meaning , ‘The whole story, the most important point and the gist or sum of it all’ summed our core brand thought.We took the idea of story telling and the concept of the idiom – Long and Short to create a language that the brand can call its own.

DY Works is Brand Strategy & Design Firm based out of Mumbai

Crafting an Inimitable Brand - Reliance Greens

DY Works’ intervention crafted this iconic brand from nomenclature to visual identity and shaped their success story.

 

Most iconic brand identities stand the test of time and are relevant over decades. Reliance Greens, at the Jamnagar Township is one such identity.

Crafted in 1999, the identity was crafted to create significance and reflect an evolving organization. After 15 years, this identity is unchanged and has indeed stood the test of time, when many companies have identities that have needed rejuvenation to stay current, and relevant to their audience.

Brand Task:
Reliance Township, a self-contained township, houses over 2,500 of the employees and their families at Jamnagar. Sprawling over 415 acres of land, the township has been designed to provide the best possible residential, educational and recreational facilities to the employees.
The township includes fully furnished housing for the employees, as well as a medical centre, school, playgrounds, temple, community centers, health centers, banks, mall/supermarket, gas station, parks, swimming pool, a golf course, tennis courts etc. DY Works partnered with the Reliance brand team to create nomenclature, brand manifestation and other visual communication for the township.

#meetmyfridge - Evolution of Refrigerators

By
Priyanka Shah & Ajinkya Shenava,
Culture & Insights,
DY Works

Another One Bites The Dust!

Wishing Joydeep & Neha A Happy Married Life!!

On 21st April 2014,  Joydeep Chatterji (General Manager, Integrated Corporate Practice) tied the knot with Neha Kumar. We at DY Works wish them a lifetime of happiness & prosperity.

Joydeep & Neha with the Integrated Corporate Team

Honoring women of excellence

A  power packed evening to honor women achievers across all walks of life - An Award for Women, Voted by Women.

 

Brand Task
Kelvinator and SoBo Films wanted to create a power packed evening to honor women achievers across all walks of life - An Award for Women, Voted by Women.

The show called Stree Shakti Womens Awards 2014, was to be a mix of power packed performances, awards and video profiles, including background stories of the awardees.

DY Works was entrusted with the task of coming up with the brand identity for Stree Shakti - one that would encapsulate the essence of the new age woman and her various facets and roles.  The mandate was to avoid the existing clichés and reflect contemporary values of  woman achievers.


Brand Solution
DY Works decoded the terms ‘Stree’ and ‘Shakti’ and how these manifest the personality, drive and essence of women achievers, to then create an identity that would reflect all of these traits. This identity captured the idea of an age old theory of how the combination of body, mind and soul come together to create a force that makes one go beyond the call of everyday duty.

Brand Insight:
Nature has three main elements – Air, Water and Earth. These power Nature in being the way it is – powerful, productive and permeating.

In the same fashion, the combination of the power of a body, mind and soul make the individuals and groups that Stree Shakti Awards seeks to identify and honour. Using this idea with the visual inspiration in a ‘propeller’, the identity reflected and celebrated women and their many traits.

Taking the concept of the triad that makes up the body, mind and the soul, we see it essentially as the propeller that drives. Mapping it to the various facets like grit, hyperkinetic liveliness, flexibility and fluidity that make the achievers who they are, the logo and the identity have come into being.

It also about the many facets and arenas where the spirit of empowerment can manifest itself whether it is by mentoring, inspiring or by personal achievement.

Impact:
The logo has been well received, in fact,  noted lyricist Gulzaar Sahab was inspired and enamored by it as well!

DY Works is Brand Strategy & Design Firm based out of Mumbai

Bringing Dreams Alive

DY Works & Sobo Films Come Together To Create Magic for the Less Fortunate and Make Their Dreams Come Alive 

DY Works partnered with Sobo Films Pvt Ltd to create a unique platform where reality TV served as the medium to bring optimism and better opportunities to the less fortunate.  Bollywood celebrities will swop roles with the common man to experience what his life is like. The amount earned in this role, through the assistance of celebrity status, will be given to the common man to help him out financially and give him a boost in morale and hope.

DY Works developed the name, something that would evoke the feeling of dreams coming true, of opportunities being made available for a commoner and the feeling of anticipation that comes with the aspiration for a better life. “Mission Sapne” combined this feeling of hope along with determination serving as the appropriate name for the show. The name also reflects the idea of the show’s creators - wanting to go beyond day to day and give back to the community and to use one’ s privilege to make another’s life better.

DY Works also created an identity that would bring this name to life and give it its ideal visual representation. The kite in the identity speaks to forward movement and progress and is apt for the show’s core purpose.  It highlights the feeling of chasing one’s dreams no matter what adversity one has experienced, thus far.

The use of gold, signals aspiration and hope as well as prosperity especially in the Indian content. This against the background of the sky – gestures towards dreams, hopes and desires, coming together to achieve more and go beyond one’s current confines.

Together the name and identity bring the feeling of cheer, development and hope, communicating the essence of the programme. 

DY Works is Brand Strategy & Design Firm based out of Mumbai

Branding Is Healthy in Healthcare

Surprisingly, healthcare of all sectors came across as a very interesting area for me to study. And I am fascinated to see how trends in this have changed with years. To start with, healthcare industry is no more just about hospitals. A lot of private players like smaller diagnostic centers, pathological labs, pharmaceutical brands, health insurance brands all come under the realm of healthcare.

The Indian Healthcare Sector is expected to reach US$100 billion by 2015 from the current US$ 65 billion, growing at around 20% a year, according to rating agency Fitch. Some of the major factors driving the growth in the sector include increasing population, growing lifestyle related health issues, cheaper cost of treatment, thrust in medical tourism, improved health insurance penetration, increasing disposable income, government initiatives and focus on Public Private Partnership (PPP) models

A few fast facts:

• Hospital and diagnostic centers FDI inflow was US$ 1.3 billion during April 2000 and March 2012, according to the latest Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) data
• Medical and surgical appliances FDI inflow stood at US$521.6 million during the same period, according to DIPP data
• The drugs & pharmaceuticals sector has attracted FDI worth US$9.2 billion between April 2000 and March 2012

In this growing competition, big players are doing whatever they can to highlight their brand amongst the crowd. Let us discuss some new approaches that marketing executives in this sector are pursuing to make their brands successful.

Advent of Branding in Healthcare:
There was a time when ‘which hospital to visit’ was decided by its proximity and word-of-mouth factor. Is it the same case even today? Not really.  Subconsciously a customer has started to trust a hospital which has been talking about its high quality medical resources and its high end ambience. But on a conscious level, a common man still perceives advertising of a hospital to be unethical.
But with so many private players entering the market, healthcare in India like all other sectors has entered the world of branding. Their marketing hence, is no more dependent just on ‘word-of-mouth’. In fact renowned brands are hiring advertising agencies to ensure good health of their brands.

Brand Positioning
Today big brands in the sector of healthcare are following their brand vision statements and values to position their brands differently from all others.
A few examples include ‘Wockhardt hospitals’ whose brand mantra is to provide the best advanced super-specialty in healthcare while the brand mantra of ‘Aravind Eye Hospitals’ is to offer quality eye care at reasonable costs.

 Another successful branding example is ‘Mayo Clinic Hospital’ in Scottsdale, Arizona, US. It is branded as a 'healing environment'. The Mayo Brothers believed that the best interest of the patient is the only interest that should be considered.  The clinic has a soothing environment with soft music playing, the ambience of corridors are quite peaceful. There are no announcements made to hamper the environment inside and the visitors are never asked to leave. This has helped create an extremely welcoming image of Mayo Clinic Hospital.




Social Media: When you come to think of it, social media is a great way to strengthen the existing value of a brand. The best thing about social media is that it allows one-on-one conversations with customers which no other medium does.

Apollo, Fortis, Narayana Hrudayala are few names with great social media presence. They are on all relevant social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. And it is not just about being there, brands are making sure that they engage regularly on these platforms as well. Social media experts are helping brands optimize the use of this new media.

One of the best examples of Social Media used effectively is Scott &White Healthcare located in Central Texas. During the Fort Hood shooting attack in 2009, Steven Widman, (MEd, Scott & White Healthcare) used twitter to post updates about victims directly from the hospital. He also re-tweeted news from the Red Cross to keep people informed. This led to an increase in their Twitter followers by 78% in just 3 days.

Public Relations: Healthcare is a very sensitive and critical issue for a customer, which is why brands in this sector need to take account of a lot of things. They have to ensure that every customer’s emotions are taken care of. Especially in this digital age when a person practically has access to the entire world, consumers are getting smarter and are making their own decisions. In such cases, one little slip-up and the brand is out of customer’s consideration set. How does a brand come out of situations like these? The answer is simple - PR. More like reputation management.

Wellness is a booming thing in healthcare industry. Brands in this sector are dependent on the local media and it is amazing to see how they utilize it. One example of the same is how celebrities are involved with these brands. Recently there was a lot of buzz when Salman Khan was present for an event at Gold’s Gym, Mumbai. Considering the image of a fit body that Salman carries with himself, his association with Gold’s Gym was a perfect win-win for both Salman and the brand.

To talk about healthcare and celebrities, another famous actress Shilpa Shetty now owns a spa called Iosis which was in news last year due to its branch out in Lucknow.

Exploring more on the new segments of this industry, diagnostic centers are names that I came across very frequently. One very successful PR story of a small diagnostic center is of Suburban Diagnostics when they talked a lot about the high quality services that they provide. Due to the positive image of Suburban in the market, big venture capitalists ended up investing in them.

Apollo hospitals are in news regularly sending out positive stories about their achievements. This has helped Apollo achieve many smaller hospital brands partnering with them.

Branding in healthcare is new and yet to be explored. All we know is that there will always be something interesting that will be practiced in this complex yet intriguing sector. In future we will witness more marketing professionals getting into healthcare marketing and branding.

By

Avani Bapat, 

Integrated Corporate Practice Team,

DY Works

Driving User Engagement For E-Commerce

The surge of digital & social media has changed the way consumers behave and interact with brands. Today consumers connect and engage with multiple brands through multiple channels. But the influencing power no longer falls with the marketers. By reviewing the brands, consumers are increasingly shaping and reshaping these brands themselves.

Owing to continued years of great credentials, owners Runit Shah and Kapil Hetamsaria reached out to DY Works with a new challenge: To create a jewellery brand that unites best independent designers from across the world, experiential online shopping and social media marketing.

As this concept was unprecedented, the goal for DY Works was not only to reach out the right target group but also educate them about the brand. The task was to build a corporate brand strategy through its website and employ various social media platforms.

The interactive and informative website www.velvetcase.com - the core brand touch point – is an intelligent and contemporary 2-way communicative interface that bridges accessibility of the Internet and the charm of culling through unique designs created by global designers.

Following our recommendations, Velvetcase designed gift boxes as one of the brand’s hallmark: a Velvet Case. Beautiful and elegant it carries forward the brand essence to the hilt. This was followed by an intensive e-mail marketing campaign to promote this unusual brand.

DY Works also helped the brand capitalize its website by deploying the new in-thing - User generated content.  On International Women’s Day, a contest was launched that allowed consumers to design and create their own jewelry. Which was promoted extensively through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Blogs to create a buzz to drive traffic back to the website. Over 600 participants and 8800+user interactions were logged during the 3 week long contest that included Indian television celebrity, Drashti Dhami. The facebook page hit a whopping 40,000+ likes. 

          
 

Besides this, the V Blog talks about to-dos/don’ts, product polls and every latest trend possible in the jewelry world. A lookbook, youtube channel are other activities being explored.

 The extensive online marketing was put to effective use to witness incredible results: new trends in consumer buying behavior and identifying new target markets by mapping existing and new visitors at all brand touch-points. The bounce rate dropped to a steady 6.6 %, a remarkable upside from 38%. This sure speaks volumes.  

Currently another Instagram contest is running which lets users upload and vote for their ‘Selfies’. And thus, DY Works continues to leverage onto user generated content with social media interactions. With the way digital world continues to evolve and expand every second the brand can only stand out and sparkle.

By
Prabha Kadam
Brand Partner
Integrated Corporate Practice
DY Works