Markshastra 3.0

MarkShastra 3.0

Annual Marketing Magazine of IFMR GSB

'TECHNOLOGY AND PANDEMIC'

THE TWO FORCES RESHAPING THE WAY
MARKETING FUNCTIONS

High on Markaholic creation
ideas Featuring articles from industry

experts, faculties, alumni and
students from premier
B-schools

Contents

01 MEET THE TEAM

02 MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Shobha S Das

FROM THE INDUSTRY

05 TECHNOLOGY AND PANDEMIC:
08 THE TWO FORCES RESHAPING THE WAY
MARKETING FUNCTIONS

Sudarshan Sridhar

LIVING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

Mavis Mendonca Smith

10 AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY IS CONCERNED,
COVID-19 IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE
Abhijit Das
FROM THE ACADEMICIAN

15 DEPLOYING MARKETING
TECHNOLOGIES IN NEW NORMAL
Sathya Saminadan R S

FROM THE ALUMNI

18 THE 5 HASHTAG FACTORS
Gowtham Arivarasan

Contents

22 FROM THE STUDENTS

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES
EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO COVID?

Biswadeep Gosh Hazra

26 HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES
EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO COVID?

Mrinmoyee Das Biswas

28 COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND MARKETING
REFORMS

Akansha Naman

MMEEEETT TTHHEE TTEEAAMM

ANIRUDH P.T AYUSH SHARMA PARTH GUPTA

SHIVATMIKA SINGH SHURUTHI SREE R SRUSHTI KADAM
RAHUL SINGH RASHI SHROFF HARSHIT KHANNA

SUKANYA DEY TEJASI BHAT

Page 1

Shobha S. Das #
Dean: IFMR GSB, Krea University

Welcome to the IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University.

IFMR GSB is part of Krea University, one of India’s newest and most
dynamic universities. As IFMR, the institution has 20+ years of
experience of offering an MBA degree.

IFMR GSB provides a comprehensive, full-time, two-year, residential
MBA program. The up-to-date curriculum merges core business
functions with innovative interdisciplinary courses in communication,
design thinking and ethics. The Capsim® business simulation
software provides students with hands-on experience of managing a
virtual company. Students may choose to do immersive industry
projects and avail of independent study opportunities with faculty
members. MBA students may choose to take advanced courses in
seven areas - Data Science and Information System, Economics,
Finance, Accounting & Quantitative Finance, Marketing, Organization
Behaviour & Human Resources, Operations Strategy. All students
complete a summer internship between their first and second year.

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Our experienced faculty members have PhDs from highly regarded
schools in India, the US, and Europe. They also bring a wealth of
experience from international business schools and the corporate sector
into the classroom.

The 40-acre green campus in Sri City, 70 kilometres north of Chennai, is
well equipped with the latest technology and infrastructure to enable the
use of the most effective pedagogical techniques and facilitate a wide
range of co-curricular and extra-curricular student activities.
Markaholics, the student Marketing committee, comprises of a group of
student leaders who are passionate about learning the theory and
practice of marketing.

It is my pleasure to introduce "Markashastra 3.0," the 3rd edition of the
annual marketing magazine of Markaholics. This year, the magazine
focuses on a current and relevant topic “Technology and Pandemic” -
the two forces reshaping the way marketing functions. I hope you will
enjoy reading the invited articles from top industrialists, entrepreneurs,
and Marketing faculty members from across India on this topic.

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FROM
THE
INDUSTRY

Page 4

TECHNOLOGY AND PANDEMIC:
THE TWO FORCES RESHAPING
THE WAY MARKETING
FUNCTIONS

SUDARSHAN SRIDHAR

SENIOR MARKETING ANALYST
PRIVATE CONSULTANCY FIRM

In 2011, Cisco’s then VP of engineering, Eric Yuan, tried to persuade the personalization promise. From improved use of mobile wallet
his fellow executives that they urgently needed to improve WebEx, marketing tools to the use of customer journey analytics to
Cisco’s web-conferencing product. At that time Cisco’s strategy for understand changes in individual behaviour over time, financial
web conferencing didn’t involve improving existing products. Even marketers must start building the infrastructure today that will
though WebEx had been a costly acquisition and the product was an deliver results tomorrow. The annual Gartner Hype Cycle for Digital
important part of Cisco’s business, Cisco did not listen. Undeterred, Marketing provides a graphic representation of the maturity and
Yuan did what any confident entrepreneur would do, he promptly adoption of marketing technologies and applications, and how they
resigned to start his own company. That company was Zoom. are potentially relevant for solving business challenges. The
It was very normal for all of us to use the phrase ‘ Google it!’ if we are methodology also shows how marketing technology or application
to search for any information. If there is any other phrase that has will evolve over time.
gathered the attention of this pandemic-affected world currently, it
must be ‘Zoom in!’ This also has to be the best way of marketing the
software!

CARE FOR CUSTOMERS AND PERSONALIZED CONTENT: FOUR CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES LINKING THE PANDEMIC AND
The two basic marketing functions that never change are caring for THEIR USE IN MARKETING:
our customers and getting personal with them. All of us care about Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI will surely bring a major revolution in
our customers, but as marketers, we need to focus on caring for our all the fields it touches, and marketing will be no exception. Thanks
customers during this time — and this starts with empathy. Before to machine learning algorithms and deep learning algorithms, the
rolling out a new customer marketing program, take some time to industry won’t be the same.
understand what your customers are experiencing and what they Big Data: “Data-Driven Decisions” is a phrase you’ve surely heard at
might be feeling at this time. Many marketers latch onto empathy as this point and that is for a reason. Businesses from all industries
a virtue, especially when it comes to shaping corporate already discovered the power that lies behind the information about
communications. After all, no one wants to appear to be tone-deaf at audiences, their habits, and their interests. By gathering and
a time like this. With every company moving away from in-person analyzing that data, it’s possible to get insights that you’d never get by
events to online campaigns, standing out and getting noticed as a any other means.
brand becomes a monumental challenge. There's just so much more
noise online. It's not uncommon to face this problem whenever a
tactic, media format, or channel proves to be effective and popular.
In a digital-first world where every marketer is moving online, how
do you get noticed? This is where personalization comes in.
Personalized content and offers have long been proven to
outperform generic equivalents. However, in a digital-first world that
we are all subject to during the COVID-19 crisis, personalization
matters even more to your business. Personalized content
communicates to your buyer that you understand who they are —
their needs, their desires, and their challenges. It naturally implies
that you are uniquely able to help them by providing the best-fit
solution.

IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING:
As consumers shift to digital channels for transactions and media
consumption, they expect increased personalization, financial
institutions will need to invest in the technologies that can deliver on

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Internet of Things (IoT): Another trend that’s already exploding is IoT. platforms will be able to write copy and generate all sorts of content
The increasing presence of smart devices that collect and act on data for campaigns, perfectly tailored to their audiences. What’s more –
while being interconnected with each other makes a reality of the robots will become more and more common and will serve as a new
lifelong dream of science fiction enthusiasts. A vast digital network of marketing stunt to spark interest in new products and services.
interconnected devices will massively change our lives, providing
marketers with incredible possibilities for campaigns. There are some very famous technological advancements listed
VR, AR, and Mixed Reality: Virtual and augmented reality are very below made by some famous organizations to enhance the customer
familiar concepts for most of us, as VR and AR devices are now experience and thereby enhancing the marketing of their products.
available to everyone. Experiences are getting more sophisticated
through them and will continue that path. Additionally, mixed reality 1. GOING THE EXTRA MILE WITH ONLINE DELIVERIES:
will bring new senses to AR, with the ability to manipulate objects at In late 2002, the SARS outbreak led to the tremendous growth of both
the top. Though these 4 technologies can serve marketing purposes business-to-business and business-to-consumer online marketplace
on their own just fine, the true revolution will come when the 4 of platforms in China. Similarly, COVID-19 has transformed online
them are combined. By using all of them at the same time, marketers shopping from a nice-to-have to a must-have around the world. Some
will be able to better understand their customers and marketers, bars in Beijing have even continued to offer happy hours through
create more precise products, and extend their reach beyond their online orders and delivery. Online shopping needs to be supported
imagination. by a robust logistics system. In-person delivery is not virus-proof.
Many delivery companies and restaurants in the US and China are
Some of the marketing uses they’ll have included: launching contactless delivery services where goods are picked up
More Customization Throughout the Customer Lifecycle: Marketing and dropped off at a designated location instead of from or into the
has always been about understanding customer needs to provide hands of a person. Chinese e-commerce giants are also ramping up
exactly what they are looking for when they need it. Using real-time their development of robot deliveries. However, before robot delivery
data provided by the IoT, big data analytics, and the help of artificial services become prevalent, delivery companies need to establish
intelligence, now businesses will be able to create personalized clear protocols to safeguard the sanitary condition of delivered
products almost for every customer. That means that companies will goods.
offer a more personalized brand experience right from the get-go.
Each customer will have a tailor-made offer from the catalogue and 2. AUGMENTED SHOPPING:
customization possibilities to bring that personalization to the It’s a funny fact, but Gartner, who indicated in a 2019’s predictions
maximum level. What’s more, the real-time data will allow businesses report that by 2020 up to 100 million consumers are expected to use
to target clients precisely now where the purchase intent is at its augmented reality in their shopping experiences, was right. The
peak, increasing the conversion rate. isolation due to COVID-19 quarantine has rapidly increased the
Detailed Customer Insights: As any marketer that has been in the demand for virtual fitting room systems. Being guided by the “try-
industry for some time would tell you, modern marketing teams have before-you-buy” approach, augmented shopping attracts customers
it easier than ever. That’s thanks to the huge amount of customer by allowing them to interact with products online. Several brands
data available for collection and analysis. However, that’s just the tip embraced AR long before the pandemic. Lacoste, American Apparel,
of the iceberg. With the combination of IoT and AI, businesses will be and Uniqlo opened virtual showrooms and fitting rooms to allow
able to gather information to the smallest details. Customer profiling customers to try products in virtual spaces. IKEA and Amazon are
will be more advanced than ever before and will provide much more using AR Kit-based apps to help customers visualize what new
information. Thanks to data collected from all kinds of smart devices furniture will look like by moving their smartphone cameras around
(from smartphones to cars and buildings), the information available the room in real-time. Apple’s LIDAR scanner launched not so long
about all audiences will be huge. By applying machine learning, ago, has significant potential for augmented shopping and AR in
companies will be able to determine emerging trends, identify growth general. Shoppers will be able to place virtual items on the physical
opportunities, and get almost real-time feedback to course-correct surfaces with millimetric precision, close off virtual objects with real
their marketing. ones, recognize physical objects, and provide realistic interactions
Extended Campaigns for Further Engagement: Thanks to mixed between real and virtual goods.
reality, companies will be able to offer their customers the possibility
to try any product they want without leaving their own homes.
However, the future holds a more astonishing promise. Through
extended reality, you’ll be able to touch a car’s seat or feel a dress
fabric just by using a specific device. Though these are just
theoretical uses, the extended reality is poised to take marketers
there – while driving engagement through the roof with it.
Further Automation Through AI: One of the things that most
marketers have already seen in their jobs is task automation. From
posting content on social media to answering customer service
questions, modern algorithms have become very adept at doing
repetitive tasks. However, the future looks more sophisticated for
them – and easier for marketers. Thanks to the development of
natural language processing (NPL) algorithms, the software will be
able to talk and interact like a human and service even more
instances in the consumer lifecycle. Additionally, those very same

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3. VOICE COMMERCE: The Bottom Line:
Artificial intelligence and NLP are dynamically progressing year by COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of digital readiness,
year. And now we have Alexa, Bixby, Siri, Microsoft Cortana, and which allows business and life to continue as usual as much as
Google Home Assistant. No need to open any screen-based app or possible during pandemics. Data will help all of us spend marketing
browser to interact with voice assistants – these smart applications dollars in the smartest and most effective way, whether we’re dealing
can understand your speech and react to the sound of your voice. with a global pandemic or a surging economic environment. Though
The survey made by NPR and Edison Research showed that 60 million these technologies are already available (and many companies are
people now have at least one smart speaker system at home. Thus, we already using them in their marketing efforts), it’ll be a while before
can expect to see many more products that will bear the label “Alexa- they fully develop these capabilities. Chances are that their abilities
enabled.” The underlying idea comes from the Internet of Things will grow steadily and will slowly seep into the way we do marketing.
products like smart mirrors, which engagingly deliver varied content. The companies that can understand the most significant changes in
In retail and e-commerce, voice-assisted technologies help to make consumer behaviour and position themselves to adapt accordingly
sales through voice recognition technology. will emerge as true winners.
It’s called “voice commerce” now, this concept is close to e-
commerce. But instead of typing in a search query, customers use
voice commands to find products or any required information.
Driven by voice recognition technology, Walmart created the
Walmart Voice Ordering service. The technology concept is simple –
you can place orders by using voice commands. Customers can use
any device and platform powered by Google Assistant or Siri.

4. TECHNOLOGY IN USE FOR HOTEL INDUSTRIES:
The ‘FaceMe’ product from Cyberlink—one of the world’s most
accurate facial recognition engines—has added new features that are
designed specifically to help businesses in reopening amid COVID-19
conditions. These include mask-detection, which can still identify
individuals while they’re wearing masks, and help alert management
when someone enters the premises without a mask or is wearing it
improperly; and thermal-camera integration, as distanced
temperature-taking protocols are fast becoming a commonly
accepted practice in the post-pandemic era.

Page 7

LIVING THROUGH
THE PANDEMIC

February 2020 hit the world hard; left us reeling, confused and In the early days, I was as frustrated and frightened as everybody

scared! That feeling still exists, but we have learned to live with it on else. I locked myself up at home, sanitized every item that I ordered

a day-to-day basis. online, let it sit outside my door for some hours before I even

touched it, bought alcohol spray, consumed all kinds of herbal

Life as we knew it will never come back – at least not in a hurry! The immunity boosting tablets and tonics! As the days went by, I calmed

only thing that has given me comfort is that the whole world is in the down somewhat and dealt with things in a more stoic fashion. I’ve

same boat. None of us needs to wallow in self-pity thinking this lost friends and some members of my extended family in the past

pandemic has hit only us. year – have grieved and cursed and cried and been angry.

So how has this affected our work life? Suddenly work from home Has this pandemic affected the buyer-seller market? Of course, it

has become an accepted norm. In the past, I’ve had to present a case has! I for one, order online. Have never been comfortable doing that

for permission to work from home for a couple of days every week. before. I like to see what I buy but have had to do this major shift

I’ve been micro-managed and had to send an end-of-day report with into the online mode (which is more of a younger generation thing).

extremely minute details! They were not looking at my delivery of Amazon has started Amazon Fresh where you can order vegetables

tasks at all. What is not factored in is the fact that when you work and provisions for your home. Dunzo started doing deliveries with

from home, you’re actually available 24/7. You lose track of major discounts involved. Zomato also joined the bandwagon. Swiggy

weekends and holidays. There are no coffee or lunch breaks or going went to new heights with food deliveries. We settled down into the

for a quick walk after lunch. You log on, sit at your laptop day in and new way of buying food! Did we enjoy it? I didn’t, but we didn’t have

day out and deliver, no matter what. No vacation days or completely a choice. And how this surge in online shopping by everyone around

switching off work. has affected the retail outlets and our neighbourhood friendly

vendors is another tragic outcome of the recent situation.

Page 8

He was out of a job and had an offer that was at a lower CTC than
what he was used to. So, he wanted my help to get a job that paid
him the same CTC and possibly more! I put things in perspective for
him in my no-nonsense tone. Asked him what his liabilities were. Did
the new offer cover that? If it did, he just should take up the role and
work his way up. He just needed someone to point this out to him.
He’s taken the job and starts early next week.

Education at all levels has taken a beating with online classes (not
possible for the lower-income groups who don’t have access to
phones and computers) not fulfilling the purpose. The future of
students is at stake. Psycho-sociological problems of children in
isolation will have to be faced and dealt with once we get through
this crisis.

Mavis Mendonca Smith Travel has been a hard hit. No flights and if there are, they are
frightfully expensive. My grandson was born last year in April in
Founder - getorganised.in Munich. Try as we may, we couldn’t get an appointment for a visa.
Finally, we did get the visa and went to Munich on a bubble flight.
Prior to that, we had to get permission from the Federal Police and
Immigration authorities in Germany. To say it was stressful would be
putting it mildly. But the point I’m trying to make here is that the
travel industry has almost shut down! No tourism and no flights mean
countries suffer. People are out of jobs and are scurrying around
trying to make ends meet. Shops and Malls are shut – the good thing
is that at least some like me, have realized that we don’t need to
shop and buy new clothes and shoes all the time! We can make do
with some downsizing in that department!

On the positive side, I think the number of jobs in the online delivery What has come shining through all this adversity is the humaneness
sector went up. Employment has been provided to so many more of people. There are those who have contributed their time and
delivery and logistics people. However, the negative impact has been fortunes to help the less fortunate. I’ve heard of covid affected
manifold. Organizations have had to follow strict social distancing families being sent hot meals by others; ration kits being provided to
norms. Interiors have had to be reworked to reflect this. Some back auto drivers and others who have no means of income due to the
offices have given an allowance to their staff to set up small home lockdown; maids, cooks, drivers, helpers getting full salary despite not
office ie. a desk, chair, and provided laptops/desktops. They have a actually going to work; youngsters (especially in Bangalore) who have
log-in/log-out schedule, unlike us consultants who have to work and helped with giving a decent and dignified burial to covid victims; and
be on call 24/7. They have also set up counseling services for their a score other great human interest stories. Maybe, we needed a
staff. pandemic to look deep into ourselves and bring out our
compassionate selves.
A doctor I spoke to some weeks ago said that the incidence of stress-
related panic attacks, back pain, and neck spondylitis has gone up by Some others have become Master Chefs in their own right! Cooking
over 40%. People have lost their confidence and seem to be running by looking up recipes on the net, baking bread and cakes, and
scared all the time. Counselors and Psychologists have their calendars cookies, having healthy meals. Others have turned to yoga to lessen
full – thriving in the strife! The mental health of many people is on stress levels. Overall, we have had more time to look out for
the downslide. ourselves. Otherwise, it was probably being part of the rat race –
work, work, and more work! We have been forced to pause and
Jobs have been hit hard. No new recruitment has happened in ponder about our priorities in life!
months now, especially in the BPO sector. As a matter of fact, jobs
have been lost. Last in, first out has never been more prevalent or But if you look at the pandemic from a philosophical perspective, is
glaring. I’ve had people call me and beg for jobs – they are willing to this Nature doing a reset? Have we meddled around too much and
do anything in order to look after their families. An engineer I know are now paying the price? I don’t know – still looking for answers.
is now doing food deliveries as he has a loan to pay off and a family
who is dependent on him. These are unprecedented times. Nobody knows what’s coming our
way or how it’s going to pan out. Live one day at a time is my credo.
Don’t give up because everything happens for a reason. There is
always a light at the end of the tunnel. This too shall pass!!

However, in my opinion, you have to do what you have to do. If you
need the money, you should be able to put pride aside and take any
job that pays you money. An ex-colleague called a couple of weeks
ago and was agonizing over a dilemma he was facing.

Page 9

AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY IS CONCERNED COVID-19
HAS BEEN A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

At the end of 2019, the International Monetary Fund index will improve. And technology will play role in
projected a 7% GDP growth rate for India in the improving the happiness index for countries like
following year, the US was bracing for a decisive India which is low very low in entertainment
election amidst a recovery in employment, Brexit infrastructure, Thus faster reach of OTTs, video
was likely to dominate headlines in Europe and the channels, etc. No wonder Instagram has seen a
world eagerly anticipated Japan hosting the substantial jump of “new users” from the
Summer Olympics. But then, COVID-19 happened. unexpected segment: post-millennials post-
Millions lost their jobs, and over 1.48 million people pandemic. And not to forget: people will invest
lost their lives (as of December 2020). Offices shut heavily in mental happiness through mental
down, work became remote and everyone did health subscriptions. Record time in which
almost everything on video calls. Many of us went scientists have been able to make vaccines is the
home, and have stayed there. In just a few months' result of supercomputers with neuromorphic
time, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years computing capabilities & this will bring a new era
of change in the way companies in all sectors and of marching over the traditional computing era
regions do business. Companies were forced to now & forcing the shift to new computing
accelerate the digitization of their customer and paradigms. This will not further push vaccine
supply-chain interactions and their internal development for other diseases & we can expect
operations by three to four years. And the share of vaccines pro+ versions like mobile phones being
digital or digitally enabled products in their released every year for existing vaccines due to
portfolios has accelerated as well. the rapid infusion of technology-related
Among many things, one of the biggest changes improvements.
for 2021 would be, we will care more for ourselves,
be happy for what we have - amidst huge
pressure of Covid related issues of unemployment,
reduced earnings, failing businesses, health risks:
happiness

Page 10

A big push will come for a "low touch supply chain”. a pandemic has taught us that “be sustainable is

lot of people touch products before they reach their the key to survival- not necessarily only the

ultimate destination, COVID-19 has acted & will be an strongest will survive”. This is a natural progression

accelerator. Automated factories and farms will be of Darwin’s theory. Gone are the days of eating

big selling points by advertising touchless farming, out, wait for this, sooner or later Zomato’s of the

picking, packing, and shipping. world will have Micheline star restaurants on

Thanks to Space X by Elon Musk / Blue moon by Jeff board & you will enjoy caviars, champagnes to

Bezos & probably many such will make space signatures dishes at home. Apps for the Ultra HNIs

mission/travel/tourism more desirable. Though it's will be a new trend. So I predict Zomato for all &

still some years away there will be tremendous there will “xxxx” for riches; which will be available by

velocity in diverting big-ticket investments. invitation only. We will still not know what they do

The real use of AI, NLP & robotics will start in sports. but just fancy them. Pandemic forced movies to

Sports in 2021 will be without a live audience & this open/premiere in OTTs, which would also mean

will lead to AI-enabled referees/umpires. The third that movies may now be made with 3 to 4

umpire ideally is human & used in the least number different climax endings & based on your OTT

of cases. behavior, you will watch a different version of the

Use of 5G & 4G to access people from anywhere in movie (of the same movie) compared to your

the world through zoom, google meet will lead to the hostel mate. So you can now expect high-quality

shift of WFH to WFA (Work from Anywhere) & this will 5G streaming to have SRK winning over the villain

drive decongestion to metros & shift focus on B&C or maybe dying in script or turning out to be the

towns. Concerts and plays, film festivals, book tours, villain. Across the video-game industry, sales of

and other cultural events all went virtual, too, for playable downloads surpassed physical discs for

better or worse. the first time, earning $82.8 billion through August,

“With virtual events, you’re no longer confined to the according to Nielsen’s SuperData. That’s before the

number of seats in an arena,” said Will Farrell-Green, new Xbox & PlayStation consoles were released in

head of music content at Twitch. “Regardless of November. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Switch console,

where in the world you may be tuning in, you’re in the which is already 3 years old, celebrated a record

front row.” spike in August 2020, with sales shooting up 37%

As owning big will no more be fashionable but over the same month the previous year. Both the

owning “E- vehicle” will be “in thing”. E-bikes to start machine and its popular game “Animal Crossing:

with & then e-cars will start replacing fuels ones. New Horizons” briefly sold out at many online

marketplaces.

. Page 11

With international restrictions in place, those fueled COVID-19 makes the world realize how heavily we

by Wanderlust took virtual walks atop the Great Wall rely on human interactions to make things work.

of China, around Easter Island’s heads, or through the Labor-intensive businesses such as retail, food,

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Some 2.2 million manufacturing, and logistics are the worst hit.

people have found inspiration or solace in photos COVID-19 provided a strong push to roll out the

posted on the Facebook group where members can usage of robots and research on robotics. In

share shots of the beautiful sites they spy on every recent times, robots have been used to disinfect

day. Others hopped aboard “flights to nowhere” that areas and to deliver food to those in quarantine.

took off and landed in the same spot after a few Drones have walked dogs and delivered items.

hours in the air—OK, maybe some trends won’t last The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions

forever. to the global supply chain. With the distancing

Dating sites quickly rolled out (or beefed up) in-app and quarantine orders, some factories are

video features, letting users meet face-to-face or completely shut down. While the demand for food

play icebreaker games without springing for an Uber and personal protective equipment soar, some

or paying $18 for watery cocktails. Bumble said it saw countries have implemented different levels of

a 70% increase in video chats last summer, while export bans on those items. Heavy reliance on

Hinge reported that 44% of users have now tried paper-based records, lack of feasibility on data,

video dating. More than half of those surveyed by and lack of diversity and flexibility have made the

Hinge said they’re likely to continue to use it even existing supply chain system vulnerable to the

after the pandemic unless they find “The One” first pandemic. Core technologies of the Fourth

digital & Tech giants are bigger but companies/ Industrial Revolution, such as Big Data, cloud

brands which adopted technology fastest are back computing, Internet-of-Things (“IoT”), and

to business now. blockchain are building a more resilient supply

This can be seen with retailers in India where brands chain management system for the future by

that adopted omnichannel survived and are back to enhancing the accuracy of data and encouraging

70/80% of the pre-covid business. Tele-health can data sharing. As of mid-April, 191 countries

be an effective way to contain the spread of COVID- announced or implemented school or university

19 while still providing essential primary care. closures, impacting 1.57 billion students.

Wearable personal IoT devices can track vital signs. Many educational institutions started offering

Chatbots can make initial diagnoses based on the courses online to ensure education was not

symptoms identified by patients. disrupted by quarantine measures.

.

Page 12

ABHIJIT DAS
HEAD MARKETING , DELHI DUTY FREE

PANDEMIC WILL END NOT WHEN VACCINE PHASE "X"
TRIALS ARE OVER OR IF IT IS BEING DISTRIBUTED
ABUNDANTLY BUT WHEN SOCIALLY PEOPLE WILL
STOP FEARING ABOUT IT SUPPORTED BY "DEVELOPED
NATURAL SKILLS" & "TECH INTERVENTIONS" TO KEEP
OURSELF SAFE ALONG WITH MEDICINE AND VACCINE.
SCIENCE CAN'T END EPIDEMIC - ONLY SOCIETY CAN.

Page 13

FROM
THE
ACADEMICIAN

Page 14

DEPLOYING DR SATHYA SAMINADAN R S
MARKETING
TECHNOLOGIES ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
IN THE NEW IFMR GSB, KREA UNIVERSITY
NORMAL

It is surprising to see the recent whir Today companies have the luxury of
regarding the uncertainties in the understanding the search behaviour,
industrial arena about the pandemic crisis decision-making process, and purchasing
and many pondering the fascinating ideas pattern of every single customer. By
to tackle it through innovative marketing integrating all the platforms, the
techniques. There is a golden line in companies can strategize to showcase the
Marketing, "Do not rest on your laurels" and right communication to the right customer
this says it all. on the right handle. If you are astute in
Whether there is a Pandemic or global equipping the knowledge on Real-Time
economic crisis the change is inevitable in Bidding or Adword Analytics, you can put a
marketing. Adaptability is the number one relevant product or a service on the
rule for traveling smoothly on the inclining customer's timeline which he was
line of Market leadership. Having said that, searching for, a few hours ago on Flipkart
the anxiety towards the changing market or or Amazon or Google. In return to the
the change in approach towards the technological evolution in marketing the
customer is trivial. efficiency of banging on the right target
customer has gone up very high. Gone are
Technology in marketing changed the those days where you used to put a
complete game plan. It would have hoarding on a busy road and expect the
appeared as a farfetched idea if somebody busy riders and drivers to have a glimpse of
had told it two decades ago. Here, change in it.
technology does not pertain to the
evolution of a product. Evolution is In line with the technological revamps, the
something inexorable irrespective of the life cycle of any product has come down
market conditions. Black & White TV drastically. It has become very small and
evolved as Colour TV 20 years ago, which in nanoscopic. By the time the product
turn evolved as LEDs and LCDs a decade developer of a company wakes up from
ago. That is technology in product making. sleep, the life cycle is dead. Globalization
But in the past six to eight years the overall regulatory policies across the globe and
theme of marketing itself has changed and purchase facilitations like bank loan
it is due to the three salient developments availability, fancy EMI options, and
namely connectivity, hands-on equipment, customized installment options added fuel
and video streaming facility. to the fire in shrinking the life cycle of a
product. Being a successful survivor in this
Data says, 51% of the people above the age intense global village has become very
of 15, all over the world are connected to challenging. Competitors staying a click
the internet in the modern era. If the data away or a microsecond away is an all-time
is said to be true, the numbers are huge. threat for any company. The companies are
Reaching every single customer through expected to be the survival of the fittest at
their hands-on equipment gets efficient in any point in time in the current era
marketing with the support of video irrespective of their Brand legacy or
streaming platforms. pedigree.

Page 1PA5GE

Since these crucial challenges are
inevitable in marketing, there is no
reason for someone to be anxious about
the Pandemic crisis and the cascading,
market-changing effect. If it weren’t
Covid effect, it would've been something
else. Ultimately, change is something
the marketers should be expecting. If
there is no change in their trajectory
they can rest assured that they are
knocking on the wrong doors.

Conclusion:

Today, Ola doing a parcel service,

Swiggy transporting groceries,

boutiques doing door deliveries, and

book fairs running virtually, blatantly

tells the approach to handle the

pandemic is rising to the occasion and

sculpturing the marketing efforts

slightly out of the box. A Marketer who

considers the situation to be a boon to

increase efficiency in the efforts and

make use of the new normal as a

learning opportunity is an ingenious

new way to the triumph.

Page 16

FROM
THE
ALUMNI

Page 17

T' HE 5 HASHTAG
FACTORS

GOWTHAM ARIVARASAN
PRODUCT MANAGER
CREDITMANTRI

Before we start with the topic, I'll make a few Posts instead of Posters:
things clear. This article is purely out of my own Businesses need to start investing in social
limited experience and observation of the world media posts instead of outdoor posters.
of marketing. I believe this read will be relevant Being consistent in social media with new
and fun-filled, especially for the new-age and relevant creatives is much cheaper and
marketers. effective compared to usual public posters.
Marketing has gone through revolutionary
changes over several ages. From traditional Accurate instead of Approx:
marketing to today's digital marketing which In any marketing activity, the biggest
involved posters, newsletters, hoardings, question that comes is, 'What is the return
magazines, radio, television, websites, mobile on investment?'. In many traditional
phones to the current social media platforms, marketing activities, measuring its reach and
marketing has gone through revolutionary metrics is a challenging task. For example, if
changes. What does this change mean to the there is a hoarding that is kept in a public
world of marketing? Does this mean that the highway by a brand, the measurement
definition of traditional marketing is a different metrics are the number of vehicles that
form of digital marketing? What does this crosses the highway in a day approximately
current pandemic mean to the world of and the remaining is assumptions as in how
marketing? many people saw the banner and how many
In times like the pandemic where change is people took an act of trying to buy or
unexpected and quick, the decisions also need bought after getting exposure to the brand
to be made quicker than the change to survive. through the banner. But in the case of a
The following are 5 key factors mentioned as social media post, every metric is accurate
hashtags that played a major role in businesses and measurable such as the number of
and brands that successfully survived this reaches the post had its impressions, its
pandemic. number of likes, the conversions for
followers or purchase, number of website
Customer Retention Instead Of Customer clicks, etc.
Acquisition:
Businesses that focused on retaining the
existing customer base rather than going all in
to acquire new customers survived. This is
because the existing consumer base when
valued has a high chance of becoming a loyal
consumer base. When you create a loyal base,
they tend to stick with your brand even during
difficult times, which ultimately is one of the
key factors for any business to survive.

Page 1PA8GE

We can know every single metric and measure
every attribute which will help in measuring the
return on investment better than any other
traditional marketing method.

FB Ads instead of TV Ads:

Television advertisements have been for a long

and are still one of the unavoidable media of

advertisements for many brands. But where

does it fail? The amount of reach for a

particular budget is lesser in TV ads compared

to social media Ads. In TV Ads you can measure

based on TRP, but even this is just an

approximate assumption for the reach. But

when it comes to Facebook advertisements

there is full control over your segmentation,

targeting, and positioning. You can create your

customized audience in terms of age group

(demographic segmentation), geographic

location (Geographic segmentation), the topic of

interests (behaviour targeting), and many more. Virtual events instead of Real events:

Apart from all these, if you are owning an e-

commerce website, you have a great option With the coming pandemic and the initiation

called Facebook Pixel. Pixels track the actions of lockdown by governments globally,

taken by the customers who enter the website everyone was stuck inside their homes. This

through Ads. It captures their journey and gave a great opportunity and boost to virtual

understands at which stage they drop off. events. Zoom and Google meet became

essentials. Online meetings, panel

Based on this, Facebook does re-targeting to discussions, guest lectures, webinars,
those sets of customers who are more likely to
be converted. With this much flexibility and parties, and even weddings started
customization available, Facebook Ads will be
the best alternative option to a TV Ad. happening over virtual calls. With the huge

amount of base available in these events,

brands have started using this opportunity

to advertise themselves.

Page P1A9GE

Also, this is a much cheaper option in terms of In my opinion, if I have to put it in simple
cost as well. Many brands started sponsoring words about this technology era of
these virtual events which involve lesser cost marketing, I would say, "If you can convince
and better reach as your brand is available in Google to rank your website on the first
every promotional creative where every person page organically, then you can convince
participating and getting awareness about the your customer that you are one of the
event will get to know about the brand as well. brands worth to be noticed."
Some quotes that I love,
"Successful SEO is not about tricking
Google. It's about PARTNERING with
Google to provide the best search results
for Google's users." – Phil Frost, Main
Street ROI
"Google only loves you when everyone else
loves you first." – Wendy Piersall
And last but not the least, "The best place
to hide a dead body is the second page of
Google search." – some anonymous person,
who surely must have been through a lot!
Lol!"
In each era of marketing, the fundamental
change is that the medium of marketing
kept changing. But one thing that remained
the same was the basics. Whatever the
situation may be, a pandemic or a release of
new technology, or a change in the medium,
the basic concept of segmentation,
targeting, and positioning will remain the
same whatsoever. Everything else will keep
changing, based on which the new-age
marketers should foresee the future and
adapt to the changing trends and
technology to survive and grow.

Page 2PA0GE

FROM
THE
STUDENTS

Page 21

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO
COVID?

Biswadeep Ghosh Hazra

MBA Student

XIMB

ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF
COVID-19

COVID-19 has delivered a devastating
blow to the world economy and has forced
companies to drastically change the way
business is done. More than 63 million
people have contracted the disease, and it
has claimed the lives of almost 1.5
million, putting the mortality rate at about
2.32%. As the second wave of cases come
under the radar, governments all across
the world are putting more stringent
lockdown measures. The recovery rate is
steadily rising and is currently at a
healthy 69.15%.

In India, the situation is significantly
better. More than 9 million people have
reportedly caught the virus, and over 1.3
lakh innocent lives have been lost to the
same. The recovery rate stands at 93.8%,
which towers over the global rate, and the
mortality rate is 1.45% which is better
than the global average. However, with
the threat of a second incoming wave,
there is a chance of a massive resurgence
of cases all over the country which needs
to be prevented at all costs.

PagePA2G2E 35

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO
COVID?

DELVING DEEPER CURRENT TRENDS

Organizations are inherently very slow to COVID-19 has drastically shifted the way
change and require careful strategic
planning in case of massive overhauling. consumers behave, and therefore it is
This is true for organizations that span
multiple countries and geographies than fundamentally necessary that marketing
start-ups that are quite reactive to
macro-economic changes. The image efforts also align in that direction.
below shows the three levels of
management of an organization. The Certain industries like essentials, e-
bottom level has all the employees while
the middle level has the middle commerce, gaming, edTech,
management, and the top tier consists of
business leaders who steer the entertainment to name a few have
company's growth and direction.
flourished during the lockdowns and have
Operational Management contains within
it all the functional units like Marketing, seen increased activity/business while
Operations, HR, Sales, Accounts, to
name a few. Each function of a company other industries like travel and tourism,
serves a different purpose that together
makes up the company as a whole. The hospitality have seen better days. This
focus of the article is upon marketing and
how it has evolved during the pandemic section aims to cover the current trends
to better serve the customers and the
company alike. Many organizations are in marketing during COVID-19 so as to
now eliminating the concept of Functional
Silos and embracing the concept of understand how global catastrophes urge
Business Processes that cuts through
multiple Functional Departments towards marketers to change their way of thinking
an end result, for example, Salary
Processing, Account Invoicing, Product to suit their customers.
Delivery.
ONLINE MARKETING BOOM

Three of the most important search
terms during the lockdowns were,
"online shopping", "online doctor"
and "food delivery" and as cases
started to rise, the search terms had
also risen along with it. Companies like
Zomato and Swiggy have upped their
ad spending on digital marketing and
their YouTube advertisements all this
time were focused on the "No Contact
Delivery" of the customer's favourite
food.

E-COMMERCE SALES AND
USAGE

Ecommerce sales skyrocketed (30.1%)
from 2019 to 2020, thereby driving
digital adoption in many cases. In the
same time, retail growth has been
limited to only 4% showing the declining
scenario of retail in the country (USA).
Data compared between the first six
months of 2019 vs 2020. Online
spending accounted for almost 19% of
the total retail sales in the first two
quarters of the year 2020.

PagPeA2G E33 6

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO
COVID?

USER CONTENT
CONSUMPTION PATTERN

To understand the marketing efforts, it ONLINE GAMING
is important to understand the potential
customer/consumer first, and during
COVID-19, user content consumption
has changed drastically. It is evident
that digital mediums have gained
traction in the pandemic, but it is
difficult to estimate quantitively due to
the recency of the data and the fact that
work across all spectrums has not
resumed with full force yet impeding
research as well. People in isolation are
turning towards entertainment to keep
themselves occupied. Thus, this section
will primarily aim to study the before
and after consumption patterns of
certain websites/apps/channels.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS USE Paytm First Games reported a 200%
CASE (FACEBOOK)- increase in its user base during the
lockdown. Rummy Circle grew by more
Facebook monthly active users have than 100%, and the target age group
increased from 2,498 Million to 2,603 playing these games is the 18-45 group.
Million (4.2% increase) from Q4, 2019 to Games that have seen an uptick in their
Q1, 2020. Voice and video calls have activity are-
recorded a 50% usage increase, while
group calls have surged over 1000%. In Carrom Pool
Italy, people are spending 70% more Ludo King
time on Facebook and its sister Uno
applications. On Mach, more than 3 Bn Call of Duty: WarZone
users logged on to any one of Pictionary
Facebook's applications.
OTT PLATFORMS
MISCELLANEOUS
Even before the pandemic, the OTT
There are several different aspects of platforms were all the rage. Due to the
content consumption, and although it lockdown, the OTT market jumped by 55%
would be impossible to cover them all, globally. OTT is supposed to grow from
the miscellaneous section attempts to $104.11 Bn in 2019 to $169.4 Bn in 2023 at
cover at least the most important among a CAGR of 14%. More than 75% of Indians
them. (of a target pool of 3000 surveyed)
Virtual Conferencing Applications- purchased an OTT subscription in the
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet lockdown. 73% started watching Hotstar
have gained millions of users with and YouTube. Amazon Prime had 67%
Zoom's usage jumping 30-fold in April growth while Netflix saw 65% growth in
2020. Microsoft Teams recorded 560 subscribers. Facebook (80%), YouTube
million minutes on March 12, 2020, (84%), WhatsApp (92%) saw an increase in
which increased to 2.7 billion on March usage.
31st.

PageP2AG4E 36

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO
COVID?

CHANGING MARKETING STRATEGIES

Marketing is one of the most crucial Being ready for operational impacts:
areas for a company. It is also the
most unique as it is one of the few COVID-19 has perhaps impacted nothing
functions that face both the customer
and the company. This enables it to more than supply chains all over the world.
understand the customer and collect
key data that drives insights and in Factories & manufacturing facilities are
turn, strategies for the organization.
Some of the key strategies that are closed all over, supply chains and logistics
being followed throughout industries in
the case of Marketing are - have been disrupted for months impacting

the supply side of the equation. This led to

wild price fluctuations of products. It is

essential to strip everything down to the

bare necessities. Marketers must coordinate

with other departments (especially

manufacturing and production, sales,

1.Observing changes in customer logistics, finance to understand which

behaviour and sentiment closely: products can and can't be produced due to

Customers have been more trustful of capacity constraints along with supply chain

local businesses than big corporations, difficulties. For products that cannot be

and COVID-19 has only accelerated produced in the current scenario, it is

this consumer behaviour. Therefore, it prudent to remove all campaigns related to

is imperative that brands now more it so that the bottom-line can be given

than ever listen to customers and space to breathe, so to speak. Digital

understand what drives customer Marketing is the most effective and efficient

decisions. Study the impact of global tool; hence marketers must realize that

phenomena like recessions or during times of global unrest, it is best to

pandemics like COVID-19 on customer fall back on something reliable. Digital

actions and correlate these with why Delivery needs are to be ramped up by

customers are distrustful of big brands. promotion of Facebook/LinkedIn Pages,

Staying true and honest to the claims Mobile Applications, Amazon/eBay shops,

that the brand makes. Marketers need and also incorporating payments into the

to protect the sanctity of customer website or application is.

relationships and also must stay true to Few trends to consider heavily:

what the organization can and can't Some trends are more useful than others

deliver to the end consumer. Customer and also effective. The following trends

trust is an asset for the marketeer as need to be followed in order to reap the

well as the organization as a whole maximum benefits-

2.Making the Marketing Plan adaptable: 1.Market from home:

A good marketing plan is any plan that Home is the current battleground with

adjusts for the future. It is prudent to almost all organizations making work from

use base, worst-case, and best-case home an option for the employee to take.

scenarios for any decision-making Keeping this in mind, marketers can quickly

related to campaign spending and design and deploy campaigns from the

otherwise. comfort of their homes, thereby having an

3.Other areas that need focus are- edge over others

Developing creative, alternate 2.Engaging with empathy:

marketing efforts since events that As said before, listening to customers is

target large gatherings of people within now extremely important, perhaps more than

places like malls are not happening ever. Market Research teams need to

right now. Focus all attention on Digital deliver real-time customer data so that they

Marketing since it is on rising in recent can be converted into insights and

times. implemented into further marketing efforts

by the company.

PagePA2G5E 36

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO

COVID?

CONCLUSION

The article deep-dived into the impact of
COVID-19 and then into organizational
structure and strategy following which it
delved into user insights and then into
effective Marketing strategies which are
being followed in the wake of the global
pandemic. Analyzing the changing
marketing strategies gives an insight into
what works during times of stress and also
how to adapt to these uncertainties so as
to better guide the organization into the
future.

Mrinmoyee Das Biswas Marketing is the channel of communication
between a brand and its customers. How the
MBA Student customers perceive a brand and engage with it
depends on how marketing has been done. In
IIM Bodh Gaya times of distress like this, brand perception is
of utmost importance. Marketing is not all
The year 2020 will be remembered for about selling the product or service; it is
many of the terrible things that the world about satisfying the customer's needs and
has witnessed. The global pandemic was providing them value. This process of
one of those things. The pandemic has acquiring, satisfying, and retaining a customer
toppled the world upside down. All the becomes even more critical when the world is
countries have witnessed such long going through such a huge transformation.
periods of lockdown and restricted human
activity. The worldwide lockdown has Now, the world is only focusing on getting
pushed many countries into a phase of their existential requirements fulfilled. In such
recession. The restricted economic scenarios keeping the engagement up and
activity has led many businesses to cease running becomes a task for most of the
their operations and pushed many into brands. Many brands have consciously
huge losses. Businesses across the world decided to stop advertising their products for
are facing challenges like never before. a while but it should not deter them to engage
As a new set of challenges has ushered with customers. It is important to stay
in, a massive transformation is needed in connected to the audience and provide them
the business culture. Organizations that with relevant information. With limited
have acknowledged the need to navigate physical movements and less cash at
their strategies in line with COVID are disposal, brands need to reassure their
recovering well and fast. customers that their operations and services
won’t be disrupted.

Marketing strategies need to focus on
spreading awareness among the consumers
about the company’s product offerings and
services.

Page 26

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO
COVID?

Maintaining a constant online presence Various companies are coming up with
initiatives to better adapt to these changing
has also become important. As online times. With the world coming up on the online
platform, brands need to accelerate their
content consumption is rising drastically, digital transformation. Companies need to
adopt more digital and social media marketing
brands need to focus more on creating techniques and also utilize more technological
advancements like virtual reality, IoT to
content online in the form of blogs, revamp the customer experience. Brands like
Tanishq brought the showroom experience to
videos, etc which would attract customers customers sitting at home through video
calling, indeed an appreciable step in this
towards them. Building content as per the direction. One of the critical changes in
marketing strategies is the usage of smarter
current situation is a prudent decision discounting. The pandemic-led recession has
hit the pockets hard and hence customers
and brands should utilize the same to would love to spend less money. But deep
discounting may hurt the businesses as well
extract the benefits. Using social media since the sales have been down for a long
period. Hence, brands should avoid deep
marketing to make sure relevant content discounting and instead explore smart discount
options. The companies should also take care
is consistently being delivered to of their marketing budget, and avoid
decreasing the marketing budget too much.
customers is essential. During the They need to build on organic marketing more
and throughout the journey, the focus on
lockdown, brands like Lifebuoy came relationship building and educating the
audience should not take the backseat.
ahead to publish regular content on With restrictions all around, businesses should
use analytics and forecasting models to
Covid-19 and provided information on how continuously monitor consumer demands. They
should keep their marketing strategies agile
regular hand-washing can prevent people and be on their toes. This year is all about
exploring the depths of technology and
from contracting the virus. employing it to get the best benefits. It’s time
we acknowledge that the marketing strategies
The global pandemic has brought are going to be hugely impacted by the newer
technologies. Along with it, the language of
adversities for everyone. People are empathy is going to take your business to
great heights. Count the pulse of your
scared and engulfed in the worries of audience and move along, the world is yours to
take!.
their health and safety. To add to their

problems is the absence of job security

and a growing threat of financial

instability. Distressing times like this call

for kindness and sensitivity from all

corners. Brands should also demonstrate

these attributes while communicating with

customers. They need to empathize

through their advertisements and other

promotional mediums. They should spread

positive and warm stories through their

advertisements. This will help boost the

morale of the customers and also capture

their attention. Recently, Mondelez India

released the first of the hyper-

personalized and hyper-local

advertisements which celebrated the

message – ‘When all of us support our

local stores, all of us can have a Happy

Diwali’. With this thought-provoking

advertisement, Mondelez India threw a

spotlight on the need for embracing

generosity and turning vocal for locals.

With the pandemic going on and the
recession seeping in, customer priorities
have changed rapidly. Brands need to
become accustomed to the changing
demands and preferences. They need to
find newer and relevant opportunities to
bank upon them.

Page 27

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO COVID?
COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND MARKET REFORMS

Despite the fact that that tagline helped the
brand to connect to customers and win Best
Sustained Success APAC Effie Awards, they
decided upon altering it which shows their and
their customer’s trust in each other.

Akansha Naman Digital Advertising Campaign
MBA Student While there is some limitation to industry
IFMR-GSB Krea University control due to the pandemic, the advertising
strategy of this brand started emerging up with
COVID-19 Pandemic followed by lockdown brilliant advertising campaigns. In contrast to
has adversely called upon changes in the earlier advertisement campaigns where Surf
advertising aspect of marketing. During Excel gave the message of not limiting kids to
this challenging situation, we can observe stay inside, encouraging them to play outside,
how brands are renegotiating their helping others, dancing in the rain, jumping on
advertisement strategies in order to mud, and expressing themselves, the new
increase consumer engagement. One such advertisement motivates kids at home along
example is how Surf Excel, a Hindustan with a message that: “the swing and the
Unilever laundry detergent brand that did playground can wait for them!”
not lead the pandemic affect its growth.
Emotional Connect with Customers
During this crisis where some brands are Surf Excel always succeeds in creating an
emotional connection with the viewers. During
facing difficulty in adapting to the new Eid in April, the brand released a new
advertisement which came up with the tagline
normal in order to communicate, there lie “Neki_Nahi_Rukegi” which translates to
“COVID would not stop us from doing the good
brands like Surf Excel, which is devising deeds”. This advertisement received a lot of
praise where a boy can be seen performing
new strategies with successful consumer multiple acts of kindness while ensuring he
was at distance from others. This
engagement. According to ‘Brand advertisement touched the hearts of millions
on Twitter and social media and was widely
Footprint 2020’, a report by Kantar which praised by the viewers.

is the world’s leading data insights and Consumer Engagement with brand
The brand is creating ways to shift the
consulting company shows that Surf Excel endorsement from actors to the audience or as
people call them “homefluencers”. The brand is
marks a consistent consumer reach points endorsing on social media platforms like
Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram where they
growth rate at twenty percent. Consumer share video clips and pictures of fun activities
performed by both the parent and their child on
reach points are considered as the best their official page. The campaigns aid parents
to teach and bond with their kids while staying
way to measure and rank brands on the at home. These activities increase audience
engagement with the brand as by sharing their
basis of their performance. With the step piece of artwork on the social platform,
children feel encouraged to participate more
of renegotiating the advertising strategy, and the parents too support them in performing
the activities as it provides a fun way of
Surf Excel was able to create a learning.

successful brand campaign with effective

communication. In the course of uncertain

times where other brands could not tweak

their brand tagline, Surf Excel not only

did alter it but also removed the words

from its catchphrase through which the

brand had earned recognition in its early

stages. They tweaked it from

“Daag_Ache_Hai” to

“Daag_Ghar_pe_Rhenge” which translates

from “Dirt is Good” altering to “Stains Will

Stay Together”.

Page 28

HOW ARE MARKETING STRATEGIES EVOLVING IN RESPONSE TO COVID?
COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND MARKET REFORMS

Advertising at virtual media provides
distinctive opportunities for audience
engagement, whether they are buyers or
non-buyers. Social media holds the power
to offer reach to viewers at greater
extents to a brand. It has the capability
of turning a potential buyer into an actual
buyer and it can be a boon to the brand’s
success. Surf Excel should continue to
encourage audience participation and
bring creative and engaging campaigns
through social platforms like Twitter,
Facebook, and YouTube.

Page 29

Markaholic

The Marketing Committee of IFMR GSB is committed towards
the institution and implementation of marketing initiatives to
foster the interest in marketing among its students. It aims to
facilitate an all-round development of the students in the
field of marketing and keep them abreast with the latest
trends in the marketing domain which needs the aid of
practical examples and a display of real-time application of
concepts. It also pledges to deliver a broad experience to the
students by organizing talks, panel discussions, workshops,
webinars, guest lectures, case competitions and series of
marketing events all-round the year.

Markaholic provides a platform to the students to acuminate
their marketing talents and accomplish the best in the
marketing industry with an unwavering spirit of enthusiasm,
commitment, innovation and fun by nurturing the creativity
in each individual while recognising their talents through
active participation. To popularize the field of Marketing at
IFMR and ensure that fun and learning is an integral part of
the entire process, is what Markaholic continuously strives
for.
Markaholic is for the people to “Get high on ideas”.

Page 30