I have got a job! Finally!
And it is all about marketing. That is what I do best right?
The only thing is that marketing in India is working with different rules.
Example: An Indian friend of mine had a wonderful business idea: she wanted to set up a toy library. She invested in a stock of new toys including books, games, memory games, puzzles etc. and invited parents to borrow the toys for their children for a fixed membership fee. Great idea! The library was opened in a school building where she used to work and from where she also got a bunch of loyal member parents.
However, she wanted to promote the library to much wider public. So she decided to advertise it with a flyer that was distributed in between the daily news paper to all the houses in the neighbourhood. Guess how did this campign work? She got zero leads, zero inquieries and zero parents visiting the library! How is this possible?
Indians are suspicious about new contacts. There are always cases when someone tried to cheat someone. It is better to ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations than look for unknown offers. It is all about trust that needs to be built before people come to buy your products.
What happened to my friend? In the end she got a rich and loyal customer base as the parents using the library recommended it to their friends and so on.
What have I learned?
1. Don't take advertisement for granted. Advertisement can work wonders in Europe, but in India you need to have a trusted brand or a familiar face to promote your product through ads.
2. Check your contacts. Ask the people you know to recommend your product or inquire if they know someone who could be interested.
3. Use influence to get contacts. People who lead businesses and have wide social networkds can help to promote your product if you argument the benefits well. This could be more efficient than any type of advertisment.
And it is all about marketing. That is what I do best right?
The only thing is that marketing in India is working with different rules.
It seems you have two sure ways to attract customers with your marketing campaign: Use your wide
network of social contacts (you have one right?) or hire a Bollywood star!
Example: An Indian friend of mine had a wonderful business idea: she wanted to set up a toy library. She invested in a stock of new toys including books, games, memory games, puzzles etc. and invited parents to borrow the toys for their children for a fixed membership fee. Great idea! The library was opened in a school building where she used to work and from where she also got a bunch of loyal member parents.
However, she wanted to promote the library to much wider public. So she decided to advertise it with a flyer that was distributed in between the daily news paper to all the houses in the neighbourhood. Guess how did this campign work? She got zero leads, zero inquieries and zero parents visiting the library! How is this possible?
Indians are suspicious about new contacts. There are always cases when someone tried to cheat someone. It is better to ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations than look for unknown offers. It is all about trust that needs to be built before people come to buy your products.
What happened to my friend? In the end she got a rich and loyal customer base as the parents using the library recommended it to their friends and so on.
In addition,
marketing campaigns here in Mumbai are bigger and literally done in Bollywood
style.
Many local
brands fight for the most famous Bollywood stars to become the flagship of their
campaigns. Good examples are the actresses Deepika Padukona and Priyanka Chopra. I was
reading the latest Grazia- issue and noticed Deepika Padukone’s face appeared five times in different contexts: adds, gossip, competitions, fashion, beauty tips….these
actresses have become true role models for Indian women and true advertising
value for Indian brands. And very rich. A positive thing is that these women are not skinny skeletons but actually look healthy. Models here are basically replaced by Bollywood stars. Famous male figures are Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan who will do
the same trick for the male audience.
Sony with Deepika Padukone
Garnier ad with Priyanka Chopra
Salmar Khan
Amitabh Bhanchan
Bollywood
stars and other celebrities are also used to draw audiences to “smaller” events: an artist friend of mine Kirstin Green who has been
working on a big mosaic at Oberoi International School had a sculptor Arzan Khambatta unveiling her mosaic. A Finnish author, Pia Heikkilä who recently
launched her first book “Operation Lipstick” in Mumbai had Bollywood actress Tisca Chopra
as one of the speakers at the launch event. A sure way to get journalists around!
1. Don't take advertisement for granted. Advertisement can work wonders in Europe, but in India you need to have a trusted brand or a familiar face to promote your product through ads.
2. Check your contacts. Ask the people you know to recommend your product or inquire if they know someone who could be interested.
3. Use influence to get contacts. People who lead businesses and have wide social networkds can help to promote your product if you argument the benefits well. This could be more efficient than any type of advertisment.
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