Business

The COVID-19 pandemic is set to bring about paradigm shifts in the way we go about our lives, and the corporate world is no exception. In the Darwinian market environment, it is not the ones with only the best marketing strategies, but the best marketing philosophies that will emerge as the fittest to survive. And yet, the basics of marketing will continue to stay the same; in fact, the principles will only find more prominent applications in the business world. So here are such principles that marketers would do well to remember once the COVID-19 crisis gets over. 1. QUALITY OF PROMOTION WILL TRUMP QUANTITY OF PROMOTION The lesson that the current lockdown has delivered to the corporate world is, the most sustainable brands are built on the basis of how well they are promoted rather than how much they are promoted. The audience will not remember how many times they have seen an advertisement but will remember well-framed ad jingles even after decades. Even when it comes to...

Perception may or may not be a reality, but perception, is, for an individual, the ultimate reality. Or something along those lines was what was the mantra that drove marketing not so long back in the past. While the theory is to a large extent correct, there is a new reality today that marketers would themselves have to grapple with. A reality that perceptions that are not authentic will not stand the test of time for too long. And here’s why this new reality will be all the more entrenched in the coming future, once the world weathers ongoing COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19: THE GREAT LEVELLER While the pandemic has been touted to be a great leveler in many aspects; between rich and poor, between humans and the rest of nature, and so on, it has also been a leveler for brands. There are several reasons for this. The scarcity of goods means the line between brands and non-brands has greatly blurred, and products are being seen for what they are – products. And consumers of such p...

Sports events these days are no longer limited to sport and entertainment, but also serve as avenues for brands to market themselves. Importantly, because the audience at such events is in a stage of very high alertness and excitement, the engagement that brands can create during such events is extremely effective. Also, with the increasing size of stadia, brands get to engage a large number of people that form a part of their target segment for an extended time duration in a very close manner. However, such engagement need not always wait to happen until the event actually happens. It can begin a lot before that, say during the build-up to a sporting tournament. The type of experiential sports marketing tactics could be divided into two different broad categories: NON-TRANSACTIONAL FAN ENGAGEMENT This would typically refer to such activities that involve the participation of the target audience but do not require them to make a purchase. Examples of such type of campaigns ...

In an era where data is supposed to be the new oil, and analytics is the biggest buzzword in the industry, talks about emotion in the corporate world may not exactly find much resonance. However, emotion cannot be a completely neglected element when it comes to marketing, and as we would look at the area of experiential marketing, it is a very important aspect that simply cannot be ignored. Here, we look at the realm of experiential sports marketing, and how it is beyond mere numbers and is more about emotions. EMOTIONS ARE INHERENT TO SPORT Sporting performances are driven by adrenaline rushes, the desire to overwhelm your opponent through physical superiority, display of talent, and implementation of a well-thought-out game-plan – it is a struggle to establish dominance over your rivals, be it individuals or teams. It is not for nothing that sportspersons and sporting teams recruit the services of psychologists, who help players channel their emotions into performances. The...

A   personal loan   can be quite a handy tool to improve your financial situation. While many believe it to be adding to your debt burden, it can actually be quite useful in reducing your costs. Being an unsecured product, an online personal loan is easy to avail without any collateral. Let’s take a look at how they can help you boost your finances.  Better Option In times of urgent need for cash, we all jump to the easiest possible solution available to us and fail to explore all the options. An  online personal loan  is any day a better option as against credit card loans, for, there’s a big difference in the interest rate on both. A personal loan can help you save on the interest you may pay on your credit card.  Build Your Credit Score A good credit score is a must to avail of any type of credit from financial institutions. If you are planning to buy a home or a car, a low credit score can ruin your chances of getting a better deal on ...

A secret weapon is one that is extremely effective and has immense stealth capabilities, which makes catches the target unawares. It is this stealth that reinforces its effectiveness, enabling it to have a far bigger impact than otherwise. When it comes to marketing, the target audience is what you seek to influence, and various tactics that you utilize form your weapons. In this regard,  experiential sports marketing  has emerged as the new ‘secret weapon’. Brands are increasingly seeking to deploy this weapon in order to effectively engage their target segment and derive sustained commercial benefit. But what factors make it a ‘secret weapon’ worth using? ENGAGEMENT AT THE POINT OF MAXIMUM VULNERABILITY Experiential sports marketing campaigns are designed in a way to generate engagement with members of the target segment at a time and in a way that ensures that the recipients would most readily assimilate the message. In the build-up to a sporting game or tourn...

While traditionally, the exercise of marketing would mostly be looked at as a set of  ATL, BTL, and TTL  promotional campaigns, in recent years, it is experiencing a sea-change. Newer channels and ways of promoting brands are being explored, and one of the most influential ones in this regard is experiential marketing.  As reported by Creative Guerrilla Marketing back in 2014, 78% of millennials, who were expected to cumulatively have a spending capacity of over $100 billion, showed greater inclination to buy a brand that they could have a face-to-face interaction with.  It is this specific facet, of generating live experiences, that experiential marketing (also called as engagement marketing) tries to achieve, and sports events often present excellent avenues for the same. WHAT MAKES EXPERIENTIAL SPORTS MARKETING MORE EFFECTIVE THAN TRADITIONAL CUSTOMER-ENGAGEMENT PROMOTIONAL EVENTS? Experiential Sports Marketing  events are highly immersive for t...