THE TAIL TO WAG THE DOG: Higher Education in India

This is picture of dog (yes, you guessed it right!), photographed, edited by me, sometime last year. Deepan (Our college senior) won an election and his most beloved critics and opponents did this inhumane act on an innocent dog.

The other day i was reading Imagining India by Mr Nilekani and on some page i came across a very interesting phrase "the tail to wag the dog". The acquitance of author used the comment to allude how state govts in India have grown and are now enforcing coallation dynamics and shackles on policies.

Well needless to say i liked the phrase and i looked it up. And as if this was all fate ;), i already had a pic saved in my mobile for this very phrase. So for a topic, close to my heart the Education system I've this pic for the general consideration. On the left are the policies, the people who either enforce or follow them at the cost of others and on the right is one of scores of Indian grad (read the unfair elitists, who take the lionshare of benefits).

The culprits include authority, Students, Creamy layer in Quota dynamics (benchmark defined a notch or two below all accomodating Govt. Standard).

In the name of quality, nothing but eye-wash and mediocrity are served. The students have in general little interest in anything but money and are inclined to do anything for the same, sacrificing interests at the altar. It is a moot point disussing quota, we know it, they know it but it is what it is. Everyone is in for the short haul, take their cut and get out. And the education hub is just a eyewash for global economy. But at the root is the core Indian drive: paise ke liye kuch bhi karega (Anything and everything for money), be it overtime or superficial degrees, the general madness for popular courses.

Reforms are light years away, not because the committees that have been setup are OK with the present but because we, the consumers, the providers want the status quo.

TIGER'S WOOD (Celeb Endorsements with Woods as a case study)

This post (and following two) will discuss celeb endorsements, PR with WOODS as a case study. Now a significant part can be attributed to hindsight bias and I don't claim being a Guru or having seen it, but as a marketer one can try to come up with a strategy for future. 

Have uploaded them in the intended order of reading. First a discussion on background of Celeb endorsements followed by how to go about damage control and the last section entails strategies for future.

I would start with some questions, which would act as background and lay the boundaries of discussion.

WHO IS WOODS or used to be?
He exudes class, consistency and excellence. His brand had stood for honesty, integrity, fair play and high values.

DOES THAT INCLUDE HIS PRIVATE LIFE?
OH YEAH! Full rights to capitalize on his name and image. 

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE IDEAL SCENARIO?
Had Tiger come clean, public would have forgiven him out of loyalty. That is after dodging away legal charges. But he didn’t. 
He comes back out of rehab (forced/voluntary; needed/just PR), rebuilds his relationship and gets back on winning ways and new contracts.  Some PR targeted towards the scores of hypocrites*, soothing their want for drama-story in everything. Kobe Bryant, Becham bounced back then why can’t he?

WHO ARE CONSUMERS, WHAT ARE THEIR RIGHTS?
Brands exist in the mind of consumers that don't like being lied to. All publicity is not good publicity. Today, branding is about two-way loyalty.  Loyalty some would say is also about forgiveness and I believe that. So it is debatable that the public would have forgiven him, had he came clean voluntarily and early.

DIVIDED VIEWS OF CONSUMERS?
The realistic types: I don’t care what a celeb does in his/her private life! In their opinion, it is a company’s relationship with
one during the bad times that define their character.
*The hypocrites: And the other gang: Oh the endorsers should be loyal to me as I am to them; they feel they command the prerogative into people's life.
Mostly no one lies on one end or the other; it is all grey (all black and all white themes don't work in this realm).

WHAT CAN BE DONE? Apart from usual dog and pony shows!
Market surveys? Yeah but they don’t tell you the future, they only try to project the current consumer perspectives. Because people are so touchingly fickle, they will react according to the next piece of information they are given.

WHY THEY HAD TO TAKE IT OFF THE AIR? The focus became what was going on with Tiger Woods, and not the intended messages, higher retention aiding to negative results; thus discontinuing at least for now should be the mantra.

Celeb Endorsements: Damage Control

THE STRATEGY PART 1

NO POINT CRYING OVER SPILT MILK: Reshape the way you communicate through the celeb that is of course if you vouch for staying put.

WHAT CAN'T JUST WORK? Old taglines/communication which used to exemplify the celeb's positive attributes (which are now taken as cant), which your organization might have associates with.
For ex: We know what it takes to be a tiger. The best a man can be. Work done for Character building of children by Tiger Org.

BANISH AND PROBLEMS WOULD VANISH?? Not necessarily true. One has to start a campaign afresh and the hidden connotations with previous ones should be taken care of. The faster you get rid of the past the better in this case.
For Ex: Accenture's new ad: with a picture of an elephant on a surfboard targeting Big firms and communicating "performance delivered by Accenture", rather finely describes ( in viral world) the balancing act Tiger allegedly tried to perform for so many years. Do you consider this joke as publicity or degrading depends on the brand. In this case it is demeaning.
Now if you decide to stick around and continue with a rather fine looking campaign, which was never seen in any bad light before! Like for Tag Heuer, Tiger looking out in space, with a watch on his wrist is viral in internet as “so many girls- so little time”, this depends on their client base and their target.
So both negative and positive connotations out of the new campaign have to be taken care off.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO YOUR TARGET MARKET AND VALUES- the former by and large underpins the latter. Again taking the case of Tiger: What should have happened and the whys.

NIKE, GILLETTE:
Temporary suspension, downgrade the value of long term contracts.

Keep his rehab work in the eyes of the consumer and let them come across the good image of Tiger and his family.
More visibility for Tiger Woods foundation and CSR of the organization.

Everybody likes a HAPPY ENDING- Just feature Product Innovation and Performance. ON RETURNING TO GOLF, Hire a consultant, a biggie and project as if the celeb is putting quite an effort to stand on his feet and then most importantly help them deliver with family/friends by their side.

PIN THE BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE- another casualty of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression or something likewise, will work in some cases. Associating with the commons builds the relationship.

MARRY THE BRAND with other popular brands ex: Tiger brand with Oprah, 60 mins.

WHY PLAY SPORT-THE NUMBERS GAME! Both these companies are primarily targeting male population and there is a need reinforce the un-obvious- males hormones are very less likely to be prone to loyalty games and high expectations, it has nothing to do with otherwise bizarre- we want to do it/ we don't care! Another case deserving mention is Michael Phelps and his association with Kellogs. The stat that about 50% have tried at least once marijuana doesn't help their case. Plus it endorses disloyalty in very competitive market. They might target the young, but do they make the buying decision?

MORE THAN MERE NUMBERS: A vital component of this decision is the communications that the organization has built upon with the customers through the endorser or without him over the years. That is why I would have made my peace with Gillette, a P&G Subsidiary going forward with outright decision to drop Tiger– they always communicate very high values not limited to office hours.

THE EXPERTISE OVERLAP: For Nike, Tiger Woods endorsement is an endorsement of direct expertise. Nike’s brand equity is based on understanding the needs of serious athletes. The Nike brand values are about commitment and intensity. And here we are taking for granted – tiger will come back.
Electronic Arts, PGA Tour, Golf Digest, Tiger Woods Dubai should stick with no marketing for current scenario. Re-negotiate the contract with a moral clause. EA, PGA has offered full support.

ACCENTURE:
MILK YOUR OTHER COWS TO CAPACITY: For a company that powers most of the Media worlds software’s, editorial sympathy would help and may come by easy!

THE VALUE-RISK MATRIX: Accenture had overstayed its joint branding with Tiger by a few years (this comes as a hindsight insight). “How long should a partnership last?” “When does the risk/cost start to outweigh the benefit of continuing? Again devil may care- but celebs are prone to all sort of transgressions and if you have milked the cow, don't be greedy for tons!

AVOID SHARP TURNS: They have come up with rather benign animals as their ambassadors. I would have rather called for high performance individuals like biz leaders, people working for social causes again. Also you can't have animals for infinitum and maintain novelty by changing banners/hoardings time and again; a fallacy which a human face has potential to transcend.


PEPSICO (GATORADE), NETJETS: suspension for foreseeable future: because they owe little to Tiger the sportsman (The issue of expertise).

TAG Heuer: depending on their historic response to TIGER brand.

Celeb Endorsements: Preparation strategy

Continuing with discussions on Celeb endorsements, here are some steps companies interested in celeb endorsements can take and avoid running for cover when hell breaks lose...

THE STRATEGY PART: be prepared than sorry:

CRISIS SCENARIOS: Ex: Say stalker violence against Woods or a family member, somebody embezzling millions from woods, a member of Woods’ entourage involved in a drug or sex scandal. 

CAN'T PLAN THEM ALL! If the scenario is different: understand the trigger points- let the celeb know about its criticality. Try to get full disclosure but go ahead with whatever springs up.

QUICK ON FEET: End victim production- Arrest the guess work and start victim management employing NDAs, settlements etc.

In case of company crisis: Employee Communication, degree 1 communication should come foremost. Then move outwards to degree 2 and 3.

KEEP a TAB- Yes on their potential dark sides.

EXPERTISE: Try to pick a celebrity who has direct expertise in the problem your brand solves. The celebrity should be a core user of the brand and someone who is highly credible with other users.
Tiger lends the Accenture brand equity through indirect expertise - in this case his focus and judgment. 

WHO IS ENDORSER? Who is gaining out of the relationship? In Accenture, Tiger has more to gain. Federer and Rolex is near ideal-with Rolex having more to gain, as it should be. In Indian context Rithik with Reliance, A.Bachan with Cadbury are fine examples of how it should be.

QUESTION OF BORROWED EQUITY – how the other brands that he/she endorses go about with yours! Tiger was doing so many other high performance product ads that Accenture’s relevance does decline if not diminish. Will an Accenture client become more of a performer with Buick, with a Tag Heur watch, with Nike clubs on a PGA course?
IS IT A ZERO SUM GAME? At the same time borrowed equity has worked wonderfully for Nike over the years – every time you see an Accenture ad you have a swoosh of NIKE right in your face.  

   
DIVERSIFY YOUR MARKETING ASSETS- Easily said then done.



DO YOU REALLY-really NEED A CELEB? Celebrities are ideal for consumer goods, children needs and lifestyle products, which are primarily targeted at women, children and students/ youth.

Marketing strategy for Telecom Industry in India

If this isn't obvious, then let me spell it out for you: This post was an entry for a competition, and after pushing the deadlines for few hours, they said they've had enough (They got the right amount of entries), so ours was rejected. Now having put quite some effort into it, this article lands here as a post. 

Discussed in this post are market trends and potential Differentiation practices. The details are kept to bare minimum, to take care of the length of the post.

MARKET TRENDS:

Telecoms can increase network spread with positive ROI to only certain extent, so consolidation and further land grab for urban market will continue. Real penetration is still low, so urban population will remain to be viable target over next 3-4 years.

High speed internet on mobile/netbooks/laptops, VAS, IVR, 3G, 3.5G are going to be the watchwords. The prudent and pragmatic Indian populace and earlier and not very positive interaction customers have had with earlier telecoms and new tech, they are bound to be bit circumspect. A level of trust, basic telecom relations and establishment has to prerequisite for further interaction.  Premium customers may be provided special offers to avail of 3G services, relieving congestion as well as providing newer services to premium subscribers.

Network sharing, partnering, outsourcing, better revenue sharing models than prevailing with VAS content creators, aggregating bodies will be key to positive ROIs.

First move: LAND GRAB TO VALUE BASED SERVICES.

TARGET the Indian customers worn down by celebs and big names who have become cash cows and are adding little than just matching best competition practices. Of this segment, the youth is the most viable segment for positive communication.

What has to change for differentiation?

Customer service:

Personal marketing, defined by long term relationships will position the brand as one which can be trusted, is simple and is faithful to customer.

CRM (Customer relations management) should be made more local in spite of pan-India-circle plan (arresting the question of reliability) and ubiquitous. With trust, doing the walk, faithfulness, getting things done, availability even in terms of physical presence being the new watch words.

New tech and High speed internet: bundled with compatible mobile devices.  All the new innovation has to be preceded by the above differentiation and new trades like mobile advertising, pre-call advertisements should only be adapted once they are tested by other telecoms.

Loyalty incentives, Customer centric plans in true sense (Send your request, after you have been loyal) as part of long term plan.

Value communication:

The advertisement campaigns revolving around realistic icons like Saina Nehwal, Bindra, Beauty contest winners etc.

The key to approval would be what happens when the buck stops, how is the relationship with customer then? Does it make them feel significant, make them belong?

Event creation:

Campaigns around youth, indigenous Indian activities which beg the question how the truly creative and aspiring Indians ask WHAT, WHY IT?

Involving target consumers in branding and not the other way.

VAS targeting rural demography which will be also used for brand building and positioning.

Open to questions, discussions as always... cheers.