Hero Maestro : Such a Boy Thing !

Brand : Meastro
Company : Hero Motocorp

Brand Analysis  : # 528


Maestro, launched in early 2012, was Hero Motocorp's answer to its erstwhile partner Honda's market leader offering Activa. After the break-up of the JV, Hero Motocorp wanted to take the fight into Honda's stronghold in the Indian scooter market.

Maestro looks and feels the same as Activa and comes with the same technology . Maestro was launched not as a unisex scooter but explicitly as a masculine scooter. This was probably inspired by the success of Hero Pleasure which was launched as a girl's scooter.

Maestro has the tagline of " Such a boy thing " and the campaign highlights the features that would appeal to young men. It is interesting to see the strategy of Hero to attack Honda's Activa not directly but through two brands - Maestro and Pleasure which are segmented on the basis of gender.

Watch the tvc : Hero Maestro

Priced at par with Activa, Maestro has generated considerable interest in the consumers primarily because of the long waiting period for Activa.  The launch campaign is surprisingly not masculine and Hero doesn't want to push the product as  masculine although the tagline says so. The brand doesn't want to put-off those who want  a scooter which can be used by all members of the family.

Although I started to write about Maestro highlighting its gender based segmentation, a surprising article caught my mind : read it here

In a classic case of Osborne Effect  , the company had already announced that Maestro will be phased out soon . Its ironic that the announcement is done in the same year of Maestro's launch. Customers who bought Maestro has been left dumbfounded  by this announcement. In many forum's like Team BHP, new buyers has expressed their feelings of being cheated . Obviously when products are phased out, new buyers often feels cheated but this is a product which is in the introductory stage and suddenly the company announces that this product is going to be killed soon .

Having said that, Hero Motocorp which had established itself as a reliable and dependable market leader hopefully will not let the customers of this brand stranded without any support.

In this digital era, it is important for brands to hold on to its common sense while sharing information. Over 80%  of prospective automobile buyers search for information in internet before purchases. And the official press release of phasing out of Maestro will not miss the discerning eye and surely a customer is lost. 

And what business sense does it make to launch a product along with the announcement that it will be phased out ? Its not planned obsolescence where products are phased out in a planned manner and after it reaches some stage in the life-cycle. 

Maestro , as reviews say , is a good product that provided some credible alternative to the market leader Activa. But the company itself has digged the grave for Maestro. How sad !

Is It Really All About Content?

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the importance of content and content marketing.  Since Google made their last algorithm change, more and more articles and blog posts are lauding the importance of developing unique content for the web.  But does the story of content development end there?

Based on recent experiments by The Marketing Blog, it looks like theres more to the idea of original content than meets the eye. Two factors in particular weigh into the content discussion.  They are; influence and engagement.  Last year Google rolled out the rel="author" tag and its gained wide acceptance.  Do you think they are providing extra juice to content published by influential voices in a given industry?  You bet. 

In addition to providing higher rankings to content produced by influencers, you can rest assure they are also providing additional weight to content that is widely shared among social networks and other online communities.  After all, Google's likely more interested in what individuals (especially influential ones), communities, and social networks have to say about digital content than any other type of source.

What this means for you

Depending on your role, you may want to consider how best to leverage the new opportunities inherent in a social world.  Guest posts from authoritative sources, engaging content that is designed for optimal shareability, and engaging with social networks can all have a dramatic impact on your website and website rankings.

Keep in mind however that the end goal isn't just for purposes of search engine optimization but rather building brand and generating leads for your business.  If you rank number one for a keyword or keyword phrase that no one searches on, you haven't accomplished anything.  focus on results if you want to make the most of this new post-Penguin 2.0 digital world.

The best place to start with any type of content marketing campaign is with specific goals and objectives.  What is your end goal?  Can a content marketing plan help you get there?  Probably but you need to begin with the end in mind.  I've spoken with a lot of marketing executives but many don't have a clear understanding or picture of what success looks like.  Define it for yourself and you'll be much more successful with your content marketing initiatives.

What I like about content

The one true benefit that seems to be emerging from this new world of content generation is that of creating value for your audience.  No one likes being sold... they do however like being engaged.  The most productive way to engage your audience is by giving them what they want, creating value, and getting things done in a way that excites and delights them.

Marketing to customers is no longer about selling "buy me" emails but rather engaging content that can positively engage and motivate them - building a relationship.  And a meaningful one at that.  The best place to start is with a deep understand of your customer.  What motivates them?  What do they want?  By creating persona's of your target audience you can fully understand the best content to produce and how to deliver it.

Always begin with an understanding of your customer and have the end goal in mind.  When you do, you stand a pretty good chance of succeeding in your content marketing goals.  Put in place a measurable plan and you're home free.

Please share your content marketing successes (and failures) with us on the Marketing Blog!

Real-time Marketing: 5 ways to take advantage of what's going on right now

As you read this, something is happening. Our world is buzzing about with the latest news, events, topics and ideas. Brands just have to reach out and grab the right one to follow its way to fame.

Real-time marketing is defined as “on-the-fly” participation by brands. Everyone has heard of the brilliant Oreo tweet that stole the Super Bowl show during the black out. It was just a simple picture and tagline but because it was released at the perfect moment on the perfect medium it went viral.

Dedicate a small team

Before you begin your hunt to capture publicity and the hearts of men, you need to put together a team. It’s not economical to have all your employees sitting in a room watching TV and scouting Twitter for a big idea. Choose 1-3 people who are creative, responsible and great decision makers who could whip something up in a short amount of time.

At least one of those team members should always be on Twitter, checking news and various related sites for any good opportunities.

Have a plan but be flexible

The team above should create a plan. This may seem counterintuitive since you are supposed to be creating marketing spontaneously. Nevertheless, here is a list of things your team should consider ahead of time:

-What companies are we looking to get in the news (do you have permission from them)?
-What are a few events in the near future that could be a good opportunity?
-What are a few obvious tie-ins with these events? 
-How can our brand or product play a part in the event?
-Who is your designated designer/copywriter for any quick projects?

Brainstorming a few ideas ahead of time will help your team react quickly in real-time.

Know where to look

Surfing is no easy walk in the park. Surfers have to have a keen ability to judge the perfect wave and when to get on at the perfect time. Just like surfers, we are dependent on the waves of publicity. Waiting for the perfect one might take some time. It helps if you know where to find that perfect wave. 

1) Topsy: This real-time search engine is a perfect place to find niche news being talked about. Users can search everything, narrow down by time or language, or even choose news coming from specific areas like experts or videos.

2) Twitter trends: Twitter is a great place to keep your eye on what’s breaking now. Create lists for various genres, such as foreign news, technology, sporting events etc. Check out the trending hashtags to see if your company would fit into one.

3) People in the know: Don’t follow second hand news, go straight to the source. In your industry or news sector, find who’s releasing the information first. For events, go to the official page as well as workers at the event who might be tweeting ahead of time anything that happens.

4) Pinterest: Find out what is trending and popular through Pinterest pictures. 

5) Reddit: Find out what’s getting a lot of attention on Reddit. They have a ton of subreddits that could apply to your industry. 

6) Listen: Use tools like Synthesio to listen to what’s breaking in the social community.

7) Statistics: People love numbers and research. Check the latest statistics on sites like Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gap Minder, Office of National Statistics, and National Centre for Social Research. See how your company can highjack the statistic and apply to their industry.

Be proactive

Popular events aren’t the only time you can steal the news. Get in touch with journalists, take them out to coffee, ask them about upcoming stories. Keep in the loop both on a personal and professional level. 

When something comes up that relates nicely with your brand or product, offer the journalist a unique angle. Journalists are always looking for unique angles to make their story fresh and exciting.

Engage consumers

There’s more to real-time marketing than just getting in the news or riding the tailwinds of a highly talked about event. Real-time also should apply to consumers. Whether it is one or a hundred, brands or their supporting agency should always be on top of quickly responding to consumers’ needs or comments.

Social media has made it possible to interact and respond quickly. People have come to expect a fast reply over Facebook or a retweet from a brand on Twitter. This human reaction from brands is what wins (or loses) the hearts of consumers.

Special thanks to Alicia Lawrence for her contributions on The Marketing Blog.  Connect with Alicia on Google+. Alicia Lawrence is a content coordinator for an Internet marketing company serving clients like 12 Palms addiction rehab center. Her work has been published by the Association for Business Communication, Yahoo! Small Business, and Spin Sucks. 

Cobra Deo : The King of Deos

Brand : Cobra Deo
Company : VI-John

Brand Analysis : # 527

Its raining deo brands in the Indian market. 

Another player,same story. 

VI-John which had made a splash in the men's grooming market with its shaving cream and SRK endorsement has launched its deo branded Cobra. 

I wonder whether there is a conspiracy hatched against the market leader Axe. My conspiracy theory is that all the local FMCG marketers together decided that every deo brand that will be launched in the Indian market will have the same positioning of a " female attraction" . At the end of it, consumers will puke at the sight of Axe and Axe-girls. ( pun intended)

Other wise how can every brand is launching with the same hopeless positioning ? Are all targeted males are begging for a product that can attract females ?

Cobra has found its celebrity endorser in Emraan Hashmi. The brand is running its launch campaign with a television commercial which can easily be rated as one of the hopeless ones in recent times.

Watch the ad here : Cobra ad

The ad is too horrible to be analyzed but it has to be noted that its not these brands that should worry, rather Axe ( the reigning market leader) is the brand that should be worrying.

The plethora of brands that is harping on the ' female attraction' is going to wipe Axe out of the market in the coming years. The brand Axe is already facing heat with Fogg deo matching the market share in certain markets.

The new brands  flooding the market with heavy advertising and huge channel margins will be happy with some share of the pie. My assumption is that these brands outsource the entire production and their main task is to market. And whatever little share will more than make-up their costs. 

Axe has tried to counter by launching new copy-cat campaign featuring Ranbir Kapoor. That shows the desperation coupled with laxity of the leader in responding to the competitor threat. 

Cobra was a name better suited for a condom  or an aphrodisiac brand name.The campaign also was made in he same lines. These brands know that the market leader is vulnerable and it is the right time to strike. 

And it is the right time...