POWERING BRANDS

Campaign Watch: Vedanta 'Creating Happiness'

2012-02-13T21:32:00.000+05:30

Vedanta’s Creating Happiness TV spot is undoubtedly the best of the current on-air lot. What stands out (apart from endearing little star Binno’s story) is the good intention behind this CSR campaign, coming from the largest mining company in India.

The Creating Happiness website details all the commendable community initiatives and sustainable development projects that Vedanta is spearheading in local areas that they operate (in tandem with NGOs and Government).

The campaign objective is to get the youth involved and create awareness about how much more needs to be done. Towards this end, Vedanta is conducting a unique Short Film Competition where college students and budding filmmakers from across India have submitted films, telling uplifting stories of families and communities in the 550 villages that Vedanta has a presence.

All the 38 three minute films have been uploaded on the Youtube Brand Page for users to view and vote. The entries are well-edited and the content quality is quite good.

There will be 3 winners selected by the Jury and 3 via votes on Youtube. Voting is on till March 20th.

The site also has Blog posts by the participating students writing about their filming experience and what this initiative means to them.

Apart from facilitating content creation, Vedanta is also inviting students to design a trophy for the winners.

What an amazing campaign, end to end.

'Like' Creating Happiness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creatinghappiness
View Contest Videos on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/vedantagroup
Check out the Creating Happiness Website: http://www.creatinghappiness.in/

Rich Media This Week

2012-02-12T18:24:00.000+05:30

Here are some shots of Rich Media this Week.

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Masthead
When: 05.02.2012
Advertiser: Cadbury 5Star

Where: Yahoo! India Home Page
What: Innovation with Skinner
When: 06.02.2012
Advertiser: DishTV

Where: Yahoo! India Mail Login Page
What: Takeover with Video
When: 06.02.2012
Advertiser: Maruti Suzuki DZire

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Rollout Banner
When: 10.02.2012
Advertiser: DishTV

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 11.02.2012
Advertiser: Skoda Rapid

Brand Promo Page: Perfetti Van Melle’s STOP NOT

2012-02-11T18:45:00.002+05:30

In addition to the Centerfresh Actisport campaign last week, Perfetti also promoted its new snack STOP NOT via video executions across key publisher home pages. The rich media campaign is still live on most websites.

The overall digital campaign is pretty simple with a promo single pager that details the flavour variants of the snack and announces a story contest of irresistible run-ins with Stop Not that users may have had.

The page also links to the Perfetti Facebook page which currently lacks content action (and therefore fans) and Youtube Brand Channel which brings together Perfetti product TVCs.

But what I liked most about the campaign was the sync video executions specially on Youtube and MSN.

Check out the promo page here: http://stopnot.in/

Related Posts:
Brand Promo Site: Perfetti Van Melle, Happydent Wave
Active Raho! Centerfresh Actisport's Online Campaign Blitz

Rich Media Watch: Honda Civic on Yahoo Brazil

2012-02-10T20:26:00.004+05:30

Honda has been taking over international home pages in style with rich media this past week. Heres a great execution on Yahoo! Brazil for the Civic.

Campaign Watch: 'Celebrate Life' with SBI Life Insurance on Facebook and Youtube

2012-02-09T22:02:00.000+05:30

Withthe financial year closing and Union Budget round the corner, Finance categoryadvertisers are upping their marketing spends and campaign action acrossmedia. It’s interesting and refreshingto see these advertisers (who have traditionally been extremely performancedriven) also execute brand and social media marketing campaigns.

One such brand is SBI Life Insurance, whose ‘CelebrateLife’ communication is being pushed across Social Media over the lastfew months.

SBI Life’s brand page on Facebook has been running ‘Share a Photo’Contest for their 135k fans where users can submit pictures of celebratorymoments of their lives and garner as many votes as possible from their friends.Pictures with maximum votes stand a chance to win a personalised Photo-Mug. Winnersare announced religiously every week. They also have a similar ‘Share a Video’ contest which doesn’t havemany takers. The Brand Page Wall serves its purpose by addressing user queries around procuring newpolicies and other product details.

Ireally like the layout and execution of the Brand Channel on Youtube. The landing page starts with a couple of animated videos. The videoplaylist caters to consumers (TV commercials and funny viral videos), employeesand insurance advisors including videos of SBI Life in the news. Really well thought out.
Theyalso executed a Home Page Masthead on Youtube with a carousel of videos earlierthis week.

You can also Follow SBI Life on Twitter for the latest product updates if you fancy insurance :)

Have you seen other interesting finance category brand campaigns? Drop me a note and I'll check them out too.

Rich Media Watch: Honda CR-V on MSN US

2012-02-08T21:46:00.001+05:30

Honda CR-V executed a Sidekick on MSN US which showcased the Super Bowl TV commercial featuring Matthew Broderick, images of the vehicle and the Facebook promotion they are running.
Check it out below for some inspiration!

Related Post:
Rich Media Watch: MSN US and Mazda 3D Flip ad

Brand Website: Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

2012-02-07T21:00:00.002+05:30

The brand website for the newly launched Maruti Suzuki DZire is underwhelming. In a buzzing Auto category space on the web with cutting edge executions, the site design, layout and overall rendition leaves you wanting more.

I also feel it is a huge step down from the site that existed before the re-launch, which was slick and seamless.

The smallest of things…who keeps white unreadable font on a light blue-grey background? Why does the pre-loader play every time I want to come back to the home page?

The content is laid out in a basic, static format and covers everything that a user would typically want to know - specifications, price, dealer locator, brochure, downloads and the works. As a user, I missed a feature comparison with the old DZire.

The Facebook brand page (which has hit 1.5lakh fans) is doing a good job of engaging users and providing content updates.

The launch webcast by Virtual Studios was smooth, as we have come to expect of their work. The DZire website carries a video of the launch in case you missed it.

As far as the website goes, it may be back but it’s certainly not better.

Check out the site at: http://www.marutidzire.com/

Related Post:
Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire Pre-Launch Campaign

Rich Media This Week

2012-02-04T20:39:00.000+05:30

This week Perfetti Van Melle literally hijacked the rich media scene with Centerfresh and Stop Not and what a way to do it! Amazing executions all across.

Where:MSN Home Page
What: Video Innovation with Skinner
When: 01.02.2012
Advertiser: Perfetti – Centerfresh

Where:Youtube Home Page
What: Video Sync Innovation
When: 01.02.2012
Advertiser: Perfetti – Stop Not

Where:MSN Home Page
What: Video Sync Innovation with Skinner
When: 02.02.2012
Advertiser: Perfetti – Stop Not

Where:Sify Home Page
What: Video Innovation with Skinner
When: 03/04.02.2012
Advertiser: Perfetti – Centerfresh

Where:Youtube Home Page
What: Video Masthead
When: 04.02.2012
Advertiser: SBI Life

Campaign Update: Mahindra XUV500 Story Contest

2012-02-04T20:04:00.003+05:30

Mahindra XUV500 has launched a new online contest in line with the campaign communication ‘May your life be full of stories…’

The contest page has a Youtubesque look with some trivia questions around the TV commercial and a story contest where participants are required to share life stories they would like to create with the XUV500. There are XUV500 coffee table books up for grabs.

Users can view a few ‘making of the TVad’ videos and a 90sec uncut version of the TV commercial – which is a Tarzan meets Axe Angels story that I haven’t been able to fathom. That's unfortunate, considering the digital creatives are really well done, specially the website.

The Facebook brand page aims at building a community of XUV500 fans and has already managed more than 250k of them.
Related Posts:
Brand Website: MahindraXUV500
Corporate Site: Mahindra Rise

Active Raho! CenterFresh ActiSport’s Online Campaign Blitz

2012-02-04T14:16:00.000+05:30

Perfetti’s media executions are always entertaining, never boring. They have stayed true to the same irreverence when it comes to their online assets as well. The Happydent Wave site has been one of my favourite website executions in the recent past

This time, for CenterFresh Actisport, Perfetti predominantly used media innovations to drive home the central campaign thought.

We saw amazing chroma video renditions across key publishers all of last week. Disruptive rich media ads were created that pulled through the television commercial’s ‘Mallakhamb’ act, using publisher home page tabs and quads innovatively.

All online media led to the television commercial on Centerfresh’s Youtube Channel. The Channel itself is very basic with just the video and a branded skin. The TV commercial though signs off with the Perfetti website link.
I'd think the two teams didn't talk to each other :)

I haven’t seen any other execution online and guess that the objective was to drive awareness and get more people to check out the commercial.

Lay's Baked debuts On Facebook

2012-02-02T19:52:00.000+05:30

PepsiColaunched Lay’s Baked crisps targeting young, health-conscious women, late last month.The health snack category has been burgeoning with new launches since the last fewyears, with PepsiCo’s Aliva and more recently Britannia Nutrichoice, beingsignificant among others. With growing consumerawareness for healthier snacking options, there is only one way to go for thiscategory, up.

Its early days, and they’ve started with a (no prizes for guessing!) Facebook FanPage which promises to build on the brand communication of ‘100% fun’ and hasthe TV commercial on it for now.
Check it out at: http://www.facebook.com/laysbaked

Remains to be seen what we see of Lays Baked on digital. I just hope it doesn’t begin andend with the Fan page.

Rich Media Watch: Nokia Lumia on MSN UK

2012-02-01T21:16:00.000+05:30

Two back-to-back Rich Media Watch posts and both featuring MSN UK, amazing everyday, yeah! Today its the Nokia Lumia rich media rerun on the MSN UK home page. Check it out!

Rich Media Watch: Mazda and MSN UK

2012-02-01T18:18:00.000+05:30

Mazda executed another awesome home page takeover, this time on MSN UK. Heres a video of the execution.

Related Post:
MSN US and Mazda 3D Flip ad

Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire Pre-Launch Campaign

2012-01-31T22:16:00.001+05:30

Maruti Suzuki is coming up with a redesigned compact model of the Swift DZire after 4 years of launching the entry level sedan and (from what I can see) digital is playing a key role in the campaign whose key call out is (very aptly), DZire Again…

What we see online currently, is the prelaunch campaign which spreads across Facebook, Youtube and Twitter all of which are being used to drive engagement till the actual launch happens.

The Facebook page plays around with the word ‘Desire’ with quotable quotes and short promos asking their 1.2lakh strong fan base to share their life’s desires. This is replicated on Twitter as well.

There is a 2minuter animated viral video on Youtube, which promotes the ‘Ministry of DZire’, an application cum contest on Facebook where you need to answer some questions, write out a few slogans for a chance to win… I am not sure what!

BTW the 'Ministry of DZire' has a browser compatibility issue.

Media reports suggest that the launch is on the 1st of February. I guess I made it just in time for this post!

The Facebook Page already has a Live Webcast tab so I am guessing the launch will be streamed live by Virtual Studio. I will be watching for sure.

Check out the Facebook Brand Page here: http://www.facebook.com/MarutiSuzukiDZire

Rich Media This Week

2012-01-29T17:07:00.001+05:30

My favorite rich media executions from the past week are the Fiat Slider on Yahoo! India and Apollo Munich Page Takeover on IBNLive.com. What were your favorites? Let me know in the comments section below.

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Pushdown with video + Skinner
When: 23.01.2012
Advertiser: Dish TV

Where: Yahoo! India Home Page
What: Page Slider with video
When: 24.01.2012
Advertiser: Fiat

Where: Yahoo! India Mail Landing Page
What: Takeover with video
When: 24.01.2012
Advertiser: Samsung

Where: IBNLive Home Page
What: Page Takeover
When: 25.01.2012
Advertiser: Apollo Munich

Where: TheTimesOfIndia.com Home Page
What: Floating Banner
When: 26.01.2012
Advertiser: ICICI Lombard

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Takeover with Skinner
When: 28.01.2012
Advertiser: Mahindra XUV

Where: Youtube India Home Page
What: Masthead Expando with video
When: 28.01.2012
Advertiser: Perfetti Van Melle, CenterFresh

On Facebook: Comedy Central India

2012-01-28T20:26:00.002+05:30

Digitalhelps build a television brand. This one is for all the digital marketingnaysayers (are there any left?).

Viacom 18 launched a dedicated English Comedy Channel, Comedy Central in India, early this week.

To reach its predominantly Metro TG with the communication ‘Laugh it off’, Comedy Central has chosen social media and video on digital to create awareness.

Here’s a snapshot of what I discovered:

The Facebook Wall is predictably action packed with programming and schedule updates. There’s a Weekly Schedule, Video trailers from Youtube of Must Watch shows and a Contest for which no details are available even after participating. Case of the missing QC.

The Comedy Central Youtube Page has some promo videos and the Twitter page isreplete with some general, irreverent tweets.

The assets and the basic execution are all there. Remains to be seen where theyare taken and how they are leveraged from here on.

By the way, why don’t they have a website yet? Another case of social media =digital presence.

Campaign Update: On Facebook, Vodafone Super ZooZoos

2012-01-26T21:39:00.000+05:30

Super ZooZoo on Facebooknow has his own Comic Series and a dedicated video page with TV ads. This one is adynamic Facebook Brand Page (and also one of the earlier Facebook integrations)with new uploads and promos every few months.

The Comic Strip titled ‘The Adventures of Super ZooZoo’ promises edge-of-the-seat Action, Suspense and Drama in a cheeky intro.

The comic strip has been built in a chapter format to keep the fun and engagementgoing over a period of time, with the 2.7million (and growing) fan base. Iguess new chapters will be introduced every week, for now Prologue andChapter 1 are live.

The scenarios end in questions (rather abruptly, I thought), the answers to whichwould be revealed next week. Thecreative rendition though, cannot be faulted.

What we are seeing now, could also be the teaser before the Super Hero ZooZoo Rises next week!

This seems like a natural extension for the Super ZooZoo 3G stories on socialmedia, leveraging the merits of the Facebook platform.

Related Posts:

Campaign Update: Zoozoos' X'mas Melodies FacebookApplication

On Facebook: VodafoneZooZoos Super Greetings

Rich Media Watch: Yahoo! France and Sherlock Holmes

2012-01-25T21:06:00.000+05:30

Yahoo! France is at it again! This time for Sherlock Holmes. The execution is an amazing Video Wall that breaks up the page in animation. Later the page gives way to a few movie clips that the user can choose to view.

Super stuff! Video below.

Brand Website: Fortune Cooking Oil

2012-01-25T19:57:00.000+05:30

Created by BC Webwise, the Fortune Cooking Oil website from Adani Wilmar, achieves what it sets out to do. The site has a clean and simple UI, relevant content and interactive elements. I think what is lacks is adequate promotion. I don’t even remember what led me to the site a week back.

The theme for the campaign is ‘Mummy Ka Khana’ and so there are various elements reinforcing this on the site. There is a contest where users need to submit signature recipes (text, pictures or videos) for a chance to feature on Zee’s Khana Khazana (the show still runs?!).

The site of course has the other brand website imperatives like the full Fortune Cooking Oil range, brand news updates and a few Cook Along videos.

The Youtube Channel also has some cooking videos though nothing great to write home about.

The website references contests running on Facebook from time to time. Latest is the ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ (topical) contest where users can share real stories of courageous mothers and win hampers from Fortune. The page now has about 8k fans. There is a separate page with about 50k fans for Fortune Cooking Oil Plus, which is the healthier low absorption alternative. It has a current TV campaign featuring Saina Nehwal.

They have the ingredients in place. All that’s needed now is some effective marketing to get users to discover the assets and engage with the brand on the site and on social media.

Brand Solution: Airtel ‘Har Friend Zaroori’ on Youtube

2012-01-23T21:48:00.001+05:30

Afterthe contest and promo page that they created for the now popular ‘Har FriendZaroori’ Campaign, Airtel has created a Branded ‘Hangout’ on Youtube.

The execution is very interesting and ties-in Facebook, Twitter and Youtubeassets to provide a great user experience.

The creative rendition is achalkboard which provides details on the interface and the contest. The idea is to keep unlockingvideos by clicking on friend types and answering some amusing questions thatappear at the end of the video – leveraging interactive video features. Thevideos are all professionally created, mostly less than a minute long and someof them are really funny and have potential for user engagement and going viral.

Users can share and tag their friends on the videos (via Facebook Connect) to garnersocial points and be crowned ‘SociallyCoolest’.

Users can also upload a whacky video with a friend on the channel, tag it with ‘AirtelHFZ Hangout’, to stand a chance to win a Nokia Lumia 800 or a Trip to Ibiza!
The hangout is being promoted via rich media video banners on Youtube.

The Airtel India Facebook Page (with upwards of 850k fans) is promoting the Youtube Hangout and so is the Promo Page on their website which also linksto all their social assets.

Check out the Airtel HFZ Youtube Hangout here: www.youtube.com/airtelhfz

Related Post:

Brand Promo Site: Airtel Har Friend Zaroori [HFZ]

Rich Media This Week

2012-01-22T15:17:00.000+05:30

This week we had many interesting executions across publishers helmed predominantly by advertisers from the Finance category. LIC was on most home pages this week and we saw super ad renditions from Apollo Munich on TimesOfIndia.com, Birla Sun Life on Indiatimes.com and Kotak Life on Yahoo! India.

Where: IBNLive Home Page
What: OTP
When: 16.01.2012
Advertiser: LIC

Where: Indiatimes.com Home Page
What: Disruptive Video Takeover
When: 16.01.2012
Advertiser: Birla Sun Life

Where: NDTV.com Home Page
What: OTP
When: 17.01.2012
Advertiser: LIC

Where: Yahoo! India Home Page
What: Full Page Video Takeover
When: 17.01.2012
Advertiser: Kotak Life

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Billboard
When: 18.01.2012
Advertiser: HP

Where: TimesOfIndia.com Home Page
What: Full Page Takeover
When: 18.01.2012
Advertiser: Apollo Munich

Where: Yahoo! India Mail Landing Page
What: Video Roadblock
When: 19.01.2012
Advertiser: Fiat Linea

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Video Expando
When: 21.01.2012
Advertiser: Airtel

On Facebook: Nescafe ‘Know Your Neighbours’

2012-01-21T11:26:00.000+05:30

Nescafe’s Facebook Brand Page with around 1.2million fans, is called ‘Know Your Neighbours’, in line with the campaign thematic they’ve been building on for more than a year now.

This seems to be the only online asset that they have in India. I checked the Nescafe.com site and it does not even mention India! I also haven’t seen any brand campaign anywhere else online, though the print and TV ads promote the Facebook page. Surprising, as they have built a campaign that is supposed to reach out to the youth!

Coming back to the Facebook promo. The main focus is the ‘Ask Deepika Contest’, so ‘switch on the best in you’ and think of any random question for Deepika and there are some standard ‘I-pad, Blackberry, Samsung phone’ gratifications for the best questions.

Apart from the contest there are PicBadges that users can download (do they work?), videos and frequent wall posts promoting the contest.

The campaign lends itself to interesting executions but this basic contest and Facebook page is all we have as of now.

Check out Nescafe's Facebook brand page here: http://www.facebook.com/Knowyourneighbours

Related Post:
On Facebook, Nestle KitKat Break Banta Hai

Rich Media Watch: Yahoo! France and Nissan Qashqai

2012-01-17T18:58:00.002+05:30

Live on Yahoo! France today is an amazing home page execution for Nissan Qashqai. On user initiation, the TVC takes over the screen and falls back.

Heres a video of the execution on Youtube.

Campaign Update: Mia 'My Expression' from Tanishq

2012-01-17T18:09:00.002+05:30

Tanishq’s new launch Mia has now taken to crowdsourcing for new ideas for their jewellery line. They are calling women to share jewellery ideas that reflect their personality in copy, pictures or video and the top 10 selected ideas get a whopping INR100,000 each and a chance to collaborate with the prestigious Tanishq Design Studio on their new collection. Wow!

The ‘My Expression’ site has video and content that tells you exactly what you need to do to participate and the ideas they are looking for. You could use FB connect to login and submit ideas or register separately.

The site also has interesting content for users to browse through including Tanishq’s designers and their favorite pieces, articles for the working woman and a discussion board.
Taking co-creation to a whole new level, this is great stuff from Tanishq! Have they spoken about this in the trade yet? They should, this is an awesome initiative and a well-executed platform.

Check out the site: http://www.myexpression.tanishq.co.in/

Related Post:
Brand Website, Mia from Tanishq

Brand Website: Bajaj Avenger 220

2012-01-16T18:44:00.000+05:30

The landing page of the Bajaj Avenger high bandwidth site is a road-ahead video from the eyes of the Avenger 220 rider. This one is a cruiser bike from Bajaj’s stable, therefore the travel theme. I loved the video rendition on the landing page – unique!

The site archives travelogues of ‘Avenger Highway Heroes’, Bikers (a couple of them as of now) who undertook a journey on their Avengers. There are bios of the riders, maps of the routes they took and tab to connect with them on Facebook. There are safe riding tips for enthusiasts who wish to attempt long distance biking. Users can also upload their Avenger Biking travelogues to be featured on the site.

In addition, the site offers the usual galleries, colours, features & specifications, dealer locators etc for Avenger.

You can check out the vanilla low bandwidth site as well.

The site could do with more depth from the content point of view but I still recommend you check out the high bandwidth site to experience the joy of virtual cruising!
Visit: http://www.bajajauto.com/avenger/

Related Post:
Brand Website: Pulsar Journey to No. 1

Rich Media This Week

2012-01-15T14:23:00.000+05:30

Heres a quick recap of some of the rich media executions across publishers last week.

Where:Sify.com Home Page
What: Rollover
When: 10.01.2012
Advertiser: Lenovo

Where:Yahoo! India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 11.01.2012
Advertiser: Fastrack

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 11.01.2012
Advertiser: HP

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Masthead with Video
When: 11.01.2012
Advertiser: HP

Where:TimesOfIndia Home Page
What: Interstitial/ Home Page pre-loader
When: 12.01.2012
Advertiser: Renault

Digital Campaign: 7UP - I Feel UP

2012-01-14T18:24:00.000+05:30

7UP is back. This time with a new logo, new bottle and a fresh new topical appeal with ‘I feel UP’.

The site gives you a chance to unveil the new bottle and rate it… I didn’t quite understand the need to activate my webcam as the bottle unveils itself anyways :) and what happened to my rating and slogan? Will it be moderated and used? The contributor deserves to know.

The site has a couple of candid mall activation videos, positive news bytes that bring in optimistic news from across publishers, tweets with #ifeelup and details around their new initiative where Sheriff (a dance reality show winner and India’s UPtimistic Ambassador) will dance and spread UPtimism across 7 Indian cities.

There is a Facebook linked screensaver with bubble animation that I did download but the actual execution was a flat green background with the logo.

The overall campaign thoughts are great but the execution on the site has rough edges.

The Facebook page has similar content with upwards of 300k fans.

There is a separate 7UP website as well.

They recently executed a Tweet-a-thon with #ifeelUP, which I completely missed noticing on Twitter, but the website calls out. It generated 6600+ original tweets and more than double re-tweets.

I did notice (and like) the Home Page Pushdown on Sify last week.

7UP is also conducting an India Optimism Survey with Indiatimes.com

I just love the campaign thought (who doesn’t like a dose of positivity getting into a new year!) and there is so much that can be done around it. Hopefully we will get to see more from 7UP once the TVC is on-air and we get into February.

Check out the promo site at: http://www.ifeelup.in/index.php

Rich Media Watch: MSN US and Mazda 3D Flip ad

2012-01-12T21:40:00.000+05:30

Check out the state of the art 3D Flip ad on the MSN US Home Page today. The rendition for Mazda is a microsite within banner real estate with the television commercial, photogallery, behind the scenes, key USPs, downloads and more, within an ad unit that’s comprehensive and classy at the same time.

Wow!

It’s not going to be the same, but in case you missed the live ad, you can watch the video here.

Rich Media Watch: Yahoo! Brazil and SOS Vovo

2012-01-11T23:10:00.000+05:30

Running live now on Yahoo! Brazil is the SOS Vovo Takeover with a fun Game. I played it at least 5 times! If that’s not engagement, then what is?

In case you miss the live banner, check out the video I plugged on Youtube.

Rich Media Watch: MSN UK and Confused.com

2012-01-08T22:09:00.004+05:30

Rich Media Watch is a new effort on Powering Brands to showcase stand-out rich media executions from across the world.

The first in this attempt, is a great sync ad live on MSN UK today for Confused.com
In case you miss the live ad, here's a video.

Rich Media This Week

2012-01-08T11:51:00.000+05:30

It was an average week for Rich Media. We didn't see anything we haven't seen before. Here are some select shots of the better executions.

Where: The Times of India Home Page
What: OTP
When: 02.01.2012
Advertiser: Indigo

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Pushdown with Skinner
When: 04.01.2012
Advertiser: 7UP

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 06.01.2012
Advertiser: Star Plus

Where: Yahoo! India Home Page
What: OTP
When: 06.01.2012
Advertiser: Star Plus

Where: Hotmail Landing Page
What: OTP
When: 06.01.2012
Advertiser: Players

Recharge Your Brand’s Digital Presence in 2012

2012-01-07T13:45:00.001+05:30

How many times have we visited a website and been confused with the impossible UI or irritated with intrusive brand presence on content sites. My guess is, many.

I looked at my pet peeves as a user and arrived at this set of simple tips that could help us execute better in 2012. In our quest (as digital brand consultants or marketing managers) for the next big idea and design jazz, let’s not forget that God lies in details & simplicity.

1. Browser compatibility.
It begins with this. Let’s ensure the site/ application / page OPENS!

2. Keep it fresh, focused and close the loop.
Multiple promos & contests running with none closing and pushing the same ol' content out to users again and again, especially on social media = waning user interest.

3. QC Counts.
I run into these all the time - Facebook Brand page images persistently asking me to ‘like’ the page after days of doing it.

Let’s run a simple Quality Check before taking the promo live. It saves embarrassment.

4. Rich Media = Rich Engagement. As the USER likes it.
Let’s ensure we don’t chase the user away with intrusive ads that:

Say ‘Click to Expand’ but actually rollover at the slightest mouse move
Play brand jingles when you least expect them
Move the page around without a warning

These experiences don’t break the clutter – they create unpleasant distractions for the user.
That’s unless you are in the business just for a few quarters and indiscriminate clicks is all you are looking for, rather than real user interest.

5. It helps to Cross Link.
This is a perennial problem with Facebook Applications. They don’t have links back to the brand page and I have never understood why. So essentially, you lose the user even if she would have wanted to explore more.

That’s my weekend fiver. Let me know if you agree (and even if you don’t!).

Let’s create better user experiences and recharge our digital presence this year.

On Facebook: Nicorette India

2012-01-05T22:42:00.003+05:30

Moving on to the next J&J brand today.

This one’s topical, considering the number of people who have New Year resolutions to quit smoking every year. Nicorette (for the uninitiated), is a Nicotine Replacement Therapy product (the India launch is a Polacrilex gum) that helps control tobacco dependence.

A Facebook Brand page for a product of this nature is a perfect fit. Check the Wall to see what I mean. There are real consumer questions & concerns and therefore, productive interactivity.

12 Week Quit Plan is an application that asks the users for details on their smoking habits, smoking triggers, when they want to quit smoking and throws up a complete Quit Plan calendar with details on physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, how to avoid smoking urges etc. I thought it was pretty exhaustive with an option to even print the plan. I had an issue with the scroll within the application page though. It’s easy to miss and therefore there is a chance of users not viewing the content in its entirety.

The Nicorette Support application helps Fans motivate loved ones (including themselves) to quit smoking, by showing support via branded messages. Users can choose who they want to share a personalised message with, from their list of Facebook Friends.

The Testimonial plug also is a great fit, as quitters with real stories can inspire and help others quit (sometimes!). Apart from these, there are the usual product information plugs, how-tos etc.

Nicorette also has a deep, information laden website : http://www.nicorette.in/
Check out the Facebook Brand Page: http://www.facebook.com/NicoretteIndia

Related Post:
On Facebook: Neutrogena

On Facebook: Neutrogena

2012-01-04T20:21:00.002+05:30

We have seen what P&G, HUL and Marico are doing with some of their brands on Facebook and on digital overall, in India. In the next couple of days, I hope to cover some ground on J&J brands, starting today with Neutrogena.

Neutrogena’s brand page on Facebook has product information and brand videos around the key products they are promoting - Fine Fairness Mask and Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair.

There is an E-gift application through which you can give your friends a 20% discount coupon on Neutrogena products. A great social and viral way to promote the seamless Neutrogena E-Store that the website boasts of. The E-store user experience on the site is smooth and it offers the full range of Neutrogena products with product detailing and to top it all there are some amazing deals on the site, including free shipping and cash discounts. Highly recommended.

The Facebook Page also promotes Face2Face, which is Neutrogena’s shot at community creation with their core women TG. Users need to sign up to become members and they get access to a personalised beauty program, complete with skin tips, expert advice, invites to events and special offers.What I really like about Neutrogena’s Website and Facebook Brand Page is simplicity and efficiency. They achieve what they set out to do.

Hopefully, with better digital promotions and word-of-mouth, users will discover these assets.

Check out Neutrogena’s Website: http://www.neutrogena.in
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/NeutrogenaIndia

Related Posts:
On Facebook: Dove Skin
On Facebook: Vaseline India

On Facebook: Nestle KitKat Break Banta Hai

2012-01-02T18:38:00.000+05:30

Nestle has brought its new Love Birds campaign for KitKat, to Facebook.

First the TVC was premiered on the brand page and now there are a couple of a Love Birds downloadables to play around with. There is a widget that (in spite of trying in multiple machines) I just could not run and a screensaver which I liked. It has a calendar with a contextual fun message with a great creative. But then again there is no link back to the brand page from the application page.

Finally, a semblance of action on digital, from KitKat. They are slowly building the momentum on social with presence on Youtube and Twitter as well. Hopefully this will pave the way for bigger campaigns in the future. The Facebook page already has around 375k fans.

Ready for a break? Check out http://www.facebook.com/breakbantahai

On a separate note, if you manage to run the widget, let me know what it's all about.

Rich Media This Week

2012-01-01T18:22:00.002+05:30

Here’s a recap of the standout Rich Media This Week from the last week of 2011. My favorites were Youtube’s Live streaming of Sunburn on the Masthead, Sify’s prominent Coca Cola Takeover and MSN’S Interactive Filmstrip which was the first execution in India of the IAB Rising Stars unit.

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 27.12.2011
Advertiser: Olay

Where: The Times Of India Home Page
What: Interstitial/Home Page pre-loader
When: 27.12.2011
Advertiser: Samsung

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Masthead with Live Streaming Video
When: 27.12.2011
Advertiser: Sunburn

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Billboard Takeover
When: 28.12.2011
Advertiser: Coca Cola

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Skinner & Pushdown with Video
When: 28.12.2011
Advertiser: Coca Cola

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Interactive Filmstrip (IAB Rising Stars Unit)
When: 30.12.2011
Advertiser: Samsung

2011 India Online Trend Spotting

2011-12-31T18:03:00.001+05:30

2011 was a year of BIG numbers for Internet in India. We crossed the 100million users mark, investments to the tune of $350million were made in start-ups, $3billion worth of transactions were carried out on e-commerce sites.

If industry reports and trends are to be believed, things will only get BIGGER and BETTER with Internet in India poised for threefold growth in the next 3 years. Read More
With the year now coming to a close, here is my list of Top Trends of 2011.

1. The Rise and Rise of Video and Youtube:

Users can’t get enough of online videos and Advertisers have discovered one more thing to do with their television commercials. Video is the new Indian internet darling. Need stats? Check out this Comscore PR from back in March. Youtube maxed it with display units that every advertiser was seen lapping up, special integrations (big on PR) like Ra.One and just pure play content ref. the Kolaveri rage.

2. Yes, I have an internet ‘campaign’. I have a Facebook Brand Page:
Going social and executing an internet campaign for most advertisers now is equivalent to owning a Facebook Brand page. What’s surprising is that sometimes that’s the only asset they own on the web, not realising that social media is tricky territory if not executed well and a third-party owned, time bound asset, at best.

3. E Commerce: See us FLIP(KART)!
The whole country and its brother has either started or is managing an e-commerce portal. That’s the magic of great execution. Take a bow, Flipkart!

How long before we see businesses break-even and the sector consolidate?

Here’s to another great year for all things digital in India!

On Facebook and Brand Website: Parachute Advanced

2011-12-30T21:32:00.002+05:30

Marico started building digital assets for its Parachute Advanced range of products since the beginning of this year. I like the Parachute Advanced Facebook Page and Website (yes, both.). Here are some key highlights:

The Facebook Page has upwards of 100k fans and profiles most of the products. There are seasonal contests and interactive wall posts.

There is a Khoobsurat Monsoon Memories (photo upload) contest, which I guess has closed. Click on it and it leads you to an error page.

The Parachute Advanced Scalp Therapie tab clicks to the promo page which has a product and feature carousel for all you want to and need to know. It also has an ‘Ask the Expert’ section where users can post queries. The content around hairfall and haircare is quite deep and potentially useful, but I am not sure how many users will discover this content. It might help to associate with existing women’s content publishers and create brand integrations via advertorials – stuff that Parachute would typically do on print.

Next up is the Parachute Advanced Body Lotion tab that showcases the Love Dobara TVC and some campaign and product related details. There is a separate Facebook Page for the product too. Phew!

There is a TVC Watch & Win Contest and a separate section for Parachute Advanced Hot Oil that leads to the website.

The carousel layout is similar but this site is way deeper. Apart from the brand call-outs & TVCs they have a couple of interesting promos.
Celebrate Your Growth Moments is a photo album of growing up experiences. Users can browse through existing user & celebrity galleries or check out a demo to see how to go about uploading images. Users can also share their growing up stories.

I also liked Virtually Long. It’s a fun app that lets users see how they will look with longer hair.
The website creative and design elements can't be faulted.

Now that the assets are in place, the next logical step is consolidation. Too many promo sites and Facebook pages end up confusing the consumer and take a toll on the production budgets too.

Parachute Advanced Website: http://www.parachuteadvansed.com/
Parachute Advance On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ParachuteAdvansed

Related Posts:
On Facebook: Vaseline India
On Facebook: Dove Skin

On Facebook: Vaseline India

2011-12-29T17:05:00.001+05:30

The first thing that struck me about Vaseline’s Official Facebook Page is that the ‘Info’ section is surprisingly well-written!

The new Vaseline Body Lotion campaign talks about 24 hour skin care made possible by a new breakthrough technology called Stratys 3. The television commercials talk about skin care for care-givers.

The Facebook page has the TVCs and a video on how Stratys 3 works. It also has the new product range with details. For user interactivity there is a ‘Share your Vaseline Care Story’ promo where fans can share experiences around ‘moments of caring’ – not sure what that means.Users can read existing stories on the page as well. The existing submissions that I went through don’t talk about any ‘moments of caring’. Entries are mostly around how Vaseline helps them take care of their skin.

‘Submit your story’ promos are de rigueur nowadays, every brand is either doing it or has done it. But it is important to explain what content you are looking for, to get quality submissions from users. Unless the objective is to just go back with a number and not real stories.

Check out the Vaseline Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/vaseline

Related Post - On Facebook: Dove Skin

Brand Promo Site: Greenply 'Always Hoyenga'

2011-12-27T19:16:00.000+05:30

Greenply has taken its 'Always Hoyenga' campaign digital. Unfortunately, the online destination takes us back a few years in terms of the idea and execution.

The promo page has a set of videos of the same television commercial in a few local languages and a Watch & Win Contest of the Day (which you can participate in in your sleep). The gratifications are Ipod Shuffles and Movie Vouchers. The page also has an option for users to download the ad jingle as a ringtone.

The social media leg of the campaign though, is more interesting. There are frequent snappy updates using the ‘always hoyenga’ communication on their Facebook and Twitter pages. They also had a jingle contest for users to send in fun one-liners.

I guess I should not complain. When was the last time you saw a Plywood brand online? At least this is a start and hopefully, in the future Greenply’s online presence better hoyenga!

By The Way, I loved the home page takeover they executed on Sify.com. If you missed it, check out a shot on the Rich Media This Week post.

Check out the Promo Page: http://www.alwayshoyenga.com
Greenply on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreenplyPlywood
Follow Greenply on Twitter: @hoyenga

Brand Website: Nike Cricket

2011-12-25T21:49:00.000+05:30

Gone are the days when Pepsi owned blue, at least as far as cricket is concerned. Nike seems to have taken over the colour with their successful Bleed Blue campaign – perfect ode to the Indian Cricket Fan.

Nike has now come out with a new and raw ‘Street View’ film to promote Nike Cup 2012 which is their annual tennis ball cricket tournament. Check out more details on Campaign India. From what I understand, this is the first of a string of films to come out.

The Nike Cricket site is a storehouse of exclusive web video content – starting from fan videos, Bleed Blue films created exclusively for the web to well-edited behind-the-scenes videos.

The site also has Galleries with the Nike collection and an option for users to buy Nike cricket merchandise from Myntra.com.

The campaign static visuals are reminiscent of the Pepsi Blue Billion campaign which could be the JWT connection.

The website has a separate section for The Nike Cup with details around it.

The Nike 3 Star Poster on the Facebook Page is a personalised 'pride poster' for the quintessential cricket fan symbolising the 3 big Indian Cricket wins. You can upload a picture which (dramatically enough) is used in b/w, you can adjust the image, add your name, choose a slogan and then choose to share it on Facebook or download it. I guess I was one of the last ones to try this app, but what the heck! It's awesome and here’s what I created!

I am already waiting for the rest of the films.

Check out http://www.nikecricket.in

Become a Fan of Nike Cricket on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/nikecricket

Or Follow on Twitter @nike_cricket

Rich Media This Week

2011-12-25T12:54:00.001+05:30

Merry Christmas to all the readers of Powering Brands! Wishing you all love and cheer and all things good.

I haven’t been able to do the Rich Media This Week post for the past couple of weeks but I’ve got quite a few interesting renditions across publishers this week to profile. I loved the Hero Impulse execution on Youtube (check the promo details here) and at the risk of sounding pompous, the Nokia Lumia Home Page Takeover on MSN India. Let me know your favorites.

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Full Screen Takeover
When: 18.12.2011
Brand: Life OK

Where: MoneyControl.com
What: PushDown
When: 18.12.2011
Brand: Skoda Rapid

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Takeover
When: 19.12.2011
Brand: Nokia Lumia

Where: Youtube India Home Page
What: Interactive Masthead
When: 19.12.2011
Brand: Vodafone

Where: Indiatimes Home Page
What: OTP
When: 19.12.2011
Brand: Mahindra Bolero

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Expandable Masthead
When: 20.12.2011
Brand: Hero Impulse

Where: Yahoo! India Home Page
What: Takeover
When: 21.12.2011
Brand: Skoda Rapid

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Takeover with Pushdown
When: 23.12.2011
Brand: Greenply

Where: TimesOfIndia Home Page
What: Takeover with Masthead
When: 24.12.2011
Brand: Domino’s

Brand Solution: LG Optimus My Cam on MTV

2011-12-24T19:55:00.001+05:30

MTV India has been hosting a video blogging series on their website, for LG Optimus called My Cam. This campaign has been on for more than 3 months now. What’s interesting is that the video blogs have snippets of lives of regular people who wish to be featured on this platform.
It all started with a few videos of actress Kalki Koechlin talking about her life, post which one user is selected every month from the entries received.

There is also a Video Blogger Contest where users can create short VBlogs of their lives and share the Youtube links. Selected few videos are then put up for voting & commenting via Facebook’s Social Plugin and participants with the most 'likes' are crowned the Best Video Blogger and stand a chance to win a LG Optimus Phone.

Brand Solutions is all about leveraging existing strengths and this is displayed yet again with this execution. Getting a celebrity to kick off the campaign - MTV style and reaching out to youth.

The interface also intelligently uses existing functionalities of Youtube (video uploads) and Facebook (Social Sharing) to create a richer experience on the branded destination.

Easily something that Youtube could execute, considering their platform lends itself to a promo of this nature.

Check out My Cam at: http://mtv.in.com/mycam

How to Influence Purchasing Decisions On The Web [INFOGRAPHIC]

2011-12-22T20:41:00.000+05:30

I saw this amazing infographic on Mashable a few days back that had great insights on the Science of Sharing & Consumer Behaviour on Social media and how it potentially Influences Consumer Purchase Decisions.

Though these facts are not India specific, they are surely indicative of where we are headed. It clearly showcases why digital presence is an imperative for consumer brands. Hopefully advertisers in India who still seem to be 'testing the medium', realise this and go the distance in building digital assets. Specially brands in the FMCG, Consumer Electronics & Appliances categories.
The image here shows a part of the Infographic that I thought really calls-out critical consumer behaviour.

I highly recommend you go back to the following link to see the whole Infographic: How to Influence Purchasing Decisions On The Web

(Infographic Courtesy M Booth and Beyond)

Brand Solution: Impulse from Hero on Youtube

2011-12-21T20:42:00.002+05:30

After the successful and much talked about RA.ONE execution, Youtube in India has worked out a great integration for Hero Impulse, India’s First Transroader.

The platform renders itself to great brand pages dedicated to videos (which have been lapped up by most brands already), but through intelligent brand solutions, Youtube is now giving advertisers deeper integrations and options by adding another layer of engagement.

I have seen the high awareness Hero Impulse campaign on pretty much every publisher’s home page. All the rich media executions land on the Youtube branded page that plays out the TVC as an intro, with effects similar to the one we’ve seen for RA.ONE, where the page breaks down.

Once the initial animation settles down, there are various options for the user to engage.

The Transroader Challenge is a simple game where users need to manoeuvre the obstacles and move ahead using keyboard keys. They can choose the Bike Colour and the Terrain.

In addition to the game there is a 360 View of the bike and a Dealer Locator tab that leads to the Hero site. The page also has an augmented reality integration where users can take a print of the code and hold it in-front of their webcam for experiencing the bike.

All of this sits above the usual Youtube Brand Video page for Hero. Great way to leverage and monetise core assets.

Check out the Youtube Hero Impulse integration at: http://www.youtube.com/impulsefromhero
And the Hero Impulse site at: http://www.heromotocorp.com/impulse

Related Post: Brand Website: Pulsar Journey to No. 1

Campaign Update: Zoozoos' X'mas Melodies Facebook Application

2011-12-19T22:10:00.001+05:30

After Super Greetings across categories, Vodafone has come up with ZooZoo XMas Melodies application on Facebook.

Users have the option to select from a list of three carols sung in inimitable ZooZoo style and add some musical chaos to the selected carol using keyboard keys and recording.

Users can then preview the card and share it with friends or post it on their walls.

Very Very endearing, well made and topical! Sure to bring Christmas Cheer!
Check out the application at: http://apps.facebook.com/zoozooxmasmelodie/

Brand Website: TATA Tea Jaago Re

2011-12-17T18:33:00.003+05:30

Thisis how you take up social issues, make them a part of your brand story and stayrelevant.

TATA Tea’s Jaago Re (Wake Up) campaign has built quite an equity over the years.The latest from them is Soch Badlo (Change your thinking). The idea of sharing Positive Stories for a Positive India resonatesdeeply with the times we are living in today where it is very easy to give into cynicism.

Essentially a simple story submission campaign, the interface is layered withSocial Media integrations. Users can submit stories, share and comment on them viaFacebook & Twitter integrations, as a pot of tea comes to a boil.

The site also has links to various other Jaagore initiatives.
Vote is the commendable nationalvoter registration initiative
There is a Jaagore Blog which has consistentposts.
Users can also offer their time for causes via the deep Volunteer section that lists NGOs & Groups and has deep contentaround issues. I really like the creative rendition on this section with the comic striprepresentation.

A couple of points on execution and UI. The htmls need a QC as some of thepages render incorrectly, specially the blog. It would also be a good idea tocross link pages via a common navigation so that users can jump around contentrather than losing their way and opening multiple pages.
Small blips, in an otherwise superb initiative.

Check out the Positivity begetsPositivity Campaign at: http://www.jaagore.com

Campaign Update: Gillette India, Brand Promo Site

2011-12-12T20:59:00.002+05:30

Asan extension to the ‘Gillette Salutes the Soldier in You’ campaign, Gillette has come up with ‘My Soldier Parade Contest’.

The idea is to create a ‘Parade For a Cause’, to create a positive change in theworld around us. 10 winners will be announced every week who will win ‘saving’kits. I kid you not, that’s exactly what the creative on the Facebook pagesays. That’s either a spell check that someone forgot to run on the creative orthey have figured out a kit to save the world.

On the promo site, once they’ve logged in via Facebook or Twitter, users canCreate new Parades for causes that they believe in or choose to View or Join existingcauses. The rendition is in the form of a soldier parade.

The idea is fine but I am not sure what the brand is hoping to achieve with allthe content & support around causes they generate. Hopefully there will bea meaningful culmination and not just 50 people winning Gillette kits.
Check out the promo at: http://www.mysoldierparade.com/

RelatedPosts: On Facebook - Gillette India

Campaign Update: Pantene Hair Spa, On Facebook

2011-12-11T16:02:00.001+05:30

Aftermy brief hiatus, time to look at some quick updates on brand web promos I’vecovered on this blog in the past.

First up is ‘All New Pantene’ with a new ‘Hair Spa’ promo after ‘Break The Cycle’

This time it’s not an application but initiating user conversation via voting,comments on Facebook and a Twitter Hashtag #SpaAtHome. There is tractionon Facebook but #SpaAtHome hardly has any takers on Twitter. Probably it needsa concerted push via active updates from the brand on Twitter to initiate theconversation and socialize the Hashtag. Unfortunately the Twitter handle for@allnewpantene still doesn’t work. I wish someone would listen!

The page also has an interactive tilesinterface that introduces the ‘Spa like hair at home’ concept. Users can also submitsome information to get a Golden Ticketto the Pantene Hair Spa – there are about 100 tickets available for 3 cities.
I have an issue with the usability of Facebook applications which do not have anylinks back to the brand page where the user started the interaction.

Check out the new promo on Pantene’s Brand Page http://www.facebook.com/PanteneIndiawhich now has nearly 180k followers.

Related Post: On Facebook, Pantene India

Brand Promo Site: Perfetti Van Melle, Happydent Wave

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000+05:30

Happy toreport, that the Happydent site is as irreverent as the brand itself! Forstarters, there is a ‘smile slider’ video innovation on the site, where you canget the bored model to smile by popping open the Happydent box. The sameconcept is being used in rich media as well (ref the Youtube Masthead innovation last week).

Created by Digivaasi, the site has a dark creative, depicting the night. Downloads, Products and TVCsopen on a projection screen.

The fun element is provided with the ShineshahChallenge which is a game that pits Dark Devils vs Shineshah (an adorable sparkling tusked elephant). Users canselect a language of choice from Hindi, Kannada, Tamil & Telegu and thereis an entertaining story that is played out in the preferred language (!),which doubles up as an intro to the game. The Game itself is simple but addictive.The intro should be used as a viral across digital. It has the potential to catchon.

Very engaging, lots of fun and well laid-out. The site sticks to its theme.

The Happydent Facebook Page has a TV Contest running for Happydent Complete, where fans need to guess WhatHappens Next in the TV ad. Fans can also submit their pictures and Happydentpicks one as the profile pic of the day.

Check out the promo site and the game at: http://www.happydent.in/

Brand Website: Mia from Tanishq

2011-12-05T15:58:00.000+05:30

It’salways interesting to see brands getting out of their comfort zones and trying differentapproaches to engage their Target Audience. Case in Point – Tanishq, with theironline presence for Mia, fine jewellery starting INR5999. I reckon they realizethat their audience (working women interested in fine jewelry) is online.

The site showcases the three television commercials and the entire collection,but the most interesting part for me was the Video Catalogue. Users can choosea model, choose the pieces of jewellery they want to check out and get her topose. We have seen such executions before but it is a first for a jewellery brand in India, as far as I can recall.

The Tanishq Youtube Page brings together behind-the-scenes videos of the Makingof the TVCs.

Check out
The MIA brand site: http://mia.tanishq.co.in/
Tanishq on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Tanishq

Rich Media This Week

2011-12-04T14:10:00.001+05:30

This week had some great rich media across the board and it was verydifficult to pick the best. My favorites were the Happydent interactiveexecution on Youtube, NANO 2012 execution on IBNLive and Samsung Galaxy Note onthe MSN India Home Page.

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Full Screen Takeover with Interactive Personality Quiz
When: 28.11.2011
Client: TATA NANO

Where: IBNLive Home Page
What: Rich Media with User Initiated Color Skins
When: 28.11.2011
Client: TATA NANO

Where: Yahoo! India Mail Login Page
What: Takeover
When: 29.11.2011
Client: Yatra.com

Where: TimesOfIndia Home Page
What: Pushdown
When: 29.11.2011
Client: Omega

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: Home Page Takeover
When: 30.11.2011
Client: Samsung

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Sidekick
When: 3.12.2011
Client: Ford

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Interactive Masthead
When: 3.12.2011
Client: Perfetti Van Melle

Where: MoneyControl Home Page
What: Interactive Pushdown
When: 3.12.2011
Client: Ford

Teaser: Britannia’s Hunt for the True Snexy

2011-12-01T21:13:00.001+05:30

The Hunt forIndia’s most loved Snackstar is on, at Snexville since the last fortnight. Where or what is that, you ask? This is India’s (orthe World’s?) first Snack Reality Show where users vote through 5 rounds fortheir favorite snack – That’s Snexy!

There are 7 tempting snacks fighting for fan attention through 5 rounds. Youcan vote for them and rate them on a rating meter and share snack postcardswith your friends or share your vote on Facebook Page.

The site has some adorable snack characters with fun one-liners acrossdifferent scenarios that form the 5 rounds e.g. on the move, at work, afterdark etc. There is a blog and loads of irreverent content, posts, dailycontests, poems and the works to keep users engaged.

This is a new campaign from Britannia which is essentially a digital teaser fortheir new range of ‘Nutrichoice Multigrain Thins’.

This is a great concept and execution from Experience Commerce. Kudos to Britannia for trying something novel.

Very rarely do you see so much rigor going into a teaser. Super stuff! I am looking forward to the crowning of the 'True Snexy' already!

Check out the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HuntForTheTrueSnexy Website: http://www.snexy.in/

Brand Promo Page: NANO 2012

2011-12-01T20:49:00.000+05:30

Ichecked out the TATA Nano promo page that has been created for ‘Meet the NANO2012’ campaign. The NANO is now getting a feature makeover with delicious newcolors and TATA Motors is going all out with a digital promotion campaign.

The flash page is built as an interstitial with hotspots, that you can hover on foran overview of the new features. It also lets you discover the different colorsavailable.
You would probably miss it completely if you choose to ‘skip’ the animation.

They also have a standalone page for booking test drives for the New Nano at http://tatananocampaigns.com/nano2012/

The Facebook TATA Nano page has a ‘What’s Your Colour?’ personality quizapplication. They have been using this concept on rich media ad units as well.
Yes, the application decided that I am 'calm & collected' and I deserve nothing better than THAT green K

TATA Motorsalso has a TATA Nano website with deepcontent but no standout reference to the Nano 2012 campaign, except of coursefor the interstitial.

Check out thenew promo on: www.tatanano.comand http://www.facebook.com/TataNanoPage

It wouldprobably be a good idea to think about cross linking all the brand assets forstarters.

RelatedLink:
Brand Website: TATA Vista Sedan Class

Decoding India's Digital Consumer - Nielsen India Video

2011-11-30T21:27:00.001+05:30

Sayhello to the last month of 2011 with this amazing new video from Nielsen India, thattalks about some incredible metrics of digital adoption in India and the enormouspotential for growth. All of us working with the medium have many reasons tocheer!

Let's hope brand managers stop asking us 'Why Digital?' now. Amen.

Brand Website & On Facebook: Samsung Galaxy Note

2011-11-28T20:44:00.001+05:30

Ilove the creative layout of the Samsung Galaxy Note website. What’s importantis that it captures your attention because it’s so simple andwell executed. The creative rendition is essentially a board full of post-itnotes with a mouse tracker, which is a hand with the ‘smart pen’. As you mouseover the notes you discover the key features and you can click to know more.

The ‘Note theme’ continues in the inside pages as well as page transitions(which have pre-loader icons made of notes & one-liners). The attention todetail is amazing. There are video demos, detailed specifications and imagegalleries.

On Facebook,Samsung is running ‘The Great Gadget Hunt’which is essentially an application on the Samsung Mobiles Facebook Brand page.The idea is to search for your lost laptop, smartphone & tablet in theshortest possible time using the clues provided in different scenarios. A differentlocation is revealed every few days – great idea to get the users to keepcoming back to engage. 20 players who crack this in the best time stand achance to win the Note.

Bugbear Alert! The application asked me to register to get started. What’s thepoint of a Facebook Connect if I have to submit more personal details? Notsure why they needed my email id and phone number. I have enough spam on myemail & phone already. Thank you.

The application starts with a great intro video (with sinister backgroundaudio) customized with your Facebook pictures & personal information,setting the context for the hunt. Don’t skip it!

‘Feel free!’ to
Check out the Facebook Gadget Hunt at: http://www.facebook.com/samsung.mobiles
Check out the website at: http://www.samsung.com/in/galaxynote/

Link Loving

2011-11-27T17:49:00.001+05:30

Check out some Quick Weekend Reads.

Facebook Fan Engagement Metrics - E-Strategy Blog

Helping Demand Find Supply - Darren Herman

SkypeTurns Happy Birthday Facebook Posts Into Sing-Alongs With Your Favorite Bands - Mashable

Crowdsourcedapp helps users find fair trade products – Springwise.com

Rich Media This Week

2011-11-26T21:31:00.001+05:30

Here’sa round-up of the rich media that caught my eye this week.

Where:Indiatimes Home Page
What: Interstitial
When: 22.11.2011
Client: HCL

Where:Yahoo! India Mail Login Page
What: Takeover with Video
When: 23.11.2011
Client: Lufthansa

Where:NDTV Home Page
What: OTP
When: 23.11.2011
Client: ADP

Where:MSN India Home Page

What: OTP with Skinner
When: 24.11.2011
Client: Samsung

Where:Moneycontrol Home Page
What: 'Market Radar' Pushdown
When: 26.11.2011
Client: Emirates

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Masthead with Video
When: 26.11.2011
Client: Vodafone

On Facebook: Samsung Laptops 'Take Me Out Challenge'

2011-11-25T20:43:00.001+05:30

Samsungis promoting their new 3series laptop on Facebook with an engaging ‘Take MeOut Challenge’ application. You need to select 2 reasons why you would like takingyour Samsung Laptop out, upload a picture of you in preset avatars andbackgrounds that you can play around with and then share it with friends. Themore you share, the more ‘laptop miles’ you collect and the greater your chanceof winning some great Samsung goodies like the Tab & the Galaxy phone oreven the laptop! I love the gratifications for sure.

Bugbear: The application asked me to enter my location on Facebook (I didn’t haveit on my profile earlier) – and there was no way to skip that step and moveahead. Not cool. Not sure why they need user location.

The application overall is fun. I discovered it via display banners on some sites, so Paid Media it is! There is also a testimonial area forusers to comment and a Winner's Leaderboard.
The Facebook brand page is a new Samsung initiative and they have nearly 60kfans and regular multiproduct updates.

Looking forward to more Samsung online campaigns soon. I hope they look beyondFacebook too!

Check out the Brand Page: http://www.facebook.com/samsungIN
and the Application: http://apps.facebook.com/samsungtmo/

Brand Promo Site: Airtel Broadband Home

2011-11-23T18:30:00.001+05:30

AirtelBroadband has a new flashy ‘home on the web’ which is a partnership with TimesOfIndia, Indiatimes, Big Flix, MakeMyTrip andZapak. The brand promo site is fashioned as a living room with options to movearound the house.
Travel & Shopping rooms? Really!!

A quick room-roundup.
Movies Room has some Trailers and Fulllength movies playing out (courtesy Big Flix). There is no buffering fromwhatever I saw (I’ll confess I didn’t have the patience to sit through a fullmovie).

Gaming Room has Racing, Cricket and ActionGames. Some short format games can be played on the site and few lead you to Zapakfor download.

Travel Room has Top 5 Destinations,Travel Spotlight & Destination of the Month and Travel Trivia, all content snippetssourced from MakeMyTrip.

News Room has Top Stories, Business,Sports, Entertainment News feeds from TimesOfIndia.

You could browse through a shortlist of Books, Movies, Mobiles &Accessories, Movies & Games etc in the ShoppingRoom. There are snippets provided on the site and to buy you can headto the Indiatimes Shopping site.

Essentially, Airtel has tried to bring together everything that a good broadbandconnection will allow you to do on the web and everything that they think theirtarget audience would be looking for.
What I am not sure of, is why I will go to the Airtel Broadband promo site forthis information when I know (and have access to) the individual sites anyways.
Secondly, Airtel Broadband already has a dedicated section within the Airtel website so I am not sureif they have any plans to retain this effort for the long term.
It looks like a good scalable idea and hopefully there is a mid to long term strategyon building is out and beefing it up.

Did I mention that I am on Airtel Broadband? And I don’t have any complaints!

Check out the promo site on: http://www.airtel.in/broadbandhomes/
P.S. The audio on the site comes up without a warning!

Related Links:
Brand Promo Site: Airtel Har Friend Zaroori

Branded Program: Intel’s Curious Connection on Discovery

2011-11-20T20:08:00.001+05:30

The new Intelcampaign thought is that Innovation stems from Curiosity. Considering amazinginnovation is at the core of what they do, TheCurious Connection holds ground and is what the new campaign is called.

I have always liked Intel campaigns. They have a great idea at the core, layered with some great execution.

I was led to Discovery's Branded Program for Intel fromIntel’s Curious Connection integrations on Facebook.
Discovery has partnered with Intel for the CuriosityShow on their Channel. The show hopes to delve into some unanswered, enduring questions and come upwith answers & learning. Check out more on the show here.

The branded program builds on this association andbrings together exclusive content and interactivity. I love how the pagerenders itself as a side scrolling mosaic, highlighting fresh content & conversations.

Content is king here with articles around Intel innovations from the world of Computers to Nanotechnology& Space exploration (you name it), myth-busters, Curiosity Challenge quizzes,videos & exclusive previews of Curiosity Show. You can submit your curiousquestions on the site and hope to be answered as well.

If you wish to see a truly well executed publisherbranded program, check out http://curiosity.discovery.com/

Related Posts:
On Facebook: Intel Visibly Smart
On Facebook: Intel Kaleidoscope

Rich Media This Week

2011-11-19T19:54:00.001+05:30

Here’s my list of cool richmedia executions for the week from across publishers. My favorite this week wasthe high on impact, Save The Children OTP with video on Indiatimes Home Page. The screenshot doesn’t doany justice to the execution.

Where: Indiatimes Home Page
What: OTP
When: 16.11.2011
Client: Save The Children

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Sidekick
When: 16.11.2011 & 17.11.2011
Client: Colgate

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: OTP with Skinner
When: 17.11.2011
Client: Dove

Where: Youtube Home Page
What: Expanded Billboard with Video
When: 18.11.2011
Client: Sure Men

Brand Website: Quaker Oats ‘Good Morning Heart’

2011-11-18T20:27:00.001+05:30

Anew Webchutney Report says that a significant percentage of people areturning to the web for health related information.
Increasingly, CPG and Finance category clients with healthcare & lifestyle centeredproducts are creating campaigns to engage the end consumer who is looking tochange her lifestyle for the better and browsing for related information.

Considering this, it obviously makes sense for Quaker Oats to have a deep online presence. It is, apparently, on a mission to makeIndia Heart Healthy. They have a Website and a Facebook presence as well.
I ‘like’ their Brand Page on Facebook (pun intended) which has about 150k fans.For one, the Wall Posts are not recycled content being pushed daily (that’s amajor irritant!). At least for now, they have a new Oats recipe every other day (pickedfrom their website content) and I find them interesting.

The new campaign is the Quaker SmartHeart Challenge – which is a 30 days, 3 step lifestyle change challenge fora Healthy Heart. You can sign up on the Facebook Application and it leads youto the website.

Bug Sighting! One of my pet peeves is Facebook Brand page images which persistentlyask me to like the page even after having done it.

Quaker has devised an interactive HeartHealth Test with Apollo Hospitals which puts up some questions, tells youthe state of your heart basis your responses and offers customized advice forlifestyle changes etc. This is hosted ontheir website. The test is good but I feel could have been rendered better,visually.

Check out the Website: http://www.goodmorningheart.com

Related Posts:
Brand Website: Max Bupa 'Your Health First'
Brand Website: Britannia NutriChoice IHealthU
Brand Website: Saffola Life

On Facebook: Dove Skin

2011-11-16T17:32:00.001+05:30

Dove ispromoting their new body lotion range with the communication ‘Bring Your BodyLanguage to Life’. No points for guessing the channel of choice on the web.

The Dove Skin Page on Facebook has campaign details and range display forthe Body Lotion for specific skin types, which lead to the Dove Site.
The Facebook page also has a Photo Analysis section with inputs from a BodyLanguage Expert on candid shots of the real women who appear in theinternational campaign.

What would have probably been interesting are body language cues or decoders, interactiveelements– Polls, Voting (Ref the US Skin page) or Quiz, Tips (Ref the AustraliaSkin page).

The Dove brand page, an international initiative (managed and leveraged reallywell for multiple campaigns across countries) has upwards of 3.3million fans.

Check out the campaign at: http://www.facebook.com/dove- Dove Skin.

On Facebook: Gillette India

2011-11-15T20:30:00.000+05:30

‘GilletteSalutes the Soldier in You’ seems to be an extension of the Gillette US promo. The US promo is about 'sending love' to the soldiers for the holiday season viamessages, photos, videos and Gillette would contribute a dollar to the USO for eachLike.

In India, the Facebook promo is about sharing the story of someone you salute for theirvalues and everyday 3 winners will win Gillette Fusion Kits.
Essentially Gillette has come up with a special soldier range, a percentage of the sales proceeds of which will be contributed towards SWO, an NGO that helps families of deceased, incapacitated and retired soldiers. The overall concept similar to that of the US campaign though the India Facebook promo doesn't quite talk about it, except for a wall post.

They have frequent contextual polls and posts to keep the engagement going.

There is also an application called the ‘Blade of Honour’ where you can add theeponymous Badge on your profile picture and share.

The Facebook Page has about 144k fans and has some content around GilletteGrooming skincare range & Gillette Fusion as well.

Check out the Gillette India Facebook Page at: http://www.facebook.com/GilletteIndia

I am hankering for an exciting, jaw-dropping web experience now. Wishful thinking considering I have at least three more 'On Facebook' posts coming up this week. Why do I feel I already know what the brand pages and applications I am yet to see will have.

Brand Website: Britannia NutriChoice IHealthU

2011-11-14T20:34:00.001+05:30

Todayis World Diabetes Day and I saw a CPG print ad with a weblink (pleasant surprise!).There is no way I could have missed checking this out. The site is www.IHealthU.com created for Britannia Nutri Choice. BTW I haven't see a web campaign for this one today.

The idea is great but I have some issues with the execution (read: web design, basicformatting, user experience and writing) on the site. But can we complain whenthe brand just started from a position of zero presence on the web. And franklyhow many CPG brands do we see on the web except for hastily put together, lastminute Facebook brand pages.

The site talks about starting a relationship with good health and gives you 6steps that would help you make that start. You need to pick a Health Goal andSignup on the site or Login via Facebook Connect. You can customize your Meal Planand the app will send you recipes and reminders (via email or SMS). It alsogives you a profile page which has your DailyHealth Diary with an option to invite buddies and some reading material.

The site also offers users 50% off on Thyrocare’s Complete Health Check-up.

Off late there have been a few Health centric Promos on the web – see Saffola Life and Max Bupa Your Health First. Sign of the times!

www.IHealthU.com is rough-edged no doubt, but it is a start. Here’s hoping we willsee more and better from Britannia in the days to come.

On Facebook: Café Coffee Day Wheel of Fortune

2011-11-13T11:24:00.001+05:30

Celebratingone million fans on Facebook, CaféCoffee Day launched the Wheel of Fortune Application ontheir Facebook page on Friday, giving users a chance to win loads of goodies(mostly CCD offers).

A special mention for the UI – simple, clean and stand out. I loved it.
All you need to do is to click on the play button, spin the wheel and if youare lucky you get a number with a freebie behind it.
The page also has activity feeds from Twitter and Facebook.

I would have preferred a link back to the CCD website or the Facebook page. Also the current grouse on Facebook is that the T&Cs of the promo areunclear.

The Facebook page overall has regular updates on new deals and offers. Being thepopular brand that it is in India and the ever growing network of outlets, I amnot surprised at the love CCD is getting on Facebook.
Barista are you watching?

I got a free cuppa! Try your luck. Get spinning at: http://million.cafecoffeeday.com/

Truly, a lot can happen over coffee!

Rich Media This Week

2011-11-12T21:23:00.001+05:30

Quick round-up of the richmedia I checked out this week. My favorite was a VW Planet execution again.This time on Sify.com

Where: NDTV Home Page
What: OTP
When: 07.11.2011
Client: Union Bank of India

Where: MSN India Home Page
What: All unit Takeover
When: 09.11.2011
Client: Union Bank of India

Where: YouTube Home Page
What: Billboard with Video
When: 10.11.2011
Client: Vodafone

Where: Sify Home Page
What: Home Page Pre-loader
When: 11.11.2011
Client: Volkswagen

On Facebook: Vodafone ZooZoos Super Greetings

2011-11-10T17:44:00.000+05:30

With nearly 2.5 million fans, Vodafone Zoozoos is one popular Facebook Brand page! And, why not? It is one of the most popular campaigns with characters that connect, that we have seen in India.

The latest on brand page are ‘Super Greetings’ Zoozoo e-cards that Vodafone has been promoting. The Zoozoos and the shorts around them lend themselves to viral so this is a good extension.

There are three categories of cards in the application - Birthday, Thank You, Crazy - with a few options in each category (the most in Birthday). These are animated cards that you can preview, add a message and send out to friends on Facebook.

Choosing friends on the Birthday Card was tedious as all your friends appear on a filmstrip from which you need to choose. I prefer the Facebook Send Request integration for Thank You and Crazy cards. But I don’t understand why they would have different flows for different categories.

You can't fault the e-cards though. Adorable!
Not sure if they have these cards on the Vodafone website and on mobile. They should.

Check them out at: http://www.facebook.com/zoozoo

Brand Promo Site: Papa Ka Business (Teaser)

2011-11-07T18:02:00.000+05:30

Who would have thought that a truck campaign will pique my interest! Not me for sure. I first saw the Papa Ka Business site and found it intriguing enough to go back andcheck other details around it.
Here’s what I found. It’s the teaser for the new Mahindra Navistar campaign.

The Mahindra campaigns on the web havebeen very well thought out. See some of the earlier ones for Mahindra Rise and Mahindra XUV500,and this one is no different.

The first element is the ‘Ok is no longer Ok’ Facebook page which is running a Papa Ka Business Video storytelling contest. There is ashort 10 second edit of the TVC and the users are supposed to answer 5 questionsabout what they think happens next. There is a new question every couple of daysto keep the interest going. The page has upwards of 1lakh fans.

The second part is around users submitting videos with their experiences ofworking in ‘Papa ka Business’. The page has no Navistar branding at all, exceptfor small footer links which you may misscompletely. The page already has some videos. Simple and effective.

The gratifications for both the contests are iPod Nanos.

The social media integrations for the brand are complete with a Mahindra Navistar Blog (the content is good!), Flickr page and a Youtube Page.
Thecampaign and the execution is refreshing. Anyoneknows when the final TVC launches?

Till then Check out the Teaser site at: http://papakabusiness.com/ Follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/OKisnolongerOK