Brands Need To Be 'Disruptive And Relevant'

Today consumers are distracted as there are several platforms through which brand communication is reaching them. With the onset of internet and the boom in technology, they need to be disruptive and relevant, according to experts.

Panellists at the launch of 12th edition of BW Businessworld Marketing Whitebook for 2016-17 agreed in New Delhi on Thursday (July 21) on mastering the game-changing tactics in marketing.

The marketers at the event said that they need to be interesting now as consumer needs are evolving.

Anita Nayyar, CEO of Havas Media Group, quoted the advent of Pokemon Go as the biggest disruptive thing right now.

"Technology and data are playing the biggest role in today's world and it helps a lot in building a brand proposition. Brands need to be disruptive and relevant," Nayyar said.

"Coke Studio is a classic example of brand experience with tremendous success. It gave an immediate connect with the consumers and brought India and Pakistan much closer. The need of the hour is to break the mould," said Debabrata Mukherjee, vice-president, marketing and commercial at Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia.

Chief Marketing Officers are worried about results. But each consumer is different from the other like a smartphone user consumes data differently as compared to a feature phone user. Companies like Facebook have different applications for varied users. Involvement of the consumer is more important for brand proposition, added Debabrata.

Sundar Mahalingam, chief strategy officer at HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation said, "Technology has come into play very heavily. Today, it’s all about tech and digital. The marketers are using the best possible technology to gain momentum. They have to make the brand relevant and more interesting leveraging technology."

He added that customers want to get the feel of the product and because of that the engagement level and relevance has become much more important for the brand proposition.

Rajat Mehta, president and country head-brand, digital and retail marketing at YES Bank said, "New markets are being created and the large population are still unbanked and they need to get connected. With the collaboration of wallets and payment banks we could bring them into financial inclusion and give them the benefit of it."