Dense commentary on social media, PR, marketing, advertising and branding.
When Rediff launched online shopping (as e-commerce was called then) in the late 90s, they did not promote the category. Till Flipkart, in the early 2010s started promoting the entire e-commerce category using the kids-as-adults theme, everyone in the sector presumed ‘What…
Back in the late 1990s when I had just started working in Delhi, as a Tamilian in love with paneer and all-things-Punjabi-food, I used to thoroughly relish eating out. Delhi was foodie heaven for me and the prospect of cheap/affordable Punjabi food…
If you are a restaurant with branches in 2 cities in Kerala (and one in the Gulf, obviously), and are opening a new branch in one of the cities that you are already present in, how would you publicize the inauguration? You…
Pouring ketchup out of a glass bottle has always been a painful task. Back in the late 1970s, Heinz, a market leader of ketchup in the US tried to tackle this consumer problem using marketing creativity. They framed the slowly moving ketchup…
After their first print ad in January 2019… …and after the TV campaign starring Jim Sarbh in October 2019… …it looks like CRED has finally hit gold, at least in terms of buzz, during the current IPL season, thanks to its new…
Even till early this year, it may have been unimaginable that a brand like Kaleesuwari, owner of brands like Gold Winner oil, may ask readers to go directly to their own page and order their products! But today’s ad campaign by them,…
In the past 2 days, I got alerts about 5 of my phone contacts joining Telegram. That’s a very tiny anecdotal signal (pun unintended) that there is some interest in looking at alternatives to WhatsApp even in India, a WhatsApp-stronghold. A front-page…