The Social Media audience

Organic reach online has become a bane to many Digital marketers. Staying up to date with Google’s algorythm changes is rapidly becoming a full-time job. Even more important is getting your brand’s message to our fans’ News Feeds (especially if it happens without paying for it)

This trend becomes even more visible in sectors like the retail sector, where a brand’s social media presence is not only about building a brand through its engagement, but more importantly about driving customers to purchase their products.

A lot of Social Media channels are changing today. Take Facebook for example. According to eMarketer, the age group that will show the biggest increase in the share of Facebook users in the coming year is 65+ year-olds.

However, the other age groups are set to remain more or less, as is. A key point to note here is that the biggest slice of the Facebook pie is with the 25 – 35 year-olds. These people really want to see retailer promotions in their social news feeds, particularly on Facebook.

This is good news for marketers as it is the 25+ age group who have the money and are willing to spend the most money online. It’s also good news for retailers as the same age group is the one most likely to make a purchase via a promotion on a Facebook page.

The Millennial generation

For a lot of people who have been using Facebook, it is losing its appeal as they move on to other channels which are not populated by their parents and elders. A vast majority of these young adults still have a Facebook account, but they are less likely to use it because of privacy issues.

So then, where are the Millennials?

Noticeably, this age group has an increasingly strong presence on Twitter. A survey conducted online, revealed that the 18 – 25 year-olds want to hear about retail promotions and offers but prefer reading about them in their Twitter feeds.

This is also backed up by research which found out that as many as 85% of this generation follow a brand or company on Twitter to get a coupon or discount.

However, interestingly, it also shows that the same segment doesn’t have big spenders on Facebook.

It is also found that 29% of consumers follow their favorite retailers on social channels mainly because their updates are interesting, whereas, 33% of them follow only brands only for offers.

This is a compelling evidence for a healthy approach to content marketing where consumers pick up interesting content but also are on the look for offers and promotions. Retail can hence, flourish online, especially with the younger demographics.

Discount’s drive Sales

One interesting finding is that there is a major chunk of consumers who purchase only when a discount or offer is available.

This is very important information for Marketing and Brand Managers to consider while working on their social media strategies.

Grab the opportunity!

Social media channels are undoubtedly crucial in creating engagements, but they also increasingly drive sales. India is moving ahead with the times and hence online activities like promotions, offers and discounts have an impact on the behavioral changes being bought about in consumer’s pattern of buying.

It is the smart retailers and digital marketers who will be able to reap the benefits of this growing digitally savvy economy.

Guns n Roses - Live in Mumbai

Guns n Roses brought their first ever India tour to the city of Mumbai on the 9th of December and I am glad to have been a part of it! Frankly, I didn't have very high expectations from them as I really would miss Slash!

Finally the 9th was here and I reached the venue at around 3.30, expecting it to be really crowded. The last time i'd gone to a concert was when Metallica had come down to Bangalore. Seeing the crowd out here in Mumbai, I was clearly stunned! The low turn-out and the dolled up girls were enough for me to form the opinion then that NO, I did not like it here.

Mumbai-based band, Goddess Gagged tried their level best to get the crowd going, but they left me a tad disappointed. Thinking it could have been due to my non-exposure to their music, I looked around and found others agreeing with me as well. Guess it wasn't their name either. They actually turned out to be more like a modern progressive band with bad vocals. The only thing good about them was their bassist. I really tried to like them, but ahh ahh.. mee no likes! And I guess I wasn’t alone here. Majority seemed bored! Was it the toofan ke pehle ki shanti? I was hoping it was…

Moving on, let me warn you, if you didn't like the show after, you shouldn't be reading further... The slow, boring, page 3 atmosphere, suddenly lit up at 7 pm when the lights went out and they appeared one by one with their intro.
Was starting with ‘Chinese Democracy’, the title song of the latest album, a good idea? I think yes. Everybody went in an uproar to see mainly Axl Rose right there!

Now comes the fun part - when they started off with ‘Welcome To The Jungle’. The quality for the concert was set. It kept getting better with all the classics and covers sung. If you'd checked out their age, you would have been shocked to see the energy they emitted on the stage. Just like 18 year olds! They did all they could to give us a night to remember deprived of The Man – Slash. They pretty much got it right with their set-list though. With Songs like Catcher in the Rye, Sweet Child of mine, Civil War and November Rain the mood was set. Apart from their originals, they had a few covers like ‘Live and Let die’ and ‘Another brick in the wall’ where Axl himself was on the piano.

What pleased me most were the solos where they tried their best to fill in the shoes left empty by Slash. The guitarists, Ron – Bumblefoot – Thal and DJ Ashba really had me glued to their music when they took the crowd by a full swing. The naïve ones started moving here and there when the solos were too much for them to digest, I exhaustively enjoyed them.

I am more than happy with the solos as it brought ahead their talent to people who had no clue of these amazing musicians. Not forgetting Richard Fortus who had an amazing solo, but I completely fell in love with Ron Bumblefoot. Though James (Metallica) still remains my first love .. Sigh… The feel and the energy that Ron brought in to the entire show was truly exceptional.

The sound, the lights and the colors, all added to the overall craziness of the evening. Talking about Axl Rose, his implausible act left me spell bound. A lot of people felt he was too old now. But dude! Playing nonstop for 3 hours, with that energy, is no joke! Full Power! You’ll read a lot of people criticizing him as old and boring, but he is still The Axl Rose.

I am just glad I was witness to him, performing live, once in my life. Ohh, did anyone notice the number of times Axl changed his jacket? Each one suited the mood of the song. As we neared the end, what the crowd eagerly awaited for now was ‘Patience’ and ‘Paradise City’. Here they start the song and there goes off a massive shot of red confetti. It was a scene to witness and cherish. As the clock struck 10, the sound was gone. Mute. All of them came to center stage and took a bow and thanked us.

I don’t know if it was your money’s worth or you were left disappointed. I am elated by the fact that I witnessed this old band (changed somehow). I can still hear the solos, feel the sway of ‘November Rain’ and the pain of head banging to ‘Paradise City’

Keep Rocking! And remember, always listen to Good Music \m/

Future to Podcasting

Podcasting? Do most people in India even know about it? Lets read more to find out and also try and conclude if there is a future to podcasting at all.

People are talking blogs etc these days. A small section in India is also talking about podcasts. Internationally it is a rage! But then is there a future to this tool at all? As to what I see, it doesn’t seem quite exciting to the consumer but yes, it sure seems so to the creator. You will find plenty of researches online which will support the bright future and all the bucks that it can gather for most, but a major point here is that it doesn’t encourage communication.

To move on, let me tell give you a brief about ‘Podcasting’. It is basically an audio / video file available on a website. It can (almost automatically!) be downloaded and heard at a later time on different player options.
A podcast can be created easily. You just need a microphone, a simple software and a place to store all of this. But if you’re a listener and it’s going to be a task locating the one you want. You only have the title to decide if it seems interesting to you. You might be lucky enough to see some text giving you the details of the podcast though.

You cannot fast forward it! You will have to go through the boring content until you find the part that interests you. And you sure have to be fast at grasping what is being said. Or Whoosh! Its gone already!

There is a lot of research (you can find online) which you will see to check if Podcasts really have a future or no. To cite a few examples, According to FeedBurner, podcasts outnumber radio stations (Ben Charny, eWEEK, April 17, 2006). "FeedBurner now distributes 47,000 different podcasts. This means there are more podcasters than radio stations in a country!
Internet research shows that the total US audience for podcasts has crossed 10million in 2006, 25million in 2008 and around 50million in 2010. WOW!

Podcast ad spends are also a thing that the Indian market now needs to turn to. The US spends in millions on these!

These were some facts. Now, are podcasts the thing that you are looking for? (I am not!) There are several reasons to this. One of the main one’s being, it is a one way medium. With the internet growing at a pace as fast as to what we see today, interaction is the key to growth. With something as static as this, growth looks difficult. All you can do is blog about it or post a comment about the same. You study in school about the various communication mediums and this follows a one – to – many model. Not a very friendly approach i’d say.
You cannot search for the content online. Just read the heading and assume what’s inside. That is like judging a book by its cover. Ahh, not quite advisable.
So, I guess this is the reason why a very small percentage of the world is following ‘podcasts’. India and Indian audience have always accepted newer means to communication, specially when it comes to the digital front.
Now I don’t wonder why, India did not welcome podcasting whole heartedly. You have a different view point? Please enlighten me on it. :)

A connect between Religion and Marketing?

A connect between Religion and Marketing? This is something I have realized. I used to talk about this to friends that Religion is one of the best examples of the worth of Marketing. I would request you to keep your personal beliefs aside and think analytically about what I am saying for a minute.

People are influentially made to believe in a particular story and also follow a group or sect of a certain kind and thought without any real proof. What comes to them is marketing.

What makes me feel so? Religion I would say is like a DNA, which is passed on to us. This is embedded in us at young age by our parents. If we look at it from a marketing point of view, we can derive a lot of commonalities between religion and businesses. To cite an example, religion gives us both tangible and intangible benefits. A community which is tangible and intangible benefits like a promise of afterlife? Here we are given both a monetary and a time cost benefit.

The first thing that marketing teaches you is the use of Jargons. Religious leaders wrap their story in messaging and jargon that feels perfect and legitimate to most followers.

We can also connect it with a simple thing like logos. Religions have logos. It gives you an identity. That’s what marketing managers strive to do each day. Give a brand its identity. Religion successfully rallies people all over the world to publicly brand themselves as a part of a particular sect, subscribe to them and work with a different emotion, the feeling, without any compensation, as word of mouth marketers. This is done to attract new members to their religion which then can be seen as a brand of their choice. This I feel, is one of the main motives of marketing.

We celebrate so many festivals. Especially in a county like India, we seem to have more festivals than weekends. People devote their time, make purchases and give assets to their religion of choice. People gather at their religion’s physical location with frequency - All of these are basic marketing fundas.

Almost all the various religions in the world have packaged a compelling story which has been improved and edited for generations. What comes to us could be refined and meant for better consumption. It’s after all, all about packaging and presenting to make your offering look the best. Wars, fights, communal disrupt are seen solely due to change and to keep the religion relevant. This is done by updating and changing its messages, its look (appearance) and in the manner it spreads.

A simple thing like other viewpoints, outlooks and even science is told to be wrong. This is because questioning the truth has been overshadowed by design.
I know I have picked up a subject that not many will agree with. It is a ‘taboo’ subject but that’s exactly the reason why I chose to write about it and not shy away from it. It can be discussed more in the context of marketing though. We are in an internet-savvy world, where we have the power to talk; we can talk to so many people about what we feel. Discuss things! Discuss this! Would like people to analyze what is happening around each one of us. This needs to happen before we infuse any creativity or emotion with our ideas.

Science has already proven so many of our religious beliefs, wrong or illogical. These were previously widespread, until someone dared to question it. I would argue my point that the internet is accelerating this and being a part of the world of marketing and as marketers we need to understand how and why ideas spread throughout society: especially those that later end up get disrupted.

The rise of the ‘Raunch’ Culture

I first noticed it several years ago. I would flip channels on the television and look at female strippers giving lap dances. I would flip the channel and see babes in tight, tiny dresses jumping up and down. Britney Spears was becoming increasingly popular and increasingly unclothed. Charlie’s Angels, the film came in and everybody was talking about it. There is so much to talk about. The way we are all exposed to soft porn on a daily basis. From television to magazines, from movies to radio jingles. This does not end here. When we walk down the road in a not so traditional area but an area which is considered ‘hip and happening’, you will realize that there are teens and young women, the occasionally ‘wild’ fifty year old – wearing nice low cut jeans paired with miniature tops. Was all this seen some 25 years ago as well? I don’t quite think so from what I have heard. Where are we all heading? Is this all just modernization or just another generation change? If so, why don’t I feel a part of it?

Some odd things were happening in my social life too. People I knew (female people) liked wearing these skimpy clothes and going out with different men on different nights. It was sexy and fun, they explained. It was liberating and rebellious. Was it? Is this the way they really wanted to rebel. I realize while I am writing this that many may have a viewpoint. A lot may disagree. But I have seen it with my own eyes and heard it too.

What is going on? I grew up watching my mom, who hardly ever wore make up; to a generation who did and now a generation who just has different view points. I am a part of it. But I still am not. What is going on?

What is almost surprising than the change itself is the responses I got when I spoke to people about it. The new ‘raunch’ culture didn’t mark the death of feminism. Apparently, it was evidence that the feminist project had already been achieved. ‘We earned the right to look at men and men’s magazine and are empowered’, said a friend.

Women have come so far, I learned, we no longer need to worry about objectification and misogyny. Instead it is time for us to join the pop culture, where men have been enjoying themselves all along. We do, after all see women going out more often these days. Drinking, partying, smoking etc. Doing all that was considered a taboo at some point in time. So is it just a change in time? Or like I said, that the feminist project has already been achieved?

While just speaking to a friend, about what they get out of this culture, I realized its not only about being sexy and noticed but its also about being ‘one of the guys’. Talking like them, acting like them and drinking like them. It was women empowerment!

But just because we are post doesn’t automatically mean we are feminists. There is a widespread assumption that simply because my generation of women have the good fortune to live in a world touched by the feminist movement, that means that everything we do is magically imbued with its agenda. It doesn’t work that way. ‘Raunchy’ and ‘liberated’ are not synonyms. It’s worth asking how far we have come, or how far we have left to go.

Is this the new form of rebellion today??

Women? Drinks?? ---- Ahhh… Gimme more!!

Women these days are increasingly drinking. Earlier on, drinking even for the males was considered a taboo. It slowly moved on and the drinking was accepted as an occasional phenomena. But now, from occasional drinking to regular drinking… It’s all just normal. Drinking is not considered a big deal today. Its all about being a part of something. A cult, a group, a generation...

Drinking today has become very common to both sexes, male and female and we hardly see any biases there. But then what do women actually want? And what do they actually crave for? Is there a particular drink that drives them crazy? Or are they open to anything that they just like? What do women want is the question to be asked.

There are girls who hang out with the guys just as one amongst them and slam mugs of beers, watching some sport and shouting their gut out. Whereas on the other hand we have girls who belong to the suave and sophisticated category, sitting on high stools in elite pubs with short dresses and crossed legs, holding a long stylish cigarette in one hand and a glass of cocktail or wine in the other.

Times are changing… More and more women are seen drinking these days. From bars to restaurants. From drinking at home to parties. Women, drinking is now a common phenomena.

Rum – known as the horses drink, could never be associated with women. But now there are girls who swear by old monk. From scotch to whisky, from Vodka to Gin, we can have it all.

I chose to write ‘we’ here as I am very much a part of this gender.

You name the drink and you’ll hear a voice – ‘Oh that’s a fun drink!’ ‘Oh that tastes nice!’ ‘That’s my all time favourite’ and ‘Ahhhh….gimme that!’ Women today can drink!!

But what is it that women actually like drinking? Now the choices here vary. Depending on your lifestyle, your friends, your tastes and your choices you choose your drink. Earlier on Vodka and Gin were only associated with women. But today with changing times, women are drinking everything. Beer, whisky, rum, cocktails and even doing tequila shots! Wow!

But how did this happen? Did things change suddenly? Is it even sudden or did it take its own time? I think this change has taken place in the last couple of years, when women started coming out of their closets and either started drinking or just merely accepting the fact that they drink.

With the advent of modernization, people started socializing more and more. ‘Going out’ became a common word and slowly drinking became one too. And today the ballgame has changed entirely. From ‘hanging out over coffee’ to ‘talking over drinks’. Times are changing. Good or bad? Oh it’s your outlook!

Kudos to these powers of substances…

To my beloved ex…

My Dear Wine,

Haven’t we known each other for a while now? Around 7 years? It’s been sometime since I first sipped you. It was about 2002, and while I didn’t really appreciate you until the last couple of years, I know that first time was the start of something special.

Sadly, I have some news for you. I know we’ve had some great times, and I know we were never exactly ‘exclusive’ but I thought it would only be nice if I let you know that I have started seeing Cocktails. Please do not get me wrong here I do enjoy your company, but I don’t think ours is a relationship that’s good for me. Sure, things no doubt are great when we’re together, we can talk all night and I feel like you really make me a smarter and funnier person. But Dear O Dear, the morning after, well, you know how you get. It’s the splitting headache you give me, and the grossly purple tongue, the trash-can breath and the stained teeth. I am really sorry but I just can’t take it any more.

Sure, having you by my side at the dinner table has a certain refined and urbane aura that these cocktails could never achieve, but you know there is some fun attached to it. He is so versatile and always keeps me guessing – sometimes tart, sometimes creamy, sometimes even a cheeky hint of fruit.

I am sorry I didn’t write to you earlier. Was a little scared because of your different nature. Didn’t know how you would react! One minute you suggest notes of raspberry but then the next you emanate an earthiness or complete transparency! You are so complex, you invite everybody in, especially girls like me. And then with loads of you, we are left asking for water, with no help from you.

At least Cocktail leaves me with a token umbrella to cheer me up in my darkest, nauseous bathroom hour.

I hope you react well after reading this and do not get too tannic! It was nice being with you. I have enjoyed so much with you and will always remain in touch with you.

Regards,

Your dearest ex…