Stop Press

Last week Indian Press was after the Prime Ministers Office and also on a Minstry for publishing a full page press advert on Girl Child education with a wrong image of a Pakistani Army General.This indeed is a big blunder and few scribes did further research on the ad agency which created the the advertisement. However, the blunder no doubt is unacceptable what is important is to probe on why did this happen?

No federal departments are ad savvy similar to FMCG's or banks and I beleive the honorable minister was releasing her first advert in her 30+ year career and thanks to the blunder sure she would lose her job in the next cabinet reshuffle

Noticed some thing very similar here in Dubai but this time a large centre spread double page ad from the the largest bank in UAE promoting their new brand with a tag line - where the world comes to bank - the blunderthis time being next to their logo they even carried a competitive banks building along with their logo. Though it was too small to be noticed but then it is indeed a major blunder. The visual looks quite cliched as well with a photoshop work showing all major landmarks across the globe to connect to their tag line and no relevanceto the new brand or its core pillars

Who needs to own up? We cannot shoot the messenger and in this case the media agency or the publishers but definitelythe onus should be on the communications team ( both at client and agencies end) which vetted this prior publishing. As some times the agency does place dummy visuals till such time the client approves the concept and the text and in the hurry of meeting the publishers deadline I am positive this would have been ignored

However, other than getting compliance and the unit head to cross check the visual it is always important for the marketingteam to fine comb the creative before pressing 'ok' from their outlooks.

Corporate campaigns should reflect on the brand and messaging should be anchored around their core pillars - than being too cliched.

Lesson (1) learnt from my Everest Base Camp Trek programme

As a prelude to my earlier blog on new years resolution I initiated a trek to Everest Base camp this year with a scheduled summit date as 15th August. Motivated few friends to join me for this as I wanted to do it for a cause - which would help me close on this years resolution of charity work.

Thanks to google and the numerous web sites which guide a novice like me to do the difficult task I' ve found some thing very useful - Walk like a Nepali. As in get into their shoes, feel their motivation and walk. As walking is at the very heart of the adventure and some attention should be given to the way it is performed. "Walking like a Nepali" is the best way to enjoy the adventure. Highlanders! - Most paths follow the shortest possible way between two points regardless the slopes. It is tiring, but unless the trekker is ready to create new paths, that’s the only option. Such an approach demands a different type of walk. A Nepali kind of walk.

For some one in Business Intelligence or in marketing a customer is just a number. We measure him by means of quantum of deposits he has with our bank or with the number of different product relations he has but we never get into his shoes and think about him

Ive promised myself to be closer to customers, hear them, understand them and then establish channels to connect with them

Fitness Club - Cross Sell

The years coming to close and I have gone back to my January pages of this year to cross check if I could manage to close at least two of the five new year resolutions for this year. Since I planned to lose weight I enrolled in a fitness club for a crash course to ensure I live up to my promise. It has been two weeks since I started going there but after a quick two week check I realized I am a regular there but not doing the thread mills but borrowing DVD's from their huge collection

This comes to a very important aspect for any retailer - Cross Sell

Considering marketing spends are down and the cost of sourcing a "good customer" is high - marketers are looking at options to explore cross sell opportunities. Cross sell leads to customer retention which did happen in my case - the terminology may vary from Inbound sourcing to Social or need base marketing the mantra remains the same - catch the customer when he is captive

In my fitness club case the information was key for my repeat visits - this is the most critical element for cross sell too. Information is the key and the front end needs to link up their products info to the customers welcome pack and follow up with them for a closure

The welcome kit in their case was a branded back pack and a t shirt with key messaging for motivating me to take the extra mile to fulfill my new year resolution

Since I am just two weeks away have decided to extend this and keep it as my one of two resolutions for 2010. I wish to do some thing for charity next year - may be a trek to Everest Base camp and this will cross sell my earlier commitment of losing excess fat - till such time I wish to enjoy the lovely weather in Dubai and add on few more kilo calories

Managing Public Relations

When we had to disengage our PR agency during the same time last year, I was fighting tooth and nail with my manager for the need of a PR agency. Received one line of message from the top man – NO – please handle it
I started from ground zero as PR is always considered as being tricky and any error in external messaging may prove to be fatal for the brand. Over the course of time I managed to come to terms with the reality and worked on a plan to build
I am articulating few learning’s
1)Priority – Media loves to meet the big bosses. Always give priority to the reporters and ensure you follow up the story with them.
2)Key Media List – Thanks to my media buying agency I managed to get the contact list of all media across the country and I started making the database of key media people by calling them and establishing contacts with them.
3) Reporters – treat them like gold. Answer them in a respectful, pleasant tone. Do not make negative comments.
4) Messaging – unlike paid medium we do not have control over press messaging. The reporters always tend to look at the angle at which it would entice readers interest and would skew it – never complain to reporters however, if there is a major deviation on facts please flag it to them
5) Time Lines - Be realistic about the coverage and time lines. As they are subject to editorial deadlines, breaking news and also sensitivity of the topic. Pick up your own copies of your print/articles. Never ask the reporter
6) Read - Spend time reading, and ensure you are up to date on your industries news. And never react to gossips or grapevine
7) Acknowledge – always ensure to thank reporters by sending a personal mail or through a telephone call. This is one of the key differentiator in forging an effective association with media.
I wish to thank my senior management for the faith they have kept in me and also with this opportunity of handling my banks public relations which I am positive will go a very long way in my career