COVER STORY
Spokescharacters in Marketing Communication
-- Subhadip Roy
The use of spokescharacters or uniquely created characters for specific brands has been a popular practice in the western markets since the late 1800s. Even in India the earliest spokescharacters could be found in the pre-independence era. Spokescharacters such as Ronald McDonald and Pillsbury Doughboy have become well-known faces all over the world and in the Indian context who can forget the Amul Girl or Asian Paints' Gattu? This article discusses the definition and origin of spokescharacters in the west the pros and cons of using spokescharacters as trademarks in marketing communications. It even focuses on the popular Indian spokescharacters.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MEDIA MUSINGS
Film-based Merchandising Memories Never Die!
-- Kunal Gaurav and Subhash Jha
The marketers are always on the quest for innovative ways to satisfy their target audience in the most effective way. Film-based Merchandising (FBM) is related with promoting various articles images experiences lifestyle apparels etc. associated with a particular movie. FBM has been a Hollywood practice since long but Indian film producers have recently adopted the concept to promote their movies. FBM desires to develop a deep emotional bonding with movie fans by offering movie-related items and experiences that keeps the memories alive. FBM assumes that the people who like a particular story incident screenplay music actor and actress in a movie choose to own the movie-related items (costumes greeting cards comics toys accessories etc.) as a token of memento for their exciting moments coupled with experience of watching the movie.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MEDIA MUSINGS
Product Placement in TV Serials The Way In and the Way Ahead!
-- Shyama Kumari
Television advertising has taken a different dimension in recent years. TV commercials are no more the only way to advertise. Innovative ideas have started beaming and showing up on the TV channels airtime/media space. Ads can be seen as a banner on the screen or as a brand concept with the tele-commercials; 50:50 Chutkule time in Star One's `Laughter Challenge' is a case in point. The present article throws light on product placement in Indian television serials a brief introduction of product placement and its process positive and negative sides of the in-serial product placement and related issues.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MEDIA MUSINGS
Let the FM Play!
-- Vineet Tandon
The article talks about the re-emergence of radio in India and how this medium is gaining momentum and drawing enthusiasm from both advertisers as well as audiences. The radio offers tremendous choice and possibilities for advertising; all that needs to be looked at is how marketers tune their media plans to take advantage of this powerful medium.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MEDIA MUSINGS
Video Games : Its Impact on Children
-- Divya Nigam
With the increasing craze for video games among children it won't be wrong to classify it as an addiction. More than two-thirds of the children of the age groups 2-18 spend their leisure time playing video games. Though a good quality video game offers a continuous process of learning along with the tinge of entertainment yet the ill-effects associated with it cannot be undermined. Overindulgence to video games raise concerns about issues like health emotional instability fascination for violence etc. among children. This article discusses all these issues and suggests certain guidelines to the parents that can change gaming into a positive family experience along with many of its educational benefits.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
"Brand Choice"… the Pocket Decides?
-- Arindam Mukherjee and Subhasree Basu Roy
This article tries to capture a glimpse of the present day `Branding' which is tailor-made to suit the socio-economic classification of the consumer pool. Brands specially carved out to suit consumer's pocket occupy the center stage of contemporary branding strategy. This article takes a synoptic view at this modern trend in branding and how it has drawn inspiration from `Consumer Behavior'.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Brand Loyalty Life Cycle : A Key to Successful Marketing
-- D Kumaresan T Devasenathipathi and M Ragupathi
In today's competitive world marketing of products and services has become a challenge for the marketers. Corporates are constantly in search of finding a solution for marketing problems. Many researchers have found that it is prudent to retain the existing customers than to create new customers. In such circumstances the retention of existing customers has been the core function of marketers. The retention of customers is dependent upon the level of satisfaction for the customers and how loyal they are to a particular brand. In this article the authors have evolved the concept of brand loyalty life cycle as a key to successful marketing at various stages. It also elaborates the expectations of the customers and steps to be taken by the marketers to retain the existing customers.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSPECTIVE
Advertising : What Lies Beneath
-- Jyotsna Jha
Advertisements have tremendous impact on our subconscious minds and mould our perceptions about society gender equations family roles etc. As such advertising has an important social responsibility apart from its commercial interests and also plays a potent role in shaping social behavior. Advertisements convey messages and concepts that most people internalize thus reinforcing gender or racial stereotypes and other social ills or prejudices. Commodification of woman has become a favored USP for almost all products. Regulatory bodies and consumer groups must insure that advertisements meet certain ethical parameters apart from being sensitive to religious social and political concerns.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSPECTIVE
Slogans in Insurance Industry : With reference to Life Insurance
-- Renu Pareek and Brijesh Awasthi
Insurance industry has evolved as a service industry and is booming in India right now. How to create demand/attract customers is the question before every insurance company. Product differentiation has been looked into by the insurance industry to pull demand. Market-oriented and persuasive communication is being used by the insurance sector. These companies are using attractive headlines pictures and catchy slogans to create awareness and inculcate rationality in the selection of insurance company. This gives scope to probe into the features of slogans the use of rhyme factor and its significance and the focus of key benefits through the use of slogans.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CASE STUDY
The Namesake : The Making of a Blockbuster Indian Crossover Film
-- Kisholoy Roy
The Namesake an Indian crossover film by the well-known international director of Indian origin Mira Nair was released globally in March 2007. The film is an eloquent portrayal of the emotional and cultural upheaval revolving an immigrant Indian family in the US. A large cross-section of the global audience was thus able to identify themselves with the characters in the film.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BOOK REVIEW
Retailization : Brand Survival in the Age of Retailer Power
-- Keith Lincoln Anthony Aconis Lars Thomassen
Reviewed by Prof. Pritee Saxena
The book Retailization illustrates how brand power is replaced by retail power. It deals with the study conducted by the renowned research firm `AC Nielson' which reveals how the world's most successful brands sell themselves to today's increasingly demanding shoppers and retailers. The book analyzes the psychology of the customers and puts forward the idea of `coopetition' i.e. the blend of competition and cooperation between the brand and the retailer.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
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