MAM
Advertising has to be backed by strategy and tactics
VARCA, Goa: Advertising has a limitation to its effectiveness and there is a need to be clear in strategies and tactics.
“Advertising effectiveness is no more than 41 per cent,” said author and brand guru Prof John Philip Jones,.
Jones outlined four secrets of advertising – gatekeeper, continuity, medium-term effect and brand building.
Speaking at Goafest 2012, Jones said that if advertising campaign doesn’t have the immediate effect, one should stop it and launch a new campaign. He noted that there are few behavioural measures. â€?There is high involvement purchase like for products such as cars. Such products are highly priced and are not included in frequent purchase. At the time of buying such products, the consumers make rational choices and they are looking for advertisements which are not the same in low involvement purchase goods where the advertisements come looking for customers.”
In the low involvement purchase, rational message is given within emotional envelope. These are low priced products and it’s the habitual choice that people usually make. â€?They don’t weigh pros and cons for this,” he said.
According to Jones, most customers buy products (any brand) because the last box is empty. Most consumers have a repertoire of two to four brands in any category. Advertising can influence the choice of brand especially with message propinquity.
He said that the ad budget is a big trade off. Advertising and profits are both residuals, after payment of direct and indirect costs. Usually, advertising and profit amount are same. Sales effect of advertising increases and decreases. (10 per cent increase in advertising means 10 per cent reduction in profit and 10 per cent decrease in advertising means 10 per cent increase in profit).
Tentative budget consists of competitive, expenditure, brand history and econometrics. One has to decide if he can afford it. If yes, then one must go ahead with the ad campaign. But if it is unaffordable, then one must examine future sale and profit projection.
Internet has not been a very efficient ad medium, but continues to post strong growth. “Its growth would continue and it would be the No. 3 medium, after TV and direct mail,” he said.
Jones concluded by saying that emotional appeal has immediate effect. But at the same time no ad can work if it is only emotional; it has to have some rational element.
Brands
Ekart expands IKEA partnership with EV deliveries in Chennai
3PL to handle 600 plus products with 48 hour delivery via EV fleet.
MUMBAI: Flatpacks are going electric and your sofa might now arrive with a smaller carbon footprint. Ekart has expanded its partnership with IKEA to power last-mile deliveries in Chennai, doubling down on speed, scale and sustainability in one of India’s key urban markets. Under the collaboration, Ekart will manage end-to-end large-format deliveries for IKEA across the city using a 100 per cent dedicated electric vehicle fleet. The move makes Chennai the second major market after NCR-Delhi where Ekart handles IKEA’s last-mile logistics, signalling a broader rollout of EV-led supply chains.
The mandate is no small load. Ekart will oversee deliveries for over 600 products from IKEA’s catalogue, ranging from furniture to home décor—categories that demand specialised handling and precision logistics.
Backed by its technology-driven fulfilment network, Ekart is targeting deliveries within a 48-hour window, offering real-time tracking and end-to-end visibility from warehouse to doorstep. The focus is clear: faster turnarounds without compromising on control or customer experience.
The EV-first model also aligns with both companies’ sustainability goals, as urban logistics increasingly shifts towards zero-emission solutions. For IKEA, which continues to expand its omnichannel presence in India, reliable and eco-conscious last-mile delivery is becoming central to scale.
For Ekart, the partnership reinforces its positioning as an enterprise-grade logistics player in large-format commerce. The company already supports over 1,800 retail, D2C and enterprise brands, spanning last-mile delivery, part-truckload services and warehousing.
As India’s logistics ecosystem evolves, this collaboration highlights a growing trend: delivery is no longer just about distance, it’s about efficiency, experience and increasingly, emissions.
