MAM
Marketers should see consumers as ‘persons’: Naouri
VARCA, GOA: The era calls for the death of intrusive brands. The need of the hour is ‘blends‘ – brands that blend into people‘s lives, experiences and across regions, said Publicis Groupe COO Jean-Yves Naouri.
Speaking at the Advertising Conclave at Goafest 2012 that kicked off here today, Naouri said marketers need to change the way they behave as consumers have the power to create and spread content.
“Even integrated communication is having a deeper meaning now. The industry should see consumers as persons. People are the new boss,” he said.
According to Naouri, the full circle has disappeared as purchase is no longer the end point and consumers become ‘people’. The ideas that impact the full circle are – pre-purchase, purchase (retail branding, shop display, in-shop advertising and merchandising), and post-purchase (CRM, data analysis).
He said that earlier one used to establish one-to-many conversation, but it has shifted to one-to-one conversation now. Today consumers decide “which brand” or “which message” they want to spread across.
Now through mediums like social media, one gets to know what general population thinks about the brand. Social media is becoming omnipresent. People develop content and spread it. They are the first ones to know reviews, he stressed.
“Acceleration in social network has brought a change in our business. Today, if Facebook were a country, it would have been the third largest in the world in terms of GDP. Social media is about building sustainable engagement. It helps in creating a lasting engagement,” Naouri said.
He added that one needs to target EQ and IQ in order to engage consumers better. “Social media demonstrated all types of emotions. We need to combine the two entities-rational and emotional.”
Naouri cited an example of Oasis which is the second largest soft drink brand in France. The brand is targeted to mothers and children. To move a step forward, when they thought of engaging youth, they conducted a campaign where they announced a game- Fruit of the year 2010. They had made few fruit characters and had asked the youth to play for their favourite fruit if they wanted it to win. The campaign, which was mainly online, had advertisements across mediums. Online medium was chosen because it’s something to which youth connects to most. The dummy characters had also walked on streets for the same. The game was also there on platforms like iPhones.
“The three month long competition had a great response. We had 1.5 million fans on Facebook, 1 million videos were viewed on YouTube, it was No 1 application in 24 hours and there were around 280 PR articles about the campaign.”
Brands, technology, data and people are all needed to cruise through the digital world.
Brands
Safex Group appoints Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer
Former Standard Chartered executive to steer finance
NEW DELHI: Safex Chemicals has appointed Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company prepares for the next phase of expansion in specialty chemicals and global agrochemicals.
In her new role, Malhotra will lead the group’s financial strategy, capital architecture and governance framework as Safex scales operations across multiple verticals including branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing.
A chartered accountant and graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience in business finance, strategic planning, corporate banking and client management.
Before joining Safex, she served as executive director, financial markets at Standard Chartered, where she led teams across India and Sri Lanka and worked closely with large corporates, global subsidiaries and commercial banking clients. Her expertise includes capital structuring, treasury operations, risk management and financial markets led financing solutions.
Safex Group promoter director and joint managing director Piyush Jindal, said the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the company. “Safex stands at an inflection point as we build an integrated platform across branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing. Richa’s experience across global financial institutions will strengthen our financial discipline and help unlock value across the group,” he said.
Malhotra said she was looking forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of growth. “Safex has built a strong reputation over 35 years with its focus on integrity, innovation and agricultural insight. I am excited to be part of the organisation as it expands its footprint in India and global markets,” she said.
The appointment comes as Safex continues to strengthen its financial foundations and scale operations internationally, positioning itself for future growth milestones.
