7/30/2019 Low Budget Big Bang
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not unexpected. Unless completely new categories are being
built, the launches will s tay muted.
But there is also a s ignificant opportunity to explore new m
edia and channels says Hargave. For instance,
brands can invest more in retail level activations. They can
amass a wealth of information from the consumer
as well share a great deal with him, making the buying
experience personal , rather than depending on the
one-way communication of the mass media.
That is really the essence. So far, brands have spoken about
generating noise around their launches. But in
the current age, when the talk has moved from monologue to
dialogue to engagement, this noise can end up
being a raucous disturbance. Leaving as ide the cut-and-dried
you-cant-escape-my-brand approach,
marketers must reach out to the consumer in spaces she operates
in. For instance, bloggers, those who writeabout technology and
tech products, enjoy popularity and following. Like Micromax, many
other tech product
manufacturers are engaging with bloggers. The example of Acer
India can be cited here. Its chief marketing
officer,
S Rajendran, spent an entire day in Mumbai engaging with
bloggers about the companys latest series with
Dolby sound system.
As is evident, brands buil t with little or no media support
were once relatively rare, but theyve begun to
proliferate in recent years, thanks to social media and the
inhabitants that populate that space. But the thumb
rules for a new launch remain the same: cover your flanks well;
mitigate your risk as m uch as possib le with
great planning. Above all remember that your existing customers
(whether they are us ing a free version of your
product or not) are your best friends.
