Stealth marketing aims to promote products subconsciously without overtly advertising to consumers by seeding messages through subtle tactics like fake online reviews and social media posts or using actors to pose as regular customers and casually promote products in public spaces, with the goal of creating buzz through word-of-mouth; it has advantages for companies in cutting costs and gaining credibility compared to traditional advertising methods but also faces criticism for its covert and potentially deceptive nature.

1. The MARKSMAN
K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH VOL. 3| ISSUE V| DECEMBER‘12
Cover
Story
Pg. 13
Pg. 18
Gujarat Elections
Pepsi's IPL 2014 : Is 3D
sponsorship : Is Technology
Pepsi looking for bringing in a new
a greater age of Virtual
footprint in Campaigning?
India?
Pg. 25 Pg. 27

2. 01 DECEMBER 2012

3. THE MARKSMAN 02

4. EDITOR’S DESK
Dear Readers,
We would first like to thank you all for the constant and persistent support
over the years. We are especially thankful to everyone who has shared,
read and subscribed to Marksman since it began a little over a year ago.
Christmas is done with, the traditional celebration is over – the turkey is
eaten and the carols are sung, and now we head into a new year filled with
the ever new challenges as well as surprises!
We have had some most memorable marketing campaigns in 2012 to
remember, Gangnam Style and the viral effect of the video, the launch of
Samsung Galaxy S-III, the unveiling of Apple‘s I-phone 5 and I-Pad Mini, the
Apple-Samsung battle, the increasing trend of online shopping that the year
in specific witnessed, Channel 4‘s ―Meet the Super humans‖, Coca Cola‘s –
―Move to the beat of London 2012‖ and the list is endless. We, as the
marketing periodical of SIMSR, have tried to give you sharp & focused
insights about the latest happenings in the world of Marketing.
Our Cover Story decodes Stealth Marketing and ventures into the
techniques of Stealth Marketing, emphasizing on its risks at the same time.
Our Special Story on the other hand delves into Showdown in the Gaming
Industry and brings out a candid analysis. It covers a gamut of gaming
ranging from console gaming to mobile gaming.
The issue is packed with MARK-ive, It‘s all about AD-itude, Tweets, Hall-
MARK Campaign, BookWorm, SquAreheaD and Buzz which complete our
sumptuous issue in the true sense. The issue also captures a TETE-A-
TETE with Mr. Mehul Dongre, Key Account Executive, HUL, wherein he
provides useful insights about General and Modern Trade, Sales Function
and the various strategies that sellers use to attract customers.
We at Interface bid farewell to 2012 in style by organizing its successful
marketing fest Navikaran- at SIMSR. It was a two day long event
incorporating marketing events, workshop on social media, quiz and much
more. To know more about the event, grab the issue and get reading!
We congratulate Mr. Nishant Jairath and Mr. Vikram Tuli, for being adjudged
the best featured article of December! Team Interface also wishes all our
readers a Merry X‘mas and a prosperous year ahead!
Let us know your thoughts and be sure to come visit us at
www.interfacesimsr.weebly.com/the-marksman for more of the latest
integrative marketing news and stories.
Cheers !!
Team – Marksman
The Interface – The Marketing Club of SIMSR
03 DECEMBER 2012

5. CONTENTS
It’s all
TWEETS
about
AD-itude! COVER STORY
05
11
Bookworm Brand
MARK ive
36 07
SPECIAL STORY
STEALTH
MARKETING
13
SHOWDOWN IN THE
GAMING INDUSTRY
18
FEATURED ARTICLES
Tete-a-Tete Rewind PEPSI'S IPL SPONSORSHIP : IS
PEPSI LOOKING FOR A GREATER
FOOTPRINT IN INDIA? …25
33 29
GUJARAT ELECTIONS 2014 : IS 3D
TECHNOLOGY BRINGING IN A NEW
SqAreheaD BUZZ AGE OF VIRTUAL CAMPAIGNING?
…27
37 38
THE MARKSMAN 04

6. TWEETS
Effies 2012: Ogilvy India wins Agency of the Year fourth time in a row
Ogilvy India was adjudged the
Agency of the Year for the fourth
time in a row. McCann World Group
and Lowe Lintas & Partners followed
in the tally.
Ogilvy India also won the Grand
Effie, while Cadbury India was
declared Client of the Year.
Brand Wealth Seminar
The Madras Management
Association (MMA), in association
with Draftfcb-Ulka‘s Cogito
Consulting, conducted
Brandwealth Seminar 2012, a
three-day executive development
and continuing education
programme on brand building
strategies.
The program kicked off in Chennai
on the 13th of December. This is
the first time the Brandwealth
Seminar is being hosted in
Chennai. In previous editions, it
has been witnessed in Mumbai,
Delhi and Bangalore.
The faculty comprises MG
Parameswaran, Niteen Bhagwat &
Kinjal Medh.
05 DECEMBER 2012

7. TWEETS
KamaSutra steps into the energy drink category; launches KS E Drink
KamaSutra, the personal care
brand from the house of
Raymond, has launched an
energy drink called KS E Drink.
According to the brand, the
energy drink market is valued
currently at 200 crores and the
brand aims to establish itself
through its bold identity and
positioning.
Dunkin' Donuts‘ brings in Preeti Arora as head of marketing
Jubilant FoodWorks has appointed
Preeti Arora as the head of marketing
and new product development for
Dunkin‘ Donuts‘ India operations.
Arora joins Dunkin‘ Donuts‘ from Future
Brands, where she worked on two
brands - Biba and Secret Temptation.
She has worked with Myntra.com,
Hyundai and Daimler Chrysler India in
past assignments.
On Arora's appointment, Dev Amritesh, president and COO, Dunkin‘
Donuts‘ India, said, ―Preeti is a great addition to the Dunkin‘ Donuts‘ India
team. She brings the right set of skills and experiences that the brand
needs at this important stage of its development. We are confident she will
play an important leadership role in building a strong brand and a robust
business for Dunkin‘ Donuts‘ in India.‖
THE MARKSMAN 06

8. Brand MARK ive
One place where you can vouch for
the world‘s best coffee is Starbucks.
As the Starbucks phenomenon hits
Indian shores, our coffee crazy
nation has welcomed it with open
arms. Howard Schultz may always
be mistaken for the owner of the
company instead of the catalyst that
helps Starbucks expand from a
small regional business into the
potent brand it is today.
HISTORY
Zev Sieg, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker initially opened a small shop
selling gourmet coffee beans and coffee brewing accessories. Howard Schultz,
a former employee brought out Starbucks and spearheaded it to be the brand
that coffee making is synonymous with. It expanded from a coffee beans
producing company to a coffee making cafe. The Seattle coffee company
wouldn‘t stop there and go on to spread its footmark one cup of coffee at a time.
07 DECEMBER 2012

9. Brand MARK ive
GROWTH ERA
Starbucks coffee history started taking shape
as it rapidly expanded to cities within US. In
1991 it forayed into mail order, catalogue
business and licensed airport stores. It was
then that they went public with an IPO under
the trade symbol SBUX. Their first international
coffee house was opened way back in 1996 in
Japan and since then has made its presence
felt in 61 countries.
The key reason for its expansion can be attributed to word of mouth marketing
with differential expansion approaches in those countries. It was now that they
started expanding not only their stores but roasting factories.
During the 2000‘s they innovated on their product lines. They introduced
varieties in their food menu. It went through a corporate change where it
positioned itself as a sustainable company. It offered ground coffee remains as
compost. It refurbished its menu by offering baked goods to attract the health
conscious consumers.
Building A Billion Dollar Brand
A glimpse into the company‘s timeline will
reveal that it did not take much time for it to
evolve into the brand it is, leveraging best
quality coffee in Starbucks and figuring out
how to put it in a ready to drink forum. The
recipe to build a billion dollar brand is
understanding what the consumer needs
are and cracking on them. In a bold move in
2011, Starbucks changed its logo where it
dropped the name of the company in the
logo. It may be assumed that they are a
huge brand enough that the logo itself
speaks for them, with the iconic mermaid in
green.
THE MARKSMAN 08

10. Brand MARK ive
This signifies that Starbucks has moved on to bigger avenues and is no longer
just a coffee company. The corporate culture at Starbucks has always been
consumer oriented where they are placed at the heart of every operation.
And as Howard Schultz says
―There is a word that comes to my mind when I think about our
company and our people. That word is 'love.' I love Starbucks
because everything we've tried to do is steeped in humanity‖.
09 DECEMBER 2012

11. Hall-MARK Campaigns
VODAFONE GOES ‘
AND ‘
Vodafone and innovation are closely interlinked, be it the Zoo Zoo ads or ‗Made
for you‘ campaign, they have always managed to come up with something
unique to promote their brand. Vodafone has recently launched in association
with Bates Landscape two separate OOH campaigns down south- one in Mysore
and another in Hyderabad.
.A similar OOH campaign was launched in Hyderabad during the festival of
‗Theppoutsavam‘ performed on Dussehra. Theppoutsavam is a boat festival in
which deities are taken out in a procession. Vodafone rolled out a festive offer
in Hyderabad, wherein it amplified a concept of Theppoutsavam of Vijaywada
Kanaka Durga at a prime location to promote the Vodafone pre-paid plan. This
campaign included a 80‘x50‘ hoarding depicting a Theppoutsavam boat on a
river moving within the OOH site. This campaign has given a great exposure to
Vodafone‘s pre-paid offers.
Vodafone is truly a genius when it comes to innovation. Instead of depending
on intrusive pop-ups or loud voiceovers, it uses outdoor advertising as an
impactful medium that is impossible to ignore.
THE MARKSMAN 10

12. It’s all about AD-itude!
TWEETS
Media:Print
Client: Teach India
Corporation: Taproot India
Illegible print ad is all that was needed to generate strong reactions
towards this print ad. Taproot created this ad for Teach India, to
persuade people to sign up for the Teach India campaign.
The print ad comprises of a blank paper with scribbled handwriting,
which is almost incomprehensible, ending with a ‗Are you ready to sign
up?‘ statement.
This ad depicts the client‘s primary purpose of existence, imparting
knowledge, and has a letter written in a ‗signature style‘ where they ask
people to sign up for their campaign to teach someone to sign or write
their name.
This ad serves its purpose to target its audience .The simplistic route
taken by Taproot was well in theme with Teach India‘s initiative and the
creative thought behind the whole campaign, be it the minute details
like font ,thought or style, it has helped take forward Teach India‘s
initiative.
11 DECEMBER 2012

13. It’s all about AD-itude!
TWEETS
Media: TVC
Client: Cafe Coffee day
Corporation: Creativeland, Asia
It ad marks the foray of CCD in the domain of TVCs .CCD has survived
the advertising temptations for the past 16 years. However its foray in
the televised ads is a debut for them.
The freshly brewed TVC is targeted at the youth. With the basic idea of
how standing up, hasn‘t yielded any results and thus a sit down is what
is advocated. This ad included close to 70 youngsters singing the ‗sit
down anthem‘. They emphasise on problems that are solved with a sit
down, and reinforce the power of conversations , which is perfectly in
sync with their tagline of ‘A lot can happen over Coffee‘.
This is a significant step that CCD took, and it seems to have paid off.
CCD has for long survived the market without much advertising, except
for a few little BTL activities and tie ups. This step is a step forward
towards stepping into peoples‘ home, with no better medium than
television.
THE MARKSMAN 12

14. C
Sounds so much like a paradox! Can Marketing which is christened the most
O glamorous job, be furtive? Incredulously, the riposte is Yes.
V DECODING THE CODE - DEFINITION -
E Marketing a product in such a way that people are not sentient that you are
trying to cajole them to buy it. Stealth Marketing is marketing to the consumer‘s
R subconscious. It is ingraining in a consumer that he/she wants something,
without overtly promoting the product. Stealth marketing uses insinuation and
subtlety to seed a message in the consumers‘ mind.
S CODE NAMES
Stealth Marketing is also called Undercover Marketing, Buzz Marketing or
T Roach bailing by its detractors. It is an emissary of Guerrilla Marketing.
O N E E D F O R U N D E R C O V E R AG E N T S -
WHY STEALTH MARKETING
R
The golden age of advertising which hit the ground in the 1960‘s has had an
Y efficacious run for several years. But the consumer has now developed, what
we call, Tolerance to the advertising drug. ‗Marketing Literate‘ is the new
sobriquet for this consumer, who is cynical about advertisements. Moreover,
the consumer faces a barrage of over 3000 marketing communiqués per day
which clutter his memory. In the wake of these certitudes, advertising is proving
to be an expensive affair with low return on investment. And it is from these
corpses that the phantom of Stealth Marketing has taken shape. In the search
for novel methods to get noticed, advertisers discovered Stealth Marketing as
an important weapon in their armour. Guerrilla marketing took birth in the
1970‘s to break the dud of traditional marketing techniques. Jay Conrad
comprehensively construed many of these techniques in 1984, in his book,
Guerrilla Marketing.
13 DECEMBER 2012

15. A D VA N T A G E S O F T H E C A M O U F L A G E
The buzz spawned by the undercover
campaign traverses from people to
people and so is a thrifty way of
advertising. Financial risks are pruned
as the investment is meagre. It also
sieves through channels available to
consumers isolated from all other
media. Consumers tend to assign to it
more credence than they do to
C conventional media. It incepts a Viral
Marketing program in the garb of
O spontaneity.
P L AY I N G B O N D -
V TECHNIQUES OF STEALTH MARKETING
E SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
AND ONLINE REVIEWS -
R Stealth Marketing tactics can be
deployed online as well as
offline. People working for
companies may impersonate as
S consumers, like and recommend
a product on various internet
T forums.
This electronic internal marketing encapsulates a large number of audiences
O and transcends geographical boundaries. It also suffuses more velociously
than one-to-one word of mouth does. People are more likely to put their faith in
R it because they are oblivious to its source of origin and its motive.
Y PROFESSIONAL PLANTS- Offline strategies include actors posing as wonted
people in hustling locations, where they then convincingly use certain products
and rendezvous with nearby consumers without them realizing that they‘re
stooges of stealth marketing. Some start-ups and small businesses recruit
professional promoters and paid actors to pitch for their products. New York's
Time Square is one of the hubs of such activity. The actors accost the
consumers and casually promote their products. They may pose in front of a
theater and ask someone to take a picture with their phone to get the ball
rolling. After the unsuspecting tourist takes the shot, the actor sets in motion
small talk about the phone, its features and what a great buy it was. And if the
tourist is lured into making the purchase, he chaperons the tourist to the most
approximal outlet and facilitates the purchase.
THE MARKSMAN 14

16. It will never dawn upon the tourist that the actor was a plant and he will contend
with the fact that he parlayed a great deal for a great price by friendly advice
alone.
In 2002 Sony Ericsson used Stealth
marketing by deploying around 60 men
in mask in 10 major cities, asking them
to buttonhole strangers and make a
request to click their pictures. The actor
then bragged about the features of the
phone while handing over the device to
C the stranger. Thus tacitly
metamorphosing an act of civility into a
O branding event. Wikipedia has shaped
into a tool for undercover marketing.
V The creation of WikiScanner, for example, has revealed attempts at
E manipulating Wikipedia's content by a large number of business, government,
and special interest groups.
R
PRODUCT PLACEMENT- This entails placing of branded products in a context
sans ads such as movies, music videos, television programs, news programs,
books, broadways, music etc.
S Sony leveraged product placements in the movie Casino Royale (2006). A BD-
R disc is brandished, all characters flaunt VAIO laptops, Bravia televisions
T conspicuously occupy some frames and Bond has a cyber shot camera at his
disposal to click photographs.
O Coca-Cola has also used product
placements in many Bollywood
R films. A bottle of Coke plays
cupid in the film Taal (1991,
Y ‗Rhythm‘). There are also verbal
mentions of Coca-Cola in the film
Mohabattein (2001, ‗Loves‘).
CHARITY- Good begets good is a new mantra to which marketers are
increasingly resorting, to woo their consumers. Many brands interface charity
events into their image to concoct a positive buzz.
The Standard Charted marathon which is conducted every year in Mumbai is a
good example. Nike conjugated with the Lance Armstrong foundation and
designed their Livestrong bands.
15 DECEMBER 2012

17. C PR ACTIVITY- Brands create a hype and hoopla around themselves to find
their way into newspapers. This is an effective substitute to publishing
O expensive ads and whips up considerable buzz about the brand. This
subsumes sponsorship of events, for example Airtel Indian grand prix. The
V brand gets scribe space without having to shell out for it. Many celebrities use
PR techniques so that they are a hot topic amongst their fans. Love affairs that
E surface before movie releases, public appearances, and social acts are all a
part of this jigsaw.
R
SPONSORED STUDIES- Companies fund studies involving competitor‘s
brands to create repugnant results. These studies are used to conjure an
image that a given product is better than the competition. In some cases the
S results are bonafide but the framework for the study is flawed.
For example, the company‘s most stellar product is pitted against the
T competitor‘s worst model skewing the results in favour of the company‘s
product. The validity of such a study is eclipsed.
O
Stealth marketing is employed by a repertoire of businesses ranging from
R healthcare to politics to real estate. For example when Rahul Gandhi embarks
on a local train journey he is trying to entice the people into buying his party at
Y the elections without making an overt appeal for votes.
THE MARKSMAN 16

18. YOU ARE SURROUNDED B Y SPI ES -
REACH OF STEALTH MARKETING
43% of the fortune 500 companies have adopted Stealth marketing this year. It
is gradually getting absorbed as a mainstream marketing technique.
POTENTIAL NEMESIS-
RISKS OF STEALTH MARKETING
Any short-term benefits firms enjoy from reaching consumers using stealth
practices may well be outweighed by the more troubling consequences that
C could surface in the future. Stealth marketing rests on the premise ‗lie but don‘t
get caught‘. The repercussions of getting exposed are catastrophic. The
O consumer will feel betrayed and despise being associated with the product. So
the shroud on the secret should never be raised. Stealth marketing may also
V have legal ramifications.
E
COMMERCIALIZING SOCIAL INTERACTION -
R THE ETHICS OF STEALTH MARKETING
Is Stealth marketing a 21st century con? Deception is the way forward in
stealth marketing. The testimony to a product perceived as true is actually a
S sham. The lines between marketing and real-life are obfuscated disabling the
consumer from making an informed choice. Stealth marketing blurs the critical
T lens through which we all view marketing. Marketers should dodge the ethical
dilemma by seeking alternatives to deception and making necessary
O disclosures.
All in all stealth marketing is a cogent marketing technique as long as it
R remains stealthy. But the consumer has to watch each step before making a
buying decision because for all you know a friend or a family member may be a
Y façade of a marketer.
17 DECEMBER 2012

19. S
P
E showdown in the
C gaming industry
I November of 2012 saw the release of Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops
2. These became two of the most sought after console games in recent
A times. In fact, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has become the biggest launch in
the entertainment industry, garnering revenues of $500 million in sales
L within the first 24 hours of launch!
But was it enough? Even if we add Assassin‘s Creed III and Borderlands 2
S to the list, the previous years‘ statistics do not indicate a happy future for
console gaming. (Maybe a little like the dystopian storyline of Mass Effect)
T
Why this observation is crucial is because during the past few years, video
O game sales have been plummeting consistently. By the end of the 3rd
quarter in 2012, the drop in the sales of console video games was as low
R as three fourths of the previous year.
Y Some blame it on the world economy which also happens to be the
universal reason for most things gone wrong under the sun.
It must be pointed out that despite the slowdown in world economy,
movies and music sales have been consistent and have not dipped.
So WHY did console video game sales drop by 25% as compared to the
previous year? This fall requires an in depth analysis to identify the
reasons. Before we begin (or crack anymore jokes!) let us look at the
figures.
THE MARKSMAN 18

20. SPECIAL STORY
The quarter ending in
September saw the sales
of console video games,
hardware and accessories
drop by 25% from $1 billion
in 2011 to $755.5 million
this year. The consoles
sales dropped by 37% to
$183.7 million in the
quarter ending in
September, as compared
with the quarter in 2011.
Gaming related software
sales also saw a fall of
25%, closing at $432
million. Even though Xbox
360 is the best-selling
console of all time, it
managed to undersell at
270000 units as compared
with 393000 units at the
same time last year.
Take a look at the graph line dipping at the end of December; that is owing to
the fact that the big guns in gaming( the names mentioned above) were out in
November already and the arsenal was empty by the year end. The same trend
is expected this year.
Candid Analysis:
This time we discuss the complex interplay of Doomsday, Gaming and Greeks.
 The doomsday, well, was a good hoax played by the Mayans. It is not such a
bad thing that they are not around to see the end of the world. It was quite
underwhelming you know!
 Maybe many gaming managers and consultants were waiting for the
impending doom on Dec 21 2012 and assumed that no one would blame them
for their mistakes after the world ends and the console gaming bubble bursts.
Too bad that did not happen.
19 DECEMBER 2012

21. SPECIAL STORY
 Topics like ―ailing economies‖ and the ―doomsday prophecy‖ have been a
major focus of discussions among the erudite as well as business communities.
There is a school of thought which believes that there is a distinct possibility that
the Greeks involved in these discussions got carried away and forgot to perform
their regular tasks.
 And did we mention we are convinced that such discussions tend to take
place during a busy day of LAN gaming at office? Why else would a country like
Greece (which apparently had a robust economy) go bust? We insist that a
world gaming competition should be organized and if Greece does not emerge
victorious, we would willingly stomp on our hats!
BUT I WANT A NEW PS3!
When the designers and vendors were asked for feedback, one of the first
things that came up was the lack of new hardware. The last innovative hardware
in gaming was the release of Wii and subsequently, the competitors followed
with ―ME TOO‖ devices like Kinect and Move. These devices did not create an
impact and hence lacked the impetus to hoist the sinking market share. Mere
gaming has not been able to make up for the lack of hardware. When the
gaming industry gained popularity in the 80‘s, gaming consoles had a crucial
role to play. However the same large immobile gaming consoles were also
responsible for the doom of the industry in that era.
Even Nintendo today is struggling to capture the market despite having the First
Mover‘s Advantage of Wii. They have not been able to diversify their portfolio in
time.
THE MARKSMAN 20

22. SPECIAL STORY
I WANT TO PLAY RIGHT NOW!
A shift in the consumer trend is one of the
reasons why gamers are losing interest in
console gaming. Most individuals today
seek small bite-size gaming sessions in
their free time. Console gaming restricts
that experience. Not only does one have to
physically go to where the console is
installed but also that console gaming
requires time investment, right from the
point of loading to playing a complete
session. As a result, such consumers have
found solace in mobile gaming which can
be done anywhere, anytime.
WHAT WAS THAT GAME AGAIN?
Another contributing factor was the lack of innovation in gaming. The sports
games like Madden and NFL et al are mere developments over the previous
versions and with only a few added effects; they cannot be differentiated
considerably from one another. Most of the first person shooters are no different
from their counterparts.
21 DECEMBER 2012

23. SPECIAL STORY
Having said that, it is true that hardcore gamers would appreciate the subtle
changes and would remain loyal to consoles!
The ME TOOs
I LOOOVE MY I-PHONE!
The masses are shifting towards mobile
gaming. It is no longer Snake on black
and white background.
Consider the following games :
 Angry Birds
 Plants Vs. Zombies
 Fruit Ninja
 Where‘s My Water
 Temple Run
All of these have revolutionized mobile gaming by making use of their best
features- be it touch sensitivity or graphics drivers. The biggest advantage that
these games have over console gaming are their prices. This makes them far
more economical than any console game.
THE MARKSMAN 22

24. SPECIAL STORY
SO WHAT IF YOU CAN SEE THE NOSE HAIR!
Another factor that gave rise to console
gaming was the leap in graphics. (Remember
the revolutionary slow motion action in the first
Max Payne?) Since then there have been
leaps and bounds in graphics and in-game
characters look more and more realistic!
Today, every game can boast of slow motion
action sequences and realistic looking entities.
But gamers are no longer enthralled by
graphics. Even though there is improvement in
every subsequent game, the WOW factor that
led to the success of Call of Duty, Assassin
Creed and Resident Evil franchisees is no
longer there! What is required is a quantum
leap in graphics design to draw the consumers
back in again.
I WANT TO PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS!
The amalgamation of gaming and social media has had a huge impact on
gaming enthusiasts. No matter how much we hate Farmville and its sheep, it
has proven that social media gaming is HUGE. Now consumers can play with
family and friends while interacting with them. In fact these games have created
an entirely new form of revenue stream which is neither license nor subscription
based. If you want more sheep in Farmville you can purchase them then and
there! Hence it is a ―FREEMIUM‖ game.
23 DECEMBER 2012

25. SPECIAL STORY
IN CONCLUSION
Market research and competitive analysis are vital. Mobile gaming does not
generate revenues like console games do, but they have usurped a big share
of console game market. With the development of mobile technology, the
market can see a substantial shift towards mobile platform in the near future.
More and more console game developers are focusing on mobile gaming and
some even have switched.
The R&D cycles of Play Station
and Xbox teams do not match
the consumers demand. The
basic tenets of marketing have
been lost in the quest for
technological excellence and
this is the reason why console
gaming is losing in the face of
mobile gaming.
THE MARKSMAN 24

26. FEATURED ARTICLES
Pepsi's IPL Sponsorship:
Is Pepsi looking for a greater footprint in India?
- Vikram Tuli , Great Lakes Institute Of Management, Chennai
Introduction
IPL managed to bring together cricketers from different nationalities, lured them
with fat pay cheques, roped in big advertisers who did not think twice before
splurging on their brands for prime time eye space, got cheer leaders to shake their
hips and bulldozed its way into ICC‘s calendar. Thus, by a judicious mixture of
managing the environment nearly perfectly and staging fantastic experiences every
time a match was played, value creation was no more, the prerogative of a single
entity. Instead, multiple stakeholders came together on a mutually rewarding
platform and lavished the cricket loving crowds with some truly memorable fares.
Along two dimensions of
experiences – customer participation
and connection – IPL fits into the
quadrant where both active
participation and immersion are
high.
Viewers are completely immersed in the proceedings right from the first over of
the first innings.
The popularity of the IPL can be gauged from the number of people who routinely
wear t-Shirts and jerseys that espouse their support to favourite teams even
during non-season times.
Pepsi's not changing the game, but it's definitely changing the name. Seasons 6
to 10 of the Indian Premier League will be known as the Pepsi IPL.
Pepsi and Coke wars have always been talk of the town. One has to understand
that IPL is held in the summer, the best season for Pepsi. Analysing both the
sides of the coin we can derive some useful insights. PepsiCo may have brought
in 38 % more revenue in 2011 than Coca Cola. But its arch rival sold $28 billion
worth of soda while PepsiCo only sold $12 billion.
Pepsi is trying to regain lost share by improving its marketing efforts and
portraying a ―lifestyle‖ brand image.
IPL as a boon for PEPSI
I feel that No scale association with cricket is possible in India without a sizeable
IPL presence. IPL has now become the new face of Indian cricket. It combines
the best of cricket with entertainment, regional club passion and international
glamour.
25 DECEMBER 2012

27. FEATURED ARTICLES
Brand Pepsi is an iconic youth brand and one of the most recalled and trusted
brands across categories in the country. Now, with this association, Pepsi‘s hope
to catapult its brand to an even higher orbit — that of the most universal, popular
and trend-setting youth brand seems a reality. The kind of viewership that the IPL
gets in India and across the world is of great interest to Pepsi. The format is very
entertaining and all the major international players want to play in it. The format is
going to get better and so Pepsi‘s penetration is going to go deeper, reach out
more and take it to schools. The IPL is being telecast in over 192 countries. The
title association of Pepsi IPL and other benefits would allow brand Pepsi and other
PepsiCo brands to gain more than conventional sponsorship benefits and generate
immense universality across the country.
While PepsiCo may choose to attribute this carping to certain bunch of fruits on a
vine gone sour, fact is that the brand has parked a huge sum of money in one
single property that is actually played out only for a month in a year.
IPL as a Bane for PEPSI
In the last few years, IPL has been plagued by low viewer interest, as
controversies, coupled with a predictable format, took the sheen off the
tournament. According to a report by Brand Finance, IPL‘s current brand value
is $2.92 billion, compared with $4.13 billion in 2010. Television ratings for the
tournament have also fallen from an average of 4.81 in the inaugural edition to
3.27 in the fifth season this year.
IPL 6 has bagged its title sponsor,
but that‘s just the beginning of the
story. The BCCI still faces the
challenge of sealing fresh associate
sponsors as its contracts with
existing sponsors Vodafone, Hero
Moto Corp, and Citibank also came
to an end in July.
THE MARKSMAN 26

28. FEATURED ARTICLES
Gujarat Elections 2014:
Is 3D technology bringing in a new age of Virtual
Campaigning?
- Nishant Jairath, DoMS, IIT Madras
Gone are the days when politicians used to amble from town to town holding
election rallies for canvassing votes from people. Gone are the days when people
used to wait for hours for their leader to arrive. Holding rallies at multiple places at
the same time is a new feat accomplished by the BJP leader who left the
opposition gasping for more ideas of reaching out to people. Being a pioneer in
using 3D technology, Gujarat elections have once again marked a special event in
history of India and no doubt that this event will certainly bring about a revolution in
the way election campaigning was done so far.
The technology was developed by a UK based company known as Musion
Eyeliner which uses age old trick of pepper‘s ghost. It is already being touted as
the next big thing in marketing circuits; 3D technology has been used extensively in
creating special effects in movies and also live performances across the globe.
With advent of this technology, entertainment industry also got a shot in the arm. It
is now possible to hold live concerts at multiple places anywhere in the world. It
has changed the paradigm of holding global tours. The artists can showcase their
talent real time to an audience, oceans away, by performing in a nearby studio
itself.
The use of technology has contributed
in yielding a positive outcome for the
incumbent Chief Minister to hold the
seat for the third time in a row, which
many analysts have stated as a rare
event to occur in the country. This
unique method of campaigning
engrossed every section of the society.
The hoopla created around the use of
technology attracted adults as well as
children equally to its shores.
The verdict for the new campaigning style could very well be adjudged by the lit-up
faces of the audience and everyone appeared as though they just saw a movie,
that too without ticket!
27 DECEMBER 2012

29. FEATURED ARTICLES
The positive poll results corroborated by positive reaction of the attendees give
us a clear picture of far-reaching effects of the technology. Showcasing of virtual
campaigning in the recent polls has opened up an entirely new sector for the use
of this innovation. It has left behind the analytical programs devised by Mr.
Obama for his second presidential campaign which essentially dealt with
providing a common platform for his supporters to collaborate and to attract
young voters.
Given the massive voter base in our country accompanied by diversification of
the towns across the landscape it will be a boon for the politicians in terms of
reaching out to the far flung citizens. Centre elections due in 2014 will see every
party looking forward to the best possible use of virtual campaigning. In no time
we will witness sprouting up of avenues where regional candidates will deliver
their party manifesto in order to lure the voters. This will also help in empowering
the people by educating them about all the perspectives in the field and which
one will cater to their needs better. Thus, the election campaigning is poised to
dawn a new avatar blessed by the scientific revolution brought about by
partnership of Musion Eyeliner and its Indian collaborator Nchant 3D. With new
emerging prospects ranging from holding public rallies to imparting educational
lectures, from holding live performances to addressing a corporate meeting at
multiple places at any point of time, Nchant 3D, will maintain a long waiting list of
meeting newer commitments.
THE MARKSMAN 28

30. REWIND
‗Corporate interaction with Mr. Mehul Dongre‘ : 7th November 2012
Time and again the students at KJ Somaiya Institute of Management
Studies have had the opportunity to interact with some of the big names of
various big agencies. Yet again they had this opportunity to interact with and
learn about Sales and FMCG marketing from Mr. Mehul Dongre from
Hindustan Unilever Limited.
Mr Mehul Dongre is the Key Account Executive at HUL. He has earlier
worked with FMCG giant ITC and handled sales for their Tobacco and
stationary departments.
The interaction began with Mr Mehul giving the students some key insights
into the sales world. He handled the distribution for the tobacco business at
ITC and explained how the distribution system works. He also gave the
students a clear differentiation between general trade which he handled at
ITC and modern trade which he currently handles at HUL. He spoke about
the various challenges a company faces while handling both general and
modern trade. He also explained how HUL uses push as well as pull
strategies for its various products.
This session was an interactive one and he answered several doubts that
the students had. He also showed the students a Coco Cola advertisement
depicting how coke installed huge vending machines at various malls and
how to get a can of coke the people at the mall had to climb on each other
and insert the coin into the slot which was approx 10 to 12 feet high. Coke
tried to push the message of ‗you need friends to help you get a can of coke‘
and this activity was carried out around the friendship day. This he said was
one of the various ways in which companies try and increase their sales.
All in all this interaction with Mr. Mehul left the students enlightened with
some useful insights of sales functions and the various strategies that
companies use to attract customers to ultimately turn them into consumers
of their products.
29 DECEMBER 2012

31. REWIND
‗NAVIKARAN'12‘: 19th December 2012
Navikaran‘12 is the annual inter-collegiate Marketing Fest of K.J. Somaiya
Institute of Management Studies and Research powered by Interface, the
Marketing club of K.J. SIMSR. This year, Navikaran‘12 was held on the 19th
of December 2012. Navikaran'12 was proudly associated with one of India's
most famous corporate houses "Birla White Wallcare".
The fest offered a plethora of opportunities to young marketing enthusiasts
ranging from Case Studies, Workshops, Corporate interactions to online
events. The festival provided an opportunity for aspirants to enhance their
skill-sets that will serve as a guiding force throughout their career.
The events that took place were as follows:
RanNiti‘12
The flagship event of Navikaran'12,
RanNiti was a case study event that
focussed on strategic thinking and
brand building capabilities of budding
marketers. The aspirants had to
devise strategies for Birla White
Wallcare in this event. The total prize
money for this event was worth INR
40,000.
Social Media Workshop
A Workshop on Social Media
Marketing in association with
EVOLUTION Co. The workshop was
conducted by Mr. Gregory Fernandes
– Sr. Executive – Training and Mr. Arya
Patnaik. The workshop gave insights
on how to leverage social media as
well as the power that surmounts it.
THE MARKSMAN 30

32. REWIND
Chitrarekha'12
ChitraRekha ‘12- a prestigious Intercollegiate Photography Competition in
association with the Chocolate Room where all photography enthusiasts
were invited to share their ―Coffee Moments‖. The total prize money for this
event was worth INR 7,000.
SRIJAN‘12
The graffiti making competition in
association with Uni-Spa. The theme for
the event was Foot Spa through Fish
Therapy. The total prize money for this
event was INR 12,000.
VYAKHYA'12
VYAKHYA'12- a creative ad-mad event in
association with SPYKAR where selected
teams had to perform an ad based on a
given theme. The total prize money for
this event was worth INR 15,000.
JIGYASA'12
An online 'BIZ-QUIZ' for all the Brand Savvy Quizzers in association with
SPYKAR. The total prize money for this event was INR 3000.
Rachna'12
A creative writing competition in association with The Chocolate Room where
the participants had to tell what their ―Chocolate Room‖ would be made up of.
The total prize money for this event was worth INR 7,000.
31 DECEMBER 2012

33. REWIND
‗DRAFT FCB Ulka presents COMSTRAT‘: 22nd December 2012
COMSTRAT is a communication strategy based case study competition of
DRAFT FCB + Ulka which was organized by SIMSR and powered by
Interface – the Marketing Club of SIMSR. The event requires designing of
innovative and effective communication strategies for a brand on the real life
problems that the brands face.
DraftFCBUlka Comstrat, now in its seventeenth year, is the first ever case-
study competition in the area of communications to be organized amongst
management students of the country. Comstrat is a platform which enables
sharp application of academic fundamentals to real life corporate situations
for budding managers of tomorrow. A live case study is provided by a
business organization to participating teams for which students are required
to recommend a communication strategy.
Over 100 teams from across the country sent in their entries for the
preliminary rounds and 6 teams battled it out in the final round held in
SIMSR on 22nd Dec 2012. The final 6 participants were the teams from IIM
Indore, MICA Ahmedabad, SIMSR Mumbai, JBIMS Mumbai, SIBM Pune
and SIMC Pune.
The elite jury for this year included Mr Ajay Kolane, senior manager -
brands, Coca-Cola India; Mr Kinjal Medh, national head - strategic planning
and COO, Cogito Consulting; Mr Vidyadhar Wabgaonkar, senior vice
president, head - strategic planning, Draftfcb-Ulka Advertising (West and
South); and Mr Dorab Sopariwala, consultant - consumer behaviour, and
editorial advisor to NDTV.
Based on the quality and depth of analysis and solutions, the team from
SIMSR emerged as clear winners. The team from MICA was the first runner
up and the team from JBIMS was second runner up.
THE MARKSMAN 32

34. Tete-a-Tete
Corporate interaction
with
Mr. Mehul Dongre
Key Account Executive
Hindustan Unilever Limited
How has your journey been from ITC to HUL?
The journey in ITC was more of general trade business. Of the 3 years I was
associated with ITC, I was more into the tobacco business for the initial 6
months, which included primary and secondary distribution and for the next 6
months I was involved in the stationary business which was a new
development in ITC. Later on, I moved to HUL wherein I got the opportunity
to explore modern trade, which was a completely new territory for me.
Although I was not well versed with modern trade, the systems, the
processes and the team that HUL has which is a dedicated team for a
dedicated profile helped me adapt and succeed in modern trade.
What are new upcoming avenues in FMCG? Which trends are going to pick
up soon?
I think apart from the typical trend in FMCG, the Pharma-Health care profile
would be emerging. The second profile that can be looked out for is the
logistic and supply chain in FMCG. Third would be customer marketing,
wherein management students can look out for consumer insights, FGDs,
consumer forums to name a few. So these are the emerging profiles that are
coming up in FMCG.
As Walmart is soon going to enter, what would be the impact on general
trade?
33 DECEMBER 2012

35. Tete-a-Tete
I doubt general trade would be affected by the entry of Walmart in India. As
such Walmart is currently operating in India under the name Easyday in a
joint venture with Bharti. Although 100% FDI has not been permitted, even
with a 51% stake, I don‘t think the local ‗kirana‘ stores will be impacted. The
reason being the traditional business is still growing at a much more faster
rate than modern trade. The only glitch being the share of sales would be
taken over by modern trade. However, Walmart and retail would help
discover and grow new categories. For instance, washing powder for
washing machines and tea bags would grow at a much faster rate in modern
trade than in general trade.
What are the challenges one faces while dealing with modern trade?
The first and foremost challenge one faces while dealing in modern trade is
how to make available the products on shelf, with modern trade chains like
Future Group, D-Mart, Hypercity and so on. The modern trade chains will not
be ready to list or make available each and every product on its store shelf,
making availability of shelf space the biggest challenge. As such, vendors
generally implement the pull and push strategy. Push strategy would be by
giving margins or doing some activity and pull strategy would be through the
air, through the media. The second biggest challenge is the margin. The
margin factor is a major problem for modern trade since the modern trade
retailer always has an inventory of 8-10 crores at any point of time. His major
concerns are pilferage and shrinkage, which has to be taken care of. Hence
he keeps lower MBQs (Minimum Basic Quantities) i.e. ensures that the
inventory is as low as possible and at the same time generates more
turnover. As such the three major challenges would be listing of the products,
margin and inventory control.
Does HUL use a pull strategy or push strategy?
It depends on the categories that we are into. All the brands as per my
knowledge have their particular advertisement. There are certain products
that sell more on push and more on brand equity. For instance, brands like
Vim, Wheel or Lifebuoy are 100 years old brands and they sell by their
name or brand equity wherein although we advertise and engage in other
media activities, the most approachable strategy would be the push strategy
to make it simple and available on the shelf or the ‗kirana‘ store or the
modern trade
THE MARKSMAN 34

36. Tete-a-Tete
Whereas highly involved products or emerging products like shampoos,
conditioners, hand wash; are more dependent on pull strategy where the
product involvement is too large and the work will be more towards media
and advertisements rather than the push strategy.
How and what is the difference between dealing with general and dealing
with modern trade?
First and foremost; in general trade, the shopkeeper is the owner and in
modern trade, the store manager is the employee. The shopkeeper always
thinks from his business point of view as to how much I have invested and
how much I would get back in return whereas the store manager how to
maintain inventory, grow sales, ensure labor rest, reduce disputes between
shopper and the labor and control pilferage. A local ‗kirana‘ store owner‘s
work would be to ensure customer loyalty by providing credit facility to build
trust, which is not the case in modern trade. They are two different ball
games but definitely the shopkeeper wins because he is the owner and the
store manager is the employee.
35 DECEMBER 2012

37. BOOKWORM
TWEETS
Marketing in the Age of Google
By Vanessa Fox
Marketing in the Age of Google written by Vanessa Fox gives an aggregated
insight on the growth and evolution of the search topics. The book is a must
read for the ones with background based on SEOs i.e. Search Engine
Optimization. The book highlights a plethora of insights on SEO techniques
and tactics.
If any organization wishes to optimize their search rankings, the book provides
good, crisp and clear structure as to how to start and evolve the content
strategy and at the same time surpass the top positions in Google. To add
further, the book also enlightens the readers on the theory that is based on
having a web-strategy in place that bolsters a company‘s business strategy.
The book is a must read for any entrepreneur having a consumer approach to
understand their needs, desires and provides motivation to understand the
reason for consumers going online to analyze products and services.
The book also highlights the methods with which people use the search
engines and how these methods have evolved since the past few years and at
the same time sheds light on how the web has transformed itself into a
consumer generated content database. As such, it‘s about what users are
looking out for and the content they share and not about how the company
wants to spread it. Consumers hear something about a brand, a person, and a
campaign and instantly go online and search for information. However the
initial initiator to online search is an efficient offline marketing i.e. PR or
customer service, TV commercials, print ads to name a few. Therefore, a
business that thrives to understand and learn, to connect with its
consumers both offline and online, is the one that will succeed in future.
THE MARKSMAN 36

38. SquAreheaD
37 DECEMBER 2012

39. BUZZ
THE CROSSWORD ACROSS
1. Which brand came up with the
original digestive biscuit ?
3. Which Indian company has
acquired an FMCG company in
Singapore for over $144 Million ?
5. Who is the new face of Revital
after Yuvraj Singh ?
7. One of the early brands of Wipro
has been sold to Cargill India.
Name the brand.
9. The first cola brand from Parle was
not Thums Up. What was the name
of the first cola launched by them
in 1949 ?
THE CLUES
DOWN
2. Which bank opened 12 branches
in 12 districts of 12 states at 12.12
pm on 12.12.12 ?
4. Which soft drink brand started life
as “ideal brain tonic” for headaches
and exhaustion, sold exclusively in
pharmacies ?
6. Parle G is the world’s largest
selling biscuit by volume. In 1929, it
was launched as a substitute for an
imported brand. Name it.
8. Which Indian business group had
planned to launch SHILTON chain of
hotels and later abandoned it ?
8. UBGroup 9. GlucoCola 7. Sunflower
5. SalmanKhan 6. Glaxo 4.Coca Cola
2. ABGShipyard 3. Wipro 1. Mc Vities
THE MARKSMAN 38

40. CALL FOR ARTICLES
January 2013
Articles can be sent on any one of the following topics*:
1. Tata Group after Ratan Tata
2. Discounts frenzy on 12.12.12 : Marketers looking
beyond traditional fests?
3. Brand Tendulkar : Will it sustain post his retirement?
*Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all
references are clearly mentioned
1. One article can have only one author.
2. Your article should be from 500-600 words and
MUST be replete with relevant pictures that
can be used to enhance your article.
3. Send in your articles in .doc/.docxformat with
font size 11 (Arial) to:
interface.newsletter@gmail.com
4. Subject Line: Your
Name_InstituteName_CourseYear.
5. Kindly name your file as: Your Name_Topic
The best adjudged article will be given a winner's
certificate. Deadline for submission of the articles: 11:59
PM , 16 January 2012.
39 DECEMBER 2012

41. To subscribe to "The Marksman", Follow the link:-
http://interfacesimsr.weebly.com/the-marksman.html
OR drop in a mail/contact us at : interface.newsletter@gmail.com
Subject line: Subscribe: Your Name_Institute Name_Course Year
THE TEAM
COVER STORY SPECIAL STORY It’s all about AD-itude
Roma Sehgal Vivek Misra Smriti Sudish
SquAreheaD Brand MARK ive BOOKWORM
Tavishi Agrawal Smriti Sudish Nitya Kumar
TWEETS BUZZ PROMOTIONS
Richa Garg Nishant Singla Meeta Khatri
Mandar Dongre
Hall-MARK PROOF READ DESIGNING
Campaigns Priyam Prasad Richa Garg
Divya Damera Nishant Singla
REWIND
Meeta Khatri TETE-a-TETE
Vibhav Shukla Nitya Kumar
Tavishi Agrawal
Follow us at: Website:
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THE MARKSMAN 40