M : Marketing Communication During Lockdown #AToZChallenge2020

Rarely, I talk about my profession on this blog, as it is my personal space. But last month has been crazy, because of the profession I am in. Working hours have increased, as communication intensity has increased multi-fold. Marketing, communication and branding decisions - content, relevance, channels, formats, mass messaging, customization, choice of stakeholders etc. etc. - are being taken based on instinct and experiences of past, while lockdown situation brings along with it not only uncertainty but totally unique and new communication problems. This has led to an iterative process, so that one can be on top of the things. Even in this situation one can't just afford to fly by the seat of one's pants. Marketing Communication is both art and science. That statement might sound like a much abused cliche, but it definitely rings true in this situation. 

The purpose of this post is to put across some thoughts for Marketers / Communicators, based on what has happened in the last one month. Here are the five thoughts which I felt, have guided my journey over this period. 

C - Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. 

O - Online CTAs (Call to Actions) 

V - Voice Of Customers

I  - Importance to all Stakeholders

D - Don't Hard Sell

1. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate - There are brands who have stopped communication altogether, especially on social media. You can't lockdown your communication, during the lockdown. And then there are brands, who are communicating as if things are normal - not addressing the current context, thus saying things which sound irrelevant or insensitive at times. It is important to communicate more as every one is anxious, locked inside their homes. Any communication which is timely and helpful adds value to the recipients of the communication. I work in financial services sector and the government has announced slew of measures that impact our customers directly. So communication has to ensure that brand is aligned with the customers and the government guidelines. This meant that we developed newer content buckets that are more relevant, more direct and more action oriented. It also meant some of the regular content buckets were stopped or modified to reflect the current times. Like our festive wishes are now focusing on "Celebrations at Home". 

2. Online CTAs (Call to Actions) - Consumers have no other option apart from going online to interact and transact with you in this situation. It is not only important to transition your physical services  / processes online at the earliest, but it is also important that your communication ensures that your customers are constantly informed about your online availability. Each piece of communication should have an online CTA. Develop  "How to"  content in form of videos, social media posts, manuals etc to ensure first time digital users find things easy. If you are missing the 'Online' bus now, you may never catch it when things are back to normal. 

3. Voice of Customers - There is no better time to show solidarity and be empathetic. Listen to the voice of your customers. They will be facing problems for which you may not have even thought of solutions yet. These customers are telling you indirectly what to do for future. Keep your communication channels open with such customers who are asking questions or complaining. Ensure your ORM (Online Reputation Management) processes are in top gear. Listen! Absorb! Respond fast! Marketing teams have to be in touch with customer care teams constantly. This has helped us modify communication proactively.

4. Importance to all Stakeholders - Consistency of messaging is key in these situations. Your employees, customers and other stakeholders are equally stressed. Your brand can't be just sensitive to one segment. We have ensured in last one month, that our brand, internal communications and digital marketing teams are sharing notes more frequently. Not only communication frequency is equally intense for all stakeholders but the core messaging also is very clear and consistent- "We are with you in these unprecedented and tough times."  The actual content might vary, but at its heart the message is the same. 

5. Don't Hard Sell - Being sensitive in this situation is important. If you have products that are essential for these times, it is great. Otherwise, be patient. If you are doing the above four things right, you would not find selling hard, post lockdown. We used to do a monthly contest on Facebook, where we would always feature our products or schemes. But this month, the contest we ran was in a totally different space. We asked customers how they are utilizing their time, and they responded in an overwhelming way. 

I am sure there are many more things that can be added to the above list. But as a marketer I like acronyms and thus produced my COVID communication mantras. What are yours? Please tell me in the comments section below. 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter M

2017: MUMBHAI - 4

2018: My Son Meharaj

2019: Minorities Representation in Hindi Films / Bollywood

Facts & Videos - January Reads

Last year I read 21 books against a plan of 24. So this year again, I will try to reach that elusive number of 24. I am happy to report that the year has started on a bright note and I have completed two books in January, both of them non-fiction. Interestingly, both of them are also directly relevant to my line of work. But most importantly, each book has a unique perspective on things which are happening today, in front of us. 

First book that I read is interestingly titled, 'Factfulness' by Hans Rosling. The tagline in the book title reads, "Ten Reasons we're Wrong About the World - And Why Things are Better Than You Think." That is a great hook. Though this book is not as deep or as profound as Sapiens written by Yuval Noah Harari (read my views on the book Sapiens here); in a way the souls of both books are connected. Both books tell us how our world is in a better place than we imagine. Sapiens relies on historical / archaeological evidence to make its case, while Factfulness makes us question our basic human instincts and biases, that blind us towards any data or facts or trends, contrary to our dominant thinking. 

The author warns us about ten such human instincts and suggests methods to overcome those while making any assessment or forming any opinion. As certain instincts resemble each other, you might find book to be repetitive at times, especially in the first few chapters. 

Also while the book deals with the subject of numbers / data / facts, it is still an easy read for everyone because the book's narrative is in the form of a story and is replete with relevant examples and visual aids. So while it is a good read for people who work with numbers, it is great for those who don't.

The second book is interesting and flawed at the same time. Videocracy by Kevin Allocca (YouTube's Head of Culture and Trends) is an interesting book because it talks about videos on YouTube and builds a context around them by explaining what makes YouTube a big deal for everyone in this universe. It is a flawed book because at times it sounds like a propaganda and a hard-sell. The book conveniently ignores the aspects related to moderation, privacy, consent, intellectual property and negative content - especially hate videos. It almost justifies cyber-bullying by citing the larger good. The book pompously suggests that everyone in this universe will rely on video content to know about humanity and culture and thus there is no other way to assimilate knowledge or learn. Now let me focus on my takeaways and the good bits.

The author tries to establish three things in this book:

1. The power to make a piece of content or a video (art?) successful or viral has shifted towards users /  viewers / communities. They are the ones who are shaping the changes on YouTube and the role of  content itself. 

2. Celebrities - Fans equation is changing and is more of a relationship of equals now, due to diminishing distance between them through platforms like YouTube.

3. Most of the organically successful videos on YouTube are expression of self identity of the creator as well as of the viewers who made them successful. This concept is then linked to the rise of huge number of niche art forms and niche communities on YouTube. 

There are several other takeaways in the book, but these three resonated with me the most. 

Initial parts of the book were repetitive and exhausting as the subject matter isn't classified properly in chapters. Also most of the video references given to explain the points were US based and I either had to look them up or make some assumptions, which made it a slower reading experience. But the chapters on how marketing ads changed their nature due to YouTube or how YouTube changed lives,  due to its content related to learning (example 'How to' videos) and political discourse (example Arab Spring) appealed to me. 

The last part of the book warns us of the pitfalls of what we share, view or believe. But it is not enough!

Both books made me think and that is a win. Next on cards is Yuval Noah Harari's follow-up book to Sapiens - Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Keep watching this space to know about it. Happy Reading!

My Takeaways - CMOs at Work

CMOs at Work by Josh Steimle is not really a book. It is a compilation of 29 interviews conducted by him with 29 of the best marketing brains in the world. Some of the CMOs interviewed are really inspiring like Patrick Adams, PayPal and Jeff Jones, Target. Most of the interviews have some insights which are incisive and useful. 

The author here has done a good job of meeting so many CMOs from diverse industries. But I wish he had covered CMOs from across the world. That would have been a great comparative study for a person like me who is a student as well as a practitioner of marketing for years. Also Josh Steimle used, more or less, the same set of questions for different CMOs. I felt that was limiting. There should have been questions specific to the industry, each CMO is operating in and a focus on relevant cases / stories. That would have added a lot of depth to the responses of the interviewees. 

Nevertheless, here are some of my takeaways from this book, which will hold the test of the time. 

1. The role of CMO has moved beyond the classic brand building and advertising. It has evolved into a much more holistic role that straddles technology, customer service and CRM. Digitization and Automation have played an important role in this. 

I personally have felt these changes happening in the way my role and goals have shaped over the years. Reading this book assured me that I am on the right path and the marketer's role will evolve even further in ways not imagined in the past. I have also seen an integration happening across some verticals like PR, Internal Communication and Employer Brand with the Consumer Brand. No longer we can afford to see them in silos. In my current organization, the CEO is supportive of this approach and it helps in breaking down the silos faster. 

2. Data Science is assuming a higher importance & ROI for marketing is becoming much more sharply defined. 

I have witnessed this in digital marketing in India over last decade. But I still see a lot of digital quacks and charlatans peddling their substandard stuff around, because CMOs have not kept pace with changes here. These agencies and practitioners are very comfortable with likes, shares and other such engagement metrics, but they find it difficult to establish business metrics. As a marketer it is very important to be able to separate wheat from chaff. Also, the ROI for marketing will move beyond digital marketing, to traditional marketing as well, and we need to be ready for that. 

3. Team Building and Leadership Skills are two areas which CMOs need to look at more creatively. As marketing becomes more dynamic, content oriented and ROI driven, it is important to add diversity in your team rather than just running after MBAs. Also the team structures can't be as simple as Traditional Marketing and Digital Marketing. There is no differentiation at all between these things. 

I feel marketing teams have to be structured around skill sets rather than functions. Example a creative person has to support both branding and digital marketing initiatives. 

4. A new age marketer has to be a combination of a data analyst, creative designer and process engineer who can execute fast.

My direct reports who have done any of the above two right have generally grown faster than others. But I feel comfort with data, is something more marketing managers in India should develop. And soon.

5. Few things in marketing will never change

• Brands should have a purpose
• Focus on consumer understanding has to be always there
• Data should supplement a marketer's judgement not replace it
• Story-telling is always going to be a key skill

In the world of so much information and data, marketers should not feel that 'creative'  has become a bad word. I see that happening very often around me. Marketing has always been a whole brain function. We need to embrace the fact that more information is now available so our methods have to undergo a change. 

6. The book also warns CMOs against too much internal focus. One should never forget that marketing serves the customers and not different departments.

Many times, marketers face this dilemma. I think strict focus is required to know what to do. It is not easy, but that should be the goal. Customer should be at the center of everything you do. Sales will follow. 

It would be difficult to summarize everything from the book. But the 6 points above really nestled in my mind. One of the interviews though had a perfect answer to what really marketing is - Marketing has 3 focus areas: Data and Analytics; Marketing Technology; and Content and Thought Leadership.

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As far as my reading targets go, I am on track so far. 12 books read and reviewed within 6 months of the year. 12 more to go...