What according to you makes a brand `hot’?
In an environment as charged up as today’s, a brand needs to be on its toes to be called ‘Hot’. It needs to be a leader in its category to be called “Hot”. A brand needs to refresh itself before it becomes fatigued to be considered “Hot”.
And of course given today’s digital explosion, the degree to which a brand is omnipresent and proactive in responding to audiences digitally, plays an important role in it being considered “Hot”. Its engagement levels digitally are important and if it’s a brand more than a decade old then the investments into, and growth of digital business is also a factor in a brand being considered “Hot”
Ways in which you connect with the new age customers?
At Club Mahindra we focus on our content strategy on the internet and mobile to stay on top of customers’ minds. Our effort is to create customer experience journey across multiple touch points and platforms.
For example, one of our initiatives was Teddy Travelogues, India’s first travel e-zine exclusively for children and by children. We used digital crowdsourcing to source content from children aged 4 to 12 of existing and potential members of Club Mahindra. The campaign won awards for ‘Best Innovation Practice in Digital and Social Media’ and ‘Innovation in Brand Management’ by the World Innovation Congress in 2015.
Another initiative which helped us connect with our customers on social media, was launching a completely new Visual Grammar on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We now create contextual content by curating interesting events and activities related to Club Mahindra Resorts and latest trends & popular events such as the World Cup matches and amplify these through visuals containing the Club Mahindra Mandalas, which form a part of our logo. The content thus created is instantly interactive and shareable, creating a platform for conversations. This campaign was awarded the ‘Best Innovation Practice in Marketing and Operations’ award by the World Innovation Congress in 2015.
Apart from, this we reach out to our members with customised e-mailers where we use data from their previous holiday behavior to make suggestions and create offers which are exclusive to them. This initiative is another first in the industry where we have been able to increase occupancies and holidaying across seasons with the help of micro segmentation and the initiative won us an award for ‘Most innovative Big Data Analytic Solutions’ at the World Innovation Congress in 2015.
We also recently created magical moments in non-online space for our members when we organised an event where they could Meet & Greet superstars from the latest Bollywood hit ‘Dil Dhadkne Do’ in Mumbai & Delhi.
These are a few examples of how we are constantly innovating to connect with our customers and interact with them on platforms where they are present.
Has the Indian consumer changed the way they consume?
India today has a fast growing internet user base of 354 millions, with approximately 213 million accessing internet through their mobile phones according to a report by IAMAI.
According to a recent article by Scoopwhoop.com India is the second largest English speaking nation with more than 100 million English speakers. India today has 924 million mobile phone users which is 3 times the population of USA. Internet penetration in the country may not have crossed 16% of the population yet, but in absolute numbers this percentage works out to nearly 10 times the population of the continent Australia. My hypothesis is that all urban SEC A & B consumers above the age of 25 (consuming class) also have a smartphone each.
This gives us insight into the socio-economic profile of an average Indian consumer which is undergoing a rapid change. The Indian consumer is no longer content with window shopping and is demanding world class services at a click.
With this easy access to technology the new age Indian consumer is evolving at a rapid pace and seeks information on the move. They want seamless connectivity when they juggle between their multiple screens. A customer wants to be able to view your content and interact with you without compromising on the brand experience. So, a brand needs to create a platform-agnostic-digital-profile to connect with them.
What makes Mumbai a unique brand?
I am reacting to this question as a consumer of Brand Mumbai. To someone who came to live here in 1991, this brand has embraced me and kept me here. It is a brand which has been a part of my professional & personal growth journey so I am emotionally bonded.
Uniqueness from a woman professional perspective is that I consider this city to be more progressive among all Indian cities in its acceptance and treatment of working women.
Profile:
Deepali Naair is Chief Marketing Officer at Mahindra Holidays & Resort India Limited.
She is also a speaker at Mumbai Brand Summit & Hot 50 Brands 2015.
The post MBS Speaker 2015: Deepali Naair, Chief Marketing Officer, Mahindra Holidays & Resort India Limited appeared first on Paul Writer .