Worth the wait!

Was strolling around Mantri Mall one busy weekday evening and this experiential marketing kiosk got my attention.There's an insight in it somewhere I guess.

People were lining up unmindful of having to wait at least of 10 minutes to get a chance to experience 3D on TV, whereas waiting in a line at a super market or ticketing counter for more than 5 minutes gets them impatient and irritated.

Boy is that good for any brand? I sure would say so... As a brand manager I would give an arm, if folks would take ten minutes off their busy weekday evenings to check out my latest product.

30 second spots to drive in awareness, and 10 mins of experiential could land you a customer or convert! Not bad at all is it?

Guess people are always on the look out to experience something new and if its worth it, they will give you their time without any hesitation.

Services Brading - It's all about the experience and moments

A decade or  more ago while still in college, debit cards had just appeared on the scene and were making inroads into the urban  banking space in India. I wanted to be an early adaptor (B'lore and New York were the first cities that the Debit card was being trialled out in) and try out the whole Any time money aspect of Banking.

The promise of not having to wait long lines at banks, deal with unfriendly clerks,specific timings, was good enough for me.I got myself a citibank card  and put it the princely savings of Rs.500 into it.  If I recall correctly a few years later apart from citi the only other bank that was aggressively expanding its ATM network across B'lore was Corporation Bank. It had its ATMs at  key locations across the city and I decided getting a debit card from Corpn Bank would be a good idea.

However the thought of transacting with a 'PSU' bank and aspects such as indifferent officers, unfriendly attitudes,never ending procedures,etc  did give me second thoughts. In any case I decided to to give it a shot. As I walked in, the place it didn't actually feel like a PSU bank! There was a positive buzz, the staff were courteous, attentive, and for the most part they all had smiles on their faces as they interacted with colleagues or customers alike. Was I in the right place? Was this a PSU bank. The procedure was hassle free, the service experience was unexpectedly great and I was happy. Here was a brand that actually functioning like a Pvt. Sector Bank.

A few days back, I walked into the same Branch after five years (my second or third visit ever) and was eager to see if the environment was still the same as it was in those days. The staff had changed, so had the interiors and the equipment, but what had not changed was the friendly attitude and efficient  service.

A lady customer was being attended to like she was a relative or close friend, there was friendly banter and smiles, another clerk happily asked me if I needed any assistance and willingly obliged with a smile when I told her my pass book needs to be updated. It was all done in a matter of two minutes and a very pleasant two minutes I must say.I headed back with a positive impression and told myself that I need to bank more often with this Bank and Branch!!

It was such a sea change from UCO bank that I regularly bank with where the staff are indifferent and seem to be functioning in a different era. 

The management and staff at Corporation Bank definitely deserve appreciation for doing the simple things so well, for ensuring a positive and customer focussed service environment is established and is consistently delivered upon, which sets the Band apart from the rest who only tend to refer to friendly service in their ads.

Corp Identity Design - DY Uppar

A major government contractor of turnkey irrigation projects. The shade of Blue and the waves signify their interest and expertise in Irrigation and water related projects such as dams and canals. The symmetrical wave like pattern is symbolic of dams as well as canals that they build and it is integrated into a  U form shield. The three discs on top stand for the three values that guide the organisation in its operations. The identity was designed keeping in mind the fact that the logo mark would have to appear on not just their corporate stationery but also on their construction machinery and equipment.

Corporate Identity Design - Aditya Builders and developers

When a website's down, can you still be positively memorable?

How often do you come across a site that has something so memorable, quirky and endearing to say, about it being down? Not to often I guess...most times all one gets is a the "requested URL cannot be retrieved"or "our site is down or being upgraded and we will be back soon". How annoying and boring...


Came across one that made me smile and created a positive association and got me to blog about it. Here it is...

Rajni Brand Phenomena - a mass brand and a peoples icon

Photos of a theatre where Rajni's latest film was released. The congregation of fans on Sunday held up traffic on a busy road for an hour or so celebrating the release, by bursting crackers, offering pooja and garlanding  his larger than life size cut outs. Happens only in India

Differentiating in retail

Can an entrepreneur, setting up another retail store that would retail multiple product brands (consumer durables) differentiate himself from the rest of the pack? Yes, he or she can! Here are a few :

• Customer Service Experience and Engagement

In a market that is short of retail brands that focus their energies on servicing the customer,  pricing  is often viewed as the only 'Reason to Buy'. Customers will seek out those retailers who offer the best deals or the lowest prices. While this is great for the customer, a new entrant will find it difficult to compete against the bigger chains on the pricing front because of a multiple of reasons, chief amongst them, the economies of scale versus a startup's need to recoup the costs of starting up. It requires one to then focus on other aspects of the buying experience to differentiate oneself. The 'focus' must be on delivering an experience that overcomes the pain points that a potential customer experiences at your competitor's, from the moment a customer interacts with your Brand to post purchase or visit.

• Focus on a Segment of customers or categories that are not catered to by the big boys

Could be the bottom of the pyramid or the top of it.These segments of the pyramid may have their own unique needs and aspirations that have not been catered to by the mainstream. Be attentive to these needs that can be as simple as getting rid of a barrier in access,(finance) to satisfying an aspiration for a certain lifestyle

• Geographical Focus

Be present in smaller towns or cities where the big boys have not yet set shop.Be the first mover and learn faster than the big boys.

Service, a key differentiator, even for PRODUCT brands

Recently, I went furniture hunting for an apartment and zeroed in on a reputed retail brand that I felt offered  value for money in terms of pricing,quality and aesthetics. It is promoted by one of India's oldest business groups and I feel they surely have hit a sweet spot and big opportunity for reasonably priced, quality and contemporary furniture with the brand.

The brand experience up to the point of selecting the furniture and paying for it was satisfactory, and in line with most brands in the segment.

However, the delivery experience was nothing to write home about. I am sure most of you have experienced this often, being kept waiting for hours on end, constantly postponing meetings and other appointments in the fear that the elusive delivery man would drop in any moment and if I miss it, meant another day of the same! On contacting the store was given the number of the transporter and requested to contact him directly (another Indian practice). On enquiring his whereabouts,I got a response that he was at the Airport,doing an urgent delivery, and would be at my place in an hour and a half!! This is after having waited for more than two hours and countless assurances from the store that they were on their way and should reach any moment!

Isn't it about customer's time valued as much as his money? Such an experience seems to plague  almost every retailer that offers delivery as part of its value proposition. Would it not be a better customer and brand experience, if deliveries were made on time and efficiently? Delivery is the second last touch point of the brand with the customer, the last being the assembly.

It may seem a SMALL matter but there are plenty of small stuff  that add up to creating a BIG impression and brand experience. Some of them include

• Politeness and Motivation
• Body language and Attitude
• Focus and alertness
• Product knowledge

Remember, SERVICE can be a big differentiator even for predominantly product brands.