Gifting has spawned interesting concepts and ideas by marketers and branding students
Gifting is as old as the hills. Even when I was a kid, Amul ran a
campaign for chocolates with the tagline “A gift for someone you love”.
But the pioneer in the Indian market when it comes to gifting has,
arguably, been Titan. The brand’s gifting campaigns have set the tone
for its advertising over the years.
People had been gifting items of their choice — jewellery, watches, et al
— when Titan decided to make gifting its own with its “Joy of Giving”
campaign. This was way back in 1999. Here’s the first gifting commercial
that the brand executed, featuring a daughter who surprises her parents
on their anniversary.
Titan’s pair watch continues to be a star in the company’s portfolio,
and the brand has stayed steadfast with its gifting strategy. The
brand’s evolution has seen gifting moving away from birthdays and
anniversaries to anytime gifting.
Here’s another commercial about a retiring teacher. (It’s a matter of
considerable intrigue to me that in my last 25 years as a teacher, I
have never received a gift. But then, I am not retired yet!)
The saga continues
While there have been many commercials riding the gifting bandwagon, the
ones that stand out are those which have a creative twist or those with
consumer insights.
Like Nazraana Jewellery’s commercial, for instance, which has an
interesting turn and features a husband (a bit like me) who seems to
have forgotten his wife’s birthday. Thankfully, his mother comes to his
‘rescue’.
The commercials that have made a greater impact on me, however, are the
ones done for Amazon. One of the positive features of the brand’s
advertising, as far as I am concerned, has been its ability to truly
Indianise its advertisements. Not merely being satisfied with the fact
that it can offer enormous choice to its consumers, it has constantly
been searching for consumer insights about India and Indians. Here’s an
insight I could relate to with the two commercials shown below.
There’s that yellow sari again
There are a few of us who constantly get great satisfaction in giving.
We are happier gifting to others than buying things for ourselves. After
all, the smile on their faces when they receive carefully selected
gifts is our ultimate reward — or so we would like to believe. Yet
mothers do know their children and are able to see through some of their
idiosyncrasies, as this commercial demonstrates.
Then there’s another commercial where a young husband gets an increment
and dedicates it to his wife, saying “What’s the difference, whether you
earn it or I?” The delighted wife asks the husband if she can use the
amount to get herself a necklace, and he says, “Order whatever you feel
like on Amazon”.
When the parcel comes, she asks her husband to open it. Imagine his
delight when the gift turns out to be a camera that he always wanted!
Yes it is certainly gifting with a twist and it struck a chord with me.
A gift to remember
Another brand that has recently gained traction and market share with
consumers has been the deodorant Fogg. It has become a force to reckon
with in the fragrances market.
The brand recently diversified into a related category — scents — which,
one can say, is a relatively nascent category in India. Most people who
use it, usually go for international brands. Having said that, let’s
take a look at this commercial, where a bunch of friends are talking
about gifts they are carrying for their friend, Rahul’s wedding. While
one gets him a bouquet, another talks about giving him Fogg scent, a
gift that will keep reminding Rahul about the person who gave him the
gift, every time he uses it. Interesting, though I am still wedded to my
international brand!
Yes, gifting is spawning interesting concepts and ideas by marketers and
branding students. So what’s the next step? Gifting experiences! Why
stop with gifting products when you can gift the people you love an
outstanding experience that he/she can remember, recall, share and talk
about?
Coming soon in this very column!
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