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finance options etc. It has been a tradition to organize this
exhibition every alternate year and make it larger.
What was the idea behind creating intellectual
properties for small towns/rural areas and have there
been any corporate brands associating with the rural
properties?
I read somewhere that traditional advertising is an animal
that should have died 100 years ago. Brand managers
and marketers have outgrown the lure of celebrity
endorsements, television and print medium spends that
take away over 90 per cent of their budgets. They have
woken up to new media. Platforms such as OOH, digital,
and social media offer options to the marketers today.
Having said that let me reiterate that none of them work
in exclusivity. The offer or a solution has to be inclusive.
Therefore, an integrated media cum activity/engagement
idea that we offer to a brand in a particular geography or a
target profile is a ‘solution’.
Brand solutions designed for mass market, rural areas
or targeting specific groups like farmers or households in
the interiors are rural intellectual properties. Some of the
brands that have participated in our rural properties are
Lifebuoy, Parle G, Videocon, Airtel etc.
The level of participation is the highest since these
brands co-own the initiative namely, Lifebuoy presents
Lokmat Sanskarache Moti or Parle G presents Lokmat
Grameen Khel etc. We take great care in creating an
integrated campaign which projects the brand proposition
seamlessly into the execution. Brand managers see
value in these intellectual properties since Lokmat puts
their might behind it, and the fact that we create these
properties for the long term, gives them the opportunity to
meet various brand objectives namely new launch, new
schemes, positioning, recall etc., over a sustained period
of time.
Here, I would not shy away from saying that the
encouragement from our participating brands have really
helped us push the envelope and we believe we create
some path breaking inroads with our initiatives.
Do you have plans for creating further Intellectual
Properties that seek to tap small towns and villages?
Creating intellectual properties is not difficult, but giving
them a long life is a challenge. We have tasted some
success with our properties in the last couple of years, but
we have not always been able to sustain our intellectual
properties given some constraints of relevance over
a period of time. I have realized that there are risks
much larger than only financial connected with creating
intellectual properties.
Inherently, intellectual properties are created with our
learnings or insights that are our starting point. Before we
embark on any new venture, we have to go through the
litmus test of involving our research experts, our editorial
team, the management, and the Lokmat Connect seniors.
4 September 2011, EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 25
Usually one of ten ideas is taken for discussion further so
the answer to the question is yes, albeit very selectively.
We believe if we are able to sustain 5 to 6 large format and
2 to 3 small format intellectual properties over a period
of 4 to 5 years we would have met our goal. If we create
relevant solutions that can marry the aspirations of small
town consumers or customers with the needs or objectives
of the brands, the future of intellectual properties is secure.
Grameen Khel
Grameen Khel
Maharashtrian of the Year awards
Maharashtrian of the Year awards