Two-way street: Marketers can't ignore what is being discussed about brand

With its Radflix campaign this year, Netflix showed how even trolling on social media can be used to a brand's advantage

A marketer who retired 10 years ago would be flummoxed at what his counterparts in today's economy are experiencing. The one most compelling screen at home has been replaced by an even more compelling screen in people's hands now. The power of the internet has enhanced the ability of this screen, the mobile phone, to allow instant connections across borders and has changed the way brand communication worked till only five years ago. The consumer today has a voice. A voice that is loud, compelling and sometimes contagious. Consumers today don't feel the need to talk to companies. They talk to each other about the company, thereby eliminating the presence of the company's voice in that communication.

Mass media, the potent marketers’ tool, has met its match in social media. The various elements of social media — text, pictures and videos have revolutionised the way people communicate with each other and the world. Cadbury was indeed lucky that 3G and WhatsApp had not reached India in 2003. While they responded to the worms crisis of 2003 with huge investments in production and won back consumer confidence, they did initially blame the retail conditions for it and had to be pushed by the FDA. Post all the investment in production, they used the services of Amitabh Bachchan to win back confidence. A sizeable investment that finally renewed the love consumers had for the brand.

Imagine finding a worm in your chocolate today, images that will criss-cross the country will spell doom for the product within hours and the company won’t get months to assess how to respond.

Marketers cannot afford to be absent on social media nor can they afford to be obtrusive lest they get trolled for it. This has added a new and very crucial element in every marketing strategy — social listening. If a marketer is not aware of what is being discussed about its brand, category, completion and other related elements, it is at a huge disadvantage.

The thing every marketer needs to remember is that people are not fools. Irrespective of social strata and education, Indian consumers are a savvy lot. While most enjoy forwarding negative news, not everyone believes it. Recently, there was a viral video of a Zomato delivery person eating the food before delivery. It was interesting to note people's response. Of the 10-odd groups I am part of, all of them had people talking about human behaviour and not a single one blamed Zomato.

Hemant Misra, Director, MagicCircle

Zomato’s response was exemplary. They posted a response on their blog. They spoke about investigating the video and actually finding it true, they spoke about how they counselled the delivery person but also took him off the platform. They went on to talk about the possibility of tampering being a real problem and committed to introducing tamper-proof tape. Zomato did a text book response that marketers can take a leaf out of: A) They took note of the problem, and were not predictably defensive B) They took action and C ) They went on to admit the real possibility of tampering and committed to introducing a remedy. And most importantly, they did all this in double quick time.

Marketers must understand that communication is a two-way street today.

Brand love is a great asset. Social media is a people's medium, marketers shouldn't be looking at ways to influence it. It should be seen as a touchstone for brand love. With people finding their voice honest brands will only amplify their love.