 "Samar Singh Sheikhawat")
What has been the most interesting sales promotion you have engineered so far?
Heineken is one of the world's largest selling mild beer brands that has always stood as a premium brand in every respect. There are a few large iconic properties that Heineken has been associated with, so much so that people expect Heineken to do stuff that is different from everyone else, stuff that is intelligent, digitally connected and so on. Therefore, the idea of 'voice in your head' was conceived as something that has never been done before in India. The kind of response that we received from consumers was tremendously encouraging. At the shop floor, some people were confused where the voice is coming from, some people thought someone is calling them on their mobile handset and started checking the speaker, realising that it's a call for them to try the product.
Who was your primary target for the promotion?
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The primary target audience was young, affluent, urban consumers of premium mild beer - largely men, but women as well.
What was the idea behind designing the promotion in such a manner?
The idea worked around the way motion sensors work: one that catches motion and triggers a signal which switches on electronic device(s). 'Voice in the head' essentially worked in the same manner. When you cut a particular beam at a particular area in the store, it triggers a sensor which plays the audio. The speakers are hidden, and so the customer doesn't know the source of the audio and it is valid only in that area. If one steps out of that area, the voice stops. It was almost like the voice of God, you can hear the voice but don't know where it is coming from. It worked extremely well.
Can you elaborate on the media plan?
The alcoholic beverage category lives in a media-dark environment. We are not allowed to do a lot of things. The media plan in this case was digital with a one-off intervention in terms of seeing what response we get from consumers before we decide to take it further in a bigger way. The media plan was largely designed for point-of-sale while also taking it to the digital medium. Going ahead, we might look at it with a more elaborate media plan.
What were the challenges?
Other than logistical challenges, there weren't many. We had to explain the concept to the retail store operator because it is a new thing for them as well; get permissions, conducting test of the apparatus etc. But once we saw the consumer reaction, we forgot all about the challenges.
The only issue is it's a very expensive technology to replicate at a mass scale. We are looking at three things - one, if we are able to do the same thing at a slightly lower cost. Then, our ability to scale up the activation will be higher. Two, we are looking at taking it to different cities. Three, we plan to customise it in some fashion - that means identifying the customer, if possible, and making the message more relevant to the customer. It can be mind-boggling for a customer stepping into the retail store. But that needs enablement through data gathering, through social security IDs or database with which the retail store needs to be connected. Internationally, it's being done. We are looking at taking it to the next level. We wish to build an offer around it, or some action, or a contest, to communicate with consumers.
What was the impact of the promotion on the sales and the brand?
Consumer reaction was the most encouraging part - from surprise, to shock, to checking the mobile phone for a possible message, to calling a friend to say, "Hey… Hey… Look what I am hearing…!" to looking for the speakers behind the fridges etc. It roused curiosity and led to purchases. Same store sales literally doubled for Heineken. It also created an aura around Heineken -that it is a young, tech-savvy brand and bringing to the consumer something that was totally unexpected and something that has not been done before. It's a pioneering move and very innovative
Don't sales promotions harm a company/brand in the long term?
There are no easy answers to it. My submission is if a sales promotion is executed in a way that is in sync with the brand positioning and philosophy and if it is done only for a short period of time in a limited way, it will have a positive impact on sales. But if you do it all the time indiscriminately, it can de-value the brand and make the consumer look at your brand with suspicion, as a 'cheap' offering. Therefore, it's important that sales promotions are done judiciously and only add to the value of the brand.
'Voice in the head'
Aim
Provide a unique beer buying experience on the second anniversary of Heineken in India
Target
The young and affluent consumers of Bangalore
Plan
The brand used directional speakers for the purpose, which emit a high frequency beam of sound at the customers. Since it is a focused beam of sound directed at an individual customer at the store, only he/she can hear it and no one else in the vicinity. The speakers used here are camouflaged with the surroundings and leave the customer wondering where the sound is coming from
Outcome
Heineken achieved 100 per cent growth in sales during the promotion, and is now seen as a young, tech-savvy and innovative brand in its category
