)
If the sheer growth in the number of media platforms and the ROI math have started boggling your mind, here's how you can take charge and stop worrying about competition roadblocking your move.
Hindustan Unilever's mobile marketing initiative, Kan Khajura Tesan, is a case in point. The campaign has been hailed as a true example of innovation at various award shows. The jewel in the crown, of course, was the Cannes Lions Gold award that came its way two months ago.
Kan Khajura Tesan, which means 'earworm radio channel' in English, was designed to help HUL brands engage with their rural consumers in media dark areas. A short video about the radio station on video sharing platform YouTube defines media dark as areas with power cuts for several hours, resulting in limited or no access to television, and no radio frequency. According to the video, Bihar is one of the most media dark states in India, with TV and print media reaching only 20 per cent of the population. The reach of television stands at 23 million whereas that of mobile phone is at 54 million. Kan Khajura Tesan has achieved these stellar numbers at a cost per contact of less than 4 cents, about Rs 2.4 ($1=Rs 60).
With the changing paradigm on connectivity, many rural consumers now have mobile phones as their first device. This consumer insight was used to create Kan Khajura Tesan, an always-on-mobile entertainment radio channel in which the content is interspersed with HUL brand communication. First piloted in Bihar last year, consumers had to dial 1800 3000 0123 and give a missed call. They would then receive a call from the channel to enjoy 18 minutes of pre-programmed capsule content that consisted of popular local music, HUL advertising spots, jokes and an RJ to host the show.
The essence of the campaign is well captured in the promotional message making the process of connecting with the channel crystal clear: 'Missed call lagaao, muft manoranjan pao (Give us a missed call and get free entertainment).' Kan Khajura Tesan has reached out to more than 11 million subscribers. In all, HUL has had 180 million minutes of engagement with consumers and the company's ads have been heard 100 million times. "We developed the idea to address a business problem of reaching consumers in deep rural markets. Creating a mobile-based radio channel has brought entertainment to consumers who have almost no access to traditional entertainment," says Priya Nair, VP, HUL.
The muft (free) entertainment allows the company to engage with its rural consumer base as well as promote brands among its price sensitive consumers - products like Wheel's 500 gram pack for Rs 20 instead of Rs 22, or a chance to win a gold coin with every bar of Lux. According to PHD - HUL's media agency - the advertising done on the radio channel resulted in "significant increases in spontaneous awareness for Ponds White Beauty (56 per cent), Close Up (39 per cent) and Wheel (20 per cent)."
What went behind the 'tesan'
HUL isn't just this country's biggest advertiser in terms of the sheer monies spent; it has also been able to control the last mile in delivery in some sense. The genesis of Kan Khajura Tesan lay in another mobile marketing campaign by HUL for its detergent brand Wheel, in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The campaign was simple: mobile users had to give a missed call to a number. They would get a call back immediately with a recording of actor Salman Khan's dialogues from Ek Tha Tiger and his endorsement of Wheel. HUL got 16 million missed calls in four months, and on average the mobile user stayed on the call for 3.5 minutes. The cost per contact has been reported as 27 paise for this campaign. It was the success of this campaign that led HUL to create the 'tesan', which took the concept a notch higher.
In a campaign such as this one, apart from the creative and media partners, technology partners like Ozonetel play a key role. The 'tesan' is run on this telco's cloud communications platform, which means that HUL Kan Khajura Tesan had to make no capital investment to maintain, manage or upgrade any technology. "This led to a 40 per cent reduction in operation cost and a 15 per cent increase in brands' awareness among the target audience," says the Ozonetel spokesperson. "HUL's corporate office has access to an easy-to-use dashboard for live feed and a customisable analytical report, which further helps in planning," adds the spokesperson.
So what's next?
The success of Kan Khajura Tesan has propelled the company to proliferate the concept across the country, beyond its pilot phase in Bihar. Different ways are being continually devised by the radio station to engage with an even greater number of consumers.
On April 14 this year, the radio station rolled out a contest rewarding consumers with mobile recharges. Once again, the consumer gives a missed call to 1800-30000-123 to participate, answers a few questions once she's tuned to Kan Khajura Tesan radio channel. Based on the results (conducted on a daily basis), everyday 1,000 consumers get awarded a mobile recharge of Rs 10.
The terms and conditions of the campaign states: 'Sending of SMS/missed call would be construed to be opting in to receiving commercial communications in future. HUL, their service provider and their affiliated partners may contact campaign participating consumers regarding other products in the future.' Thus, apart from building equity with the consumer and engaging with them, Kan Khajura Tesan potentially provides HUL with invaluable information and insight into a unique segment that is seen by FMCG companies as the consumer base of tomorrow.
It may be too early to say whether the 'tesan' will enjoy an uninterrupted successful run. As it expands into newer regions, it will have to deal with newer challenges relating to consumer choice and acceptability. The multilingual nature of the Indian landscape will demand tailor-made entertainment solutions. But then Bollywood has the sort of appeal that can cut across geographies and age groups.
