Session IV
Online marketing, Myth or magic?

The razzmatazz in presentations came in the last session of the New Media Congress. Clever words, great videos and the vexed question: Online marketing, Myth or magic?

In the chair, Managing Director Exchange 4 media Anurag Batra set the agenda firmly, making clear this discussion would be specific and would not be allowed to meander. He had a brief for each of his panelists, enunciating clear guidelines and the issues he expected addressed at the end of the session.

"I believe it's a great panel. The stakeholders in the new media have a perfect panel. One of the area that has really taken off is gaming and Zapak has a vital role to play in it."

The discussion kicked off with Manish Vij, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Quasar who pointed out that the objectives of a marketing campaign had to be built around brand building and that is the premise for building a successful online campaign.

"Marketing has changed. It's about intercepting your consumer. If you do it on campaign basis, you'll miss out on opportunities," he added.

Manish was followed by Lloyd Matthias, Marketing Director at Motorola, who used the Dove online campaign as a case study that online campaigns had to be well crafted in terms of product positioning and the audience being targeted. Apology was big on his presentation – for using digital marketing as an afterthought. "The consumer has the device with him every waking hour. Phones are doing much more - entertaining you, watching highlights, playing games. The one gadget has the power to transform lives. Most marketers have not been radical enough to take on the new-age medium. The core objective should be to build a brand that sticks to the consumer's minds. Digital media has re-defined consumer touchpoints."

Mathais' apology found echo in the "anger" of another speaker Ravi Kiran, CEO, Starcom (South East & South Asia). He took umbrage at the way the word digital was used – not as a way of being, that it is now, but as a word you sported on your visiting card. Marketers, he said, unfortunately, wore two hats. They lived a digitised life but when it came to marketing they tread the traditional path, he said.

Between the apology and the anger, Rohit Sharma, COO Zapak injected some humour in the otherwise dry world of selling. He came armed with videos that had the audience grinning as he talked viral marketing, personalisation and targeting the right audience. "I want to stress on the fact that it’s the world of digital consumer. The consumer today has become more prominent. And due to it, the world has become more about personalisation. It’s the world of screenagers. Consumers want to see only that content, which they demand. Also, the language is changing. So, it’s important for marketers to understand that language. Everyone has a story to tell. But the fact to be understood is - can you reach to all of them?"

All in all, the session seemed to throw up some interesting questions on New Media marketing, a space constantly evolving.