A case study that attempts to understand the Indian Social Media scene. The fastest growing economy after China. India has the largest consumer of mobile phones and internet in the sub-continent. Here is a study that analyses how companies have done organic Social Media Marketing in the diverse indian social structure

1. Overview · CaseStudy
Social Media Marketing
– Karthik Balasubramani

2. Dominant Platforms

3. The Numbers & Stats!
Women are more
active on Facebook
than men.. While men
are more active on
twitter
Women are generally more
active on majority of social
media sites compared to
men!
Source: Pew Research Center

4. Source: Pew Research Center
Twitter continues to be the
men's playground
Social media presence is
spread across all ages
Facebook is the dominant
social media site across all
ages!

5. 1. Success Stories – Social Media Marketing
1.1 Adidas Cricket
1.2The Axe Effect
1.3 HDFC Social Banking
1.4Volkswagen India
1.5 MTV Roadies
1.6 Indian Magazines using social media
Contents

6. adidas Cricket
Natureof Business: Businessto Customer (B2C)
Mission: Strengthen theassociation of adidaswith cricket leveraging social
media
Mission Statement: Engage, interact, spread word of mouth through social
media
Strategy: Sustained interaction and engagement waskey for building brand affinity among thetarget
audience. To createaplatform wherethecricket fanscome, discuss, consumecontent and spread
word of mouth among their peersso that it snowballsinto amovement and by thestart of world cup,
it becomestheoneplatform wherethereal cricket fanscan identify with.
Audience: Theprimary target audiencefor adidaswasin theagegroup of 14 – 19 years
extended to 25. Thisaudiencehad ahugeaffinity towardsdigital media. Their digital footprints
cover social networking, mobile, entertainment, sports, onlinevideosetc.

7. adidas Cricket
Implementation: For sustained engagement, encouraged theusersto sharetheir viewsthrough
constant cricket related conversationsbesidesother activitieslikeGames, Triviaand long term
gameslikeFantasy cricket which generated phenomenal responseson all theengagement
parameters. Sneak previewsand premiering of thenew campaign TVC’sarereleased first on
Facebook beforethey aretaken liveon TV which hasalso increased theexcitement quotient.
Around 94k usersfanned theadidascricket fan pageduring thefirst week of January 2011 making
it oneof themost explosivefan pagesglobally.
Channel: Facebook! it becamethecentral point for thelong term digital
strategy. Invited theuserson theFacebook pageto sharetheir loveand
passion for cricket with theobjectiveto maketheplatform synonymous
with cricket. Thekey platform for theactivity wastaken asFacebook
becauseit had thehighest affinity among thetarget audience.
Learnings: Social mediaasaplatform hasbeen agreat turning point for thedigital campaigns.
Thedaysof micrositesarelong gone. Social mediaprovidesthestickinessand long term attachment
which keepstheaudiencehooked on to theBrand and help develop affinity with thebrand.

8. The AXE Effect
Natureof Business: Businessto Customer (B2C)
Mission: Theideawasto retain thestrengthen theAXE brand and createbuzz
for thenewly launched AxeGoogly product
Mission Statement: Thegoal wasto createawarenessand
interaction for Axe’snew limited edition variant – Googly
Strategy: Axeenjoysadistinctive, masculineand exuberant brand personality. Theproposition that
Axehasalwaysbeen thesame. Usetheproduct in order to get an edgeover othersin the‘mating
game’. Thecommunication isthereforeconsistently fun, cheeky, irreverent and full of unexpected
surprises; and that’swhat makesit highly effective.
Impact and Results: 11500+ Monthly ActiveUserson Axe– Highest Feedback rateseen was
15.69% – Daily 5000+ new fansareadded on to thepage.
Recognition:
ABBY Awards–2011: BEST USE OF INTERNET AND DIGITAL MEDIA
CAMPAIGN INDIA – DIGITAL MEDIA AWARDS2011: Bronze– Best Viral Marketing – AxeAngelsClub
Exchange4mediapresentsIDMA 2011: Silver – Best Useof Social Networks

9. The Social Bankers
Indiaisknown for itstradeand commercefrom ancient
times. Money management hasbeen an household
activity for along time. But over time, with the
industrial revolution and capitalization of economies
financial institutionslikebankshavebecomethe
modern day money managersof theaveragecitizen.
According to arecent study conducted by UK-based
Brand FinancePlc, Indian bankscontributed 1.7 per
cent to thetotal global brand valueat US$ 14.74 billion
and grew by 19%. A study by Buzz.com revealed that
Indian bankswhether government or privatehave
started using social mediato stay in touch with their
customersand HDFC standsout asfar asleveraging
social mediaisconcerned both in termsof number of
channelsbeing used aswell asengaging with their
customers.

10. TheCampaigns
Facebook: HDFC’spageon Facebook generatesalot of feedback from users, thisservesasa
ground for them to understand their fansaswell aspromotetheir banking products. Themoney
matterssection which providesinteresting filtered financial newsand updatesbased on the
interest to their fans. Also they keep engaging their userswith interesting puzzles/jigsawsfrom
thefinancial world. Thepuzzlesinvariably led usersto associatethesolution with theschemes
that HDFC had to offer.
E.g.– During thefluctuating Gold prices, HDFC promoted itsGold Saving schemeswith its
newsfeeds. Promoting HDFC wassafer for Gold investmentsthisgenerated interest in
customersand helped loyal customersexpand their association with thebank.
Twitter: HDFC’stwitter approach isbuilt upon their Facebook approach. Sharing interesting &
relevant information with their followers, sharing new products& dealsfrom their stableand so on.
No wonder that they haveahealthy follower count of 1300+ which isgrowing on thedaily basis.
Youtube& Linkedin: HDFC Bank’scompany pageon LinkedIn hasmorethan 13,000 followers.
They haven’t leveraged thisplatform to itsfull potential yet but still having apresenceon LinkedIn
helpsthem, asthecompany stats& employeeslist can bebrowsed through to get interesting
information about them.

11. TheCampaigns
Here’sagraph showing thecomparison of different Indian bankson social media:
The grades is a score of how active the
banks are on social media
The grades are scored based on
interactivity level on social media
The channels represent the different social
networking sites

12. DasAuto!
Volkswagen (VW) isoneof theworld’sleading automobilemanufacturersand thelargest
carmaker in Europe. AsVolkswagen pursuesitsgoal of becoming thenumber one
automaker in theworld by 2018, Indiahasbecomeakey component of itsstrategy. India,
being theworld’ssecond fastest growing car market, with shipmentsexpected to morethan
doubleby 2018.
VW Indiacreated ground breaking campaignssuch astheworld’sfirst ‘talking newspaper’,
which used light-sensitivechipsto speak to readersabout Volkswagen asthey turned the
pagesof their morning newspaper. Thetalking newspaper ad created asensation in India,
and garnered worldwideattention for taking print advertising to anew level. In oneyear,
brand awarenessmorethan quadrupled, increasing from 8 percent to ahigh of 37 percent.
Volkswagen next turned to digital mediato extend itssuccessand createnew opportunities
for customersto connect with thebrand.

13. DasAuto!
Volkswagen launched aseriesof Recommendation Adsencouraging morecustomersto
join theconversation. Each ad showcased endorsementsof actual LinkedIn members,
and invited thecommunity to recommend their favoriteVolkswagen model.
Volkswagen used LinkedIn’sbroad reach (100 million membersworldwide, 9 million in
India) and precisetargeting capabilitiesto connect with professionalswho matched the
buyer profilesfor their different models.
Lutz KotheHead of Markeitng VW Indiasaid whileformulating adigital strategy,
“wehad to think out of thebox”. Rather than engaging audience, VW wanted to sell
itscarson social media! A first of akind approach on social mediathat proved sales
can betaken to social mediaand achieved! TheVW brand globally isclosely related
asasymbol of power, professional identity and presence. Thisidentity made
LinkedIn an automatic choice, asthebrand associated itself with thecorporateworld
moreeasily. Thepotential VW ownerswereout thereon LinkedIn and, when you
relateaproduct with your profession, thereisno better way to sell it.

14. DasAuto!
VW having aglobal brand peoplecould easily recogniseit. Today, an averageVW
buyer isacorporateprofessional, whoseconstantly involved in business
discussionsand professional interactions. LinkedIn helpsleveragethisprofessional
connect with itsAd promotions, which helped VW sell itscar by organic target of
customers.
ThisCampaign by VW wasagamechanger. Using asinglesocial mediachannel
effectively closeto 700 customersregistered to try VW’sNew Beetlecar. Theimpact
waseven higher with VW’sPolo and Vento models. Developing aglobal bran needs
constant updating of channelsto reach itscustomers. VW achieved it, and hascreated
customerson social media

15. TheRoadies
Roadiesareality show started in 2003, isnow entering its9th
season. A successstory scripted over
10 yearscouldn’t havebeen possiblewithout digital media. It’saclassic story of how television
wheremost of themarketing happened in theyesteryearsispromoting itself on social media. Doesit
mean that social mediaisbigger than theexpensiveTV commercial? I leavethejudgement to you!
A 9 month trans-mediacampaign which resulted in establishing MTV Roadiesasthemost talked
about brand in India. A campaign which madeMTV Roadiestheenvy of thebrand manager of every
youth brand in thecountry. Not only did Roadiesestablish itself asagiant in thesocial mediaspace
in Indiabut itsalso got Indianoticed in theInternational space(Itsin theTop 10 most engaged
Facebook pagesof thewholeworld). It busted mythsof TV content not being consumed onlineand
also mythswhich assumed Roadiesto betoo nichefor an evolved audience. A campaign which was
completely for theusersat every step and which helped tailor on-air content based on how the
audiencein thedigital spacewasresponding to previouscontent. A campaign which integrated TV,
Outdoor, Mobileand Digital Media. A perfect exampleof how acampaign should useitswebsite,
WAPsiteand social presence.

16. TheLearnings
Insightsgained:
Alwaysthink 360 degreeswhen it comesto acampaign. And think integration.
Makeeverything associal and aseasily accessibleaspossible. Integrateonemediaplatform with the
other. Short statusupdateswork. (An internal study showed that FB updateslesser than 120
charactersget morelikesthan theoneslonger than 120. Study doneafter studying 100 posts).
WHAT NEXT?
RoadiesSeason 8 ended on 18th June. Now we’ll have: RBG – RoadiesBattleGround. An online
task based program to select thefirst Roadiefor Season 9 of Roadies. Roadiesspecific content –
Over thenext few monthsdevelop content specific to theRoadiesaudienceand work on improving
theaspirational quotient of Roadies. And then wait for Season 9! Call for entries, Auditions, Journey
etc!

17. Indian Magazines
With theprint mediadiminishing slowly, companiesareusing social mediato engageitsusersto stay
moreinformed and help magazinessurvive. Thisslowdown isdueto thesuccessof onlinedigital
mediawhich auser can accessfor free. Companiesareusing social mediaplatformslikeFacebook,
Twitter etc. to increasetheir revenueby enhancing their magazinecontent. Facebook userscan share
themagazinelinkswith their friends, groupsetc. Thesimplereason behind publishing companies
going onlineisthat even though they havealargeaudiencewith theprint editions, they cannot attract
onlineparticipants. Thepower of social mediahasattracted peopleto get information on their
fingertipswithin seconds.

18. Indian Magazines
According to aresearch report conducted in 2010 by theInternet and MobileAssociation of Indiaand
market research firm IMRB, thetotal number of internet usersin Indiais71 million. Also, theamount
of timethat peoplespend onlinehasincreased from 9 hoursto almost 16 hoursaweek. Someof the
interesting aspectsasto why magazinesareusing moreof social media:
1.Real timeinformation
2.Open exchangeof ideas& opinions
3.Monetizing using social media
4.Expanding Content

19. 1. Real timeinformation
Magazinesactiveon social mediagenerally keep posting real-timeinformation to itsusersto keep
them updated. Thereadersdon’t haveto wait for adaily, weekly or even monthly publication
to find out what isgoing on. Twitter isoneof theplatformswheremagazinestend to bemore
activesharing link, updatesand posting their content. Outlook Indiaand other newsmagazines,
for examplekeep updating real timenewsand articleson twitter.
2. Open exchangeof ideas& opinions
Social mediahasbecometheplacefor peopleto exchangetheir ideasand opinionsnot only with
each other but also other stakeholdersliketheinfluencers. For example, Autocar India’s
Facebook pageprovidesaplatform for itsusersto participatein variousdiscussions. Forbes
India’sFacebook pageupdatesuserson itsmarketing campaignsand special events. They also
monitor and reply to questionsand feedback there.

20. 3. Monetizing using social media
Brandsadvertising on magazine’sFacebook pagehelp thecompany improveon ratingsand visits
by fanstoo.
GQ India, for example, hasaFacebook pageand well asaGQ Blackberry App. Therefore, readers
can accessthemagazinenot only from their personal computers, but also viaphones.
4. Expanding Content
Overdrive, amagazinethat bringsthelatest from theworld of automobileshasoptionslikepolls,
eventson itsFacebook Page. Another exampleisof GQ Indiawherein they had collaborated with
Facebook for theMen of theYear Voting in Indiacontest. Asapart of this, GQ onlinereaders
could votefor theMost Stylish Man of theYear using their Facebook account.

21. Indian Magazines
Conclusion: Theideaof using social mediaand encouraging readersto
accessinformation onlinehasfuelled theoverall user base. But, there
isstill afar way to go when wecan say that old mediahascompletely
strained out, which meansthat thenew mediastill needstheold media
to survive. Print magazinesand social mediado work well together.
Having astatic product outsideand incorporating thesameonlineis
surely agamewinning strategy.

22. Conclusion
Facebook isthenew hangout of themodern age. It hasbecomethat placeto which peoplecarry
their personal and professional conversations. When thereisaplacewherealargegroup of
peoplearecongregating on aregular basis, it createsan ideal environment to sell your products.
ImaginealargescaleComic Con. All 365 daysayear, aplatform whereyou can interact with
your customerseveryday. Thisispossibleonly on social media. For thesuccessof any
product/businessit hasto reach theright audience. When your businessreachestheright
people/audienceit helpsyou build your brand and expand your business.
Thesuccessstoriesin thisstudy havenarrated how social mediawasused intelligently rather
than just going around doing random posts. Wehaveto accept that social mediahasto be
handled with intelligence. Social mediahelpspeopleconnect with your brand, loyalty grows
when your customer isstill awareof what ishappening with abrand that heuseseveryday.

23. Social Media Monetization
Karthik Balasubramani
Follow Me! @kartzb /kartzb