Here is how brands can add value to conversations

Conversations go a long way in building a brand, but the biggest challenge that every brand faces is: how do they start the right conversation with their consumers? Brands, which overcome this challenge, not only win over consumers’ hearts but also a bigger market share. So, what is the value that brands must add to their conversations to ensure an engaging and long-lasting relationship with today’s digitally hyperactive consumers?

Marketing heads of India’s leading brands and agencies answered this complex question at the ad:tech Delhi 2015’s keynote panel discussions on day 1. The secret mantra they revealed was simple: to add value brands shouldn’t just focus on starting their own conversations, but fit into the conversations that their target audience is interested in. “Create relevant content to win over their (consumers’) mind share, become a part of their conversation, and sustain the momentum through various digital channels that the world of Internet has opened up today,” is what all of them said in unison.

Deepak Jolly, vice-president, Public Affairs & Communication, Coca Cola India and South West Asia, shared an interesting lesson (which he picked up from Coke Studio) with the audiences and said, “When brands start focusing on consumers’ expressions and not impression, that is when they are adding value to brand conversations.”

​He also stressed on the importance of having social media conversations and the impact they can have in a poetic style. About conversations, he said, “Baat nikelgi to dur talak jayegi...so the conversations will go on. What is important for the brands is to look at the kind of conversations that are happening, analyze how they fit in to it, engage with the consumers, and then think of ways to surprise them.”

Vikas Mehta, CMO, Lowe Lintas & Partners and ED, LinInteractive also echoed the same thoughts. To explain his viewpoint he said, “The fundamental change we have observed over past half a decade almost on steroids is brands no longer have the authority to engineer the conversation...because now the conversations are happening with or without the brands. This fundamental shift has changed the way of brand building. So, now the onus is on us as brand builders to have the ability to see where we can, as a brand, fit into people’s lives, rather than tell them a story and want them to come in our lives.”

But is this all that brands can do when it comes to adding value to their conversations? “The answer is: no, brands can do a lot more only if they pick up an insight which is relevant for their brand, and start conversations around them, they will realize they are being able to create more value for themselves as well as the consumers,” said Vivek Nayer, CMO, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

He further shared an interesting example, “Five years back, we saw that people’s lifestyle were changing and they were getting more interested in weekend trips, off-roading, road trips etc.— and that is when we started Mahindra Adventure and conversations around our off-roading adventures, expeditions to India to Nepal and Bhutan, Leh Ladakh...We invited people who participated in our events to come and share their experiences, and then amplified these conversations to reach out to the masses. It did work for us.”

But not every brand can follow Mahindra & Mahindra’s suite. Each brand needs to find a relevant topic where they can fit into the conversations. They shouldn’t force fit themselves into a conversation just because it is trending at that point of time. Join a conversation, which fits well into your brand’s ideology or else steer clear of this route.

Or as Jolly puts it, “When you talk about something, then ensure that it is something that your consumers would like to talk about. For building conversations: it is important to know, that conversations have to be around your product and the relevance they add to the consumers life. The theme you choose for your brand conversation should be in line with your brand’s ideology.”

When session moderator Anita Nayyar, CEO India & South Asia, Havas Media, asked George Kovoor, Senior Creative Director, OgilvyOne to share his view point, he said, “...you are either creating content or your either joining conversations. People join only those conversations, where brands are telling a story which is real and touches their heart...Coke is doing it brilliantly; they turned their own vending machine into a complete conversation starter. Another brand that does it better is Red Bull...One of the brilliant examples from the recent times that I could think of is the campaign that British Airways ran around Valentines’ Day last year—they gave an everyday Mumbai couple a chance to rekindle their romance—their story struck a chord with the audiences because it wasn’t just one couple’s story but many of the them (audiences).”

George surely has a valid point. Content is really important for everything that brands do. When brands create content that is real, engaging and relevant, then conversations start pouring in from everywhere—you get amazing user generated content, which becomes an interesting story to share with people. The onus is not just with the brand for content creation but with users, who are actually consuming the content.

Anita beautifully summed up the entire conversation in just one line, “Baat niklegi to dur tak jayegi...as long as you are saying the right baat.”

(Image: www.elifestyleworld.com)