Game of "ODD"

                                       

Think of your favourite number.....
Is it no. 7 or any odd no. ????

I guess so, now think of the no.of mannequins you see inside the store specially outside the store. Is it odd.

Yes, it is !! And if it is not then the shopkeeper has enough sales and is confident that targeted customers will enter the store anyway.

This is because it creates asymmetry in the display, drawing the customer's attention. This is because when people look at symmetrical and balanced objects, their gaze moves away quickly because it seems to be normal; asymmetrical or unbalanced displays are thus “abnormal” and are more interesting to the eye.

The off-balance that this odd number forces the customer to gaze at the different aspects of the display, focusing on each on separately rather than have their eye take in the whole display at once.

People also tend to remember thing in group of 3 or odd in no.

Also, when shops place odd no. of mannequin generally 3, they tend to keep those many odd features may be and one and when you will look for detailing you will find one attractive among it and will focus on one which you want to buy. It just create a sense of comparison if they keep different features.

Another psychological trick of odd no. is while we are presenting something to anyone we should find odd no. of uses for that product and specially if it is done by hand symbols or with 3 product display the opponent gets more attracted and it rouses the interest.

Symmetry is pleasing to human beings, but it is also boring.

Moreover, in our personal life we tend to be more curious about thing which are happening in odd no.s. Suppose in an occasion we are seeing bunch of people enjoying and there is guy standing alone we are more interested to know why that person is standing alone rather than what the group is doing.

A slight deviation in a symmetrical display catches people's attention and could make the entire tableau more exciting.

Do you remember that our land line no. used to be 7 digits because it was easy to remember and we usually tend remember last 3 digits of those 7 no.s.

It’s said that odd numbers are considered to be masculine and even numbers are more feminine. Whether it’s because, for the most part, odd numbers tend to have a sharper, “edgy” shape, and even numbers are curvier. Eg: Elle 18, Three Amigos etc.

And, then comes the number eleven and it’s “stand out” vibe. Adding the extra digit to an otherwise clean-looking number can achieve the same effect. Eg: KFC’s 11 secret herbs & spices or Levi’s 501 Jeans the extra one helps the brand to stand out, allowing to it become more memorable instead of easily dismissive.

Take 2 pencils in front of you, Is it appealing to you?? I guess no. Now, take 3 pencils in front of you, you will now tend to look for a detail of those pencil.

So, odd is just not odd but also it's powerful.

The Apsara and Nataraj Story

What was your age when you realise that Apsara and Natraj pencils are from same company??

An enduring memory from our childhood is an advertisement in which different pencil brands race each other, with the Natraj pencil emerging the winner and the tagine ‘Natraj phir se champion’ proclaimed. But my personal favourite being Apsara Extra Dark pencils which ensures a good handwriting and an extra 5 marks (Which I needed the most).

Both the brands captured the essence in their own way be it Natraj ad which ensures the pencil gave a better grip, it would not break and it would write for a longer period than all the rest, it wouldn’t smudge, the lead was blacker and clearer, and the flow, smoother Or the Apsara with the dark edge look.

Hindustan Pencils Ltd follows a dual-brand strategy in the market. The dual-brand strategy is using two independent brands (or sub-brand) to cover the market.

I still remember it is always a fun to find out after sharpening our pencils that it has got pointy points or not, which the brand promises. Natraj and Apsara together control 60-65% of the pencil market in India.

The company’s dual brand strategy of having two independent brands offering almost the same range of products was an intelligent move both the brands have the same range of products that include pencils, erasers, sharpeners, pens, etc. Apsara has a good range of professional and drawing pencils. Apsara Pencils are priced higher than Natraj and offer more options. Nataraj is positioned as a brand that offers long-lasting quality at an affordable price. Consumers from different backgrounds, professionals and others, are thus covered and any competition from other brands is pushed to second place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvIwIJ_gmGQ

There were both advantages and disadvantages of having dual-brand strategy. For covering the different segments of consumers and good no. of consumers the strategy is effective. A kid and their parents they remain in a dilemma which pencil will be best and fetch “extra marks” with a “good handwriting”. Also, there were no positioning conflicts as two brands are independent. Moreover, it will create a tough competition for new entrants. It promotes its products among children by conducting inter-school contests and different programs for students.

Although it's users vary from students to architects, carpenters, artists and office-goers, who still use the pencil for various jobs such as writing, drawing, colouring, sketching and shading, thus making the stationery industry one that is still thriving despite the advent of tabs and laptops.

Hindustan Pencils has also diversified into manufacturing crayons, geometry sets, professional pencils, gel and ball pens, chalk, colouring sticks and chalk paints — almost the entire range of writing equipment, to be exact.

The company has gone in for backward integration to produce even the smallest components — such as sharpener blades, screws and pen tips — in-house, to keep to its own standard of delivering only the highest quality and also higher profit margin.

A Viral Too Costly

                                           

As a regularly tuned viewer of entertaining and engaging videos and as marketing student, I always wondered how one of my favourite YouTube channel TVF earns money. Is it just by selling ads and increasing no. of views and subscriber.

As a single camera costs around 4-5 lakhs and with single camera it is very difficult to shoot these videos, there will be location cost, salaries for full team (actors and staffs) along with various other costs.

Will that money for ads and views is enough for all this?????

Digging into this a little more I found an interesting story.

1. TVF had received a funding of 10 million dollars and it is now a 270 Cr business in 2016. But, this company has been established on 2010 how did they sustain this 6 years. So, after repeating this series I realised all the series are sponsored series if you look more keenly they use some products in their show or products are generally kept at background that knowingly unknowingly we seem to see and recognise those products. Unknowingly their product placement is done.

Though till pitchers they have not received any big funding it is funded from their home, but their establishment and the quality of video have actually raised interest among investors to invest in them.

Interestingly!! TVF Pitchers is also based to start-up struggling hard for funding.

2. TVF series was on YouTube primarily but slowly they built their base of subscribers and viewers and shifted them to sign in to their application and website. Also, expenses for apps are much less than YouTube, Smart!! isn't it.

Again, it happened because the youth felt TVF series is very similar to their life, they feel the connectivity and as usual if we see 1 episode our hunger for it doesn't satisfy and automatically sign in TVF website to watch full series.

3. TVF Play now shows 3rd party movie and movie which the youth generally like, if you realise it is slowly becoming the next Netflix of India with a similar website design.

4. Even they have partnered with Ola so while travelling in Ola Prime the screen in front of your seat in cab will have TVF Play options. Which youth will generally tend to choose if they are travelling for longer distance and an addict of web series like me.

Indeed, Arunabh Kumar, the founder of TVF has appropriately designed his business model with proper brand integration inspiring others and showing them new ways of doing business and how a small YouTube channel is becoming India's new Netflix.

COLOR TAILS

                                       

To see what you want your customers to see, feel what you want your customers to feel, and to do what you want customers to do colors plays an important role.

Cadbury being my one of my favorite brand of all times always gave me a thought why that brand chose rich purple as it´s packaging color, very few food brands actually chose colors like purple. It is mysterious to know that purple is a low arousal color, it is traditionally associated with royalty, majesty or nobility as well as having a spiritual or mysterious quality. Purple is best used for targeting a female audience, it doesn’t even rank for men. Although royalty and value can be seen as positive associations, they also have negative connotations, and can often communicate hastily.

Cadbury chocolate uses a dark rich purple associating their brand with luxury and quality. It’s aimed not only for children but also at the adult market. It’s not difficult to imagine indulging yourself with chocolate and getting lost in daydreaming…. Wearing Cadbury’s purple shade would probably be a fashion faux-pas.

Purple logo shows that your brand is luxurious and imaginative. Purple also represents high end products, the most expensive properties on Monopoly, Park Lane and Mayfair both had purple cards. It attracts consumers who want to be seen as wealthy or wise, as well as ones who are inclined towards a feeling of magic or mystery.

Blue creates a sense of security and trust in a brand. People are 15% more likely to retain your shop if it’s painted blue. It’s also associated with productivity, and it’s non-invasive. Blue’s sense of confidence is what makes it the favorite color used by financial institutions. The color is also known to inspire loyalty. The JP Morgan, Facebook, American Express, LinkedIn, and Dell use this color on their brands. But also the colors blue and purple have been associated with toxins and thus decrease the appetite of customers. Yet, if you notice Cafe coffee day uses the color blue, reason being blue is generally linked with relaxation. So if someone owns a coffee house where you want people to have a relaxing time and enjoy their beverages, blue and purple are your colors. Cafe Coffee Day makes abundant use of the color purple too and is one of the most popular coffee destinations in the country. On the contrary Starbucks another popular coffee destination uses green color in their logos. Starbucks’ green continually communicates ideals of calmness and sophistication, Starbucks’s green is also intended to promote international peace, not to mention stability and consistency in their product, amounts of green on their walls becomes a symbol of comfort for many people allowing them to de-stress.

Moreover, a green logo conveys the message that your company is environmentally friendly. It explains why it is so popular with organic and vegetarian brands, as well as companies that strive for ethical practices. It can also be a good choice for financial companies, since it reminds consumers of money.

Did you ever noticed from famous food brands to the brands commonly known to us lies one similarity that is the color red. From Coca-cola to KFC, Canon, Kellogg´s, Red Bull to Nestle preferred using the color red in their company logos. The color red attracts attention and evokes strong emotions from viewers.

It also causes increased heart rate and appetite, as well as a sense of urgency. That is the trick that food houses play with us. Also, brand logos in red are no doubt memorable. Red logos grab customer attention, and if you want to attract your target market towards your brand, use the color red.Isn't it interesting that the word sale is mostly written in red creating a sense of urgency to buy. The color red excites our emotions and inspires us to take action.

McDonald´s on the other hand uses yellow along with red, Yellow represents optimism, youthfulness, creates an atmosphere of positivity around the brand, it is also used to highlight the brand, you can easily detect the M of the logo from quite a far distance.

IKEA's founder select the colors from his country's national flag - Sweden.IKEA definitely uses their brand colors for full effect with their store exteriors in yellow and blue. Although Ikea brand colors are symbolic, the psychological properties of these colors are still in play. The staff are very helpful and happy. They also use a dark blue representation trust, communication and loyalty. Yellow logos generally shows that the brand is friendly. It’s also used to grab the attention of window shoppers. Although too much yellow causes' anxiety, using right proportion is much need.

Yellow not only highlights, but also it gives a sense of caution in our mind, it aware our mind, that´s why it is widely used in roads.

Another trick with colors that company plays all year long and it works all year long too is with orange and black. Orange is thought to represent playfulness, creativity, and excitement, which is why it is often used by children’s brands and companies hoping to appeal to young people, such as the kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon. Orange is also believed to stimulate an appetite or thirst — likely due to the color’s connection to citrus fruits. Mystery and darkness are perhaps the most obvious associations with the color black — especially during October. But black also signifies elegance, timelessness, sophistication and prestige. Orange and black are a striking combination — just look at a monarch butterfly or a tiger to see how incredible this pairing can be. Exciting, energetic orange plays off of sophisticated and reserved black. This type of contrast can be very powerful, conveying nuances of your brand’s personality while evoking multiple emotions from your audience. As we have already said color speaks, it depicts this company is dominant but approachable. Amazon arrow-smile is intended to “communicate the company’s mission of being the most customer-centric company in the world, most notably by depicting the ultimate expression of customer satisfaction: a smile.” Similarly,

It says this is a company that you can get excited about because it empowers you.

Black is perfect for a credit card company like Discover because the color represents power and stability. The term “in the black” means that something is financially sound. The orange, spherical “o” in the logo — reminiscent of a sun — adds energy and excitement, and emphasizes all the possibilities available with a Discover card. Putting it together we’ll notice that they don’t strictly or even overwhelmingly favor one industry and yet, the color combination is a fitting reflection of each brand because the designers paid close attention to what these colors signified.

Black being the my personal favourite color speaks a lot when it comes to business, 

 may be 3 brand examples are enough to depict about this color and what it depicts. To clarify more this is the color of sophistication, mystery, power and control. It’s the color used to sell sleek items, and brands sold to those who like reserved brands. It mostly dominates the high-end cosmetic packaging industries. Black is used to commonly target youth and a high-end audience. When used too much it can be subliminally repulsive as it will denote negativity and oppression.

Lastly, comes the most clean color.....obviously it´s white. It’s the most common color used by marketers when advertised coupons and price discounts.Some of the biggest global brands like Google use white to create contrast on their home pages. White is the color of clarity, freshness and used to spark creativity. That’s why it’s the most common color in office blocks. .We all might be thinking now why google is using so many colors in itś logo?? Logic being they are the base colors (red, blue, yellow), but they used the “green” -which is a secondary color,- as well with the idea of showing that Google isn't following the rules, it's not a conventional company.

The markets have become more competitive, and product cycles have shortened, and therefore every marketer has to exploit each rule in the book in order to generate sales. At the end of the day, every firm has to think through how their brand colors affect customer reaction and the eventual sales.