At the end of the 2nd day there was an open house discussion between the speakers and the audience. The audience was invited to raise any questions regarding the topic and have an open discussion with the speakers.
The first question raised by one of the GIM students questioned the change that will be seen in the industries and in job opportunities after implementation of social media. Mr. Gaurav Mishra responded to this question by saying that currently having basic understanding of how the social media works and how it is beneficial to any organisation is important. The industries should realise the opportunity they have for promoting products through social media .Mr. Sanjay Sahay further emphasized that in near future big organisations will have social media as a mainstream division. The discussion went on discussing the copyright issues of the content on the social media sites and the importance of social media in B2B sales.
The of thanks was delivered by Ms. Swati Atitkar, faculty at Goa Institute of Management.
A video promising to come back with a better & bigger Samriddhi 2011 aptly brought the conference to a close.
We would take this opportunity to thank Medha Chaturvedi (Kshitiz), Kaveri Kshirsagar (Kshitiz), Aditi Shanbhag, Srinath Balakrishnan, Chandramouli Muthiah & Deepika Kaur for the real time updates! Really appreciate the effort!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Mr. Sanjay Sahay: Head (Online Marketing) - Infosys Technologies
An Infosys veteran for the past 7 years, Sanjay has an expertise in building, executing and quantifying internet marketing programs, community building, social media marketing and eCRM initiatives. He spoke on the Return of Investment through Social Media throwing light on the expenses incurred on various social media tools which range from free to quite costly ones. There is a high people cost in terms of technology, time, money and human resource invested.
Sanjay threw up various interesting facts about the current status of social media. It is startling that 43% CMOs don’t even measure the impact of social media. Many organizations spend just about 2% of the marketing expenditure on viral marketing. It is important to understand social media to define the ROI generated. Social media is not just marketing. It touches each and every aspect of the organization. Research on how professionals use social media reveals that 57% use it for marketing. It is also used for internal collaboration and learning, recruitment etc.
The most common goals while utilising social media are increasing revenue, improving operations, building loyalty and engagement and increasing brand visibility. The ROI through social media can be measured in terms of short or long term and directly or indirectly achieved financial gains. He explained how Infosys utilises the method via Sales Leads at blogs, twitter and LinkedIn to reduce the cost of outreach. From a brand perspective, blogs enable thought leadership and foster customer loyalty. At Infosys, the sales due to blogs have been over $15 Million.
Sanjay explained how Intel saves about $500,000 per event by utilising customer communities to disseminate information. He also touched upon Levis’ Integrated Marketing Campaign. Companies which use social media effectively are able to engage with customers and redress their grievances in real time.
He predicted that emerging economies would lead the future with a lot of exciting developments in social media such as Mobile Social Network Users, Social Gaming and Virtual Goods, local advertisements and limited time discounts on mobile phones. Social Profile Portability would influence the economy. Governance and Privacy is another area in the midst of a whirlwind of change.
Sanjay threw up various interesting facts about the current status of social media. It is startling that 43% CMOs don’t even measure the impact of social media. Many organizations spend just about 2% of the marketing expenditure on viral marketing. It is important to understand social media to define the ROI generated. Social media is not just marketing. It touches each and every aspect of the organization. Research on how professionals use social media reveals that 57% use it for marketing. It is also used for internal collaboration and learning, recruitment etc.
The most common goals while utilising social media are increasing revenue, improving operations, building loyalty and engagement and increasing brand visibility. The ROI through social media can be measured in terms of short or long term and directly or indirectly achieved financial gains. He explained how Infosys utilises the method via Sales Leads at blogs, twitter and LinkedIn to reduce the cost of outreach. From a brand perspective, blogs enable thought leadership and foster customer loyalty. At Infosys, the sales due to blogs have been over $15 Million.
Sanjay explained how Intel saves about $500,000 per event by utilising customer communities to disseminate information. He also touched upon Levis’ Integrated Marketing Campaign. Companies which use social media effectively are able to engage with customers and redress their grievances in real time.
He predicted that emerging economies would lead the future with a lot of exciting developments in social media such as Mobile Social Network Users, Social Gaming and Virtual Goods, local advertisements and limited time discounts on mobile phones. Social Profile Portability would influence the economy. Governance and Privacy is another area in the midst of a whirlwind of change.
Mr. Abdul Khan, VP – Marketing, Tata Docomo
Mr. Khan spoke about the modern marketer’s approach towards Social Media. Marketers recognize the arrival of Social Media, but are not yet sure of how to capitalize on it. Most marketing managers spend on Social Media either because a competitor is doing it or because of the big buzz around it.
There seems to be herd mentality in its adoption as a media tool. ‘Look at Social Media as a group of people rather than as a medium of advertising.’ Tata Docomo believes that ‘YOU’ are the people that matter. It ‘un-telecomed’ the telecom sector by replacing minute billing with per second billing, a change that it is proud of having initiated, consequently provoking competition to make the switch as well. He identified a few trends that need to be taken seriously.
• Freedom in everything (choice, expression, medium)
• Transparency is growing with this open channel
• Co-create (Today, Marketing is a series of conversations. Marketers need to understand
how to have a series of conversations, keeping the brand thought in mind). In this
regard, Docomo conducted an animation contest. The winning entry was aired as Docomo’s
TVC for a period of time. This one-off gratification created a buzz and sourced a large
crowd to the issue on Social Media, benefitting brand interest and discussion. This is
the kind of harmless provoke that he endorsed.
• Collaborate with the user
• Social Media is a realistic marketing choice because it calls for the marketer to
‘Do the new’, is untapped and offers a significant Target Group Connect
• Marketing on Social Media is best kept, Simple.
• Strategy in Social Media should include these 5 activities
o Brand Advocacy
o Address issues
o Crowd Sourcing
o Engage user
o Micro Communication
Mr. Khan advised the following or effective marketing on this medium
• Stay Fresh Always
• Don’t Hard Sell – ‘Engage’
• Have a point of view
Mr. Khan concluded by saying that it is important to gratify and integrate, to successfully leverage the medium for growth.
There seems to be herd mentality in its adoption as a media tool. ‘Look at Social Media as a group of people rather than as a medium of advertising.’ Tata Docomo believes that ‘YOU’ are the people that matter. It ‘un-telecomed’ the telecom sector by replacing minute billing with per second billing, a change that it is proud of having initiated, consequently provoking competition to make the switch as well. He identified a few trends that need to be taken seriously.
• Freedom in everything (choice, expression, medium)
• Transparency is growing with this open channel
• Co-create (Today, Marketing is a series of conversations. Marketers need to understand
how to have a series of conversations, keeping the brand thought in mind). In this
regard, Docomo conducted an animation contest. The winning entry was aired as Docomo’s
TVC for a period of time. This one-off gratification created a buzz and sourced a large
crowd to the issue on Social Media, benefitting brand interest and discussion. This is
the kind of harmless provoke that he endorsed.
• Collaborate with the user
• Social Media is a realistic marketing choice because it calls for the marketer to
‘Do the new’, is untapped and offers a significant Target Group Connect
• Marketing on Social Media is best kept, Simple.
• Strategy in Social Media should include these 5 activities
o Brand Advocacy
o Address issues
o Crowd Sourcing
o Engage user
o Micro Communication
Mr. Khan advised the following or effective marketing on this medium
• Stay Fresh Always
• Don’t Hard Sell – ‘Engage’
• Have a point of view
Mr. Khan concluded by saying that it is important to gratify and integrate, to successfully leverage the medium for growth.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Rajiv Dingra : Founder and CEO of WATMedia
Mr.Rajiv Dingra had a very interactive session in which he emphasized the financial implication of using social media as compared to the traditional media . Mr.Dingra started the session by defining the 4 Cs of doing business consists : Connect , Converse , Collaborate , Co-Create
As Mr. Dingra explained, connect is the way the two parties communicate with each other. Traditionally the ways of communicating were through letters, newspapers, television etc. While this looks like an efficient way of communicating with many people at once there is no way of measuring how much impact was caused by the advertisement. Contrary in case of social media measuring the number and the length of comments the response can be judged more accurately.
Mr.Dingra next went on to explain the next C that is Converse. In traditional media like newspapers , television , radio conversation is one way. Getting the consumer to respond by means of telephone or mail takes a lot of time and money. Mr. Dingra emphasized that the main difference between the social media and any other means of media was the distributed network effect. It is the ripple effect which one conversation creates by multiplying into many more conversations. Using any other media it is very time consuming to get the same impact of the distributed network effect and also costs more. Also there is no guarantee of the response from the target audience.
Next C is the collaboration which Mr. Dingra said was easily possible by means of social media and very difficult to achieve using other media like newspapers, radio etc. Options like google docs, maps make collaboration in social media very easy which cannot be done using other forms of media.
The last C as explained by Mr.Dingra was to Co- create. Co- create is creating value by both the parties. As measuring the response of the audience is more achievable using social media co –create is more achievable in social media.
Mr.Dingra then went on to explain the future trends in social media. The most important trend is the rising trend of using internet on mobile phones. The combination of mobile and social media can redefine the way social media is perceived. Social media has an edge on 3 factors which are real time, timeliness and relevance. With increase in the number of users using internet on mobile phones , the impact of these three factors will be more significant.
The other future trends in social media according to Mr.Dingra are business networking, knowledge networking , business application that enable workforce , education 2.0 , government 2.0 etc.
As Mr. Dingra explained, connect is the way the two parties communicate with each other. Traditionally the ways of communicating were through letters, newspapers, television etc. While this looks like an efficient way of communicating with many people at once there is no way of measuring how much impact was caused by the advertisement. Contrary in case of social media measuring the number and the length of comments the response can be judged more accurately.
Mr.Dingra next went on to explain the next C that is Converse. In traditional media like newspapers , television , radio conversation is one way. Getting the consumer to respond by means of telephone or mail takes a lot of time and money. Mr. Dingra emphasized that the main difference between the social media and any other means of media was the distributed network effect. It is the ripple effect which one conversation creates by multiplying into many more conversations. Using any other media it is very time consuming to get the same impact of the distributed network effect and also costs more. Also there is no guarantee of the response from the target audience.
Next C is the collaboration which Mr. Dingra said was easily possible by means of social media and very difficult to achieve using other media like newspapers, radio etc. Options like google docs, maps make collaboration in social media very easy which cannot be done using other forms of media.
The last C as explained by Mr.Dingra was to Co- create. Co- create is creating value by both the parties. As measuring the response of the audience is more achievable using social media co –create is more achievable in social media.
Mr.Dingra then went on to explain the future trends in social media. The most important trend is the rising trend of using internet on mobile phones. The combination of mobile and social media can redefine the way social media is perceived. Social media has an edge on 3 factors which are real time, timeliness and relevance. With increase in the number of users using internet on mobile phones , the impact of these three factors will be more significant.
The other future trends in social media according to Mr.Dingra are business networking, knowledge networking , business application that enable workforce , education 2.0 , government 2.0 etc.
Mr. Arun Nair, Sr Manager Marketing & Head Online Initiatives at Club Mahindra
Mr. Arun Nair shattered commonly believed myths about Social Media. The biggest myth is that Social Media and financial gains are like chalk and cheese. However, we must realise that today purchases are influenced by what people say to each other in real time. Social Media is a catalyst for change. It enhances the Return on Investment (ROI) by increasing influence and engagement with the customer. It compliments and magnifies the impact of conventional advertisement campaigns. Social Media leads to more sales, increased brand recall at reduced costs.
The second prevalent myth is, ‘Social Media is just about conversations, word of mouth and advocacy. How do you measure that?’ The impact of Social Media is measurable, but with the right metrics. Moreover, it benefits the organization more than just boosting sales. To take maximum advantage of the Media, one must be clear about one’s objectives. Expectations must be set accordingly and the right metrics should be used to quantify impact and ROI. The right metrics include the number of people that join a discussion group, the reduction in support costs, the number of new customers and importantly – the number of influential people who mention something about one’s organization via tweets, blogs etc.
It is important to use the right tools to analyse the impact of Social Media. Tools like Google Analytics, Twitter Grader, Twitter Search, Technorati and Klout are widely available. Bit.ly quantifies the number of clicks a particular web page receives. Alexa ranks the website, indicating how successful a website is.
Mr. Nair gave examples of various organizations that have used Social Media successfully. While Intel wanted to turn customers into fans, Dell wanted to improve its image and Stanford University wanted to increase alumni and student affinity. The tactics used varied from recruiting prominent bloggers, directly responding to all mentions of the organizations on Blogs, Twitter etc. The benefits achieved were immense in terms of good suggestions received, increase in sales and reduction in advertising expenditure.
He also showed a video on Social Media ROI – SOCIALNOMICS which described the unbelievable financial impact of Social Media. It is a media which enables us to reach the maximum audience with absolutely zero expenditure! It has immense possibilities and exciting opportunities for growth. The future belongs to organizations that can exploit this potential of Social Media.
The second prevalent myth is, ‘Social Media is just about conversations, word of mouth and advocacy. How do you measure that?’ The impact of Social Media is measurable, but with the right metrics. Moreover, it benefits the organization more than just boosting sales. To take maximum advantage of the Media, one must be clear about one’s objectives. Expectations must be set accordingly and the right metrics should be used to quantify impact and ROI. The right metrics include the number of people that join a discussion group, the reduction in support costs, the number of new customers and importantly – the number of influential people who mention something about one’s organization via tweets, blogs etc.
It is important to use the right tools to analyse the impact of Social Media. Tools like Google Analytics, Twitter Grader, Twitter Search, Technorati and Klout are widely available. Bit.ly quantifies the number of clicks a particular web page receives. Alexa ranks the website, indicating how successful a website is.
Mr. Nair gave examples of various organizations that have used Social Media successfully. While Intel wanted to turn customers into fans, Dell wanted to improve its image and Stanford University wanted to increase alumni and student affinity. The tactics used varied from recruiting prominent bloggers, directly responding to all mentions of the organizations on Blogs, Twitter etc. The benefits achieved were immense in terms of good suggestions received, increase in sales and reduction in advertising expenditure.
He also showed a video on Social Media ROI – SOCIALNOMICS which described the unbelievable financial impact of Social Media. It is a media which enables us to reach the maximum audience with absolutely zero expenditure! It has immense possibilities and exciting opportunities for growth. The future belongs to organizations that can exploit this potential of Social Media.
Student Delegate Speaker - GIM, Goa
The student delegate speaker Ms. Nidhi Mantri from Goa Institute of Management shared her social media plan to the audience. She started her presentation with the details of the Balcoan Paradise group of hotels. The various facilities which will be available like the conference rooms, leisure activities, their USP being the authentic Goan food which will be prepared by trained chefs. She went on to explain the target markets which were foreigners, middle and upper class and tours and travels companies. The marketing strategy she suggested various steps starting with blogging, RSS that is really simple syndication, social search and finally social benchmarking on social networking sites like facebook, twitter etc. She explained the daily and weekly activities that would form the plan of action and concluded with the measuring qualitative and quantitative benefits using various tools.
Team 5: IIM – Kozhikode
Prepared by Sudipt and Shailendra, the Social Media Plan had a comprehensive agenda for Balcaon Paradise Resort. They targeted domestic travellers in the higher income range, foreign travellers and corporate houses in the age group of 20-35 years. Shailendra presented a detailed Competitor Analysis on the basis of presence on various social media sites as Facebook, Linked In, Youtube, TripAdvisor etc. A Channel Analysis of the cost structure and reach of various websites was made.
They made recommendations for the short, medium and long term. The short term strategy consisted of aggressive marketing during the tourist season via paid channels. They planned to utilise both paid and free channels in the medium term. The long term plan was to have regular visibility across all target segments through consistent efforts.
They made recommendations for the short, medium and long term. The short term strategy consisted of aggressive marketing during the tourist season via paid channels. They planned to utilise both paid and free channels in the medium term. The long term plan was to have regular visibility across all target segments through consistent efforts.
Team 4: MICA
Onkar and Yasha from MICA chose a very unique way to present their Social Media Plan. They started with a story about three different characters Joshua a photographer , Mr.Sharma who has come for a family vacation and Mr. Rohit an HR executive who wants to hold a conference in Goa. These customers essentially represent the different target groups which the Balcoan group of hotels should target .They also had a fourth target group in the story Mr. and Mrs. Verma who had come for their wedding anniversary . This represented the the potential brides and grooms looking for a unique location to have a memorial wedding .
The ways to reaching out to all these groups was through social networking sites , blogspots , travel planning sites etc . They also suggested advertising their excellent facilities for weddings through matrimonial sites. The measuring tools used will be social media monitoring , keyword targeting , google analytics , noise elimination and refined mentions . They ended their presentation with estimated costs and expectations from the marketing strategy within a span of 200 days .
The ways to reaching out to all these groups was through social networking sites , blogspots , travel planning sites etc . They also suggested advertising their excellent facilities for weddings through matrimonial sites. The measuring tools used will be social media monitoring , keyword targeting , google analytics , noise elimination and refined mentions . They ended their presentation with estimated costs and expectations from the marketing strategy within a span of 200 days .
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Team 3: IIFT – Kolkata
The marketing plan was prepared by Siddhart Deswal and Kshitija Khade. Siddhart presented a well researched plan for Balcaon Paradise Resort. The target audience consisted of the local, as also foreign travellers, specifically from U.S and Western Europe. They had planned an intensive eight month marketing strategy starting August, 2010. The first two months would be dedicated to identifying the influencers in the market. In October a blog would be started.
They wanted to make the marketing communication highly personal by modes like tagging picture on Facebook and having guest posts on the Hotel’s blog. They focussed on the local culture, festivals and handicrafts throughout the eight months so as to create a strong presence through constant engagement with the target audience. Their main focus was on building relationships with their target customers.
They wanted to make the marketing communication highly personal by modes like tagging picture on Facebook and having guest posts on the Hotel’s blog. They focussed on the local culture, festivals and handicrafts throughout the eight months so as to create a strong presence through constant engagement with the target audience. Their main focus was on building relationships with their target customers.
Team 2 : SIBM – Pune
Soumik and Aseem had come prepared with a detailed agenda for their presentation. They started by highlighting the current market situation in the hospitality sector in Goa, the strength of the possible competitors Balcoan may have. They also specified the strengths , opportunities weaknesses , threats that maybe faced by the Balcoan Group of Hotels .They also had a clear target market and the preferred segmentation defined .
Their marketing strategy consisted of 3 stages Create-Manage-Monitor. Create stage included creating blogs, web pages etc on the social networking sites , Manage stage included cross linking the channels , growing of fan base etc. Monitor phase was creating awareness, converting of potential customers , maintaining relationships with customers and keeping the customers engaged.
They concluded their presentation with expected results, timelines considering 9 week schedule and value generated in terms of profit.
Their marketing strategy consisted of 3 stages Create-Manage-Monitor. Create stage included creating blogs, web pages etc on the social networking sites , Manage stage included cross linking the channels , growing of fan base etc. Monitor phase was creating awareness, converting of potential customers , maintaining relationships with customers and keeping the customers engaged.
They concluded their presentation with expected results, timelines considering 9 week schedule and value generated in terms of profit.
Team 1 : SIES –Navi Mumbai
Gaurav Tyagi and Sorbojit Dasgupta presented a marketing plan for Balcaon Paradise Resort wherein they emphasised on the creation of a database of like-minded people from social media websites. This database should be sent humorous and innovative micro videos and advertisements via e-mail.
Quality content should be presented through a dedicated blog -engaging users through videos, contests and User Generated Content. Post creating a buzz in the world of social media, marketing can be done via Twitter, Linked In and LION. Online reputation Management Tools and Social Media on Mobile Phones can be used to give Balcaon the extra edge.
The team intended to create a roar in the virtual world through their innovative and unique strategies.
Quality content should be presented through a dedicated blog -engaging users through videos, contests and User Generated Content. Post creating a buzz in the world of social media, marketing can be done via Twitter, Linked In and LION. Online reputation Management Tools and Social Media on Mobile Phones can be used to give Balcaon the extra edge.
The team intended to create a roar in the virtual world through their innovative and unique strategies.
BUZZZIT!
BuzzzIt is the Social Media Plan competition organised as part of Samriddhi'10 .The participants had to design a marketing campaign using social networking and social media tools .Buzzit received an overwhelming response with 145 teams participating in Stage 1 from the best B-Schools across the country like IIMs,FMS, SIBM, IIFT, MICA, Great Lakes, SCMHRD, etc.
In the first stage of this competition teams submitted their marketing strategies out of which 5 teams were shortlisted for stage 2. The Shortlisted teams were SIES, Mumbai , SIBM –Pune , IIFT –Kolkata , MICA , IIM – Kozikode
.
The judges are Rajesh Lalwani Founder, Blogworks, Rajiv Dingra, Founder and CEO WAT Media Arun Nair, Senior Manager, Club Mahindra & Swati Atitkar , Asssociate Professor Goa Institute of Management ,
In the first stage of this competition teams submitted their marketing strategies out of which 5 teams were shortlisted for stage 2. The Shortlisted teams were SIES, Mumbai , SIBM –Pune , IIFT –Kolkata , MICA , IIM – Kozikode
.
The judges are Rajesh Lalwani Founder, Blogworks, Rajiv Dingra, Founder and CEO WAT Media Arun Nair, Senior Manager, Club Mahindra & Swati Atitkar , Asssociate Professor Goa Institute of Management ,
Panel discussion on Security in Social Media
The panel comprised Gaurav Mishra (Writer & Speaker at Gauravonomics) who chaired the discussion along with Mr. Deepak Gopalakrishnan (Windchimes Communications), Mr. Karthik Subramanian (Assistant Editor - The Hindu), Mr. Arun Nair (Marketing Head - Online Initiatives, Club Mahindra) and Mr. Rajesh Lalwani (Founder, Blogworks).
Mr. Mishra started the discussion by posing a question to the panel-“People say that if you are not on Google then you do not exist. Is this true?” The panel agreed that it matters for the people who want to be found via social media and not for others. For example, people pursuing alternate job opportunities connect to prospective employers via sites like LinkedIn.
The next question that Mr. Mishra raised was-“What about people not on Facebook?” This question was raised to the audience. Three people in the audience claimed that they did not use Facebook. They said that privacy is an issue and that they were afraid that their data might be sold to other companies for profit. They also preferred face to face interaction over interaction over social media.
The next question that Mr. Mishra raised was-“When people turn 18, should they be allowed to change and correct their name to clean out their past mistakes on social medium?” In response, Mr.Lalwani commented that a lot of people born in this generation flaunt their indiscretions.
Mr. Subramanian raised an interesting point by asking the audience if they were aware of how to delete their online profiles on networking sites. “Did we know how long our personal data resides on the Google servers? What is Google doing with our data? Did we realize who the owner of our personal data is?” These were some issues that Mr. Subramanian coaxed the audience to think about.
Personal data is the property of the social networking site that we use. Mr. Mishra commented that on Facebook you decide what you want to put in public whereas in case of Google the algorithm decides on the details that should be shown to marketers. Mr. Subramanian noted that many people are not aware of this fact.
Mr. Lalwani went on to say that the dynamics of Google and Facebook are similar. The more granular the choices, the more likely people are to share their data. That is why Facebook has more granular settings regarding choices for privacy. Facebook sets the privacy settings as default open. Many people do not know how to close this option. The need of the hour is to educate people on how to use this tool effectively and protect their privacy.
The discussion then moved on to discuss whether people in general were agreeable to the idea that marketers use the data of people posted on websites to present them with personalized advertisements. Some people expressed their anxiety with the idea that their data is being shared. Mr. Lalwani consequently suggested three concepts of maintaining privacy-the first being one’s own privacy on which one has control, the second being other’s privacy-by ‘tagging’ someone else in one’s photos or tweeting about someone else, one could invade the privacy of others. The third concept was about leaking confidential information about an organization or country inadvertently.
The concept of privacy was declared a myth and it was recognized in the discussion that more digital we become, the more difficult it is to control information.
Mr. Mishra started the discussion by posing a question to the panel-“People say that if you are not on Google then you do not exist. Is this true?” The panel agreed that it matters for the people who want to be found via social media and not for others. For example, people pursuing alternate job opportunities connect to prospective employers via sites like LinkedIn.
The next question that Mr. Mishra raised was-“What about people not on Facebook?” This question was raised to the audience. Three people in the audience claimed that they did not use Facebook. They said that privacy is an issue and that they were afraid that their data might be sold to other companies for profit. They also preferred face to face interaction over interaction over social media.
The next question that Mr. Mishra raised was-“When people turn 18, should they be allowed to change and correct their name to clean out their past mistakes on social medium?” In response, Mr.Lalwani commented that a lot of people born in this generation flaunt their indiscretions.
Mr. Subramanian raised an interesting point by asking the audience if they were aware of how to delete their online profiles on networking sites. “Did we know how long our personal data resides on the Google servers? What is Google doing with our data? Did we realize who the owner of our personal data is?” These were some issues that Mr. Subramanian coaxed the audience to think about.
Personal data is the property of the social networking site that we use. Mr. Mishra commented that on Facebook you decide what you want to put in public whereas in case of Google the algorithm decides on the details that should be shown to marketers. Mr. Subramanian noted that many people are not aware of this fact.
Mr. Lalwani went on to say that the dynamics of Google and Facebook are similar. The more granular the choices, the more likely people are to share their data. That is why Facebook has more granular settings regarding choices for privacy. Facebook sets the privacy settings as default open. Many people do not know how to close this option. The need of the hour is to educate people on how to use this tool effectively and protect their privacy.
The discussion then moved on to discuss whether people in general were agreeable to the idea that marketers use the data of people posted on websites to present them with personalized advertisements. Some people expressed their anxiety with the idea that their data is being shared. Mr. Lalwani consequently suggested three concepts of maintaining privacy-the first being one’s own privacy on which one has control, the second being other’s privacy-by ‘tagging’ someone else in one’s photos or tweeting about someone else, one could invade the privacy of others. The third concept was about leaking confidential information about an organization or country inadvertently.
The concept of privacy was declared a myth and it was recognized in the discussion that more digital we become, the more difficult it is to control information.
Karthik Subramanian: Assistant Editor - The Hindu
Mr. Subramanian majorly spoke about the competition and collaboration between traditional and social media. Before starting his speech, he shared with the audience an insightful video about the evolution of social media over the years and the likely future of social media.
He then put forward the big question-whether the era of social media would mark the end of traditional media? In his opinion, such a scenario was unlikely to occur in India in the near future. Even as social media is gaining popularity, its reach in India is still limited to 7.1% of the population as compared to the 59% penetration of traditional media like television and print media.
Quoting the example of his own organization, The Hindu, he mentioned how the social media trend had not picked up much. The online version of one of India’s most popular dailies still remains in its skeletal form. He went on to observe that most companies are still quite reluctant to go online. Not only that, they do not perceive social media as a potential threat to their traditional media techniques.
Mr. Subramanian suggested that the importance and potential of social media can be conveyed to skeptics by showing them the benefits of using social media as compared to traditional media in terms of cost of delivery. He spoke about the revolutionary use of mobile phones as a medium of content delivery in remote areas in Africa, where traditional media like televisions and newsletter could not penetrate.
One reason why organizations are not in the favour of using social media is because of the amount of noise they have to deal with. Filtering and moderating prove to be a huge challenge for newsletters which allow comments from readers on their websites.
However, social media is gradually penetrating the realm of journalism. Much to the chagrin of professional photo journalists, National Geographic has started choosing their cover page illustrations from Flickr accounts, paying as little as $100 to the photographers. Many other such examples can be observed.
He concluded by saying that though social media is not likely to overtake tradition media in India in the near future, there is an enormous scope for collaboration between the two, and together the two media can create a gigantic impact in the area of business.
He then put forward the big question-whether the era of social media would mark the end of traditional media? In his opinion, such a scenario was unlikely to occur in India in the near future. Even as social media is gaining popularity, its reach in India is still limited to 7.1% of the population as compared to the 59% penetration of traditional media like television and print media.
Quoting the example of his own organization, The Hindu, he mentioned how the social media trend had not picked up much. The online version of one of India’s most popular dailies still remains in its skeletal form. He went on to observe that most companies are still quite reluctant to go online. Not only that, they do not perceive social media as a potential threat to their traditional media techniques.
Mr. Subramanian suggested that the importance and potential of social media can be conveyed to skeptics by showing them the benefits of using social media as compared to traditional media in terms of cost of delivery. He spoke about the revolutionary use of mobile phones as a medium of content delivery in remote areas in Africa, where traditional media like televisions and newsletter could not penetrate.
One reason why organizations are not in the favour of using social media is because of the amount of noise they have to deal with. Filtering and moderating prove to be a huge challenge for newsletters which allow comments from readers on their websites.
However, social media is gradually penetrating the realm of journalism. Much to the chagrin of professional photo journalists, National Geographic has started choosing their cover page illustrations from Flickr accounts, paying as little as $100 to the photographers. Many other such examples can be observed.
He concluded by saying that though social media is not likely to overtake tradition media in India in the near future, there is an enormous scope for collaboration between the two, and together the two media can create a gigantic impact in the area of business.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Deepak Gopalakrishnan: Windchimes Communications
According to Mr. Gopalakrishnan, social media has evolved from filtered ‘Letters to the Editor’ to the unfiltered communication power that internet users enjoy today. A burgeoning number of buyers research and compare products online, before making purchases. He defined social media marketing as ‘the art of influencing online conversations.’ In the Indian scenario, where do Social Media and Traditional Media complete against one another, the following points of difference are observed:
Traditional Media
• Reach
• Familiarity for consumers
o For content creators
o For companies
o For plannners and media buyers
• Ratings and measurements are in place
• Credibility of content (verified, professional)
Social media
• The right audience is easy to find
• Engagement and interaction
• Measurability {more accurate than traditional media, both qualitative and quantitative)
• Cost Effective (Cheaper than traditional media)
Addressing the question as to why businesses should go social, he said that with the changes in the demographics and more and more people using the online medium to communicate across all ages, the social media platform offers the scope to influence people’s conversations and mindsets. If done carefully these, could create significant patronage for brands. Social media also offers the opportunity to air and conduct engaging material and contests respectively.
He also spoke about whether or not social media works for any brand. In his view, social media works only for brands that fit the medium. Young, vibrant, brands with a large customer chunk online can us this medium. Brands whose customers aren’t active online, wouldn’t see much sense in participating in this medium.
Social Media spreads messages, positive and negative at lightning speed. Some examples given by him were “The Pink Chaddi” campaign, “MeterJam” in Mumbai and Barack Obama’s online Presidential Campaign. Social Media also has the power to build or kill a brand. Nestle made an unpopular response to online posts that alleged it with polluting the environment, by saying that users have no right to make statements about it, online. This fueled the fire and angst of the disgruntled online commentators, against the company and eventually ended with Nestle, apologizing for its statement. Such things can kill brand images.
Deepak was of the opinion that Traditional Media and Social Media will co-exist with each other in the future. Traditional Media will evolve and continue to adapt by building competencies. Things will keep evolving and people will keep talking on different mediums
Traditional Media
• Reach
• Familiarity for consumers
o For content creators
o For companies
o For plannners and media buyers
• Ratings and measurements are in place
• Credibility of content (verified, professional)
Social media
• The right audience is easy to find
• Engagement and interaction
• Measurability {more accurate than traditional media, both qualitative and quantitative)
• Cost Effective (Cheaper than traditional media)
Addressing the question as to why businesses should go social, he said that with the changes in the demographics and more and more people using the online medium to communicate across all ages, the social media platform offers the scope to influence people’s conversations and mindsets. If done carefully these, could create significant patronage for brands. Social media also offers the opportunity to air and conduct engaging material and contests respectively.
He also spoke about whether or not social media works for any brand. In his view, social media works only for brands that fit the medium. Young, vibrant, brands with a large customer chunk online can us this medium. Brands whose customers aren’t active online, wouldn’t see much sense in participating in this medium.
Social Media spreads messages, positive and negative at lightning speed. Some examples given by him were “The Pink Chaddi” campaign, “MeterJam” in Mumbai and Barack Obama’s online Presidential Campaign. Social Media also has the power to build or kill a brand. Nestle made an unpopular response to online posts that alleged it with polluting the environment, by saying that users have no right to make statements about it, online. This fueled the fire and angst of the disgruntled online commentators, against the company and eventually ended with Nestle, apologizing for its statement. Such things can kill brand images.
Deepak was of the opinion that Traditional Media and Social Media will co-exist with each other in the future. Traditional Media will evolve and continue to adapt by building competencies. Things will keep evolving and people will keep talking on different mediums
Ratish Nair : Co-Founder - Ad Magnet
Mr. Nair initiated his speech by describing social media as a “new wine in a new bottle”. He highlighted the growing importance of social media by stating that 71 million Indians are online and that they are spending an enormous amount of time on the internet. 70% of these people make use of social media. Needless to say, social media has the potential to become an important mass media in India.
Numerous businesses have discovered this potential and are using social media for achieving various objectives like brand recognition and brand monitoring. Whereas only 10% people trust advertisements, a sizable 30% trust the opinions of their peers. Considering this, social media gives brands a massive opportunity to reach out to customers. Grievance handling and enhancing customer service are other areas that companies like CCD and Jet Airways have made use of with the help of social media.
To illustrate the success of the medium, Mr. Nair gave the example of Jet Airways which has used social media in a big way and has achieved sizeable results in very little time. While not so long ago, almost 90% of the feedback Jet Airways received on the internet was negative. After their online campaign, there negative responses were reduced to about 50%. Thus Jet Airways has adopted a long term social media strategy.
Other companies such as Dabur, Intel, Fedex and Toyota have a short term and tactical social media strategies that have proved to be quite successful. Bingo used the “Mad Angles” Campaign on Facebook by creating an application that allowed users to display their status messages upside down and this application received a huge response.
The revolutionary online campaign of Old Spice’s body was-“The man your man could smell like” elicited a colossal response and grew to be one of the most successful campaigns in the history of social media. Another example is that of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign on the internet which not only earned him a tremendous amount of campaign money as well the popularity that made him President.
With the help of these fascinating illustrations and captivating videos, Mr. Nair enlightened the audience on the sheer power of social media as a tool for popularizing brands and addressing customers’ concerns.
Numerous businesses have discovered this potential and are using social media for achieving various objectives like brand recognition and brand monitoring. Whereas only 10% people trust advertisements, a sizable 30% trust the opinions of their peers. Considering this, social media gives brands a massive opportunity to reach out to customers. Grievance handling and enhancing customer service are other areas that companies like CCD and Jet Airways have made use of with the help of social media.
To illustrate the success of the medium, Mr. Nair gave the example of Jet Airways which has used social media in a big way and has achieved sizeable results in very little time. While not so long ago, almost 90% of the feedback Jet Airways received on the internet was negative. After their online campaign, there negative responses were reduced to about 50%. Thus Jet Airways has adopted a long term social media strategy.
Other companies such as Dabur, Intel, Fedex and Toyota have a short term and tactical social media strategies that have proved to be quite successful. Bingo used the “Mad Angles” Campaign on Facebook by creating an application that allowed users to display their status messages upside down and this application received a huge response.
The revolutionary online campaign of Old Spice’s body was-“The man your man could smell like” elicited a colossal response and grew to be one of the most successful campaigns in the history of social media. Another example is that of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign on the internet which not only earned him a tremendous amount of campaign money as well the popularity that made him President.
With the help of these fascinating illustrations and captivating videos, Mr. Nair enlightened the audience on the sheer power of social media as a tool for popularizing brands and addressing customers’ concerns.
KarthikNagarajan : Director, Nielsen – Online Divisions
In Mr.KarthikNagarajan’s opinion, social media is just an extension of what we have been doing for many years. The information disseminated via social media could also be equally communicated via traditional media. Even though the concept is not an alien one, there still prevail a lot of doubts and myths about social media in the minds of people. The reality about social media is thatan astounding 74% of world’s internet population visits social networking sites regularly. Threeout of every seven global brands are social media brands like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Social media has made it presence felt in India quite recently. More than 50% of the Indian Internet users have started using social networking sitesbeginning from last one year. This shows that social media in India is currently in its nascent stage. This can also mean that the growth potential of social media in India is 100% per year.
The real question is how many of these users actually make buying decisions online.70% of all Social Networking users access sites everyday.70% of all users read discussion boards once a week.57% of all users have reviewed at least one product in the last year.Are these statistics engaging enough for marketers to consider using social media?The targetsegment for marketers is users who spend on an average more than 30min. on the internet.This segment as per research constitutes 36% of the internet population.
Another interesting fact is how cultural differences affect the social media. It has been proven that Indians are more likely to share positive product experiences whereas Chinese are more likely to share negative product experiences on social media.Hence can this be an opportunity for Indian marketers?
The tool to measure what goes on online is Buzz metrics. The results of BuzzMetrics state that Bollywood is not the only topic of online discussion in India. Social media is not atool for entertainment. There are far greater uses for it.
Social media can also be used as a great consumer research tool. To illustrate his point, Mr.Nagarajan took up the example of P&G cloth diapers. P&G wanted to find out why its cloth diapers sales had increased despite the presence of disposal diapers in the market. A traditional survey revealed that environmental friendly people use cloth diapers. However, Buzzmetricswas able to pin point a more specific profile of parents preferring natural methods like home birthing, home schooling, natural parenting, etc. Thus with the help of Buzzmetrics they were able to build a more accurate profile of the consumer.Asking helps determine how many consumers chose cloth diapers. Listening helpsdetermine a consumer profile.
A video about consumer revolution was shown that clarified that social media empowers consumers to make better buying decisions. In order to make sense of social media we need tools that will effectively sift through the garbage data in social media and give relevant output to marketers.
Social media has made it presence felt in India quite recently. More than 50% of the Indian Internet users have started using social networking sitesbeginning from last one year. This shows that social media in India is currently in its nascent stage. This can also mean that the growth potential of social media in India is 100% per year.
The real question is how many of these users actually make buying decisions online.70% of all Social Networking users access sites everyday.70% of all users read discussion boards once a week.57% of all users have reviewed at least one product in the last year.Are these statistics engaging enough for marketers to consider using social media?The targetsegment for marketers is users who spend on an average more than 30min. on the internet.This segment as per research constitutes 36% of the internet population.
Another interesting fact is how cultural differences affect the social media. It has been proven that Indians are more likely to share positive product experiences whereas Chinese are more likely to share negative product experiences on social media.Hence can this be an opportunity for Indian marketers?
The tool to measure what goes on online is Buzz metrics. The results of BuzzMetrics state that Bollywood is not the only topic of online discussion in India. Social media is not atool for entertainment. There are far greater uses for it.
Social media can also be used as a great consumer research tool. To illustrate his point, Mr.Nagarajan took up the example of P&G cloth diapers. P&G wanted to find out why its cloth diapers sales had increased despite the presence of disposal diapers in the market. A traditional survey revealed that environmental friendly people use cloth diapers. However, Buzzmetricswas able to pin point a more specific profile of parents preferring natural methods like home birthing, home schooling, natural parenting, etc. Thus with the help of Buzzmetrics they were able to build a more accurate profile of the consumer.Asking helps determine how many consumers chose cloth diapers. Listening helpsdetermine a consumer profile.
A video about consumer revolution was shown that clarified that social media empowers consumers to make better buying decisions. In order to make sense of social media we need tools that will effectively sift through the garbage data in social media and give relevant output to marketers.
Rajesh Lalwani : Founder, Blogworks
Mr. Lalwani focussed on current trends in Social Media today with respect to medium potential, medium competencies, user behaviour and suggested marketer guidelines to optimise the medium.
People and brands are using the medium to participate in conversations and express themselves. The medium has eliminated barriers to mass communication and distribution, giving everyone the chance to actively participate in public discussions, express grievances and assist in problem solving.
The growth of the medium has set off knee jerk responses from mainstream media companies. Marketers have to be particularly cautious when they act, as negatively perceived messages, set off responses and reactions that spread at the speed of light. For example, Hagen Dazz ice cream’s unpleasant experience with airport advertising in New Delhi. There is a rise in the exhibitionist attitude of consumers. People want to publicly exhibit their ideas, emotions and feelings – social media is giving them the vent. The customer’s voice is louder than before, but the marketer must be willing to listen. Marketers must realize that ‘negative is not an enemy.’ It helps to address loopholes in organisational practices and get better than before.
The mobile phone platform is likely to become the biggest platform of social media usage and entertainment access in the near future as developments in features and interface take shape.
Social Media was originally meant to be about seeking information, sharing experiences and channelizing solutions. But usage today is becoming about “I, Me, Myself.” A random conversation carries ‘more of chatter and less of matter.’ Other anti-social trends in today’s social media of are ‘Mob Attacks on entities’ and Brand Stalking which makes every marketing action, even more challenging.
To conclude, Mr. Lalwani encouraged marketers to ‘think engagement’, and ‘think strategic’.
People and brands are using the medium to participate in conversations and express themselves. The medium has eliminated barriers to mass communication and distribution, giving everyone the chance to actively participate in public discussions, express grievances and assist in problem solving.
The growth of the medium has set off knee jerk responses from mainstream media companies. Marketers have to be particularly cautious when they act, as negatively perceived messages, set off responses and reactions that spread at the speed of light. For example, Hagen Dazz ice cream’s unpleasant experience with airport advertising in New Delhi. There is a rise in the exhibitionist attitude of consumers. People want to publicly exhibit their ideas, emotions and feelings – social media is giving them the vent. The customer’s voice is louder than before, but the marketer must be willing to listen. Marketers must realize that ‘negative is not an enemy.’ It helps to address loopholes in organisational practices and get better than before.
The mobile phone platform is likely to become the biggest platform of social media usage and entertainment access in the near future as developments in features and interface take shape.
Social Media was originally meant to be about seeking information, sharing experiences and channelizing solutions. But usage today is becoming about “I, Me, Myself.” A random conversation carries ‘more of chatter and less of matter.’ Other anti-social trends in today’s social media of are ‘Mob Attacks on entities’ and Brand Stalking which makes every marketing action, even more challenging.
To conclude, Mr. Lalwani encouraged marketers to ‘think engagement’, and ‘think strategic’.
Gaurav Mishra: Writer & Speaker at Gauravonomics
According to Mr. Gaurav Mishra , most people today don’t care about brands and branding in a post-advertising, post-materialistic world is one of the greatest challenges for marketers today. The good part however, is that the future as far as social media is concerned has already arrived. What needs to be done is change this ‘unequal’ distribution social media to a very distributed form.
Mr. Mishra then shared his idea of Social Squared and presented the ‘Social Squared Manifesto’ which talked of the visible shifts in branding today and something which clever marketers have caught on with. He proposed the idea of how, now, brands should move from the traditional question of ‘how to increase reach?’ to ‘How is to organises and energise evangelists & help them with scaling their passions so that they in turn, scale our brands?’. The idea he said was based on the fact that marketing now is moving from as inside-out approach to an outside in approach in the age of social media.
Further elaborating on the concept of Social Squared, Mr. Mishra stressed that it is made of two components, namely connecting people (through social media, technology & design) and social responsibility (through innovation and activism).
Mr. Mishra subsequently introduced the idea of a 360 Degree Redux – which works unlike traditional 360 Degree marketing. He pointed to the disconnect in between various campaigns in traditional 360 and explained how a company could overcome it by engaging in six key shifts.
The six key shifts according to Mr. Mishra were moving from an inside out approach to an outside in approach, from being TVC centric to community centric, engaging in long term commitments instead of short term campaign, from interruption based marketing to permission based marketing, from branded commercials to branded content streams and finally from paid& earned media to owned & shared media.
Mr. Mishra ended the session by presenting a case on the Pepsi Refresh campaign which did well to re-instate the idea of Social Squared in the age of Social Media.
Mr. Mishra then shared his idea of Social Squared and presented the ‘Social Squared Manifesto’ which talked of the visible shifts in branding today and something which clever marketers have caught on with. He proposed the idea of how, now, brands should move from the traditional question of ‘how to increase reach?’ to ‘How is to organises and energise evangelists & help them with scaling their passions so that they in turn, scale our brands?’. The idea he said was based on the fact that marketing now is moving from as inside-out approach to an outside in approach in the age of social media.
Further elaborating on the concept of Social Squared, Mr. Mishra stressed that it is made of two components, namely connecting people (through social media, technology & design) and social responsibility (through innovation and activism).
Mr. Mishra subsequently introduced the idea of a 360 Degree Redux – which works unlike traditional 360 Degree marketing. He pointed to the disconnect in between various campaigns in traditional 360 and explained how a company could overcome it by engaging in six key shifts.
The six key shifts according to Mr. Mishra were moving from an inside out approach to an outside in approach, from being TVC centric to community centric, engaging in long term commitments instead of short term campaign, from interruption based marketing to permission based marketing, from branded commercials to branded content streams and finally from paid& earned media to owned & shared media.
Mr. Mishra ended the session by presenting a case on the Pepsi Refresh campaign which did well to re-instate the idea of Social Squared in the age of Social Media.
The Inauguration Speech
“Social Media is as Old as Sin.”-Mr. Ivan Arthur
The Inauguration Speech was delivered by Mr. Ivan Arthur, former national creative director of JWT India. Mr.Arthur began his speech by talking about the very people which make up social media-people: How today in the day and age of social media, everyone is accessible and out there on the web, how everyone is ‘world-famous’.
Talking about how nowadays social media is being regarded as one the greatest invention, Mr. Arthur said he thought otherwise. He said for him social media is as old as sin. He spoke of how the idea of social media emerged from small social set-ups like wayside moonshine outlets, barber’s shop and the village well. How rumours , news and ideas spread among clusters of people and then passed on to others: True word-of-mouth which has now been taken online with the power of technology.
Mr. Arthur then talked about how social media can be used as well abused. He stated a few examples about the same and how, being a part of this medium, people must be careful not to misuse ‘democracy’.
He then went on to speak about how marketing managers are today intelligently using this medium to serve their purpose as a means to reach their customers in a better way.
Mr. Arthur concluded his speech by suggesting that other than thinking of social media as just a business tool, youngsters should think of ways to use this for the larger good: To get together ideas, to fight corruption, to promote peace, to change the world in some way.
The Inauguration Speech was delivered by Mr. Ivan Arthur, former national creative director of JWT India. Mr.Arthur began his speech by talking about the very people which make up social media-people: How today in the day and age of social media, everyone is accessible and out there on the web, how everyone is ‘world-famous’.
Talking about how nowadays social media is being regarded as one the greatest invention, Mr. Arthur said he thought otherwise. He said for him social media is as old as sin. He spoke of how the idea of social media emerged from small social set-ups like wayside moonshine outlets, barber’s shop and the village well. How rumours , news and ideas spread among clusters of people and then passed on to others: True word-of-mouth which has now been taken online with the power of technology.
Mr. Arthur then talked about how social media can be used as well abused. He stated a few examples about the same and how, being a part of this medium, people must be careful not to misuse ‘democracy’.
He then went on to speak about how marketing managers are today intelligently using this medium to serve their purpose as a means to reach their customers in a better way.
Mr. Arthur concluded his speech by suggesting that other than thinking of social media as just a business tool, youngsters should think of ways to use this for the larger good: To get together ideas, to fight corruption, to promote peace, to change the world in some way.
Introduction and Welcome Speech by Director
Far from being the esoteric marketing term understood only by experts a few years ago, Social Media has evolved into a mainstream marketing medium worldwide.
Today’s approach to marketing, the approach infused with social media, leans much more heavily on the 4 Cs of marketing. Tons of relevant, education-based, and perhaps user generated content that is filtered, aggregated, and delivered in a context that makes it useful for people who are starving to make connections with people, products, and brands they can build a community around.
Samriddhi ’10 looks at the growing impact of social networking on the success/failure of products & services and how social media has changed the business outlook. It explores the positive and negative sides of this growing trend. It also focuses on how the traditional businesses are adapting to this new wave of constant consumer interaction, and how the Social Media Service companies are helping them.
The conference began with the honorable Director, Mr. D’ Lima’s welcome speech. He looked back at the evolution of Samriddhi and congratulated the students for choosing a novel and contemporary topic like “Social Media” as the subject for this symposium.
He went on to say that while his personal experience with Social Media was by far limited, he was aware of the great potential the field had in the days to come. He mentioned how he had heard on a news channel a prediction about the enormity of the management of privacy which is only a small part of the Social Media business in the next five years.
Introducing the Chief Guest, Mr. Ivan Arthur (former national creative director of JWT India), Mr. D’ Lima described him as a living legend in the area of advertising and praised his pioneering work in the field. He spoke about the academic collaboration of GIM with AICAR Business School, of which Mr. Arthur is a trustee. He also announced that Mr. Arthur is likely to conduct a workshop and a small course on this area of expertise at GIM. With this, he handed the stage to Mr. Arthur.
Today’s approach to marketing, the approach infused with social media, leans much more heavily on the 4 Cs of marketing. Tons of relevant, education-based, and perhaps user generated content that is filtered, aggregated, and delivered in a context that makes it useful for people who are starving to make connections with people, products, and brands they can build a community around.
Samriddhi ’10 looks at the growing impact of social networking on the success/failure of products & services and how social media has changed the business outlook. It explores the positive and negative sides of this growing trend. It also focuses on how the traditional businesses are adapting to this new wave of constant consumer interaction, and how the Social Media Service companies are helping them.
The conference began with the honorable Director, Mr. D’ Lima’s welcome speech. He looked back at the evolution of Samriddhi and congratulated the students for choosing a novel and contemporary topic like “Social Media” as the subject for this symposium.
He went on to say that while his personal experience with Social Media was by far limited, he was aware of the great potential the field had in the days to come. He mentioned how he had heard on a news channel a prediction about the enormity of the management of privacy which is only a small part of the Social Media business in the next five years.
Introducing the Chief Guest, Mr. Ivan Arthur (former national creative director of JWT India), Mr. D’ Lima described him as a living legend in the area of advertising and praised his pioneering work in the field. He spoke about the academic collaboration of GIM with AICAR Business School, of which Mr. Arthur is a trustee. He also announced that Mr. Arthur is likely to conduct a workshop and a small course on this area of expertise at GIM. With this, he handed the stage to Mr. Arthur.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Facebook's New Weapon and Cost of Privacy Battle
Facebook's new weapon
Facebook's long-awaited addition of the ability to "check in" could be a game changer for the social network's revenue stream.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Facebook checks in, adding location-based feature
Facebook users carrying their smart phones will soon be able to "check in" to real-world locations such as bars, parks and live concerts as the social network makes its first foray into the location services craze.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Military taps social networking skills:ET
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE (California):A freckle-faced 25, a first lieutenant and an intelligence officer here, she is using her social networking skills to hunt insurgents and save American lives in Afghanistan.
Military into social networking
Military into social networking
Monday, August 16, 2010
Social networking a part of Tata Steel's corporate communication
With online social networks becoming popular in the country, Indian steel major Tata Steel has began reaching out to social networking websites to spread its messages on environment awareness across the country.
TATA Steel and Social Networking
TATA Steel and Social Networking
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Hindu Business Line : Tourism boards eye online social media for expansion
Social networking Web sites Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and others are fast catching the fancy of national tourism boards. These sites widen the reach for promotion of destinations, and that too at minimal marketing cost, say tourism boards.
'Buzzz It' deadline extended
In view of the large number of requests from students across B-schools, we are extending the deadline for the ‘Buzzz It’ competition to Wednesday, 18th August 2010, 0600 hours.
Best of luck to all of you for the competition.
For Queries Contact:
AnkitaGupta - ankita.gupta09@gim.ac.in
VijayKulkarni - vijay.kulkarni09@gim.ac.in
--- Team Samriddhi'10
iStopOver
Social networking first significantly influenced the world of travel in 1999 with the start of Couchsurfing, a service in which members offer a spare couch — or bed, or floor space — to fellow Couchsurfers, at no charge. It spawned a social phenomenon, and today counts almost two million people in 238 countries as members.
For more readings visit Europe Without Hotels
For more readings visit Europe Without Hotels
Delta through Facebook
It seems that more and more businesses are getting linked through social media and the companies are providing new services through social media to tap the huge market that it can provide. This article published in CNBC underlines this trends.
Delta to provide booking service through Facebook : CNBC
Delta to provide booking service through Facebook : CNBC
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Economictimes.com : Virtual connect: Surfers spend 2 hrs a day social networking, finds survey
Virtual connect: Surfers spend 2 hrs a day social networking, finds survey
They network online when they're home, at work and in between. A survey on use of social networking sites found that 30.6% of users participating in it access them from their mobiles apart from their home and office computers.
Log on to : http://www.economictimes.com
They network online when they're home, at work and in between. A survey on use of social networking sites found that 30.6% of users participating in it access them from their mobiles apart from their home and office computers.
Log on to : http://www.economictimes.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Social Networking Takes Flight
Airlines and social media providers are scrambling to catch up. Airlines are beefing up their presence on networking channels, and travelers’ groups like FlyerTalk.com have created new applications that allow members to find one another while on the road.
It reminded him of the days when passengers could socialize in airborne lounges, “except now it’s happening digitally.”
It reminded him of the days when passengers could socialize in airborne lounges, “except now it’s happening digitally.”
A Facebook Fast?
Here's one interesting initiative- National Facebook Fast - taken by the founder of the Woodlands Church near Houston. This shows how much we are affected by the phenomenon of social networking. For more details visit
Facebook Fast : Washington Post
Facebook Fast : Washington Post
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Google goes for Slide
Google buys Slide for $182 million:ET
Google Inc bought social networking company Slide as the Internet search and advertising company bolsters its social networking capabilities to compete with Facebook.
Google Inc bought social networking company Slide as the Internet search and advertising company bolsters its social networking capabilities to compete with Facebook.
Facebook and other social media cost UK billions
Employers in UK troubled by Social Media
British employment website MyJobGroup.co.uk said it polled 1,000 British workers and found that nearly six per cent, or 2 million, of Britain's 34 million-strong workforce spent over an hour per day on social media while at work, amounting to more than one eighth of their entire working day.
British employment website MyJobGroup.co.uk said it polled 1,000 British workers and found that nearly six per cent, or 2 million, of Britain's 34 million-strong workforce spent over an hour per day on social media while at work, amounting to more than one eighth of their entire working day.
Friday, July 30, 2010
A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media
| A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media Source: mashable.com Five years ago, YouTube was just getting started, MySpace was the most popular website in the U.S., and Facebook was still limited to college and high school students. Mobile was mostly an after-thought, as we were still more than a year away from the introduction of the iPhone and the idea of an app store. And “widgets” were just starting to emerge as a way to integrate third-party apps on a website (Newsweek would declare 2007 to be “year of the widget” in a late 2006 article). Fast forward to today and the sites we use and the way we use them have shifted dramatically. Facebook is closing in on Google as the Web’s most trafficked site. There are hundreds of thousands of mobile applications that users access across a variety of smartphones, and social media is increasingly being consumed and produced on the go. And “Like” buttons have become the new form of social currency for publishers around the world.How did we get to this point? Here’s a quick look back at the last five years in social media. | |
Article from The Hindu Business Line: Social networking is serious business
Source: The Hindu Business Line (http://www.blonnet.com/2010/02/14/stories/2010021452440100.htm)
Social networking is serious business
Anjali Prayag
Swetha Kannan
Bangalore, Feb. 13
Too full after a heavy lunch at Mainland China,' reads Neeraj's Facebook status update. Two minutes ago, he had posted a comment on Shah Rukh Khan's latest brush with the Shiv Sena. But before you assume he is simply idling away at work, another window pops open and Neeeraj gets busy brainstorming with his colleague on whether to go with the cloud model for the company's latest project.
Employers may not be too happy about their employees tracking Shah Rukh Khan's tangles with the Sena on Twitter or Facebook, but on the flip side, they are also looking at the positives of social networking media. Companies such as EMC and IBM are not only allowing access to social networking sites, but are doing some frontal work in leveraging the power of social media.
These companies are using employees' urge to keep in touch with people to their advantage by also creating their own networking tools, which they believe are useful to businesses. Some entrepreneurs even include their LinkedIn, Twitter and Skype ids on business cards.
Says Mr Karthik Padmanabhan, Country Manager, Lotus Software - IBM India/South Asia: & Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with people and businesses must take advantage of this. After all, business is also about people and working with people; and social collaboration adds the fun element.
IBM has launched LotusConnections, a social collaboration tool that has all the features of social networking sites such as blogs, user profiles, wikis, file sharing, photos and forum capabilities, which help community members collaborate on projects.
Infrastructure storage company EMC, too, has over 200 active internal groups on its social media site EMC One wherein employees are collaborating with one another online to make presentations and exchange ideas.
"A lot of knowledge sharing happens through social media, whether it's Facebook or EMC One and we believe it can be converted into business benefits," says Mr R. Vidyasagar, Senior Director, HR, EMC India.
While at EMC it is mainly about internal knowledge sharing, IBM has also made it a business proposition and sold LotusConnections to around 2,000 companies including Colgate, Tata Sky, TCS and Airtel.
Companies are now approaching social media as L&D version 2 (learning and development), says Ms Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, Managing Director, e2e People Practices, an HR services firm. She, however, points out that this openness to the new media may not pick up as fast in Indian companies as it has in global majors. "Indian firms are still not open to honest employee views and perception which can be rampant on networking sites," she explains.
Surveys have revealed that only one in five companies allows the use of social media for work-related purposes. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India shows that the productivity of employees has dropped mainly due to social media. The survey claims a corporate employee on an average spends an hour on social networking sites.
Copyright: 1995 - 2006 The Hindu Business Line
Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly
prohibited without the consent of The Hindu Business Line
Social networking is serious business
Anjali Prayag
Swetha Kannan
Bangalore, Feb. 13
Too full after a heavy lunch at Mainland China,' reads Neeraj's Facebook status update. Two minutes ago, he had posted a comment on Shah Rukh Khan's latest brush with the Shiv Sena. But before you assume he is simply idling away at work, another window pops open and Neeeraj gets busy brainstorming with his colleague on whether to go with the cloud model for the company's latest project.
Employers may not be too happy about their employees tracking Shah Rukh Khan's tangles with the Sena on Twitter or Facebook, but on the flip side, they are also looking at the positives of social networking media. Companies such as EMC and IBM are not only allowing access to social networking sites, but are doing some frontal work in leveraging the power of social media.
These companies are using employees' urge to keep in touch with people to their advantage by also creating their own networking tools, which they believe are useful to businesses. Some entrepreneurs even include their LinkedIn, Twitter and Skype ids on business cards.
Says Mr Karthik Padmanabhan, Country Manager, Lotus Software - IBM India/South Asia: & Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with people and businesses must take advantage of this. After all, business is also about people and working with people; and social collaboration adds the fun element.
IBM has launched LotusConnections, a social collaboration tool that has all the features of social networking sites such as blogs, user profiles, wikis, file sharing, photos and forum capabilities, which help community members collaborate on projects.
Infrastructure storage company EMC, too, has over 200 active internal groups on its social media site EMC One wherein employees are collaborating with one another online to make presentations and exchange ideas.
"A lot of knowledge sharing happens through social media, whether it's Facebook or EMC One and we believe it can be converted into business benefits," says Mr R. Vidyasagar, Senior Director, HR, EMC India.
While at EMC it is mainly about internal knowledge sharing, IBM has also made it a business proposition and sold LotusConnections to around 2,000 companies including Colgate, Tata Sky, TCS and Airtel.
Companies are now approaching social media as L&D version 2 (learning and development), says Ms Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, Managing Director, e2e People Practices, an HR services firm. She, however, points out that this openness to the new media may not pick up as fast in Indian companies as it has in global majors. "Indian firms are still not open to honest employee views and perception which can be rampant on networking sites," she explains.
Surveys have revealed that only one in five companies allows the use of social media for work-related purposes. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India shows that the productivity of employees has dropped mainly due to social media. The survey claims a corporate employee on an average spends an hour on social networking sites.
Copyright: 1995 - 2006 The Hindu Business Line
Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly
prohibited without the consent of The Hindu Business Line
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Economictimes.com : Social networking forces companies to rethink strategies
Social networking forces companies to rethink strategies
Consumers are exchanging notes online, even posting complaints on the CEO's twitter page, leaving cos with no choice but to rethink strategies in a world where consumer behaviour is being driven by his online exposure.
Log on to : http://www.samriddhi2010.in
-
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Economictimes.com : Challenges from social media: Make or break lessons for brands
Challenges from social media: Make or break lessons for brands
It's no secret that the advent of social media has got the consumers bang in the middle of action as they no longer sit at the periphery.
Log on to : http://www.economictimes.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
Social Media Will Change Your Business - BusinessWeek
Social Media Will Change Your Business - BusinessWeek
Look past the yakkers, hobbyists, and political mobs. Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up…or catch you later.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Social Media and Brand Management
Social media changes relationships
Brands are about relationships. Until now, the brand owner controlled most of the messaging on the brand in this owner-consumer relationship. The consumer participated in the relationship through comprehending the messaging and parting with his/her hard earned money for the promise of the brand. But now, in the social media world, all that is changing. The very fabric of the relationship has altered because the control of the messaging is no longer the monopoly of the firm.
Brands are about relationships. Until now, the brand owner controlled most of the messaging on the brand in this owner-consumer relationship. The consumer participated in the relationship through comprehending the messaging and parting with his/her hard earned money for the promise of the brand. But now, in the social media world, all that is changing. The very fabric of the relationship has altered because the control of the messaging is no longer the monopoly of the firm.
5 Tips for aspiring social media marketers
One of the most important business purposes that social media serves is the easy marketing that it can get worldwide. So, anyone interested to grow their business and market their products worldwide social media is the best option if not the only one . For further details visit :
http://mashable.com/2010/07/24/tips-social-media-marketing-jobs/
http://mashable.com/2010/07/24/tips-social-media-marketing-jobs/
Economictimes.com : Twitter, Twitter, Little Stars: Cos hiring social media directors
Twitter, Twitter, Little Stars: Cos hiring social media directors
As customers make or break brands online, companies rush to hire social media directors & figure out what they do.
Log on to : http://www.economictimes.com
As customers make or break brands online, companies rush to hire social media directors & figure out what they do.
Log on to : http://www.economictimes.com
Samriddhi'10 - Session Plan
Samriddhi 2010 –Social Media and Business – is scheduled to be held on 28th and 29th August, 2010 with three sessions on Day 1 and a pan-India B-school competition & concluding session on Day 2. The session details are as follows:
Session 1: Introduction to social media and its impact on traditional and emerging business models
This session will focus on understanding and clarifying the exact meaning of Social Media. It will also give a peek into the tools that corporates are adopting for using social media to their advantage.
Session 2: Virtual value chains – and transformation of business from brick to click
This session will give an insight into the trials and triumphs of companies that have built their whole value chains around and with the help of social media. These companies also provide their services to the traditional business set-ups. Focus would also be on brick-to-click transformation of the existing businesses. We’d get a chance to explore how the corporate are modifying their strategies to tap into this virtual media channel.
Session 3: Traditional Vs Social Media
They say, “Old is Gold”. And yet, Social Media has been a welcoming as well as rewarding
change in the way we do business. This session will focus on how Social Media fared against the Traditional Media. The already established and still growing arena of blogging as well as social networking sites have changed the way business processes are executed today. Be it the PR activities of any company or the recruitment process a lot has changed since Social Media came in vogue. While the benefits of reaching the masses with just a click are enormous, there are several socially, economically, and politically adverse effects too of social media.
Session 4: Social Media Plan competition
In this session, the final round of a pan-India B-school & top graduation school competition, in the format of paper presentation/design of a marketing campaign using social networking and social media tools, will take place. Three of the honorary speakers would be the judges of this competition, whose initial entries and preliminary rounds would be held online.
Session 5: Financial implications of Social Media and the future trends – the way ahead
A revolution that social media has been, it can’t not have financial implications for different
businesses. This session will explore the financial aspects related to the impact on businesses; be it the profit due to the efficient use of social media, the expenses related to the tapping of social media channels, or the loss due to the lessening impact of traditional communication channels. The session would also expose us to some new social media channels that are now being adopted by most industries. An example of this is increasing use of smart phones for B2B and B2C connectivity.
Session 1: Introduction to social media and its impact on traditional and emerging business models
This session will focus on understanding and clarifying the exact meaning of Social Media. It will also give a peek into the tools that corporates are adopting for using social media to their advantage.
Session 2: Virtual value chains – and transformation of business from brick to click
This session will give an insight into the trials and triumphs of companies that have built their whole value chains around and with the help of social media. These companies also provide their services to the traditional business set-ups. Focus would also be on brick-to-click transformation of the existing businesses. We’d get a chance to explore how the corporate are modifying their strategies to tap into this virtual media channel.
Session 3: Traditional Vs Social Media
They say, “Old is Gold”. And yet, Social Media has been a welcoming as well as rewarding
change in the way we do business. This session will focus on how Social Media fared against the Traditional Media. The already established and still growing arena of blogging as well as social networking sites have changed the way business processes are executed today. Be it the PR activities of any company or the recruitment process a lot has changed since Social Media came in vogue. While the benefits of reaching the masses with just a click are enormous, there are several socially, economically, and politically adverse effects too of social media.
Session 4: Social Media Plan competition
In this session, the final round of a pan-India B-school & top graduation school competition, in the format of paper presentation/design of a marketing campaign using social networking and social media tools, will take place. Three of the honorary speakers would be the judges of this competition, whose initial entries and preliminary rounds would be held online.
Session 5: Financial implications of Social Media and the future trends – the way ahead
A revolution that social media has been, it can’t not have financial implications for different
businesses. This session will explore the financial aspects related to the impact on businesses; be it the profit due to the efficient use of social media, the expenses related to the tapping of social media channels, or the loss due to the lessening impact of traditional communication channels. The session would also expose us to some new social media channels that are now being adopted by most industries. An example of this is increasing use of smart phones for B2B and B2C connectivity.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Unveiling the serious face of Facebook : Economic Times
A report on Economictimes 23.07.2010 reflected the importance of social media sites and its growing importance in the ever changing business environment
For details visit http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/internet/Unveiling-serious-face-of-Facebook/articleshow/6203462.cms
For details visit http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/internet/Unveiling-serious-face-of-Facebook/articleshow/6203462.cms
Economictimes.com : Nokia, Apple in online ad war
Nokia, Apple in online ad war
A recent Nokia blog took a dig at Apple's new iPhone 4. While the phenomenon isn't a new one, comparative advertising is likely to become a regular feature with more and more consumers flocking the online world.
A recent Nokia blog took a dig at Apple's new iPhone 4. While the phenomenon isn't a new one, comparative advertising is likely to become a regular feature with more and more consumers flocking the online world.
“Just use it…as long as you know what you’re talking about.” – Peter Kim
For details visit http://www.samriddhi2010.in/
Friday, July 23, 2010
Business Standard: Push your career, don't 'poke' it
 | |
| Push your career, don't 'poke' it | |
| Update, tweet and share all you want, but be mindful of how it can affect your life and career. | |
| Read More | |
| www.business-standard.com |
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Business Standard: Social media altering role of brand managers
| |
| Social media altering role of brand managers | |
| Dan Okpara had an urgent question for Coca Cola. He had consumed some Coca Cola but was keen to know the sugar content level in the beverage. He requested the company for an honest answer. Less than 45 minutes later, Coca Cola responded with the specific measurements of sugar in the drink. Okpara was relieved. | |
| Read More | |
Samriddhi 2010
Samriddhi is an annual National conference organized by Goa Institute of Management addressing issues touching various spheres of development and striving to find practical and viable solutions. The first conference was held in 2007 which looked into “Financing India’s Development Needs”. Samriddhi 2008 touched upon the aspects of "Sustainable Infrastructure" and Samriddhi 2009 dealt with various aspects of “Social Entrepreneurship”, through a two day national conference with informative discourse by experts followed by an open forum and panel discussions.
Samriddhi 2010 moves one step further where the endeavor is to explore different aspects of “Social Media & Business” through sessions where eminent personalities from the industry will present their views on its different facets including the growing impact of social media on business outlook, its effect on traditional business and its financial implications on business. This gives us an immense opportunity to study the efficient use of social media and analyse its pros and cons.
Samriddhi 2010 also includes pan India Social Media Strategy Competition - BUZZZ It, wherein the participants are to devise a strategy using Social Media to promote a 3-Star hotel in Goa that would help them to grow their business nationally and internationally.
Samriddhi 2010 moves one step further where the endeavor is to explore different aspects of “Social Media & Business” through sessions where eminent personalities from the industry will present their views on its different facets including the growing impact of social media on business outlook, its effect on traditional business and its financial implications on business. This gives us an immense opportunity to study the efficient use of social media and analyse its pros and cons.
Samriddhi 2010 also includes pan India Social Media Strategy Competition - BUZZZ It, wherein the participants are to devise a strategy using Social Media to promote a 3-Star hotel in Goa that would help them to grow their business nationally and internationally.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)