“What ads?” This was the response I got from my dad when I asked him if he notices the advertisements on Facebook. My dad is clearly not an enthusiast when it comes to social media, but I was still shell shocked. Companies spend millions of dollars, the best minds in the business analyze ways to exploit social media, blogs are awash with ideas of how to market your product on social media, likes endorsements and every other gimmick are being tested. Is my dad the lone exception or there are more people who do not bite the bait when it comes to adverts on social media?

I read an interesting blog by Khanh Nguyen which touches on the same subject. As she rightly pointed out  ‘many companies have invested a fortune into social media marketing, in hope that they will have access to the vast population of Facebook users. However, how much of those investments actually translate to revenue or profit for the firms?’ That is the key question. Can we ever hope to understand how much revenue will be generated for a dollar spent on social media?

I was chatting with my cousin who is the brand manager for Moet Chandon in South Asia.  They had been carrying our huge campaigns on social media to promote the brand in India and Sri-Lanka . I asked her if that has made an appreciable difference. Her response “ No clue. I have a budget and end up distributing the dollars over all channels of advertisement.”  Interesting outlook.  I do believe that advertising on social media is here to stay. But trying to put a monetary value to the benefits for a company is an exercise in futility.

“Hello. My name is Christine and I’m calling you from Advent marketing. Would you be interested in buying…” Slam! I would hang up the phone before she could tell me what she was selling. There was a time most of us were tired of these endless phone marketers. Now the tide has changed. It’s all about the Internet and social media marketing, email offers, tweeting. I can’t recall the last time I heard from a company employee calling me to find out whether I was satisfied with the product I purchased. I am sure I filled in numerous Internet surveys about my level of satisfaction.

I read a very interesting blog written by John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing under the title How to Set Your Business Up So You Never Have To Actually Talk to Anyone. As he points out “technology has indeed brought us to the point where we can actually run a business, sell a product and serve a customer without the need for human interaction”. He makes a good case that “while this is a positive thing for some, it’s also created an opposing opportunity for smart marketers to seize.”  He believes that companies would do well by re-introducing the human contact in these automated routines. And maybe instead of dreaming up the next social media blitz on a weary customer maybe reaching out to the customer will help us discover what the he really needs.

In this digital age, some human interaction is welcome. I’m sure there are customers who would like to chat with someone before buying a computer instead of just reading and comparing offers on a portal. Clearly there is a place for digital media marketing but reintroducing the human element smartly in part of the marketing process could well be the differentiator for your company.

I recently heard an interesting anecdote. The head of the consumer division of Xerox was visiting a developing economy, accompanied by a local manager. Travelling by car between two small towns, he noticed a sign on a dilapidated store advertising ‘Xerox Copies– 30 pesos a page’. The executive couldn’t believe his eyes. Literally in the back and beyond, here was a business using a Xerox product. He excitedly stopped the taxi, and before the local manager could react, leapt out and went running into the store. He was confused when the only photocopier he saw in the store was a Canon. Before he started grilling the store owner on this deception, the local sales manager intervened explaining that the words Xerox and Photocopying were very often used interchangeably in the country.

How often have we said; Do you have a Kleenex, give me an Aspirin, hand me the Scotch Tape These are called Genericized trademarks, where the brand name becomes synonymous with the product  or service class and usually happens when the product has sustained market dominance.

As a marketing executive, I would have been wildly ecstatic if my product became a household name. You would think that companies spending millions of dollars creating a brand would be happy with this outcome. But that is not the case. Companies want consumers to reach a fine balance of awareness and appreciation for the specifics of only their brand. Companies would not want us to ‘Xerox’ a few copies on someone else’s copier. They wouldn’t want us to Hoover with some other vacuum cleaner. A trademark can lose the right to registration and protection if it becomes generic and then it becomes fair game for any other company to exploit. Success does have its own set of challenges.

I usually skip the politics page in the newspaper. It tends to be predictable, highly disappointing and if you are reading an Indian newspaper usually mired in some corruption. But despite my single minded apathy, I couldn’t help noticing the rise in visibility of Narendra Modi who is the Chief Minister of an Indian state. His photographs were plastered in all newspapers with unfailing regularity, hosting business delegates, inaugurating a hospital or speak at a convention. He would be on the news telling all who would listen that he is doing a spectacular job of running the state.

Clearly I realized it’s the spin doctors at work. I trawled the internet to find out more and realized soon enough that he had appointed a PR firm. Their mission, as it seems, is to market Mr. Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister of India. And I have to admit they seem to be doing a good job of it. People are definitely recognizing his potential while downplaying, and on occasion, simply overlooking his shenanigans.

Politics and marketing have been consistent bedfellows ever since the idea of competing for power became the norm in democratically elected governments. Governments and politicians have used marketing to either retain their positions of power or usurp someone else so they can get the positions of power. A politician must market his views to his electorate to prove that he has a better handle on the different issues that concern them and deliver them more efficiently and effectively.

Fortunately, there are many independent web sites that see through the marketing and get down to the real ideas that are presented or not presented by politicians in their sales pitch. Regardless, marketing of politics and politicians will always remain big business.

I do love electronics. I could spend hours in an electronics store and walk out with a smile even if I didn’t buy a single thing. I guess it’s a guy thing. The same guy gene propelled me to attend the Consumer Electronics Store 2013 in Las Vegas. Every company, small or large, were present there; flaunting the next generation product. As much as I love these shows, I can’t help but question the market research that led to the development of some of these products.

IPotty which is an Ipad accessory is meant to hold the Ipad in place for your young toddler while he/she is on the pot. Do they seriously believe there is a market for this? Smart phones which work even after being drowned in water for 3 hours. Is that a big USP? I guess if I was clumsy and did drop my phone in the commode, I shouldn’t worry as long as I don’t flush. My favourite was the online plants. You get to actually prune and take care of online plants on a screen using an external pair of electronic shears. Give me break. Even I, with a brown thumb, know that it can’t be exciting. These are great gimmicks, but would you pay good money for them?

Having said that, you never know what catches the fancy of the consumer. Who would have thought that Angry Birds would be a million dollar business? Companies that sold us ‘Full’ high definition televisions are now scrambling over each other to release TVs with ‘Ultra HD’ resolutions, which is four times ‘fuller’ than Full HD. So if these can work, maybe there is a hope for the other products as well.

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