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Personal Finance Just a Click Away!

Sanaa Ahmed — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:10:20 +0000

“Internet has come as a boon for those who have shunned investments because of the paperwork and the tedious physical process involved in it”, says Prashant Mahesh.

The amount of time taken for investments due to the complex procedures leave many in frenzy. But it’s the internet services that are going to help everyone bringing about a relief while carrying out investments. It has become a huge resource for people who don’t have to spend time checking and re-checking forms, applications etc as the internet will not allow you to make mistakes.

So let’s have a look at the services offered by the net.

ONLINE BANK ACCOUNT
This service helps you to check your account from anywhere without much hassle. You can transfer funds, make payments, pay your electricity, phone bills without the use of checks. An easy method for those who still find banking complex.

ONLINE SHARE TRADING
Well those who are tired of the traditional method of purchasing and selling shares, this online trading method is a boon. You can view prices real-time, with data such as the best five ask and bid price, along with other parameters like the day’s high, low and the volumes traded. You can also analyse your portfolio online. “Today, a total of 11% of all equity trades are executed online, compared to 9.5% a year ago,” says Aseem Dhru, MD and CEO, HDFC Securities. The ‘lite’ versions launched by some brokerages work fine in case you are using a low speed internet.

MUTUAL FUNDS
Now Mutual Funds can also be bought online. It’s just a click away. You don’t have to sign for every investment and there is less paper work. And if you are a new user and have just no idea how to get about such sites; then there are various sites that give a detailed overview of the whole process-something like “Mutual Fund for Dummies”.

COMPANY FDS, BANK FDS AND BONDS
Though they carry higher credit risk, company fixed deposits offer a higher interest rate than banks. “We do a due diligence before recommending fixed deposits to our investors,” says Mr Arora of ICICI Securities. You can invest in fixed deposits online.

IPOS
Investors applying in IPOs can use the Applications supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) route. If you have an online broking account, an ASBA application can be done at a click of a button.

INSURANCE
Insurance companies like HDFC securities and Religare offered Insurance facilities online. You can buy certain Ulips and term insurance online.

CREDIT CARDS
Credit cards usage is very popular on the internet as it’s easy to purchase stuff through it. And with increased security measures, it’s faster and safer. You get reminders for your bill payments and help you to keep track of your expenses.

HOME LOAN SERVICING
Many banks like HDFC Bank allows customers to pay home loan EMIs online. This works best when you are stationed abroad.

With so many services just a click away finances can be easily taken care of. The amount of work and tedious nature of the job involved while doing investments leaves everyone exhausted. But the internet has been a boon and it would be fruitful for all to use it diligently.

Desi duo make it big through iPad Application

Sanaa Ahmed — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:25:04 +0000

Ipad’s newest application, Pulse has been the brainchild of two Indian born graduate students of Stanford University’s Institute of Design-Akshay Kothari (23) and Ankit Gupta (22).This $3.99 application was developed due their own personal frustration while reading news on the restricted screen space of the moblie phones. This application provides for a better screen space and users can finger-swipe back and forth various articles. Apart from that, its features include sharing articles through popular networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. This application has earned more than $40,000 revenue in which Apple has 30% share. This budding pair of bright minds has created their own company called “Alphonso Labs” and is soon turning to potential investors for long term benefits.

“You absolutely do not have to give away something great for free,” said Michael Dearing, a former eBay executive who is a teacher of the Launch Pad class. “If you build something great, people will pay you for it.”

It’s great how small things turn big in a short span of time. If we rewind few months back we’ll see how a simple college project turned out to be a goldmine for these two young college graduates. Ankit Gupta and Akshay Kothari were super excited as they would be one of the first few people to lay their hands one of the sought after products of Apple-the iPad. But little did they know that two months later they would be famous; on New York Times, NBC’s Evening News and TechCrunch a powerful technology blog. After their purchase, they had developed software as a part of their college project that aggregates news from various sources. It became a huge success and they were living a dream. Sitting on a goldmine with most companies trying to figure out how to do so, their start has been enviable. While 30,000 iPad users have downloaded their app so far, there are two million users out there. There are soon launching this same application on the iPhone which has an estimated user list of 3 billion people worldwide making this application one of the most successful applications. They have won not only attention but also huge sums of money. A true success!

Kothari is from Ahmedabad, while Gupta is a genius from IIT Bombay. At Standford while studying they got accepted to a programme called “Launch Pad”. The idea of Launch Pad was simple: build a product and launch a company in three months. While they got iPad which was truly enriching for people in love with technology, they discovered that news consumption experience had left them frustrated. So they ventured out to make an application in order to solve their ongoing frustration; which led them to start their college product. So they went about building their product which was difficult at start as many advisors from the Silicon valley told them to “try something else”. But they were not going to be put off by criticisms. “Basically, I think once you set out to do something, you must put your whole heart into it,” Kothari says. It was a great experience. They started to solve this problem and build up a whole new application which would later on shake up the entire technological world. “On day 1, people were like, ‘this is awful’,” Kothari says. By day 5, testers were asking if the app came bundled with the iPad. “Then we knew we were on to something,” he says. It was hard work, they researched, they tried, they tested and they perfected it.

Then came the issue of marketing. “We feel it’s the key. Most engineers think if they build an awesome product it will sell itself. We knew that approach was not going to work in a crowded app marketplace,” Kothari says. They uploaded videos on YouTube attracting attention and finally TechCrunch a powerful Silicon valley Blog reviewed it which went on the top of the list and hasn’t moved ever since. “We have been incredibly fortunate to be in an environment that encourages entrepreneurs,” Kothari says. The lessons they learnt not only taught them to become a tech designer but also taught them entrepreneurship.

“So many of our really smart friends in India opt for some stupid job in a bank after they graduate because of the comfort of a salary. Both of us passionately believe that young people should set out to do something on their own, and if our little success inspires anybody out there, that will be our biggest reward,” Kothari says, with heartfelt sincerity that didn’t seem to care if he was sounding a bit clichéd. Cliched or not we thoroughly like this duo. Small business ideas can be really rewarding if you believe in it, so keep your mind open to everything; you never know what’s next. Here is a toast to the success of these two talented Indian boys. Well, they have truly made us proud!

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Cox and Kings to add 20 more franchisees by March 2011

Dhawal Shah — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:35:48 +0000

Cox and Kings India, a travel company based out of London, with operations in India, plans to take its count to 100 by the end of this
financial year (March 2011) Company officials confirmed that the expansion will be through franchising.

The company has 80 franchisees and would be adding another 20 very soon. This has been planned keeping in mind the success of year 2010 for travel and tourism companies. In the last few years, the company has successfully tapped markets in tier II and III cities like Meerut, Varanasi, Patiala, Siliguri and Raipur, among many others. Cox and Kings India registered 18 per cent growth in net profit in March 2010 quarter in comparison to its previous March quarter.

Cox and Kings is headed by Mr. Peter Kerkar. Cox and Kings is one of the few travel franchise businesses in India to be listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Cox and Kings was listed on 11th Dec. 2009, raising over Rs. 610 Crore (USD 13 Million).

Cox & Kings as a franchisor grants the franchisee / entrepreneur the licensed right to own and operate a business based on the Cox and King’s travel business concept, using its trademark. Cox and Kings would
help the franchisee start the business, providing training, assistance with, site development and ordering inventory, advertising and marketing support. To benefit from this business opportunity, a franchisee needs 250 to 1,000 sq ft of space and to make an investment of Rs 10-15 lakh.

Cox and Kings has started to franchise (A Year ago), joining other travel franchise businesses like, Travelport, Raj Travels and others.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

First Zara Retail Franchise opens in India

Dhawal Shah — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:26:09 +0000

The Inditex Group has opened its first Zara store in Delhi, India. The Indian market shows great growth potential and will make a considerable contribution to total sales in the long term. However, several challenges remain in the form of a 51% limit on FDI and significant cultural differences. Nevertheless, Inditex’s unique distribution strategy should allow it to gradually adapt to the market.

Inditex opened its first Zara store in India on May 29, 2010 in the Saket region of Delhi, having announced its plan to do so in September 2007. In accordance with Indian regulations on foreign direct investment (FDI), the Spanish fast-fashion retailer partnered with the Tata Group, India, to form a joint venture in February 2009. Inditex owns 51% of this partnership while Tata’s subsidiary Trent Limited holds 49%. Due to various challenges the company faces, store expansion will remain slow, with only one further store opening planned for 2010.

Inditex has relied heavily on global expansion to maintain its sales momentum due to the heavy impact of the downturn in its domestic market. Indeed in 2009, 98% of new stores opened outside of Spain. Asian markets are a particularly strong source of growth for Inditex. It already operates stores in South Korea, China and Japan, where it opened a combined 63 stores in 2009. Similarly to China, India presents lucrative potential in the form of a rapidly growing middle class. Moreover, its clothing retail expenditure is forecast to grow at a faster rate than neighboring China with a CAGR of 6.7% in the period 2009-13, compared to China’s 5.3%, according to Verdict’s Global Retail Database.

Zara has launched its stores at Select Citywalk and DLF Promenade mall, in New Delhi and in the new extension of the Palladium commercial centre in Mumbai. Lara Dutta, launched the Zara apparel brand at Select Citywalk. It is the first store of the company in India. It has more than 14,000 square feet in one floor where the brand show its women’s, men’s and children’s collection. Zara is the second Spanish Retailer to enter India, after Mango. Although Mango expanded in India, by the franchise route.

However, the company faces several hurdles. Current regulations on FDI in India stipulate that foreign single-brand retailers must pass a 49% stake to a local partner. This involves the retailer sharing company details and data it would not normally divulge. Furthermore, franchising stores means that the retailer loses some control over how these are operated, which many companies fear may damage their brand. Consequently, single-brand retailers are often wary of entering the Indian market. For a clothing retailer like Zara, additional concerns include the relative lack of seasonal variation and the distinct, consolidated style of dress among Indian women which differs greatly to Zara’s existing ranges. We reported back in March, 2009 that Spanish Retailer Zara has finalised its India Strategy with Trent.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Cos hunt for Young Staff to woo buyers

Tarmeem — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:02:28 +0000

24-year-old Charu Aneja is one satisfied employee. Why? Well, she works at India’s first Diesel outlet located at the Palladium, Mumbai, where the the shift starts at 10 30 and the dress code is as casual as it could get; which is why she aptly calls it her ‘hangout-cum-workplace’. Charu, an National Institute of Fashion Technology graduate and former dance instructor at Shaimak Davar’s, is more than satisfied with her job. She says, “Diesel is a brand I loved as a consumer; I am now selling it. The best thing is, people here are fun to work with.”

And she isn’t alone. The store’s front-end arm comprises of equally young and vibrant people with diverse backgrounds but with a common purpose of having fun at work! Take the case of 29-year-old DJ Gokul Kadam, who works as the Diesel Store Patrol or 26-year-old model or yoga instructor Komal Kriplani or even Irish engineer Joseph Flynn. The Diesel outlet is undoubtedly, a melting pot! Such is the recruitment strategy adopted by some of the premium brands like Timberland, Hard Rock Café & Diesel to reach out to the target customers of India, which spells new territory.

These brands have left no stone unturned to succeed in the new endeavour. Be it social networking sites, informal gatherings like parties, discotheques, salons or even employee referrals, they are just all over the place. The reason behind this new way of targetting the market is to get the youth on board who are all for rock music, fashion, adventure sports and are part of the target group, to promote and sell their products.

Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, which brought Diesel and Timberland Stores to India, clearly points out the importance of such innovative marketing techniques, “These people can easily understand the needs and aspirations of young consumers, being of the same age group and share the same tastes. Besides, identifying preferences of customers correctly is important for any brand to succeed.”

If the expansion plans of these brands are anything to go by, Diesel is kicked about opening up three new outlets, whereas, two have already started business. Hard Rock Café(HRC) is managing five stores in the country, while, Timberland Stores is all set to start four stores with a front-end employee strength of 24 people.

The total number of employees working at HRC all over India is approximately 200 to 250, of which the majority is under 30. For instance, 27-year old Vasim Sheikh an operations supervisor at Hyderabad, who has been with HRC for a total of four years, is probably the oldest! . “I was searching for a job when an ad helped me locate the opportunity at HRC. A blend of music and work seemed too alluring,” he asserts.

Another music enthusiast, Kugglen D’souza, a fan of musician DBoy,was destined to be at HRC which can be made out from his tale of realisation. He narrates, “Whenever I came here, everything looked great — the music, people, their clothes, hairstyles… I loved the way they worked. So, I walked in one day asking for a job and they happily agreed.” He joined HRC this January after completing Class 12.

He further explains that his craze for hip-hop made things easier for him during the interview. It must be noted that, the employees at HRC are trained to equip them for such roles.

“We have two extreme retail talent pools in the country — one for mass retail and another for luxury brands. For brands like ours, neither of the two fits in. We need a cool, easy-going pool of individuals to whom buyers can communicate their requirements,” says Jay Singh, co-founder and executive director, HRC India.

One of the crowdpullers is the environment at these outlets, which tends to be easy-going and informal. “It’s difficult for me to work in a tightly regulated work place. At Diesel, I get that freedom,” says Gokul Kadam, who transforms into a disc jockey on weekends with Fashion Bar and Lounge, Ashoka Hotel in the Capital.

Despite the success of the strategy, roadblocks are unavoidable. Here, they come in the form of unavailibilty of candidates in India. So how do they manage it? “Any model, when tried for the first time, poses a huge challenge but once established, yields good results. We have already started getting cold calls from many who have visited the stores asking for a job,” says Mr Mehta.

Finance Lessons: Initial Public Offering

Samir — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:04:11 +0000

What is an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?
A maiden public issue of shares by a company is termed as an Initial Public Offering (IPO). It is often treated as a milestone in a company’s lifecycle and usually marks the transition from a small closely-held company to a listed entity. Most IPOs are done by smaller, younger companies which need capital to expand their business. However, often they are also done by large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly-traded. The new investors who come in the company by way of owning shares, through the IPO become members of the family of existing shareholders.

Why do companies go for an IPO? What are its benefits?
Companies float an IPO to raise capital. Listed companies get access to cheaper capital. Since they are more compliant and transparent, and are subjected to scrutiny by various authorities, they can get access to lower interest rates when they issue debt. A listed company can issue more stock and raise fresh capital faster than an unlisted company. They can also offer their own stock to buy out a company. Hence, mergers and acquisitions are easier for listed companies since they can issue stock as part of the deal. A listed company can offer ESOPs to employees, which is an attractive retention tool. There is also a considerable amount of prestige that follows a successful listing.

How can an IPO be structured?
An IPO can be done either through a fresh issue of shares or through an offer for sale of existing shares to investors. If fresh shares are issued, the company’s fresh capital is injected into the business and its equity base increases. The stake of existing investors in the company decreases, to that extent. When existing shareholders of the company sell equity shares that they own, then it is called an offer for sale. In this case, there is no infusion of money in the company. The existing shareholders, sell their stake usually for a profit.
How long does it take for a company to list post-IPO?
In a recent directive, Sebi has ordered companies to get their issue listed within 12 days, from the date of closure of the IPO. Earlier, it took companies 22 days to list the IPO.

How is an IPO priced?
IPOs are priced by companies in conjunction with merchant bankers. Essentially, there are two ways of pricing an IPO — the fixed-price route and the bookbuilding option. In a fixed-price mechanism, the price at which the shares are issued to the public is disclosed, before the issue opens for subscription. In the book-building process, the company announces a price band within which investors have to bid for the shares. The lower end of the price range is called the floor and the upper end is called the cap. After the bidding process is complete, the cut-off price is arrived at based on the demand of securities. Retail investors have the option of bidding at a cut-off price.

Source: Economic Times

Getting your Franchise Brand Listed on SME Exchange / Stock Exchange

Dhawal Shah — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:47:11 +0000

There are some good news for franchise entrepreneurs out there. As per SEBI, Securities and Exchange Board of India circular, it has relaxed its norms for listing SME companies. Most of the 2000 franchisors in India are SMEs. Here are some good news, which would help you list your Franchise Brand raise additional capital, especially when considering that the sources to raise funds are limited.

The SEBI move is a major step towards corporatisation of Indian Franchisors.

Key Points to Note:
- Disclose Financial Results every Six Months instead of Three Months: This would reduce the cost of Audit required for a regular listed company which is every quarter
- Share Key Important Facts instead of the Full Annual Report to Shareholders. There is a huge printing cost for the annual reports, this can thus be avoided.
- Make Financial Results available on website, instead of publishing it in newspapers: Another Effort thereby helping listed SME’s reduce cost.
- Maintain a Public Share holding of atleast 75%
- SMEs that are consistently growing, will have the option to upgrade themselves to the main stock exchange, having capital between Rs. 10 Crore and Rs. 25 Crore.
- SMEs wanting to be listed, would need to have their issues 100% underwritten and the investment banker / merchant banker shall underwrite 15%. The investment banker will have the liberty to allot

Regular Stock Brokers, its sub brokers and franchisees will be able to trade on SME Exchange, without any additional registration.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Source: http://franchiseexpo.in/franchise_news_may_2010/Getting_your_Franchise_Brand_Listed_on_SEBI_SME_Exchange1119.cfm

How 3G will change Indian Franchising

Dhawal Shah — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:12:26 +0000

Finally, after years of waiting, the Indian Cell Phone Consumer will finally be able to enjoy high speed internet access and various other allied services. One would definitely want to consider what would be the impact of 3G services for franchisors, franchisees and the community alike. A quick peek into 3G Auctions:

- Generated a whopping Rs. 67,000 Crore (USD 14.5 Billion) for the Govt. of India, will be most likely used to bridge the fiscal deficit, strengthening the economy
- No PAN India Player
- First 3G Network Upgrade was in Japan, way back in 2001, hence India is about 9 years behind. Most countries around the world now offer 3G services and are considering 4G. Indian Telecom Operators will definitely not bid for 4G as the current 3G auctions have required them to make heavy investments. The 3G auctions has been closely tracked by almost all policy makers, business houses, entrepreneurs not just in India, but globally.

Franchise Sectors to be Positively Impacted:
Financial Services and Stock Broking Brands: Most of the larger PAN India Financial Services and Stock Broking Companies, rely heavily on strong IT systems and networks, especially in smaller cities, where internet connectivity is limited, it affects service quality. Now along with 3G, these franchisees, will open up the market for new customers, which would mean greater competition once the market gets saturated. The IT savvy customers will look for direct online trading and investing.

Retail: There will be a fall in the costs of IT services. Retail franchisees, will see a slight drop in their IT and software cost. Most of the telecom providers have a Business Solutions division, this division provides internet applications, along with third party service providers, to increase their market penetration. Telecom sector in India, is already the most competitive one, with probably the lowest rates, globally. Smaller Retail Companies will effectively compete with larger ones.

India already large franchising market with over 2000 Plus Franchisors and 120,000 Franchisees will get even more competitive, more international players will enter India, They would have entered India, even otherwise, after all not many can ignore the rising star. Its just that 3G will make it more attractive for them, thanks to the drop in costs as explained below.

Overall benefit for the Indian economy, currently only 9% of India is online and connected to the internet, 3G will usher a revolution, bringing internet browsing costs down. One of the reasons, the web penetration is low in India, is due to its high cost. In the US, you can get a T1 Line for as little as USD 20 a month for unlimited browsing, in India, for a high speed internet line, even if you paid twice as much, you would not be able to get it.

Smart Phone Sales: There will be a sharp increase in Smart Phone Sales in India. This includes, Apple’s iPhone, Google and HTCs Nexus One, Sony Ericsson and other cell phone cos.

Rise in Demand of IT services, will cause the price to fall. 3G will encourage a lot of IT companies to provide services at the phone level. This will bring the price of expensive Point of Sale systems, down and probably make them redundant. 3G will encourage people to go for iPad, which is a lot more application rich than the current non modifiable Point of Sale systems.

For web entrepreneurs like us that run franchise portals in India, this would mean higher number of users, more traffic and definitely more revenue, so cheers to that. Lets wait and enjoy instead of simply watching and explore the new business and franchise opportunities that unfold for entrepreneurs.

About the Author
Dhawal Shah is an entrepreneur and franchise expert with many years of experience. He publishes FranchiseExpo.in, You can FranchiseExpo.in has become the fastest growing franchises for sale search engine, helping buyers and sellers of franchise opportunities. FranchiseExpo.in has many resources to help you on your journey to start your own business, sell your existing business or open a franchise. FranchiseExpo.in has hundreds of franchises for sale in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Source: http://franchiseexpo.in/franchise_news_may_2010/How_3G_will_change_Indian_Franchising1118.cfm

Marketing it right!

Tarmeem — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:44:29 +0000

The best marketing insight can be from common sense and directly knowing the customer. In th fast- paced times of today, we need to reinvent our thinking on the following core issues.

IS TV THE RIGHT MEDIUM?

In today’s times, when TV has become the favourite pastime of most, it is most ironical to note that TRPs, short for Television Rating Points, have dwindled considerably despite the wide range of new age channels and programmes occupying the frame. This is clearly evident from the fact that previously, a handful of channels competed amongst each other for TRPs that ranged anywhere between 50-60 as against the new age war for the two and three TRPs of today.

And the medium of TV requires loads of investment, so what if it is for a 20 seconds commercial? All this makes one wonder if TV is really the right medium?

CELEBRITY

In an era of ‘15 minutes of fame’, it is no wonder that celebrities do not live long. It is agreed that the use of a celebrity is a sort of insurance against a bad job of advertising to a certain extent, but it should also not be ignored that the amount of competition is fierce with every brand roping in celebrities to make it big. This may even result in celebrities switching brand endorsements which may be simply due to sundry reasons like a better package offered by a fellow competitor. With almost every brand slogging it out in the race for celebrity endorsers, every brand ultimately, turns out to be almost the same with a known name attached to it. And yes, whoever remembers which brand is endorsed by which celebrity, anyways?

PROMOTIONS

Nowadays, Marketing Managers have increasingly restricted themselves to being Promotion Managers. Previously, the strategy used to be ‘Buy two and get one free’ or even ‘Buy one. Get one’, which has now changed to ‘Buy one and get two free’. In today’s scenario, it becomes almost difficult to figure out if the demand has increased for the product or the free gift on offer! No points for guessing what that does to the brand equity!

USP

Philip Kotler is one of the foremost marketing gurus of all times. This has been agreed upon by the Marketing Managers of today and so, every product has a Unique Selling Proposition or the very popular USP. So, USP is then translated into technical terms and we get to hear things like Bio Fresh, Peptide, PSPO, which makes little sense to the customer. Kotler has also mentioned somewhere, “A confused customer is the worst customer”

REALITY COMMERCIAL

A few years ago, a new wave of reality TV shows hit the TV industry and inundated the Television scene. It continues to do so till today. And advertisements need to follow suit.

Today, most commercials are either comical or unbelievable or even such wherein the customer is put down. There is a very small list of advertisements that actually help in giving a lift the brand’s image. Realistic commercials are the need of the hour.

OVEREXPOSURE

IPL is a perfect example of overexposure. During the entire season, it must have come to our minds atleast once if not more, the endless number of brands shouting out loud from every possible corner. Be it the caps, shirts, sleeves, scoreboard, pants, balloons and the list goes on.

Now, the question, here, is “Isn’t this causing more of customer dismay than customer endorsement?”

PRIVATE LABEL

Volumes is what every manufacturer looks out for, even if that translates into increased competition. This explains why any manufacturer agrees to give out his product under other private labels, which means sharing shelf space with the other brands. So, have we done away with concepts like brand power, brand equity and brand disccrimination already?

GRASSROOT MARKETING

The fact that needs to be realised by the Marketing Managers of today is that ‘Grass root Common Sense Marketing’ is what will save the scene. It is high time they realise that we need marketing which follows the dictum of common sense rooted to the ground, rather than just following foreign case studies blindly, textbook thinking, desktop management.

Grass root Common Sense Marketing advocates brand royalty through services directed to customers, entrepreneurship in marketing, use of Indian examples and case studies in marketing and, most importantly, ‘consumer insight’.

This is the secret behind many Indian brands which have made it to the big league!

Companies targeting social net to reach female customers

Tarmeem — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:56:50 +0000

It seems companies have come of age and have taken cue from a recent estimate that says that women account for over a fourth of the overall internet users in India. A case in point is of ad network Ozone Media Solutions which is vying to promote women-centric brands with potential users online.

Though, in other cases, the target audience is not restricted to the fairer sex alone. The catch is to tap the potential niche customers on the Net by getting out there and using a range of of specialised tools such as dedicated advertising channels.

These fast-moving consumer brands have learnt that turning to the Internet would be of immense help keeping in mind the popular usage. The list includes big names like Himalaya Drug and Hamdard Laboratories, jewellery maker Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) and global consumer products major 3M Corp which use dedicated channels advertising networks like women’s advertisement channel to bring in the added traffic.

For instance, jewellery retail giant, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri puts aside more than a tenth of the total advertising budget for promotion through the internet and is expecting it to inflate by 20% by the next year. Kiran Dixit, Head-Advertising & Marketing at Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) further explains the importance of this new trend on the block. As put by him, “The rupee investment gets stretched to the maximum with a women-centric channel.”

The task of ad networks like Ozone Media Solutions is to provide service to advertisers by putting together a bunch of focused and niche sites that revolve around subjects such as health, fashion and home products. For an example, Ozone places ads for women-centric consumer brands on sites such as Indus-Ladies, IndiaParenting, SanjeevKapoor.com, Evesindia.com and About.com. The company’s devoted women’s ad channel, Eva, has a following of 25 lakh women per month. Himalaya, on the other hand, advertises its e-commerce site and personal care products.

It generally works with ad networks playing the mediator between the brands and the publisher sites. But, brands do negotiate terms with the sites with a better viewership record on their own, whereas, they find it reasonable to contact ad networks to meet the remaining demands of the advertising strategy.

Sites operating on a small scale play an equally important role in influencing women’s views. It may not be possible for them to have sales representatives to reach agencies which makes it rather sensible to opt for ad networks which are associated with specialised channels which consolidate unsold ad space even across the long tail.

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manzeal.com » Resources

Personal Finance Just a Click Away!

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Desi duo make it big through iPad Application

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Cox and Kings to add 20 more franchisees by March 2011

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First Zara Retail Franchise opens in India

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Cos hunt for Young Staff to woo buyers

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Finance Lessons: Initial Public Offering

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Getting your Franchise Brand Listed on SME Exchange / Stock Exchange

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How 3G will change Indian Franchising

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Marketing it right!

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Companies targeting social net to reach female customers

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