It's About Studying & Understanding Audience: Mayuri Saikia, Dell Technologies
The festive season has always been the differentiator for the market and marketers. This year, post-pandemic the market has grown exponentially with RedSeer reports showing a 28 per cent hike in sales through ecommerce platforms and online shopping.
Marketers have been coming up with innovative ideas for advertising and marketing.
Director of Marketing (Consumer), Dell Technologies, Mayuri Saikia shares more on the festive season marketing and Dell.
Excerpts:
Q. October is seen as the festive season in India. What is Dell’s approach to that?
If you look at the campaign, we are looking at the festive season in India. The month of October in India is all about celebrations with so many festivals. So, our campaigns are designed in such a way that they will be more relevant to our customers. And if you look at our campaign, we're all about seasonality, it's very important that we talk about our products, but it's important that we communicate to the customers in a way that makes them feel connected to our brand. The campaign is connecting our customers, whether it is the young metropolitans or digitally affluent families. We are there at the moment because this is the season when a lot of buying happens, we want our customers to understand the product, but at the same time we are trying to connect even emotionally.
Q. How has the latest campaign #ApnaWalaFestival influenced the consumer and how did it affect the sales?
While the customer is deciding how they want to spend the festive season, as a brand we can share information and guide them about what they can actually buy either for themselves or for their loved ones. So, when we talk about #ApnaWalaFestival, it is more about connecting to the customer, who have their own ways of celebrating
Technology has become an integral part of our life and has seamlessly integrated with everything we do. By using technology to our advantage, we are all connected and celebrating together, even when we can’t be physically present. The campaign is showing how technology helps us actually to celebrate in our own way. Additionally, Dell has rolled out the festive offerings which customers can avail this festive season.
Q. What are the key things which consumers can expect from Dell this festive season?
Dell is one of the most trusted and desired brands. We have been named the ‘most trusted brand’ for three years in a row now, so our customers are constantly looking at us. Dell has the best products and the best services to offer which the customers can explore through multiple touchpoints, offline as well as online. The customers can reach us through exclusive stores and websites, in addition to our retail partners.
Q. How have things geared up for the festive season this year and what kind of changes can we see in comparison to pre-Covid times?
If we look at Dell and the way we are reaching our customers, it is all about awareness of the brand, our products, our services, and about the experience. Laptops have always been a part of one's life but in the last two years, we have seen that the usage per family has increased because a lot of people started working from home and education shifted online. If you look at our children, whether in school or in college, laptop is an integral part now irrespective of online or offline classes. So, the usage has definitely gone up. I would say in the last few years, the relevance of the laptop has never been as high as it is today. And it is not only about doing some work or your studies, but people are also pursuing different kinds of passion. You can take coaching from across the country or you can even learn so many things on the laptop. I think due to these reasons it has really changed the use of laptop in one's life.
Q. With the new innovations and product launches in the market, what according to you gives the consumer an incentive to interact with the brands?
With the growth of digital media, there is so much content flowing and consumers have got too much to look into. So, a few things which we follow is that the content must be absolutely as per the audience, you have to touch their heart, and you have to touch what they're looking for. So that, when they see your brand and they understand the message. They pause to at least see what you have to say. So content is key, and you will see that in our festive campaign as well.
A lot of insight goes into the development of the campaign and this particular campaign has been conceptualised and developed by VMLY&R. We also need to figure out how we reach our target audience. There are so many media platforms that we use to talk to our consumers. Being a consumer-first brand, we keep the consumer at the centre of everything we do. We create content for platforms where our audience is present. So, if you look at our campaign, it is a 360-degree campaign, and we are very heavy on digital. And you will see it across OTT platforms such as YouTube, Zee, Hotstar etc. We have also launched the campaign in multiple languages to offer that local flavour and resonate more deeply with our audience. We are heavily present on social media right from Facebook to Instagram because that is where our audience is. Once you have the research and content in place, the rest becomes an easy journey.
Q. What are the strategies to tackle the competition going around? What are the grey areas for Dell?
Frankly, I will not be able to talk anything about competition because when we talk about the marketing strategy, it is completely our own strategy. Just keeping a consumer-first approach, is not related to what others are doing. But it is about studying and understanding the audience, the market, the platforms and getting insights for what works the best. As I mentioned that we have the best products, and we are the number one trusted brand. So having a consumer-first approach helps drive the best results.
Q. How are regular campaigns different from festive season campaigns? Can you shed a little light on what mediums will you be focusing on and how is it different from the last two years?
It is very important to understand the customer sentiment and what are we trying to say or do. In line with this, and with technology playing an important part in the lives of students we launched our Back to School and Back to College campaign for the year collectively known as “Ye hai padhai 2.0”
Our Back to School campaign addresses the key role played by PCs in helping students and teachers adapt to the changing environment. Another important element is that kids these days exhibit independence and often turn to the internet for doubt-solving, clarification, or whatever their curious minds may throw at them. The key insight therefore into creating this campaign was this evolution.
While Back to College campaign validates Dell's belief in meaningful innovation and the role of technology in helping #DiscoverYourPassion. The campaign positions PCs not just as an enabler of seamless learning for students, but also gives them inroads to explore their hobbies and passions.
Both these campaigns are followed by a 360-degree amplification, across television, radio, digital and social media with prime associations and high-impact creatives.
For every campaign we do, our approach is always the consumer first. A lot of insight is used while developing any campaign.
Q. You have been a marketer for two decades, what is your general take on festive campaigns and how do they benefit the customer?
Everything is very exciting about the festive season. For brands, it is very important to look out for the customers as this is the season when they really want to make purchases. As a brand, we can make it more fruitful for them by giving them the best offers and making the purchase experience more satisfactory. It becomes a lot easier when brands have multiple channels that the customers can use to interact with the brand, which includes online, or exclusive offline stores, or retail partners. By doing this, a brand can enhance a customer’s experience.
