Team Anna and Brand Promotion

Before I start, this piece is not about corruption in India or my joining the anti-corruption crusade. Not that I am for corruption. Since I don’t have the opportunity to make money through corruption, I am against it! Never mind that…

I am talking here about Team Anna’s campaign. Since it is being termed a campaign and is seeing a ground swell of support, I like to explore it through the prism of marketing to gauge its impact and glean some learning.

The campaign, anti-corruption, is a strong product, yes. But that alone doesn’t explain its success. The marketplace of this country is littered with good products floundering and failing due to bad marketing. But Team Anna’s hasn’t and is flourishing and flowering. And therein lie a few lessons for us marketers. Simple lessons fundamental in nature but then that’s what marketing is, has been and always should be.

First, the target audience of the campaign; the single most stunning reason for its spectacular success: the middle class of India. You see, the rich of this country are few in numbers and don’t open their mouths. And the poor though large in size don’t have a voice. The middle class - the tax-paying public, the law abiding citizens of this country who have put up with this corrupt system for way too long – they represent a huge segment. Team Anna got their segmentation right. Targeting, bang on. And positioning, picture perfect!

Economics-wise, there was pent up demand among this segment and a growing need for an anti-corruption product. Team Anna provided it. The product was accepted by the target with glee and latched up with joy.

The next key is the product’s distribution strategy. Team Anna chose the perfect market to launch their product – New Delhi; in the heart of the country amidst the citadels of power; giving it ample scope to be covered by media – from New Delhi to Navi Mumbai, from Patna to Pudukottai. The product took off in its launch market, and with growing demand elsewhere, it moved seamlessly to the nooks and corners of this country. Word of mouth helped; public relations supported it; and the target audience became the product’s distribution channel as well. Putting even brands like Amway and Tupperware to shame!

As is the case with any other brand, Team Anna now just has to make sure the audience stays with the campaign. In other words, make the audience stay brand loyal. Here, promotion will play a crucial part. And that’s been impeccable so far. Not advertisements; but powerful public relations and a fantastic ground-level initiative – Team Anna’s ‘Fast unto death’. That was a masterstroke. This country supports the meek and stands behind the weak. Fasting was the equivalent of a finely-conducted marketing event or a well-orchestrated sponsorship. Team Anna’s fasting act not only got it ground-level encouragement but media-led support too. Add to it the creative collaterals like Team Anna T-shirts, caps, banners and the grand Indian flag as backdrop have all ensured the success of this promotion campaign.

With a clear STP, comprehensive 4Ps all the campaign now needs is innovative ideas to keep the flame alive. The programme needs legs, as would any brand promotion. If Team Anna could ensure that…….this campaign, apart from its resounding success, would result in something after all to this great nation.

Now, are there any other marketing lessons here? One more, among many. It’s the danger and diabolically twin-edged sword called ‘comparative advertising’. Team Anna’s chief competitor – the Congress Government – had been doing its best to make this campaign a success. By belittling them; by releasing ads against the Jan Lokpal propagated by Team Anna; by discrediting the brand and through it the product, this Government has made sure they shot themselves in the foot and given this campaign a shot in its arm. Just like Rin found out when it tried to screw Tide with comparative advertising and ended up only promoting Tide!

Now, enough of all this marketing talk. As a simple Indian, who do you think will win? This campaign? Team Anna? A strong Lokpal?

I wish it is India!