Luxury Brands Turning to Mobile Apps to Woo Indians

Bet on India-specific apps to engage, entertain and inform affluent fashion-conscious consumers.

Luxury brands and fashion designers from Hermes and John Lobb to Ritu Kumar and Rajesh Pratap Singh are increasingly betting on India-specific mobile applications to engage, entertain and inform affluent fashion-conscious consumers in the country.French luxury-goods house Hermes has launched Tie Break, a mobile app for men that offers “a break from harsh realities of office...or even a dull date“ with the pull of a tie, while New York-based fashion house Donna Karan New York is all set to launch its DKNY Cozy, a styling suggestion app for women, in the country.
These apps don't directly push sale, as mostly there are no options for purchase and direct interaction with brand representatives.
“Customer engagement is one of the prime reasons leading brands have turned to mobile apps,“ said Ashim Jolly, senior vice president at Snaplion, a Delhi-based company that has designed apps for a clutch of designers including Rajesh Pratap Singh and Gauri Nainika.
He said these apps, mostly available on iOS and Android, come with features like stock checkers, ecoupons, bar code scanners and sales alerts to name a few.
Snaplion is also in talks with Michael Kors and Canali to develop India-specific apps for the brands. Mumbai-based Regalia Luxury Retail, marketing partner of luxury shoemaker John Lobb in the country, is developing an India-specific app for the English handmade shoe brand.
Malls housing luxury labels are also taking the initiative. DLF Emporio, a luxury mall in Delhi, will soon launch an app for iPhone and Android devices to provide information on offers, promotions and latest collections of all the brands under its roof. “We are also figuring out a way to let users connect with each other when they are in and around the mall using the application,“ said Neha Lidder, who handles Emporio's marketing.
Shoppers are already excited about connecting better with brands they spend a fortune on. “It is nice to see efforts being made to reach out to Indian shoppers on home turf,“ said Malika Mittal, a 35 year-old Delhi-based banker, who finds herself splurging on expensive items frequently.
Indigenous brands are also experimenting with the live feel. Designer Ritu Kumar's app, for example, has a virtual wardrobe for users to try different clothes on hisher picture. OCM Suitings, owned by US-based investment firm WL Ross, too, has created a virtual trial room for people to have a look at available fabrics and styles.

डिजिटल भारत : सही व्यक्ति, सही समय

. जन-हित में सूचना तकनीक और दूरसंचार क्षेत्र की शक्तियों का प्रयोग करते हुए जिन महत्त्वाकांक्षी परियोजनाओं को आगे बढ़ाने का मोदी ने संकल्प लिया है, उसके लिए संभवत: यह सर्वाधिक अनुकूल समय है

भले ही आप राजनैतिक आधार पर प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी के समर्थक हों या विरोधी, आप यह स्वीकार किए बिना नहीं रह सकेंगे कि-एक, उनके पास इनोवेटिव (नवोन्मेषी) विचारों की कमी नहीं है। दो, वह सरकार- प्रशासन की सीमाओं के बावजूद कुछ ठोस करने का संकल्प रखते हैं। और तीन, कारोबार से लेकर तकनीक जैसे परस्पर विविधतापूर्ण क्षेत्रों पर भी उनकी दृष्टि काफी हद तक स्पष्ट तथा संतुलित है।

ई-गवरनेंस और डिजिटल भारत का उनका सपना इनका मजबूत संकेत है। ऐसा नहीं है कि भारत के लिए ई- गवरनेंस, ई-प्रशासन, ई-शिक्षा और डिजिटल साक्षरता जैसे मुद्दे एकदम नए हों। हम इस मार्ग पर पिछले दो दशकों से चल ही रहे हैं। पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री स्व. राजीव गांधी के समय पर कंप्यूटरीकरण का जो सिलसिला शुरू हुआ था, उसकी स्वाभाविक परिणति मोदी के ई-गवरनेंस और डिजिटल भारत संबंधी व्यापक तंत्र के रूप में हो सकती है। इस लंबी अवधि में हम सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी, दूरसंचार, आईटी की आधारभूत संरचनाओं, इंटरनेट आधारित सेवाओं, बाजार तथा सूचना तंत्र आदि के विकास में काफी आगे आ चुके हैं। सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी में हमारे पास कुशल मानव संसाधनों की उपलब्धता अन्य देशों की तुलना में काफी अच्छी है। हालांकि ढांचागत विकास के मामले में आज भी चुनौतियां बरकरार हैं, जैसे-डिजिटल साक्षरता का अभाव, गांव-कस्बों में कंप्यूटरों की संख्या (पीसी पेनेट्रेशन) के कमजोर आंकड़े, ब्रॉडबैंड इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी की कमजोर रफ्तार आदि। गांव-कस्बों तक ई-गवरनेंस के लाभ पहुंचाने के संदर्भ में सिर्फ तकनीकी सीमाएं ही नहीं हैं, हमारी अन्य सीमाएं भी लक्ष्य को हासिल करने में रु कावट पैदा कर सकती हैं; जैसे- बिजली की समस्या, जिसके बिना गांव-देहात के लोगों का सरकारी ई-पण्रालियों के साथ संपर्क कर पाना दिक्कत-तलब होगा, निम्नतम स्तर पर सुविधाओं के संचालन के लिए मानव संसाधनों का अभाव, चुनौतीपूर्ण लक्ष्यों को हासिल करने में प्रशासनिक तंत्र का अनमनापन, जो स्वयं आज तक तकनीक के साथ उस किस्म का तालमेल नहीं बिठा पाया है, जिसकी आवश्यकता मोदी के ई-गवरनेंस विजन को साकार करने के लिए सामने आएगी।


जन-हित में सूचना तकनीक और दूरसंचार क्षेत्र की शक्तियों का प्रयोग करते हुए जिन महत्त्वाकांक्षी परियोजनाओं को आगे बढ़ाने का संकल्प उन्होंने लिया है, उसके लिए संभवत: यह सर्वाधिक अनुकूल समय है। पहला, देश में आधी से अधिक संख्या 35 वर्ष तक की आयु के युवाओं की है, जो तकनीक के प्रति स्वाभाविक लगाव रखते हैं और उसे दिलचस्पी से देखते तथा प्रयोग करते हैं।

दूसरे, देश में मोबाइल फोन, टैबलेट और कंप्यूटरों का प्रसार तेज रफ्तार से हो रहा है और दूरसंचार सुविधाएं देश की तीन-चौथाई आबादी तक पहुंच चुकी हैं। मोबाइल फोन के मामले में हम अमेरिका को पीछे छोड़ चुके हैं और सिर्फ चीन से पीछे हैं। जब कनवरजेंस का कारवां एक के बाद एक मोर्चे फतह करता जा रहा हो तो टैबलेट और मोबाइल फोन, सेवाओं को मुहैया कराने और दोतरफा संवाद का महत्त्वपूर्ण माध्यम बन सकते हैं। मोदी मोबाइल गवरनेंस की भी बात कर चुके हैं, और देखा जाए तो देश ने पहले ही इसके लिए एक अच्छा-खासा आधार तैयार कर दिया है।

इंटरनेट उपभोक्ताओं के मामले में भी, यदि सरकार की प्राथमिकतां बदली नहीं तो, हम 2018 तक अमेरिका से आगे बढ़ सकते हैं, जब देश में लगभग 50 करोड़ इंटरनेट उपयोक्ता हो जाएंगे। यह अनायास नहीं है कि फेसबुक से लेकर गूगल और माइक्रोसॉफ्ट से लेकर ट्विटर तक के शीर्ष पदाधिकारी भारत को अपने विकास की धुरी के रूप में देख रहे हैं। अगर सरकार कंप्यूटरों के प्रसार पर फोकस करती है, तो तीन साल के भीतर हम अपनी एक-चौथाई आबादी को कंप्यूटरों से जोड़ने में सफल हो सकते हैं। गार्टनर के अनुसार भारत में आईटी से संबंधित आधारभूत सुविधाओं पर खर्च चार फीसद सालाना की गति से बढ़ रहा है। हमें इसे छह से आठ फीसद तक ले जाना होगा। भारतीय सॉफ्टवेयर और आईटी सेवाओं के शीर्ष संगठन नैस्कॉम ने जिस अंदाज में मोदी की घोषणाओं का गर्मजोशी के साथ स्वागत किया है, वह दिखाता है कि डिजिटल भारत और ई-गवरनेंस के उनके विजन में कितनी कारोबारी और विकासात्मक संभावनाएं छिपी हुई हैं। डिजिटल भारत परियोजना को इसी माह केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल की मंजूरी मिल चुकी है। .

Content Courtesy : बालेन्दु शर्मा दाधीच सोशल मीडिया के जानकार

Bollywood has a new Digital Landscape

Movie companies are betting on Twitter and Facebook to woo audiences and rake in the numbers for their films. Last week, the cast of `Happy New Year' -Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood and Boman Irani -changed their names on Twitter to their movie names. Actress Deepika Padukone changed her name to Finding Fanny for her upcoming movie. Twitter says Bollywood has been a big segment for the social media platform this year and it will continue to provide backend support for movie tie-ups.

For multiplex operators such as PVR, promoting movies on social media adds 4% to cinema hall occupancies and about 1012% to revenue. Producers including Mahesh Bhatt are focusing on social media, especially for niche films like `Citylights,' which was released in May. For this movie, they spent Rs 4.5 crore on marketing in the tradi tional media versus a few lakh rupees on social media. Going ahead, Bhatt would rather choose the social medium to amplify the message. “Looking back, we shouldn't have spent so much money on traditional media,“ says Bhatt.

Traditional forms of advertising for movies are being supplemented with social media promotions, says film critic Taran Adarsh. “Youngsters are glued to social platforms and at times, it makes a lot of sense for filmmakers to announce and share details of their movies on social media instead of engaging offline with a limited number of fans as well as multiple distributors.“ Adarsh himself uses the medium to tweet weekly movie earnings.

Earlier this year, Salman Khan's fans received personalised posters directly from his account (@BeingSalmanKhan) during the launch of Jai Ho. Pratiksha Rao, entertainment partnerships manager at Twitter India, says the company has creative coordination with various partners from the film industry and provides technology innovation to execute these projects.

“The platform brings people closer to their interests and it is becoming increasingly important for Bollywood partners to discuss their movies on Twitter first,“ says Rao. She adds that actors have revealed their movie character names on Twitter first, along with the trailers, creating a buzz on the subject. Another factor is the craving by movie fans for personal conversations with actors, which a live medium allows.

Marketing a movie requires copious amounts of research and if executed well, a movie that has been engaging on social media can draw traffic to the cinemas, says Anirban Das Blah, MD of CAA Kwan, a celebrity management firm. “It's often the most effective medium and gives a great return on investment since it costs very little compared to traditional forms of movie promotions. It is just a supplementary cost to the entire marketing budget,“ he says. Production houses are increasing their budgets for social media spending. “Until a year ago, online marketing budgets were restricted to 5-10% of the entire spend, but now they are up to 20%, which includes social media and creating shoulder content created especially for the online medium for audiences to engage in,“ says Shikha Kapur, chief marketing officer at Fox Star Studio, which has upcoming Bollywood projects including Padukone-starrer `Finding Fanny' and `Bang Bang,' a Hindi action thriller directed by Siddharth Raj Anand.

User engagement on social media that leads to purchases via movie ticket booking websites can be tracked in the virtual world, unlike trying to figure out how many people decided to watch a film after seeing a print or TV ad.

Film exhibitors such as PVR made the first move towards tapping the power of social media, which has been followed aggressively by production companies.And it isn't just Bollywood. Even in the south, filmmakers are actively using the medium. Pramod Arora, group president of PVR Ltd, says since exhibitors have a strong database of film viewers, they are very well placed to leverage social media.“PVR created a booking engine on its Facebook page, which directly leads people into booking tickets. The ROI from social media can be as high as 55%.“

Arora adds that there are about 900 films produced in India each year and the top 10% collect 90% of the total revenue. “While the top 10% films do well irrespective of any efforts, the remaining 90% have to be promoted well in order to get best returns and social media plays a very crucial role,“ Arora explains.
Success isn't always guaranteed. After spending almost ` . 50 lakh on social media, `Humshakals,' a recent Bollywood release made on a budget of ` . 80 crore, failed to enthrall audiences.

A genre of niche films in Bollywood is also being promoted on social networks. Ranjan Singh, head of marketing at Phantom Films, co-founded by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, says the company is releasing an 82-minute documentary about power theft ­ `Katiyabaaz' -this Friday. “Since it was a limited-release film for a select kind of audience, we decided to promote and create the required buzz on the social media,“ says Singh. The company spent ` . 8 lakh on social media initiatives, including releasing trailers on YouTube and live chats with the makers of the film on Facebook and Google Hangouts. 

REVENUE BOOSTER For multiplex operators such as PVR, promoting movies on social media adds about 10-12% to revenue

Does social media at the office affect productivity?

Should social media usage be banned at the workplace? Does it affect your employees’ productivity? As a manager, start by looking at your feelings about such online activities at work. Ask yourself if you would be concerned if people have personal phone calls or schedule appointments with contractors, delivery people or doctors.

Analyse your work environment, as well, particularly in terms of the day-to-day pressure and the opportunity to take breaks. This can be challenging for people who are generally deskbound and working on a computer all day, so observe whether your team members are getting away from their desks or if they may be taking “online breaks.” How do you assess whether you have an issue with a particular individual? If someone isn’t pulling their weight, it shouldn’t really matter whether it’s because they’re burning up hours chatting with a co-worker or wasting time online.

Your options range from complete restriction from using these sites to a completely laissez-faire approach. You’ll likely be most successful if you seek some middle ground. For instance, you may allow team members to use social media with some sensible limitations. If they are online so much that it’s interfering with productivity, address it on a case-by-case basis. You may want to ask for cooperation for a “no-online” zone if, say, clients are in the office.

If you want to ensure that people are getting their muchneeded respite from work during the day, encourage some movement away from their desks. However, online time may provide the mental break that they need. With the growth in popularity of social media, this is a common issue in the workplace. Develop standards that focus on ensuring that your team’s work gets done, and gets done well, and concentrate on correcting exceptions when they occur rather than limiting everyone’s online activity.

Do you have an optimized Online Presence ?

The next time you upload pictures of your friend’s crazy bachelor party on Facebook, pause and think before you post them. Do you really want your prospective employers to see these pictures? You do, of course, have the option of ‘hiding’ your posts; however, experts largely agree that your social media profile does influence their hiring decisions. As Alf Harris, regional director, Michael Page India, points out, “Recently, a young Belgian football fan, hired by a leading beauty brand after being spotlighted by TV cameras, had her contract cancelled as a result of negative publicity from photos on her Facebook page. This is an extreme example but it highlights how aware people should be when using social media.” Then there’s the case of a drunk candidate who rammed his car into a median and promptly put up the image on his Facebook page. Clearly, his prospective employer was not amused and he never got the interview call for the opening.

So what are some of the things that candidates must avoid posting on social media platforms if they are serious about getting hired? Srikanth Rengarajan, executive director and president, Manpower Group India, says, “References about using illegal drugs and guns, negative comments about previous employers, posts of a sexual nature and use of profanity, discriminatory comments related to race, gender or religion, lying about jobs, photographs of alcohol consumption and other inappropriate images, must be avoided on any public forum.” Bad spelling and grammar are other pet peeves of employers. Cryptic messages related to your personal life and problems can also be a turn-off as employers could get the impression that you are not emotionally stable.

Harris adds, “First impressions count. With social media, one does not have control over the number of people able to form opinions. This can magnify a thousand fold. The more information you give, the more your professional employer can know about you. So you must ensure you are clear in your message. What works and makes an impact with your friends on social media may not be what your future employer will see. People are responsible for what they want to feature on their social media profile. It is their responsibility to manage it and be aware of the potential risks if they are over-exposed. Customise and ensure your image and brand reflect the professional aspects you wish to convey.”

Hiring in Digital & Internet Age

In a world where visuals sell – an image post on Facebook gets instant likes, and YouTube with its audio-visual appeal is a runaway success, it is no surprise that hiring is now all about attracting eyeballs!

Social media hiring is already big in India with companies vying to innovate in this medium, and GE India certainly is leading the way. “In today’s world where everyone is connected online, the one way to connect eyeball-to-eyeball with new age talent is through a medium it knows well — which is social,” according to the talent recruitment social media strategy leaders at GE India. The company has been leveraging Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn to run targeted job campaigns and attract talent. HOW IS GE INNOVATING IN THIS FIELD? GE does extensive video shoots of key people in the functions it wants to hire in. The video not only showcases hiring managers/teams talking about their roles but also gives the candidates a peep into the company’s work environment. “We want to take candidate experience to the next level, since for a candidate to see their potential hiring managers/ teams talk about a role in which they are interested in, is definitely a wow factor,” says the social media strategy team. “Using social media allows you to reach out to far more people than you could have earlier, and it also gives candidates a chance to see what the brand is all about before they apply.”

GE India launch edit s Careers YouTube handle with the ‘Life at GE India’ video last year which spoke about GE’s employee value proposition and its culture. The video received an overwhelming feedback from prospective candidates and got over 160,000 qualitative views. This led to the concept of hiring-focused videos and the response has been highly positive. Compared to last year, social media hire closures have seen a threefold jump for GE and they are optimistic of the trend growing. The hiring process has also become a lot more open, costeffective and has resulted in a faster turnaround time for the organisation.

What’s your social net worth?

Social media is not merely a platform that lets you stay connected with friends and family. If harnessed effectively, it can even help you land a job. Professionals in India are waking up to the power of social media and the many opportunities it gives them access to. A recent survey by Shine.com reveals that 65% respondents consider social media to be an effective job search platform. This explains why candidates are increasingly using LinkedIn (35%), Twitter (7%), Facebook (15%), Google+ (13%) and other such networks (12%) for professional reasons. About 85% employees are active users of social media networks. While 53% respondents use social media to look for jobs, 47% use it to stay in touch with colleagues, 39% use it to network with like-minded professionals, 28% use it to build an online professional identity and about 26% share professional views and articles through their social media profiles. LinkedIn continues to be the most effective social medium among job-seekers with 37% claiming that they were contacted by prospective employers through the website. About 30 respondents (out of more than 200 surveyed) say they spend up to an hour every day on Facebook and LinkedIn. Employees and job seekers have also, of late, become more cautious about what they post on social media platforms with about 45% saying that they have tweaked their social media profiles in the last one year to make it more professional.

Employers agree that though it’s still early days, social media is gradually gaining popularity as a recruitment platform. Increasingly, networking sites are used as tools by recruiters to seek out sources of talent. Profiles on social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter reflect the likes, dislikes, personalities of candidates. The employer gains an insight into one’s personality at a professional level. Besides, social media tools allow recruiters to reach passive candidates by expanding the reach of their personal networks and contacting candidates directly.

Recruiters will appreciate a profile that is always updated and accurate. We generally spend only two to three minutes scanning a profile, so a simple, concise and to-the-point profile is always most likely to make the cut. Positive professional endorsements will also help in making a quick impression. Candidates must be mindful of what is being uploaded on their social media pages, who can see it and what they might perceive about it.” Rengarajan adds that employers also look beyond a candidate’s qualifications and try to catch glimpses of his/her character. Does the candidate share insightful information? How a candidate chooses to use the latest networking tools and technologies can say a lot about how savvy he/she is.

Recruiters in IT, ITeS, banking, FMCG, manufacturing, etc use social media platforms to hire at the mid-senior level and so on. Rengarajan says that even if a candidate doesn’t supply a recruiter with his social network profiles, 73% of recruiters will check them out anyway.

Indian firms are now adopting social media to know prospective candidates better. They are looking for the top ten searches on the candidate’s name on Google, their number of Twitter followers as well as size and quality of recommendations on LinkedIn. Adapting social media tools will allow a more focused approach towards recruitment. However, social media is part of the attraction recruitment process. Once the recruitment process moves to the assessment cycle, there is limited impact from social media.