Why is DHL emotionalising its brand campaign?
Sandeep Juneja, Vice President - Commercial, DHL Express India, talks to exchange4media about the challenges of advertising a logistics brand to consumers
Leading logistics brand DHL has has turned sentimental to develop a deeper connect with consumers.
In its ad campaign during the Indian Super League (ISL), the brand spoke right to the end consumer to highlight how DHL not only delivers shipments but also delivers joy, delight and most importantly hope. The brand’s communication moved from ‘Right place, right time’ during the 2017 ISL to ‘Where there is a will, we are the way’ in 2018.
Explaining the insight behind the new approach, Sandeep Juneja, Vice President - Commercial, DHL Express India, said, “Today with e-commerce, the consumers are intricately connected with the shipping experience as they eagerly await their packages. Our current campaign allows us to directly connect with the emotions of these e-commerce consumers.” The brand has taken this emotional route in a quest to drive a deeper connect with consumers.
In fact, DHL is not the only logistics brand to craft communication around the joy of receiving packages. FedEx too used the same insight for its September 2018 campaign ‘We deliver possibilities’. Logistics companies struggle with communicating their brand promise to consumers because they “don’t have a physical product to sell. It is a service and thus an experience that we are selling,” says Juneja. So the approach for a logistics brand is to convey “imagery of the experience and our brand promise.”
DHL ISL 2018 Ad:
FedEx 2018 Ad:
DHL ISL 2017 Ad:
Juneja spoke to exchange4media about the logistics market, the challenges of communication, and compared associations with cricketing events versus non-cricketing sports like football.
Here’s the edited excerpts of the conversation:
Tell us a little about how your marketing activities have evolved over the last 2-3 years, both in terms of media mix, tone and tenor of communication.
Up till two to three years ago, our media mix largely consisted of print and television. The mix has now moved towards digital. We’re present across the digital landscape through search, programmatic, social, phygital and more. Our sponsorship baskets too have changed and today include an array of properties ranging from football and rugby to new age sports like drone racing and electronic sports.
In terms of our marketing and communications strategy, we have always kept ‘Excellence, simply delivered’ as a fundamental element of our proposition. Also, the very reason of ‘being’ a DHL employee hinges on how we ‘connect people and improve lives’, which as you can see gives us a purpose of being in business.
In the last few years, we have veered towards taking our promise to the living room of our customers and connecting with them at an emotional level. Our latest campaign is an extension of ‘Excellence, simply delivered’, wherein we are emotionalising the brand and connecting with real and basic human emotions. Thus the extension ‘Where there is will, we are the way’ was born!
The latest ad campaign during the ISL took a rather sentimental route. Does the core value proposition of a brand take a back seat in this content-driven communication approach that many brands are trying to use?
If we observe the business that DHL Express is in, we are delivering emotions with every shipment. When we deliver important component across many seas, machines can run and aircrafts fly – thus we deliver Delight. When we deliver a medical shipment for a patient, we deliver Hope. When we deliver a gift to someone, we deliver Joy. The list goes on and on. The campaign is therefore aligned with our purpose of ‘Connecting people and improving lives’, and our key message of ‘Excellence, simply delivered’, remain fundamental to our core proposition.
We have chosen to emotionalise our brand in order to develop a deeper connect with consumers. And this is something we do in reality all the time, when we deliver shipments and the emotions that are tied to them. This is a perfect segue in to our latest campaign ‘Where there is a will, we are the way.’ Our core values of speed, passion, team work and can-do spirit are also woven in the campaign. So, we are extending our core proposition in an emotional approach.
Today with e-commerce, the consumers are intricately connected with the shipping experience as they eagerly await their packages. Our current campaign allows us to directly connect with the emotions of these e-commerce consumers. Fact is, in an increasingly globalised world, where millions of consumers are shopping across borders, DHL makes the shipping experience superlative – ‘Where there is a will, we are the way’.
What are the main challenges of marketing a logistics brand to consumers?
In my view, the main challenge for a logistics brand is that we don’t have a physical product to sell. It is a service and thus an experience that we are selling. For consumers who have used logistics services, or DHL Express services, and to those who may utilise our service in the future, we are trying to create an imagery of the experience and our brand promise.
It is not about controlling the experience within four walls of a factory, where the product comes out after a quality control check. It is about providing an experience in a big global world of more than 220 countries and territories. And our customers are a part of our production cycle, as we are picking up, processing, navigating complex customs in various countries, flying the goods and delivering in far off countries. As we are manufacturing our product (aka service), the consumer is simultaneously using our product. Hence, to market services and that too complex international logistics services, becomes a challenge.
Thus our communication vehicle has to be simple and impactful. This helps us build a powerful imagery. So you see ‘Excellence, simply delivered’ or ‘Where there is a will we are the way’ as routes for us to communicate our proposition and also create trust at an emotional level with our customers. The other benefit is, these routes also become great motivators for our employees too.
In 2018 and 2017 you were associated with a sporting event like ISL. For a brand that wants visibility, are sporting events, even if they are not cricket-related, the only best bets?
We embrace the spirit which sports celebrates – the determination to perform and to achieve the best results. There is no doubt that cricket is the number one sport in India. However, we also see a growing number of kids playing football, taking football lessons, or talking about international and Indian football clubs. This is where kids also determine what runs on the television when they go back home. Therefore, it is a great alternative for us to be associated with football globally.
Beyond our most prevalent global football partnership with Manchester United, DHL Express works closely together with a number of high-profile clubs and leagues around the world. This includes FC Bayern Munich, Copa Libertadores, Leicester City (England), Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL), and Football Association of Ireland.
Brands can use multiple mediums to garner visibility through television, digital, OOH et al. But sports sponsorships like ISL not only help get the eye balls but also help deliver experiences, thus creating affinity for the brand.
How do you compare the ROI of money spent on associating with non-cricket sporting events vis-à-vis cricket events?
It is a fact that non-cricket sporting opportunities like football are far less cluttered in India. There are huge potentials for us to be associated with football – which appeals to the international audience.
Let me tell you some facts that we have observed closely from our association in our last season (Season 4) of ISL vis-à-vis the earlier season. With around 683 hours of exposure on air, it helped us reach out and create visibility amongst its 200 million+ TV viewers and in-stadia audience. There has been a jump of approximately 51% in our ROI.
As football is increasingly growing in popularity pan-India, ISL is a perfect platform for us to collaborate with, to build brand visibility among our intended audience.
What is the size of the logistics market in India and what's the rate of growth of the industry?
The Indian express industry is the fastest-growing market globally. According to the report ‘Indian Express Industry – 2018: A multi-modal play in building’ by Deloitte, the ecosystem is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17% and reach a size of Rs 48,000 crores in the next five years. This growth will be primarily driven by the growth of cross border e-commerce and a significant demand from SMEs.
What are the developments that have spurred growth in the industry in India?
The logistics sector in India has witnessed a steady growth trajectory over the years. There have been various factors that have fuelled the growth of the sector. The revival of the manufacturing sector and an overall growth in the economy has given a boost to the express industry.
The introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has made India one nation. With growing global trade, people want to shift their supply chains from warehousing and supplying to just-in-time supply chain. DHL Express’ services and extensive global network make us the ideal service provider, enabling the express industry to grow faster.
Now let us take the example of e-commerce. It is the world’s buzzword. Typically you would have people visiting countries, setting up processes and warehouses. But today, a small businessman sitting in the corner of a street can start shipping to more than 220 countries because e-commerce has opened up so many doors. But who does he use for shipping? The delivery promise is speed. The presence of the express industry in a network is in turn building the fortunes for many as the global e-commerce industry booms.
Urbanization and increased disposable income levels have led to rapid growth in the e-commerce industry. The Deloitte report states that e-retail has been one of the key growth drivers for the Indian express industry in the past five years. It has transformed the express industry landscape due to the distinct nature of operations for e-retail order fulfillment as compared to the traditional deliveries and the fast-paced growth of the sector.
Express delivery players have evolved their business models, to better engage with consumers and to provide a varied range of value-added services. Additionally, the advent of social media, e-commerce, digitization and affordable data has provided consumers with greater buying choices and bargaining power. To meet customer expectations and to increase visibility over their supply chain, businesses are increasingly adopting express services.
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Social Beat wins SEO mandate of Tata CLiQ tag rss
The account was won after a multi-agency pitch
e4m e4m Social Beat has won the SEO mandate for Tata CLiQ, one of the fastest-growing omnichannel marketplace in India. Social Beat has been entrusted with optimizing existing content, as well as launching new, optimized category pages systematically on Tata CLiQ’s platform to scale monthly organic traffic by 2x over the next year. The account was won after a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced by Social Beat’s offices in Mumbai.
Shishir Kataria, Director - Marketing, Tata CLiQ, “Shoppers, e-commerce or otherwise, continue to heavily rely on search and discovery throughout their shopping journey, be it engaging with the latest fashion trends or hunting for the best buys. No wonder a platform's ability to be a part of this journey organically drives significant consideration for it amongst potential shoppers. We, at Tata Cliq, are confident that Social Beat will help us develop and optimise content that is highly discoverable to grow our engagement and revenue. Our goal continues to be to drive more and more shoppers to our platform with optimised and curated products and relevant content.”
Vikas Chawla, Co-Founder, Social Beat said, “We are thrilled to partner with Tata CLiQ in their growth journey. We aim to scale traffic to the Tata CLiQ platform manyfold over the next year. Our team of specialised SEO and Content strategists will be working closely to achieve this”
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ShareWill OOH dazzle this festive season?
As the celebrations begin, experts tell us the trends and challenges for the OOH sector this season
Be it the flower-clad taxis in Mumbai for Made in Heaven Season 2 promotion or Zomato’s ‘kheer mangoge kheer denge’ billboards, India's OOH advertising sector has undergone substantial transformation and expansion in the recent years. Even though the medium was severely hit during the pandemic years, it has now managed to rebuild its status. Now, with the onset of the festive season, elections and the cricket world cup, OOH is expected to see more and more advertisers come on board.
Amarjeet Hudda, Chief Operating Officer, Laqshya Media Group, believes most of the clients spend a lot of money during the festive season, especially for Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali, targeting their customers in a festive mood. The categories that spend heavily during these months are Auto, Consumer Durables, Real Estate, Organised retail, and E-commerce.
According to Dipankar Sanyal of Platinum Outdoor, there was a huge surge in the festive season last year, and he expects the same this year too. “Last four to five years have turbulent for outdoor. It was picking up in 2019, but then Covid came and everything went flat for two years,” he mentioned.
According to EY-FICCI’s M&E Report 2023, OOH media grew 86 percent in 2022 to Rs 37 billion. The value includes traditional, transit and digital media, but excludes untracked unorganised OOH media such as wall paintings, billboards, ambient media, storefronts, proxy advertising.
Sharing the brand’s perspective, Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing, Motorola-APAC, said, “We are going into this festive season with a strong mix of media, including OOH. Within OOH, we are focusing on digital OOH, due to its capability of programmatic serving, measurability, and near real-time insights that allow us to be agile with the communication and optimisation of our campaigns.”
With urbanisation, improved infrastructure, rising consumerism and an increased spending power, clients' expectations from OOH advertising too have evolved. “The clients expect better ROI on every investment, best in class innovations, tech-led planning and execution. Today, technology plays an important role starting from planning the campaign, to measuring metrics to ROI,” Singh explained.
Another trend that Sanyal has observed is that traditionally advertisers looked at spending on OOH nearly two weeks prior to the festivities, but now, most advertisers have now started advertising a week earlier so that they can get maximum eyeballs. Additionally, the digital OOH advertising (DOOH) has also emerged big. The digital OOH screens increased to around 100,000 and contributed eight percent of total segment revenues.
“Now with digital, there is more space for advertisers to come in one frame. Because of this, you can see it is getting more attractive. The innovations too are coming in at a much lower cost and creating a greater impact,” shared Sanyal.
The only challenge with the medium, according to Ranjan, is OOH being a fragmented industry with lack of measurability and agility. This becomes a serious issue for ROI-centric brands. However, the growth of DOOH, which is dynamic, agile and measurable, is giving marketers the confidence to invest in the medium backed by relevant data and outcomes.
Adding to this, Hudda highlighted that availability of good media spots is the biggest challenge in this season as media assets are limited and demand is very high. Due to the gap in the festive season, many clients are not able to fully optimise their campaigns. Rather sometimes, clients are even compelled to divert their budget which adversely impacts the industry, he shared.
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Banking on positive consumer sentiment: BFSI optimistic on doubling festive AdEx : Cache
Some categories within the sector, however, may spend more in the quarter that follows the festive season
The BFSI sector is expecting a surge in demand for loan during the festive season and is looking at increasing its ad spends to cash in on the celebration spirit. Industry leaders say they are hopeful of witnessing a good growth in the number of applications for auto loan, home loan, credit card and health insurance during October, November and December due to positive consumer sentiment this year. However, though most of the BFSI players are planning to double their advertising budget this time compared to the previous year, there are some who are not investing too heavily on marketing during the festivals as they plan to save the money for the fourth quarter.
According to Shailendra Singh, MD & CEO, BOB Financial, they witness incremental growth every year during the October-December quarter, and they anticipate an increase in consumer spending as well as new enrolments for cards this year too. “There remains a surge in customer demand for credit during the festive season,” said Singh.
Singh shared that the company is fully geared up for the launch of #FestiveShoppingRewards on all Bank of Baroda credit card variants under the theme ‘Reimagine Festivities’. They would kickstart festive offerings with the start of Navratri.
The festive season does not just see the demand for credit go up, but there is an increase in applications for health and motor insurance too during this time of the year.
Aabhinna Suresh Khare, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, BajajCapital Ltd, shared that among insurance products, health insurance and motor insurance reign supreme during festivals. According to Khare, the demand for mutual funds and SIPs too sees a hike.
“Overall, the festive season presents an opportune moment to secure insurance coverage. A plethora of attractive products and services are on offer, with financial institutions extending special discounts and promotions to entice new customers,” said Khare.
The company launched #BlessMeGanesha campaign during Ganesh Chaturthi. “Our goal for this festive season is not only to provide financial solutions but also to create memorable experiences and deepen the connection with our customers,” said Khare.
Though all major sectors spend heavily on advertising during the festive season, within the BFSI sector, some categories spend more in the quarter that follows the festive season.
Explaining the trend, Samir Sethi, Head of Brand Marketing, Policybazaar.com, said that the festive season has varying impacts on the BFSI sector. In the banking sector, for instance, the demand for loans surges as many individuals purchase items and undertake home renovations. Conversely, in the insurance category, the festive season doesn't result in significant changes. Instead, the insurance industry experiences its peak season after the festive period, particularly during the fourth quarter of the financial year.
“As the festive season approaches, there is a noticeable increase in car sales though, leading to a surge in the demand for motor insurance. Consequently, we see a significant uptick in the requests for motor insurance policies. During the festive period, there is an upswing in demand for various categories, such as electronics. However, in the insurance sector, this period doesn't significantly affect us, so we don't run specific campaigns targeting festivals. Nevertheless, we do roll out multiple campaigns throughout the year, and some of them may coincide with the festive season,” said Sethi.
According to the TAM AdEx report on BFSI sector across media for H1, the advertising volume of the sector grew on TV, radio and digital, but declined in the print medium. The report indicated that ad impressions on digital saw 91% rise during Jan-Jun '23 over Jan-Jun’22. The increase was 32% for radio and 4% for TV. The ad space of the BFSI sector decreased by 7% in print.
Speaking on media mix, Singh shared that BOB Financial has a good mix of customer segments belonging to Tier I, II and III. So, understanding their needs and preferred form of media channels, the company will reach out to them through relevant media promotions. “For the easy discovery of our offers, we shall have a dedicated offers page with regular promotion of top offers on our social media and other digital channels,” said Singh. Without disclosing the figure, Singh shared that the company’s promotion budget has surely increased from last year and it will be visible through their multi-channel promotional activities.
According to the TAM report, in the BFSI sector, life insurance is the leading category on TV and radio whereas mutual funds is the top category on digital.
Khare highlighted that in recent times, Bajaj Capital has observed a significant growth in audiences on online platforms and the changing preferences of their clientele. “This observation led us to recalibrate our marketing approach, placing a heightened emphasis on digital avenues,” said Khare.
He further added, “Our promotional efforts are primarily digital-focused, accentuating areas like social media engagement, search engine outreach, content-driven marketing, and targeted online advertising. As we approach the festive season, we've fine-tuned our online approach. By harnessing the insights from data analytics, we aim to grasp our clients' needs and inclinations better, ensuring our content is both tailored and pertinent.”
Khare also mentioned that Baja Capital has doubled its advertising budget compared to the previous year.
“This increase in our ad spend signifies our confidence in the opportunities this festive season presents. This impressive surge in our budget allocation underscores our dedication to maximizing the potential of this festive season and driving significant expansion within our business. We firmly believe that this increased investment in advertising will not only elevate our brand presence but also lead to an exceptional uptick in customer engagement and sales.”
For Policybazaar.com, the media strategy primarily involves a blend of television and digital platforms, an approach that has remained consistent in recent years and is expected to continue in the foreseeable future.
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OMD appoints Dileep Raj Singh as Head of Digital for APAC
Singh will report to Charlotte Lee, CEO of OMD APAC
OMD has added a Head of Digital (HOD) to its Asia Pacific (APAC) regional leadership team with the hiring of Dileep Raj Singh.
Singh is a digital native and brings with him a wealth of experience across product, media agency and client side in APAC, North America and the United Kingdom. His last 10 years have been spent building diverse digital marketing teams covering areas like performance marketing, digital media planning, ad/martech, product marketing, branding and measurement.
As HOD, he will accelerate OMD’s digital leadership agenda, rooted in helping clients address their business challenges and digital ambitions. He will be supporting OMD’s local teams in APAC on operational excellence, and digital transformation frameworks and roadmaps; and the development and implementation of our digital leadership agenda. He will also be working hand in hand with both our regional and global networks to initiate complementary workstreams for our clients in APAC.
“We will continue to invest and win in digital as part of our wider goal to be our clients’ most trusted business transformation partner,” said Charlotte Lee, CEO of OMD APAC.
“It is our global ambition to continue our leadership position in digital, data and technology. In line with this ambition, we are excited to have Singh come on board the OMD APAC leadership team. His background of agency, in-house and start-up experience position him perfectly to understand and address our clients’ business needs,” added Lee.
“Digital media and access to our audience, as we know it, is changing quite rapidly around us. This puts most of us in a delicate but remarkable position, a position from which we can shape and contribute to conversations about the next evolution of digital media. As we embark on this journey, I want to leverage the strength of the OMD network – people, technology, data, tools and platforms – to help our clients pivot and navigate through all the new and evolved possibilities in digital media. With this, I aim to position OMD as an unrivaled partner for our current and future clients; to dominate and succeed in this incredibly competitive and multifarious digital realm,” said Singh.
Singh will report to Lee, and work closely with the team including Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), David McCallen, and Chief Client Officer (CCO), Sadhan Mishra, to drive and support APAC local markets as well as regional clients on digital, data and technology needs.
Mishra was promoted to CCO of OMD APAC recently in June 2023. He will continue to be CEO of OMD Singapore, a position he was promoted into last August. Mishra has been with OMD for over 13 years and in his concurrent new role as CCO, he will focus on key client relationships, understanding their business needs and ensuring we remain a critical partner on their transformation journeys.
McCallen was elevated to the role of CSO of OMD APAC in April 2022, and was previously the CSO of OMD New Zealand for five years where he helped the agency to attain the top place in the market for new business, overall billings and award wins. Since starting in the APAC role, his focus has been on connecting and elevating strategic best practices across the region, building capabilities across a range of strategic outputs, and supporting new business growth both regionally and locally.
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Chandrayaan 3: Brands over the Moon
Some of the best moment marketing posts on India's crucial lunar mission
The nation is in a celebratory mood with its moon mission Chandrayaan 3 making its smooth landing on the lunar surface on the evening of August 23, 2023. The Pragyan rover is in pursuit of discovering water on the moon and is a vital feat for India's ambitious space research.
To celebrate this momentous episode in Indian space research history, netizens have taken to the internet to express their excitement, hopes and fears for the nation's lunar mission. Joining them are brands who have crafted creatives to mark the historic occasion and capture the emotions of the nation who have their eyes set on the moon. Here is our pick of some of the best Chandrayaan 3-moment marketing posts.
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BCCI rakes in Rs 4670 cr in Women's Premier League team auction: Jay Shah 26 Jan
WPL has broken the inaugural auction record of Men's IPL in 2008, tweeted Shah
As expected, Wednesday turned out to be another historic day in Indian women's cricket with BCCI having a windfall gain of Rs 4,600 crores by auctioning five team franchises for the first season, a higher sum compared to what men’s IPL franchises offered to the cricket body during the launch in 2008.
Adani, IndiaWin Sports, Royal Challengers, GSW- GMR cricket and Capri Global have won the bid, BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted.
Shah shared in a series of tweets, “Today is a historic day in cricket as the bidding for teams of inaugural #WPL broke the records of the inaugural Men's IPL in 2008! Congratulations to the winners as we garnered Rs.4669.99 Cr in total bid.”
“This marks the beginning of a revolution in women's cricket and paves the way for a transformative journey ahead not only for our women cricketers but for the entire sports fraternity. The #WPL would bring necessary reforms in women's cricket and would ensure an all-encompassing ecosystem that benefits each and every stakeholder.”
“The @BCCI has named the league - Women's Premier League (WPL). Let the journey begin…”
The country's top corporates had bid aggressively for the league. Over 16 groups including IPL franchise owners, Adani group, Torrent and Haldiram were believed to be in the fray.
Given the popularity of IPL in India, the event is touted to be a big draw for all stakeholders involved.
The BCCI was reportedly expecting ₹4,000 crore gain through team auction.
It’s noteworthy that Viacom18 has won the Women's IPL media rights for Rs 951 crore for the next five years creating euphoria around the league whose first season will be held in March.
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