Water in India is a scarce resource and yet its wastage sees no end. Hindustan, India’s second largest daily, decided to raise its voice on this important issue through a 10 day editorial campaign titled ‘Paani Mera Haq’ highlighting the core issue of water wastage and the impact it had on the residents. This was accompanied with a first-of-its-kind innovation across B2B agencies, promoting them to save water.

Hindustan used its massive on-ground presence across cities in U.P. and Bihar, to orchestrate multiple activities including RWA audits with subject matter experts highlighting damaged pipelines leading to water wastage and prompting quick repair work. This was combined with empowering residents to become Citizen Journalists, giving them an opportunity to raise their voice against water leakage which was in turn amplified by Hindustan. Additionally, Samwaad sessions were also conducted across key locations of UP and Bihar with people of influence to engage them on the importance of saving water.

Along with these activities, Hindustan engaged with its B2B clients through innovative DM distribution of alcohol humidified wet wipes, enabling each person to save up to 100 liters of water. Here is a short video on the innovative ‘Water Saving Box’:

Talking about the initiative, Rajan Bhalla, Group CMO, HT Media Ltd. said, "Hindustan believes in not only driving conversations about the issues that matter but also work towards an effective solution. The ‘Paani Mera Haq’ campaign was another innovative effort in the direction of leveraging our reach and network to spread awareness and find solutions for a critical issue affecting each one of us. The success of this campaign across platforms was yet another validation of Hindustan delivering on its core brand promise – Tarakki ka Naya Nazariya."

We live in an era where content is king, and consumers identify with messaging that is truly inspirational in a real way. Radio is a platform that gives voice to some of the most creative and understated facts of life, connecting the dots for common man daily but often we end up giving less credit to people who drive this industry, almost single-handedly.

RJ Kartik from MY FM is one such incredible storyteller who, in a short span of time has connected with millions of people. He has crossed 3 million mark in less than 2 months out of which 2.5 million followers joined him in May itself.

But what lead to his astronomical success? We found out!

In 2015 and 2018, Kartik won IRF Award for Best Radio Program (Hindi – Non-Metro Station) - Salaam Jaipur, but he is humbly forging ahead in the quest for telling wonderful stories and continue to inspire and motivate people with his one of a kind show.

In explaining his unique take on the storytelling, he said, “Storytelling will always remain special for Indians because we all have grown up by listening to our “Dadi” and “Nani’s” stories who served us with moral values and motivated us to do something good in life. If I talk about my short stories then I always start my breakfast show with a motivational story, in 2017 our top management decided that we should post such motivational stories on all social media platforms. And since then I always post a Motivational story on every Monday morning @ 9:30 on all my social media handles.”

“I want to thank my every follower; I am feeling special because of my fans whom I call my family. So now my family is growing stronger and I am happy to be a part of it. I promise all my fans that I will keep posting such motivational stories, which will bring a positive change in our lives. “Kartik added.

His simplicity makes listeners relate to him. He believes in knowing the problems people are facing and try to bring out a story on that issue inducing a positive change in them.

He continued to explain that “nowadays nobody has time to listen to long stories and wait for them to end. So, a short story will keep them involved and won’t even take much time.”

With focus on achieving short term goals, RJ Kartik has proved his metal and will continue to appeal to the masses by bringing them closer reality and making them believe in the goodness of life despite of many challenges.

Team MediAvataar India wishes him all the best!

Globally, Millennials are often recognized as the key generation driving the US$4.2 trillion global wellness market . Their thirst for holistic wellbeing is unparalleled when compared to previous generations. In the US alone, the millennial cohort has grown to value health as the second most valued aspect of their lives .

Armed with their love for health-centric pursuits and interests like yoga, kombucha, and meditation to name but a few, wellness as a whole has bloomed into a way of life instead of something they do on the side. Because this generation harnesses wellbeing methods and products on a daily basis, they’ve collectively expanded the definition of ‘healthy’ to encompass a daily commitment to eating right, exercising regularly, and using products and services that support their wellness journeys and objectives.

Nearly everything consumers do is governed by lifestyle approaches that demand a more rounded view of wellbeing. This has forced all sectors to reinvent their approach to meeting the wellbeing needs of consumers. Whether it’s the clothing industry creating athleisure apparel enhanced with nutrient-rich materials like sea kelp and bamboo , or the aerospace industry innovating advanced sleeping and exercising wellbeing pods for the future of flight , no industry has been left untouched by the sheer scale of wellbeing’s potential.

Because of this, the need to remain authentic amidst the cross-synergetic democratization of the wellness segment has forced brands to rethink their approach to product innovation.

For the personal care industry, the ‘go green’, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ space has become clouded with brands vying for market share. We only have to look at the value of this sector to understand its attraction. Representing US$1,083 billion of the wellness economy pie, personal care and beauty is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries.

With a plethora of wellness products flooding the industry, it can oft be difficult for consumers to navigate the greenwashing and hype that various products seek to deliver.

The upshot for brands is they have an opportunity to be authentic in their approach to succeeding in this industry. Millennials are also some of the most shopping-savvy consumers out there. In short, this population segment doesn’t suffer fools. Younger populations are increasingly searching for quality as much as value. And they’re not afraid to shop around for the best brand to deliver the ideal combination of each. In the purchase journey, a strong brand isn’t enough to lock in a sale . Instead, the factors that make them loyal to a brand are ones that supplement their busy lifestyles with real and authentic value propositions.

For the personal care sector, realising how consumers purchase cleaner, greener products goes deeper. Like I alluded to prior, the wellness landscape is vast and filters across all industries. This means that consumers’ lives don’t just hinge on one or two personal care products in their daily routines. From the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep, wellness decision making is with them every step of the way. This is something we at Dabur International have caught on to, often times ahead of our rivals.

Our brand philosophy is deeply rooted in the time-honoured traditions of Ayurveda. That’s why the density of products spanning our product ecosystem today is testament to an innovation journey that builds on Ayurvedic practices. By delivering benefits that complement and enhance our customers’ personal wellness journeys, we’ve learned that consumer care products should deliver value propositions that filter into regional, cultural, and societal nuances of modern-day society.

For instance, Ayurveda-based formulations that omit fluorides and harmful chemicals in the oral care segment are striking a positive note with consumers in the Middle East. The same can be said for our dedication to ensuring kids’ products don’t contain known nasties like parabens and mineral oil. By adding personalised value via innovating with meaningful intent, we’ve redefined the paradigm for how brands connect with consumers in the trending 360-degree outlook to lifestyle wellbeing.

This is invaluable in the Middle East. Consumers in this region exhibit attitudes and preferences that are different to other generations. In the Arab world, Millennials in general demonstrate more brand loyalty than their peers in the US, the UK, Japan or Australia . With the MENA region being one of the world’s most saturated regions when it comes to smartphone penetration, they also discover, buy, support or brush-off brands based on the experiences and the level of personalization they receive. With regards to wellness, they perceive quality through the genuineness of brand interactions. What this means is that we have to continue delivering quality products that add true value to their lives and complement the wellness synergies they are seeking across all lifestyle facets.

For us, wellness isn’t a fad; it is a way of life that stems from deep within our brand’s DNA. For industry players to successfully engage and influence brand adoption for modern-day consumers in the vast wellness economy, I believe it is time they begin innovating with an emphasis towards being authentic and delivering quality innovations that truly complement consumers’ overarching wellness journeys.

Written by Krishan Kumar Chutani, CEO Dabur International

Animal Planet, India’s number 1 wildlife channel that immerses viewers in entire spectrum of life in the animal kingdom with high quality content, will kickstart 20th anniversary celebrations in India on July 15, 2019. As a part of the celebrations, the channel will adopt a new Animal Planet mark incorporating a fresh and distinctive image of a leaping elephant. The new identity aims to keep the childhood joy and wonder of animals alive by bringing people up close to animals in every way with content that explores undeniable bond forged between animals and humans. Further, Animal Planet aims to galvanize people power to promote animal conservation in a big way. The channel will launch multiple initiatives through the year to achieve this objective.

Animal Planet also announced that it will offer all new/ refreshed programming as part of the celebrations. The channel will increase focus on blue chip programming related to Indian wildlife. Animal Planet has also launched a new YouTube channel ‘Animal Planet India’ with an aim to build an online community which is passionate about wildlife.

“We are kickstarting 20th anniversary of Animal Planet in India by refreshing our brand identity and brand personality. The channel’s mission is to celebrate & explore our vital, enriching and ultimately humanizing connection with the animal world. The new look Animal Planet will offer a trusted heaven for the whole family to enjoy the best of wildlife content. To make the connect deeper with our younger audiences, we will be introducing a dedicated weekend programming slot,” said, Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India. “Animal Planet will sharpen focus on stories linked to animal conservation as it aims to awaken viewers to the need for animal welfare and conservation. We will be launching multiple initiatives to harness the power of millions of animal lovers across the country for the cause of animal conservation. As a corporate, we are already taking affirmative action to help conserve world’s most iconic and endangered creatures. Through Project CAT and our partner WWF, we have already made progress in our goal to help double the world’s wild tiger population by 2022.”

Animal Planet will engage with superfans in a new way with the launch of ‘Animal Planet India’ YouTube channel which will offer short form visually stunning exclusive wildlife content with an underlying brand message of ‘Animals are Human like Us’. “The launch of a digital channel is a strategic step to support our linear feed; the aim is to congregate animal overs digitally at one place so that we engage and converse in a deeper manner as we intensify focus on conservation led messaging.,” added, Megha Tata.

As a part of the revamped programming strategy, Animal Planet will offer globally acclaimed content produced by the best production houses. There will be increased focus on content based on Indian wildlife starting with anthologies such as 100 Days 100 Tales S2 and Animal Planet Presents. Starting August 2019, Animal Planet will premiere India based shows including Snake Squad, a show that reveals some of the riveting stories of snake rescue in India; Heroes of the Wild Frontiers - stories of forest guards from various national parks/reserves in India who are working on ground level to secure & conserve Indian wildlife followed by season two of the extremely popular franchise Lion Queens. The channel will also premiere third Season of Mission Big CAT – An anthology of shows dedicated to Big Cats.

Do you know how healthy your brand is right now? When was the last time you could check? Historically, tracking brand performance hasn't been easy. However today, with the growth of online research, gathering daily customer insight is just a few clicks away.

YouGov’s flagship brand tracker, BrandIndex, is the only daily online brand tracking tool, interviewing over 300 people a day about brands in India for the past four years. Here, our Global CEO of BrandIndex, Ted Marzilli, delves into the power of daily brand tracking and how to utilize it to its full potential in India.

In your experience, why is it important to track your brand?

Your brand is your business. A brand is a critical factor in consumer purchase choices across all products and services. In some cases, it is the most important factor, and as a result, brands of Fortune 500 companies are valued at billions of dollars.

It is, therefore, becoming increasingly fundamental for businesses to understand the impact of their brand on a daily basis, in addition to executing their long-term brand strategy, so that they can prepare to take decisive action when necessary and stay ahead of the curve.

In every sector, micro and macro implications of daily life affect people’s perception of brands and their near-term and long-term prospects. Whether it’s a new product and advertising campaign launches, crisis management or consumer experience, be it positive or negative, your brand is continuously impacted by the wider world.

With a daily brand tracker, you’ll never be caught off-guard. You can immediately observe how events affect not just your own brand, but those of your competitors as well. In turn, this gives you powerful insight to continuously inform your brand strategy and assess what action (if any) should be taken and when.

Why should I track my brand on a daily basis?

Perception of your brand changes every day. A quarterly snapshot of brand tracking data masks the fluctuations that occur every day due to a brand’s planned and unplanned advertising, marketing, media, and promotional activities. This is precisely what any brand manager needs to be able to see to effectively build a brand. Daily brand tracking gives you a real-time picture of your brand’s health and that of your competitors and entire sectors.

This live stream of data makes it easy for you to keep a constant eye on the public’s perception of your brand every single day. Rather than waiting for data to be collated and reported which takes time, a daily online tracker allows you to spot and act on any changes in perception, not tomorrow, not even later today, but immediately.

How can brand tracking add value to my business?

Business decisions are best informed by consumer insight. Through continuous brand tracking, you can monitor how the media (paid and earned) and the news impacts consumer brand perception and intended purchase behaviors. You can track current customers, former customers, and prospects, observing how each group’s perceptions change over time and then use that intelligence to inform strategies to win in the market place.

Ongoing brand tracking also provides valuable insight into your brand’s performance against your competitors allowing you to watch how specific events, strategies, and tactics impact brand perception as they unfold, as well as evaluate the performance of any marketing suppliers. All this is invaluable information which allows you to tailor your consumer marketing and communications strategies which are informed by the very consumers you set out to engage every day.

Should I use a syndicated tracker or a custom tracker?

Syndicated trackers drive down the price of brand tracking. YouGov’s large proprietary online panels enable continuous tracking of a large number of brands, effectively minimizing the blind spots for a brand manager. That said, many brands find that maintaining a custom tracker to periodically dive into product level or category-specific issues makes sense.

Choose a syndicated tracker that allows you to add any brand or category you like, create custom filters and add additional questions to ensure that the survey is relevant to your industry and the implications of your own brand strategy. The benefits of syndicated trackers are that they are quick to set up and can also provide historical data which will be instrumental in tracking performance over defined periods of time.

Aside from tracking a brand, what else can a brand tracker be used for?

Brand tracking adds value in more ways than one. Clients leverage the breadth and depth of information daily brand tracking provides in many facets of their business. A few examples:

CEOs report the independently verified results to credibly demonstrate business results to investors and other industry watchers.

Marketing teams mine the demographic data to uncover growth opportunities and to develop advertising messages that effectively target the relevant consumer segments.

Brand performance can be used to drive public interest in your brand.

Competitor tracking can discover vulnerabilities that can be exploited for business advantage.

You can use the data to discover your own vulnerabilities before your competitors do.