Asher Ali

What an evening it was. After a while it was an evening filled with ace marketers in one room and some of my takeaways were just so enriching. Thanks, team BambooBox and Ankur Saigal for having us over💛💛. #cerebral #B2Bmarketing #nauncesattheirbest My top 5 takeaways for the B2B world: ✔️ Build a community or a platform that is NOT related with your brand. People will love you for it ✔️ Ensure that there is a series of micro-engagements that you do with your audience, to achieve the final intended results ✔️ Demand-gen is brand led, not vice-versa. Always. ✔️ You have to be a 'buddy' to your sales org, Practice and other stakeholders for you to feel the same pain as they do ✔️ Co-own everything -Targets, numbers, content. When you experience the struggle in co-ownership, the success that you achieve is only deserved

26

2 Comments

Why has High CAC become the Norm for D2C Brands? Every D2C founder and marketer struggles with Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). It’s become so common that high CAC is almost normalized in the industry today. But is it really inevitable? From my 4 years working with consumer brands, I’ve noticed that almost every client overestimates their CAC. Here’s why: •⁠ ⁠Undervaluing the power of strategic design and branding. •⁠ Accepting that they can’t generate “inbound pull” with their brand. •⁠ Over-relying on ads, SEO, and influencers to drive growth. While 90% of consumer brands are spending heavily on ads, SEO, and influencers, the other 10% are effortlessly pulling in customers with their brand presence. If you’re tired of spending more on ads without seeing the returns, it’s time to rethink your design. If you are launching brand, then make sure to invest in brand identity and design first, before you go all in with marketing. What has been the biggest challenge you've faced with marketing and CAC so far? Let me know in comments. #buildinpublic

13

Marketer's Click Bait‼️ The Value Proposition of LOSS🙁 It's hysterical to tell you that LOSSES in #RISKS can actually be Winning, we'll that's call Loss Aversion 💯 let's say 1. You have two options💲 a. Sure to get Rs. 1000 b. 50% Chance to Win Rs.2000 and 50% Chance to Lose Rs. 0 ✅You might pick option "A" as it sounds safer and feels like an insurance like most people think Try again 1. You have two options a. Sure to get Rs. 1000 b. 50% Chance to Lose a Rs.2000 or 50% Chance to Lose Rs. 0 💸 Money worth Trying for "B" right? This is called LOSS AVERSION 💯 People Calculate Risks in terms of Losses more than the desires💫 EVEN A GOOD #INVESTOR INVESTS MONEY ON A #FOUNDER WHO HAS FAILED 50% OF TIMES RATHER THAN A FOUNDER WHO NEVER FAILED🔥 "Failures can truly be the key to success"✨ afterall 🙂 #entrepreneurship #business credits: https://lnkd.in/g89eRjsR

9

Imagine you are an agency who cares that your DTC clients brand grow. So you give them a ton of raw feedback on their current situation. But in India it seems most of such feedback hurts the brand owners' ego. Instead of taking it as a feedback for their business and brand. They take it as a personal remark in most cases. And that's one of the worst qualities to have as an entrepreneur. In business and in life you become big when you drop your ego. And develop an appetite for constructive feedback. No agency wants to make sure they hurt your personal sentiments. They only want the best for your brand. But I guess this kind of insecurities are deep rooted in Indian culture from few generations in the past. Though such things must not impact business. As a DTC brand owner you should be surrounding yourself with proven marketers. And then let them do their job. Give them a budget, timeline and target. But don't piss them off so much that they start hating on you as a client. PS: agencies aren't your FT employees, you hired them for a purpose but then learn to trust the process. attach is a pic of your favourite "rich spoilt brat"

4

Resonates with our approach at Expertia AI

9

Low profitability in business? These are the major reasons for it and its solution. 1. No repeat purchase - Customers who have already purchased your products are not purchasing from you again and this is why you are paying the CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) all the time for every sale your business makes. 2. No referrals - You are not connected with your existing customers and that's the reason there is no mouth to mouth advertising. 3. No new leads - You are not getting much leads which can be later converted into customers. Yay, here's the solution, 1. You need to take customer feedback to improve your product or consumer experience so that you know at which point you are lacking, that can be wrong pricing, false promises, bad customer experience during the service or product unboxing or management behaviour, taking too long to deliver, or it can be something else. Try finding out what's the problem, why the customers are not liking our product or service. Be in touch with your customer for feedback, remind them about your product or service, make them aware of your new SKUs and offers. 2. Be in touch with your existing customers, this is the most cost effective way of acquiring new customers, BY REFERRALS. Provide fabulous service to every customer, ask them how you can improve your service, remind them to refer your business to others if they liked your service. Create a social media community and be in touch with them, create more brand awareness which will eventually make the name of your business stick in the customer's mind and then when they'll be discussing the services or product you offer, you'll be the first business or person they'll get in mind. 3. Create better online presence and try creating much more content, this is the best way to create more brand awareness and capture new clients at a much lower cost.

1

1 Comment

Got to talk about the characteristics of a great brand with Girdharee Saran for his 10x Marketer podcast. When your host is as inquisitive as Girdharee, you just can't help but spill the beans big time. 🎙️To watch the full podcast, check us out on: YouTube: https://bit.ly/4d1tebt Spotify: https://bit.ly/4d1AMLf Disclaimer:: Strap in for the long haul, folks! This isn't your short-form snacks but a whole buffet of 1-hour-long content on brand management. #brand #thoughtleadership #strategy

16

3 Comments

Having spent 2 decades in sales (both B2B & B2C), In our 3rd startup, we DON'T focus on sales. 🤔 WHY? First the size of the team. We were a team of 4 in May (including Arpita Bose & me). With the flow of new clients, we would need to scale to 10 by September '24 (only with personal branding & podcast production) We didn't want to do that. So WHAT did we do instead? - We decided to take on less clients. - We decided to double down on YouTube, which would directly increase the reach of our own podcast reach & as an add-on for existing clients. - So we hired one guy immediately in-house (Massive upgrade over freelancers) RESULTS AFTER 2 MONTHS: - Quality: We are a very rare agency that has expertise in both! So we can now adopt best practices from YouTube into LinkedIn and vice versa. - Customer Experience: This is the safest way to build a BRAND. You deliver what your customers want, without them asking for it. And then some more! - We went from 537 subscribers on YouTube to ~9000. Of course, we've still onboarded new clients, but the focus MUST be on retaining the ones we do have. P.S. We are now a team of 6. And we work remotely only Mon-Fri. We are also the very rare ones who has successfully monetised their podcast 😊 As they say: First time entrepreneurs focus on the product. Serial entrepreneurs focus on distribution.

8

2 Comments

Fantastic News! Influencer Marketing can help you reach your targetted audience, inspire conversations and provide authentic content around the brand while developing a community. This is good for MSME however before they jump the bandwagon, they should remember a few things. 1. UGC (user generated content ) can only make a mark if it feels authentic. Ask for genuine feedback , including what can be improved or bettered. 2. Quality matters more than quantity. instead of follower number check engagement numbers. 3. Be clear about the audience or buyer persona and approach similar influencers. A food Influencer with a massive following and engagement is not the right fit for a clothes brand, especially if the brand has nothing related to food. 4. If you onboard entertainers, then don't expect them to force fit your product into their existing set.Like expecting a comedian to talk about your dish washing soap and its benefits during a set. Give them freedom to think how they can incorporate something and work with them in a collaborative fashion. 5. Influencer marketing is a stream of earning income. Even if it's a side hustle the Influencer will expect to be paid. If doing a Barter collaboration, Please ensure the product value is equivalent to the effort expected. A lot goes behind the 30 or 60 sec reel to make it sharable and memorable. 6. Finally, according to platform regulations the Influencer is expected to declare paid collaborations. Please don't have irresponsible expectations like expecting the Influencer to hide the paid promotion part. It will not help anyone and barter too is considered paid promotion.

1

Manforce's latest attempt (agency: Grapes) at equating a product's (or category's) name to its own is only one in a really long list of similar such attempts. Though there is a case to be made against asking about the said product while canoodling in a public park (and in a cinema theater, in another ad) since it can be easily procured on the way to a private space (home/hotel room), this post is not about that. Manforce has been at this job of force-equating the product with its brand name since May this year. Just before Manforce, Pepsico's Sting made an identical effort, trying to force-equate 'energy drink' to Sting. Ironically, a full decade ago, Nirma used the exact same narrative to force-equate 'shudh namak' with 'Nirma (namak)'. If Ritwik Bhowmik offered a button when the shopkeeper gives a non-Sting drink (which is red in color, to indicate Thums Up's Charged), the kid in the Nirma ad offers fake money (from the board game Trade/Monopoly) when the shopkeeper offers a non-Nirma salt pack. Even the now-dead Koo forced its way trying to make Koo a verb in a 2021 campaign. So, instead of saying, 'Did you share it online?', people say, 'Koo kiya kya?' in a spectacularly forced attempt to make it seem like Koo was widely used by people. It's far more likely that people say, 'Did you tweet it?'. Probably the earliest attempt at all this was Coca-Cola's 'Thanda Matlab' campaign where Aamir asks for 'Thanda' and is adequately annoyed when the resultant drink offered by the vendor was not a Coca-Cola. I don't know how long agencies/brands would try to use advertising to force a behavior of equating a product/category with a brand name even when no one is actually saying that (except it being the brand manager's/CEO's wishful thinking, assuming that throwing money at the wish would make it come true). The irony is that brands that have actually become default for the category/verb (like Google for search, Xerox for photocopy, Uber for cabs, etc.) don't seem to use it so vocally in their campaigns. The video below plays the following ads in this order: Manforce, Sting Energy, Nirma Salt, Koo, Coca-Cola. #advertising #marketing #verb #product #category

231

39 Comments

Engaging in a dynamic branding session with my Guru Pravin Shekar , the Outlier Marketer. Today’s insights challenge the norm, sparking creative breakthroughs for impactful branding and communication. His unconventional strategies and out-of-the-box thinking have redefined how I approach branding and storytelling for my ventures💡 #BrandingSession #OutlierMarketing #CreativityInAction #startuptn

27

Growth Nuggets 8 How we designed a Growth Strategy for a D2C brand which was struggling with negative CM2 margins across website and other marketplaces where we helped brand improve its sales and profits grown by 24% QoQ ↗️ We Audited their overall P&L statements across website and marketplaces ↗️ We also looked into their pricing sheet of all their products and their inventory levels ↗️ we audited their ad channels, traffic sources in website, Amazon Ads, myntra ads for any opportunities ↗️ we identified from last three years their COGS improved by 77%, lot of products were holding in their inventory for a longer period which wrent selling in any online channel, there were no efficient demand planning techniques involved ↗️ Their ads in D2C channel don't have proper testing approach with creatives and audiences ↗️ Product design is not backed with proper research among their target group ↗️ Inorder to produce some cash we decided to sell out categories which were holding in the inventory for long time and we experimented with various discount strategies in Myntra, Ajio, Flipkart for selling out their old stocks ↗️ we also designed a BOGO offer strategy for specific old season stocks in website to initiate the traction on D2C channel which further fuelled our ROAS by 13% higher ↗️ We optimized their suppliers by negotiating their cost thus decreasing our COGS by 37% lower and planned efficient demand planning for bestsellers to reduce their lead time from 65 days to 30 days which also helped the brand to improve its top line and bottom line ↗️ we did a market research with various marketplaces POC, surveys, store visits, observations and identified users triggers and planned our new products which helped us to identify new bestsellers which further improved the revenue and ROAS improved from 2x to 4.5x with creative optimizations, rectifying OOS issues.This helped the brand improve their CM2 margins from - 34% to +9% overall thus achieving our targets Always do a through research on NPD, identify levers which have a higher impact to turnaround their bottomline #growthmarketing #categorymanagement #Onlinebusiness

23

Achieving a 2142% ROAS in 6 Months for a Cycle Brand At Astronuts, we are thrilled to share a remarkable success story of achieving an astounding 2142% Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) in just 6 months for our esteemed client, a leading cycle brand. Here’s how we did it: The Challenge: We faced a significant challenge when we began our journey with the Cycle brand. The brand's consumer product fell into the category of shopping products, which traditionally require human assistance during the purchase process. Selling online cycles meant that customers needed personalized interaction and support, which can be difficult to provide in a digital space. Our Strategy: We started with a solid ROAS of 625% in the first month. But the hunger to keep it growing never faded! Our strategy was simple yet effective: continuous communication. We suggested building a one-on-one bond with potential customers since it was crucial for closing sales and ensuring customer satisfaction. Key Actions Taken: 1. Social Platform Engagement: We leveraged social media platforms to maintain continuous communication with our audience. Regular updates, engaging content, and prompt responses to inquiries helped us keep potential customers engaged and informed. 2. Dedicated Communication Channels: Understanding the need for human assistance, we utilized calls and video calls to offer personalized support. This approach helped address customer queries in real time, providing them with the confidence and assurance needed to make a purchase. 3. Dedicated Communications Team: Our client assigned a dedicated communications team to handle all customer interactions. This team was trained to build a personal rapport with each potential customer, ensuring a smooth and supportive buying experience. Results: Month 1: Achieved a ROAS of 625% Month 2-3: Continued optimization and refinement of our strategies, focusing on enhancing customer interactions and personal touchpoints. We raised the ROAS to 1242% and 1861% respectively. Month 4-6: Consistently scaled our efforts, resulting in a staggering 2142% ROAS by the end of the 6th month. Conclusion: This case study is a testament to the power of continuous communication and personalized customer support in driving online sales for shopping products. By recognizing the importance of human assistance and adapting our approach to provide it in a digital environment, we were able to achieve exceptional results for our client. The numbers speak for themselves, reflecting the success of our dedicated efforts and strategic optimizations. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and excited to continue delivering outstanding client results. If you want to transform your marketing results, let’s connect and explore how we can achieve similar success for your brand. #MarketingSuccess #CaseStudy #ROAS #DigitalMarketing #CustomerEngagement #MarketingStrategy #SuccessStory #ClientSuccess

33

13 Comments

Recently, we have been working on modeling growth for an early-stage premium D2C brand. Today, many premium D2C brands are built with a content-first, distribution-first approach. i.e., They create content, build decent distribution, and then start the business with that distribution. Once the initial traction is achieved, they move to Performance Marketing & SEO. However, if you are starting without the initial distribution and planning your growth model, consider it from two different angles. - CAC-based growth modeling & - LTV-based growth modeling In CAC-based modeling, we tend to discount the repeated usage behavior of the acquired user. In LTV-based modeling, we over-index the repeated usage behavior of the acquired user. When should we use CAC-based modeling, and when should we use LTV-based modeling?

145

26 Comments

Guess which client is ashish bhasin talking about !! ( mention in the comments below) A MNC FMCG client asked for Pitching fees which ashish bhasin refused. It later became a huge dentsu client. To watch many more such anecdotes please watch the entire podcast with Ashish Bhasin on my YT channel: Sell Side Conversations. Dentsu Dentsu Creative dentsu X

74

3 Comments

IPL- A MIRROR FOR INDIAN ADVERTISING AGENCIES   KKR won the IPL 2024 when the favourite was someone else. There is a lesson for management of advertising agencies (and other organizations) here.   Consider RCB and MI, the IPL’s biggest brands. MI has clinched the title 5 times, while RCB is yet to win. Then there's RR, for long the weakest team. They always maintained minimal auction spending. Yet, RR has one championship, a runner-up finish, and two playoff appearances. Contrast this with RCB, which spends the most but has a success rate of just 49.1%, even below RR’s 49.5%. CSK, with a 57.4% success rate, reigns supreme.   So, what can advertising agencies learn.   Relying solely on big creative stars won’t ensure success. Neither will pushing average talent too hard. Don’t be like RCB or RR. Agencies need top creative leaders supported by a core of talented individuals. A great leader is ineffective without a strong team, and a talented team falters without strong leadership.   Take PBKS, DC and SRH – they’ve had some success but lack consistency. Newcomers GT and LSG have shown promise, but it’s too early to judge them. Most agencies today fall into this category.   This pattern is evident in other leagues too. Whether it's EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga, F1, NBA, or NFL, top talent alone isn’t enough; it requires synchronized top-class management for consistent performance and success.   No Founder, CEO, CCO, or CMO alone ever transformed an organization. Even Steve Jobs needed a strong team. Similarly, no average team can elevate any leader to greatness. Agencies need a blend of top creative stars with talented young guns.   Many advertising agencies today think that one star performer in creativity, technology or management will be good enough to propel the agency. Won’t happen. Never has, never will.   From account management to creativity to media to planning to technology, agencies need star leadership in every department. And every department needs to have rising stars. Else, advertising has many one-shot wonders and it’ll remain so.   Running an agency these days is a tough task already. To make it successful and that too consistently cannot happen on the shoulders of one individual. No matter how young and talented or experienced and legendary that individual may be.   Like sport, those on the field aren’t very good at the business of sport and, those on the business side aren’t meant to go in the arena. Agencies need to learn this. They must re-think and re-build. Else why would most agencies find it tough when the market is only growing. Every yorker and every googley is playable only when you have read the wicket well,and have the right players taking guard. Whims and wishes don't run sport or any organization. Winning requires talent managed well. #creativity #creativeleadership #managment #advertisingagency

7

𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗸𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗛𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀. 🤔 A recent report by Storyboard 18 has analyzed various celebrity-led brands and revealed their financial performances. 𝗛𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗸 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗛𝗥𝗫 that has now crossed the ₹1000-crore revenue mark is a major success. Launched in 2013 as a fitness and lifestyle brand, HRX has witnessed a remarkable growth trajectory, becoming one of India’s leading celebrity-endorsed brands. Its partnership with Myntra has further boosted its market presence. Katrina Kaif’s beauty brand, 𝗞𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆, is also a profitable venture. Launched in collab with Nykaa, Kay Beauty has over 15 lakh customers. The brand is expected to grow at a rate of 62%. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁’𝘀 𝗘𝗱-𝗮-𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮, after being acquired by Reliance Retail, saw its revenue increase four-fold, solidifying its position in the children’s apparel segment. 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗸𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝟴𝟮°𝗘 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 Deepika Padukone’s skincare brand, 82°E has shown a loss of Rs 25.1 crore at the EBITDA level in the first nine months of FY24. 82°E has struggled to gain a foothold in the competitive skincare market. The report suggests that the brand’s high pricing and limited market penetration could be contributing factors to its underperformance. 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗼𝗵𝗹𝗶’𝘀 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗡 has seen a revenue decline of 29% 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗦𝗸𝘂𝗹𝘁 and 𝗔𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗸𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮’𝘀 𝗡𝘂𝘀𝗵 are experiencing diminishing returns. Even 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻 is grappling with market presence and return on investment issues. - 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁-𝘁𝗼-𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 (𝗗𝟮𝗖) 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 1. High customer acquisition costs: - Digital advertising is expensive and competitive - D2C brands often rely heavily on paid social media and search ads - Customer acquisition cost (CAC) can exceed customer lifetime value (LTV) 2. Low repeat purchase rates: - Many D2C products are infrequent purchases (e.g. mattresses, luggage) - Challenges in expanding product lines to drive more frequent purchases 3. Logistics and fulfillment costs: - Shipping individual items is expensive compared to bulk retail distribution - Returns can be costly to process 4. Pricing pressure: - Difficulty in maintaining premium pricing as competition increases - Race to the bottom on pricing to acquire customers 5. Scaling challenges: - Many D2C brands struggle to grow beyond their initial niche - Difficulty in expanding to new customer segments or geographies 6. High overhead costs: - Significant spending on technology, marketing teams, and customer service - Costs of running both ecommerce and any physical retail operations -- #D2C #CelebrityBrands  #Deepikapadukone #katrinakaif #HrithikRoshan #Myntra #Nykaa

79

5 Comments

Shoutout to Satya Raju Koduri for simplifying campaign reporting with AI! Now, quick insights like these land directly on WhatsApp every Monday – a major time-saver for client updates. Here’s the snapshot: 👇 Loving the efficiency here, Satya – cheers to automating smart!

4

1 Comment

In today's cutthroat business landscape, the art of strategic storytelling has emerged as a game-changer for driving corporate value. Gone are the days when a solid product could propel a company to success. Now, it's all about crafting a compelling brand narrative that resonates with audiences and fuels growth. For 20 years Bill Ryan and I have been creating compelling narratives for companies, with many of our 60 exiting client companies, having gone through the Architecture of Identity, or what we call AofI. This approach enables marketers to become not just communicators, but true storytellers - crafting narratives that inform, inspire, and ultimately, transform. In essence its the art of storytelling with the science of brand building. Think about it: when was the last time you were truly captivated by a company's story? Chances are, it left a lasting impression and influenced your perception of the brand. That's the power of strategic storytelling in action. But let's be real – building a killer business story is no walk in the park. It’s not just about a logo and a tagline. It requires a deep understanding of your target market, a unique positioning strategy, and a whole lot of creativity. And let's not forget the economics of it all. Engaging in this process can be a significant investment, but trust me, it's worth every penny. So, what goes into constructing a comprehensive presentation deck that will wow investors and drive revenue growth? Here are the key elements: 1. A core narrative that captures the essence of your brand 2. Compelling visuals that bring your story to life 3. Data-driven insights that showcase your market potential 4. A clear roadmap for future growth and expansion But here's the thing – simply having these elements isn't enough. Your story needs to be authentic, engaging, and truly unique. It should set you apart from the competition and make investors sit up and take notice. And that's where collaboration comes in. Building a strong brand identity isn't a solo mission – it requires input from across your organization. From marketing to sales to product development, every team has a role to play in shaping your story. So, what's the bottom line? Investing in strategic storytelling is no longer optional – it's a must-have for any business looking to drive value and achieve long-term success. Whether you're gearing up for a big funding round or planning an IPO, your story could be the difference between a flop and a blockbuster. But don't just take my word for it – look at the companies that have mastered the art of strategic storytelling. From Apple to Nike to Airbnb, these brands have built empires on the strength of their narratives. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to start crafting your own killer business story. Trust me – your future self and bottom line will thank you. Jeffrey Belk Bob Christopher James Richey Craig Walker Vincent Paquet Melissa Schmitt Jeff Pulver William Ryan

4

1 Comment