Increasing connect reach and market - Lessons from Bharat for mobile marketers

Mobile hasn’t just revolutionised the future of business, it has reshaped the present as well. Globally, mobile devices are the key communications tool for most consumers. In the construction of any short- or long-term marketing campaign, mobile marketing is an integral part.

Customers have started to focus more on mobile devices in recent years. As a result, marketers are taking similar actions to foster genuine omnichannel interaction. Marketing also fragments along with technology. Additionally, content must be well-planned and intensely individualised in order to capture and hold the interest of potential customers.

Highlighting the new developments in Mobile Marketing, Adgully hosted a discussion on the topic ‘Increasing Connect, Reach, and Market - Lessons from Bharat for Mobile Marketers’ at the 6^th edition of MOBEXX Summit and Awards 2022. The session was chaired by Lloyd Mathias, Angel Investor and Brand Strategist. The esteemed panelists included:

Anita Nayyar, COO, Media Brand, and Communications, Patanjali

Archana Aggarwal, Vice President, Media Airtel

Deepinder Singh, Vice President, Marketing, Pristyn Care

Harish Aswani, AVP, Digital Marketing and Ecommerce, Medanta

Shantanu Chauhan, Associate Director, Marketing, Noise

Soumyadip Chatterjee, Director, Brand Marketing, Snapdeal

Lloyd Mathias commenced the session by stating how the launch of Jio and further the Covid pandemic opened up a whole ecosystem of businesses that were inconceivable a decade ago. “Mobile has been the first interface with the Internet for a huge number of people in India,” he stated, raising a question to his fellow panelists, “How big an opportunity do you see in rural Bharat, and how can you leverage it via Mobile Marketing?”

Soumyadip Chatterjee responded by saying, “Snapdeal is based upon the foundation of ‘All things Bharat’. We have been in this industry for three-four years now. Initially, we faced the challenge to get people to understand value lifestyle can happen online as well. The competitor of Snapdeal is none of the other e-commerce markets, but the local market the people find comfortable shopping in.”

Anita Nayyar spoke about how Patanjali used mobile marketing to reach out to their target audience. She said, “Patanjali has penetrated Tier 2, 3, 4, and rural markets by using mobile marketing in a very traditional way. We have around 5,000 Patanjali mega stores, some franchise stores, and a few Gramin Arogya Kendras. We are an FMCG company, the products can’t be sold at Meesho or Snapdeal. We are right now working on M-commerce to reach out to almost every area.”

Shantanu Chauhan added here that Noise is using mobile marketing to promote their products because people buy online electronic devices more than wearables. He said, “Most of our growth has come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets and less from urban areas. We currently supply only in India and are ranked third globally. Apple comes in first, followed by Samsung and Noise in India. The entrance price for Tier 3 and Tier 4's smaller marketplaces, where the new customers initially entered, marked the beginning of this penetration.”

Speaking on how mobile plays an integral role in the marketing strategy of Pristyn Healthcare, Deepinder Singh said, “Pristyn approach has always prioritised using digital platforms. Pristyn does secondary surgical care. Instead of looking up who will do my procedure and where, the first word that comes to mind when we talk about surgery is “hospital”. This was the first barrier, but we overcame it with the help of our marketing techniques, and today, 99% of our traffic comes from the online market.”

Harish Aswani spoke about how Medanta is working on mobile marketing to reach out to potential customers and patients. He said, “Everybody knows, and acknowledges that quality healthcare is not available at Tier 2, Tier 3 and rural areas. People came on the podium and said that they wanted to do something for it, but none of the OEMs were doing it. That is where Medanta came in front to work for the same. Now, when we see people are okay with doing online consultations with doctors, 65% of businesses of Medanta are coming from Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural areas.”

Adding more facts to this conversation, Archana Aggarwal mentioned how Airtel has been a huge platform for advertisers, “There are numerous apps we have that are really weighty. Although you may reload and check all you have with the help of the Airtel Thanks utility app, many customers still find it difficult. Customers are fine with online shopping because there is the option of COD, but many individuals prefer to reload at a nearby outlet. The ecosystem was altered by Covid, and as the ecosystem developed, logistics helped to open up the Tier 2, Tier 3, and higher markets.”

There are edited excerpts. For the complete conversation, please watch below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5F9vG3et-U&t=1507s