Another in a continuing series on DM case studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.

This was one spa that was conceived and designed to be like no other. Royal in inspiration it was contemporary in interpretation. Inspired by the Mughals love for perfection, symmetry and aesthetics it sought to revive a lifestyle perfected by Mughal emperors 600 years ago.The task was to create a buzz around this Spa and position it as the perfect tribute to the city that holds the wonder called the Taj Mahal.
There are numerous luxurious spas in India and the world and then there are spas that are the ultimate in indulgence and pampering. Now, how do you defy and transcend even this?

The answer: look back in history and reach the very courts of the Mughal Emperors to revive their love for rejuvenating therapies and exotic treatments which were transported to India from Turkey and Persia.
The result of this was the creation of paradise that would do even Emperor Shahjahan proud.

The objective was to turn the Royal Spa into the last word for rejuvenation and revival and to get the invitees to come and experience the magical treatments available. This would not only get them to experience the wonder of this Spa but also make the Spa the most talked-about.

We sent the DM to Diplomats, Ambassadors of Embassies, opinion makers, members of the press and the countries’ Who’s Who. due to confidentiality reasons, the database was drawn up by the client from the patrons at their specialty restaurants, in house guests and societies’ crème de la crème.

The strategy was to partake of a royal experience that took them back in time to the glorious era of the Mughals. And what better way of doing this than sending them the fruit picked from the garden of paradise that the Mughals so loved, and created on earth. For the Mughals the pomegranate was the fruit of eternity, the fruit descended straight from paradise. It was considered an aphrodisiac and the elixir of youth.
Given this, the recipient received a direct mailer which had hidden within it this very fruit of eternity: A full-blooded, ruby red pomegranate from Central Asia, the homeland of the Mughals.

The results were phenomenal and it whetted the curiosity of the invitees. The prelaunch was a full house affair and the spa was covered by all the leading fashion and lifestyle publications. There was a 45% response to the invites sent out and within months of opening, Conde Nast Traveler declared it the ‘World’s best city spa’.

Continuing our series on DM case studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.
ITC Welcomgroup unlike any other hotels anywhere in India and the world. While they offer the most modern of amenities of facilities and privileges, what sets them apart is the Indian soul – that takes hospitality to a new level. And this is exemplified best by the manner in which ITC engages its guest and customers into the festivities. Diwali being one such fine example. The festival of lights is one of the biggest festivals in the Indian calendar. And ITC becomes an integral part of this occasion by joining the customer in their celebrations at home.
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Another one in a series on DM case studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.
To highlight the transformation of the restaurant, West View from offering just continental cuisine to a cuisine that was quintessentially European in nature. Check out how ITC Maurya went about this task.
For many years, West View, the restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi specialized in continental fare. Keeping in mind, competition and shifting trends the restaurant had undergone a total transformation in terms of food and décor and it now served typical European fare. The task at hand was to establish in the minds of customers that West View now stood for all-things authentically reminiscent of the European countryside.

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Continuing our series on DM case studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.
The only online campaign in India to use Dilbert. Nokia wanted the new E-Series phones to work as ‘Blackberry Killers’ – business phones that facilitate any kind of work. Linking the E-Series with Dilbert created an immediate association with office culture. OgilvyOne partnered Nokia in facilitating a tie-up with The Dilbert Group, where Scott Adams’ team suggested a set of Dilbert images responding to the creative brief by the agency. The campaign had a fun personality test that discerned the user’s style of working and recommended relevant phone features in sync with the user’s work style.

The campaign saw approximately 6 lakh visits to the site with close to 34,000 registrations.

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By Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi

We have heard many companies claim how satisfied their customers are with them; they claim to have a satisfaction rating of 95 percent. However, it is very dangerous to define customer satisfaction simplistically, especially if you work out any customer plan or strategy based on oversimplified figures. Based on industry observations, any customer satisfaction measurement should cover the following variables:

• Product
• Service
• Relationship
• Price
• Convenience
• Brand/Image
• Total customer Experience

But what is customer satisfaction?
Sometimes we find that although we have delivered a high level of products and services to our customers, they are not as satisfied as we presume. What’s gone wrong? Technically we are bang on. We have tried to deliver a complete experience to the customer, then why isn’t he satisfied? The satisfaction equation is missing one element: customer expectation. It is created by your company and your competitors, as well. Be aware that the expectations of the customers are constantly increasing.
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The seventh in a series on DM Case Studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.

Business is a serious game. And CEOs don’t run!

CEO’s attend round table conferences, strategy summits and engage in high profile leisure activities like Golf, cricket, swimming etc. But somehow we don’t associate them with running. (There are a few exceptions to this of course but only a handful). And certainly not running in public with the masses.
The challenge here was to break this mindset (in this case, the CEO’s own) and get them to run in the Hutch Delhi Half Marathon (HDHM). Since this event was being organized for the first time in Delhi, there were no past experiences to refer to and this event itself would serve as a benchmark for future years. Further since it was being launched for the first time, it was extremely critical to set the tone of the event. And for that it was important to elicit participation from even the upper segment of the society. The database constituted of 100 top CEO’s who were also Hutch customers, held in high esteem by the society and seen as leaders in their fields.
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By Sanjeev jasani, VP, OgilvyOne, New Delhi.

A lot has been said on customer value. And entire business models have been built around this concept. I have simply tried to collate my understanding on the subject and share my experiences with you.

Successful customer relationships are built on the bedrock of superior customer value. To attract and retain your most important customers, you must understand what they care about and what value propositions will appeal to them. While “value” is an overused buzzword, we rarely pause to reflect if we really understand what value is.

It is a natural human failing to question the concepts that we think we know well. We don’t know who it was who discovered water, but we are pretty sure it wasn’t a fish. In my 10 years of experience in this industry I have read a number of pieces about different aspects of creating, delivering and capturing customer value. But this is my first attempt to distill my understanding of customer value into six fundamental lessons. I would encourage people to add to these lessons or even criticize them.

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The sixth in a series on Direct Marketing case studies by Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne New Delhi.

Continuing its push to forge deep emotional connects with youth in the music space, Motorola took on the mantle of promoting Campus Rock Idols (CRI), the biggest rock talent hunt in India.

While the on-ground event chain helped reinforce the association, sustaining momentum beyond the event was necessary to keep the relationship alive and thriving. This was a ripe opportunity to build an inclusive community of music, musicians and music fans like never before. To help celebrate music and music addiction 24/7. http://www.campusrockidols.com/ was the way this opportunity was brought to life, to:

• – provide easy online registration of participating bands for the event
• – be a forum for visitors to get official information about the event in the current and past years
• – provide a portal for young artists and their fans to engage with each other via videos, pictures and shared opinions
• – keep the buzz around CRI alive round the clock

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