This interview was originally published at FINANCIAL EXPRESS.
BrandWagon Ad Talk with Isobar’s Aalap Desai
Today campaigns should be engaging and conversational, says Desai
The pandemic has brought about notable shifts across industries, and the case has been no different for marketing. Today, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect in order to acquire new customers and retain existing ones. In our weekly BrandWagon Ad Talk series, industry experts highlight what has changed over the past two years and more importantly, are these changes here to stay. Aalap Desai, chief creative officer, Isobar and Taproot Dentsu talks to BrandWagon Online, about the dos and don’ts of digital marketing, best marketing campaigns, and more.
What is the difference between launching a brand in today’s digital era versus earlier?
With the advent of digital, the biggest change is in engagement and reactions. A brand is no longer a one-way discussion. People react, share or engage with it and that makes it a two way narrative. That for me is a huge shift.
What are the recent best marketing or advertising campaigns you have seen and why?
The Backup Ukraine campaign is something that really touched me in recent times. It won at Cannes this year but I feel that it should have won more. I was really rooting for it. What I loved about it was the fact that digital added hope to the lives of people. A crowd sourced 3d backup of everything in around citizens to save digital versions of the structures they love is brilliant. After all, the war can destroy the physical form but no one can destroy the digital version. I think it’s lovely to make an idea affect lives like that.
Which brand in the last year has made the best use of digital and how?
Burger King has been doing some amazing campaigns for years now. Every year they use a fresh way to pull off a maverick connect with the audience. From the Stevenage Challenge to Mouldy Burger to the latest Burger Glitch. They have been doing it not only for the past one year but for years. Even Burger King India came out with an interesting Hrithik campaign recently.
In a post-Covid world, what are the dos and don’ts of digital marketing?
Today campaigns should be engaging and conversational. And just like any other conversation, we have to be interested in it. We cannot be insensitive and arrogant. That turns the audience off. Authenticity is key for a deeper engagement. Because of the increased exposure, lip-service gets called out. I feel that now we have reached a point where the calibration the industry needed has been achieved. Anything more that I feel sometimes is a little excessive.
One recent bad case of advertising you have seen, and why?
Hands down the series of Layerr Shot films that came out during this year’s IPL. It was extremely offensive and wrong on a lot of levels. I want the time I spent watching and thinking about them back.