Did Kolaveri Satisfy all Viral Marketing Definitions?

Viral marketing is a marketing technique used by businesses of all sizes.  It includes word of mouth, but in the internet world it mainly refers to using social networking sites to increase brand awareness or increase sales in the internet world.  With growing number of Internet user every year across the world and its wide spread usage in almost all the fields including common people sharing message make internet and its usage as a medium to spread like viral fever.







In traditional marketing funnel a consumer recommends large number of products/service to limited or same group of peoples.  As a result the recommendation the network becomes limited to local group of people who are immediately reachable.  While in viral marketing, a consumer recommends the product to few groups and that few groups will recommend the same product next large group and this will keep multiplying at the every recommendation.  The pictorial representation of traditional marketing and viral marketing is as follows;





The awareness about the song Kolaveri moved from a mini group to large group with the help of social media

 Did Kolaveri exhibit the characteristics of Viral Marketing over Internet?

The basic premise of viral marketing is its ability to circulate freely on the Internet along with the author's URL.  The content must be of sufficient quality and the original author will forward/shares it to its recipients for free or as a pre-arranged joint venture payment.  The whole exercise should be cheaper and effective to generate greater sales for a period of time.

Kolaveri team used a simple video clip which broke the entire formal video album concept.  The video clip recorded in the studio actor Danush singing the song and has no film lights, professional camera.  It has the required quality and the sharing of the content was free of cost.  Overall the entire exercise was without any cost.

 Did Kolaveri follow the six Principles of Viral Marketing

• Gives away valuable products or services  - Kolaveri did give a valuable product
•  Effortless transfer to others  - It was an effortless transfer
• Easy scalability – It multiplied without killing the host
• Exploits common motivations and behaviors – Exploited human behavior and emotion
• Utilizes existing communication networks – Used the existing network and did not create even a new website/blog to promote it
• Takes advantage of others' resources – Definitely worked on other’s infrastructure like a parasite

The most important trick of the viral marketing is to create a very strong emotion.  The song used words that are used by young people everyday.  ‘Soupboys’(those who failed in love),‘bouw-u’(rejection) and ‘life rever segear’ were part of South Indians slangs. 

 Did Kolaveri Work in Three Phases?

 The three phases in Viral Marketing are Initial Phase (initial surge), Plateau (community conversation around a campaign) and Long tail Phase (huge amount of referrers created).  Kolaveri exhibited the initial surge in the first few days, followed by the wide discussion in the social networking groups and later it reached the Long tail. 

 The following data from the Google Insight Search reflects the fact that Kolaveri had undergone all the three phases.

 There was an initial surge in keyword interest index.  The first five days the index was hovering in the range of 1 – 5 which was the initial launch boost which had shown abnormal movement and reached 100 in the next ten days.  This truly revealed “community conversation” around a campaign, in blogs, community forums, social networks, etc.  As of now a search in Google exhibits more than 2,06,000 references in the internet with 191,000 documents with the title Kolaveri.

 Which Types of Viral Marketing was Kolaveri ?

There are different types of Viral Marketing adopted - Pass Along (Information is passed on from person to person in due course of conversation), Incentivized (reward as a motive), Undercover (buzz/stealth marketing), Edgy Gossip (create controversy by challenging the borders of taste or appropriateness) and User Managed Database (using own lists of contacts using a database)

Kolaveri has spread using the Pass along type of a viral marketing and it worked out very well.  Even before  it was launched officially but people found it very different from other traditional movie videos and started sharing the links to their known one and it passed on to many viewers with in short span of time.

 Dhanush known for his boy-next-door image sang the song as an innocent, heartbroken lover.  And it worked well.  As Dhanush said the song was meant for the common people and he was not intended for Pan India promotion.   According to him it was a mistake – something not intentional.  But it turned out to be a positive mistake and he realized later that nothing could stop the viral marketing once the product assumes all characteristics needed for viral marketing 
 

“Kolaveri” Success – Viral Marketing of the Century - 'Why this Online Promotion Di’

The cross- cultural Tamil-English music- "Why this Kolaveri Di.  " has created a viral phenomenon, unprecedented in the history of online promotion in India or even in the global internet viral promotions.  The quantum of ‘likes’ both in Youtube and Facebook created was awesome.  The video clip placed by Sony Music had attracted over 22 million hits and 85,792 comments on Youtube in just over two weeks.  The comments in the main video reached 108,972 and attracted 221,044 likes with a viewership of 39 million in two months.  The music which was written and sung by Dhanush, the Tamil film actor, became the most-searched song on Google, and most-shared on Facebook within ten hours of posting.  It was identified as the number one Indian trend on Twitter on November 21, with many tweeting random bits of the song.  

The term Kolaveri, meaning ‘murderous rage’, is now being picked up by marketers and brands alike and people in other parts of the work as a form of expression.  The track is also the first regional language (Tamil) song ever to see a high rotation on Mainstream Music Channels - play listed on 43 Radio Stations Pan-India.  The blend of two languages along with the funky music is what did wonders for the number.  According to a study done by IIM Kozhikode, many non-Tamil speaking people liked the son due to the peppy feel, funky music and the Tamlish lyrics.  

The song has got many versions released, “Female Version”, “Give me Milk Version by Naveen Nigam”, and “One Random Remix” after its sensational hit on the internet.  There are almost 1,000 search results appearing for the search query Kolaveri Di on YouTube.  The one by Nevaan Nigam, 3 years child son of Sonu Nigam attracted  5 million views  in 45 days (placed on Dec 4, 2011).  Kolaveri came in different languages and the one in Punjabi version - Pinki Mogey Wali (Jan 23, 2012) attracted 14,920 views in a week time which points out the success of the Kolaveri.  There are many spoof videos floating around the YouTube based on Kolaveri Di, which indicates the height of popularity of the song.  

There are reports which mention that the Tamil movie fans (mostly male) and non-resident Indians drove most of the traffic in the US and the Gulf, and students studying abroad made up the majority of mentions in Europe.  From 16 November on, according to Social Hues, the rate of Twitter mentions of Kolaveri increased by nearly 200% every day, starting at 179 and peaking a week later at 14,907 tweets on 24 November—the day after it became the first Tamil film song to be played on MTV and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan  had tweeted about his admiration for the tune.  Most traffic was driven by Facebook, which accounted for nearly 80% of social media mentions of the song, followed by Twitter and YouTube, according to Social Hues. 

Tamil population in India is around 72 million and India is reported to have 8.5% internet penetration.  Assuming the internet penetration rate among Tamil speaking people is same as 8.5%, an estimated 6 million Tamilians will have internet access out of the total 72 million.  However, the song had hit 22 million in the first two weeks point out the fact that it was not the mere Tamil fans which pushed the video clip.  As of now the viewership reached 39 million which clearly highlight the fact that the video clip became viral beyond language or region. 

The Google Keyword Interest analyses a portion of Google web searches to compute how many searches have been done for the terms one entered, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time.  This analysis indicates the likelihood of a random user to search for a particular search term from a certain location at a certain time.  The following data reveals that the higher Keyword Interest for the term ‘Kolaveri’ was from Maharashtra followed by Orissa and other Northern States of India rather than the Tamil speaking places.  At the same time, Tamil Nadu reported 22.  0 in Google Keyword Interest analysis data.  

What is the secret of the success of the music Kolaveri.  Wait for our next blog on the Viral Marketing analysis of Kolaveri which is quite interesting to all digital marketers. 

FDI in Retail Sector - Do we need FDI in Multi Brand Retail in India?

It’s been a long wait for global retail giants like Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour and others to set up shop in India.  As the winter session started on 22nd November, the ruling party of India decided to lift the ban on big-box retailers’ investment in multi brand FDI.  Soon the topic raised the political storm in the Parliament with several other issues like including price rise, separate Telangana and safety of Mullaperiyar dam and more.

Market Views

The BJP announced that it would not allow foreign MNCs to set shop in states ruled by it.  At the same time, BJP admitted it had first proposed the full opening up of the retail trade sector nearly a decade ago in May 2002.  In a note for a group of ministers on FDI chaired by the then finance minister Yashwant Sinha, the ministry of commerce and industry under DMK’s Murasoli Maran recommended permitting 100 per cent FDI in retail trade, subject to a minimum capitalisation of $10 million in 2002.  BSP chief and UP Chief Minister Mayawati, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are also opposed to the FDI move.

CII supported FDI in multi-brand retail and stated that it would go a long-way in boosting confidence would give a boost to the organised retail sector which positively impacts several stakeholders including farmers, MSMEs and consumers.  CII noted that Foreign investments in the sector would not affect the traditional trade (Kirana shops), and it would continue to grow.

What is FDI in Multi Brand Retail?

FDI in Multi Brand retail implies that a retail store with a foreign investment can sell multiple brands under one roof.  Now, the global retailers can come to India with a local partner and can set up stores.  Till now FDI was not allowed in multi brand retail.

Organized Retailing

The organized retailing can negotiate prices more aggressively with manufacturers and pass on the benefit to consumers.  They can lay down better and tighter quality standards and ensure that manufacturers adhere to them.  With the availability of finance, the supermarkets can invest in much better infrastructure facilities like parking lots, coffee shops, ATM machines, etc., and all this will make shopping a pleasant experience.  The supermarkets offer a wide range of products and services, so the consumer can enjoy single-point shopping.

The organized retail could help tackle inflation, particularly with wholesale prices. This is underscored by the fact that the weight of food in rural and agricultural household consumption baskets is approximately 65-70%.

Kiranas -  Mom and Pop Stores of India & Existing Retailers

Indian retailing is generally known as Kiranas, the Desi  Mom and Pop shops.  According to a report from National Sample Survey Organization, the retail sector is the second largest employer in India - employs 7.2% of the total workforce roughly around 3.4 crore jobs (34 million) just after agriculture which employs nearly 60% of total workforce.  There is not any specific data about the number of people employed under Kirana shops in major cities.  Obviously, the Kirana jobs are not an important vocation in major cities compared to small places where Kirana is plays as a nerve centre of village supply chain.  The Kirana retail segment survives based on the price difference between wholesale and retail market.  This price difference shared at different points in the supply chain.  Ultimately, this cost is passed on to the consumer who ends up in paying higher price for products. Thus, around 34 million jobs are generated on account of this price differences at various points of the supply chain.

The media report mentions that the entry of foreign players will most definitely disrupt the current balance of the economy, and will cost the above 3.4 crore jobs.  It is a fact that Kirana shops in places other than major cities will enjoy built-in protection from supermarkets because the latter can only exist in large cities.  The concern by domestic firms in the organized retail sector as an infant industry cannot be taken in its face value since many of the retailers have already stabilized in major cities.  

As of now, the current status of organized retailing in India is much better than its position compared to year 2002.  As per A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) India stands fourth position in terms of top 30 emerging countries for retail development which is an indication of  higher opportunities.

 

Advantages of the Policy of Allowing Multi Brand FDI in Retail Sector

The global retailer will play a big role in sourcing several consumer goods from India for wider international markets.  India certainly has an advantage of being able to produce several categories of consumer goods, viz. fruits and vegetables, beverages, textiles and garments, gems and jewellery, and leather goods.  By allowing FDI in retail trade, India will become more integrated with regional and global economies in terms of quality standards and consumer expectations.  In effect if the global retailer finds that onion can be sourced for 10 cents per KG or sauce can be bought for 10 cents per sachet then Indian onion/sauce will move globally.  Thus, a major beneficiary would be farmers and small manufacturers, who will gain substantially through some of the best-practices of international retail companies.  Thus, the traditional Indian farmers will get better remuneration and this will ultimately lead them to modernise agri-retail marketplace.  This will improve the life of 60% of Indians who depend on farming, and 100% Indian consumers at the cost of a small percentage of existing Kriana shops in major cities.

Indian Government recommends that retail firms source a percentage of manufactured products from the small and medium domestic enterprises.  The opening up of the retail sector to FDI could therefore provide a boost to small-and medium enterprises.  At the juncture government can go for bringing safety nets in the form of strengthening the marketing of the products sold by small retailers/Kiranas, the provision of soft loans, and setting up a central logistics system to act on behalf of the small retailers.

Also it is to be watched with the rising salary pattern of Indian employees if the global retailer can compete with the existing retail chains which have already established in major cities.  The rising operating cost in the organized retailing and the rising wages of employees will give smiley face to Kiranas to bring innovative methods and float in the competitive market with its inborn low cost operations and long working hours.  Kiranas get an opportunity to enhance their customer proposition through steps like adding new product lines and brands, better display, renovation of the store, introduction of self service, enhanced home delivery, more credit sales, and acceptance of credit cards.

Wal-Mart has the history of exiting from Germany (2006) and from South Korea (2006) both under difficulties.  Carrefour which set up shop in Russia even failed to sell its Russian assets after it decided to abandon its operations in the country in 2010.  If Indian retailers are equipped to meet the challenges the incoming global retailers, their entry will just remain as another competitor in the market and an opportunity for innovation for ingenious Kirana shops.  These types of competition will be negligible for existing retailers taking into account of India's market size and the purchasing power of its growing middle class.  Moreover, country has successfully opened up its telecom and banking sector for investment and consumers have experienced such benefits already.

Nofollow Links and Backlinks - Does “Nofollow” Hurt Your Site Backlinks?

Yes, you heard it right! It is helpful to increase organic traffic to your site if blog and/or website has high Page Rank (PR). It will increase your Alexa traffic rank also. Let me give you a brief description about the 'nofollow' link.

“Nofollow” is an HTML attribute value used to instruct search engines that a hyperlink should not influence the link target’s ranking in the search engine’s index. It is intended to reduce the effectiveness of certain types of Spam, thereby improving the quality of search engine results and preventing spamdexing from occurring in the first place.

Okay I will suggest take a look at this website www.americanfireinc.com. This site has about 25+ links on its homepage because of the categories links generation. Most of its links have been created through nofollow links, still the website has managed to create 25+ backlinks and a good Alexa traffic rank (670,208) as well. Let’s look at some of its screenshots given below.

How to Install Wordpress ?

WordPress is an open source blog tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL and was first released on May 27, 2003. It's often customized into a Content Management System (CMS). It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is identified as the most popular CMS on the internet. 

Here are our guidelines to  install WordPress through Cpanel.

Step 1: Please, login to your CPanel and locate the Fantastico De Luxe icon:

 Step 2: Find and click the WordPress link.

 Step 3: Then choose New Installation:

 Step 4: Decide upon the location of your blog - if you would like to have it as your site front page, leave the directory box blank, otherwise fill in the appropriate folder name. Next, fill in the administrator details and the e-mail account configuration then click the Install WordPress button.

Step 5: A new confirmation page will be loaded for the installation. Click the Finish Installation button if no errors are reported.

If else you will have to go back and rectify the specified issues.


Step 6: After completing the installation the final screen will load, providing you with the installation details. You will be able to e-mail the details to a specified address also in order to keep them for future reference.

Now, you  have successfully installed the Wordpress application.  If you find any issues in installation, please feel free to ask questions to romesh@dartconsulting.co.in.