ITC's Classmate engages with the youth across India

The online and on ground campaign, Classmate Man of the Match is conceptualized by Candid Marketing.

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | July 26, 2011

ITC group has launched a consumer engagement program for its stationery products brand Classmate which has been conceptualized by Candid Marketing. The campaign, Classmate Man of the Match (MOM), was conceived with the objectives of creating brand & product range awareness, translating to trials, thereby increasing portfolio sales. Candid Marketing has integrated the use of both, online and on ground mediums to generate awareness about the campaign.

Classmate Man of the Match (CMOM) has been conceptualized wherein the target group will earn runs on purchase of Classmate stationery products. Participants with the most number of 'runs' will get a chance to meet Yuvraj Singh, brand ambassador of Classmate, in person & be gratified with Pune Warriors India merchandise, the IPL team that Classmate partners. On achieving 100 runs; participants will be given unique serial codes which can be used to redeem a free coffee at any CCD outlet. Campaign has been designed to ensure varying levels of prizes & gratification for participants according to the number of 'runs' scored by them.

The 45 days Classmate campaign began on 22^nd June 2011 and is unique as it merges multiple consumer engagement platforms to leverage the brand promotion. The campaign has seamlessly integrated digital marketing & activations (including the use of social media) with traditional on-ground platforms like roadshows, tie-ups with Café Coffee Day outlets, etc. to create an experience that transcends 'time and space' – allowing the brand to be omnipresent in the consumer's physical & virtual environments.

As part of the campaign, branded tent cards have been placed at 56 Café Coffee Day outlets across the country to drive communication. In the digital space, mainly Facebook & Google have been leveraged to promote the activity by running & promoting the contest on-line. Additionally, Email Marketing & mobile phone based SMS marketing platforms have also been leveraged - 28 lakh SMS' were sent across cities filtered according to age-group 15-25 and the database was oriented from sources like Schools, Coaching Classes and Colleges. Classmate has also created a campaign microsite that encourages participants to register for the contest on making their first purchase & thereafter subsequent purchases made by individuals have to be uploaded on the site to earn 'runs'.

Elaborating on the strategy for the Classmate campaign, Amrita Kumar, Managing Partner, Candid Marketing said, “To carry out the activity we decided to take a broader approach towards the campaign. We decided to bring in the use of online medium to facilitate work on a faster pace and used the on – ground platform to create awareness about the campaign. By combining ground activations with a digital contest we are ensuring that the campaign gains maximum popularity.”

Adds Karan Kumar, Marketing Manager, ITC's Education & Stationery products business, “As the endeavor was to become an integral part of the consumer's ecosystem, it only made sense for the program to permeate the twin worlds of Click & Mortar. Classmate is already the leading brand in India in the Rs. 3000 Crores notebooks market & Classmate Man of the Match program attempts at making a large set of Classmate consumers become more aware & try some of the newer product categories like pens, writing pencils, geometry box sets etc that the brand launched in the not too distant past. Initial feel on the campaign appears to be encouraging & we are hopeful that it will deliver on most of the objectives that had been outlined for it at the start.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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