Ok, so this stuff has gone on air… (I presume)
“I don’t shop anymore – I just Flipkart it.”
Hmmmm. It’s Ok, does nothing to me. I don’t use coined verbs so easily.
But that’s not the discussion.
This is:
Question – Is this ad for me?
If yes, then it’s a colossal waste – Flipkart, its awesome consumer experience and word-of-mouth has won me over. I don’t need to see an ad of Flipkart.com to make me use it.
Side note – In the case of Quikr.com – I had forgotten about the site and didn’t remember what it did. So some TV ads here and there made me remember it.
Also, in the ad the “i just sold it” concept made me aware of the key USP of quikr.com – That I can sell anything in a jiffy.
See the quikr.com ad:
Now, if the Flipkart.com ads are supposed to create awareness about the FK brand, then this is my contention:
I believe that this ad and the others in the series will go on and create the ‘Online shopping category’ more than there own business.
People who see the ad and don’t know much about Flipkart will go to the site and be surprised.
BUT
Will they buy on the spot?
Won’t they look around – on google (where they will type Flipkart.com also) and check prices of goods online?
Like all sensible consumers, they will sniff and hunt and get ‘introduced’ to the concept of online shopping.
Therein lies the challenge.
Does this mean that Flipkart’s precious VC dollars will be spent in creating the online shopping category, for the benefit of others?
A good metric will be able to check if competitor sites’ traffic goes up during this time.
Assume I see the TV ad and look up Flipkart.com. This is what I see:
Now, I relate to the book, ‘Immortals of Meluha’. I haven’t read it and I always wanted to pick up a copy.
Just before I BUY on Flipkart, I check the same on google.
This is what I see
The hypothesis of this post is illustrated above.
Will the TV ads of Flipkart.com actually help Snapdeal and Indiaplaza.com?
Next Question:
What is wrong in growing the category and being the Industry leader in it? (I’m talking only about Internet brands)
Nothing.
But that’s a call that Companies take when:
– They are highly profitable:
Yahoo! is spraying ads to make people remember it. They still make money and can afford to remind you that they exist via these expensive lovey-dovey ads.
– Companies are profitable and are default industry leaders. Example – Naukri.com
Naukri kills it. They get it. They hammer it. They nail it.
To grow their business (to get more resumes in a country like India where only 60 million users are online in a population of 1+ billion) they need to advertise online jobs.
But when people go online, they go to Naukri.com
– Companies and their businesses are seasonal and they need to make people remember them at the right time.
Makemytrip TV ads before a holiday, Shaadi and Bharatmatrimony.com TV ads before the marriage season belong to this category.
Flipkart is really being bold and agressive with this ad campaign! (assuming that these ads will be on TV).
I wish them good luck.
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