Digital Marketing

Selecting Right OPE Media Mix

Criteria for Selecting Right OPE Media Mix

Owned, Paid and Earned OPE Media for brand success
Owned, Paid and Earned (OPE Media)

In the present era of cut-throat competition, how will you stand out in the market? Most of you might give an answer and that will be ‘creating creative messages/campaigns’. But what if the creative message/campaign does not reach your target audiences because of poor selection of media. Selecting the right Owned, Paid, and Earned (OPE) media mix for a business is not a not guesswork, but requires an approach that balances audience targeting, budget, and specific campaign goals.

An effective mix typically combines paid, owned, and earned channels to maximize ROI and reach customers at various stages of the buying journey. So, what should be the key criteria to select the right OPE media-mix, based on industry best practices?

What are the Criteria for Selecting Right OPE Media Mix

1. Business goal(s)

Your goal determines the OPE media mix.

  • Awareness goal —- more Paid + Earned
  • Lead generation goal — Paid + Owned
  • Customer retention goal — mostly Owned

A new product launch needs heavy promotion (Paid), while a loyalty program relies on Owned (email, app).

2. Target Audience

The characteristics and behaviour of the target audience also influence the selection of media. So, first understand where they spend time and what type of content influences them so that your messages reach them and have positive impact.

  • Youth — Instagram, YouTube
  • Professionals — LinkedIn

3. Budget

Paid media gives quick reach but costs more. What if your budget is low?

  • Low budget → focus on Owned + Earned
  • High budget → include Paid for faster results

4. Nature of Product

Nature of goods or services is a quite important criteria to select right OPE media mix

  • High involvement (expensive) products like smartphone → more Earned media like influencer video on YouTube as reviews matter.
  • Low involvement (cheap) products like snacks → more Paid media like Instagram ad due to impulse buying.

5. Stage of Product Life Cycle (PLC)

PLC stage matters a lot in selection of the OPE media mix.

  • Introduction stage → Paid + Earned (create awareness)
  • Growth stage → balanced mix
  • Maturity stage → Owned + Earned (loyalty, retention)

6. Competition Level

In crowded, highly competitive markets, visibility as well as credibility both matter.

  • High competition → more Paid + strong Earned
  • Low competition → Owned may be enough

7. Time Horizon

Paid media is costly, but give results in short term. But for long term results, businesses must leverage owned and earned media.

  • Short-term results → Paid
  • Long-term growth → Owned + Earned

In short, businesses must focus on the above-mentioned criteria to select right OPE media mix for business success.

To know more on OPE Media, Click here

AI in digital marketing
Digital Marketing

AI in Digital Marketing: The Ultimate Guide for 2026

What Marketers Need to Know About AI in Digital Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer optional in today’s competitive online landscape—it is essential. As customer expectations rise and digital channels multiply, businesses need smarter, faster, and more efficient ways to engage their audiences. This is where AI in digital marketing becomes crucial.

AI has become one of the most transformative forces in digital marketing. In an era where customers interact with brands across multiple devices and platforms, businesses generate enormous volumes of data every second. AI enables marketers to process this data, extract meaningful insights, predict consumer behavior, automate decisions, and deliver highly personalized experiences at scale. From predictive analytics to content generation, AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a practical tool reshaping how brands connect with their target customers/audiences.

Applications of AI in Digital Marketing

This article explores the major applications of AI in digital marketing in the following sub-sections.

Content Creation and Optimization

Gen AI tools like ChatGPT, Meta AI, Midjourney etc. assist marketers in generating and refining content. Platforms like HubSpot use AI to suggest blog topics, optimize email subject lines, and score leads. Grammarly enhances grammar, tone, and clarity. Midjourney is one of the best Gen AI tools for images.

AI-powered SEO tools further analyze keywords and competitor strategies to improve search rankings and organic traffic.

Personalized Product Recommendations

Personalization is one of AI’s most impactful uses. AI systems analyze browsing history, purchase behavior, search queries, and preferences to recommend relevant products or content.

Amazon uses AI-powered recommendation engines to suggest products through features like “Customers who bought this also bought” and “Recommended for you.” These systems rely on machine learning models that analyze millions of interactions to increase cross-selling and upselling.

Chatbots and Conversational Marketing

AI-powered chatbots have revolutionized customer service and engagement. These bots use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand customer queries and respond instantly.

Sephora, cosmetics retailers uses chatbots to offer beauty advice and booking services, while H&M, a fashion retailer helps customers find outfits based on style preferences. Customers can receive personalized makeup suggestions without visiting a physical store. These bots operate 24/7, reduce response time, lower support costs, and collect valuable customer data for future marketing improvements.

Predictive Analytics and Customer Insights

Predictive analytics uses AI to forecast future behavior based on historical data. Starbucks leverages AI in its mobile app to recommend drinks and promotions based on purchase history, location, and time of day. Target applies predictive models to identify buying patterns and send personalized promotions. This proactive approach increases conversions and strengthens customer loyalty.

Dynamic Pricing

Dynamic pricing uses AI to adjust prices based on demand and market conditions. Online cab-aggregators like Uber. Ola etc. applies surge pricing during high-demand periods, while Airbnb recommends optimal rates for hosts based on seasonality and competition. This strategy maximizes revenue while maintaining competitiveness.

Email Marketing Automation

AI enhances email marketing by segmenting audiences, predicting open rates, and personalizing messages. Spotify sends personalized emails such as “Discover Weekly” and “Year in Review,” which are generated using AI analysis of listening habits. These personalized campaigns increase user engagement and retention. Many e-comm firms use Behavior-triggered email marketing. 

Behavior-triggered email marketing uses automated, personalized messages sent instantly in response to specific user actions (e.g., clicks, purchases, page views, cart abandonment) rather than on a fixed schedule. These timely, relevant emails boast, on average, over 75% of email revenue, with 624% higher conversion rates than batch-and-blast campaigns.

Programmatic Advertising

AI has transformed digital advertising through automated media buying. Programmatic advertising is the automated, data-driven buying and selling of online advertising space, replacing manual negotiations with AI-powered, real-time bidding (RTB). It allows advertisers to target specific audiences across websites, mobile apps, video, and connected TV (CTV) in milliseconds, ensuring highly efficient ad placements. To know more on

Google uses AI-driven Smart Bidding to optimize ad placements based on user behavior, device, and location. Programmatic advertising improves targeting precision and maximizes return on investment (ROI).

Visual Recognition and Image Search

AI-powered visual recognition allows customers to search for products using images rather than text. Pinterest uses visual search technology that allows users to upload images and find similar products. This enhances product discovery and drives purchase decisions. IKEA integrates AI in its mobile app to allow users to visualize furniture in their homes using augmented reality.

Customers can see how products fit into their space before purchasing. Visual AI improves customer confidence and reduces return rates.

As mentioned above, AI has revolutionized digital marketing by enabling personalization, automation, predictive insights, and real-time optimization. From recommendations and chatbots to programmatic ads and journey mapping, AI empowers brands to deliver smarter, more engaging, and data-driven marketing strategies that drive measurable growth. So, marketers must utilise AI optimally so as enhance their business performance.

Uncategorized

keyword research for SEO

keyword research for SEO

What is Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the search terms (keywords) that people type into search engines like Google. It can be done using tools like Ubersuggest, Google keyword planner, SEMrush etc.


These keywords help you understand:

  • What topics your audience is looking for
  • How competitive those topics are
  • What content you should create to rank higher
  • How to optimize your website to get more organic traffic

How to do Keyword Research

1. Go to Ubersuggest and Enter a Seed Keyword

Step:
Open Ubersuggest → In the search bar, type a broad keyword related to your niche.
Visit https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/

Example:
Suppose you run a fitness blog.
Enter: “home workout”

Result:
Ubersuggest shows the search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC).

2. Analyze Keyword Overview

Ubersuggest gives you a bird’s-eye view of the keyword:

  • Search Volume (How many people search monthly?)
  • SEO Difficulty (SD) (How hard to rank?)
  • Paid Difficulty (PD)
  • CPC (Cost per click)
  • Trend Graph (Is interest increasing or declining?)

Example Output:

  • Search volume: 60,500
  • SEO difficulty: 32 (easy–medium)
  • CPC: $0.48
  • Trend: Increasing

How to use this:
If SD is low to medium and search volume is good, it’s a keyword worth targeting.

3. Explore Keyword Ideas (The Most Important Part)

Click “Keyword Ideas” in the left sidebar.

Ubersuggest will show:

  • Suggested keywords
  • Related keywords
  • Questions
  • Prepositions
  • Comparisons

Example Suggestions for “home workout”:

KeywordVolumeSD
home workout for beginners22,00025
home workout without equipment14,00018
10-minute home workout4,40012

How to use this:
You can create specific content like:

  • “Home Workout for Beginners: Complete 30-Day Plan”
  • “10-Minute Home Workout Without Equipment”

Long-tail keywords (3+ words) usually have lower competition and higher intent.

4. Filter Keywords for Easier Opportunities

Use Ubersuggest’s filters to narrow down your best options:

Suggested Filter Settings

  • SEO Difficulty: 0–35
  • Search Volume: 200+
  • Word Count: 3+ (optional for long-tails)

Example Filtered Result:

  • “10 minute home workout for beginners” (SD 14, Volume 1,600)
  • “home workout plan without equipment” (SD 21, Volume 2,400)

These are easier to rank for and highly specific—perfect for blog posts or YouTube videos.

5. Check SERP Analysis (Important for Competition)

Click on any keyword → Scroll to SERP Analysis.

Here you can see:

  • Top 10 ranking pages
  • Their estimated traffic
  • Number of backlinks
  • Domain authority (DA)

Example for “home workout without equipment”:

URLDABacklinksEstimated Traffic
Healthline.com892,10018,000
BlogXYZ.com32251,400

What this tells you:
If lower-authority websites are ranking, you have a good chance too.

6. Analyze Competitor Keywords

You can enter any competitor URL and find keywords they rank for.

Step:
Sidebar → Traffic Analyzer → Keywords

Example:
Enter competitor: “verywellfit.com”

You’ll get:

  • Top ranking pages
  • Estimated traffic
  • Keywords they rank for

Sample result:

  • Keyword: “at-home workouts for women”
    • Volume: 9,900
    • SD: 21

Now you know what content topics are already sending traffic to your competitors.

7. Save Keywords to Lists

As you find promising keywords, click “Add to List”.

You might organize lists like:

🔹 “Easy-to-Rank Keywords”
🔹 “High-Volume Keywords”
🔹 “Blog Content Ideas”

This helps you build a content plan.

8. Turn Keywords into Content Ideas

Based on your research, you can plan articles targeting each long-tail keyword.

Example content plan from earlier keywords:

  1. Beginner Home Workout Plan (No Equipment Needed)
  2. 10-Minute Home Workout for Busy Professionals
  3. Home Workout for Weight Loss: 20 Effective Exercises
  4. Home Workout Schedule for Women (Weekly Plan)
Business & Economy

Protect Your Heart for a Healthier Future

Protect Your Heart for a Healthier Future

Dr R Dwivedi, Senior cardiologist, Fortis Hospital

Hey man, do you love your heart?Protect your heart
Your heart is the powerhouse of your body, working tirelessly day and night to keep you alive. Yet, many of us tend to overlook its importance until something goes wrong. Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, but the good news is that it is often preventable. By taking small, proactive steps today, you can reduce your risk and ensure a healthier future. Fortis hospital is committed to spreading heart health awareness and helping you make informed decisions to protect your heart before it’s too late.

Protect your heart

Protect your heart

Understanding Heart Disease

Heart disease refers to a range of conditions that affect the heart’s function, including coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, and arrhythmias. These conditions can develop silently over time, often without any obvious symptoms. Risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and obesity can damage your heart gradually, leading to severe complications.

The good news is that many of these risk factors are controllable. By adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle and getting regular check-ups, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing heart disease.

Key Risk Factors Related to the Heart

It’s essential to understand the factors that can increase your risk of heart disease. Some of the most common ones include:

  • High Blood Pressure: Often referred to as the “silent killer,” high blood pressure damages the arteries and increases the heart’s workload.
  • High Cholesterol: Elevated cholesterol levels can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, narrowing them and increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
  • Diabetes: People with diabetes are at a higher risk of heart disease due to the damage high blood sugar can cause to blood vessels.
  • Smoking: Smoking contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, leading to a higher risk of cardiovascular issues.
  • Obesity and Lack of Physical Activity: Excess weight puts extra strain on your heart, while a sedentary lifestyle can reduce circulation and weaken heart health.

While these risk factors may sound alarming, the good news is that they can be managed and even reversed with the right lifestyle changes and medical interventions.

Don’t worry, Timely check up can reduce the the risk
Click/Contact heart specialist today to schedule your heart health check-up and take the first step toward a healthier heart… NO CONSULTATION FEE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Can Meta’s ‘Threads’ break Twitter’s monopoly?
Digital Marketing

Can ‘Threads’ break Twitter’s monopoly?

Dr M Rahman, Senior marketing faculty, Galgotias University

The ‘Threads’ app launched on July 5, 2023 by Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp has created the record of fastest growing consumer app smashing the record of AI tool ChatGPT*. It racked up over 100 million within five days. The new app is available in over 100 countries on Google Android and Apple app stores. However, it is not available in the European Union countries including Germany, Italy, France, and Belgium. (*ChatGPT app took two months to get 100 million sign-ups)

The app is fastly emerging as the first real threat to Twitter, world’s most popular microblogging site with over 400 million active users. Twitter is struggling nowadays to hold its users due to certain user unfriendly policies after being taken over by Elon Musk in Oct 2022. Now, the curiosity is emerging in tech people’s and users’ minds – Can ‘Threads’ break Twitter’s monopoly in future?

Can ‘Threads’ break Twitter’s monopoly?

In the past few years, apps like Mastodon, Koo and Bluesky were launched and positioned as Twitter alternatives. But after creating initial hype, these apps failed to maintain it. However, unlike other apps, Meta’s ‘Threads’ has some strengths that can make it a formidable competitor to Twitter. ‘Threads’ is similar to twitter in terms of general features like post a message, like, share, quote, comment etc. Because of the similarities Twitter has threatened to sue Meta Platforms.

However, there are many aspects that make it different from Twitter. First, Threads has over one billion built-in user-base from Instagram. Users need an Instagram account for Threads, and they can import bio information and followers from their existing Instagram profile. Second, Threads has some features that are better than Twitter (shown in the table). It allows users to write more number of characters (upto 500) and share more items (upto 10 images, videos etc.) and longer videos to non-verified users (upto 5 minutes) in a post.

Can Meta’s ‘Threads’ break Twitter’s monopoly?
The new app also doesn’t charge any amount for a blue tick (verified account). This is contrary to Twitter’s $7.99 a month fee considered as user-unfriendly policy and resulted in protest by many celebrities.

However, Threads currently lacks certain features that are popular and users have been used to on Twitter. The missing features include non-availability of ‘Following page’ list, no embedded codes (it limits the integration of Threads content on external websites), no ‘Hahtags’ and no provision of ‘Account deletion”. The users can deactivate ‘Threads’ account on Instagram. For deletion of the account, they have to delete their Instagram account.

Moreover, Threads app requires access to relatively more user data/information than twitter in mobile before it can be downloaded. This is the reason why Meta didn’t launch the app in the countries of European Union, where strict data protection laws exist. Meta’s other social apps Facebook and Instagram has been criticised for data privacy and security issues in the past.

So, it’s too early to say whether Meta’s Threads will be able to break Twitter’s monopoly. However, Threads has the potential to attract a large number of twitter users looking for fresh air after Elon Musk takeover. And, ultimately end Twitter dominance in the social media space.

Also read ‘Metaverse’ or ‘Metaworse’ for Facebook with over 11,000 Layoffs



Adani Bubble Burst? From Global Rank 3 to 21 in Just Ten Days
Business & Economy

Adani Bubble Burst? From Global Rank 3 to 21 in Just Ten Days

Adani Bubble Burst? From Global Rank 3 to 21 in Just Ten Days

Dr M Rahman, Senior academician, Business Management

Ever since Bloomberg Billionaires Index  declared Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani as the third  richest person in the world in Aug’ 2022, there have been a lot of  discussions among business experts and on social media on whether the billionaire’s rank would be sustainable given a lot of controversies floating around his business empire.

Business experts discussed on the government favor, huge debt of over Rs 2 trillion ($25 billion) on which Adani’s business empire was built, and group companies’ highly inflated stocks that were considered just like a bubble.

Fitch rating’s CreditSight had reported in Aug 2022 that Adani Group is “deeply over leveraged”, and may, “in the worst-case scenario”, spiral into a debt trap and possibly a default. In other words, Adani Group’s debt is unsustainably high against its equity. This report made a small dent in Adani’s stock.

Adani Bubble Burst?

But finally, within six months, the Adani bubble burst after the release of a report ‘Adani Group: How The World’s 3rd Richest Man Is Pulling The Largest Con In Corporate History’ on 24 Jan 2023 by a US based Investment research and short selling firm, Hindenburg Research. The report, prepared after two years investigation, accused the Adani Group of brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.

The report brought a Tsunami in the stock market and Adani group companies’ stock price tumbled like a pack of cards wiping out around Rs 9 lakh crores ($108) billion market cap in ten days. In a day alone, shareholders saw their wealth dropped by Rs 1.3 lakh crore to Rs 10.4 lakh crore. As share prices tumbled, Adani fell from global rank 3 to 21 in just ten days as per Bloomberg.

The repercussions of the fall was visible in many areas. The bonds issued by Adani group companies as these dropped to distress levels in global trading, Citi group’s wealth unit announces that it would stop extending loans against Adani shares. S&P lowered the ratings of two Adani group companies to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)  accused of doing favour to Adani group companies have also came into action from the inactive mode. The opposition parties in India is questioning the functioning of government agencies and is demanding a thorough investigation from a Joint Parliamentary committee on Adani group’s businesses.

Looking at the above happenings, in my opinion it would be tough for Adani group to reach its previous position despite strong support from the Indian government. Moreover, it’s future also depends upon the accuracy of the Hindenburg’s report.

What’s your opinion?

External links

https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/gautam-adani-no-longer-among-worlds-top-20-richest-people-as-adani-group-sheds-108-billion-in-market-value/2970128/

https://hindenburgresearch.com/adani/

Also read Why the Retail Giant Future Group Failed


Metaverse or metaverse for Facebook
Digital Marketing

‘Metaverse’ or ‘Metaworse’ for Facebook with over 11,000 Layoffs

‘Metaverse’ or ‘Metaworse’ for Facebook with over 11,000 Layoffs

Dr M Rahman, Senior academician, Galgotias University

Recently, Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly Facebook Inc.) owning Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reality Labs fired over 11,000 employees, which is around 13 per cent of the company’s workforce on 9th November, 2022. It was the first mass layoff in 18-years history of Meta since 2004.

The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg took full accountability of the layoffs and said “sorry”. He justified this layoff as an inevitable action to save the company from decline. The company saw it’s revenue declining and stock price tumbling down over 70% this year, making it the worst performer of S&P 500 for 2022.

Zuckerberg mentioned multiple factors like reduced post-pandemic online commerce, macroeconomic downturn, increased competition in social media sector, and ads signal loss behind his company’s decline.

Click here to see Big Tech Companies Flourished amid COVID, Had a Blockbuster Pandemic Year

However, he failed to mention his ‘obsession and overspending in its disastrous metaverse project’ -aimed to create a virtual world in which people would live, work, shop, play and interact with others from the comfort of their home using a VR headset – behind Meta’s decline. But it has to be analyzed, whether it’s ‘metaverse’ or ‘metaworse’ for Facebook.

Metaverse or Metaworse for Facebook

Although many companies like Microsoft, Google etc. started investing in metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg has been highly obsessed with it. In October 2021, ‘Facebook Inc.’ changed its name to ‘Meta Platforms Inc.’ to chase the dream and become the leader of ‘Metaverse’ at the earliest.

Since January 2019, Meta invested a huge amount of $36 billion in its special division responsible for developing its metaverse platform.

However, due to the poor quality of its ‘metaverse’ platform, it could never able to attract enough users and suffered huge losses. Since 2019, the metaverse division incurred a loss of over $20 billion.  In 2021 year alone, this company lost more than $10 billion on it, a 54 percent increase compared to 2020.

As Meta allocated billions of dollars into the metaverse project, it’s unhappy investors sent its shares tumbling more than 70 per cent since the beginning of this year. This reduced the company’s market value by over $650 billion forcing Meta undertake cost cutting measures resulting in mass layoff of over 11,000 employees.

Metaverse or metaworse for Facebook
Living in metaverse
Office meeting in metaverse

Despite these setbacks, Meta will continue investing billions of dollars in its metaverse project. In a letter (dated November 9, 2022) to the Meta employees, Zuckerberg mentioned his commitment in ‘developing the technology to define the future of social connection’. However, many global business heads are apprehensive of the future of metaverse. According to the CEO of tech giant Apple Inc., “The metaverse isn’t the future, because people don’t understand It”.

Do you also think Meta played a gamble by focusing too much on ‘metaverse’ concept of future, rather than fixing other issues in its products? Is it ‘metaverse’ or ‘metaverse’ for Facebook?

External links

https://about.fb.com/news/2022/11/mark-zuckerberg-layoff-message-to-employees/

https://www.news18.com/news/explainers/why-zuckerbergs-meta-has-sacked-11k-employees-what-will-happen-to-indian-workers-now-explained-6346759.html

End of ipod journey
Business Updates

The end of ‘iPod’ journey after 20 years – Cannibalization in Apple Inc.

The end of ‘iPod’ journey after 20 years – Cannibalization in Apple Inc.

Dr M Rahman, Associate Professor, Galgotias University

Apple announced the end of ‘iPod’ journey on May 10, 2022, two decades after it was launched in Oct 2001. iPod, a digital music player, was a revolutionary product that not only changed the way people listened music but also the fortunes of Apple Inc itself, when its PC business was not doing well. The stunning sales of ‘iPod’ is given due credit by experts for Apple’s global success. Today, Apple is a leading global company with a strong sales revenue of 365.82 billion US dollars (in Indian currency Rs 25,607 billion) and net profit of 94.68 billion U.S. dollars (in Indian currency Rs 6,627 billion) in 2021.

However, sales declined rapidly when iPhone (with iPod within it) was introduced in 2007. The advanced features of’ iPhone’ smartphone cannibalized ‘iPod’ since its launch leading to its closure.

iPod 2001
iPod Touch


iPhone

So, rather than wait for someone else to do it, Apple cannibalized its iPod by releasing ‘iPhone’ in a planned manner.

(Note: Product cannibalization refers to a phenomenon that happens when there’s a decreased demand for a company’s existing product in favor of its new product.)

iPod Journey (2001-2022)

iPod is considered to be one of the most innovative products in music product category of 21st century. It is a pocket-sized portable digital music (mp3) playing device launched by Apple in 2001 and sold across the world.

It was an amazing device that could stock ‘1000 songs in pocket’, when other portable music players were able to hold just a few songs in the device.
Despite higher initial price @$399, iPod was highly accepted in the market and the growth was rapid due to its innovative features. Since then, Apple sold an estimated 450 million iPod products across the globe. However, sales declined of late due to the launch of ‘iPhone’ in combination with other factors.

Fig. 1. iPod sales (Source: Huffpost)

Despite higher initial price @$399, iPod was well accepted in the market and the growth was rapid due to its innovative features. Since then, Apple sold an estimated 450 million iPod products across the globe. However, sales declined of late due to the launch of ‘iPhone’ in combination with other factors.

ipod journey

Fig 2. iPod vs iPhone sales (2002-14)

Since the introduction of the iPhone in June 2007, average quarterly sales of the iPod (as shown in Fig 2) decreased dramatically from over 50 million units in 2007 to less than 15 million units in 2014, after which Apple stopped reporting sales figures for the iPod separately. In contrast, iphone sales increased dramatically to over 160 million units in 2014 and 234 million units in 2021. (Source: Statista)

The consumer appeal of ipod started declining with the launch of ‘iphone’ that was a combination of iPod+internet+phone+minicomputer. The increased functionalities on iPhone subjected the iPod to the diminishing utility principle.

In addition, the advent of fast, cheap internet, alongside music streaming services like Spotify, Prime Music, etc meant substantially narrowing use for the iPod reducing its consumer appeal.

Conclusion

Apple built its world-dominating status by being brave. Not only did it create hit products, but it never worried about “cannibalizing” existing products to make way for other products of future. So, rather than wait for someone else to do it, Apple cannibalized its iPod by releasing another product‘ iPhone’ in a planned manner.

References
Apple performance in COVID
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/the-music-lives-on/

tata acquiring air india
Business Updates

Tata’s Acquisition of Air India – A Strategic or an Emotional Decision?

Tata’s Acquisition of Air India – A Strategic or an Emotional Decision?

Dr M.Rahman, Associate Professor, Galgotias University

The salt-to-software business conglomerate Tata Sons acquired ‘Air India’ 68 years after it was snatched by the Government of India during the nationalization process in 1953. On 8th Oct 2021, the Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Sons won the bid for acquiring 100 per cent shareholding in the state-run national carrier Air India for Rs 18,000 crores. The Tata’s acquisition of Air India has given a new life to the airline struggling to survive for the last few years.

There were two bidders (qualifying the minimum criteria set by the govt) — Talace (Tata Sons) and a consortium led by SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh in the race to buy Air India. The government had set a reserve price of Rs 12,906 crore for the struggling airlines. The Tata Sons’ bid value was ₹18,000 crore, pretty higher than the reserve price as well as the second bidder’s bid value of  ₹15,100 crore.

Over the past few years, the Government of India was desperate to disinvest its stake in the struggling national airlines with a huge debt of Rs 61,562 crores as of Aug 31, 2021 and a loss of Rs 20 crores per day. The airline has been going through losses every year since its merger with Indian Airlines on 24th Aug 2007. Both the public sector airlines were merged to facilitate better synergies of their resources i.e. aircraft, men, material and machine. However, it failed poorly in creating synergies.

Now, a logical question comes in minds of many persons – Whether Tata’s acquision of loss making Air India is a strategic or an emotional decision? The following paragraphs attempt to answer the above key question.

Tata’s acquisition of Air India – Is the decision Strategic?

The Tata group has already been present in airlines business with two brands- Air Asia (a low cost carrier) and Vistara (a full service carrier). Tata Sons owns 84% share in Air Asia which has a market share of 5.2%, and 51% stake in Vistara which has a market share of 8.3%.  At present, all airlines in Indian sky are incurring losses as shown in the pic (below).

With Air India (market share of 13.2%) in its bag, the combined market share of Tata controlled airlines comes at 26.7 per cent. It will emerge as a challenging second-largest domestic airline after IndiGo, if Tata group consolidate the operations of all three airlines successfully. According to some news channels, Tata group is already planning of a consolidation of the airlines so as to achieve operationally profitable.

tata aquiring air india

Post the acquisition, Tatas will own 100 per cent stake in Air India as also 100 per cent in its subsidiary Air India Express (low cost carrier) and 50 per cent 50 per cent stake in ground handling company AISATS.

In terms of fleet, Tata will get Air India’s 117 wide-body and narrow body aircrafts and Air India Express’s 24. A significant number of these aircrafts are owned by Air India. It will also get to operate these aircraft on over 4,000 domestic and 1,800 international routes.Moreover, Air India’s frequent flyer programme has more than three million members.

Air India will provide Tata a unique and attractive international footprint with lucrative slots. More than 2/3rd of Air India’s consolidated revenues comes from international market. Air India  is the number one player from India in the international market having a strong footprint across geographies like North America, Europe and Middle East with attractive slots and bilateral rights.

Besides the above, the conglomerate will get a total talent pool of Air India and Air India Express which stands at 13,500 including both permanent and contractual employees. The only challenge for Tata is to maximize their use.

So, in my opinion, Tata’s acquisition of Air India is a strategic decision as this would help Tata group in gaining competitive advantage in the airlines business and may rule the market in future.

Tata’s acquisition of Air India – Is the decision Emotional?

The Tata’s acquisition of Air India is an emotional moment for the Tata group because this airline was launched by JRD Tata as Tata Air Services in 1932 and JRD himself flew its first single-engine carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay. Later, the airline launched its first domestic flight from Bombay to Trivandrum with a six-seater plane. Thereafter, it started international air services and JRD had dream of making it much bigger, better.

But, things changed after independence when the Indian government started nationalisation process and went ahead with its plans to nationalise many companies, which incidentally involved Tata Airlines, too. In 1953, the government acquired 100% stake in Air India and took it out of Tata’s control. JRD expressed his anguish that it was a planned conspiracy to suppress private civil aviation, particularly the Tatas’ air services. Nehru reassured him of no such intentions and offered the chairmanship of Air India and a directorship on the board of Indian Airlines. JRD accepted the offer and remained chairman of Air India till 1978.

Tata's aquisition of Air India

Now, the return of Air India to the Tata group is quite emotional as it can be reflected from the above tweet ’Welcome back, Air India’ of Ratan Tata minutes after winning the bid.

So, in my opinion the decision regarding Tata’s acquisition of Air India has an emotional element. It could be also seen in the Tata’s bid amount of Rs 18,000 cr that was much higher than the reserve price of Rs 12,906 set by the government as well as much ahead of the bid amount of the second bidder by Rs 3,000 crores. It justifies the Tata’s strong willingness to get Air India back after 68 years. It’s like winning back a precious item snatched by someone ruthlessly by paying a hefty amont.


Hence, in my opinion the Tata Son’s decision to acquire Air India has an emotional dimension, but it is more of a thoughtful, strategic decision to give a tough competition to the leader IndiGo and rule the Indian aviation sector in the long run.

References

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/indigo-lost-rs-16-crore-daily-in-covid-ravaged-fy-21-with-a-net-loss-at-rs-5806-crore/articleshow/83264066.cms

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/earnings/spicejet-fy21-loss-at-rs-998-crore-carrier-to-raise-rs-2500-crore/articleshow/83993463.cms?from=mdr

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Owned, Paid and Earned OPE Media for brand success
Digital Marketing

Owned, Paid and Earned (OPE) Media for Brand Success

Owned, Paid and Earned (OPE) Media for Brand Success

Dr M.Rahman, Senior Marketing faculty, Galgotias University

While developing digital marketing strategies, a marketer must have an insight on Owned, Paid and Earned media (OPE) media for achieving the set marketing goals and maximizing Return on Investment (ROI).  These are the broader categories of digital communication channels that must work together to reach out to target customers and drive traffic and conversions. There is also a framework called ‘POEM Framework’ to promote products and services through various media (Paid, Owned and Earned) so that digital marketing campaigns can attract more customers, gain leads and traffic.

These terms Owned, Paid and Earned media were first used by the globally renowned mobile phone manufacturer Nokia in 2008 in connection with their media planning. Nokia categorized all of their digital media as earned, owned or paid media and later on it became very popular in the digital marketing space with the increase in use of digital technologies and internet as a marketing channel and realization that a high-quality digital corporate presence is critical to success in the online environment.

To be successful, businesses must have optimal presence/visibility in all these media channels. However, to get the most out of the marketing budget, one needs to understand different  channels that are likely to work best for a particular type of business to reach out to the target customers or users and selecting the right media-mix within the budget.

This article will help you understand owned, paid, and earned media, their benefits to businesses, metrics to measure their performance and how to optimally use these media.

Owned Media

Owned media refers to communication channels that is owned, controlled and maintained by the brand itself. These media/channels are used to communicate the brand message to target customers under the brand’s own terms, as well as to market specific products or services.

All in-house company channels are described as owned media, which of course includes any corporate media channels such as:

  • Company or brand website
  • Blog
  • Social media pages in Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram, Linkedin etc.
  • You tube channel
  • Online brand Community site
  • Company/brand ‘s mobile app
  • E-mail


Benefits of Owned Media

Having owned media channels provides multiple benefits to a firm as mentioned below:

  • Brands have full control on it: The most notable benefit of owned media is the brand’s ability to control it. When the brand owns the media channel, it decides what type of content to publish, how often it will be updated and how users can interact with it. Owned media channels also allow brands to control incoming and outgoing connections, as well as the visual appearance and structure of the pages consumers view.
  • Improve customer service by providing information at length through websites and handling customer queries or complaints quickly.
  • Helps in build long-term customer relationships: If approached professionally, owned media channels can be successfully used to build long-term customer relationship. You can improve customer experience through personalized content.
  • Helps brand in engaging consumers with positive brand content.
  • Cost effective:  These owned media channels are more cost effective than paid advertising.
  • Helps in extending brand presence online: The more owned media channels you have, there are more chances of extending your brand presence online.

How to leverage owned media for brand success?

  • Connect all channels to one another – When visiting a brand’s website, consumers should be able to find a link to the brand’s social media profiles and blog. Likewise, blogs and social media profiles should always point consumers to the brand’s official website.
  • Offer useful, interesting information. For example, Nestle (www.nestle.in), a global firm producing and marketing popular food brands including Cerelac and Nangrow brands (for infants and children) provides information on energy requirements of infants, children as well as pregnant and lactating mother.
  • Make frequent updates. Every time a brand updates its blog or social media profile, it is reminding consumers of its presence.
  • Quick response to consumers requests or complaints. Two-way communication is key to building relationships and increasing consumer loyalty. When a consumer reaches out to a brand, the brand should respond quickly and positively.

    Owned paid and earned OPE media for brand success

Metrics to measure Owned Media Performance

Metrics are measures of quantitative assessment commonly used for assessing, comparing, and tracking performance. More simply, Metrics are numbers that give you important information how the process is functioning and provide base for you to suggest improvements. Generally a single metric is not good for measuring performance of anything. Rather, a combination of metrics is used to measure the performance of the owned media.

For owned media, some of the appropriate metrics are:

1. Website traffic/No. of visitors
2. No. of web pages viewed
3. Number of content downloads (PDF, Videos etc.)
4. Number of app downloads, updates and actions.
5. Length of time watching/listening.
6. Communication opt-in from content participants
7. Number of email messages read or forwarded to a friend.
8. Social engagement related metrics like likes, shares, comments, retweets etc.

Paid media Click here

Earned media Click here