I AM TAXONOMY PAGE

Chapter: Chennai

Customer acquisition and retention is not about price wars.

 We stepped in, unannounced. The General Manager did a double-take when he saw us and recognized us in spite of the masks and in spite of seeing us after more than 5 years. He gives us bear hugs, seats us, and fires away orders to his staff in absolute perfection – “Masala Chai (Indian milk tea brewed with spices) for the lady and French Press Coffee for the gentleman,” he says as he walks into the kitchen. He steps out shortly with a batch of freshly baked signature chocolate cookies that we both love. Such small but important details were remembered, by a man we’d met only once earlier. But that one time left such an impact on us, we keep going back there as often as we can. This was our 7th visit over a few years. 

No, this is not a stand-alone restaurant. Nor is it a restaurant in a city hotel. This is one of the many unforgettable experiences we’ve had with the Taj Safaris. I should point out that these are top of line wildlife safari experiences in India and come at a premium. Yet, every time we have had the opportunity, we have stayed with them. Clearly, for the experience the lodge offered. The wildlife on a wildlife safari holiday was incidental. That for you is the power of experience. 

Apple, Disneyland, and Emirates come to mind when I think of other similar powerful brands from different industries. What’s common between them all? They are all top of the line in their industry. They are one of the ‘go-to’ brands. Oh, they are also among the top when it comes to price as well. Right? Read on. 

Remember the time iPhone 13 was launched? Customers started queuing up from 7 pm the previous day, for the next day’s 8 am launch. Some of them were seen with sleeping bags while some of them were ready to rough it out through the night, telling people that it was worth the effort. Some of them flew in from across the continent as well! Now, iPhone 13 is certainly not cheap. And yet, this is the effort customers put in to lay their hands on one.  

When you’re planning a long-haul trip by air, you want to make sure you do so in comfort; you want to make sure that you or your loved ones are taken care of well. All this, regardless of the cost. Top the mind recall in such situations is Emirates. 

Is this just the power of the brand? Or is there something more?  

Let’s assume it was just the brand. This could have perhaps resulted in a one-time purchase. What happens then? How long and how far would the brand carry the customer through? Not too far and certainly not to a repeat purchase over and over. So, what is it then? 

It is all about the experience the brand offers. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the brand is not important. It absolutely is. What I am also saying is that what goes into the brand is as important. In the case of Taj Safaris, it is about the hospitality experience; in the case of iPhone, it’s the UI / UX and in the case of Emirates, the service experience. This is all about branding the experience, so your customers can experience the brand! And when customers are willing (and will pay) to pay top dollar for the experience – you know you have customers for life.  

It sounds very simple. It is anything but that. Whether it’s a product or a service brand, the only thing that will differentiate you from competition is the experience your brand leaves the customer with. So, ensure that you focus on the following: 

  • Design and deliver a customer experience that aligns with the brand promise.  

 Emirates says Fly Better. Imagine if the ground experience, the in-flight experience was anything but that. And it gets you comparing this with a budget airline and thinking to yourself that that was a better experience. The iPhone is advertised as the world’s most powerful personal device. Now imagine if you needed another device to get your drawings done or if the UI was so unfriendly that you opt for something else cause you don’t have the time or patience to understand the UI. That’s one too many customers lost right there. So, everything that enables a customer to fly better or then, make the iPhone the most powerful personal device has to be thought through and delivered. Else, the promise and the experience will be in conflict with each other – a clear recipe for customer churn. 

  •  Reverse weave the experience into the promise.  

There could be service/product components that grab the attention of your customers. Reverse weave that experience into the promise. For example, when House Keeping staff is so detail oriented that four years later, they remember pillow, towel preferences and remember that you don’t want air freshener sprayed in your room – it is certainly worth incorporating into the experience you offer. (This by the way is how the House Keeping staff are at The Taj Safaris property at Panna, a city in Madhya Pradesh, India). 

  • Ensure that the experience across geographies, touchpoints, and staff is consistent.  

If you want to sustain a competitive advantage and retain customers, just designing and delivering an exceptional experience is not sufficient. You need to deliver it consistently, year after year across geographies and channels to a point where it becomes synonymous with your brand. Even after that, care has to be taken that there is no dilution whatsoever, cause one moment of slack and competition that’s nipping at your heels, will use it to their advantage.  

Customers will always have a choice, that’s the reality of the world we live in today. But when customers choose your product/service over that of competition, this in spite of the fact that you are not the cheapest in the business, you know you have them for life. So, go out there and build an experience that customers choose to pay more for. Focus on the experience; the moolah will automatically follow.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conquering Cancer by Changing your Lifestyle

During my college years in the late 1970s, we had sessions at the Tata Memorial Hospital, the only big cancer hospital in India at the time. At that time cancer was relatively uncommon and as medical students, this was never a focus. But all this has changed. Today cancer has become commonplace. While the number of cancer patients continues to rise every year, the age at which people develop cancers is falling. According to the most accurate forecast to date from Cancer Research UK, and published in the British Journal of Cancer, one in two people will develop cancer at some point in their lives.

Nothing is more frightening than the word ‘cancer’, just because of the pain and suffering involved. Yet most of us prefer not to think about it before it’s too late. This is primarily because we always like to believe that it is something that happens to someone else, not to us. We prefer to live in a state of denial.

Even doctors fear cancer. That’s why they bring out their strongest arsenal against this disease. Radiation and chemotherapy are double-edged swords. Radiation means burning, and everyone knows that radiation or X-rays cause cancer. Chemotherapy is poison. It kills every fast-growing cell and also harms other cells, and so lowers the resistance of the body. Having said this both chemotherapy and radiation can give us time by killing fast-growing cancer cells.

Instead of fearing or living in denial, if we were to bring our awareness to the reasons cancer rates have increased, and try to make sure to get rid of these causes of cancers, we could prevent and even reverse this trend. Though chemotherapy and radiation may bring about remission, continuing the same lifestyle that led to cancer in the first place is likely to bring on a relapse. On the other hand, the diagnosis of cancer can force us to rethink our life and change our path for the better. We must convert adversity into an opportunity to heal at all levels. I know several people who are grateful to their disease for showing them a better path.

Cut Cancer Out.
Cancer cells, present in everyone’s body, are kept in check by healthy cells. But if conditions are unsuitable for the healthy cells – such as less oxygen supply or an acidic environment – they take over and multiply out of control.

It’s a myth that you can cut cancer out with surgery. You can only cut out the tumour, which is the result of cancer. Should the conditions for the proliferation of cancer cells continue to exist, a recurrence can occur. Therefore, everyone, whether they have cancer or not, should avoid the factors that cause cancer, some of which are as follows –

1) Excess Proteins – Surprised? Yes, the consumption of more dietary protein than ever before in the history of humanity has resulted in the cancer epidemic. Proteins are foods that our body uses for growth and repair. Excess proteins are acid-yielding in our body – producing the perfect environment for cancer cells to grow. All those eggs and protein supplements that gym trainers advise can work against you. Don’t forget that protein deficiency is very rare. Horses and elephants get enough for their strong bodies only from whole plants!

2) Animal Proteins – Not only are they acid yielding, but, upon cooking animal muscles are converted into heterocyclic amines that are carcinogenic. One good reason to switch to a plant-based diet!

3) Pesticides – Pesticides, used in farming bioaccumulate in the bodies of animals that eat the produce. Naturally, all animal products have way more pesticides than plants ever could. Pesticides consumed over time form residues in our bodies that are highly carcinogenic. Naturally organic plant-based foods are the safest alternatives.

4) Personal care products – such as deodorants, shampoos, soaps, hair dyes, perfumes, lotions, cosmetics, and even toothpaste contain carcinogens. Sodium Laurel Sulphate, (SLS) a foaming agent commonly found in shampoos and toothpaste is a well-known carcinogen! What you put on your body can be absorbed through the skin in seconds! Try looking for natural alternatives for these.

5) Chemicals in the environment – Although we are not in control of everything in our larger environment, we do have control over our immediate environment. Air fresheners, detergents, phenyls, insecticides, detergents, fabric softeners are just some examples of how we make our environment toxic.

6) Packaged foods – These are typically filled with chemical ingredients for higher shelf life (read that label carefully!). Meats are treated to keep their colour and freshness with nitrites, which are also carcinogens.

7) Plastics – Plastics are carcinogens but they dominate every aspect of our lives. What can you do? Here are some ideas to minimize their effects – Avoid drinking bottled water. Avoid using microwaves or heating foods in plastic. Avoid having hot drinks in disposable plastic or thermocol cups. In fact, avoid plastics where ever possible.

7) Fish – The sea is full of plastic waste that is broken down into microns and ingested by fish. Therefore, fish, too, are full of plastic. But then so are the animals in our food chain, as they are fed fishmeal that is made from the by-catch (those fish that are caught in the net but that are not eaten by humans)! Organic plant-based foods are much safer.

8) Tap water – In most urban areas, tap water is chlorinated, and chlorine is a carcinogen! The answer – an RO filter to get rid of that chlorine. This water can then be further alkalinized by squeezing in some lime/lemon juice or making an infusion.

9) Acid-yielding substances – Our body is alkaline. Cancer cells thrive in acidic environments where normal cells cannot survive. An alkaline diet helps prevent cancer. Proteins break down into amino acids that are acid-yielding in our bodies. Therefore, a high (animal) protein diet, is highly acidic. Substances like tea, coffee, alcohol, vinegar, salt, sugar, and colas are also acidic. Fruits and vegetables are the most alkaline substances and should be eaten plentifully. Raw foods are always the best.

10) Lack of Fibre – Fibre helps clean the body making it essential for health. Only plants contain fiber. Animal products and even refined plant foods lack fiber.

11) Hormones – Breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers are hormone-dependent cancers. Hormones are found in dairy and animal products as well as in medicines, such as oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, or steroids. Avoid animal products and other sources of hormones to avoid upsetting the hormonal balance of the body thereby preventing these common cancers.

12) EMF – Electromagnetic frequencies are suspected to cause cancer. Why not minimise the use of gadgets to the extent possible?

Emotional factors
Our emotions play a big role in our well-being.
Long-standing negative emotions, like resentment or stress, can also have an adverse effect on our health. Unfortunately, we are not taught how to deal with emotional issues.

We often live life according to social expectations and with no idea about our spiritual purpose. This brings dissatisfaction. Often the diagnosis of cancer, and the fact that life may be short-lived, helps us focus on what is really important.

Summary
Whether we have cancer or not, why not start living on the premise that everyday matters? Why not start eliminating the causes of cancers to the extent possible? Our body always works to heal. We just have to stop harming it. Let’s take cancer more seriously before it takes us! Many people have brought their cancers into remission just by making that lifestyle shift.

Artificial Intelligence & The Future Of Marketing

Marketing is one of the areas of business operations where it is widely predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) will drive enormous change. In fact, a McKinsey study found that, along with sales, it is the single business function where it will have the most financial impact. This means that if you’re a marketer and you’re not using AI, you’re missing out on the benefits of what is possibly the most transformational technology.

Actually, though, the chances that there are people out there doing marketing today and not using AI in any shape or form is somewhat unlikely. This is simply because there are so many tools with AI features that we are used to using without even thinking about it. The most frequently used social and search engine advertising solutions, email marketing platforms, e-commerce solutions, and tools designed to assist with content creation all provide functionality that taps into what we refer to as “AI” in business today. To be clear, this isn’t what we think of as “general” AI – machines that have the capability to think and communicate like us and turn their hands to just about any task. In business today (and in marketing in particular), AI refers to software that helps us to carry out one particular job – such as identifying where to place advertising in order to maximize efficiency or how to personalize an email to increase the likelihood of receiving a reply – and get better and better as it is exposed to more data.

 

However, it’s my experience that, while there may be many tools out there and most marketers are increasingly comfortable with using them on a day-to-day basis, it’s often done in an ad-hoc manner. Many marketing departments still lack a coordinated, strategy-focused approach to implementing bigger projects. Just as importantly, many are lagging when it comes to fostering an AI-friendly, data-first culture as well as developing competencies and upskilling in order to meet the skills demand.

 

The industries that have a lot of data and a need for heavy personalization, and intelligent automation of their operations have been doing AI for probably the last decade – healthcare, financial services – but doing it within the operations of their business, not within marketing and sales.

 

“But those same industries have a strong need for personalization, better customer experiences, better predictability of outcomes, the reasons you’d use AI. But generally, at a macro level, we are extremely early in the understanding and adoption of AI …; that is my perception.”

So what are the most exciting opportunities when it comes to using AI in marketing, and where are they already being tapped?

 

Advertising

Advertisers face the perennial problem of working out how best to place adverts in order to achieve the most bang for their buck.

Facebook and Google are the biggest online advertising platforms, and they both offer tools that work by combining audience segmentation with predictive analytics. Segmentation splits customers into groups according to characteristics – gender, age, income level, interests, for example, and potentially an infinity of others. Predictive analytics works out which of these groups a particular product or service is most likely to appeal to. Facebook, Google, and all of the other platforms that offer advertising functions then allow businesses to target thousands of potential customers with multiple different versions of advertising materials in order to measure and assess their effectiveness. With traditional methods of advertising such as television, newspapers and magazines, it’s very difficult to attribute sales growth to advertising content, placement, or external factors. AI-driven advertising tools and platforms make this a doddle – but are most effective when used as part of a coordinated AI marketing strategy, taking in the other areas of marketing covered here!

 

Public Relations

Public relations used to focus on the challenge of getting coverage of products and services into mainstream and specialist media publications. In today’s online world, the media landscape has exploded, offering opportunities to promote brands directly through social media as well as via influencers and third-party content creators, sponsored and unsponsored. But how do you know where to find the best influencers to bond and cultivate relationships with?

Here once again, AI can help by matching products with people who have cultivated audiences that are likely to be synched to a brand’s appeal and values. Some uses of AI in this field of marketing involve taking things a step further though, such as AI-generated influencer Lil Miquela who has used chatbot technology to create an entirely digital persona. Despite the fact she doesn’t exist, millions of followers consider her an arbiter of style and are happy to go along with her recommendations, meaning she can earn a hefty fee from brands like Calvin Klein and Prada.

Writing press releases, shaping external messaging points, and researching the best outlets (online or digital) for gaining coverage are other PR tasks that can all be augmented by AI.

 

Content Marketing

“Content is king” has been accepted wisdom in marketing departments since the dawn of web2.0 and the rise of user-generated content platforms (including social media). But what content is king? And where should we put it? How often, how in-depth or simplified … quite simply, how do we make sure our content achieves our aims of establishing our brand, positioning ourselves as experts or authorities in our field, and, of course, eventually generating sales and leads?

Well, one option is to use AI. Buzzfeed is one of the biggest content-driven sites in the world, and Roetzer has examined how it uses AI to drive every aspect of its operations, such as determining the odds of a particular piece of content going viral, suggesting what content visitors would like to see, and automating the routine aspects of publication such as keyword selection, categorization, and personalization. What marks out Buzzfeed as a truly AI-driven content outlet is its strategy-focused approach where every piece of content as well as every user interaction is measured and optimized for insights that can then be put to work anywhere within marketing operations.

 

Email Marketing

Email marketing is often about tweaking headings, scheduling, and copy in order to impact those all-important open and click-through rates. Small differences in the language that is used can make the difference between an email getting identified as one of the 148 billion spam emails sent each day and snared by a filter or making its way through to the intended recipient at a time when they are open to suggestions on what they should buy.

A large number of AI-powered tools exist to help with these tasks, such as Phrasee, which automates the creation of subject lines; Seventh Sense which optimizes the timing of mailshots; and rasa.io, which makes it easy to create personalized newsletters.

 

Where next?  

Whether AI achieves the potential that clearly exists depends on businesses coming to understand the need for a coordinated and strategic approach to marketing AI implementation. It should be clear enough how the different use cases I have mentioned above can be useful in isolation. But the real value is unlocked when we start using them together, with the aim of answering our most pressing questions, influencing our most important metrics, and achieving key business goals.

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