In our Backbeat section, Farhad Katgara of Resources Go Beyond says what holds real value is the applicability of your research paired with thorough planning
By Farhad Katgara
Vice President, Resources Go Beyond, Co-Founder, Sixth Sense Horror Film Festival
If content is king, research is his mother. However, in the case of experiential marketing, what holds real value is the applicability of your research paired with thorough planning. One of my first big stints in the industry was the launch of Pavapuri Temple in Rajasthan, where the pressures of managing the F&B department responsible to feed one lakh attendees, in a very short time, back to back, for a period of 7-10 days, gave me one of the most crucial insights on planning. Plans are going to go for a toss, fast-paced pressures always demand a change in plans. But what determines the success in execution overall is not the working out of the plan, but the process of planning.
In on-ground execution, it is the planning process that involves and incorporates inputs from all team members. Planning encourages all the team members to know not only what to do, but why they are supposed to be doing it. It is the process that calls for active involvement with all teams in exchange of dialogue, inputs, assessment of resources, and adjusting to conditions, that could soon go out of hand.
Content is only king, if the research is strong enough to attract the consumer to the experience you wish them to have. And it is only through relevant research that our team at Leo Burnett engaged with over 8.5 million people, spreading the message of LPG safety, over the span of five years, across 1200 villages, for HPCL Suraksha Sanchetna Abhiyan. The mechanics of experiential marketing work well in rural areas. But, as we have 29 States, with variation in seasons, as well as consumer psyche, thorough research and efficient planning set the foundation for a seamless execution of the plan, no matter the rigid timelines or change of events.
With the content in place, it is imperative for the agency taking up the execution, to plan and deliver the value for money, as promised. The experiential marketing industry is ever expanding, and with this expansion comes the responsibility of protecting and nurturing the integrity of the industry by setting strict codes of conduct and following a disciplined approach to meeting goals.
The chalta hai attitude needs to be replaced with attention to detail and a willingness to push on-ground execution boundaries.
Feedback: farhadkatgara@rgbindia.com
