Interview: Content marketing is not a one-time exercise: Sameer Saxena, Legrand India

The interview deep dives in to Legrand India's foray into original content with'The Good Vibes', objective from content marketing and measuring ROI on digital.

Legrand India, in it’s newest web series ‘The Good Vibes’ aims to convey the message of how positive vibes play a very important role in every individual’s life and can make or break relationships. The company through this web series plans to reach out to its customer directly and increase brand resonance.

In conversation with Social Samosa, Sameer Saxena, Director- Marketing, Legrand (Group) India sheds light on the insight behind coming up with 'The Good Vibes', the dynamics of content marketing, power of original content, digital marketing strategy and much more.

Excerpts:

What was the idea behind dabbling into original content with The Good Vibes? How did it all begin - please take us through the journey?

 It has been a constant effort at Legrand to strike a meaningful dialogue with our modern-day consumer. Through ‘The Good Vibes’, we wanted to take one step further into the digital ecosystem and extend this dialogue further through content that is engaging and has been tailored to their lifestyles and habits. The younger India is adopting smarter ways of living and creating their spaces-be it in their connected homes or relationships. At Legrand we would like to be part of this modern environment through our products and we thought web series is an effective medium to showcase this to the young and digitally native India.

Wiring, switches and the electrical flow in your house in so important, yet we hardly seem to pay much attention to it. Through this web series and similar such platforms, we wish to educate the customers about this flow of energy which is a very important element in every house.

When it comes to architects, interior designers and system integrators, they know us and our products well. But when it comes to end consumers, the people who are actually living with these products every day, we’d like to take their knowledge and interest a notch higher with The Good Vibes.

What kind of follow up initiatives will the brand undertake to make sure that the content reaches to maximum audience? 

We have created two avenues for viewing the web series- the Legrand India YouTube channel and the Sony LIV app. Legrand’s association with SonyLiv has ensured that the brand message reaches a wider audience. We have also tied up with RadioCity as radio partners, to ensure that awareness is created for The Good Vibes across geographies and we reach a higher user-base.

The Good Vibes episodes are also live on Legrand’s Facebook channel which will ensures that our regular followers are aware of this venture.

Also Read: Interview: Digital accounts for 70% of our B2B ad budget: Gareth Flood, Shell Lubricants

From a marketing perspective, what is your objective from content marketing? How do you plan to calculate the RoI on your efforts? 

Most product brands have been producing content either in tactical form i.e. installation videos or feature videos or they have reached out to their customers in the form of emotional content.

In our case, it is through a story where, though the central cast are Lakshya and Jonita; Legrand products also form a part of the backdrop making their way into their lives smoothly and seamlessly; just like what happens in real life.

Our objective was to raise brand awareness about Legrand products, its usage and educate the consumer on the need to have a healthy electrical living space.

We think it will be an absolute win for us when we achieve an emotional connect with our user, something we have been working towards as a brand for the last couple of years. For the success of this campaign we are relying on views, reach and increase in engagement. Not only are we measuring views, we are also measuring views for the specific parts of the episodes where the brand has been showcased. Apart from this, other parameters which will be considered will be - increase in surge of organic searches, brand mentions and hits to the brand website.

What prompted you to get into original content as opposed to associating with a content creator? What are the parameters to consider before taking this into consideration? 

As a brand we wanted to represent a story closely aligned with our values and business. The Good Vibes is a story where Legrand products are a part of the story and are helping the story move forward rather than a brand integration. Hence, we chose to create original content for the discerning B2C consumer.

After #ComeHomeToPujo and #ComeHomeToCelebrations, how will you imbibe the brand personality and message in the web series? 

This belief of uninterrupted living is just not limited to a market or a product, but also with the daily lives of its consumers. The Good Vibes, too, carries this thought forward. Every relationship in your life is about getting the right vibe. 

Our earlier campaigns capture the desire of consumers to be connected to their roots and come back to the feeling of the festival. It talks about unadulterated joy, new experiences and familial bonds and establishes a strong emotional connect. Similarly, in The Good Vibes, Legrand is sharing an emotional yet relatable story for all its viewers. The brand has touched a modern subject of relationships, life at work and family and targets to reach out its customers directly.

In the digital day and age, why is it important for B2B brands to create a direct rapport with the end consumers? 

I am not sure we if would like to be called a B2B brand. Our switches, products in the home automation category are products which are personal, and we have seen home-buyers investing themselves personally in deciding these products as per their requirement and decor.

In its digital age everyone has become tech savvy and wants to view the content on the run. So, the best way to reach out to consumers is through digital content.  In our case; end consumers are as key a target customer as are electricians, architects and system integrators. We would like to create a pull for our brand from all possible target segments.

With a number of content marketing campaigns in your kitty, what are the 3 key learnings on the subject? 

The biggest learning for us at Legrand are-

• The brand positioning should be simple and must connect emotionally with the target consumer.
• It must relate to the modern-day sensitivities, habits and lifestyle of the target audience.
• The message you are trying to convey through the content as to reach out to the audience should be relevant and make an impact in their lives, otherwise the campaign will fail.

Essentially, how much budget should brands reserve for content marketing? 

Content marketing is not a one-time exercise but a process that takes time, research insights and continued investment. The budgets will be dependent on the business objectives and the scale of the exercise.

What are the biggest myths around content marketing that Indian brands need to overcome? 

• Only certain type of business can benefit from content marketing
• Great content speaks for itself- companies think that only the content matters. It is an important step but not the only step. One needs to promote the same, for its viewers to be able to actually watch that content.
• Quantity is more important that quality- Quality of the content is more important than the quantity. Each piece of the content created should have a message, meaning and a purpose in the story and it should bring the value to its customers.

Are there any content marketing lessons that Indian brands can learn from their global counterparts?

While digital content marketing is on the rise, a lot of brands have globally executed campaigns which have been fulfilling for the consumer as well as the brand. An important learning that brands can pick-up is that content marketing can occur everywhere there’s content – TV, radio, podcasts, large events, concerts, or out on the street. They just need to know where their audience is and what content to serve them.