Metaverse is the future of digital marketing because it has the ability to interact with a broader audience beyond geographical boundaries and time limits, says Satish Kumar Malhotra

Social Samosa in conversation with Satish Kumar Malhotra, Director - Sales & Marketing, Springfit, who gives insights on the brand's digital marketing strategies, its plans on venturing into the metaverse, how the mattress industry has evolved, and much more.

Edited Excerpts:

Being a D2C brand, what kind of a marketing strategy do you have in place to drive footfalls to your commerce avenues? 

Our USP is our Innovation, technology, and research. This helps us to produce products that help our consumers and solve their sleep-related issues. Also, we regularly roll out offers and programs to draw customers. And one such scheme is "Springfit Lounge," which we have recently launched. Springfit Lounge is a Store-in-store concept where our customers can view, touch, and test our mattresses in real-time.

What kind of a role does social media play in commerce? Which platform has been the most effective in lead generation and why? 

In today’s time, the most appreciated platform for a company's marketing plan is social media. It enables us to connect with and reach out to our customers. Social media plays a significant role in our business, particularly Facebook, which is the medium that generates the most leads since its users come from all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Where does content creation - be it by brand or by influencers - stand in the scheme of things at Springfit? Does the content to commerce journey work in this sector? 

Yes, content to commerce does work in this industry just as well as it does in other industries. To be able to in-cash it to its full potential, we have a team of committed and innovative individuals producing content for all of our conventional and digital marketing strategies. They provide content for influencers, social media campaigns, and other marketing platforms as well.

Mattresses are still a largely unregulated and offline market in India - in this scenario, who is your core TG? What touch points to you use to interact with this TG? 

There are several opportunities for us to explore as the Indian mattress industry continues to grow. People that put comfort, high-quality goods, and exceptional results above money make up our target group. To interact with them, we use a 360-degree marketing approach. As I have said before, Kareena Kapoor has joined us as our new brand ambassador, and we are promoting our collaboration via all forms of media, including TV, print, and digital. 

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How are you creating awareness & making a case for branded mattresses in this market? 

When we originally started, Indian consumers did not favor branded mattresses. However, we took the effort to market high-end bedding under a brand, and over time, consumers have gotten accustomed to the concept of branded mattresses. In order to raise awareness, we also began collaborating with well-known celebrities, which we still do today. Like the recent collaboration with Kareena Kapoor as the new face of our brand. We don't simply want to spread awareness of our brand but also of good sleep habits and improved sleep solutions.

How does Springfit plan on taking over the digital market with venturing into the Metaverse?

We run several digital marketing campaigns to connect and interact with our customers. As our customer base is technologically savvy and digitally engaged and uses the internet to acquire anything from a needle to vehicles. Initially, we plan to let the customers and our market associates see our products and display system, known as Springfit Lounge. It will give them an opportunity to interact with our team virtually. The Metaverse is the future of digital marketing because it has the ability to interact with a much broader audience beyond geographical boundaries and time limits.

Springfit’s marketing strategy heavily focuses on healthy sleeping habits. Give us a rundown on how the idea came to be and what genre of audience do you preferably target with this strategy?

Our brand is built around the concept of good sleep habits. During our preliminary research, we discovered that many Indians suffer from sleep deprivation and work on little sleep. This can be harmful to their health and mind. From then, we concentrated on creating products that can help people sleep better and live healthier lives. This strategy is mostly aimed at individuals in their thirties and forties.

Can you give an insight on the latest partnership Springfit has done with T20? What was the process and how did it turn out?

Springfit has always been involved with numerous sports events and series, and we intend to continue doing so in the future. Our most recent collaboration with T20 is a testimonial to that. From the marketing standpoint, it allows us to promote our brand and increase our brand recall value among our target audience.

In recent times regional and vernacular languages have seen a massive reach in the audience. Does Springfit plan on venturing in that direction?

Primarily, our brand communication language is English since it is widely understood and utilized throughout India. We recognize as a brand that in order to engage with particular consumers, we must speak in their language. And we do. Our various projects in the past were in multiple languages in respective regions. Recently, we just collaborated with India's finest actress, Kareena Kapoor, as our brand ambassador. And it is promoted in various parts of the country in the respective language.

What does Springfit’s digital marketing strategy look like? Can you give us any examples of any digital marketing strategy that stood out for you?

Marketing has evolved from a traditional to a digital medium throughout the years. A large portion of marketing is now done digitally. Presenting a new product or engaging with a consumer was tough decades ago. Which has altered as a result of the internet and social media. We now have the ability to reach the widest possible audience whenever we introduce a new product or campaign.

With over 45 years of experience in the industry, what changes have you seen in the marketing industry, and how has it evolved in recent times?

I've seen the mattress industry evolve over the years, from cotton mattresses to memory foam to latex mattresses and Bonnell springs to pocket springs. The customer has developed along with mattresses. They are better knowledgeable about the product and the materials utilized in it.