STRATEGIC

BRAND MANAGEMENT
Individual Assignment I

Piggybacking as a brand-building tool
Bikram Kunwar (PGP/PGDM/0102/51)

INTRODUCTION

With the advent of novel communication means, namely, the Internet and mobile
devices, an individuals informational reach has progressed in leaps and bounds. People
are equipped with earlier unmatched knowledge about the happenings of the world,
even more so about engagements and developments of the products and brands of their
choice. There has been a furious competition among organizations to capture a fair
share of the consumers attention. Iconic brands, having been present for ages, can be
said to have a monopolistic lead in this regard. With pressing efforts being made for an
appreciable period of time, these brands have been able to leave a lasting impression on
the minds of their audience(s). This process finds its origin in the era of mass
advertising and has continually progressed through to a time when marketers can
strike a one-to-one conversation with their customers. In times like these, it has proved
extremely difficult for small and/or emerging brands to make a mark against the
omnipresent, all-dominating stalwarts. Take the example of EA Sports, which has
invested heavily in advertising (/marketing as a whole), ranging somewhere between
2.5 3 times of its game development budget. The revenues garnered from a continuous
influx of successful titles enables the organization to pump in more money to fuel the
growth of its oncoming projects. Reportedly, a whopping sum of $2.75 millions was
spent on Facebook Ads itself for the promotion of Battlefield III (net $747 millions in
2011). 1 Compare that to the resources available to an independent game studio, such as
PopCap Games, which produced the massive tower-defense hit Plants v/s Zombies with
a comparatively meager marketing budget of $35,000. The game went on to gross ~25
million downloads. 2 This is a major accomplishment, given that the year of launch was
2009, back when mobile gaming was far from todays numbers. Compare that to EAs
contender in the category, Dungeon Keeper, which managed around 1 million
downloads (source: Google Play). PopCap couldnt stand the race for long, as it ended up
being acquired by Electronic Arts. Though some might say that the acquisition worked
in their favor, with Plants v/s Zombies 2 garnering 25 million downloads in the first
month of its release, on iOS itself (credits to EA Sports budget?), but the fact still
remains that PopCap Games lost their identity of independent existence in a market
which was only going to bring in fruitful returns.

This document aims to look at a way for relatively unknown brands, and at times
popular ones, aim to reach out to the audience with the help of popular imageries and
communication entities brought into mainstream by established organizations, more
commonly known as piggybacking. Piggybacking, however, is not limited to use as a
market entry strategy but can be employed to complement businesses for allied
organizations [as will be explored further], generally for non-competing products.

Piggybacking [piggyback marketing] has been defined as a Low cost market entry
strategy in which two or more firms represent one another's complementary (but non-
competing) products in their respective markets.3
The ever-increasing competition in todays world has posed a multitude of existential
problems for brands in the market:

There is a need for a pervasive vision within the organization that resonates with
its audience. The vision, being multidimensional, needs to be differentiating and
inspiring at the same time.
In order to progress and stay ahead of the competition, it becomes imminent
that the organizations revisit barrier-building for their counterparts through
subcategories that are well-refined and constantly checked for perception
alignment
Generation of brand building ideas from a diverse range of sources to break
through the existing commotion
Integration, rather than competition, of the various marketing channels, namely
advertising, sponsorships, digital platform, etc.
Moving the digital marketing focus from a product/brand-centred outlook to
that revolving around consumers, their hobbies, their lifestyles
Brand needs to be relevant in todays day and age, combatting consumer
inactivity and buying lethargy through a mix of equal parts proactive and
reactive measures4

These account for only a fraction of the burden being carried by brands. A balance
needs to be struck between growth and sustenance, which at times calls for clever
manipulation of existing communication channels to achieve ones end. Piggybacking
provides a platform to arrive at the same results.

Striking harmony between the rider and the carrier is of grave concern in the case of
piggybacking. A partnership of this sort stands a chance when it proves to be of greater
benefit than a standalone endeavour for both the parties.

REASONS UNDERLYING PIGGYBACKING
A dearth of funds for small parties required for building requisite awareness for

its audience
Taking advantage of a marketing campaign aligning consumers with the needs
relevant to an organizations offerings
To capitalize on an existing market, coupling the offerings of the carrier with the
riders products
Diversion of available funds towards other functioning areas, such as
recruitments, production, etc.
[More true in case of advertising] When a firm has a better offer to make that fits
the communication delivered by a first-moving competing firm
Curtail reliance on workforce: Banking on an existing communication
strategy/channel, requires comparatively fewer man-hours
Desired internationalization

PIGGYBACKING: METHODS

Piggybacking viral campaigns

Staying ahead of the times in consumer conversations holds no value in itself if the
communication offered is not relevant to the brands values and offerings. Once the
issue of relevance has been tackled, a brand needs to ensure near flawless execution of
its scheme. Any slip in this regard would only prove detrimental to the brands
intentions owing to the speed with which such campaigns tend to progress. An instance
of the same can be witnessed in Deltas failed capitalization on 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The tweet might seem to be

goodwill garnering at first glance. However, a meagre research on Wikipedia could have
shown how ill prepared Deltas involvement was (Ghana not being one of the African
countries boasting of its thriving giraffe population). The lack of efforts on Deltas parts
could have been adjudged ignorant (or even stereotypical) in the worst case, but was
only dealt with mockery at the hands of Twitter enthusiasts.

One last thing to keep in mind is over-involvement. While the brand needs to be on the
edge to jump into action, repetitive feedbacks and association with every alternate viral
phenomena can push the campaign over the edge, classifying it as spam.5


Newsjacking

David M. Scott defines Newsjacking as the art of using news events or stories for
marketing and advertising purposes. The principles are to jump on the back of popular
news stories for gaining visibility, media coverage or other benefits (backlinks, viral video
views, cheap PPC click-throughs, etc.). With newsjacking, one needs to make sure of

nimbleness in reaction. Taking the help of stale news items would only gather the
attention of individuals scrolling through to gather work-related information, who,
again, might not show interest in what the brand has to say vis--vis the information
they were after. One must make it a point to avoid negative news articles, preventing a
negative congruence on the part of consumers. An entertaining piece of content once
created needs to be transported to its relevant destinations. Heres where integrated
communication plays a vital role, starting from #hashtags on Twitter, to mentions on
Facebook, or email communications.6

Piggybacking on Social Media

Piggybacking done on related firms, with respect to related offerings is piggybacking
done right. When on social media, one needs to ensure maximization of ones organic
reach to the audience. Staying connected to the network of entities where the relevant
audience roots itself proves to be a good start. One needs to interact with the consumers
as a socially integrated entity, offering opinions on topics of interest while staying open
to their demands and queries, picking up crowd from an established community.7


Ad wars

A special case of piggybacking is that of ad wars; where competing products from rival
firms tend to parody (or at times complement) each others communication strategy.
A popular example of the same is that of BMW v/s Jaguar, the series ad wars which
picked up a bunch of critical acclaim, recognition amongst enthusiasts, and most
importantly, sales for both manufacturers.

PROS AND CONS OF PIGGYBACKING

PROS
CONS
Augmented sales volume
Legal and ethical obstructions
Greater exposure
Product might be seen as a cheap
imitation
Increased visibility of products
Needs to be discontinued after a
logical period of time
8
Possible increase in brand loyalty





PIGGYBACKING: EXAMPLES

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and Samsung (piggybacking on viral campaigns)

The ALS Ice Bucket challenge aimed at raising awareness for Lou Gehrigs disease by
pouring a bucket of ice water over ones head. The campaign went viral on social media
in mid-2014 with numerous people around the globe contributing towards the cause. As
per the challenge, those nominated by a participant are required to donate $100 to the
ALS Association. Jumping on to the bandwagon provided two-fold benefits to the
Samsung Brand. Firstly, Samsung was able to highlight its major point of differentiation,
that of water resistance, from its dominating competitors Apple iPhone 5 and Lumia
920. Secondly, the participation along with a donation from the Samsung group towards
the cause helps outline Samsungs motive to cater to people (coupled with numerous
other initiatives on their part, e.g. cameras on the back of Samsung trucks to help reduce
road accidents in Argentina, etc.). 9, 10

Budweisers Puppy Love v/s Red Hare Brewing Co.

Budweisers Puppy Love commercial came out as the frontrunner in the 2014
SuperBowl ads showdown. A few days prior to its SuperBowl release, the commercial
aired on YouTube, receiving ~35 million views during that period with nearly 60
million views till date. Observing the relatedness of the communication, Red Hare (a
brewing minnow) realized the potential of a parody act for the ad. The imitation was
performed with great intricacy, with state-of-the-art cinematography and storytelling.
The idea behind it was simple, yet compelling. Red Hare aimed to communicate that
their time is better spent making good beer as opposed to devising TVCs that take

millions to reach out to people. The ad was relevant in terms of the current scene in
addition to being agile to react to a fast-catching campaign. Compared to the
proportions of the rider, the response received was laudable, with the ad attracting
10,000 viewers and 75 likes in the first week of release.11 All in all, Red Hare achieved
significance during SuperBowl, a time usually associated with marketing giants.


REFERENCES

1 - http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-07-27-ea-spent-usd2-75m-on-
facebook-ads-for-battlefield-3
2 - http://in.pcmag.com/gaming/70739/news/plants-vs-zombies-2-approaches-25-
million-download
3 - www.stateofdigital.com/creative-and-cost-effective-piggyback-marketing/
4 - https://www.prophet.com/theinspiratory/2014/09/15/the-10-most-common-
branding-challenges/
5 - http://www.zestdigital.com/piggybacking-viral-trends-viable-marketing-option/
6 - http://blog.landerapp.com/newsjacking-piggybacking-your-way-to-brand-
publicity/
7 - http://thesocialmediaaffair.com/post/33815915382/piggyback-marketing-meet-
social-mediasocial
8 - http://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-
terms/12100-piggyback-promotion.html
9 www.wikipedia.org
10 - http://www.businessinsider.in/Samsung-Challenges-Apples-iPhone-5S-To-The-
ALS-Ice-Bucket-Challenge/articleshow/40719240.cms
11 - http://www.ecgprod.com/piggybacking-off-of-big-brand-success/