talks about the right arranged marriage!

But before that… …a quick recap!

Let’s watch the vox-pop to know

what all the stakeholders around a marriage had to say!

What we didn’t see on screen…

1. “Matrimony services are not in the priority list!”

2. “Marriage has lost its sheen compared to what it used to be in our times!”

3. “Matrimony service to me is only for more options. No one can give me such a vast range”

4. “There are married people with fake profiles on these platforms. I do not trust matrimony services thus.”

Why? ‘cause we heard something else…

1. “Marriage to me is all about the understanding between the couple. Nothing more, nothing less.” - Mrs. Das Gupta Ghosh, Would-be Mother-In-Law

2. “It is never about the Kundli first and then the boy. To me, the boy is priority and then, if the Kundli matches,

good!” - Mrs. Khattar, Mother-In-Law

3. “Traditional marriage has changed drastically over time. Projapoti gates and marigold garlands are gone.”

- Tamali, Malobika, Sujoy and Banani, couples through arranged marriage

4. “Family background, character traits of each of the members, medical history, matter. And now that the kids themselves are at the forefront, we are in a comfort zone.”

- All of them

5. “Thikuji-Kushti giving way to blood-group testing, this, to us, is the biggest change!” - Sujoy

6. “Yesteryear marriages and Present marriages? There has been a 200% shift!”

- Santosh Mondal, Caterer-Decorator-Wedding Planner

7. “Today’s marriages are all about a mix-n-match culture!’ - Rama Halder, Beauty-parlour owner

Summing up the internal and external stakeholders:

The decision-making pattern has changed. It is no more a passive factor where parents will pass on the major decisions guised as matter-of-fact information.

Let’s talk

If this is what the consumers and the internal-external stakeholders have to say about the changing face of the traditional marriage, let’s get to know our primary consumer in a closer way.

Sani, M, 34

• Probably the youngest producer in the industry today.

• Has worked with biggies like Mani Ratnam, Vishal Bharadwaj, Rituporno Ghosh; he doesn’t believe in name-dropping.

• A foodie at heart and a traveller by soul, Sani is a keen observer. However, when it comes to a

romantic relationship, he is yet to score in that area.

• To him, marriage is all about being patient and waiting for the right time.

• His parents and friend-circle doesn’t echo him on that, though!

Dipankar, M, 29

• Currently at on-site location in Stamford, Connecticut

• His weekday routine has been pretty much the same since the day he landed. 8AM – 5PM office, quick breakfasts and dinners, calling back home twice a day and a 30ml of

Jack Daniels every day.

• His weekends have been slight different. There have been trips to Miami, LA, Las Vegas; there have been trips to the nearest Sports Bar all throughout the FIFA WC ‘14.

• All the while he has been in USA, he has bought a Bose speaker, an iPad Air, a Man U branded

jacket and a Nexus 5.

• Talking about marriage, he is still in two thoughts about going into a commitment. The last affair was a broken one and he is still recovering from it.

• His parents and immediate relatives are already taking baby-steps towards an arranged

marriage format.

Sumedha, F, 24

• On her expectations out of her probable partner.

• On how does she intend to find her probable partner.

• We summed it up by asking what is the right age to get married for a boy and a girl.

Here’s her reply.

Mayurakhi, F, 28

• On what is the perfect recipe for a ‘successful’ marriage.

• On what is her expectation out of her would-be partner.

• On what is the right age to get married according to her.

Pritama, F, 24

• On the perfect age to get married.

• On what is her expectation out of marriage as an institution.

• On what is her expectation out of her would-be partner.

• On how she plans to find her would-be partner.

Audience analysis: Conclusion

• Women have developed a strong voice over all these years.

• They have a strong sense of purpose regarding how they perceive and feel about marriage as an institution.

• They have ample case-studies around them to generate self-made views regarding marriage.

• Two important aspects have come out as a crux: The person has to be a friend first and then a husband / wife.

The potential partner has to be trustworthy and reliable.

• Marriage to them is a very important aspect and there is aspiration involved around the entire concept. •All of them do not want a hurried step towards such an important decision in life.

What lies behind such a strong view-point?

Cultural changes happening around us reflect the reality(ies) around us.

We are advancing toward a new mindscape

We are not ashamed of being ‘Neo Bangali’.

Our changed colour-palette

With a sudden burst of Globalization, the Bongs have changed their skin. The new colours range from solid orange to fluorescent greens.

The winds of change have somewhere made the whole concept of SEC go irrelevant.

Somewhere fad-style-fashion are merging.

Our idols

Thanks to them, the couples now address each other as Tui instead of Tumi (the more traditional one).

Our window-shopping destination has changed

Things we are watching these days are re-defining us

More smart-phones = More people on Instagram. #Love!

The potential for future growth in the smart-phone market remains quite high as 71% of the market continues to be on feature phones.

And this is supposed to be a new-gen couple-talk!

Lesson for us as marketers

The exposure level has increased manifold. Obviously, there has been a distinct culture-shift. The attention span of today’s generation has gone down drastically. The lingo has changed too.

They are no longer teenagers. With multi-screen formats, they are ‘Screenagers”!

However, Word-Of-Mouth as a medium is still intact.

Second, with increased exposure, the aspiration level of individuals have increased by leaps and bounds.

Thus, as a fallout, the Consumer Decision Journey has changed.

What it used to be

The reality

Behaviour analysis: Conclusion

• Referral and WOM are still relevant factors.

• Today’s generation is an agile generation. They can handle imperfection. And they know how to voice their opinion.

• They have no halo around marriage as an institution. However, they do long for a partner in absence of one.

• The opinions coming from them are stronger and sharper now. In case of a partner, trustworthy and

friendliness are two primary components which scores above good looks and romance quotient.

• Digital sharing is a TOM element now. People look for those blue and red icons now at the bottom of the screen!

• Irrespective of their geographical locations, with increased exposure, the urban-quotient in an individual is on

the rise.

What we cannot do now?

If this is what my potential audience looks like after a scrutiny and dipstick, we cannot build a me-too service that will talk in the same tone, dress in the same fashion and walk with the same swagger as like

my competitors.

In short, we cannot create a product which is perception-based and is nowhere relevant to the current tastes and preferences.

The behaviour of the audience has changed, and so has changed all of today’s communication-

networking platforms. Our product should walk down that line too.

How the change in audience behaviour has re-shaped physical products?

How the change in audience behaviour has re-shaped digital products?

Kakao. WeChat.

Line. All these mobile-messaging and chatting app have far exceeded their remit because the audience-

behaviour has changed by margins.

Want to know what is the future? Check layer.com!

Thus,

We are ideally looking at a platform which will slowly understand the consumer’s preferences, tastes and

skill-sets so that it can reciprocate better with relevant profiles and better matches.

The product:

We are of the opinion that the product / platform should primarily serve these following purposes:

• As learnt earlier, trust and friendship are two key elements that today’s eligible bachelors and spinsters are seeking out of their probable partners.

Our features will majorly work on increasing the trust and friendliness factor between the selected profiles.

• Once our product starts understanding an user, her / his interests, preferences and reciprocate with relevant profiles, bounce rate will go down, precision-targeting can be enabled and loyalty towards the platform can be

ensured.

• We are catering to an audience with a lower attention span. The features should be easy and less time-consuming from an user’s POV.

Brand identity:

We shall define the following then before having a look at the logo and getting a hint of the prototype!

• Brand character • Brand personification

• Brand imagery • Brand philosophy

• Brand promise / positioning

Brand Character:

The brand would first be a friend, (sometimes) a philosopher and of course a guide when it comes to selecting the right partner.

Brand Personification:

33 year old, male, friendly, understanding and practical

Brand Imagery:

Brand Imagery:

Brand Imagery:

Brand Imagery:

Brand Philosophy:

The brand strongly believes in the fact that good marriages happen only if there is complete transparency and trust in the selection process.

The brand understands the fact that people need love and that can be through an arranged marriage

also.

Brand Positioning:

Nobody is perfect. Find the right person.

What is the strategic plan then?

The plan is to create a product that will be have a POD in comparison to the competitors.

In a market where POPs are being renamed and resold to the audience, our aim is to create a POD that will help the product outshine on the very first day.

Explaining the POD

Today’s audience, both the parents, relatives, friends or the bride / groom themselves, are of the opinion that getting to know each other (and the respective families) is of utmost importance before even

considering an option to get hitched for a lifetime.

How to create a platform or provide a solution by going beyond just a marriage portal?

We suggest a platform that will not only provide relevant options but will also help the potential bride / groom to get to know the counterpart in a better format.

Because there is a difference between the perfect partner and the right partner.

How do we intend to create this POD?

Today’s portals have not evolved at all. The entire world has moved on to a social networking mode, even the chat messenger services like Line,

WeChat, SnapChat and Kakao have moved to that zone. From this POV, these matrimony portals have just stayed as hosts to loads of profiles of would-be brides

/ grooms.

We propose a hangout zone which is not literally a typical adda zone. Potential brides and grooms will have prominent time and space to get to know each other’s priorities. It will not be a host to a list of

candidates uploading their photos and vital stats only.

The platform intends to create a conversation zone where people will talk, socialize, share emotions and express opinions around “Marriage”!

Time for a sneak-peek

Why such a step?

The reason is clear. All the existing platforms lack a human face.

There is no clear brand differentiation. There is no engagement pattern on these websites as the option of conversing on these platforms is

limited. The mobile-first approach is very important.

Summing it up

We are not proposing a platform that will be intention based; we are offering a platform that will be interest based. Whether a 32-yr old man agrees to get married or not is not imp to the platform.

If that same man is a metal or jazz fan, our platform should identify this, read between the lines and come up with profiles who are either good singers or music connoisseurs!

The more a user engages on the platform, the platform will understand that consumer in a better way. The match

results will get further filtered as a result. Also, random people visiting the profile will also get an understanding of how the user is, as an individual.

Presenting the logos:

Rationale behind the logo: Option 1

The name ABPweddings.com serves two purposes. ABP lends a credibility to the product while weddings is direct, religion and language-neutral.

The typeface used is sleek and modern.

The flower bracket shape is derived from straight curves of neckpieces, garlands and kurtas, Mughal patterns and welcome boards at western weddings.

The colours are a reflection of the evolving palette of the neo-Bangalis.

Futuristic gradients and the lens flare represent the gloss and class the urban Bangalis aspire.

Rationale behind the logo: Option 2

A marriage is also an auspicious beginning of a new life. Thus the name Shubharambh.com - it’s language-neutral and can be pronounced as both Shubharambha or

Shubharambh.

The typeface strikes a fine balance between modern and traditional. The reddish pink colour reflects the gradual shift in taste of the upwardly mobile urban population.

Rationale behind the logo: Option 3

The name is direct, language-neutral and traditional. The evolved Sans Serif typeface is clean and modern, while the colour reflects the changing trends of Bengali

weddings. The background is subtle and classy, but the motifs are traditional.

Logo Guidelines:

So that we mind the gap while walking down the road.

Marketing tomorrow’s product Since the product is to be developed from scratch, we are looking at 2 distinct stages of marketing:

Inbound Marketing

Followed by Outbound Marketing

Understanding Inbound Marketing: what would be the probable steps?

Major themes of our inbound marketing program:

Creation the right content - You create targeted content that answers your customer's basic questions and needs, and you share that content far and wide.

Lifecycle Marketing - You recognize that people go through stages as they interact with your company, and that

each stage requires different marketing actions.

Personalization - As you learn more about your leads over time, you can better personalize your messages to their specific needs.

Multi-channel - Inbound marketing is multi-channel by nature because it approaches people where they are, in the

channel where they want to interact with you.

Integration - Your publishing and analytics tools all work together like a well-oiled machine, allowing you to focus on publishing the right content in the right place at the right time.

In short:

Methodology:

Attract: Blogging / Social Media / SEO / Website

Convert: C-T-A / Landing pages / Forms / Contacts

Close: Lead scoring / Email marketing / CRM system for a better lead management

Delight: Smart C-T-As / Social Media / Email marketing / CRM

Why Inbound Marketing at the first place?

We don’t want just any traffic to our site, we want the right traffic. We want the people who are most likely to become leads, and, ultimately, happy customers.

Who are the “right” people? Our ideal customers, also known as our buyer personas.

Borrowing the tagline: Next Is What?

Once the product is ready and we have a respectable audience waiting for the platform to launch, we will start with the outbound process.

Understanding the Outbound process

Why we think it will work?

Cause we are not suggesting a superficial change here.

What we are suggesting is based on audience preference and a POD in terms of a diff product altogether that speaks about the right partner, not the perfect partner.

Proposed timeline

Product development: 6 months Inbound marketing exercise: Oct ‘14 – Jan ’15

Outbound marketing exercise: Jan ‘15 – Feb ‘15

Creative Rendition – 360-degree

Road ahead

How it will change the perception?

How it will inspire and influence the TG?

A brief walkthrough – Product showcasing