Godrej Ezee ties up with Rajasthan Patrika to woo consumers

FMCG companies regularly use ground events to reach consumers and propel their brands. After all, there's nothing like interfacing with the customer one-on-one. Quite often, this interface is restricted to a specific TG within a limited geographic area. At least that's what Godrej Consumer Products had been doing till the company stumbled upon the idea of "fusing an event with media” about a month ago.

This, the company did in connection with brand Ezee (liquid detergent) in the Rajasthan market, where it tied up with Hindi daily Rajasthan Patrika to execute an event called the Godrej Ezee Grihini 2004. "The idea was basic,” says Shubha Iyer, group media manager, Godrej, "to hunt for the best homemaker in the cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.”

The event was organised in the last week of November prior to which the company called for entries in Rajasthan Patrika using an innovative entry form that had the cutout of a sweater, which participants had to creatively colour. Based on these entries and a telephonic interview, candidates were shortlisted by representatives of the paper and the company to participate in the main event held in each of the three cities.

Godrej received 8,500 entries across the three cities and what marked a break from the past was the scale of operation. By tying up with a media property, the event moved from being a low-key, local affair to a city-centric activity with winners appearing on the front page of Patrika.

Word-of-mouth publicity and aggressive promotions contributed in creating a buzz around the activity resulting in an overwhelming response, says Dr Rakesh Sinha, executive vice-president, marketing, Godrej.

"Events have been part of Godrej's agenda,” he says, "But this time around, the association with a publication ensured that there was a positive rub-off on the brand.”

In terms of tangible benefits, says Iyer, the company was able to procure an active database, which will be used for future activities in the state. "In terms of profiling your audience or understanding their needs, events such as these are very helpful,” she adds.

Interestingly, as a group, Godrej has been "more inclined to TV than print” in terms of its media mix, and associations like the one with Ezee have buoyed its sentiment to try out the medium more often, albeit in an "innovative” manner.

Plans are to execute more such ground activities in "print-heavy states” across the north and south of the country for different other brands. Sinha says the company is evaluating proposals from various other print publications for the same.

© 2004 agencyfaqs!