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By
September, 2011
Dissertation submission - September 2011
Student Name: Prachi Rajiv Salvi
Student Number: 109142432
Word Count: 11503
Dissertation Title
2
IDENTIFYING KEY STRATEGIES FOR
FMCG BRANDS TO INFLUENCE
CONSUMERS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
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ABSTRACT
Social media has revolutionized the way people seek information, share their
experiences and communicate with each other, in the recent times. It has made a
massive impact on the lives of people by keeping them enthralled, engrossed and
engaged. For marketers, however it has opened an exceptionally diverse and a
uniquely new channel to promote their brands. Social media, not only presents new
prospects for the marketers to engage and influence the consumers but it also
possesses new challenges to effectively utilize this medium.
The objective of this research study was to specifically look at how FMCG (Fast
Moving Consumer Goods) brand marketers, can make use of social media to
influence consumers. A qualitative research methodology was adopted which
consisted of six semi-structured interviews with social media professionals.
The topics covered in the interview ranged from knowing how different the social
media channel is from other marketing mediums, understanding the utilization of
different tools within social media, challenges faced by FMCG brands in particular,
how best to utilize the medium for influencing consumers. The theoretical
framework for the research study included review of literature on consumer
behaviour and word of mouth.Drawing upon the findings from the interviews, this
research study presents ten key strategies that can help FMCG brand marketers to
effectively use social media platform, to influence consumers:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to thank several people whose contribution has
First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor Dr. Joanna Berry,
for her insights and guidance throughout this project. It has been an exciting and
I would like to thank all the interviewees, for providing their valuable time and
I would also like to thank my social peers my friends, who have been sounding-
Last but not the least; I am truly grateful to my parents and my sister who have
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List of Figures
List of Tables
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract.................................................................................................................................. 3
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 5
List of Figures .............................................................................................................. 6
List of Tables ................................................................................................................ 6
7
CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEWS ...................................................... 42
4.1 Introduction...................................................................................................... 42
4.2 Do FMCG brand marketers face any specific challenges to use social
media? ...................................................................................................................... 42
4.3 How different is social media compared to other marketing channels? .. 44
4.4 How important it is to understand different tools within social media? .. 46
4.5 Can social media serve other purpose besides marketing in case of
FMCG brands? ........................................................................................................ 47
4.6 Which aspect of social media should be utilized by FMCG brands? ...... 48
4.7 What impact can social media have in influencing consumers in their
decision making journey? ...................................................................................... 49
4.8 Role of Influencers on social media in impacting consumers................ 50
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 55
APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................... 61
APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................ 68
APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................... 74
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
Social media has created a buzz for every marketer today, who wishes to reach its
consumer through this new channel. Due to its growing popularity and its sheer
outreach, social media pose an opportunity and also a challenge for marketer, to
effectively utilize this channel. Although this is the situation for marketers across all
sectors, this research looks specifically at FMCG sector. This chapter will provide an
insight into what is social media all about and why is it important for FMCG
Social media has been defined in several different ways by academics as well as
that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and that
allow the creation of exchange of User Generated Content. (Kaplan and Haenlein,
2010). Blackshaw and Nazzaro (2004) describes social media as a variety of new
sources of online information that are created, initiated, circulated and used by
personalities, and issues. Social Media can be described as an online platform for
people to discover, read, share information and content, which helps in transforming
conversations between authors, people, and peers. Social media is thus a tag that is
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attached to all the online resources that people use for communication, networking,
(2008) classified it into five categories based on its application type; 1) Blogs are
online journals for posting ideas and/or opinions, 2) Social networks allow sharing of
personal content and information sites for e.g. Facebook, Orkut, MySpace, 3)
Content communities act as information sharing portals, video and photo sharing
websites e.g. You tube, Flickr, 4) Forum/Bulletin boards are the websites that allow
exchange of ideas with people with common interests, basically they allow online
websites which allow users to access the information they seek, in a customised way
There are more than 750 million users on social networking site Facebook, and
there are over 900 million objects (pages, groups, events) that people interact with on
it (Facebook, 2011), 2/3 of the global internet population visits social networks
(Neilson, 2009). Over 15.5 million blogs are tracked by Technorati, a specialist blog
search engine. There are 100 million videos a day being watched on video sharing
website, YouTube (Futurebuzz, 2009), there are more than 1 billion tweets per month
medium has been for people, the consumers and hence of importance to the
marketers.
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thousands of other consumers quickly with relatively little effort (Mangold and
Faulds, 2009). Consumers now turn more frequently to various social media portals
and Precourt, 2008).Today consumers are willing to spend more time with a brand
online than they are offline (Druery,2008).Consumers have more trust on social
media as a source of information regarding products and services than the corporate
social media because it has rapidly become the de facto modus operandi for
Social Media thus provides a new channel for marketers, allowing them to interact
with their target audience to learn about and from them for minimal cost, and in less
The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are the everyday products that consumer
purchases on daily basis. These products are can be categorized into several different
types e.g. food, beverages, household items, cosmetics & toiletries etc. These are
primarily low cost and low involvement (little effort to choose items) but they have
The reason to choose FMCG sector for the research study is the fact that it is an
interesting, challenging and rapidly growing sector for marketer. As there is high level
of competition involved amongst the FMCG companies, not just to compete with
for a basic product such as toothpaste. It presents a challenge for a marketer to make
their brand stand out not just on that shelf, but also in the minds of consumers while
Also, the purchase decisions made for FMCG (low involvement) products are not
Hence the information search about such products is likely to be minimal. As a result,
decisions to purchase products such as bread or cereals are made either impulsively or
on the basis of the brand familiarity, or as a result of comparisons of the brands on the
shelf in the store. Since these decisions are regularly taken and relatively inexpensive,
they exert a much smaller influence on the mind of a consumer. (Glowa, 2001). Thus
for a brand marketer its a challenge to market FMCG products, essentially because
Another reason to look specifically at this sector is the fact that there is relatively less
academic literature or research done for marketing FMCG products through social
media and the information available about social media marketing by the practitioners
is more generalized and not specific to FMCG industry. So by identifying the paucity
investigate.
What binds social media and FMCG brands together is the fact that audience for both
is universal. Social media is a platform meant for everyone to use it freely and FMCG
products are used and consumed by everyone daily. Current debates and discussions
suggests that FMCG companies havent yet significantly utilized this medium for
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reaching their consumers and its challenging for marketers/brand managers of FMCG
companies especially to create and maintain relationships with their loyal customer
base. (Gordon, Morgan, 2010). Social media is said to have dramatic influences at
In spite of this, there has been no such empirical research specifically carried out for
FMCG brands that explores the relationship between social media marketing and its
impact on the influencing the decision making process of consumer. There has been
no perfect formula or a right strategy that has been identified or that can be
Social media can be said to be a new and evolving field. Also as the FMCG sector
has to constantly churn out new products to satisfy the consumer needs and wants, so
it also keeps evolving. But as Druery (2008) mentions that as the marketing channels
are also increasingly evolving, social media has the ability to provide brands with
one of the most personal, trusted and direct points of access to these consumers. As
Ahonen and Moore (2005) puts it marketing is no longer about changing peoples
mind, people do not like to be told what to do, what to think, what to buy, marketing
needs to influence people at attitudinal level. Social media can offer FMCG brand
marketers this direct point of contact with its consumers to influence them. Social
in the marketplace, but the strategies for influencing those conversations are yet to be
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1.5 Research aim and objective
This research study was thus driven with the proposition to identify key strategies
which can help answer the research question of how FMCG brands (marketers) can
make use of social media for influencing consumers. For the purpose of this research
study primary data was collected, by interviewing industry experts and the answers
to the following questions were captured to help answer the central research
question.
Are there any specific challenges for FMCG brands in creating social space
How important it is for the marketers to understand the use of different tools
within social media (e.g. facebook, twitter, blogs etc.), while building social
Can social media serve some other purpose, besides just being used as marketing
Are there any guidelines/ rules or key elements that one follows or takes into
What aspect of the social media do you think FMCG brands should take into
making journey?
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The theoretical framework for this research study rests on the literature review of
consumer behaviour and word of mouth which is discussed in the next chapter. The
chapter three. This is followed by the synthesis of the interviews and its findings,
which is provided in chapter four and the concluding part provides the key strategies
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CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Social media being new marketing communication channel, the academic peer-
reviewed literature available in this field is very less. Despite the phenomenal use of
this media by consumers today, academic research is limited on the use of social
media for commercial and marketing purposes. Mostly, the academic research
struggles to keep pace with it, due to rapid evolution in the field. The available
media such as social interaction via social media (Fischer and Reuber 2010),
communities (Kozinets et al. 2010). Hence there was also a need to look at research
done by practitioners in this field. In the recent times there has been significant
(Edelman,2010) and Neilson (2009) etc, in the area of social media marketing.
However, even after considering both the academic and practioners literature, there
was none found, that specifically looked at understanding how FMCG brand
Hence for the purpose of this research study, there were two key literature streams
that were identified and reviewed. These lay a theoretical foundation for this
decision making process. It will analyse two different models of consumers decision
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making journey. It will also identify the various touch points in these models, for its
marketing implications.
Word of mouth - This part of literature review will closely look at the scope and
look at how it has been instrumental in influencing the consumers at the various
By drawing upon these theories, the literature then explores the role and significance
Wilkie (1994, pg14) defines consumer behaviour as the mental, emotional and
physical activities that people engage in when selecting, purchasing, using and
disposing of products and services so as to satisfy needs and desires, Engel et all
and disposing of products and services. The framework for understanding this
roadmap of consumers minds that marketers and managers can use to help guide
product mix, communications and sales strategies (Engel et all ,2006).So in the
activities have to influence this behaviour can be learnt by knowing how a consumer
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There have been several consumer decision making models proposed by academics
in the early 1960s and 1970s, such as Howard who developed the first decision
Mowen and Minor (2006).These traditional old models reflect consumer decision
making process as just a flow of activities. Hence the review of these models was
found to be beyond the scope of this literature. A more specific and simplified
approach is taken to evaluate the work in the area of consumer decision process, by
blending the review of the work done by academics and practitioners, as it found to
The recent work by Engel, Miniard, Blackwell (2006) presents a different model of
(CPD) model. Also, a more current work in this field by Edelman (2010) presents a
new model called as Consumer Decision Journey (CDJ) which is based on market
insight or rather a roadmap of consumers mind, which can help them formulate
marketing strategies to influence the consumer. Hence, the review of these models is
The consumer decision process (CDP) model by Engel, Miniard, Blackwell (2006) is
reviewed for the purpose of this research, which provides an insight into how
individuals sort the influences and facts to make everyday purchase decisions. The
CDP model consists of seven stages that typically a consumer goes through while
making decisions. They are 1) Need recognition, (2) Search for information, (3) Pre-
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evaluation,7) Divestment. These decisions are further influenced by two other factors
making journey in order to identify important touch points, which has implications
as problem recognition, it is when the consumer senses the need and becomes
motivated to solve the problem that has been recognized. The need recognition
occurs when the consumer perceives a gap or difference between his/her current state
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and desired state. These needs and buying habits keeps on changing, as consumers
Considering this stage, a marketer cant really create a need but probably present a
product that can meet unperceived needs that are not considered by consumers.
Search for information: After the consumer recognizes need or identifies a problem
he/she is motivated to search for information or solution to satisfy this need. The
search for information can be internal that is by retrieving information from their
2001 pg. 26). If they are unable to seek the necessary information then they resort to
external search.
The external search is done by gathering information through friends, peers, word of
search depends on the nature of problem, while complex problems may require
extensive search and simple problems may rely on an internal search of previous
However this stage in the consumer decision making process can be of importance to
marketers, because as shown in figure 1, the Information is said to pass through five
stages of processing before consumer use it as valid and retains it in his/her memory,
which are: exposure, attention, comprehension, acceptance and retention. The source
for the exposure to this information can be marketer dominated such as websites,
includes peers, word of mouth, community forum on internet. (Engel et all, 2006, pg.
77)
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Hence this stage can be an important touch point where marketers can potentially
marketer can utilize the marketer-dominated area by seeking the attention of the
consumer, then providing consumer with the right information while they search for
it and thus satisfying the unmet need of consumer and creating a long term fan of
compare different products/brands which suit best in fulfilling their needs. They
narrow down alternatives that can satisfy them, before resolving to choose one of
factors as well. For a brand/ product to be made distinct in this consideration set, so it
Purchase: After narrowing down the product, the next stage is of purchasing the
product. Ideally, the product that reaches this stage is considered most satisfactory by
Consumption: After the purchase of the product, at this stage the consumers use the
product.
product manages to completely satisfy the needs, then the consumer may intend to
re-purchase the product, but if dissatisfied then consumer would remove the product
out of his/her consideration set in future. The outcome at the post consumption
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product/brand. It can help in identifying if product needs modification or complete
Divestment: This is the final stage of consumer decision making process, where after
having consumed the product, it is now disposed or divested. This stage is important
for marketers to understand whether the divestment has left consumer satisfied or
unsatisfied.
At every stage of this process there are two main influencing factors mentioned in
study. This consists of various external sources that act as influencers such as culture,
social class, family, peers. All these groups have the potential to act as facilitator for
a consumer to make purchase decision. However, which group can have most
influencing power, is for an individual to decide. In this aspect, the literature review
later discusses the influencing power of social media in consumer decision making
journey. (pg.31)
The CDP model has its strengths and limitations, firstly it provides a clear depiction
of consumer decision making process and includes seven stages which have been
evolved from old five stage model .It is one of the easy to understand and simplified
models. (Evans, Jamal, Foxall 2009) But, according to Erasmus, (2001) it is still
behaviour, and if it can have predictive value. Also one of the obvious criticisms for
CDP model would be that, consumers would not necessarily go through such a long
process for making purchase decisions for every single product. The extent to which
these stages would be considered varies from consumer to consumer and also from
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the products or service that he/she intends to purchase. Some decisions are simple,
Consumer decisions can therefore be classified into broadly three categories; routine
(Howard and Sheth, 1977).Lamb et all (2006) suggests that these three categories can
time taken to make decision, cost of good or service, the degree of the information
search and the number of alternatives considered. The illustrated table in figure 2
Figure 2: Continuum of consumer buying decisions [Source: Lamb et all, 2006, pg.
147]
The routine response behaviour by consumers occurs during the purchase of low-
cost, frequently purchased goods which take relatively less time in making buying
decisions. Since this research revolves around FMCG brands which are low
Consumers engaged in routine response behaviour spend less time in searching the
information about the product and evaluating alternatives before purchasing. In this
case the information search is internal based on previous knowledge of the brand or
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product and has very little scope for external influences. Consumers also do not
experience ardent need recognition until they are allured by either advertisement or
first and then evaluate. (Lamb et all, 2006). For instance a person, who has
previously consumed orange juice of Tropicana brand and was satisfied with its taste,
would repurchase the product say apple juice of same the brand, rather than spending
perspective, this means that it would take more efforts and longer time investment in
process. Consumers these days use different interactive tools to derive information or
content from digital channels and they manage to filter the hype created by
advertisers while making purchase decisions (Ahonen and Moore, 2005). Consumers
are turning to the internet for knowing product reviews and information while
making their buying decisions (Kozinets, 2002). These factors are considered in the
new consumer decision journey proposed by Edelman (2010) and thus it is important
introduced a nuanced view of consumer decision making model. The basic premise
of this new consumer decision journey may not seem radical; however its
electronics, and mobile telecom across three continents, Edelman (2010) developed a
Journey. It was revealed through their research that todays consumers take a much
more
more iterative and less reductive journey
journey (Edelman, 2010) of only four stages, the
Figure 3:The
:The Consumer Decision Journey [Source: Mckinsey Quarterly,
Quarterly 2009]
The following are the 4 key stages that are undertaken by consumer:
Consider: The journey begins at Consider stage where consumer builds the decision
of products and brands based on visual cues i.e. exposure to ads, store display. The
consumer takes into account a set of products that he/she considers will satisfy their
need.
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Evaluate: At the evaluate stage the initial consideration made by consumers expands
in trying to gain more knowledge about product i.e. seek review from peer, retailers,
reviewer etc and compare it with other competitor products and choose or narrow
Buy: At this stage consumer can be persuaded or dissuaded based on the product
Enjoy, Advocate, and Bond: The most important stage wherein the consumer shares a
deeper connection with the product. If the consumer is pleased with the product they
will advocate, broadcast it thus the brand has got loyal customer but if the consumer
is not pleased with the product they will sever ties with it.
Traditional means of marketing have always targeted these moments, or touch points,
when consumers are open to influence while they undertake this decision making
journey. These touch points have been understood through the metaphor of a
funnel wherein consumers starts with wide range of brands and narrow down the
choices as they move through the funnel, and at the end they emerge with the one
brand they chose to purchase and if satisfied then they become a loyal fan of brand.
The figure 4 below shows the traditional linear funnel approach assumed by the
marketers.
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Figure 4:: The Traditional
T funnel [Source: Mckinsey Quarterly,
Quarterly 2009]
But, according to Edelman et all, this Funnel concept today fails to capture these
journey is thus of importance to marketers as these four stages can act as crucial
One of the only observed limitations of this model is that it omits the two influencing
factors (environmental and personal differences) which are mentioned in the CPD
After having understood the different stages of consumer decision making process
and various touch points in the journey where consumers are open to influence.
influence It is
imperative for marketers to understand what factor can greatly influence consumers.
co
The second half of the literature review will thus focus on word of mouth
ideas, comments, opinions, and information between two or more individuals, both of
channels, WoM can have several definitions. As Buttle (1998) mentions that WoM
need not be necessarily about product or brand and neither it has to be face-to-face or
direct, for instance virtual or electronic WoM. A more simple definition is the act
There has been considerable number of studies proving that WoM aids in influencing
consumer in their decision-making process and that the influence is strong when a
however, many factors that affect consumers decision process, but it appears that
WoM is perceived to be the most trustworthy source of information and thus making
it an influential factor. It has been demonstrated that while consumers searched for
information for purchasing new household items WoM recommendation was the
most important influencing factor. ( Katz and Lazarsfeld 1955, Blackwell et all,
1969, Herr et all 1991 ).Arndt (1967) work also uncovered that WoM is most
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WoM is said to be seven times more effective than newspaper and magazine
advertising, twice more effective than radio advertising and four times more effective
than personal selling (Katz & Lazarsfeld ,1955).These statistical findings may be
Dichter (1968) says that the glossy magazine page or television screen can never
this statement Herr et all (1991) mentions that more importance is placed on WoM
when compared with printed communication thus emphasizing the strength of WoM.
and Voyer,2000).
In the recent times however due to the rise of new digital communication channels
and technologies such as social media, consumers interact through these channels to
share their knowledge, experiences and opinions. This has led to emergence of a new
The E-WoM or word of mouse defined by Hennig-Thurau et all (2004) states that it
institutions via the Internet. E-WoM can be said to be the counterpart of WoM in
the cyber space, its diffusion can take place through online discussion forums,
through virtual communities, personal e-mails etc. Godes and Mayzlin (2004) in
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their work show that E-WoM has the potential to overcome the limitations of WoM.
The online conversations that happen within the communities or forums provide
consumer decision making process. This consumer generated online content is the
purchased and used the product. Ever more so with the advent of social media, E-
WoM has become more pervasive and more powerful in influencing the consumers
As discussed earlier in this chapter and having understood the consumer decision
making journey and the impact word of mouth can have in influencing the
consumers. The literature review now looks at how social media can be an important
Constantinides and Fountain (2008) in their work, presented a new altered version of
Kotlers (1996) original Stimuli and Response model. This changed version was
decision making process. The figure no.5, illustrates the factors influencing the
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Figure 5: Factors influencing the Consumer Decision-Making Process [Source:
Constantinides and Fountain, 2008]
marketing environment, there has been an addition of two new influencing factors in
consumer decision making journey. The first is the (C) Online controllable marketing mix
second important addition is the (D) Online uncontrollable marketing mix which is the
As demonstrated through this model, it is evident that today consumers no longer solely
rely on (A) traditional marketing channels for gaining information about new products.
The consumers preferences and decisions are increasingly influenced by social media
(online uncontrollable mix). The customer feedback cycle illustrated in this model acts as
a purchase validation tool. Wherein social media connects back the consumers feedback
during the post-purchase evaluation stage ( pg. no.19 ). Evans (2008) highlights the role
of social feedback cycle which sets in motion when consumer voices opinion about post
purchase evaluation of brand. This opinion drives the word -of-mouth or rather word-of-
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mouse through social media. This opinion then feeds back into the cycle and becomes an
influencing factor for another consumer during the consideration stage of its decision
making journey. Thus one consumer acts as an influencer for other. These social media
influencers can be said to be the endorsers who shape other consumers attitudes by the
Social media can thus act as an effective medium in diffusion word of mouth and
subsequently influence consumer decision making journey. As Ahonen and Moore (2005)
in their book Communities Dominate Brands also points out that the word of mouse has
become significant market force that influences consumer decision making journey.
Social media can thus seem to provide a common platform to the (FMCG brand)
marketers to connect with its consumers at the touch points of their decision making
journey. As these touch points have become digital, the marketers have the opportunity to
collect and use customer information to understand the consumers and influence them
So as Ahonen and Moore (2005) mentions, for the brand marketers to convince such
digitally connected consumers, the only way is to join them, share their interests, engage
with them and activate them and thus influence them. This study therefore researches as
to how the FMCG brand marketers specifically, can influence this digitally connected
The following chapter will thus provide an insight as to how the research study was
carried out to identify key strategies which can be of help to FMCG brands (marketers) to
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CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter explains the research methodology used in answering the central
research question. It will further discuss which type of research approach was
considered suitable, how primary data was collected, which different tools were
utilized for data collection and why they were used and how they were used.
There are broadly two types of research methods for data collection and analysis,
quantitative and qualitative. In researching the question of how FMCG brands can
make use of social media to influence the consumers, both these methods were
considered and weighed for its relevance and importance for finding answer to the
research question.
Qualitative research can be defined as "any kind of research that produces findings
not arrived at by means of statistical procedures" (Glasser and Strauss, 1967, p. 17).
It is the kind of research that provides findings arrived from real-world settings
where the researcher does not attempt to manipulate the phenomenon of interest and
let it unfold naturally" (Patton, 2002, p. 39).As Hewitt and Taylor (2001) puts it the
qualitative research better reflects the quality of the lived experience of individuals,
or statistical figures (Winter, 2000). In this methodology the research involves the
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which number are assigned" (Patton, 2002, p.14). A quantitative research approach
analyses the relationship between variables that creates a static view of social life
After comparing both these methods, for the purpose of this research study however
qualitative methodology was found to be most relevant as that enabled to capture the
Due to the subjective nature of the research area as well as the research question, a
Since the outcome of research aimed to identify key strategies which would help
answer the research question, the qualitative research approach was chosen to help
The qualitative semi-structured type of interviewing process fitted well into the
Bell,2007).
The semi-structured interview process also allows the interviewer to probe the
flexibility in terms of directing the interview towards achieving greater insight from
the interviewee. (Bryman and Bell,2007,pg 475). This method also provides the
interviewee more leeway to answer the question. The interviewer possess a set of
interview guidelines which provides necessary control to steer the interview from
going off the tangent thus enabling the interviewer to cover specific topics that are
required to deduce the findings. The advantage of using this method is that it
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provides high validity, as the interviewee can talk about something in detail and
interviewer cannot pre-judge what information is important and what is not and also
Moreover since generating key themes from the interviews was important for this
maintain the consistency across all the interviews thus capturing the nuances of the
research subject.
The academic literature available in the field of social media was found to be very
niche. However, academic literature in the area of consumer behaviour and word of
mouth marketing was looked into. Due to the nature of the subject, the research
process also consisted of wide reading from books, white papers, articles, blogs,
discussion forums and content published by the practioners in area of social media.
During the time of research, there also happened to be an event called Internet
World, 2011 which was Europes leading event for digital marketing. It consisted of
Google, and LinkedIn etc which helped in gaining insight into the latest and the
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3.4 The Interviewees
The purpose of the research study was being able to generate key strategies, to help
field of social media can mainly be identified as the ones working for advertising,
include only social media practitioners in the study sample was the fact these
professionals are the ones who directly work with the brand on social media
platform. Gaining their insights was crucial, as these people are constantly updated
on the latest tools and techniques in field of digital/social media marketing. Another
One of the challenges with this type of study sample that was thought of initially was
the fact that since they are social media practioners, they might not divulge lot of
details in regards to particular questions or agree for in-depth interview as their ideas
and opinions have value, a price. However, the candidates who did agree for an
interview were liberal in explaining and answering the questions in detail, even while
re-questioning a few for in-depth insight. For the purpose of this study, the criterion
for selecting the potential candidate was only bound to their profession and not to
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3.5 Access to Interviewees
There were different methods used to identify potential candidates for the study. As
the study sample consisted of social media practioners, using social media platform
LinkedIn is platform for professional networking, where each profile of the person
designation, job description, previous job experience, company, field of work etc.
This platform thus helped in identifying the potential candidates as it provided a pre-
One of the challenges also faced in using this platform was, gaining access to these
identified candidates. As linked in doesnt allow user to directly send message unless
paid for it, otherwise one has to be a part of group which is mutual between the user
and candidate. The compulsion for joining the group actually proved to be of an
advantage, because it led to a pool of other potential candidates. Having done so,
LinkedIn platform also allows members of the group to start a discussion within the
group. This function was found to be of great use, to get insight from the industry
professionals. For this study a discussion was started on one of the groups UK
Marketing lounge and one the interview question was used as a topic for discussion.
Several interesting insights were captured through this discussion. This data however
The other social media platform used was Quora, its a platform that aggregates
conversations and discussions regarding various topics and also allows users to
collaborate on them. This platform also provides a profile of every individual and
37
also gives the details of the conversational topics initiated by them. This platform
industry professionals, it is best known for providing the latest information and most
of the content writers on the website are industry experts. This was also one of the
One of the advantages of using social media platform itself, for identifying and
contacting industry experts was its sheer global outreach. However, during the
process of research, gaining access to the study sample also posed a big challenge.
Direct Email 22 5 3
LinkedIn 26 4 2
Total 68 11 6
and using other resources like blogs, websites etc, 11 responded positively and
agreed for an interview. But only 6 interviews were conducted for this research
study. Some of the candidates who agreed for the interview, backed out as they
couldnt provide time during the period of research. The following table provides the
38
Table 2: Details of final interviewees
Name Designation Organization State/ Country
Strategist communication
Chindarkar
USA
Consultant
Once the interviewees were identified, they were offered a choice for the type of
was not feasible. Hence, they were given an option of email interview, interview
through instant messaging or video interview. They were also given the option of
anonymity.
Out of the 6 interviews, only one person agreed for video interview. For this purpose
again, the use of social media tool proved useful. The latest interactive online
video conference, instant chat , video share all built in one. This medium was used
conduct the video interview. It was possible to gain better in-depth insight through
video interviewing.
39
The remaining five candidates agreed for an email interview. Out of the five, two
candidates choose anonymity. In case of the email interviews, every question needed
However the interviewees were open to follow up questions and for the explanation
A set of interview questions was prepared generated during the initial reading of
literature and from wide reading from books, white papers, blogs, magazines etc. It
was important to ask same questions to all the interviewees as the method of analysis
was to constantly compare the answers given by each interviewee The following
Are there any specific challenges for FMCG brands in creating social space
How important it is for the marketers to understand the use of different tools
within social media (e.g. facebook, twitter, and blogs), while building Social
Can social media serve some other purpose, besides just being used as
Are there any guidelines/ rules or key elements that one follows or takes into
What aspect of the social media do you think FMCG brands should take into
40
How can social media be helpful in influencing consumers in their decision
making journey?
The method best suited for analysis of interview data was using Constant comparison
analysis. Analysing the transcripts from the interviews becomes easy by means of
Each of interview transcripts can be broken down into data bits and emerging
themes, ideas, keynotes and can be compared and contrasted. As Tesch (1990) puts it
The responses gathered from all the interviewees were broken down and were
grouped together in one document; this was done for each of the questions
separately. This method provided a better feasibility for a quick look at the responses
to examine if there were any recurring themes that emerged. The response of first
interviewee was compared to the second and so on and so forth and a code was
assigned to specific ideas, topics and issues that evolved. By doing this a common
line of thought and ideas emerged and they were put into categories.
41
CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEWS
4.1 Introduction
part of primary research that were important in helping to understand how FMCG
marketers can influence consumers through social media. They also helped in
identifying key strategies which FMCG brand marketers can make use of while
This chapter will further discuss the result and findings from analysing these
interviews and will draw out some of the key themes that emerge by using the
comparing the answer by each interviewee to each of the question that was asked,
4.2 Do FMCG brand marketers face any specific challenges to use social
media?
At the start of the interview, each of the interviewee was asked if they think that the
FMCG sector faces any specific challenges in using social media. This question was
put forth to gauge the effectiveness of this media for marketing FMCG brands.
There was common consensus that there are specific challenges in marketing FMCG
brands through social media. The specific challenge was the fact that FMCG
products are low engagement products means that marketing them in social space is a
42
The obvious challenge is that, because these are often low-risk investments,
Also in social media context building brand recall for FMCG brand pose challenge
that was identified. As the product purchase doesnt happen in social media space but
at supermarket store, where there are several different brands lined up on single
shelf.
it is a bit of challenge for FMCG to build a top of the mind recall of the brand with
social media, nobody is necessarily going to buy something because they liked page
the problem FMCG brands face is the fact that few people really identify with these
types of brands as part of who they are. I mean, who really identifies with their
However, Ben Grossman was of the opinion that inspite of the challenges FMCG
the fact that FMCG brands are generally purchased continually and without much
thought also yields a major advantage to FMCG brands in other forms of social
media
In understanding the effectiveness of the social media for FMCG brands, it was
found that since these are low involvement products, high level of engagement with
43
the consumers on social media is important for influencing consumers buying
FMCG brand like toilet papers who creates a community based on whats
important to Moms, without actually directly advertising their product, but rather
providing a platform for mothers to connect and being part of delivering solutions
to parenting challenges.
And this comment by Ben Grossman can be found to support the same rationale,
though social media might not help consumers make the first purchase decision, it
is what keeps them making a specific decision over and over, because it helps form
To draw a conclusion from these responses it can be said that for FMCG brands
and developing community of followers on social media platform are more important
Based on the views, social media when compared to traditional marketing channels is
different in several aspects. In traditional channels such as print media, television etc
where marketer sends out message say in the form of advertisement and the
consumer receives it, it act as one way messaging channel, where marketer has
44
Communication requires listening, question asking, engaging. One-way messaging
It can be said that social media cannot be used the way traditional media is used. It
can be useful in conversing or having a dialogue with consumers and not bombarding
it can never be used in the same way as traditional media where it is always a one
way conversation with a brand pushing a product in your general direction to see if
you like it
social media is dynamic ,brands who embrace this inherent element of social media
It was observed that the responses had a slight trend towards identifying social media
as being better and more effective communication medium than a marketing channel.
In comparison, the balance of power seems to lie with consumers when it comes to
social media, hence understanding consumers and their needs and wants is essential
45
4.4 How important it is to understand different tools within social media?
Social media tools mentioned here basically consist of various web based
applications which have been mentioned in the introduction( pg. no 10) , each of tool
serve a purpose based on its application type for eg Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Blogs etc. It was thus essential to ask the practitioners their take on how important it
is for brand marketers to understand different features and uses of these tools. Each
of the interviewee was of the opinion that it is extremely important for marketers to
Each platform has a distinct and yet nuanced culture and expectations. Marketers
MUST understand these micro-cultures before they jump in- Tara Coomans
They were also of the opinion that, it is not just about knowing different tools but
also understanding the significance; these tools can have in shaping the brand in
social space and thus indirectly impacting consumers as well. Guy Bevan said
it is important for marketers to understand which tool can be work well with the
kind of message it has to send out, if there isnt much to talk about, twitter feed is not
media principles to build a social space for an FMCG brand to drive the right type
46
4.5 Can social media serve other purpose besides marketing in case of FMCG
brands?
channel. Considering this research study involves FMCG sector, it was felt important
to ask whether social media can serve some other purpose besides just being a
marketing medium.
It was surprising to find out that, most of the interviewees did not consider the use of
social media as marketing channel ranks 3rd, first would be its a market research
tool, getting consumer insight is at its best through social media.second would
marketing channel.
It was observed that in case of FMCG sector, social media can be best used as market
research medium to draw consumer insights about the brands and products. As Guy
It can be deduced that, it is best suited for FMCG brands to create a social media
platform to monitor and listen to the consumers and their needs and wants.
47
4.6 Which aspect of social media should be utilized by FMCG brands?
As it has been discussed in the introduction, social media can be utilized in different
ways for different purpose, this question was put forth especially to understand what
aspect of social media should the marketers utilize for FMCG brands, how it can be
question, so it was elucidated further by asking them whether social media platform
From the responses it seemed that, to use any aspect of social media varies from
brand to brand, depending on what objective brand wants to achieve by its presence
on social media. There isnt any one size fits all method that can be influential.
Given that, one point was particularly highlighted was, social media is best utilized
No matter what a brand really wants to accomplish in social media, it will be forced
to also see social media as a place for consumers to engage with the brand
Engage the audience early and understand what they are looking for. Its that
The responses also suggests that brands should experiment with different aspect of
social media, although not blindly but by monitoring and understanding their
48
Experiment is key thing, it may work it might not work.. But, if you listen to
your consumers first and then plan... the probability of it working out is much
more.
4.7 What impact can social media have in influencing consumers in their
during certain stages of their decision making journey. It thus seemed important to
ask how social media can help in influencing consumer in their decision making
journey.
Each one of the interviewee had different take on this, one of them stated that
Since social media allows brands to directly interact with consumers, if brand can
build emotional bond with them, then it can influence their decisions in choosing that
brand over other while making purchase. Social media can help brands to remain on
An interesting point made by Ben Grossman was, that a brands presence on social
media can impact the consumer during active evaluation and post evaluation
stages of the decision making journey.(Appendix A) This fact strengthens, the point
49
4.8 Role of Influencers on social media in impacting consumers.
As briefly mentioned in the literature review( pg. no 30) , influencers are no different
than consumers but have a potential to influence people, so understanding the role
Amongst the responses there was general agreement that influencers do play a major
role on a social media platform. However, influencers may not necessarily always
have a positive influence; they can sway in both directions. As Dinesh Chindarkar
puts it
consumers trust what his friends would say or recommend ,social media provides
just that people who are just like me the consumers would listen to peers, common
man rather than a celebrity telling them how good the product.
It was also inferred from the responses that there are different types of influencers,
some who just express their opinion, some are fan followers and there are brand
ambassadors, who openly propagate about the brand. These influencers can also be
negatively influential. So, it is important for the brands to recognize and utilize the
right influencers, while creating their social media plan. Ben Grossman said
influencers also assist in moving social media from a one-to-one (less efficient)
awareness.
50
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION
After reviewing and analysing each of the interviews, there were several interesting
insights and key themes that emerged. The findings from the interview can be briefly
summarized as follows:
Social media can be best utilized as listening medium and for gaining
consumer insights rather acting as a marketing medium for FMCG brands.
As social media offers direct contact with the people; it acts as a better
platform for understanding the needs and wants of their customers rather than
advertising or promoting a brand.
Social media can act as platform to keep the consumer engaged with the
brand.
Social media cannot be used in isolation for marketing a FMCG brand; it has
to be a part of integrated marketing communications plan.
On social media platform, consumers speak their mind, hence for a brand it
is essential to have system in place for online reputation management.
This process helped in identifying and formulating key strategies, which are now put
forth.
51
5.2 The Key Strategies
In conclusion, the following are 10 key strategies that were drawn upon, that can
help FMCG brand marketers to make use of social media platform for their brand to
1. Humanize the brand: When setting a social media platform, if a brand has more
human voice than a marketing tone, it can help in connecting with the
consumer better. Consumer need to identify and relate to the brand in order to
bond with it. Hence such a brand can remain at the top of the mind of consumer,
2. Message is the key: It is very important to communicate the right message to the
audience; the message should be of interest to the consumers, which they would
like to share with their social peers, which could perhaps be spread through
word of mouse.
3. Listen and monitor: The best use of social media is for listening to consumers,
monitoring their conversations in social space. It is this way that brands can get
4. Know the social media tools: Before delving into social media space, it is
important to know the pros and cons of different tools and also to identify the
best fit for achieving its marketing goal. For e.g. Facebook can act as effective
52
5. Interact and engage: Social media for FMCG brands means less marketing and
more interacting. So the strategy is to interact first, engage the consumer and then
connect to consumers and to know their views and perspectives about the brand
and if the consumers can connect to a brand on emotional level, it helps brand
their brand. The strategy is to find them, cultivate them and utilize them to
track and manage these conversations. Hence the resources required to keep this
in momentum need to be aligned before creating a social media space for brand.
9. Plan for long term: For FMCG brands, social media is about building and
media platform in such a way that it can sustain in the long run.
10. Adapt and Experiment: Social media space is continuously expanding and there
are several different new tools to utilize and as mentioned before there is no one
size fits all strategy that can be implemented for all brands. Hence adapting to
new tools and experimenting with them is the vital for the brand to influence its
consumers.
53
5.3 Limitations
One of the main limitations of researching social media subject is the paucity of
academic literature. Hence it was difficult find theoretical base to support the
research study with the available literature. The practitioners literature mostly seems
like opinion journalism and the lack of peer reviewed literature posed a challenge. In
terms of primary data collection, one of the limitations was less number of
Another limitation associated to it, was the type of interview conducted. Since email
the questions was not possible. Although the email interviews were very descriptive
in nature, the emotional tone of voice can be better captured through face to face
interviews. Another limitation that must be mentioned is, due to less number of
interviews, the findings from the interview could not be significantly generalised.
Since this research study lacked in gaining very in-depth insights from the social
media practitioners. A further research could be undertaken with larger sample size.
Also it would be interesting to gain insight from FMCG brand marketers themselves,
As mentioned in this research study, since the field of social media is rapidly
evolving, these strategies will also have to evolve with time. Hence the implication
for future research would be to know how newer tools within social media can be
effectively used.
54
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APPENDIX A
Info: The content marked in the bracket indicates the additional detail provided to
interviewer for a better understanding of the question.
1. Do you think there are any specific challenges for FMCG brands in
creating social space compared to other product brands?
(Given the fact that these are low involvement products and consumers take
relatively less time in making purchase decisions?)
Yesbut it is important to note that there are both challenges and advantages
for FMCG brands in the social media landscape. The obvious challenge is
That said the fact that FMCG brands are generally purchased continually and
other forms of social media. First, FMCG brands are usually curated well by
brand managers, and thus, have a compelling brand story and image that can
play out splendidly through social media. More brand-centric forms of social
media, such as social networking site brand pages (i.e. Facebook) and content
sharing sites (i.e. YouTube), allow brands to play out fully and establish
loyalty. In other words, though social media might not help consumers make
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the first purchase decision, it is what keeps them making a specific decision
The most major way social media is different as a marketing channel is that
other channels are a one way communications stream. That is, the advertiser
consumer.
cycle. Sometimes the advertiser creates the message and sometimes the
another message being sent to another consumer (i.e. ratings and reviews).
a social media strategy for an FMCG brand. Even if the plan does not directly
involve use of social media, all marketers have to know that consumers are
going to take their brands there whether they like it or not. Even if a marketer
62
tries to ignore the channel in their plan, they better have a crisis response
plan, or else face major risk when their product ends up in social media in a
poor light. Its much easier to cope with crisis when presences are already
4. Do you think Social media can serve some other purpose, besides just
being used as marketing tool, especially in context of FMCG brands?
( eg for market research, consumer insight , research & development etc)
Social media can and will certainly serve other purposes than marketing in
any context. Brands can draw out invaluable insights about their products,
consumers and marketplace. All of that information should better inform the
formation of products and campaigns alike. Of course, social media, just like
mix.
5. Presently, are there any guidelines/ rules or key elements that one follows
or takes into consideration for developing social media strategy for
brand?
While most marketers know there are no rules to the profession (other than
legal ones), there is a general process that is used for developing social media
sales? Do you want to tap into consumers for research and development?
Step 2 Create marketing goals: One marketing tactic likely isnt going to
63
that challenge social media can help with. Will it help increase peer-to-peer
social media to make sure your goals are reasonable. Based on current levels
Step 4 Set objectives: Set objectives so you can see the short- and long-term
benefits of your social media strategy paying off. What social media-specific
Step 5 Plot out actions: What tactics will you use to leverage social media?
Will you conduct outreach to people talking about certain subjects? Will you
search peoples profiles for mentions of geographic areas? How often will
Step 6 Plan process: This is a step many businesses miss in the excitement
place that wont let the business fall off the saddle. Put processes in place that
proactively alert the curator of the Social media presence to hot tweets that
need attention. It is key during this phase that the curators be honest with
themselves about their time restrictions and willingness to make social media
a priority. During this phase, also consider the wide range of tools available
a plan in place for what you are willing and able to do to make it right.
Sometimes, taking heated exchanges off social media and to real life or e-
Step 8 Activate consistently: Make sure that your plans will allow you to
keep your social media efforts active over the long term. Have backup
curators and content in place for the inevitable sick, busy or just plain over
it days.
Step 9 Measure and refresh regularly: Start activating your social media
strategy with specific times scheduled in the future to stop and review
progress, success and areas for improvement. Also, make sure to refresh your
approach every once in a while. Are there new opportunities for your Social
media strategy? What about new business challenges to take a look at?
6. What aspect of the social media do you think Fmcg brands should take
into account while setting a platform?
(What I mean is, when a marketer decides to have social media platform for
its brand, taking FMCG brand into consideration here, what should be its
intent, whether that platform should serve merely for advertising purpose, or
serve as platform for interaction or for customers to engage with brand, or act
as customer response centre etc.. in your opinion, what would you suggest,
what is recommended??)
The way FMCG brands should plan to utilize social media widely depends on
their marketing goals. If the brand needs to drive trial, it needs to activate its
65
base of enthusiasts and/or influencers to get samples and coupons into the
hands of their online connections. If the brand needs to drive loyalty, then it
forced to also see social media as a place for consumers to engage with the
Simplifying the consumer decision journey down to the stages Procter &
Gamble focuses on can help marketers understand where social media can
play a role. P&G aligns marketing efforts with four stages: Trigger
Truth (shelf), Second Moment of Truth (use of product). Social media can
serve as a Trigger. A quick Google search from a mobile device may reveal
an educational brand video about how to solve a problem and coupon to take
66
offer an opportunity for a consumer to express their thoughts on a product as
That said, the most major opportunities for FMCG brands likely comes at
and as the trigger point for sampling by large populations. Ultimately, use of
67
APPENDIX B
Info: The content marked in the bracket indicates the additional detail provided to
interviewer for a better understanding of the question.
Do you think there are any specific challenges for fmcg brands in creating social
space compared to other product brands?
(Given the fact that these are low involvement products and consumers take
relatively less time in making purchase decisions?)
D C- Yes definitely if you look at it, fmcg brands such products are off the mind
purchases, but its very emotional or optimized, so top of mind recall is essential.
D C- Yeah and it is a bit of challenge for fmcg to build a top of the mind recall of the
brand when the consumers say for eg would go and buy toothpaste in supermarket.
social media, is about consumer choice, if they want to listen or not. It doesnt create
an intrusion for consumers as the traditional mediums would do, thats biggest
68
difference. Traditional marketing mediums provide information that they havent
asked for but social media on the other hand provides info when they need it, its not
an annoyance to consumers.
How important it is for the marketers to understand the use of different tools
within social media (eg facebook, twitter ,blogs), while building Social Media
plan for a FMCG brand?
D C- Its a very interesting question, because in India the marketers have very poor
knowledge about the different tools that can be used. The shift from traditional
marketing mind set to the new social media mind set hasnt happened fully yet.
It is important for marketers to understand which tool can be work well with the kind
of message it has to send out. For eg if there isnt much to talk about, twitter feed
wont help, same as if there isnt a way to keep customer engaged on facebook, it
shouldnt be used.
Do you think Social media can serve some other purpose, besides just being
used as marketing tool, especially in context of FMCG brands?
would be its a market research tool, getting consumer insight is at its best through
social media, I think on social media people are there natural self, they are in their
consider consumer research in the FMCG industry, the second would be social
media listening, listening to what consumers are saying and then thirdly as
marketing channel to reach out to the consumers to tell them about products and
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Presently, are there any guidelines/ rules or key elements that one follows or
takes into consideration for developing social media strategy for brand?
DC- Well it differs from brand to brand, as such there arent any best practise ways
or guidelines to it, but social media plan cannot be made in isolation. It needs to be a
setting clear goals is important, knowing who the TG is, also taking into
consideration which social media tools to be utilised. Social media metrics needs to
P S - Hmmm ok
also has to be offline strategy built along with it . Social media is actually a part of e-
marketing plan.
What aspect of the social media do you think Fmcg brands should take into
account while setting a platform?
P S - like say for eg should it be a used as information provider, for promotions, for
D C - Well again it differs from brand to brand, depends on does a brand have
If you consider FMCG say you cant really talk about soaps and shampoos on daily
basis, unless there is something new to tell them, say if you consider an antidandruff
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shampoo, you have something more to say, but then if you talk about the subject
P S - Ok, like
a peer might recommend a particular brand that he has found effective or has heard
about a lot through, what FMCG brand can do is track such conversations and target
There has to be a feel good factor for consumer to associate with, on social media
platform, so depending on what goal the brand wants to achieve social media can be
How do you think can social media be helpful in influencing consumers in their
decision making journey?
( Considering Fmcg brands, the purchase of the product doesnt happen online, it
happens in supermarket, so how do you think can social media play its part in the
decision making journey of consumer, can it be targeted towards various touch points
of the decision making journey)
it can be a threat as well. The positioning of brand on social media, its goals, the TG,
consumers interaction, engagement with the brand etc.. these factors determine how
In context of FMCG, the social media needs to impact the consumer in such a way
that the brand remains on the top of the mind of consumer while purchasing product,
D C- Influencers play a big role, consumers trust what his friends would say or
recommend, their feedback is valuable and social media provides just that people
who are just like me the consumers would listen to peers, common man rather than
Actually if you consider there are different kinds of influencers when it comes to
social media, there are the ones who express their opinion eg say on facebook they
just like things, the others are followers who would like things because their
friends liked it , then there brand ambassadors who openly propagate about the
these influencers is important and how could one to transform the followers to brand
Any pointers/suggestions you would like to give, that a marketer should keep in
mind before developing Social Media strategy for FMCG brand?
D C- For me as I look at it, social media acts mainly as market research tool,
especially if you consider for FMCG brands, secondly it acts as a good listening
medium, understanding the consumers needs and wants is essential, getting into the
So social media should not be looked in isolation but it should be made a part of
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I also think message is also of importance, what kind of message the brand wants to
I think the key is to experiment and adapt -dont follow or practise what already has
Customer feedback, views, opinion should be monitored frequently, what people are
talking about whether good or bad, use it as collective measure to improvise the
brand through social media. Online reputation management is also critical, and it
And brands should try to get closer to customerAlso I would say, set clear cut
metrics and goals, and how the success of it would be measured. whether say for eg
getting 20,000 fans to like it, or making 10 customers satisfied with the product
offering, who have posted valuable feedback on the social media space, the social
Most importantly marketers should understand that social media strategy is for long
term, instant gratification is not achieved through it, and milestones have to be set
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APPENDIX C
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