Posts Tagged ‘No Marketing Campaign’

Kick Start Your Business

Are you a small business owner who is looking for a creative platform and funding for your business?  Would you like to test the waters without investing all your time and energy in developing products and services?  Then Kickstarter is just the place for you.  Here are 4 reasons why….

There’s Something for Everyone

As the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, Kickstarter is the obvious choice to kick start projects in the arena of music, art, film, technology, food, design, publishing and a number of other fields.  There’s something for everyone and no matter where your project fits in there’s place for it on Kickstarter.

You Own and Control Your Work

Unlike other forms of commercial patronage which take away some ownership and control from you the creator, Kickstarter is different simply because it allows you to retain 100% ownership and control over your work.

You Are an Innovator in Your Own Right

While Kickstarter allows you to float any project no matter how big or small, how surprisingly fresh, creative, entertaining or bizarre, it lets you be “you”.  You are the independent creator of your very own project, unique in its own right.

All or Nothing

That’s the funding principle here on Kickstarter! Every project must reach its funding goal before a certain time line runs out or no money changes hands. This system protects everyone involved; creators who are not expected to develop their project without necessary funds.

So if you have an idea and want to test it with minimum risk then Kickstarter is the place to get a head start!

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2365

In a market place that’s crowded with competitors vying for the customer’s attention, marketing strategies and campaigns are the order of the day.  So much so that not having a strategy is unthinkable…or is it?

Breaking away from the predictable always makes people sit up and take notice.  A peek in to history just goes to vindicate the fact that the biggest revolutions began simply because someone refused to conform.  If you want to grab business success then a no marketing campaign is a strategy all by itself.

Here’s what I learnt from Sanjay Garg, the man behind “Raw Mango”, the Chanderi sari label that has grown 200 times in just three years that too shorn of bling and a marketing plan…

The Absence of a Marketing Plan is Exclusivity

Exclusivity stems from the lack of any definite marketing agenda.  When Sanjay Garg began his entrepreneurial journey three years ago he was just a Chanderi sari seller who would display his wares at sari exhibitions.  Today, preparing for limited edition shows overseas is just another day in his life. 

When he started out, he had no clarity about how and why he would market the Raw Mango label.  All he had was these whimsical Chanderi saris with upturned birds and lotuses sitting pretty…one each on the whole six yards.  It was only when his saris started flying off the shelves that he realized that an innovative product without a marketing agenda is a great business strategy in itself. 

Reinvention is the Key

Predictable is boring and unpredictable grabs attention…so whatever you do, stamp your work with signature style.  Reinvent, redefine and create something new that people find alluring. 

Raw Mango’s magic lies in the reinvention of the weave…softening the Chanderi, Ikat, Benarasi and Khadi weaves to gently coerce their natural stiffness in to the creaminess of crepe.  Garg’s Chanderi saris feel like silk and fall like chiffon…that’s clever reinvention for you!

The Product That Sells Itself

Let your product be the call to action for the buyer. Don’t take the route that everyone else takes.  Conspicuous by his absence from fashion weeks across the country, Sanjay Grag does not harbor the herd mentality.

He is different in his approach to the fashion business.  While creating a juxtaposition of weaves that forge regional connections he is committed to bringing commercial success to the weavers.  He looks upon them as partners in his venture that is one that creates unstitched fabrics which become saris only when a woman drapes them. 

Breaking Away from Convention

Mismatched borders, bold color combinations, six yards that tell a story, glittering borders on stark white saris and a sprinkling of motifs…Sanjay Garg happily marries the old with the new, blends shock and awe to produce six yards of style like only he can.

There’s nothing conventional about the price tag his saris carry…INR3, 000-15,000/- Raw Mango saris are not for every woman.  Sanjay has a clear idea about his customer profile…a woman who is real, bling free, with flair for alternative fashion and somewhere in between sexy and feminine. 

Engaging customer interest is not about a great advertising campaign, a well choreographed fashion show or a slick photo shoot that justifies the price tag.  It is all about fighting your competitors with substance…because in the end that’s what counts!

 Image Courtesy: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1152