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Nothing influences you more than a recommendation from a trusted friend, right? In fact, if you are like most people, you’d trust recommendations even from people you don’t know over advertising from a well-known brand. That’s because the strongest influence come from authenticity – the very reason why influencer marketing is so effective. Brands today are growing awareness, driving engagement, and building credibility among consumers by harnessing the influence of individuals trusted within select buyer niches or industries.


And it’s not hard to see why influencer collaborations work so effectively to become branding amplifiers. It’s just as true too that influencer marketing, when strategically executed, can drive measurable business outcomes with tangible ROI. That’s why, smart brands don’t lose the opportunity to add influencer marketing to their performance marketing mix. But how should brands think about influencers? Clearly, one-size does not fit all, and here are three key tactics that I have seen working better when influencers are not just brand-amplifiers, but also demand-creators.


The micro advantage


At first, it might seem to make most sense for brands to choose only the best-known or most popular influencers with the greatest number of followers to create the widest possible reach, engagement, and conversion. But that would be strategically flawed. The influence that comes from relevant expertise no matter how enticing the follower count is invaluable. These influencers with relatively fewer followers are often better suited to drive sales outcomes as they are readily trusted amongst their specialized target base. 


If authentic relevance is established, they have the ability to incorporate a brand into their content in a way that feels natural and unforced to their audience. For example, in our industry – the IT services business, industry analysts help clients to procure digital solutions and services. With their ear to the ground for buyer trends, these micro-influencers can not only serve as invaluable advisors, but also sway buyer perceptions. So, be on the lookout for authentic voices that are respected by your customers, and there is the first building block to identify a micro influencer you can benefit from working with.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-27887.htm">Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands</a> 


The engagement model rewired


When we think of influencer marketing, we mostly see examples of brands engaging someone with influence to shine light on a brand trigger – like a solution or product launch. But these tactical approaches are really remnants of the traditional advertising ‘campaign launch’ thinking. Ongoing long-term specialized influencer partnerships are better suited to the trusted relationships that both influencers and brands must build with buyers to grow their influence, while being perceived as authentic in their recommendations. 


And that’s where micro influencers have figured out what works best. They are more tuned to moving away from pay-to-post or flat fee-based engagement to an outcome-based operating model. Hybrid models too – a combination of fixed fee and outcome-based compensation – is a good way to get started, especially factoring in the ease of digital traceability. A good example is how Airbnb works effectively with travel bloggers and vloggers who showcase their stays in offbeat locations around the world, thus inspiring their target audience too.


The data and AI play 


We, as marketers, are already working on ways to gain first-party data as we move toward a cookieless future. We also know that social media listening is an important tactic in this context, that then enables us to personalize outreach and sales strategies for our brands. These direct insights give us a valuable peek into consumer perceptions and behavior in real-time. Similarly, a well-tracked influencer marketing program can immensely widen the brand’s access to first-party data and amplify the leads funnel. 


In fact, the same first-party data can help you also gain insights into which content creators have the most influence in the categories and segments that are relevant for your business. Today, AI-powered tools can even help identify which influencers are best suited to align with your brand, whose audience profile best matches your target market, and whose trust index is strongest. Loreal offers an interesting example on how it partnered with AI influencer marketing platform Influential to match it with influencers based on ideal demographic and psychographic fit.


We are all marketing to an audience that is overwhelmed by promotional and advertising content. As people carefully curate who they choose to trust and follow for advice and recommendations, micro influencer marketing will only grow in relevance. Not just for brand building but for beefing up the marketing pipeline too. I am not suggesting that brands radically transform their choice of influencers – especially those already delivering solid awareness and perception outcomes. Rather, it will benefit us all to evolve our strategies over time to proactively view our influencer marketing game plan as a brand-new channel, feeding into metrics that matter.


Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/brand-breakthroughs-decoding-the-gen-alpha-opportunity-for-brands-38018.htm">Brand Breakthroughs: Decoding the Gen Alpha opportunity for brands</a>

Brand Breakthroughs: Micro Influencers Matter – More

When customers appreciate the brand with their purchase and with their advocacy, also forgive the brand its mistakes, on occasion, and remain loyal patrons over time – even when other viable choices are clearly available in the category, one can only consider it love. Brand love. Determining why customers should love the brand lies at the very core of ‘the art and science of branding’. 


And that’s just as true for a new brand making its entry into a crowded market or a legacy brand whose appeal must be continuously renewed and reiterated. Regardless of the situation and context, the ingredients of nurturing brand love are not unlike the ingredients of nurturing respect and love in any relationship.


It's about the significant other. When you come to think of it, the people that we most like being with are the people who make us like ourselves better. They show us the reasons why we are worthy and deserving. They help us imagine what we could be, how much we can become. They don’t demand that we change but inspire us to want to make better choices. We love them for it. It’s for the same reasons that we love the brands we love. We – the customers – are the heroes of their narratives. 



Their compelling stories show us the best version of ourselves. Some brands are good at winning our love this way, like Nike with their Nike Run Club app that brings together a supportive group to encourage us along our fitness journey. Or Titan Raga that celebrates women – their primary audience - with so many thoughtful narratives that inspire not just women to shatter barriers but invites men too to embrace a progressive outlook when it comes to matters of gender equity.


You’ve got to keep it consistent. We don’t grow to love someone because they keep us great company one evening, are kind to us on occasion, or pleasantly surprise us some time. It’s the significant and insignificant things they do consistently, and predictably through cloudy and sunny days, that wins us over. Brands like McDonalds, for example, deeply understand this. Be it San Francisco, Delhi, Tokyo or Moscow, if it’s a McDonalds you stop by, you can count on the same familiar quality, same-tasting, same modestly priced food served with signature convenience. Come rain, come shine. What’s not to love about the golden arches!


Give them reason to stay committed. In the same way that love fades when the people involved stop showing that they care for each other, love can fade for brands disconnected from their customers too. Many times, brands use loyalty programs – often a frequency-of-purchase-based program to lock-in customers to stay committed. But loyalty or commitment is rarely engendered if the intrinsic value of the purchase is not meaningful to the customer. Especially in times of restrained spending. 


Personalizing what’s on offer, making the purchase experience seamless and convenient, staying in touch with regular communication and offering value throughout the customer journey goes a long way. We can’t help but think of Apple, can we? With products known for their stunning design, stellar performance, and impeccable after-sales service, delivered by truly empowered Apple Store employees, being an Apple customer makes one feel part of a super-privileged club! When one’s investment is so richly rewarded, staying committed is not a hard decision.


In these times of data-driven performance marketing, some marketers might be tempted to pooh-pooh the notion of brand love. And yet, these same marketers will vouch for the value of using rational means to persuade customers to develop an emotionally driven, compelling disposition to the brand in one’s charge. Well, that’s why they say, in the end love always wins. Even, brand love.


Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-infosys-global-cmo-sumit-virmani-on-the-anatomy-of-brand-trust-36736.htm">Brand Breakthroughs: Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on 'The Anatomy of Brand Trust' </a>

Brand Breakthroughs: Infosys Global CMO on what it takes to love a brand

It doesn't matter which part of the world you live in, which sport you follow, or the team you cheer for – chances are that over the last couple of weeks, you too were swept away in the Olympics fervor as were the brands all around us! Little wonder then that marketers nurturing these brands were all looking to share in the love that fans have for their favorite sport or athlete. 

Several brands were jumping in, trying to get ahead of the others, in congratulating their national team or their brand ambassador athlete. In fact, some were near-reckless in their enthusiasm to get on the congratulatory bandwagon commending athletes that they have no real association with, sometimes, in the process, risking infringing promotional rights. Then again, that's a discussion for another time, another article.

For now, let's stick with brands and their exciting relationship with sports and sporting icons. Some of the biggest sporting events in the world, like the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, are marketing opportunities that brands plan for months and years ahead, often to unveil some of their biggest campaigns. After all, these events present unique and rare opportunities to connect with a large global audience in one stroke. Case in point - this year, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games was watched by 24.4 million people, including 1.2 million through video-on-demand services, making the show the most-watched event on French TV! 15 main sponsors – including big banner brands like Coca-Cola, Samsung, Airbnb – and 70 other companies made the most of the platform from a marketing perspective.

That said, there’s so much more than just audience-reach that determines the success of these sports marketing campaigns. The traditions of how and where brands present themselves and engage with their audiences are changing rapidly, and forward-thinking brands are quickly adapting. Let's delve into some of these shifts: 

Move over linear TV 

The monopoly of linear TV advertising, and big spender brands thereof, that has dominated live sports marketing is now all but ending. We’ve already seen how 18- to 34-year-olds watching the Super Bowl at home via cable plunged to 29%, while viewing on smart TVs and internet connected devices each grew by over 50%. Closer home, we’ve started to embrace connected TV for sports; The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup last year, for example, was relayed through India TV’s CTV platform.

And more recently, with the Olympics, the availability of streaming platforms and programmatic ad buying around the Games is enabling brands with more modest-sized budgets to participate meaningfully. They are also able to personalize targeting and engage individual households – advertising in ways more effective and efficient. And of course, connected TV advertising also offers the potential for interactivity, including shoppable ads. Gen Z, in the meantime, is getting all their sports content, like their news, through highlights and clips on social media. Content creators, influencers, athletes, and social media platforms are leading the way and brands are riding them for marketing. Have you caught the Visa’s ‘Small steps, Olympic dreams’ campaign yet? It aptly celebrates everyone striving to move closer to achieving their goals – financial or in sports – one step at a time.

More purposeful than mere logo-slapping

So many brands with deep pockets buy out much of the advertising inventory and dominate the mega sporting platforms. With all that high-decibel marketing, it’s often about who’s-outspending-who or doing something remarkable to help stand out from the crowd. Taking the second path means doing so much more than simply slapping the brand, alongside clever lines, across channels just to get visibility. It’s about building a credible and meaningful association for the brand where the value it promises is clearly demonstrated for everyone to easily appreciate. 

A good example is Alibaba and its commitment, made first in 2017 when it became Worldwide Olympic Partner, to help the International Olympic Committee transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. With its cloud infrastructure, cloud services, ticketing, and e-commerce platform services, Alibaba has transformed the Olympic fan experience. This year, for example, Alibaba has opened an interactive AI experience on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to engage fans and showcase the future of shopping during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The innovation lines up perfectly well with Alibaba's purpose – making it easy for businesses to do business anywhere.


Make it also about heart

We live in a complicated, sometimes needlessly tough and inconsiderate, world. The mental health and wellness of athletes is increasingly becoming part of mainstream sports conversations. Whether it is online and social media abuse of athletes or stress and burnout, these are issues that are part of the broader dialogue – especially suited for the big sporting moments which have the world’s attention. Brands will do well to contribute meaningfully and authentically in these and other such issue-based discussions. Asics, for example, has launched an initiative to help protect its sponsored athletes against online harassment and cyberbullying during major competitions. Partnering with Signify, a data science and AI company, Asics gives athletes access to services that support their personal and professional development and, importantly, helps reduce their exposure to toxic online content. 

Appearing as a sponsor of a big sporting events, especially consistently over a longer period, can signal positive brand associations and cue greater confidence in the brand. Done right, in addition to promoting their offerings, brands get an opportunity to ride trends and cultural moments that can make them more memorable globally. Such is the power of the mega sports platforms!

Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a fortnightly column series <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/brand-breakthroughs">'Brand Breakthroughs’</a> on Storyboard18.

Mega Sports Platforms: Infosys global CMO on the mega brand opportunity!

This happened to me a while ago. A colleague – no less than 40 years old, someone I’ve been working with for more than a decade now, used a word, that I’d never heard before, to describe a campaign we were discussing. Skibidi. While I learnt a new word that we laughed about soon enough – this colleague, you see, has a Gen Alpha kid back home. The incident, however, got me thinking about how this is no laughing matter really. 


Gen Alpha is that ignore-at-your-own-peril, highly influential ‘gateway generation’ bringing, in addition to new lingo, stimuli, information, brands, and even value-shifts to purchase-decision-makers in their homes – with the propensity to create tectonic changes in long-term consumer habits. 


So, if a brand were to win over Gen Alpha, then what the brand also has is a very strong, direct line of influence with the Millennial parents! And, just because much of Gen Alpha is still in their tweens, it would be a mistake to think of them as too young to make a dent. They are more empowered than any single generation before – larger in numbers, very digital, more than half of them with their own smart phones, their access to information near-unlimited, with awareness into social issues and readiness to speak up being unprecedented. This can move more than just the proverbial needle in a world where 9 in 10 parents say their kids influence their purchase decisions.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-27887.htm">Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands</a>


As brand custodians trying to secure a place for our labels in the minds and hearts of Gen A – you already know they are digital-first, mobile-first, deeply appreciate – even demand – hyper-personalization, and endorse brands that authentically support social justice, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. Here are three more markers, distinguishing them, that won’t hurt to remember, as we go about our business: 


They are as much creators as consumers 


For Gen A, the digital world is a place they were born into – core to their experience, responding to their curiosity, receptive to their nudges, providing the community to learn in, and the perfect playground when they want to play. For them, digital experiences are not just exploratory but participative and creative too. It’s important, then, that our brands don’t simply push their message to Generation Alpha, but rather invite them to interact, and develop content as an outcome. 


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-can-gen-ai-make-all-marketers-creative-29299.htm">Brand Breakthroughs: Can gen AI make all marketers creative?</a> 


For example, last year, Cadbury Gems’ new campaign called to these young customers to craft their own musical masterpieces. The brand created a microsite where gen A could score music in easy steps – just select three unique Gems-shaped buttons on a screen, mix and match the tunes of different genres and make their own music track. Responsive technology – they are familiar with from Roblox, Minecraft to Tik Tok – makes experiences like this very relatable for Gen A.


They learn visually, but get-to-the-point fast


For a generation multitasking on several digital screens, whose idea of play is likely a game online rather than with physical toys or even a game of tag with friends, buoyed by instant dopamine hits from social media – videos are, of course, their go-to for education and entertainment. Easily succumbing to distractions and having difficulty staying engaged are part of the Gen A package too. Short videos – especially those with useful tips and hacks work best with them. 


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/navigating-the-big-hurdle-to-the-gen-ai-promise-34000.htm">Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on navigating the big hurdle to the Gen AI promise</a>


A good example is the popularity of short and practical Get Ready With Me videos from the American beauty brand – Sephora. It allows pre-teen girls to feel older than their years and learn the ‘grown-up’ skill of makeup in a visually engaging way. Sephora, this way, is a step ahead when it comes to brand building with an emerging customer segment.


Influencers influence them, just not the ones you think


It’s not unusual for young people to look to other people – their own online friends or authentic guides – for ideas and advice. That’s why influencers can deeply influence Gen A. However, traditional celebrities might not hold the same appeal that they might have for the millennial generation. 


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-why-sports-must-be-key-to-your-brand-strategy-35460.htm">Brand Breakthroughs: Why sports must be key to your brand strategy</a> 


Influencers from among their peers, who have become stars on platforms like YouTube and TikTok are often more effective. In fact, even relatively ordinary people whose experiences are relatable and perspectives authentic can sway Gen Alpha. Our own experience at Infosys corroborates this hypothesis. When our engineers volunteer time to campaign in schools urging primary and middle-schoolers to choose computing and coding as careers, we often hear from educators that it significantly influences their young minds and has a life-altering positive impact. 


The next generation of consumers are here – an absolute goldmine for the marketer. And they are but children. So, the onus to be extremely responsible and abundantly conscientious in what we share with them continues to be that of brands.


Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.

Brand Breakthroughs: Decoding the Gen Alpha opportunity for brands

When it comes to brands, perception is reality. We already know that. That’s why, we marketers work so hard to build a desirable standing for the brands we nurture. And, of course, we want that reputation to be completely trusted. The challenge, however, with trust is that – unlike media inventory or campaign intensity – it cannot be bought or amplified with marketing spends; it must be earned. 

Trust cannot be talked about; it must be demonstrated – consistently. Perhaps, that’s why, trust is not just another nice-to-have brand attribute but a strategic asset that must be carefully nurtured and zealously protected. In fact, defining the brand’s promise and making sure it is delivered – lies at the very core of the company strategy.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-27887.htm">Read more: Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands</a> 

The drivers and dynamics that influence the business of branding have evolved over time. However, three forces have a stronger-than-ever play to reinforce the value of trust and bring it to the front and center of brand building: 

Promises you can keep

A few years ago, the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) studied 2,000 campaigns (run from 2018 to 2022) for whether they made an explicit customer promise and how that worked for the brand. They found that market penetration increased 45 percent and market share increased 27 percent following campaigns that made and kept a verifiable promise versus 38 percent and 17 percent respectively for campaigns that chose other communication strategies. 

The insight is telling – if we can evolve our customers from wondering if the brand will make good on its promise to simply take it for granted, purchases will start to become a habit – a matter of brand trust – rather than a go/no-go decision every time. Maruti Suzuki’s kam se kaam benega promise comes to mind. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-can-gen-ai-make-all-marketers-creative-29299.htm">Read more: Brand Breakthroughs: Can gen AI make all marketers creative?</a>

Unfailingly bringing cars high on value, from the early 80s, through decades of changing trends and continuous transformation, it’s little wonder that Maruti continues to enjoy dominant market share in India. It has always been important for companies to not disappoint customers – especially over the long term. Today, when the scale and speed of feedback – good, bad, and ugly – from the digital consumer is both instant and intense, it makes even more sense for brands to keep the promises that they make. 

Brands have a human side and humans err

Running a business is complex, mistakes are not uncommon, and customers are sometimes disappointed. Especially in these times when brands need to position themselves as culturally relevant and insert themselves into cultural conversations, the risk of getting it wrong is ever imminent. For example, Apple's recent iPad spot showing creative tools like paint, cameras and musical instruments crushed by a hydraulic press, prompted consumer backlash. Creative professionals and artists, already disturbed by AI’s impact on their jobs and lives, felt the company’s ad was callous and brutal. Apple issued a public apology. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-why-sports-must-be-key-to-your-brand-strategy-35460.htm">Read more: Brand Breakthroughs: Why sports must be key to your brand strategy</a>

The point is that brands won’t always see trouble coming but can almost always control how they respond. A sincere unambiguous apology followed by appropriate remedial action can make all the difference between a fresh start and lasting brand damage. Effective apologetic action not only shows the authenticity of the brand, but also demonstrates that the brand can be trusted to take responsibility for its actions. 

When in doubt, disclose

I believe an example from our own history, demonstrating complete transparency in dealing with clients, best illustrates this point. We had developed an application for a large global enterprise. The client had conducted acceptance testing and we were all set to conclude the project. At that point, one of the engineers on our team spotted an error in the application output. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/navigating-the-big-hurdle-to-the-gen-ai-promise-34000.htm">Read more: Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on navigating the big hurdle to the Gen AI promise</a>

The project leader immediately alerted the client to the error although that meant delay on the project and some additional cost to Infosys. But what we did earn through the early disclosure was the trust of our customer. As Infosys has grown, expectations have risen too. However, the motto ‘disclose when in doubt’ continues to guide the brand to earn and keep the trust of its stakeholders.

The Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report, in 2024 as in the preceding years, sees businesses emerge once again as the only trusted institutions (as against NGOs, Government and Media). In this environment, brands have an incredible opportunity – to embrace the right tactics, walk the purpose they talk about, and build on this foundation of trust to grow and share the value more broadly.

Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.

Brand Breakthroughs: Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on 'The Anatomy of Brand Trust'

Culture, cuisine, community, customs – all of these differ for people the world over, and yet, when it comes to sports the draw is universal. The actual game that matters to one community may differ from another, of course, but the feeling of connectedness to the sport, the enthusiasm, the emotions that then lead to loyal fandom are uncannily similar. And unequivocally strong.


This is not lost on keepers of brands. For decades, now, marketers have sought to tap into the sports fans’ passionate loyalty for their favorite game in concerted attempts to get some share of it for the brands in their keeping. And there’s almost a formula that seems to be working here for those that get it right.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-27887.htm">Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands </a>


They pick right. While it may seem like a complex decision to make, the choice is, in fact, based on a few clear factors – First, zero in on the sport that naturally appeals to your stakeholder groups – from potential employees to purchase decision-makers. Appeal across generations is a bonus. Second, look for the sport with an active following in the markets that are key for your business. 


Third – a sport that offers visibility yearlong – after all, you look for consistency and not flash-in-the-pan exposure. Finally and possibly most important is meaningful collaboration – sports marketing must go beyond logo visibility. For example, Tata Motors’ sponsorship of wrestling, including its support for the Wrestling Federation of India, aligns Tata Motors with attributes of strength and endurance, synonymous with both the sport and the rugged nature of Tata’s vehicle lineup. It feels authentic every way you look at it.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/navigating-the-big-hurdle-to-the-gen-ai-promise-34000.htm">Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on navigating the big hurdle to the Gen AI promise</a>


Purpose leads their way. Making that meaningful association – sport and brand – is key. Brands that align their sports marketing to their purpose know that their efforts tie back to the core of the very reason their business exists, with the deepest engagement from their top team, clients, and broader stakeholders. The outcomes of such sports partnerships deliver concrete positive results. Take for instance, how Infosys’ purpose – to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses, and communities – is the very essence of the work we do with the tennis ecosystem. 


Infosys’ partnership with the sport of tennis is truly about amplifying the game for all its stakeholders with digital technology and AI. With this we create the next opportunity to bring tennis alive for a billion-strong huge fan base that can’t all be there in-person for the grand slams, for players and coaches who need to up their game, for tournament organizers who must run the show profitably, and even wider communities where the collaboration aims to improve the lives of the less privileged. 


Theirs is the long game. And holistic too. Sports marketing, at its best, is not about logo-slapping for visibility, or even about cheering a winning team or athlete, it’s about building equity with and winning over a community that bonds over the chosen sport. That, like any relationship building, is best evolved over time, using multiple channels. Goodyear’s partnership with NASCAR for nearly 7 decades is a fascinating example. From making tires for the race cars, and sponsoring coveted racing awards, to preserving the history of the sport and helping deserving students ‘race ahead’ with scholarships for education, their approach is the stuff sports marketing playbooks are made of.


Marketers, compelling as they find the value of sports marketing, are sometimes deterred by the significant spending it is perceived to entail. While that may well be true in the case of marquee sporting events like the World Cup or the Super Bowl, systematically committing to the approach we walked through and nurturing opportunities that are truly a best-fit, purposeful, and thoughtfully honed with time can create disproportionate value. And no, you won’t have to break a bank either.


Sumit Virmani is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/brand-breakthroughs-can-gen-ai-make-all-marketers-creative-29299.htm">Brand Breakthroughs: Can gen AI make all marketers creative?</a>

Brand Breakthroughs: Why sports must be key to your brand strategy

The potential of AI – especially gen AI – has captured the imagination of marketers. The creativity that builders of brands are demonstrating as they use this wonder tech, matched by the speed at which the technology itself is advancing – leaves us with little doubt that generative AI is here to stay with us marketers. 

But the outcomes we generate can be as distinctly different as our approaches. We could get exponentially more productive, more creative. Or, at the other end, create for ourselves a recipe for chaos and disastrous decisions. The difference lies in one strong differentiator – the structured and unstructured data foundation – which is the bedrock for positive results when it comes to gen AI-powered programs. Indeed, that much bandied 'garbage in, garbage out' pattern can sabotage the efficacy of even the most well-intentioned, well thought out gen AI-powered activations. 


So, what then are the cardinal rules of cultivating data for gen AI to effectively amplify marketing efforts? Here’s a way to start to think about it:


Dig Deeper for Context: It takes both must-have and nice-to-have layers of quality data to provide the richness of context for generative AI to effectively perform even a routine marketing task. An absolute essential is data that brings lucidity to instructions that describe the task to be performed. For example, comprehensive inputs on approved colors, fonts and tone of voice when performing a brand guidelines compliance check. Beyond mere instructions, holistic knowledge can enrich outcomes. Continuing with the example of brand guidelines check, this data could include FAQs, discussion forum content, and even the entirety of the content of the brand guidelines. Data that builds knowledge can also include examples of common mistakes to avoid when applying the guidelines. 


Factoring in insight into user personas and their work context is great input too. For example, some marketing roles demand creatively rich output and for some others a relatively simple and plain production works best. The brand guidelines need to support both contexts – but differently. Data about the history of the interaction with the brand guidelines can help generative AI respond better to the marketer’s need. Industry best practices are a layer of data that can add immense value too.


Bust the Silos: Generative AI has transformative potential when it comes to crafting personalized customer experiences at scale. Marketers know they can use it to drive a multi-channel, data-driven approach to tailored interactions that match individual preferences and customer behaviors. Very often, in our enthusiasm to get ahead, we marketers invest in several AI-powered point solutions to add to our tech stack. And each solution, in the absence of a single pane view into customers, works from a siloed dataset to build its personalization model. 


The result – every tool addresses a different aspect of the customer experience or journey, with little to no context of what another tool may be delivering referencing a completely different dataset but for the same customer. The outcomes, in such a scenario, can be far from desirable. For example, Air Canada was ordered to pay damages to a passenger after its virtual assistant gave him incorrect information about lowered bereavement fares that the airline then determined that he was not eligible to claim. Creating a data fabric – that’s a single source of customer truth for buyer profile, purchase history, record of complaints, level of satisfaction and likelihood to churn – is an essential prelude to harnessing gen AI for marketing.


Better Safe than Sorry: Making sure data is reliable, checked for bias, trustworthy, and actionable before starting a gen AI marketing implementation is non-negotiable. So is prioritizing privacy and security of data. This determines that the data used to train generative AI systems is collected and managed legally and ethically; that the resultant gen AI-powered applications will not discriminate against any particular customer group, deceive users or cause invasion of individuals’ privacy. 


It is also important to institute privacy and security processes that safeguard data against potential risks like unauthorized access or breaches. While this might seem like something we marketers, who’ve been data-powering our programs for a while now, would already have housekeeping for, it’s still not uncommon to read about a brand whose slip was amplified by gen AI into a PR nightmare. 


A first footing forward is to invest in a unified data management system that consolidates data from various sources – apps, CRM, social media, you name it – into neatly organized customer profiles. This holistic view of the organization’s data means better data management made easy and ready reliable insights too!


Hard as it is, it’s also that simple: If your data isn’t ready for gen AI, your marketing isn’t ready for gen AI. 


Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.

Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on navigating the big hurdle to the Gen AI promise

The economy continues to send us mixed signals; growth continues in modest spurts for companies that’ve adapted to the tough macroeconomic environment, while for others the prospects look relatively bleak in the near term. 
Universally, however, there continues to be a tightening of belts and focus on productivity that inevitably creates growing pressure on marketing budgets. In an environment of constraints, no doubt, marketing investments must be reviewed, but if optimization is driven with a shortsighted approach of near-term performance alone, it has the potential to backfire and bring unwelcome long-term business consequences. The test then, for marketers, is to eliminate inefficient spends and reinvest the saving in investments that balance the short-term growth acceleration with a long-term agenda to secure market share gains. It’s up to marketing to create a resilient impact framework that helps the business outlast the storm and set sail confidently when the headwinds calm down.

Sharp focus on trust, technology and talent can help marketers navigate this environment and reinforce the function’s role as a strategic partner for the business.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-27887.htm">Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands</a>


Trust: The Edelman Trust Barometer 2024 has identified businesses as being more trusted, than any other institution, to integrate innovation and constructive change into society. This is a great opportunity for brands to live up to customers’ high expectations. Articulating a stated brand purpose and staying true to it is one of the most compelling ways to clearly establish authenticity and trust. Another dimension of trust that marketing leaders can benefit from is elevating trust for the function internally – by aligning the marketing agenda more tightly to the organization’s growth aspirations, sharing goals with the business, and embracing metrics that are acknowledged as material by the organization’s leadership.

Technology: Cutting edge digital technology is all set to empower marketers with unique superpowers. Especially AI, that is beginning to deliver on its potential. Embracing it for marketing, and that too in a muted economic environment, can be a gamechanger, in terms of both innovation and business impact. Investing in building a robust data foundation along with the right technology stack can not only help marketers grab the low hanging fruit of productivity, but also hyper-personalize their outreach – a challenge that has eluded a truly gripping solution for decades. The maturing of gen AI and large language models also holds incredible promise for marketing applications. Every marketer knows that they must quickly learn how to include it as an integral part of not just their efficiency and effectiveness programs, but for true creative leaps in brand experience as well.

Talent: The disruption brought about by technology, more specifically gen AI, is potentially the biggest ever that most seasoned marketers might see in their lifetime. Success in an AI-first world will depend on human imagination – amplified by AI, and that means learning the skills of the future – significantly different from the skills we’ve nurtured so far. Our teams need to embrace a two-pronged reskilling strategy – learn how to leverage AI in their business-as-usual messaging, building campaigns or making channel choices – while simultaneously learning to sharpen their human skills – curiosity, empathy, and imagination – everything that AI cannot do. Perhaps, most important, is the ability to grow the team’s learnability – willingness to unlearn and learn – because increasingly, as technology commoditizes many functional skills, it is the ability to know what’s next that’ll make all the difference.

Yet, for many of us, being able to do it all means being able to, first, protect the function from the potential risk of diminishing investments and subsequently weakening business relevance. I’ve found that it goes a long way when you have the right metrics and language to convince the business that you are taking on the same challenge as them all – growth and market share. So, the next time you are tempted to convince the C-suite about the value of a new campaign, pitch the outcome’s correlation to business performance and profitability. Because that indeed is where the value of marketing truly accrues in the long term. 

Sumit Virmani is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Infosys. He writes a fortnightly column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.

Marketing for growth: Connecting campaign outcome with business performance

They say, good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart. Clearly, that takes intelligence and imagination. In other words – marketing is really all about creativity that breaks through the clutter and reaches the customer in unique ways that make an impression. 


Now, what if we were suddenly endowed with a superpower that makes it possible to come up with creative means to engage with our target audience more easily and faster than ever before? Is AI indeed that new creative superpower that can put human imagination on steroids? 


When it comes to amplifying human potential for creativity, AI, especially generative AI, can contribute significantly. Making written and visual communicating easier. Idea generation, thought-starters, personalized content development, image and video generation, even press release generation are all areas that gen AI can impact. 


Several brands, including Infosys, now routinely use gen AI to develop copy, design and video output. Brands like Unilever, in fact, have created their own gen AI tools suite, Homer, to develop promotional copy. In fact, entire campaigns can now hinge on artificial intelligence-powered execution. Remember how Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk used gen AI, and working along with filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, helped couples create beautiful memoirs on Valentine’s Day as part of their campaign? 


Hyper-personalizing outreach. Gen AI can also help make granular analyses of consumer behavior and then generate creative content based on this deep understanding of how customer segments engage with various messages. For example, Instacart, the American grocery delivery service, figured that questions around meal planning are common for people to ask ChatGPT. They created a plugin for ChatGPT with OpenAI. 


The plugin lets customers ask recipe-related questions like, ‘I have carrots and rice. What's a diabetic-friendly meal I can make, and what other ingredients should I buy?’ or ‘Give me vegan meal ideas for my picky toddler?’ A few clicks and the add-on ingredients can be added to the shopping cart. The promise of hyper-personalisation that has eluded marketers for years can finally be a reality.


Rapid ideation and experimentation: Gen AI is a great resource for marketers to stay abreast of emerging and changing consumer sentiments, and to test new opportunities to be creative. It is also accelerating idea generation, quickly improving ideas and helping brands speed up time to market. For example, Mattel, for their Hot Wheels product line development used Dall-e to generate four times as many product concept images as before, as also to inspire some of their coolest new features and designs. 


Making cocreation easier: Every marketer dreams of bringing in their community of buyers and potential buyers to be part of the brand promotion process and participate in advocating for and cheering the brand. Gen AI is a making this consumer-community flywheel truly work harder and smarter for brands. 


For example, we launched #RAFAFOREVER, an AI-first experience to give a billion tennis fans an opportunity to celebrate the greatness of Rafael Nadal, Infosys brand ambassador with a personalized artwork, powered by AI. The creativity it unleashed got thousands of tennis fans to join in the celebration and in the process shone light on the Infosys brand too. And yet, AI is only as good as the humans collaborating with it. 


Seasoned marketers have heard this said before, ‘A well-defined brief, is a campaign already half-complete’. Tight problem-framing is half of all creativity, and problem-framing – along with asking difficult questions and factoring in the sensitivities of context – is still firmly in the human domain. That said, gen AI is that wonderful amplifier that allows more and more marketers, to participate in the creative process more easily, in a more mature way. 


That’s why it is revolutionizing creativity in marketing and must be added to the power-tools in every marketer’s kit. However, what we know as true creativity – the ability to conceive a unique marketing solution to fit a unique context, something that has never been done before – is no commodity. And not something that gen AI is likely to democratize anytime soon.


Sumit Virmani is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Infosys. He writes a fortnightly column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18. 


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/purpose-the-cornerstone-of-timeless-brands-2-29294.htm">Purpose: The cornerstone of timeless brands</a>

Brand Breakthroughs: Can gen AI make all marketers creative?

Attraction. That’s the trigger for most relationships. But that first pull alone is rarely enough to sustain a relationship; a deeper connection needs to be nurtured for relationships to survive. It’s no different with brands. Would you buy, when prompted by an Instagram ad, from a brand you’d never heard of before? 


Possibly. Would you seek out that same brand actively after, and make another purchase? Unlikely, unless the experience was overwhelmingly positive, else you’d likely fall back on your established favorites. Right there lies the reason why brands need to build relationships with their customers. They need tribes that feel emotionally invested in the brand to come back to make repeat purchases. 


Building that kind of deep emotional connection, we know, is done by being authentic, practicing empathy, identifying what drives the other, and showing one’s caring side. To do this, brands that stand the test of time, embrace a constant purpose striving to achieve more than just profits and shareholder returns. They ask themselves what the world would lose if their brand were to disappear – the why of their existence. They then ponder how they can deliver something of a higher order benefit inspired by their why – that can win customers’ hearts. 


Several brands have been getting this right for decades. Here are two examples. Patagonia, the outdoor recreation clothing brand, is committed to “saving our home planet”. They see their reason grow more relevant as the climate crisis deepens. They donate time, services and at least 1 percent of sales to help hundreds of grassroots organizations remain vigilant, appreciate and protect natural life and resources that face the threat of extinction. 


By authentically connecting with people that share their values, they have run a thriving business for five decades and have #1 market share in the outdoor apparel market. Tony’s Chocolonely, on the other hand, has a stated mission to make all chocolate 100 percent slave-free. They deliberately choose to work in Ghana and Ivory Coast, to source cocoa, where millions of children work in illegal circumstances and are victims of slavery. The brand believes that working in these countries, gives them the opportunity to make a positive impact where the worst problems are.


Recent times have brought in questions. With ESG-backlash making headlines in 2023, there have been ongoing purpose vs profit debates. That if a business’ core focus is to do good, then that is focus diverted from making money for shareholders. A counternarrative is that if the brand has a do-good agenda at its core, there’s no conflict then with making money. 


The more the business sells its service or product, the more impact it creates, as well as more profit. By making place for purpose at the core of its business, companies can actually make profits and change the world for the better. At Infosys, for example, we provide digital training to employees worldwide, with a goal of teaching 10 million people by 2025. 


Since inception, we’ve honed our foundational core to make learning at this scale a reality because that’s what we’ve been doing with our hundreds of thousands of employees over the decades. It moves the business forward, empowers our people, and they in turn enable others. It’s fully aligned to our purpose of creating the next opportunity for all. 


If purpose is core to the business and not embraced to just drive a marketing narrative, finding the right balance between profit and purpose shouldn’t be a struggle. This ties back to the perils of purpose-washing; building trust in a brand takes time and effort, and using empty slogans and vague promises to appear purpose-driven can severely damage a brand's credibility.


The moment a brand is born, the pressure for it to stay relevant is also born. Timeless brands never stop changing with changing times, and yet remain unchangingly recognizable and comfortingly familiar at the same time. Their purpose is often that unchanging core of the brand, the same one that first won them a place in their customers’ minds.


Sumit Virmani is the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Infosys. He writes a column series 'Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.

BRAND BREAKTHROUGHS