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Magic of the Millennium Marketing

Neena Haridas in New Delhi

It is apocalypse for the doomsayers, Y2K for the bug-busters and just another year for the stoics. But for the dream merchants, the first year of the New Millennium is a not-to-be-missed opportunity.

With just under two months left for the first dawn of the 21st century, marketers are using all the tricks in the books to gain customer attention.

Sample this: Y2K make-up from Max Factor, AD2000 watch from Alfred Dunhill, 2000 tissues from Jackson, Millennium Menu at 5-star hotels, Millennium digital television sets from Samsung, Millennium casseroles and cutlery. Well, that is a sample.

Adding excitement to the drama are the Old Rivals, the cola kings. Pepsi released advertisements bearing the 'I Will Change The Millennium' punchline aimed at the youth. Coca-Cola is promoting Sprite with this line: 'Century ko badalne wala drink is century mein nahin bana.' (A drink that can change the century has not been made in this century.)

If consumers find in this an overdose of 'millennium marketing', they can go take a hike -- literally. They can pack their stuff in VIP Millennium Suitcase and fly/sail off to the oceans to watch the first sunrays of 2000 in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Or choose from a zillion millennium packages offered by millions of travel agencies across the world.

Singapore could be an option. The island-nation is hosting MillenniaMania for tourists. It launched the promotion in June 1999 which will go on till June 2000. Leslie Chan, director, South Asia, the Singapore Tourism Board, says, "Singapore's an eventful city.'' It is simply appropriating the biggest event of the century. To good effect, claims Chan. "For the eight months of the promotion, we've seen a 40 per cent growth over last year. But this event will put Singapore on the tourism map forever."

There are a few first movers in India too. The consumer durables industry has advanced the millennium bash by a couple of months to coincide with the usual Diwali-time promotions. The plan is to time the crescendo to New Year eve. Samsung's Millennium Digital Campaign offers a free gift with the purchase of any Samsung product. Philips which is trying hard to corner a decent share of the CTV market, has launched Offeron Ka Badshah and BPL has the Famili 2000 offer. Both guarantee freebies on every purchase.

J H Park, vice president-marketing, Samsung India, says, "The millennium signifies a new future, which is our emotional linkage with the consumer. In this future, digital products will lead the way, which is why our campaign for digital products is called the Millennium campaign.''

The last quarter is usually the best sales season. The Consumer Electronics and Television Manufacturers' Association president KS Raman says, "Sales graphs often curve an extra 30 per cent as consumers tend to indulge for Diwali, Christmas and the north Indian wedding season during October-November. Probably, this is the reason why advertisers have simply extended festival bonus season into a seamless run-up to the next century."

Fiat Auto has another reason to celebrate: 100 years in business. The company will have a new logo. Other auto companies are lining up new models for the new millennium. Maruti will launch the Baleno, Honda the Accent. Ford's Ikon is set to enter the scene with a 'yours truly Indian' tag. Commemorative editions are likely. Ford which is famous for its special editions such as the Escort Freedom, might launch a limited millennial edition.

Then there are the superfast moving consumer goods: personal care and beauty products, Eagle casseroles, Shield cutlery, M&M's Candy of the New Millennium. And some more: Warner Brothers has a special show called the Mil-Looney-Um shows and Disney classic Fantasia 2000. "The idea is to set a tone to get positive messages out. That's what our millennium celebrations are about,'' says Shane Hunt, head of marketing at Walt Disney.

But the best offerings could be from the celebration companies themselves. Chateau Indage is launching a Brut Rose -- that is, sparkling pink wine for teetotallers -- which will be branded Grande Cuvee d'Millennium. Hansraj Ahuja, vice president, Chateau Indage, says, ``We expect sales to jump by 30 to 40 per cent as compared to last year.'' Bacardi is ready for the blast with Millennium Meltdown parties. Mahesh Madhavan, general manager (marketing), says: "The idea is to give the feel of a party to the consumer, so the vibrancy of the brand remains at the top of his mind. So when buying the brand, he associates with it the good time he had.''

While increased sales are the common target, for many, the unusual new year promotions are an attempt to build a long-term relationship with the customers. "You see, the new millennium has significant meaning to consumers in many countries at a deeper, emotional level. They associate the millennium with everything from potential catastrophe to a cause for celebration,'' says Joe Plummer, executive vice-president, McCann-Erickson Worldwide.

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