From creating a campaign with a meme character to prominently using the brand's tagline everywhere, Paytm India's topical marketing strategy revolves around their core branding ethos, we take a closer look.
'Paytm Karo' has become a phrase that's akin to making a digital payment by scanning a QR code. The phenomenon has not happened in isolation — Paytm India's topical marketing strategy and overall branding communication have been leveraged over time to reiterate and extend this narrative among users. Humour, and relevant humour at that, has helped the brand become an intangible part of their users' lives. They are able to find branding opportunities in mundane online trends, instantly becoming part of a larger, topical conversation.
Be Quick & Relevant
Minutes after demonetisation was announced in the country, Paytm had tweeted — We have got two words for you: Paytm Karo. It was an excellent example of a brand putting up a piece of relevant and timely communication. It would not have been successful had the tweet been made later or if it was complex. It worked because it was simple. Sometimes simple is all it takes to create waves, indeed!
Add Branding To Memes
When Yashraj Mukhate's Rasode Mein Kaun Tha rendition picked up steam and brands jumped in to leverage the topical wave, Paytm went a step further. They roped in Rupal Patel for a campaign called "Phone Par Kaun Tha?". In the video, she can be seen speaking similarly, and the setting chosen for the shoot is that of a kitchen. With this campaign, Paytm was able to take a topical conversation and own it — literally!
Stay True To Tagline
Paytm India's marketing strategy's success lies in how they incorporate their tagline, 'Paytm Karo', everywhere! Sometimes, slight variations are used. This helps in reiterating and drilling the brand ethos in the minds of their current users as well as potential users. Though the same strategy is also evident in their overall communication, it's always intriguing to see how the brand is able to draw relevant parallels in all topical moment posts.
Link Topical Format To Usual Communication
While topical formats help Paytm garner traction on social media and participate in trending conversations, it is important to note what they communicate after they have been successful in gaining the said attention. It can be observed that they mostly link it to whatever line of regular communication they are following at the time. These topical posts are simply a replacement for a planned post — part of the communication cycle and not an anomaly.
Play Around With Words
Paytm often takes a colloquial approach in their creatives and copies for social media. While they almost exclusively follow the roman script, they often use Hindi words in the communication. This helps bring the said copies to a level where they feel like comments/insights being shared by a friend than a brand or a business. It helps break barriers and make the brand seem more inclusive and approachable.
Make The Most of Partnerships
Paytm has a brand aura where cricket fits in perfectly. This is something that can be observed from their communication around the last IPL. They had put up numerous posts — some with a direct connection with their products and others that can be seen as more as live commentary than brand communication. In both ways, the social media communication thus put forth leveraged their partnership with IPL to the hilt — in entertaining ways.
Let Product Be The Hero
A large part of the social media communication of Paytm India features screenshots of their app (product). Though overtly promotional in nature, these creatives are able to cut through the clutter as relatable meme content pieces rather than an advertisement. Their product is the hero of all their posts and communication.
Paytm India's strength on social media lies in its ability to integrate topical moments in its overall marketing strategy — with evident ease. Humour is the most important element at play, something that helps them create uniquely relevant narratives to garner space and attention.
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