Arya, Executive Director- Marketing, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, discusses leveraging technology for the brand's marketing and customer care needs Typically, the cement industry has eschewed technology, relying largely on channel penetration and outreach to construction contractors. But, industry players like Dalmia Cement are now quickly establishing a meaningful presence on all channels to ensure deeper connect with end consumers using various marketing channels. The brand’s investments in digital, including marketing activities, have grown 4x in the last two financial years, and a larger portion of its overall marketing spends. Dalmia Cement is India’s 4^th largest cement company with marquee brands- Dalmia Cement, Konark Cement and Dalmia DSP Cement across 22 states and union territories across the country. Over the last two years, the company has made significant investments in marketing and customer care using technology. These investments are now bearing fruit, with customers able to get access to learning about the construction process, product choice and availability at the click of a button. To give more insights on the same, exchange4media interacted with Pramesh Arya, Executive Director- Marketing, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited where he talked about on marketing and customer care investments using technology and more.

Like every other business, Dalmia cement too witnessed challenging months said Arya. “The initial phase was a complete stop of activity. But, we were active on the ground taking stock of the sudden situation. We reached out to labours to help them with essential services, reconnected with contractors and more. Gradually, cement being essential services was allowed to move and business started to come back on track”. Talking about key learnings during the past months, he said, “Being agile, staying connected and adapting to technology is the need of the hour”. Marketing brand ‘Dalmia Cement’ There has been a significant shift in consumer sentiment in these challenging times. They have become more obsessed with safety and hygiene now with the heightened sensitivity of being at home. Commenting on changes in consumer behaviour, Arya said, “There is a greater concentration on health and increased sensitivity towards hygiene and personal care. Along with giving acceleration to the digital economy, consumers have also become conscious of their environment”. Putting the spotlight on marketing interventions, the Director-Marketing talked about a digital campaign- Apni Personal Space- which focusses on consumers’ lives during the coronavirus induced lockdown. The campaign was led by two digital films- which focus on the family life of two couples, and how they see their present and future, of living together with the challenges and joys of being at home for a prolonged period. The campaign’s main insight, ‘It’s not just about staying together, but staying together, happily’ drove the narrative forward. Arya offered insights into the campaign: “The last few months have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. During our field teams’ outreach efforts, we learnt consumers around the country have already been thinking about how to make their homes future ready. All of us are thinking about our quality of life in a new manner today, and Dalmia Cement’s promise of Future Today will help consumers take this thought forward in their home building journey.” “The campaign received 12 million impressions across Dalmia Cement's key markets across the country till date”, informed Arya. Leveraging digital and technological infrastructure The brand launched some out-of-box programs in order to leverage digital and form a stronger technological infrastructure. Shining light on some of their initiatives, Arya said, “Whatsapp-based bot is used to understand product availability, booking with our technical services team and Amazon Alexa-based presence so that customers can get answers to frequently asked questions about home construction. There are digital-only campaigns that run across search, display, video and influencer marketing, increasing the brand’s awareness and consideration.” He also added about digital platforms like Dalmia Delight for engagement with dealers and construction contractors called Dalmia Masters. Arya also informed us about a new consumer app that is to be launched during Q4 FY20, which will guide consumers through the home building process. A revamped website is also in the offing, which will offer consumers a complete guide through the home building process. According to Arya, robust data is required to optimize logistics and have a repository of data at a place for the smooth functioning of the system. Festive season This year’s festive season was different for brands as well as consumers. Businesses across categories aimed for revival and return of normalcy. It was the same for Dalmia Cement as well, said Arya. “This festive quarter was better than the previous quarters. We witnessed a business revival in Oct-Nov quarter due to an increase in demand for cement across government as well as private sectors,” concluded Arya.