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Get chatty, virtually
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Asin launched Spinz.in, a website for women
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TIME TO BOND Asin at the Spinz.in launch PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN
We all know that Cyndi Lauper mantra of the 1980s -"Girls just wanna have fun." Now just add a cyber twist to it: Girls just wanna have fun online. They want to chat, hang out, and express themselves in cyberspace, and with the growing Internet penetration in urban India, that's just what they're doing.
"Forty five per cent of Indian women online are students and professionals under the age of 25," says Soumik Chakroborthy, marketing manager of CavinKare, at the recent launch of their website for young women, Spinz.in. "With more and more schools and colleges providing Internet access, that number is only going to rise."
And what's more, their Internet usage patterns are different from that of the guys. "Men tend to go online more to gather specific information and news, while women are more likely to spend two to four hours at a time, browsing, chatting and sharing information," he says.
So it isn't surprising that companies
such as CavinKare and Sunsilk are beginning
to use the Internet as a medium
to connect with their target audience -
young, urban women. Like Sunsilk's
`Gang of Girls' initiative, Spinz.in is an
online community for young girls to get
together and chat about hangouts, fashion
and style, movies and express themselves
on blogs or by sharing stories and
poems.
"With a website like this, the brand
becomes a facilitator - it helps young
women find information on their interests
and share their views with others
like them," says Ramesh Viswanathan,
executive director of CavinKare.
The website, aimed at young consumers
of CavinKare's line of Spinz perfumed
deodorants, greets you with an
`attitude test' and tells you if you're an
`Electrifying Hottie' or an `Angelic Diva'.
You can also post a picture of yourself
with a group of friends and win a chance
to host a New Year's party for your
friends at a five-star restaurant.
Clearly, the point isn't to directly sell
the brand to the girls, it's to encourage
them to do what they do best, chat, giggle
and gossip amongst themselves. And
while they do that, the company gets a
window into their lives, likes and loves.
"It gives us a chance to understand
young people - what's cool and what's
not, what looks and colours are in," says
Viswanathan.
Asin, brand ambassador of Spinz,
launched the website at the Accord Metropolitan
amid much excitement from
the audience of college girls and media
people alike.
"Girls are always big on communicating
and bonding with one another," says
the actor who uses the Net to stay connected
with family and friends when
she's shooting. "Virtual communities
such as Spinz.in give them a fun opportunity
to do it."
DIVYA KUMAR
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