Sify sends in a Trojan Horse

Sify and O&M delve into a Greek classic to come up with an innovative DM campaign.

THE WOODEN IMAGE of the Trojan Horse Sify used in its campaign. - Bijoy Ghosh

Inspired by the classics, you would think, but the movie was fresh in their minds. In any case, it made the target audience sit up and take note, and that's what counts.

Sify and Ogilvy & Mather recently came up with an innovative direct marketing (DM) campaign that used the Trojan Horse motif to create awareness among corporates about Sify Assure, its information security service. Mohit Madhok, Senior Manager (Marketing), Enterprise Solutions, Sify, says the company sought to gain mindshare for its product with this campaign which went on to garner a 47 per cent response, quite rare for a DM campaign in the IT industry.

Trojan Horse also refers to malicious computer software that looks harmless to the user but actually contains a computer virus or spyware. "One of the reasons for choosing this concept was that our target audience identified/related to it as computer virus as well as for the ever popular story. We thought it would be appropriate as it related to both the breach of Troy, which was always thought to be impenetrable, as well as a computer virus which could destroy your precious data," says Madhok, adding that today's corporates are not sensitive to information security despite the great risk.

He says the Trojan Horse family of viruses is the most popular among hackers as it sits on computers without their users knowing it is there.

Sify's strategy was to drive home the point to 439 CEOs and CTOs by sending them a wooden horse with a trapdoor in its belly which contained a note saying `Your security has been breached.' It urged them to log on to a Web site with a unique password (for each person) mentioned in the note and greeted them by name with a letter introducing Sify Assure and case studies of security breaches in firms.

Lodged within the unique password was code that enabled Sify to identify which head honcho had logged in. Sify's call centre would then call him or her to judge their interest, and if they were classified a hot prospect, would go on to fix an appointment to discuss the product. Those who had not logged in would be sent a reminder three days later.

"The idea was more to educate the client and gain mindshare, not to sell right away as it's a long process," says Madhok, adding that they didn't push a prospect beyond a couple of attempts. Demonstrations and security hazard assessment need to be carried out before the sale can go through. Also, "IT budgets - the last thing corporates want to spend on is security, they are more concerned with providing their employees with laptops" says Madhok, adding, that once the CEO/CTO is convinced, however, selling it is simple. "Security will be breached," he says confidently.

S. R. Kannan, Head (Security Services), Enterprise Solutions, says any high-profile industry in public mindspace is vulnerable to information security breaches. Generally, these include banks and other firms in the financial sector, insurance companies, utilities such as electricity boards (though this is more the case abroad) and BPOs and ITES companies. Pharmaceutical firms too are highly susceptible.

The campaign also served to build equity for Sify Assure, which was rebranded as such after Sify acquired information assurance solutions provider EAP Global in 2004.

Of the 439 mailers sent, 199 prospects logged in, which is a 44.6 per cent response. For a DM campaign in the IT industry, this is a first, says Madhok.

Christabelle Howie, Management Supervisor at O&M, Chennai, says the campaign sought to meet its objective by evoking curiosity, or even fear that information would be hacked. "We knew it would be undoubtedly successful," she says, adding that it built good relationships between the company and the prospects and "ended with a good laugh." Initially, a few prospects were upset about having been given a scare. O&M is even considering entering this award for the Effies next year.

The wooden horses, each hand-made, cost Rs 350 a piece. "If we had branded the horse, the campaign may not have been such a big success," says Madhok, "people wouldn't have liked to display it." They also decided not to make the wheels move because people would then tend to turn it into a toy. Rather than recognise it for the reminder it is meant to be!

The legend

According to legend, the long drawn out Trojan War was fought over Helen of Sparta (a Greek polis) who had been carried away by Paris of Troy. Finally, the Greeks tricked the citizens of Troy into accepting a large wooden horse (in which they had hidden their warriors) as a sign of the latter's victory. During the night, the warriors emerged and overran the city. Helen was returned to her husband, Menelaus.