Acquisition project | Norton
📄

Acquisition project | Norton


Problem

Lets consider specific behaviours of two different individuals:

  1. Person A is active on Social media, shops often, subscribes to newsletters, signs up to websites and believes that they can interact however they want online.
  2. Person B is very limited in their activity of Social Media, very particular about privacy settings in their Social media, only subscribes, signs up to reputed brands, own 2 phone numbers and 6 email addresses & NEVER share their primary email to people/businesses they don't know.

What's common between these two individuals? They both constantly receive messages in their phone/WhatsApp like the example below.

Screenshot_2024-04-09-14-23-05-68_6012fa4d4ddec268fc5c7112cbb265e7.jpg Screenshot_2024-04-09-14-19-26-24_0ce57feeccaa51fb7deed04b4dbda235.jpg


Relatable? What do you do when you receive emails, messages, calls like these? Block them, report as spam, ignore, delete?

Do they work addressing the particular incident? - Absolutely!

Does it solve any possible future occurrences? Absolutely no!

Does it tell you why you are receiving a flurry of these uncalled attempts? Absolutely not!

If you have been a victim to unsolicited calls, messages such as these, chances are that your data has been breached and its being "sold" or "auctioned" to the highest bidder. Your data is one of the 16.7 Billion accounts that have been breached since 2004. Some more facts:

  • Globally, a single email address is breached around 3 times
  • For every 100 people, 77 unique email addresses are breached.
  • On an average, 209 accounts are breached per 100 people.


Lets look at similar facts for India:

  • There were a total of 294 Million accounts breached in India since 2004
    • This accounts for over 1.8% of the global breaches
  • There has been a 117% increase in breach rate in Q4'2023 over Q3'2023 - Yes, that's in 3 months. One quarter.
  • There are over 10K breaches per 100K people. Don't think that ratio is too high?
    • From a population of over 1.4B - 750M use the internet. Thats a little over half of the population
    • +320M internet users belong to the "urban population".

Lets look at the biggest breaches reported this decade:


IndiaMart

Bigbasket

RailYatri

Aadhar breach

Rentomojo

Kewal Kiran

Breach reported date

Aug'2021

Oct'2021

Dec'2022

Oct'2023

April'2023

Feb'2023

Breached Indian accounts

20 million

18 million

6 million

815 million (aadhar, passport..)

1.16 million (only emails)

1.3 million

Reference

Economic times

Indian Express

Techlomedia

India Today

India Today

Cyber express

Some more, final, facts:

  • The above data represents some of the top data breaches reported and localized to India
    • There are numerous breaches with companies that has their headquarters outside India, and have a sizable Indian population as customers - Like LinkedIn
  • India ranks amongst the top 5 most breached countries in 2023 - The Hindu
  • 58% of Indians dont understand how the dark web works.

The facts above talk about the more obvious enablers that lead to an individual's data being breached and sold online. Here are some lesser known enablers:

  1. Poor password hygiene leading to hacks
  2. Phishing attempts when you are browsing online - clicking on malicious links
  3. Social Engineering

Source: 2023-ncsir-us-global-report_final.pdf (gendigital.com)

What does this mean to a Consumer?

There are two, obvious, entities that should be responsible in ensuring that an Individual's data is safe:

  • The companies that individual interact with
  • The individuals, themselves

However, even companies, with their infinite resources fail to protect and secure customer's data. Even banks, yes - read this. The implications of companies being breached is very high too - the obvious impact is damaged brand reputation but the evidence of a monetary impact is that the average cost of a data breach in india was INR 179 Million, in 2023 - IBM newsroom

So it comes down to the individual's responsibility to ensure that their Identity remains secure whilst they enjoy & consume the resources available on the Internet. The implications of not doing so for an individual? -

  1. Financial losses: Stolen information may be used for fraudulent transactions
  2. Identity Theft: Personal data that is exposed in the breaches can be misused to impersonate, commit online fraud, or gain unauthorized access to accounts.


Project scope

Company: Norton Security

Geography: India

Product name: Norton 360 Deluxe

Customer segment: B2C

Feature

Description

3 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phone

Coverage for installing the app upto 3 PCs, Macs, tablets & phone (Android/iOS)

Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection

Award winning Antivirus, Firewall, Real time threat protection. [Some features will be limited in iOS, Mac]

100% Virus Protection Promise

When Auto-Renewal is turned on, and Norton is unable to remove a malware from your device(s), a full refund will be provided.

50GB Cloud Backup

Store important files and documents as a preventive measure against data loss due to hard drive failures, stolen devices and even ransomware.

VPN private internet connection

Help protect your data with a no-log virtual private network (VPN) that encrypts your personal information and doesn’t track or store your online activity or location.

Password Manager

Create and store strong passwords. Login to your accounts with a click of a button.

Dark Web Monitoring

We monitor and notify you if we find your personal information on the Dark Web.

Parental Control

Manage your children's activities online. Help them explore, learn, and enjoy their connected world more safely on their PCs or smartphones.

Safecam

(Windows only) Alerts you to attempts to access your webcam and helps you block unauthorized access to it.

Wifi Security

[Mobile only] Scans every Wi-fi the mobile is connected to and determines if its safe to stay connected to or not.

App security

[Mobile only] Scans all the apps installed in the mobile to determine if they are malicious, harvests data or are safe.

Safe Search/Internet Security

Monitors your browsing activity & lets you know if the website is safe or not.

Product Category

  • Competitors: McAfee | TrendMicro | Ecosystem (Windows, Apple, Google Chrome)
    Norton Pros:
  • - Press release on availability of Data Breach Monitoring in Feb’23
  • - Free password manager + bundled plan with additional features
  • - “Best” password manager in India (from tech experts) based on encryption & safety in storing passwords + affordability
  • - Global leader of “Identity” monitoring & protection
  • - Part of “Gen Digital” with 6 other partners collaborating for one unique solution
    Norton Cons:
    • No active marketing efforts across paid, organic for (related) keywords vs. competitors across channels:
      • Data breach/leak/{specific incidents in India with data breach}
      • {Password saving, management} related keywords
      • {Antivirus}
    • McAfee has more partnerships with OEMs vs. Norton.
    • Apple, Windows, Google have an edge over SEO/SEM promoting antivirus, password managers. data breach monitoring (the latter 2 are not as effective as Norton)

Recent/Relevant news

Brand perception/Reputation

  • Trust pilot score = 4.3
  • India Established as an Antivirus provider & password manager. ****Minimal/No effort in promoting the perception + offering of Dark Web Monitoring
  • USA Trusted as an Identity & Privacy Protection Service offering Insurance. Aggressive digital marketing (TV, digital ads) - Meta | TV

Current channels that Norton is available in:

Paid ads :

Paid ads1.png

image.png

Organic ads/Content loop:

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Ideal Customer Profile

Norton

ICP 1

ICP 2

Ideal customer profile name

Beatrix Kiddo

Luke Skywalker

Age

25-34

35-44

Goals

I want comprehensive online protection, all from one reputed provider.

It is my responsibility to protect the people I care about from online threats.

Common/auxiliary goals

I rely on technology to live my best life

Its worth it to spend time & money upfront to avoid a negative event.

Income levels

8LPA-12LPA

+16LPA

Location

Tier 1 cities

Tier 1 cities

Online Protection used (lifetime)

VPN, Password Manager, Free online tools for password, dark web monitoring,

Antivirus, Password manager, digital storage, VPN.

Where do they spend time? (in order)

Social media, OTT, Retail/shopping, Music.

Social Media, Retail/Shopping, OTT, Banking/Financial

Pain points

I get cold calls/spams constantly; I’m not sure where my data is how its being used; I use alot of online accounts and often re-use passwords as I cannot remember all of them.

I am afraid of my device being infected by a virus; I am very wary about credit card/bank/ID being used to commit fraud; I am unsure of how I can protect my family from online threats.

Current solution

McAfee, Browser password managers, Trend Micro, Avast, have 15 email addresses with limited information.

Windows defender, Apple devices, McAfee, Trend Micro, Avast, limit internet accessibility, go to a bank for transactions.

Auxiliary insights (from 12 user interviews)

  • Over 10 people across both age groups had some knowledge of what data breaches are and specific, potential ramifications.
    • People in the 35-44 age group had lesser knowledge than age group 25-44.
  • All (10) of the users, across both age groups, who had some knowledge of what data breaches are were aware of atleast 2 incidents of data breaches specific to India in the last 5 years.
    • 8 of them THOUGHT they were victims only because they have received alot of cold calls/spams but don’t use a software to be sure.
    • 1 person uses a software that gives them that insight.
  • 8/12 people were “Somewhat concerned” about online threats.
    • 3 of them were “Very concerned”.
  • People in the 25-44 age group think that Antivirus is not a primary need anymore since it is provided/solved by the ecosystem it is used in. (Apple, Windows defender)

    Age group

    Influencers

    Blockers

    25-34

    Password Manager & Dark Web Monitoring is a need.

    Primarily established as an Antivirus; don’t need it.

    35-44

    Provides an eclectic blend of family, security, privacy security.

    Lack of advertising and testimonials from current users.

    Both

    Digital Protection Data Protection Act ‘2023 passed in Sept’23.

    Not apple-apple equivalent to GDPR since government access to data is concerning.

  • Core Value Proposition

For

working professions and families

...who

find online protection overwhelming

...this solution

helps them feel safer, smarter, and in control of their online protection.

Unlike

relying on google trends, news, at-risk companies

...this solution

requires them to spend time on understanding what technologies they need.

  • Market size

    Picture1.png​​

SOM metric

SOM

% of penetration from SAM

1%

Number of users that can be targeted

from the acquisition strategy

10,05,000

% converting

10%

Number of users who will buy a subscription

1,00,500

Average cost per subscription

1000 INR

Total First year Revenue (INR)

10,05,00,000 IN

  • Supporting insights for the SAM > SOM as per a sample size study - 2023-ncsir-us-global-report_final.pdf (gendigital.com) as per the surveyed Indices:
    • 27.2M in India have experienced Identity Theft
    • 59% think that they are more vulnerable to identity theft now than they did years ago
    • 57% think that their Identity will be stolen at some point
    • 67% think that it is important to disguise their digital footprint so they cannot be tracked by 3rd parties when online.

    Acquisition Channels

  • Channel vs Parameters

    Google search keywords

    External Referrals

    Paid Ads

    Product Integrations

    Content Loops

    Flexibility

    High

    Low

    Medium

    High

    Medium

    Effort

    High

    Medium

    High

    High

    Medium

    Speed

    Medium

    Low

    High

    Medium

    Medium

    Scale

    High

    Low

    High

    High

    High

    CAC

    Low

    Low

    High

    Medium

    Medium

Core objectives to be achieved:

  1. Leverage the existing market that is primarily focused on Antivirus & Password Manager solutions and create awareness on the impact of data breaches + create a need for dark web monitoring solutions.
  2. Leverage channels that are working well overseas, in India, also augmenting it with new avenues that has opportunities to scale relevant to the ICPs here.
  3. Start & build conversations, awareness around data security topics converting into acquisitions for the Norton 360 Deluxe plan.

Based on this, the best two channels recommended are:

  1. Organic
  2. Paid ads

  1. Objective Scale Acquisition Volume
    Channels: Organic - Google, SEO, YouTube, Social Media
    Key Result 1: Norton is established as a promoter of Individual Data Security & Privacy in India
    Key Result 2: Customers who purchase a Norton plan know that they offer more than just an Antivirus making them realize the value for money
    Key Result 3: Norton leads the race in meeting an individual's security needs as the Data Protection Act in India is implemented (end of 2024) by starting to create awareness and transparency about the subject.

    Keyword research: SEMRUSH (Jan'24)
    image.png

    Theme 1: Improve Norton’s ranking on google along with creating awareness among our target group on the internet through a robust content pool.
    Enabler: SEO OPTIMISED BLOGS AND LPs - Develop a directory of articles and awareness guides that help people in consuming the information that is necessary for them to become smarter internet users.

    The top key words to focus here are "saving passwords", "password Manager", "Data breach", "Data leak".
  2. Create headlines & articles with the key words, with pages educating customers on Password Manager and Data breaches
  3. There would be landing pages on both topics, with the password manager emphasizing on its ability to create stronger passwords, encrypted (provides an edge over Google's password manager"
  4. How they protect customers against data leaks.
    image.png

    image.png
    Additionally, we would start to provide more awareness to visitors on what dark web is, how PII is stolen & auctioned in the dark web and about the Data Privacy Act in India. Once this article receives more traffic, it can be used as paid ads.
    image.png

    Theme 2: Establish our presence on a channel that’s best for knowledge gathering - YouTube.
    Enabler: When it comes to educating yourself about a subject or consuming knowledge, there is no better format than video and no better platform than YouTube.

    Search results in YouTube through VidIQ: The platform doesn't allow Geo filters show these are global numbers
    image.png
    A few ways in which we can leverage this platform is:
  • Videos that talk about the risks of data breach and how you can stay safe from it.
  • Collaborating with people who have faced it in the past and what the experience was like
  • Collaborating with experts in this field who can share their take on how you can stay safe online.
  • Since YT internally is directing 60% of it’s traffic to shorts, utilize this short video format smartly to garner more eyeballs
  • Infographics and animated videos that are essentially tutorials.
  1. Objective Acquire High Quality Users

Channels: Paid- Google ads, YouTube skip ads, Social media, E-commerce ads (all are effective channels
Key Result: Using an "in-demand" protection need today, like password manager, to promote the core value proposition.

LTV Formula = AOV x frequency x retention
LTV --> INR 1000 x 1/year x 13 months for avg user = INR 13000 OR $156
CAC formula = Total Money spent/Total number of customers acquired

CAC --> $187 (Assumption: Industry benchmark for Subscription Software DTC products)

CAC:LTV = 0.834


  • Due to the unhealthy CAC:LTV ratio, the experiment is to run only Google Discovery/Display ads for a very small target for a period of 6 weeks.
  • The primary goal is to high quality users and drive conversions; if there are promising leads within this experiment period, display ads would be expanded to other platforms like Amazon/Flipkart.
  • The execution is only for one ICP only to limit the budget.

Execution: Based on the ICPs identified

  • ICP segment: 35-44 only
  • Time period - 6 weeks
  • Location - Bangalore, Mumbai | English language
  • Audience segments:

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  • Ad carousel:

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