Marketing Magazine of IIM Shillong
Volume 5 | Issue 3
Impe
September 2013
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Cover Story
Wabi-Sabi and Marketing
Vartalaap with Mr. Vinod Sharma AVP-Sales & Marketing,Alkem Laboratories Ltd.
From The Editor As we receive overwhelming appreciation of our anniversary issue released last month, we take a moment to thank you for the continued support and participation you have been showing throughout this 5 year long journey. You are the source of our motivation and your constant feedbacks help us keep relevant to your needs.
month’s cover story ‘Wabi Sabi and Marketing’ is a fresh take on how this novel concept is finding relevance in the business world and what marketing and innovation has to do with it. As the author says, ‘things need not always be perfect to be good’. Do read this quirky story and decode for yourself the recipe for perfection, or decide if you need it at all.
As the month of September turned round the corner, the temperatures nosedived and so did the frail Indian economy. The Indian rupee hit the rock-bottom even though the unfortunate Subbarao left no stones unturned. Soon the man of the moment Raghuram Rajan came as a messiah to the dying economy and sentiments improved. The inevitable happened as BJP finally nominated Narendra Modi as its presidential candidate for general elections next year. The society at large found some closure at the landmark death sentencing of the four accused in Nirbhaya gang-rape. In the business scenario, nothing has been more talked about than the momentous acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft that has us geeky customers biting our nails for what’s next in store while Apple fails to make a mark with its 5C’s and 5 S’. HUL’s Pepsodent had consumers at the edge of their seats as it took potshots at Colgate reviving the great ad wars.
For our Vartalaap this edition, we have an exclusive interview with Mr. Vinod Sharma, Assistant Vice President-Sales & Marketing at Alkem Labs Ltd. In a career spanning over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, he talks about his extensive experience in areas of new business launch, turn-arounds in business unit and in developing new business module through a long term business approach.
The beauty of things imperfect, incomplete and impermanent is seeping into business as the ancient Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi gains ground. This
Chuckle along as we have in store for you the tangy Brand Story of Dabur Hajmola as it continues to indulge the young and the old in a unique manner for over four decades now. Keep guessing as Fun corner eludes you with some of the most quirky and innovative print ads ever produced. With so much in line waiting for you, wait no more and flip through the latest edition. Do keep us posted on what interests you and what doesn’t by writing to markathon.iims@gmail.com and we promise we will come back bigger and better, time and again. Happy Reading !!
The Markathon Team Editors
Ashok A | Kamalpreet Singh Saluja | Pallavi | Prateek Gaurav | Shashank S Tomar | Swikruti Panda
Creative Designers
Sushree Tripathy | Vaibhav Annam
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Contents Perspectives Back in Black: How Honda “Amaze�d the Car Market Vatsal Sethi | Keshav Mahavidyalaya
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Suggestive, Seductive, Sleazy: Objectifying Women and using their bodies as marketing instruments Shubhang Srivastava | IIM Shillong
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Wabi-Sabi and Marketing Rutwik Pathak and Anuran Mukherjee | IIM Shillong
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Vartalaap Mr Vinod Sharma AVP - Sales and Marketing, Alkem Laboratories Ltd.
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Eye 2 Eye Over Emphasis on Data Analytics - Stimulating or Stifling Creativity of Admakers? Rohit Tiwari | Wellingkar Institute & Puneet Bhansali | IIM Shillong
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Silent Voice Raymond - The Complete Man Akash Adhvaryu | Nirma University
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Inter-College Event ACE 2.0 - The One Slide Challenge
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Specials Addicted Sushree Tripathy and Swikruti Panda | IIM Shillong
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Brand Story Dabur Shashank Singh Tomar | IIM Shillong
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Fun Corner Kamalpreet Singh Saluja | IIM Shillong
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Updates Prateek Gaurav | IIM Shillong
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Touchstone 1.0
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BACK IN BLACK
HOW HONDA ‘AMAZE’D THE CAR MARKET By Vatsal Sethi Keshav Mahavidyalaya
based on an existing product, they have much higher acceptance rates.
A
Utility Perception of the Consumer/Status Symbol The addition of a small boot makes the consumer perceive it to be a “3-box car” at the price of a hatchback. In India, the value of a car and its owner is judged by its size. Hence, these compact sedans behold the value of a ‘status symbol’.
fter spending almost two years in red, Amaze was like a knight in shining armor for Honda. Over 30,000 bookings and a sale of 6023 units two months into its launch, has brought it back to its profitable ways. Apart from that, and most importantly, the Amaze is proving to be a game changer for Honda, which until now found difficult to find its feet in the bottom end of the market. This has been Honda’s most successful launch in India so far and has the potential to take it all the way to the top.
Diesel Engine Option Lack of diesel variants has proved to be Honda’s Achilles heel in India so far. Generous price disparity between petrol and diesel prompted consumers to go for diesel cars due to their lower cost of running. Hence, it was imperative for Honda to develop a diesel engine for India, to capture diesel buyers and deploy in future models too.
Rationale for Launching Amaze: Growth in the Segment The compact sedan segment is the fastest growing segment in the market right now. Maruti Suzuki Dzire has been clocking average monthly sales in excess of 15,000 units and became the top selling car in May, outselling its sibling Alto by a margin of 854 units.
Therefore, it was decided to enter the compact sedan market with Amaze, a mass market product which would meet its twin objectives: bringing in volumes and augmenting overall market share.
Less Taxes Cars less than 4m in length with engines size less than 1.2 litre for petrol and 1.5 litre for diesel , attract a lower excise duty of 12% as compared to traditional sedans which are taxed anywhere between 24%-27%. In actual terms, this is translated into a cost saving of Rs.50,000 to Rs. 60,000.
What makes the Amaze tick? Relying on heavy market research and consumer feedback, Honda made sure to take its time in analyzing the competition and understanding consumer behavior before launching the product. This made it possible for it to find loopholes in its rivals’ offerings and incorporate those findings in product development.
Cost Savings They are usually based on the platform of an existing compact car which substantially reduces the R & D and production costs due to synergy of operations. Moreover,
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Design Existing Compact Sedans like Dzire and Indigo CS have
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september 2013 abled Honda to find out one tiny feature which all other companies overlooked. Cup holders in the rear armrest. Addition of a tiny yet critical device augments the utility of the whole feature and satiates the buyer’s latent need. Plethora of USPs The Amaze has been very smartly packaged to entice the customers and hit the competition where it hurts. Honda introduced India’s first car with a Heat Absorbing Front Windshield. Keeping in mind our country’s hot and humid climate, this vital innovation helps it score some brownie points.
been heavily criticized for looking out of shape and boxy. Forcing the car to fit within the 4m mark, the addition of the small boot makes it look disfigured. Honda paid attention to the customer feedback and had its engineers style the boot such that the car looks like a proper sedan and not a hatchback with an ill-designed boot. Sharp lines flowing from the sides to the boot give it a stylish and cohesive appearance.
Apart from such innovative features, the Amaze has also been designed keeping in mind its competitors specifications bit by bit. Specifications Boot Space Power
Space Being based on the platform of a compact car or hatchback, this new breed of cars are only ‘sedans’ by their name and not by the space they offer. Accommodating a boot and keeping the length within 4 meters means compromising on the cabin space. As a result, customers feel they don’t enjoy the comfort and space which they should considering that they are buying a ‘sedan’, i.e., big car. Honda succeeded here with clever designing. The front seats are designed to be thinner at the middle thereby providing the rear passengers with a few more inches of comfort. Moreover, efficient utilization of space means
Amaze 400 liters 86.8 bhp
Swift Dzire 316 liters 85.8 bhp
Indigo CS 380 liters 64.1 bhp
Turning Radius 4.5 m 4.8 m 5.0 m A d j u s t a b l e Yes No No Headlights Next, it brings the segment leader, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire into the ring by launching a variant by variant attack. Honda has put every single feature that Dzire has and then some more.
that even after being a tad shorter than Dzire and Indigo CS, it is still roomier. Attention to Detail Known for their painful attention to detail, Honda engineers have again proved why their products deserve to command a premium. The two tone beige and brown interiors are comfy and luxurious. The center console unlike the traditional waterfall consoles is non-conventional and highly functional. This microscopic attention to detail en-
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Features Dzire Vxi Steering Mount- No ed Stereo Controls Rear Armrest No with Cup Holders
Amaze SMT Yes
Features Dzire Zxi Heat Absorbing No Front Windshield Electrically Fold- No able ORVMs
Amaze VxMT Yes
Yes
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Hitting the Sweet Spot “Par deti kitna hai?” quipped the young man to the rocket scientist. These lovable advertisements by Maruti Suzuki bought to light the most important thing which an Indian consumer looks for in a vehicle, its MILEAGE. And look at the irony now. The company which mocked other car companies for producing less fuel efficient car just got trumped by one of them!
it to churn out only 6000-7000 units a month. As a result, dealerships are notifying buyers of waiting periods, some even stretching to six months. Such long waiting periods put off people who instead go with competitor’s model. This means unnecessarily losing out sales and market share. Heating up of the Competition Any particular segment registering such high volumes is bound to attract other players into it. Mahindra will soon be launching its truncated Verito Vibe. Hyundai and Ford are working on compact sedans based on existing models of i20 and Figo respectively. Volkswagen and Skoda may also bring in shorter version of their popular Vento ad Rapid sedans. Along with this, Honda needs to be vigilant about Maruti Suzuki’s predatory tactics of deep discounts and ‘special edition’ models like the Swift Dzire Regal.
Amaze’s lightweight all aluminum engine coupled with its less kerb weight (only 960 kg) enables it to give a mileage of 25.8 kmpl* as compared to Dzire diesel’s 23.4 kmpl*. Even Tata, otherwise known its vehicles’ high running costs, comes close with 25 kmpl*. India is such a country where at the end of the day no matter what or how many features a car has; it is evaluted by the mileage it gives. Coupled with bad driving and traffic conditions, this makes it a mean feat for any manufacturers to conquer. And especially Honda which for the first time indigenously developed a diesel engine. The buyers are extremely value conscious and when it comes to buying a car, they make sure that it has the cheapest cost of running.
Conclusion Till now Honda has had a steady presence in India, mostly in the premium segments. This has meant the development of enviable brand equity, which could never translate into healthy volumes leading to a miniscule market share. The previous two offerings, Jazz and Brio, also failed to create much buzz in the market. It was not because of weak product offerings but because they were not in sync with what customers wanted. With the launch of Amaze a lot has changed. It seems that Honda has finally cracked the code for the Indian market. Only time will tell if will be able to carry this modus operandi forward in a market which is extremely volatile, rapidly changing and without much policy stabilization
*All mileage figures are ARAI certified.
Challenges Ahead Distribution Even after being present for over 10 years in India, Honda has a below average distribution network. It is mostly concentrated in big cities and metros. If Honda wants Amaze to drive its volumes, it must penetrate the Tier-II and Tier-III cities like Maruti and Tata have done. Otherwise, despite having a competitive product, the customers will be forced to buy from the competitors as it was not made available to them. Production Constraints As of now Honda has received around 30,000 confirmed bookings for Amaze but infrastructure limitations permit
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Suggestive, Seductive, Sleazy!!! Objectifying women and using their body as marketing instruments By Shubhang Srivastava IIM SHillong
W
hen was the last time you sae an advertisement catering to the men which did not have a sexy, desirable and available women as the prize, that is after you have bought the product. Right from the sleazy advertisements of AXE Deodorants, (and by extension all deodorants in general, but I will give them first mover advantage here) to the suggestive ads of BMW cars all rely upon the women, the ultimate prize, through the product. Are the advertisers simply utilizing the latent and unspoken of instinct that drives us to sell the product or do they take a step beyond the line?
the concept: the end effect will be the “AXE effect� where the axe man becomes a prize for every woman. This single line concept has worked for them multiple times and in such a scenario why would not a company mint the gold mine?
Any advertisement tries to create a lasting impact on the mind of the viewers, and they find that attraction to opposite sex is one medium which allows for easy impact. Consider for instance the concept behind the AXE series of ads, which are one of the highest viewed in India (on the internet apart from the runtime on television). While with their product, their ad might change they are fixed upon
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In fact the advertising world has created stereotype of women in two categories. For a men’s product, a woman is a prize, who is impressed or drawn upon by the possession of the product by the man. In the women section again, especially in the Indian scenario the women is seen as a house maker, and the use of the product would entail her the appreciation of the family (or husband in the growing nuclear family) and fill her with a sense of fulfilment of her duty, or the product would enhance her beauty or other bodily, cosmetic part drawing the awe of friends and gaze of men. On paper this sounds harmless and it is. Men attracted to women is a reality of life, and true, we always try to impress the other sex, through actions or otherwise. But it is the excess that creeps into the system that creates fissures in the society.
The same fate was faced by this ad of Calvin Klein Jeans in Australia that boasted of being daring.
Below are some of the ads run by famous companies:
This advertisement in Dolce & Gabbana was retracted after the people complained that it glorified gang rape.
Almost 76% of women in India and one out of six women in America are victims of sexual assault. The stats are appallingly higher in many other countries. Yet advertisers often make light of sexual violence towards women. They disguise it as innuendo, humour or artistic expression and hope the shock factor will work promotional magic for their product. The marketers describe it as edgy fantasy scenarios and often point to some psychological results to their benefit. Many times the shock or the outrage factor works in their favour. As they say no publicity is bad publicity. In fact the controversy surrounding the products, spread like wildfire on the cyber space and the impact is created. All of a sudden the product is imprinted in everyone’s mind.
This American Apparel ad was banned as being too suggestive.
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Look at this ad by McDonald’s. They fell so low that people were shocked. They used the rape intimation hotline tag of “You’re not alone” to promote the Big Mac. In light of such advertisements any logic falls apart and is shredded to pieces. You begin to wonder if there is a line there at all. Or everything that catches our eyeballs is a strategy to associate some product with us? The suggestion boiling down is that it is the perception of the brand that is the invisible and mutable line for them. So when Maruti SX4 is released with women lamenting that all men are gone is it the brand image of Maruti being the preferred choice of middle class that stops the advertisements short of what BMW did? Ford may never have approved the leaked JWT released ads of Ford Figo which shows scantily clad, tied women in the boot of the car, with the bunga-bunga Berlusconi flashing a V sign, but that the idea was floated and actually put on paper gives a glimpse of the world where the fame-lights have made them myopic to morals, and sometimes basic human sentiments. And these glaring stories are the top of the line, there are so many more. A seductive woman in an ad that has no requirement of her whatsoever is where it all begins. And my accusations and questions are neither new nor undiscovered. Many studies have revealed that women abuse in marketing practices negatively affects social values and her role
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in the society. Though the position of women has improved, their negative portrayal in a way that degrades them continues. Content with sexual images exploiting the human body bring out the animal instinct in humans degrading the feminine role and insulting the social etiquette. Many also attribute adolescent or teen exposure to such sexually explicit and suggestive causes many defaults at the subconscious level resulting in increase in sexuality, objectification of women and violent behaviour. Is there an end to the road? Yes, but certainly not objectively. No amount of regulation can define and proscribe suggestive, seductive and such ads. With the advent of internet it is of no use either, for what is forbidden can always be leaked in the cyberspace. The answer lies with us: the future managers. Defining ethics may take a lifetime but actions that improve human capacities are good or ethical and with this we can certainly determine our decisions. Sexual arousal may have the instant impact, but there are other emotions and values that have deeper and longer impressions. They are not guilty pleasures, and you can look at your sister, mother, girlfriend without shame
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Cover Story
Wabi-Sabi and Marketing
Rutwik Dilip Phatak
Anuran Mukherjee
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D
o you remember the songs that your mother or grandmother sang to you when you were a small kid? One always thinks that song was the perfect. Most probably it wasn’t! I remember one incident, when for the first time two of my cousins and I had cooked Maggi. It was a little burnt but tasted so good with the hot and sour sauce. It’s the best
and can be seen in the Japanese tea-tradition.
Maggi I have ever had but, that Maggi wasn’t perfect either! The fact is things need not always be perfect to be good. I came across the Japanese-Buddhist philosophy of Wabi-Sabi only recently. Generally speaking Wabi-Sabi deals with accepting imperfection. Now, this concept cannot have a ‘perfect’ definition obviously, but after reading several dozens of explanations I found this one by Dominic Carter to be the best fit: “Wabi-Sabi is associated with a lack of ostentation, an appreciation for things in an unadulterated state and a celebration of natural imperfection. It represents the embrace of a non-materialistic way of life that elevates the innate integrity of nature in both its objects and processes”. Imperfection, I think, is inherent in every individual for, who actually ‘knows’ what “perfection” is. The word Wabi in Japanese means ‘transient and stark beauty’ while Sabi refers to ‘the beauty of natural patina and aging’. Wabi-Sabi consists of 7 principles that comprise of asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity, naturalness without pretense, subtleness, non-obviousness, grace and tranquility. WabiSabi is a concept related to aesthetics
Perfection has no recipe. We often see organizations deploying huge resources for finding out the perfect employees. They recruit candidates with the topmost IQ levels, best academic careers, and fantastic domain knowledge and eventually fail. This is because not credentials but ideas are at the root of any organization’s existence. There is one famous line from the movie Ratatouille: ‘a great chef can come from anywhere’. This is precisely the truth. Ideas often come from the supposedly “imperfect” people. That is why the ideas of Macintosh and Facebook have come from some college dropouts and not from graduates of the ‘best’ colleges in the world. (Sristi and Honey bee network are two initiatives that have
Imperfection does not necessarily mean lack of excellence. One must not misunderstand Wabi-Sabi to be advocating ugliness. It is certainly not. In domains where one needs to use the right side of brain Wabi-Sabi is applicable. While reading about the concept of Wabi-Sabi I came across a wonderful thought, that ‘Wabi-Sabi is an altered state of consciousness’. Like the old saying goes, beauty lies in beholder’s eyes. It is very true in the sense that Wabi-Sabi is the perspective, the way of life which helps you appreciate the beauty in simplicity, genuineness and imperfection. Obviously, one straight question that would arise is ‘why businesses should have any interest in Wabi-Sabi?’ The answer is: because, acknowledging imperfection is fundamental to innovation and innovation is fundamental to sustenance. The entire process of innovation is highly prone to flaws. In fact, it is only when one accepts the possibility of failJapenese tea pot and cup with uneven design and irregular gloss ures that s/he dares to innovate.
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realized this. They promote and preserve the culture would be the worst policy. Some companies started of the imperfect grass-root innovators.) to acknowledge this. They have become more liberal in selecting their employees; they appreciate diverSustainability has become a buzz word today. Every sity, accept disability and respect uniqueness of inbusiness talks about sustainability and finds ways to dividuals. Realization of differential abilities of indibrand itself as ‘sustainable’. One of the most impor- viduals is the essence of inclusive growth. tant aspects of sustainability is using fewer resources. In search of perfection businesses tend to refine Wabi-Sabi has its roots in Zen Buddhist philosophies; their products in such a way that a bottle of ‘Min- and since Buddhism is rooted in India one can find it ute Maid Nimbu Fresh’ requires hundreds of liters to exist here widely and in diverse contexts. India is of water, steel equipment to suck that water from often called as the melting pot of different philosobelow earth, energy to run the equipment and fuel phies, because it truly is so. Different philosophies to produce that energy. Resources of materialism and asceticism coexrequired for producing that bottle ist in this country. Wabi-Sabi has a and for marketing it are additional. place in our temples, in the form of The argument being made here is god. that such perfection is unaffordable. An imperfect Nimbu Sherbet This is a photo of the Ganesha idol from an Indian household is much from Siddhivinayaka temple of Sidcost-effective. Like Aseem Shrivasdhatek, Maharashtra. It is considtava says, it is only because of our ered to be one of the Ashta-Vinaysheer under-valuation of resources aka – the eight revered Ganeshas. that we seem to earn ‘profits’ out We accept a natural, imperfect of present products and processes. stone sculpture as our god. This is Wabi-Sabi is about looking for the an epitome of Wabi-Sabi in practice. inner true value rather than just Our acceptance of an ordinary lookthe face value. Hence, Wabi-Sabi ing, moderately tall and bald but seeks true sustainability rather humble artist as a ‘hero’ in our movthan just a green colored logo. ies, again, reflects Wabi-Sabi. All the different folk arts like Warli paintings and Manganiar music have a Like sustainability, ‘inclusive growth’ is another term scope for imperfection. In fact, they convert that imthat’s in fashion. Inclusion is the outcome of accep- perfection into a source of beauty. For example, the tance. In the fierce race for getting the best, where’s peculiar voices and imperfect notes of the folk singthe scope for saying yes to imperfection? Richard ers become a unique character of their music. Many Dawkins, a renowned biologist, says that survival of the tribal communities could be seen to have adof the fittest’ has been the natural criteria of selec- opted Wabi-Sabi implicitly because accepting natural tion and evolution however, in human processes that imperfection is essential for their survival. Since their
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livelihood depends on the small, closed ecosystem, sustainability is what they practice without saying.
work that I will discuss in the latter part of the article. The most suitable approach therefore would be to understand Wabi-Sabi, and to do things with this understanding instead of ‘applying’ Wabi-Sabi to anything. Product Design is arguably one of the most important parts of marketing. Many designers, especially those in the field of interior, furniture and fashion design have used the word Wabi-Sabi in their communications. Many of these products are Wabi-Sabi only in their ‘expression’ component of design. For example, a piece of wooden furniture that has been treated to look rustic but has lost the natural grain and character of the wood. Wabi-Sabi is not only restricted to natural products. There is a story about Steve Jobs rejecting the idea of selling screen-protectors in the Apple stores. It is said, he was of an opinion that Similarly, handicrafts and handlooms of India have scratches are endemic to the product and like faded the inherent imperfection as a symbol of their beau- jeans they enhance the feel and look of it. ty. Khadi, a hand-woven cotton fabric, is very crude as compared to the millmanufactured cloth. It has become a fashionable material globally since last two decades. When Gandhiji made Charkha as the symbol of his philosophy it is this acknowledgement of simplicity and imperfection he was branding. However, Wabi-Sabi is not equivalent to Jugaad. Jugaad is basically a quick and creative way of fixing things temporarily. On the other hand, Wabi-Sabi deals with unintentional, inherent imperfection. Wabi-Sabi deals with adaptable, transient ideas but not of temporary value. Most of the times, Jugaad is effective but inefficient and that is another reason why it is not The idea of Wabi-Sabi can be extended to the world Wabi-Sabi. of software design. In the recent years we have seen a growth in the number of start-ups. Successful startHow is Wabi-Sabi relevant in marketing, by the way? ups provide meaningful and valuable products and That’s a difficult question to answer. Since Wabi-Sabi services to its customers. In the start-up scenario, it is is a philosophy of world view, so abstract and subjec- important to come up with a decent workable prodtive in itself, unlike some very objective concept of uct in a very short period of time, and then incre‘six sigma’ etc. it is difficult to ‘implement’ Wabi-Sabi. mental improvements. This is in congruence with the In fact, the beauty of the concept of Wabi-Sabi is in design thinking philosophy, which stresses the need the unobvious nature of its existence. Pierre Berthon of creating a workable prototype, and then extend et al describe this very well through their study on it further. Thus, it is not important to get the most ‘aesthetics and ephemerality’ in the form of a frame- perfect product in the market, but one that does its
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job decently. This philosophy has been employed beautifully by 37 signals in their product design. As they state in their book “Getting Real”, it is better to create half a product than a half assed product. Basecamp started with only the messages section. All other features, like milestones, todo lists came later. Based on actual usage of the product, the later features were added.
psychological world- the way one perceives things. Therefore, brands with more of experiential component are easier to be seen from a Wabi-Sabi perspective: for example luxury brands.
The philosophy of Wabi-Sabi is also consistent with the techniques of extreme programming like agile methodologies. In agile, it is assumed that user requirements of a product will keep on changing, and therefore the user requirements are never frozen at the beginning of the development process. Instead, it changes with iterations. The products developed are usually more useful and user friendly.
Prof. Pierre Berthon has co-authored a paper along with three other academicians about luxury brands. Second thought is about branding. Kiran Khalap talks In this study they propose a framework for the typolabout brands in his book ‘Ideantity’. The element of ogy of luxury brands. They call it as AO framework as abstract in the concept of brands has grown over it has aesthetics and ontology on its two axes. This batime. From being a symbol of ownership and then sically explains different types of luxury brands based an assurance of value offering brands have evolved on the depth and permanence or their opposites. to become symbolic of an idea. Luxury brands that had Brands have come out of the good intrinsic value and endurance are termed physical and geographical as classics. In the modboundaries containing a prodern brands the focus on uct line to find a place in peothe extrinsic value has ple’s mind. This is what creates a scope for brands to be related increased and the consumption of luxury has with Wabi-Sabi. Wabi-Sabi can be found in the way you experibecome more conspicuous. Yet, these brands ence different brands. Karl Popwere perceived to be per’s popular concept of three worlds could probably explain enduring. In the postmodern type of brands the complex nature of the process of perception of brands by people. Popper de- this has changed. The focus has shifted from endurscribed the three worlds as physical world, psycho- ance to novelty while the face value still remained logical world and the world of societal constructs. an important component. The authors have named I think all of these, in minor or greater proportion, the fourth type of brands as Wabi-Sabi brands due to constitute a brand. Wabi-Sabi deals more with the their focus on intrinsic value and inclination towards
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transience. Some brands in fashion industry like Rolex that give attention to the trendiness as well as quality and accuracy could be seen to fall in the Wabi-Sabi type. Wabi-Sabi could be extended to some culinary brands as well. Think of some brand like Lindt against Hershey’s and you would understand what it means. Brands that believe in intrinsic value and have an inclination towards change resemble Wabi-Sabi.
consistency in brand behavior and communication is a must especially in today’s world where brands are almost naked in front of consumers. This is an essential element of Wabi-Sabi as well because any ad-hoc approach or something superficial would never have the Wabi-Sabi soul.
Through the course of this article I have tried to explore and explain the concept of Wabi-Sabi and its relLastly, let us have a brief look at how Wabi-Sabi could evance to different dimensions of management, with be useful in advertising. You must have seen this ad- a focus on marketing. It is prone to inherent errors related to information and understanding because of the depth of the philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. However, I have tried to minimize them by hours of discussions with my friend Anuran Mukherjee. I would like to invite comments and arguments from the readers in continuum with that. Please feel free to vertising campaign. write to me at rutwikdphatak@gmail.com. I would like to end by thanking Mayura Datar for introducing There wouldn’t have been a better time for Dove me to the concept called Wabi-Sabi and Anuran for to launch this campaign. In a market cluttered with assisting throughout the course of writing beauty products that advocate cosmetic beauty in a chorus Dove stood for appreciating the real beauty. The copy in the ‘wrinkled or wonderful’ ad reads ‘will society ever accept old can be beautiful?’ It talks about acknowledging the natural aging process and the transformation in your skin and body that takes place along with aging. Well, that is exactly the point in Wabi-Sabi. More importantly, Dove stands for what it says. It has positioned itself as a nourishing brand, a preserver and protector of the innate beauty and innocence. Its deodorant section on the website says ‘superior care for your underarms’ while most of the other deodorants go for the extrinsic value highlighted by a farfetched idea of sexual attraction. From soaps to cookies and banking to houses, Wabi-Sabi could be a definite and powerful point of differentiation. It is an important thing to understand, that
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An interview with Mr Vinod Sharma AVP-Sales & Marketing, Alkem Laboratories Ltd.
Mr Vinod Sharma is the Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Sales at Alkem Laboratories Ltd. and heads two divisions for India & Nepal Operations. He is responsible for building the brand Donep (Donepezil) as the number one brand in the segment. In the past,he has also worked with Mankind Pharma Limited, Delhi as General ManagerSales & Marketing for almost three years during which he launched a new specialty division ‘Magnet’. He has also worked in various capacities at renowned firms like Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, IPCA Labs and Glenmark Labs. In a career spanning over 20 years, his primary focus has been on the chronic segment where he has worked on new business launch, turn-arounds in business unit and in developing new business module through a focus on system/process development and long term business approach.
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Markathon: You have immense experience in the industry of more than two decades in the pharma industry. Which has been the most challenging assignment you have accomplished? Mr Sharma: I think the current one is the most challenging one. I joined this company some 3 and a half years back and it was a kind of sick segment here. After 10 years of operations, they were leading a 13 crore segment. So, it required a turn-around that people were feeling could not happen. So, it was changing the business model, making a turn-around and for the last almost 3 years, we are the fastest growing company in this segment.
consumer will be willing to pay a premium for?
Mr Sharma: The basic thing is your quality. Quality has to be good. Pricing has to be normal, at least at par with others. If you charge a premium, you should have a reason to charge a premium. You need not have to be very economical also, but you need to be Markathon: You talked about the business model. reasonably priced. Then on, it’s all about the marketing strength; what kind of brand strategy you have What was this change that Alkem brought about? in place, what kind of field personal selling is hapMr Sharma: When we talk of business model, we talk pening, what kind of relationship we enjoy with our of who is our customer, what promotional mix has customers and how do we go and convince them. It’s to be employed, what number of people we have more about marketing after that. to keep, what overall inputs we have to keep, what kind of motivations people will have, what incentive policies we’ll have etc. So, all these systems have to Markathon: The core pharmaceutical segment that be changed in one line. Normally, while changing a you have focused on throughout your career is the business model, people change one or two things. chronic segment. Relevant to this segment, how Suppose you want your institute to be among the effective do you think is innovative direct markettop two institutes in India. You cannot be that just ing techniques are to ensure longer patient conthrough students, your faculty, infrastructure and formance, specially the patient engagement proplacements all have to be in that line. It would be grams? by aligning all these things. So when we talk of business model, it starts from the people management, Mr Sharma: When we talk of chronic segment, it’s the promotion mix and their approach to the cus- more of the super-specific segment. Our customers tomer i.e. a redesigning of the whole process. And are mainly DMs, for instance DMs in cardiology, neuwhen the background is not that great, obviously it rology, diabetology – those kinds of super-specialists. You cannot teach them. So, instead of product requires lots of changes. promotion we adopted a policy of winning the customer. We offer a basket of products to the Markathon: Since prodcustomer and we say ucts offered by different whatever you choose brands in the Pharma you can write for us. category are not much Secondly, we always differentiated, do you look at a win-win apthink the focus should proach. From customshift to offering a packer point of view, their age of products and needs are education, health services that the building their practice,
when we talk of business model, it starts from the people management, the promotion mix and their approach to the customer i.e. a redesigning of the whole process
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reaching out to patients. They are few in number, so their kind of get-together is their need. Looking at these needs, we started organizing our conferences where we call some top international faculty or doctors for a 2-3 day programme. These doctors come and interact with our doctors. For this we take permission from the Medical Council of India, so for attending these sessions the doctor gets a credit point. So they are getting credit points, getting education and also meeting other doctors. This program, the first of its kind in this industry, was done by our company. Normally, doctors went to society conferences where they got a get-together but less of education. I brought up a new program that is more about education, get-together was there too. So the doctor was happier with it. Every year we conduct this program at national level and 10-12 programs at the regional levels.
marketing communication in case of the Pharma category as we see in the case of Mankind Pharma. What are some of the innovative practices/ training & development that you have employed in this regard?
Mr Sharma: First of all I would like to disagree that Mankind Pharma thrives on its sales force. In case of FMCG products, sales force contributes hardly 10 percent of entire business, 90 percent is through marketing. Mankind is a company with a very clear cut demarcation of their market segment. They go to low-end doctors, they do rural marketing. Accordingly, they go low end retail chemists and stockiest, to distributors who do not have any other business. These low-end chemists are given bonus offers. So, their entire model is for the low-end. Now, certain things come by choice and some as accidents. When they started as a company, they were not getting good people. So they ended up taking mediocre Markathon: Do you people. Bigger doctors adopt any patient enMankind is a company with a didn’t write for them gagement programs but smaller ones did. very clear cut demarcation of which would be driven So, either by accident by doctors and if so, their market segment. They go or intention, there is a are you able to constrategy. They hire interto low-end doctors, they do ruvince the doctors to nally. They themselves take it up? ral marketing. Accordingly, they manage business. As far as project management go low end retail chemists and Mr Sharma: We are dotrainee is concerned, ing it. The basic idea is stockiest, to distributors who do they have a stipulated to help the doctor in method to train them. not have any other business. retaining the patient The trainees are trained or serving them better. to speak few lines. And We offer in hard copy a if enquired more they patient education booklet. As a doctor, you can offer will say they will get back with details from the prodthem the booklet while they wait for you. Secondly, uct team. This is a very practical approach because we started their websites. The doctor can put a lot of in ninety percent cases the doctors do not go that information on these websites which patients can go far for those details, as they do not need those many through. Some doctors wanted to brief the patient details. So they strategically do not flood the trainees attendant, such meetings we organize. So we orga- with product information so that they do not lose out nize such programs by which we are aiming at help- on the basic pieces of vital information to be commuing the doctors. We have to partner with the doctors. nicated effectively. So the idea is not associating with the public at large directly, but through doctors. Markathon: You have to your credit the launch of Pari (Paroxitine) while working with IPCA Pharma. Markathon: The sales force is an integral part of the Can you take our readers through, how a pharma
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product gets successfully launched?
work they have to implement them as that is how the MNCs work. But we Indian companies know Everything around us is the Indian nerve well. And are confident to make changing. Look for newer op- we it big in near future.
Mr Sharma: We launch some product to get volumes, some are launched to get us leadership in the portunities. Do something segment, some are new which is required in Markathon: There are launched to acquire the vacuum where the market. Let us question many countries in Asia the competition and Africa, where the the status quo and change is less and we can demand in lines of India, fill it up, some are where the drugs are exwhere it is needed launched in segment pected to reach cheaper. we already are in in Are you planning to tarorder to strengthen ourselves. So, different reasons get them as well? drive a product launch. In the year of 2001, Peroxitine market was already available. Peroxitine was Mr Sharma: We are currently operating in around 40 used as a neuro-psychiatric drug. When my competi- countries. It contributes to 15-20 % of our revenue. tors were approaching the psychiatrists, I found a use In future we aim to make it 25-30%. But in majority of the drug for dermatology and started approaching of the regions the govt. buys the drugs or the price dermatologists as well. So, even after not being the does not matter. Field force is there but they do not first in the market to manage to become the brand work at the doctor’s level. They work more in B2B leader within a years’ time, in the segment gives a format where more middle men are involved except lot of kick. Not just domestic competitors, we take countries like Nepal which operate like India. We on MNCs as well. As we analyze the strength and have purchased two companies in USA. As it is betweakness of the competitors. The MNCs can never ter to manufacture and sell there. As entering such match up us when it comes to reach we have in the countries is important if we wish to expand in near domestic market. So, that is where we hit them. They future. have less field force and sell the medicines in higher price range. So, we price our products less and push to beat them. Markathon: What is your one piece of advice to all our readers? Markathon: Compared to the MNCs, Indian companies are yet to make their mark when it comes to a firms entire portfolio. What would be your key advice for Indian Pharma companies getting a tough fight on the global turf? Mr Sharma: The MNCs become big in India by acquiring the Indian companies. Because of the deep pockets they have managed to do this. They generally have less field force and hence they pay more. But they do not have the local market conditions knowhow is very less. Their hires in India only implement the strategies developed centrally. Even if the Indian employees know that the generic strategy would not
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Mr Sharma: Everything around us is changing. Look for newer opportunities. Do something new which is required in the market. People generally do not try to change the system. So, let us question the status quo and change where it is needed. Let us not go by the books, write the books
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eye2eye
september 2013
Over Emphasis on Data Analytics Stimulating or Stifling Creativity of Ad-makers? punit bhansali
Rohit v tiwari
IIm shillong
welingkar institute of management development and research “With analysis we are interested in ‘what is.’ With design we become interested in ‘what could be’…Creative design offers the possibilities. Information and logic assess the possibilities.” These words of Edward de Bono ring quite true in the context of Data Analytics-Creativity relationship. There’s an age old adage that says, ‘Too much of anything is good for nothing.’ Similarly, while emphasis on big data would stimulate the ad-makers to design novel campaigns with a better chance of success, the pressure from the marketers to execute data-driven marketing campaigns may keep these creative minds on a tight leash forcing them to follow structured thinking. This in turn may restrict them from coming up with unconventional, clutterbreaking or intuitive ideas. For companies, the role of data analytics can be of great significance when it comes to understanding the tastes and preferences of their consumers, communicating with them more effectively and predicting or influencing their purchasing behaviour. However, measuring human decisions and emotions merely in terms of numbers or following a strictly algorithmic route to reach and engage the customers may leave little scope for creative freedom. Thus, ‘over’ emphasis on data analytics is something that companies are better off avoiding, when briefing the admakers. The point is that Data Analytics and Creativity shouldn’t be considered mutually exclusive. Rather than simply describing the two as left-brain and right-brain attributes, it would make more sense to strike a perfect balance between the two. While data analytics can help companies to focus on the marketing initiatives that would actually contribute to the bottom line, it is creativity that would determine the impact of those initiatives.
Every second there is a change in World. That change attributes to people, demographics, geographies and the most important – technology. Everyday business and consumer life creates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day. But the problem hereby is that we’re listening to more things, but we are not listening only to the smarter ones. In fact, the noise-tosignal ratio is very high, often resulting in worse decisions. The problem with data analytics is that it frequently allows decision makers to slip into a wait-and-see mind set. This situation is called as “analysis paralysis”. For example, the CIA suffering through a decade of weakened analytics efforts. Today we like to wait until our competitors do some change in their project, learn from the mistakes and implement our own project when the time is right. The problem with this approach is the assumption that we can quickly assemble a team of players to close the gap opened by competitors who embraced the risks of data analytics, which is unlikely to happen so fast. McDonald sees a value in the push to real-time analysis, rather than going for Big Data analytics or machine learning because it’s much easier to figure out the right questions to ask. If it takes 14 hours to rerun an analysis because some factor was weighted incorrectly or something else went wrong, it’s very difficult to learn from your mistakes. If we can “get in” the data, explore and figure out what’s going on, it’s a lot easier to refine our algorithms. Users must be able to interact with the data. Data analytics only provides us with information and to transform that information into insights, we need proper understanding of the data and we need to ask the right questions. With Big Data growing by leaps and bounds, the day is not far when the marketer must be well versed with technology and his campaign must be centered around tech insights paving the way out for creativity.
Topic for the next issue: “Pepsodent’s latest comparative ad- Tactical Torpedo or Debacle in Desperation?” Your opinion (view/counterview) is invited. Word limit is 250-300. Last date of sending entries is 28th Sept, 2013. Include your picture (JPEG format) with the entry. Winning entries will receive a prize money of Rs. 500 each!
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silent voice
september 2013
Theme: Raymond- The Complete Man Last month’s results Winner Akash adhvaryu | nirma university
Congratulations!!! Akash receives a cash prize of Rs 1000!
honorary mention Vivek unnikrishnan | NIAM
NEXT THEME FOR SILENT VOICE: Whisper Sanitary Pads LAST DATE OF SENDING THE PRINT AD: 28th September, 2013 EMAIL ID: markathon.iims@gmail.com Send your entry in JPEG format named as SilentVoice_<Your Name>_<Institute>only.
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september 2013
ACE 2.0 - The One Slide Challenge
Rs 2500 Over 30 Colleges 45 Fantastic Entries 3 Winners MARKATHON
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AD-dicted
september 2013 BY SUSHREE TRIPATHY IIM SHILLONG
BY SWIKRUTI PANDA IIM SHILLONG
PRODUCT: Vodafone
PRODUCT: Tata Docomo – Network Campaign
POSITIONING: “Made for First Love: The network for never-ending conversations”
POSITIONING: “Every moment of life is connected to this network. Tata Docomo – your network, which is also the network of leading companies”
CREATIVE AGENCY: Ogilvy & Mather, India
CREATIVE AGENCY: DraftfcbUlka
YouTube Link:
YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uv8R4GeVW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_ embedded&v=5fjmRravovo
CATCH
CONCEPT:
Vodafone India came out with the first commercial for their “Made for you” campaign” aimed at putting forth the brand’s network related credentials through relevant everyday stories. This ad shows a one sided conversation of a young boy talking to his love interest over the phone for hours, uninterrupted. He starts with a conversation over their zodiac compatibility, lying on his bed, and engages in a series of attempts to impress the girl over the call, while carrying out his daily activities like even changing clothes and using the loo. Gradually, it moves on to something more intimate and romantic and the last frame shows him greeting her ‘good morning’ as the run rises over his balcony while he is still on the call, legs wrapped up in the curtains. VERDICT: Catch The use of ‘First Love’ is a delightful way to communicate the product benefit of a network that facilitates uninterrupted, lengthy conversations with voice clarity and no call drops. It creates the quintessential world of innocence as most Vodafone ads showing a shade of human nature in the most genuine way. The idea of a young ‘boy’, this time, reveling in his first love wanting to stretch the conversation is quite charming and fresh. The deliberate attempt to show only one side of the conversation too adds to the imagination of viewers and helps keep the plot real. Few argue it may alienate most part of its TG by narrowing focus on adolescents, but it is a universal idea inclusive enough to bring a smile on your face, irrespective of what age you are.
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CONCEPT:
R
The 50 sec commercial unveils by showing a foreign tourist couple wandering amidst the richness of Indian culture in the lanes of Chennai as a strange jingle, in pieces, rings and surprises them. Their startled self then catches the attention of a music store keeper working sitting beside an ATM, a tea-vendor beside whom a little boy is seen gorging on a slice of pizza, an old lady showing a thumbs up and last but not the least, a lady in a local bus browsing through a daily. As the ad closes, it says ‘Zindagi ka har pal zuda hai jis network se: Tata Docomo, aap ka network, joh hai leading companies ka bhi’ . This says so to emphasize that no matter where you are and what you are up to, you cannot afford it untouched by the TATA Docomo network. To further the trust of target segment, the ad goes a notch ahead to flash with pride various leading brands in diverse sectors heavily relying on TATA Docomo networks to serve us better.
MISS
VERDICT: Miss The commercial, along with three shorter edits wishes to communicate a simple idea - the TATA Docomo brand catches you unaware everyday as it has managed to won the trust of many leading firms. Unfortunately, but for the explicit mention of existing B2B clients, the intention to communicate their capabilities to win trust of a B2C clients, was lost in the whirl of the confusion created by the jingle following the leads. The clients were shown in a subliminal way, but the sadly the sequences were far below the absolute threshold of the target audience and hence a terrible miscarriage of decent strategy of leveraging existing clients to win more.
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brand story
september 2013
Brand Story : Dabur Hajmola Shashank Singh Tomar | IIM Shillong With a daily domestic consumption of 2.6 crore tablets, it is one of the strongest brands in Dabur’s portfolio which commands a healthy 70% market share in the Rs. 150 crore worth of digestives market. Launched in 1978, a mix of herb, spices and edible salts, Hajmola has become a post-meal habit of many Indians. The brand is available in 16 lakh outlets spanning from general trade through modern trade, unlike other digestives, which are retailed primarily through pharmacies.
of consuming mint and digestives.
Not restricting itself to few variants, now the brand has been extended to Candy Fun2, Mast Masala, Hajmola Anardana Churna and Hajmola Yumshell. Dabur has developed and nurtured Over the years, it has transformed itself from being the brand carefully throughout the years. It has seen a functional ayurvedic digestive to a younger, naugh- numerous celebrity endorsers such as Kapil Dev, Amtier fun-filled brand meant to be consumed at any itabh Bacchan and Ajay Devgan, to name a few. time anywhere. The evolution of the brand is reflected in the changing product packaging as well. Earlier, The company communicated the evolved value proppackaged in glass bottles, Hajmola’s use was mostly osition of Hajmola, featuring Amitabh in a tussle with restricted to in-house consumption. To ensure the a kid in a creative with the mantra of ‘Hazam sab, ease of consumption, it is now packaged in sleek chahe jab’ to appeal the TG of 6-60 years with the contemporary smaller bottle and sachets, which aid ‘anytime you want to’ consumption theme. With the tag line of “baar baar poochhna”, Hajmola Mint Masconsumption on the go. ti Candy announced its arrival by taking pot-shots at The growth of the brand over years can also be partly Perfetti’s Chlormint which is recognized with its faattributed to a lack of serious competition in the cat- mous “dobara mat poochhna” campaign. egory, with only local regional products competing in the fray. Dabur has extended the umbrella brand Hajmola’s on-ground presence has been acknowlHajmola into candies and other forms of digestives. edged time and again, be it through sampling of In 2009, the Hajmola Candy was re-positioned as an candies through Mumbai Dabbawalas in Rajdhani audio candy, owing to the lip-smacking sound that is and Shatabdi trains or at famous food joints in Delhi. created by indulgence in the zingy-tangy taste of the The brand is said to have gained huge visibility by its candy. Primarily targeted at kids, it very well commu- act of re-designing 150 dhabas on routes originating nicated the positioning as that of a unique taste in a from Delhi by merchandising the outlets with Hajmofun-filled manner. The Hajmola candy is now avail- la banners, umbrellas and wall art. able in variants such as ‘albela aam’, ‘chulbuli imli’, ‘rangeela santra’ and ‘pangebaaz pineapple’. Hajmo- Though the brand is based in the ambit of a universal la is reported to have 9% share in the Rs. 350 Crore need, it faces its own share of concerns. The brand has been pre-dominantly focussed on the North-Inhard-boiled candy market. dian market, thus losing out on the untapped marThe footprint of Hajmola brand has been expanded kets in other parts of the country. Moreover, the by launching Hajmola Mint Masti, with a value prop- category fears stagnation alike the Chyawanprash osition of providing freshness of mint coupled with market. In the wake of saturating markets and brand the digestive benefits of Hajmola. This differentiated extensions, it remains to be seen what more lies in product in the Rs. 720 crore worth of mint super cat- the hat for Hajmola in the years to come egory is believed to be an innovative and relevant offering, owing to the combination of post-meal habits
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fun corner
september 2013
Fun Corner Kamalpreet Singh Saluja | IIM Shillong
Identify the Brand from these Print Advertisements
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fun corner
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updates
september 2013 Perrier.
By Prateek Gaurav
Brand Launch Virtual Studio with Lakme
The cosmetic giant from the stable of HUL looks to make inroads into the minds of its target via the digital medium. In its latest move, Lakme launched a virtual studio wherein consumers could upload their picture and select a styling which would suit their face. The aim of the program is to engage and connect with its target consumers eventually encouraging the purchasing behavior.
Maruti to beat market blues with Stingray
The auto sector which has been bleeding badly has been flooded with flurry of new launches to provide reasons for consumers to spend more. Banking on the similar motivation, Maruti launched Stingray priced in the sub 5 lakhs category to provide consumers a mix of utility, style and reliability. Whether it is able to attract consumers is something we must wait and watch.
After phantom and ghost, it is time for Wraith
Touted as ‘the most powerful Rolls Royce ever built’, this engineering marvel in the super premium segment is surely a driver’s dream. It is a four seater coupe priced upwards of 4.5 crore and promises ultimate luxury and performance. The coupe also features smaller wheel base, lower roof height and wide rear track for supreme driving experience.
Nokia Lumia has two new avatars
The Lumia portfolio just got bigger with two new offerings: Lumia 925 and Lumia 625. The company has been on an aggressive expansion mode and has launched 12 phones in 18 months. Lumia 925 priced upwards of 33000 plans to target the upper end segment of smartphone category while the Lumia 625 priced around 20000 targets the mid segment category of smartphones.
Brand Watch: Pepsi says Om!
The premium bottled water segment is likely to get a new entrant with PepsiCo planning to come up with its offering named Om to tap on the popularity of rival Coca Cola’s Smartwater. The segment which is buzzing due to increase in consumption as a result of increasing health consciousness already has heavy weights like Evian and
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Re1 Entertainment store from Airtel
Sustaining the momentum on Re1 video download campaign, promising to offer mobile content including music, videos, games photos and even internet at Re1. The company has ensured that the feature is accessible across a range of smartphone and feature phones and claims to offer updates links from over 60 newspaper in 11 languages.
Media Dark is beautiful
Although this is not the usual media campaign featuring some superstar celebrity or a revolutionary product, this campaign hits out at the mindset of the people and against companies promoting their product to improve skin tone of people. For long, there has been a preference for fair skin and a bias towards lighter toned people in India where physical appearance is concerned. This campaign voices its opinion for beauty beyond color and maintains that there is more to beauty than what meets the eye.
Aaj Tak gets Bollywood Tadka
In a co-branding initiative to promote Aaj Tak and Chennai Express, the channel launched a show Halla Bol to address
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updates
september 2013
concerns of people on issues affecting them. This program aims to target people living across cities and intends to act as a medium for people to get their grievances to the concerned authorities. It is a nice co-branding initiative looking to serve both the channel as well as the movie with a social cause attached to it in order to grab eyeballs.
protection for longer duration. Though the message in the ad is clear, we need to wait and see how it resonates with consumers: a marketing masterstroke or a desperate attempt for gaining market share. Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=R347lsr23X8
Ad Watch
Idea ties the Rakshabandhan Bond
Pepsodent Germicheck
It might be termed as a smart tactical move by HUL to gain market share in the oral care segment against rivals Colgate and late entrant P&G. The ad goes on an all-out attack by Pepsodent over Colgate claiming superior germ
Cashing in on the festivals to connect with the audience has been an old ploy practiced by companies across the sector. In a similar act, Idea tries to cash in on Rakshabandhan and comes out with a simple yet beautifully crafted ad appealing to the emotions of people. The ad successfully conveys the message and through the voiceover after the ad gets over, places its brand name in the minds of people. Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=kUY2XYa8w6Q
Thums Up whirl wind ad
A boring ad for the market leader in the cola segment, the ad delivers nothing new and repeats it catch line in an unconvincing manner. Considering the past credentials of the brand, the ad is really pale and delivers the same old formula in a clichéd format. Moreover, the Star power of Salman Khan is also restricted to uttering the catch line of the brand which invokes no emotions or feelings. Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFBWVLv7-c
Articles are invited
“Best Article”: Vatsal Sethi, Keshav Mahavidyalaya He receives a cash prize of Rs.1000 & a letter of appreciation We are inviting articles from all the B-schools of India. The articles can be specific to the regular sections of Markathon which includes: • Perspective: Articles related to development of latest trends in FMCG marketing arena. • Productolysis: Analysis of a FMCG product from the point of view of marketing. • Strategic Analysis: A complete analysis of the marketing strategy of any FMCG company or an event. Apart from above, out of the box views related to marketing are also welcome. The best entry will receive a letter of appreciation and a cash prize of Rs 1000/-. The format of the file should be MS Word doc/docx. We’re inviting photographs of interesting promotional events/advertisements/hoardings/banners etc. you might have come across in your daily life for our new section “The 4th P”. Send your self-clicked photographs in JPEG format only. The last date of receiving all entries is 28th September, 2013. Please send your entries marked as <ARTICLE NAME>_<SENDERS’ NAMES>_<INSTITUTE> to markathon.iims@gmail.com.
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Touchstone
september 2013
The Marketing Club of IIM Shillong in association with Shillong Lajong FC presents to you â&#x20AC;&#x153;Touchstone, The True Test of your Marketing Acumenâ&#x20AC;?. Round one would be an online quiz round which will test your knowledge of general marketing, sports management and football. It will be held on Dare2compete: http://www.dare2compete.com/quiz/home Round two would be the case study round. This case would be given by Shillong Lajong. Participants are expected to submit their executive summaries in 5 slides, based on which they would be shortlisted and stand a chance to travel to IIM Shillong to present their solutions to the Shillong Lajong panel.
Event Sponsor
We invite you to enthusiastically take part in this event
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We would love to hear from you: markathon.iims@gmail.com www.issuu.com/markathon
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Markathon, IIM Shillong