Marketing Continuum 2010

24th July 2010, Marketing experts from various industries delivered lectures to a packed auditorium at Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT- Bombay. The topic under discussion was “Marketing 3.0:From Relationship to Collaboration”.
Mr. Mahesh Murthy, CEO-Pinstorm, spoke of the state-of-the-art digital tools that can help manage brands in real time. Using Google trends and ad-words, it is possible to determine which keywords are “in” at any moment and then design an ad campaign around them- guaranteeing high online visibility. This requires fast turnaround times on the part of creative teams so that the Fy can respond to short-lived internet trends.
Mr. Vikrant Khanna, VP- Bharti Airtel, discussed the use of social media in marketing today. He suggested that “crowdsourcing” i.e., sourcing innovative advertising ideas from regular people rather than experts, has been experimented with, and will soon be the order of the day. According to Mr. Atul Sinha, VP, Britannia, innovation from the public could be sought for products as well as for their packaging or advertising. He deplored the slow rate of innovation in the FMCG sector and hoped that this will soon improve.

Mr. Vivek Sharma, CMO- Philips India, stressed the need for market research in order to reach out to the “bottom of the pyramid”(BoP). He suggested that products should be specifically designed for the rural consumer instead of merely stripping down an urban product to basic functionality. For a marketer, immersion in rural life could be very helpful in order to determine unstated needs of BoP consumers.

Mr. Sridhar T., AVP-Idea Cellular, also discussed BoP marketing and said that collaboration and customer engagement are essential and that an aura of intrigue surrounding a product can create interest.

According to Mr. Prashant Pandey, EVP-GSK, engaging and involving rural customers can also be achieved through street plays, movies and fairs.

The seminars all highlighted the importance of “co-creation”, as a joint venture between organizations and the interested public. The speakers also stressed the importance of the rural consumer in both product development and marketing.
The event was also accompanied with a pre event named SCORPIO Zeitgeist , an advertisement making competition, witnessing a massive participation from all over India .The event was a huge success as evident from the feedback given by the judge Ms. Deepa Arjunan, DGM SCORPIO Brand “Zeitgeist received a tremendous response from all of you: future strategists, innovators - and hopefully - passionate crusaders, who will drive transformation and steer India to greater heights. Entries received for the Zeitgeist contest, reflect enormous research, hard work and imagination. The ideas are inspired and original and each video was distinct and different from the others. And though we enjoyed them all, it was definitely an effort to pick out winners – a tribute to your creativity.” said Ms. Deepa Arjunan.

Feedback for Zeitgeist from our Proud Sponsors

Zeitgeist@Marketing Continuum

‘Cars are probably the most symbolic of all consumer goods. They are not about getting from Point A to Point B. Rather they are about who we want to be and where we want to go. Cars are about our own personal piece of the good life, a visible embodiment of the Indian dream. And that is what the Scorpio is – an aspiration, an object of desire, a possession that says “This is who I believe I am” - Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Zeitgeist captured the essence of Scorpio, a brand that exudes style, thrill, power and panache, that resonates with Indians because, in so many ways, it represents the evolving India. Zeitgeist received a tremendous response from all of you: future strategists, innovators - and hopefully - passionate crusaders, who will drive transformation and steer India to greater heights.

Entries received for the Zeitgeist contest, reflect enormous research, hard work and imagination. The ideas are inspired and original, several of them bring a smile to your face, and each video was distinct and different from the others. And though we enjoyed them all, it was definitely an effort to pick out winners – a tribute to your creativity.

Every one of you has contributed to the success of Zeitgeist; and Congratulations to all of you for that. We hope you will continue to fuel your passion in all your future endeavours !

Scorpio Team

Results for Zeitgeist...An advertisement making competition organized at SJMSOM, IIT Bombay

1st Prize: Team Stormers from SIBM Banglore

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJCI1N-ywsQ&feature=player_embedded)

1. Cash Prize of Rs 3000
           2. Wild card entry to I-Quiz going to be organized next month
           3. Invitation Mahindra's The Great Escape Car racing gameshow.
           4. A gift Hamper from M & M

5. Certificate

2nd Prize: Team Road Razors from IIM Lucknow

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkTmFwB32AI&feature=player_embedded)

1. Cash Prize of Rs 2000
            2. Invitation of Mahindra's The Great Escape Car racing gameshow.
            3. A gift Hamper from M & M

4. Ceretificate

3rd Prize : Team Thunder from SJMSOM

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmR0wXl_b9c&feature=player_embedded)

1. A gift Hamper from M & M

2. Certificate