The Hindu Business Line : `Advertisements are for getting rewards for client'

ADVERTISING is not just about award-winning creativity but also about getting rewards in the market for the client, according to Mr R. "Balki" Balakrishnan, National Creative Director, Lowe.

He was addressing the two-day annual marketing seminar of Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIMK), Synapse 2005.

Deconstructing some of his own advertisements, he explained how the common thread that ran through these commercials was their simplicity.

The event, which was organised by MPower, the marketing interest group at IIMK, was supported by CII and ITC and had The Hindu Business Line as the media partner. The theme of the seminar was `The brand new world: Local competencies, global challenges'.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr Hemant Mallik, Vice-President (Marketing), ITC Foods, gave an account of ITC's foray into the food industry. He took the two case studies of Aashirvaad Atta and Sunfeast Pasta and explained how the company leveraged its considerable knowledge in areas like blending and supply-chain management. He highlighted ITC's concept of `honest pricing' and the rural initiative `e-choupal'.

Mr V.K. Chandrashekaran, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, gave a comprehensive overview of the patents regime in the country in light of the recent change in patenting procedures. He called this era a paradigm shift from the time when global organisations exploited Indian markets to now when the Indian organisations are going global.

He attributed India's favourable position in the global scenario to a large talent pool and Indian innovativeness.

Dr G. Ravi Prasad, Vice-President, Godavari Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd, explained how the sudden shift from an urban to a rural environment could unsettle a young marketing executive. He spoke about the importance of monsoons, the rapid growth of the market and the challenges of infrastructure and complexity in that sector. He pointed out that innovation in reaching out to the villages of India is the need of the hour.

Mr Vijay Balakrishnan, Principal Marketing Officer of Bharti Televentures, talked on the marketing of services and the innovations required in the fast changing, competitive market. He noted that, "our only source of competitive advantage is our people and the service they provide".

Mr S. Ramachandran, Principal Consultant, Littler Associates, drove home the point that most of the market research is not fully leveraged. Drawing from his vast experience in companies such as Sterlite Industries, Pidilite, Exide and Amaraja, he urged for a more practical perspective on the field of marketing research. He said that an understanding of the basics behind any methodology used for market research is essential.

Mr Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, gave a presentation on rural marketing, its potential, its idiosyncrasies and its peculiar position of suddenly being the "in" thing in marketing. Mr Bijoor held the urban market responsible for creating misconceptions and blamed it for the high-handed and secondary treatment of the rural market.

Synapse provided the students with a platform to interact with the stalwarts of industry and get insights into the dynamics of the Indian market, a press release said.

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