Marketing platforms are competing to offer more and more granular data

This week on Mind your Marketing, we are inconversation with RameshRavishankar , Senior Director – Marketing, Freshworks. He has over 15 years of experience in Sales andMarketing across different markets in Indiaand South-East Asia. Ramesh started his careerby selling bicycles in southern rural regions, and later sold pay phones in theSouth before he embarked on his journey with Google, learning the ropes ofDigital Marketing. He is passionate about digital marketing and measurement asthe complexity grows in offline/online marketing. At Freshworks, Ramesh isresponsible for global lead generation across multiple products.

Havemillennials and GenZ transformed the way businesses approach marketing?

Millennials haveplayed a very crucial role in the business of marketing. They are highlyfocused and have the attitude to try out stuff that has never been done before,only to see if it works or not. Marketing was always done the traditional way –newspapers, ads, flyers, and with the advent of digital marketing, millennialshave taken control. I have a team constituting over 90 per cent from GenZ. Iwill be honest in saying that they probably will soon overtake my level ofknowledge. Thank goodness for years of experience, which can never be equalled! 

What are the best waysto connect with and sell to this audience?

Selling was more orless a cost-conscious effort, at least in a market like India. Today,it’s or it is fast-changing. If you are selling a product, you need to tellthem what the differentiation is because the cost of switching is far less thanit previously was. If you are selling a job, you have to ensure you lay acareer path, which they are more interested in than the salary. Salary is notthe only bone of contention for millennials to take up a job offer. They want avariety of jobs to do, which also involves x-functional collaboration betweenteams. 

Whatare the specific technologies that have driven these changes?

The superiortechnology that is available is responsible for the change in behaviour.Marketing platforms are competing to offer more and more granular data. Google,Facebook, LinkedIn are competing with each other to give their customers a realsense of value. A billboard in the '90s looked good, and caught eyeballs, andinfluenced the purchase. Today, with the availability of data, decisions aretaken to see the influence of digital marketing on the billboard. YouTube isthe next big TV. These factors make marketing very interesting and keep youngmarketers challenged.

Whatdo you need to win in the marketplace – better technology or betterideas?  

Technologies are inplenty, ideas are far too few, and there is a dearth of ‘good ideas’.Technology is just an enabler. With the advent of smartphones, everyone wantedan app, thinking they will be able to push their product to the consumer.Today, it has changed. You don't need an app to gain mindshare. It would helpif you had an idea, and an app may or may not be a platform. It just depends onyour target audience, what they want, and how you are making their purchasedecision simpler. Take the example of Myntra, they had once decided to try outan ‘app-only’ marketplace. It turned out to be a bad idea despite superiortechnology - they had to go back to the website format soon. 

Whatmakes customer experiences the differentiator of the future? 

Experience. The userof the product will always be the winner and not the purchaser of the product.A simple example: you think your kid would love a toy that you would bring forher/him. The joy the kid would derive is by using the toy in the mostunintended way. Customer experience is defined by their experiences andconversations, and not necessarily by price. We are in the business of sellingsoftware and customers buy our software not because there is no alternative totheir existing software. They buy our software because we are more of friendsto them, and help them navigate through a customer experience that brings inmoments of joy in their buying journey. 

How do you bridge the gap betweenexpectation and experience? 

There is just onestep. As our CEO Girish would always say, “The customer has an expectation inmind and a way of doing things in their business. As we sell to them, we haveto be very cautious to not take their solutions as the only way but to wow themwith a better, easier and simpler solution that goes beyond their expectations.At the same time, it is essential to be honest with the customer on what ispossible, and otherwise. Being honest wins a prospect, and most times,customers too!” 

What does it take for brands to staycompetitive in today's dynamic economy and market?

Featuredifferentiation, the usability of the product, and in case you are in thebusiness of making software for brands like Freshworks, one needs to make ourcustomers look good in front of theirs.

Whatare the three secrets to successful branding? 

I am not sure if thereis a secret to successful branding. For a brand to be successful, it cannothappen in a day. A brand evolves over a while, and also the most successfulbrands make mistakes (not intentionally necessarily) where they could take thewrong turn because they kept a secret. However, I'd think that to build asuccessful brand you should be honest, give users the joy of using a productwhere consumers experience moments of wow, and be a friend to the prospect orcustomer. 

Can a one-size-fits-all approach workin a differentiated market such as India?

India is united by variouscommunities, cultures, languages, thoughts and more. However, when you areselling to customers cutting across these challenges, you can still besuccessful if you are honest, friendly and provide consumers joy while usingyour product. Indiais a cost-conscious market, and that doesn't necessarily mean cheap. It justmeans, show the customer the value that you bring to them, and you will alwayswin. 

Whyand how should brands think local?

Every brand shouldcater to local needs. What works for Americans will never work for Europeans orIndians. Take Google, for example. Google maps were developed in the US for global use, but often struggled when youhad to navigate in Indiawith the ways of driving.  The UShad far too few two-wheelers than India. Today, Google Maps hasdirections for motorbikes and two-wheelers and there is a dime a dozen suchexamples. Marketing is how close you get to the user who belongs to aparticular region. Take Byju's for instance, the kids used in their TVCs are toreach their target audience across many cultures in India, but the common theme is ShahRukh and the Indian nod! 

How does your brandapproach the Southern market when it comes to branding and consumer engagement?

We are a brand that caters to businesses and the globe is ouraudience. Today, we provide localisation by addressing the needs of eachcountry. But the day will come when we will go deeper and address it state-wiseif the need arises.

What is unique about the South Indianmarket? Do you see any difference in consumer behaviour from the North in yourcategory? 

We see differences inglobal buying behaviours, and today as we sell to Indian markets, South vsNorth hasn’t yet mattered. As I said earlier, if we continue to provide a ‘wow’experience to all our prospects and customers, the only difference would belanguage, if at all. 

This article is part of a brand initiative by TheHindu BusinessLine to profile marketing professionals from across India.

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