Negative event, positive lessons

As 2015 closes, if I were to ask you what was the biggest marketing event of 2015, what was it?

New Delhi

Padmalini, I am going to be cheeky on this answer. Cheeky but correct as well.

The biggest marketing event in India in this year that is fading out right now is the Maggi affair that ruled the roost mid-year. A packaged food crisis unparalleled in recent decades, especially considering how media grabbed it and made an event of it, for sure.

A massive withdrawal of stocks from millions of outlets all across India. Possibly the world’s largest bonfire of noodles in the cement plants of this country. This was the biggest marketing event of 2015, for sure! A negative event that taught India’s marketers a lot of positives.

Marketers sat up and smelt the burning noodle. Every marketer worth their salt did a complete due diligence of his offerings.

Brands went in for a thorough analysis of what they were offering in the Indian market.

Brand labels changed quietly to conform to the requirements of the day. Some brands quietly pulled out and restacked shelves with products that were better labelled and better controlled.

Maggi, to its credit, made the fastest comeback into the market after this huge recall and loss of face. A new managing director for India was put in place fast enough and Maggi re-entered the Indian market after passing through an agni pariksha of its own, within the same calendar year. And that was quick.

So, in many ways, 2015 was the Year of Lead. Lead (plumbum) was the hero of the periodic table this year. No element made headlines as did plumbum.

I run a business school in Pune. What is a good way to advertise my school? I need to stand out and get students to think of my school as good.

Pune

Dear “Just call me Mahanta”, I appreciate why you don’t want me to take your name.

First, I do believe teaching and academic institutions must not advertise. I say this not due to any altruistic reasons but for very practical reasons, for sure.

A teaching institution is all about education. It is about imparting knowledge and a way of thinking. Such institutions must grow slowly, not fast. You must take your time and grow batch to batch, on the basis of the reputation that you leave behind with every batch of students. A B-school is not a cake of soap or a biscuit to be advertised. It is much more. It is a reputation. You need to invest time, energy and money in building this reputation. This reputation is certainly not bought. It can only be earned. Incidentally, every student who passes through and out of your portals will be the brand ambassador of your business school. Wait for that to fall into place.

Invest in your students. They are the best advertisements you are building for your B-school.

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