Product , brand development

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37684942/pbm-2010

happy reading ...

Advertising , IMC

happy reading friends

guidelines to marketing planning and strategy

enjoy reading it ..hope it helps

http://www.scribd.com/doc/28348820/Marketing-Planning-Strategy

basics in selling skills

Some skills like -selling process, forecasting , territory management,recruitment,training ,compensation

..happy reading

http://www.scribd.com/doc/24945009/Basics-of-selling-skills

channel managment environment behavior direct

readers

some more snapshots on aspects of channel management..enjoy

http://www.scribd.com/doc/24479132/Snapshot-Environment-Behaviour-Physical-Distribution-Direct-Selling

channel management ..overview

introduction to channel concepts , an overview ..happy reading

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22791098/Introduction-to-Channel-Management

some interesting marketing successes of 2009 in India

Hi sharing with you all..was reading the BW , Nov 2009..thought it would be interesting to share..what is important that each of these successes .. they have a unique differentiation ..something which was clear to them and the consumers ..have fun

2009

• Consumer was seeking value and looking at fundamentals more than emotional connect
• Most companies emphasized on basic 4 P’s which became even more important –with 3 P’s of process/people/physical evidence becoming more important
• Starting April 2011 , valuations of brands will have a significant role in company valuations , & companies will have to report the growth in brand valuations & this would place the onus directly on the management

Samsung

• Launched 225 products in 2009 against 2000 the year before
• It is closing the gap effectively with technology breakthrough / products customized to Indian needs
• They made an exclusive 32” LED TV for Indian customers as Indians have smaller rooms
• They target to lead in product innovation space & be relevant to consumers

Aircel

• Till 2006 it was just in 2 circles with 2.2 million consumers
• Positioning was on non-voice uses –pay bills/book tickets/network with friends
• Monthly susbscriber additions have doubled from 600,000 6 months ago to 1.4 million

Rahul Gandhi

• Congress launched him as their marketing weapon
• He has added a new constituency” the youth “
• Shows freshness , sincerity , positivity – all of which is a rare combination amongst the politicians
• Political scion gifted with a glorious smile

Virgin Mobile

• Decided to target youngistan – focused exclusively on youth
• Focus on communication where the youth “ gets around “ not necessarily rebels ..they find a way
• Introduced many first “ including ..get paid to receive a call” -Cut clutter
• It has achieved a 92 % awareness , and 69 % consideration a year since its launch

LIC

• Their nearest competitor is less than 1/ 10^th of their size
• They increased their MS from 60 to 67% last year
• Their IMC initiative was through its people – they decided to give a select band of its agents the title of chief life insurance advisors ..and task them with appointing and mentoring agents ; hitherto the prerogative of development officers
• They created an army with brought about Rs 700 cr of business last year

Ghajini

• It raked in Rs 90 crores in the ist weekend of its release
• Marketing cost was Rs 7.5 crore and the global box office offtake Rs 260 crore
• They homestly told the consumers what to expect through a major use of IMC – Aamir’s physical appearance , the haircut , the in cinema visibility ; ushers having a similar haircut
• The audience was prepared for what they were going to see

Rakhi Sawant

• From an item girl she became the biggest start for NDTV imagine
• As a brand she is brash , crude , willingly flaunts her unsophistication
• Her appeal connected with the masses

Consumer Behaviour ,Response to Communication Stimuli

Hi

this is collated for a quick review , understanding of the same.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20363403/Consumer-Behavior-to-Communication

A lot of understanding is drawn from "An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective" from Belch & Belch

Integrated marketing communication process

With the media getting fragmented , budgets getting squeezed , consumers getting distracted an effective way being focussed nowadays is to target consumer touchpoints .

•

•

Involves coordinating various promotional tools ,marketing activities to form a message , rather than only relying on media advertising

–-Get the consumer at touchpoints

–-Avoid duplication

–-Consistent message for the product /brand

–-Maximise the ROI ,more cost effective

–-Leverage on changing environment /behavior

–-Focus on actual purchase /trials

Tools of IMC

•

-Advertising

•-Direct marketing

•-Interactive/internet marketing

•-Sales promotion

•-PR

•-WOM

•-Personal selling

•-BTL

-POS

•IMC planning process

-Review of marketing plan

–-SWOT :environment/competition/TG/product/distribution/ manpower…

•-Define the product message /TG/objective

•-Understand the best mix of IMC basis the product /message /TG

•-Understand the budget

•-Develop IMC

–-Message /strategy/tools of IMC/adapting the message

•-Integrate the IMC strategy/execution

•- Monitor/evaluate & control the IMC

POS

Participants of IMC

- Advertisers

•-Agencies

•-Media companies

•-Marketing communication specialists

•-Collateral services

Process towards defining the IMC for a product

• understand : opportunity /competition/target market-TG
• identify target markets - segment /define the positioning /product benefits
• product decisions- product/pricing /packaging /placement-distribution channels/promotional activities/people/processess
• elements of IMC which maximise the consumer touch-points and enable objectives
• monitor /evaluate /replan

•Consumer decision making process which IMC influences

•-Problem recognition need/repeat purchase/desire/greed

–-maslow’s heirarchy

–-Psychoanalalytic theory –sigmund freud

–-MR probes needs-in depth interview/FGD/associaiton tests/projecting techniques

•-Information search

•-Alternatives evaluation

•-Purchase decision

•-Post purchase evaluation –cognitive dissonance

•-Recommendation-WOM

examples abound

-Nano launch (Tata) ,Ghajini (Aamir Khan) , Virgin Airlines (Richard Branson) ,Hero Honda ( MTV roadies )

Depending on the stage of PLC of a product , IMC can work to address objectives like -

St

• awareness
• Recall
• Trials
• Informative
• Consumption
• Repeat purchase

St

•

Celebrity endoresements

With more and more companies thinking it as the way to break clutter , it is relevant to reflect on the same.

•Stage of the product - It depends on what stage of the product life cycle is the brand in.

•

•Is it a strategic decision over 4, 5 years- brand value must remain consistent with the value of the celebrity being endorsed in terms of personality, positioning. So even if the celebrity changes the values remain consistent ..

•

•Celebrity–brand match: , strong enough so that the endorsements are able to strongly influence the thought processes of consumers and create a positive perception of the brand ?

•

•Constant monitoring mechanism : Are we able to monitor the behavior, conduct and public image of the celebrity continuously to minimize/maximize any potential.

•

•Brand over endorser: should ensure that this does not happen by formulating advertising collaterals and other communications

•

•Celebrity endorsement is just a channel: it is one part of the communication mix that falls under the broader category of marketing. I have observed that the teams/ sales /CP

•

•Celebrity ROI: should have a system combining quantitative and qualitative measures to measure the overall effect of celebrity endorsements.

Small SKU's are again the darling of the consumers..The Magic Price point -SMALL is buyable

Good day biscuit - Rs 5/- ;Nestea at Rs 2/-; Lux at Rs 10/-; pepsico has started advertsising its Kurkure in packs of Rs 3/- and Rs 5/-

The escalating prices have forced the consumers to lap the low ..CONVENIENTLY priced small vol units . Companies like HUL,ITC,Frito lays ,Britannia are all encouraging the same .Last year claim the companies the small SKU's contributed around 25/30% of their sales.

Cigarette companies/confectionary companies /haircare companies have all been working on convenient price points for a long time . It helps substitute for - change which is not available / it helps dispose of unnecesary Rs 2/, Rs 5/, Rs 1 coins ...it helps define the price points for the companies .Earlier when 10p/20p/50 p was available the pricing of cigarettes/toffees/chewing gum was such .Later on with the shortage of coins it started moving towards the most conveniently available coin.

However nowadays affordability /accessability alongwith

-the inflationary pressures on prices of products

-the choice /options/variants available

-the reduced shelf space to stock

-the reduced space to merchandise

-abundant distribution

all of it makes a small conveniently priced product a good option for generating trails /repeat purchase and the acceptability of a consumer to stock multiple variants.

Changing Rural Markets –have we noticed ?

As of 2005 , urban areas accounted for 52% of India’s NDP ,despite having just over one quarter of the population. Although the primary source of income is agriculture in the rural areas , the economy is more diverse in terms of the economic output .

Traditionally rural / urban markets are considered in isolation by FMCG companies . During drought since the PPP drops , so do the targets , conversely when the industrial activity slows down , the focus is renewed on rural markets .

Is it really the case ?

• Has the transformation been mapped ?
• Or are the companies limited in their reach of products
• Are the company personnel unable to travel the rural markets since it is a “tough” non AC terrain
• Have the marketers really talked to the rural consumers to see what their drivers are ?

The rural markets are becoming prosperous . The “bottom of the pyramid” is expanding

In the past 4 /5 years the economy has improved in these markets on account of better support prices , normal monsoon, escalating real estate prices income emanating from activities in towns are sent back .

The aspirations of the rural today mimic those of the urban consumers. The emergenceof modern retail trade , the growing demand for ready to eat food , the exposure through C&S network , penetration of colour televisions seem to transform the needs. Today girls / women wear less sarees and more salwars/jeans , for it is trendy and apparently more comfortable .

Improvements in infrastructure , rural connectivity on roads ( which from 40% in 2004 is today at 70% ), mobile penetration , improvement the cross migration of the rural –urban consumer into real time situation , all contribute to an aware rural consumer .

As the younger generation grows , the inability of the fsarm to support a family forces , family members to move away from the agricultural income .as the proporation of non-agricultural income grows , and dominates the character of consumption changes .The evidence points to the PPP of a rural consumer coming from dual sector = agriculture+ non agricultural activities.

BW reaserach ,based on data provided by Indicus Analytics , CMIE finds that less than 10% of the FMCG business is actually susceptible to the vagaries of the monsoon .

Knowing consumer behavior is the key , so do the traditional consumer companies approach the rural markets from a sales /distribution perspective rather than a marketing understanding ?

Traditional Outlets vs Modern Trade , the scales tilt again

FMCG companies need to , and they are refocussing on traditional outlets since the sales in modern trade are slipping .

Companies have a marked increase in throughput from neighbourhood ,traditional stores . The advantages cited are

• fresh stocks , due to lower pipelines
• Better merchandised
• Very high CRM , due to personal interaction of the outlet owner/manager with the customer
• Increased margins are given by the companies which are getting passed on
• ease of "touch and feel"

Traditional sales for established FMCG companies like Dabur account for 95% of their sales , it continues to define and decide the market direction

Companies due to the non-uniformity / learning curve of the modern trade are encouraging traditional retailers with higher margins , credit terms .

The modern trade gets beaten on

• higher fixed costs (upto 30% higher) where they have to manage customer expectations of a more frill environment .
• increasing focus on private labels

Companies like Colgate,Dabur,HUL,ITC and several others have stepped up their discounts ,freebies, credit terms without resorting to price cuts for the traditional outlets. The efforts are to boost volumes and counter the regional players who are nibbling away-stated a recent Motilal Oswal report.

Dabur for eg last year has heightened , investments on brands with a strong rural franchise focus .It rolled out a special rural focussed sales initiative across seven states -UP,MP,Bihar,Punjab,West Bengal,Maharashtra,Gujrat -stepping up presence by going into villages with a population of under 3000 people .The company says this resulted in a 20% surge in growth in rural areas , ahead of urban markets.

The role of trade marketing is increasingly becoming relevant

• to address the need for companies and talk to the consumers
• ensuring that companies are always working with the traditional trade.

Pricing Strategy , a refresher

Very interesting ppt , thought I shall share . Read it , it is a good refresher

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16068462/Pricing-strategies

how often are we consious of what we do ? In India are we working out a pricing or are we reactive to the environment / competition of we simply just add a mark up on cost ?

Leadership Role in tough times , in fact at any time

According to a study, Indian employees continue to be the most engaged in Asia-Pacific, but with the current downturn it has taken a toll with the employee engagement dwindling –ref Watson Wyatt’s Work Asia survey for 2008-09

What are the reasons?

• Need for accountability /deliveries
• Pressure on bosses/ owners to demand deliveries at any cost .As a result they are also getting caught in a trap of reacting rather than evolving
• Lack of transparency at all stages
• Stress increases ,as employees get younger, more intelligent ,and their bosses /owners at such times are left handling changes in organizational structures.

All of this leads to reduced respect that employees have for the place where they work.

This is where the role of leaders at all levels comes in .NR Narayan Murthy says in his book “A Better India, A Better World “

• what is the task of a leader in energizing his people? It is creating a grand vision – a purpose which is noble, lofty and aspirational. It is a dream that should excite and energize everybody on the community /corporation. The leader has to craft and articulate a vision in which everybody sees a better future for himself. The vision has to be powerful enough to make every tired mind and body that leaves the office in the evening come back early the next morning saying “ I am proud to belong to this company and I will work hard to make it a better company “
• When the company was being formed I said – I want this to be the most respected software services company in the world, if you seek respect, you will not short change your customers, you will be fair to your colleagues in the company, you will be transparent with your investors, you will treat your vendor partners with care and understanding, you will not violate the laws of the country you operate and you will live in harmony in whichever society you operate in. My conviction is that such a pursuit will bring revenues,jobs,profits and market capitalization"

How many of bosses, owners are able to say this? Practice this with a hand on their heart? How many , have the courage to talk like this and walk the talk..This is a a true example

Evolving Distribution

The current structure popularized by the FMCG behemoths like HLL,ITC,Amul etc is multilayered going through various intermediaries before it reaches the consumers . At the last point of sale it fights for shelf space , share of investment of the retailer ,TOMA

The inventory levels of idle , in transit inventory are large. Typically any of the companies would at least have 3000 – 4000 retailers serving their products .

And all of them continue to struggle to develop world class infrastructure , services and all of them focused in increasing the pipeline of retail stock

The future is typically a scenario where product availability is not a USP any more . It is a given , one has to be available and it cannot be a point of differentiation.

Equipping the field force in this scenario requires superior training , better automated tools and higher point of sale communication targeted to the consumer

Consumer want fresh stocks for food items, for personal care products , for just about anything –Freshness is the buzzword. The days of inventory pumping are passé as dead / old inventory “from a consumer’s point of view “ are a strict , no-no

Uniformity of tax structures , better road infrastructure , reduced –efficient manpower will all lead to removal of the traditional structure of distribution.

The future will be lesser , efficient , intelligent more sophisticated distributors who are equally or more efficient than the best of FMCG companies . They have as their strengths , local knowledge , better warehousing , tighter networking , automation . From being distributors who are just involved with making the product available , they shall become logistics , marketing managers and future brand managers for their areas.

Organizations shall reduce the pipeline inventory of in-transit / godown –backroom stocks till the time comes when they become JIT and consolidate distributors . A typical situation of BAT in Bangladesh 8 / 10 years back was when their distributors were required to just go to a cntral warehopuse , order /pay for the stocks and they would be replenished by the evening . Inventory levels in their godowns was unheard of .The sales teams had small hand-helds to record retail inventory / factory ordering /replenishment norms.

Focus shall increase more on sell-out and less on selling –in and thereafter from a forecast based ordering of a sales team it shall be come demand led requirement from the consumers.

Tighter inventory shall result in lesser dead stock , higher margins and fresh rightly priced stocks to the consumer .

Service Marketing .. a quick snapshot

Hi a small ppt , which was shared with students /faculty in MDI , Gurgoan in a guest lecture session 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16000068/Services-1

personality development

http://www.scribd.com/word/embed/5641037?slag=Personality-Development-Notes

read this..helps connect with the self and the world a lilttle differently

Who Moved my Cheese

A lot of paradigms get challenged , changed , questioned as we start moving into the Indian territory .

let us see how things move,.. the consumer and the markets /the organizations are constantly changing ..and here we need to read "who moved my cheese "

presented in an exciting ppt
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2881282/CHEESE

Marketing Concepts -Summary Full

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2881296/uploaded-on-scribd-MARKETING-concepts