New-age marketing caters to customers

CHENNAI:  In an era of tough marketing challenges, those in the industry would have to adapt themselves to the changing consumer trends and market patterns. But these reasons also made India an exciting and challenging market, said Executive Director of Hindustan Unilever Limited, Gopal Vittal.Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of Madras Management Association’s 10th All India Management Students’ Convention, Vittal said that the long-term future of the country was extremely bright. “The Indian market is very volatile, and that makes it an interesting challenge for the management students of today,” he said. Taking off from the theme of this year’s convention, ‘New Age marketing: strategies to beat emerging marketing challenges’, Vittal also said that changing family structures had given an individual a louder voice. Adding that the younger generation was more educated and hence more aware, he said, “The concept of several India’s — divided geographically and economically – is going to drive the consumer market in India. Your (management students) opportunity is going to be more.”The Managing Director of Titan Industries, Bhaskar Bhat, spoke about marketing innovation in a competitive world. He urged the students to think about the difference between managing and leading. “Today, marketing is equal to serving consumers. We have to change that attitude,” he said. He also said that the marketing should address the lack of relevance in consumer’s lives.Bhat presented innovative marketing ideas from Titan and its transformation from a single brand to a multi-brand company. He also drew in examples from international brands, while explaining that he also mentioned “being innovative does not mean changing small features and trying to pass it off as something new.”The two-day convention will see 1,700 student delegates participating in various sessions and competitions. The speakers include Ganesh Ampalavanar, Executive Vice President of Nestle India; Madhukar Sabnavis, Country Head for Discovery and Planning, Ogilvy and Mather India and Nithin Mathur, Senior Directing Marketing, Yahoo! India.