Pankaj Gupta
As they say “Change is a law of nature” but none could believe that it shall become a buzz word in lives of human species. More so being part of a constant changing process is considered to be the symbol of a “Dynamic Professionalism”. So to differentiate yourself from others you have to be consistent & practical in the approach towards “Process of Change”.
We need to change our education system. We need to change our Medical support systems. We need to change our sports policy. We need to change our social beliefs. We need to change our political system. We need to change our attitude. There shall be no sphere in our life which is not being subjected to change except may be the word “CHANGE” itself.
Hence it is natural that “Marketing” could not hold itself from being subjected to change . But more importantly marketing has acted as a catalyst for all other dimensions of operations where we were expected to change. In today’s corporate world ability to handle changes & incorporate changes in the organizations have become biggest sought after managerial skills. This is more so in Marketing where tempo of change is constantly accelerating. Today’s top management in any organization is always facing a dilemma. They too want to Change. But change involves cost. However not changing is more costly in the long run.
Always remember Brands don’t get better by chance. Brands get better by change. Moreover organizations have to learn not to let their past blackmail their present to ruin a beautiful future. We need to learn from “Mahavir Singh Phogat” , a real hero , a man from small tiny town of Bhiwani in Haryana who broke all the shackles in his life . He trained his daughters to enter into arena of wrestling which could never be imagined in India. So what was it ? It was change in thought process which set an inspirational example for others to follow.
India of 70s, 80s & till 90s was marred by traditional marketing. Brands usually communicated through posters , cloth banners ,wall paintings . Another famous method adopted was through Rickshaw loud speakers. Some better brands started sponsoring Radio programs. I clearly remember “Binaca Geet Mala” was famous weekly radio count down show of best hindi songs from radio Ceylon . This was sponsored by Binaca a very strong tooth paste brand of 50s, 60s & 70s. The brand was totally synonymous with this program. The advent of TV in 70s & then color TV in mid 80s changed a gear for advertising. Some FMCG Brands started advertising on TV. Another important introduction which later on revolutionized India was surfacing of Computer era in India in mid 80s. However the real shift in Indian Marketing scenario happened in mid 90s . Three very important things happened in Indian industry which had long term implications for Indian economy in general & Marketing in particular. First was the advent of Multinationals on Indian horizons. Second was the arrival of “Internet” . Third of course was emergence of Mobile Phones in India.
By the end of first decade of 21st century India was a changed nation from marketing perspective. India had started becoming a global super power with 1.3 billion strong end users. India had grown young. 65% of the population is now below 35 years of age. People by now had acquired new aspirations. Rural India was booming and ready to become the part of global phenomenon. Stage was set for India to be recognized as a super economic power. All the big Multinationals like Walmart , Metro, Amazon started feeling waters in India. India had become a huge market for mobiles, lap tops & internet . The concept of Marketing again changed with the advent of second decade of 21st century . “E-commerce” was the new word which everyone was talking. By 2013/14 , E commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal established themselves in e commerce business & they were supported with fast expanding penetration of internet in India & android mobiles presence. Now it is estimated that more than 40% of Indian population has access to Internet & more than 7 crore people are already into making on line purchases for goods & services. In off line business too things changed with emergence of chain of Large Format Stores like, Walmart, Metro, Reliance, Croma , Big Bazaar etc. One thing is for sure that in today’s India Consumer is the KING. Again to address such a wide variety of aspirations you have to be trendy . Even advertising methods too have changed in last 4-5 years. Fast growing E- Commerce has given birth to another new marketing platform & that is Digital Marketing.
Digital Marketing in last few years has forced companies to revisit their marketing strategies. Content writing, big data analysis , enhancement of A+ content on e commerce portals , google advertising, you tube marketing and social marketing have come on the agenda of the brands. Brands can now bombard their Target Group specifically and also get valuable analysis to understand effectiveness of each penny spent. This was simply not possible in traditional Marketing happening in India. For young students in India new courses like Digital Marketing and retail marketing can help them to keep updated with latest trends in ever evolving field of Marketing.
Remember the concept of Marketing is still changing at an extremely fast pace. Next 5 years may expose us to so many changes which have not happened in last 100 years. Opportunities are huge for youngsters. But for that they need to train their mind and come up with an attitude of not only “Accepting Change” but be a part of “Initiating Change” and “Executing Change”.
This is just a beginning. The road ahead shall be fast, thrilling, exciting & full of mysterious possibilities. Be ready to embrace the same with open arms.
(The author is a Marketing Head with a Multinational Brand)
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