One97 BrandWagon was a short lesson in the science of branding. Starting from the brief given by the clients, to recognizing market reality of the position of product to analyzing the market research for purpose of creating a niche memory in the mind of the consumers. One fact emerged clearly as we heard from all the speakers – that understanding the consumer need and desire was of prime importance and so was gaining his trust. Products that fulfilled this need emerged as strong brands. Another fact that emerged strongly during the day was that innovation in product line and innovative positioning kept the buzz alive for the consumers.
BrandReporter, a division of Agencyfaqs covered the One97 BrandWagon here. The Press Release says:Â
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FMS organises ‘One 97′ Brand Wagon – The Brands’ ConclaveÂ
Company News
New Delhi, January 2
Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi, organized BrandWagon on 21st December, 2006. The Seminar comprised stimulating discussions on various topics related to Brands, such as Brand Positioning, Brand Activation and Promotion which were led by the likes of Mr. Sanjeev Bhargava, FCB Ulka, Mr. Pankaj Wadhwa, Kidstuff Events and Promos, Mr. Trivikram Thakore, Motorola India and Ms. Lakshmi Dutta Gupta, O&M.
Dr.J.K.Mitra, Dean, FMS Delhi inaugurated the Seminar by delivering an enlightening introduction on ‘Branding’ in India, and spoke of how Brands have a psychological impact on the human mind. He elaborated the challenges facing Marketers today in differentiating their offering from the competition.
The Key Note address was delivered by Dr. H.V.Verma wherein he expounded the ‘Magic, Myth and Mystique of Branding’. He gave meaningful insights on the ongoing debate facing Marketers today: In the modern time of flux, when production methodology is becoming similar and concept copying is becoming rampant, how does one go about creating a differentiating marketing strategy?
Mr. Sanjeev Bhargava, COO, FCB Ulka and an FMS Alumnus, with 20 years experience in the Advertising field spanning major portfolios like Maggi, Pepsi, Whirlpool, Hero Honda and John Players, presented a case study on ‘Whirlpool in India: Brand Identity Development.’ He explained how the factor ‘Quality to Care’ emerged as a winner for Whirlpool by means of an active potential Matrix and market research. The target customer was for the first time identified as the Indian woman: the Mother Icon and Modern Woman. The essence, he said, was ‘uncompromising care’ and hence the tagline: ‘You & Whirlpool-The World’s Best Homemakers.’ He spoke of the importance of understanding nuances of the Indian psyche to reach out to the people and remarked that Advertising is a passion business. Mr. Bhargava’s session gave the students a deeper understanding of the field and left them enthralled.
Mr. Pankaj Wadhwa, MD, Kidstuff Events and Promos, enlightened the students on the concept of Brand Activation and Promotion. The session was an extremely interactive one, with Mr. Wadhwa discussing live case studies with the students. He said that with the traditional thirty second TV Commercial no longer proving effective enough to grab the customer’s attention, Promotional Marketing has replaced Sales Promotion, since it provides a WOW experience to the customer. Some of the promotional campaigns that were discussed were Pears ‘Camp Sunshine’ and Pepsi’s ‘Blue Billion Express’. Mr. Wadhwa also discussed the major trends in brand activation and opportunities present in the sector for MBA students when they step into the job market.
Mr. Trivikram Thakore, Head-Brands Mobile Devices, Motorola India narrated the turnaround story of the company in India, and traced its journey of achieving a 15% market share from 2% within a space of one year. He remarked how Motorola went from No. 4 to No. 2 under the stewardship of a brand new team; in the telecom sector, anything less than 4% market share is regarded as sufficient reason to shut shop, he said, but the new team proved them wrong. Mr. Thakore attributed the success to Motorola’s strategy which included Scaling Up Distribution, Impactful Launches, Jumpshift in Salience, Marketing through Carriers and Getting the Retail Positioning Right. His in depth analysis of the marketing strategies adopted for different launches like Moto RAZR, Moto FLIP, Moto PEBL as well as the latest offering Moto FONE was appreciated by the audience. Ms. Lakshmi Dutta Gupta, VP Client Services, O&M gave an engrossing account of how and why Abhishek Bacchhan came to be the ‘MOTOSTAR.’ She said that both Abhishek as well as Motorola shared attributes like good looks, an element of unpredictability, a great lineage and also a common history of having failed at the start of their careers!
BrandWagon was organized by the Marketing Society, FMS Delhi in association with One97 Communications & ‘The Brand Reporter’. Enthusiastic participation from the audience consisting of MBA students, faculty and professionals working in the Advertising field ensured that the event was a resounding success.
