MARKATHON

MARKETING MAGAZINE OF IIM SHILLONG VOL 2, ISSUE 14

JUNE 11

SPECIAL: MARTIN LINDSTROM, AUTHOR & BRAND FUTURIST INTERVIEW: RUSSELL WINER, PROFESSOR OF MARKETING, STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Readers,
As I sit down to write this editorial, the one word that is ruling the entire cyberspace is Plus. It has been only a day since Google launched its social networking feature called Google Plus and there is a huge clamour for the invites. Google has always come up with innovative applications and features, but has failed to capture the Social Media generation which has moved past the outdated Orkut. Google Wave and Buzz were supposed to lure internet users away from Twitter and the likes but failed miserably. The initial response to both these services was huge as well, so it remains to be seen whether Google Plus can sustain user interest and hold its own beyond the initial hype surrounding it.

Talking about launches, the biscuits category in India has seen a wide variety of newer products hitting the market. The biggest launch was undoubtedly the Oreo cookies launched by Cadbury India, as a part of the Kraft Foods group. The Indian Market has a vast array of offerings and Oreo will have to do something special to gain a place in the minds of the consumer. Our cover story for the month Cookies, Crackers and Creams digs deep into the various segments under the biscuit category and gives you an insight into the market trends and leaders. In this months Vartalaap we have Mr. Russell S Winer who is the Chair of the Marketing Department at the Stern School of Business, New York University. Mr Winer shares with us his ideas about Product Management, Brand Management and Strategy. Do give us your feedback about this edition and suggestions for the magazine at markathon.iims@gmail.com. Sit back and enjoy this edition!

Our May 2011

Cover

Jitesh

A very big advantage for Google is they already have a substantial user base in their other services Gmail, Picasa, Youtube and a host of others. Google Plus is also offering users more security addressing the data privacy concerns which have recently started haunting Facebook users. Google has always been a good marketer of its services; the problem has been with the monetisation. Google Plus is no different; Google has to figure out how to make money from it once it crosses the barrier of acceptance by the users. They need to find a revenue stream which can complement the one from its search engine ads which drive most of Googles growth. Moving on to an entirely different sector, Toyota has launched the Etios Liva which is their cheapest car for the Indian market. Toyota aims to garner a large chunk of the Indian auto market. Team Markathon had done a Cover Story covering the Etios launch way back in December and predicted its success. It makes us happy to see that our prediction for Etios was right and Etios has shown a commendable sales volume since its launch. Toyota has gotten its positioning right and the Etios Liva should also see consumers queuing up to buy the car.

Jitesh Pradeep Patel

THE MARKATHON TEAM

EDITOR
Jitesh Pradeep Patel

SUB EDITORS
Gaurav Ralhan Kaustubh Rawool Rahul Mantri Ritika Nagar Sria Majumdar

CREATIVE DESIGNERS
Yashwanth Reddy Mandipati Sana Parvez Akhtar

CONTENTS

markathon | june 2011

FEATURED ARTICLES PERSPECTIVE

The rise of non-cricket sports celebrities- marketers just cant ignore them
KUMAR RAUNAK | IIFT DELHI

4 6

PERSPECTIVE
How May I Assist You?
SRIA MAJUMDAR | IIMS

SPECIAL
MARTIN LINDSTROM, AUTHOR OF BUYOLOGY AND BRAND SENSE

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10 17 19 20 21 22 23

COVER STORY COOKIES, CRACKERS AND CREAMS

RITIKA NAGAR |SRIKKANT | KAUSTUBH | IIMS

VARTALAAP RUSSELL WINER

WILLIAM H. JOYCE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING AND THE CHAIR OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT LEONARD N. STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, NEW YORK

WAR ZONE EYE 2 EYE

Will Nokia Money achieve the kind of success as M- pesa in Kenya?

DEEPI GARBYAL|FMS, RAHUL MANTRI | IIM S

SILENT VOICE
The Next out of the box Bingo Ad

JITESH PATEL

SPECIALS Radical Thoughts ADDICTED

GAURAV RALHAN

UPDATES
KAUSTUBH

perspective

markathon | may 2011 june

The rise of non-cricket sports celebrities- marketers just cant ignore them
Kumar Raunak | IIFT Delhi
With India winning the ICC cricket world cup and a good viewership registered in IPL 4, one would think that this is really not the issue marketers would be losing sleep over, but the fact that marketers to a good extent remain oblivious to the rise of noncricket sports celebrities is reason enough to spare a thought for this issue. Before dwelling upon this issue we should first ask the question as to why in the first place marketers need to look beyond cricketers as far as brand endorsements are concerned when they have a rich mine of cricketers to choose from. The answer to this question lies in the fact that companies have to pay exorbitant rates to get the services of these cricketers, be it the established ones like Sachin and Dhoni or the new stars on the block like Virat Kohli. Even after paying such exorbitant rates, the return in terms of sales volume and brand equity remains uncertain and depends largely on the overall mood in the country with regards to the game. In the event of a debacle like in the case of 2007 world cup, some of these celebrities especially a newbie like Virat Kohli or Ishant Sharma become a liability.. To top it all, it is always good to have celebrities from a wide array of fields endorsing your brand, so that there is less dependency on one particular individual or domain (cricket in this case) and the risk of dwindling fan base of one celebrity is properly hedged. Now coming to non-cricket sports, there has been a phenomenal rise of sports personnel in the sports like shooting, boxing and badminton. We have seen emergence of some stars like Saina Nehwal in badminton, Vijender Singh in boxing, Sushil Kumar in wrestling, Ronjan Sodhi and Abhinav Bindra in shooting etc. They all have performed consistently well in their respective major tournaments and earned accolades for the same in the country with their ever increasing fan base. Non-cricket sports celebrities were used by the marketers earlier also, but not with much of success, be it Abhinav Bindra for Samsung, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore for Hero Honda or for that matter all the ads issued in public interest by the government of India featuring shooter Jaspal Rana and other non-cricket sports celebrities. There are two reasons that can be pinpointed for the failure of these endorsements The ad agencies as well as the marketers handling the celebrity in these cases did not create the aura of stardom around him and used him just like any other actor working in an ad film. This is unlike ads with cricketers where they are given larger than life status and made into superheroes by cashing in on their popularity. For example, Sachins endorsement of Castrol where he is shown hitting deadly bouncers and playing on the field with a jam4

perspective

markathon | may 2011 june

packed stadium. Nothing of this sort was showcased in ads with Abhinav Bindra and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore where they were used just like supporting actors. Another reason for failure of such endorsements is that marketers and ad agencies failed to use the core competencies of these celebrities in their respective ads. For example, in Orient PSPO ceiling fans ads endorsed by Dhoni, he is shown hitting the ball in all parts of the field and the point is driven home that like him PSPO fans make each and every part of the room cooler. However, in the Samsung ad featuring Abhinav Bindra no connection was made between his shooting acumen and Samsung home appliances, he was just made to utter a clichd statement that because he believes in good performance he is in love with Samsung appliances.

Also there are a host of non-cricket sports personnel who have not only performed consistently well but also managed their brand image well through on and off screen public appearances. For example, ace badminton player Jwala Gutta who became quite a rage with her stylish outfits and bold statements about her relationships. Recently Saina Nehwal went for a complete image makeover with her new hairstyle and was featured on the cover page of fashion magazine Verve. Now it is up to the marketers to make use of these celebrities and their brand image and expand their catchment area beyond cricket. Nestle and Fortune have shown the way as far as endorsing non-cricketers are concerned and it is very much possible to have successful brand endorsements with such celebrities, just three things need to be kept in mind1. Pick and choose those players who are consistently doing well and look like medal prospects in the coming London Olympics like Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar, Vijender Singh etc. 2. Do not limit the brand association just to one tv commercial but take it beyond. For example these celebrities should be present during product launch ceremonies and attend press conferences. Apart from this, they should be groomed to suit the product they are endorsing for example badminton player Jwala Gutta has got the style and panache, if she can be further groomed on the lines of Saina Nehwals new image makeover, she can be the first choice for a product that stands for a rebellious attitude with a tinge of style and brashness like new levis jeans for women. 3. Make use of the core competencies of these celebrities and establish a visible connection with the product they are endorsing.

Now over the last one year or so there has been some shift in the way marketers look at non-cricket sports celebrities and the way they are engaged with brands. One prime example of this is the Nestle munch ad featuring pugilist Vijender Singh. The ad starts with a small boy struggling to assure his newly wed sister of his support in the presence of his brother-in-law but the moment he cuts a small bite of nestle munch he gets transformed into strong Vijender Singh with his boxing gloves and almost threatens his brother-in-law to keep his sister in good humour and the voice over says the crunchy nestle munch unshackles your inner voice. The ad is really funny, and the most important thing is that it uses the core-competence of Vijender Singh as a pugilist. Further the aura of stardom around Vijender Singh that is created through his many public appearances on ramp, during product launches or as guest appearances in shows like MTV roadies really makes this brand endorsement very high on brand recall. Another ad which catches ones attention is the Adani Wilmars fortune cooking oil ad featuring ace badminton player Saina Nehwal where she is shown saying how fortune oil helps her gorge on delicacies without the fear of putting on weight as fitness is the key to her good performance. This establishes the clear connection between her and the product.

perspective

markathon | june 2011

How May I Assist You?

An Insight into Customer Service in the Automobile Sector Sria majumdar | IIM S
From the times when the service provider was the king, to the current scenario where customer care is a vital point of differentiation- customer service has indeed come a long way. While customer service is often, the neglected cousin of sales and marketing in the automobile sector, it can also prove to be the competitive edge in a crowded industry and saturated market. Most of the research for this article is drawn from my own internship experience with Tata Motors in South Africa, where I was working on a benchmarking project in customer service. In a market which is dominated by brands like Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan- a relatively new entrant like Tata Motors faces several challenges. One of the prime causes for a drop in market share for Tata Motors has been customer service. Keeping in mind the challenges of working in a foreign country with distributors, and the issues of spare parts- the customer dissatisfaction cannot be ignored when the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) study pours in. In the automobile sector, the customer touch points are primarily the dealers. The customer rarely comes in direct contact with the distributor or the manufacturer. Thus, it becomes very important that a dealership conveys the same brand message that the manufacturer wants the customer to perceive. Dealership standards, regular inspections and monitoring of workshop processes are some measures taken by the manufacturer to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the brand experience. Every manufacturer has certain dealer standards and service standards that must be adhered to by the dealer. These include all aspects of the dealership from corporate identity to warranty to sales standards. Dealer standards are important because they lead to healthy competition among dealerships to excel, provide a benchmark for dealer audits, lead to performance schemes such as awards, monetary rewards for best dealers and ensure that the brand of the manufacturer is upheld in dealerships. However, monitoring can only work thus far. Dealerships must be brand loyal and this can only come when the brand itself creates a niche for itself in the market. As far as the customer is concerned, according to a survey by A.C. Nielsen and JD Power, the needs of the commercial vehicle customers (in terms of customer service) in South Africa are primarily- quality of servicing, problem solving abilities, attitude of service personnel, responsiveness of service personnel, availability of spare parts, fix problems in the first visit, reasonable charge for service/ repair, price of spare parts, on-time delivery, warranty assistance, explanation of work, basic facilities at dealership, authorization calls and on-site service. While every manufacturer strives to ensure that these facilities are available at the dealerships, convincing the dealerships for the same is often very difficult. To a dealership, more facilities imply more cost, and unless their sales and volumes justify it- they are hesitant to provide extra services. Meanwhile, customers are being pampered by brands that have been well established. For example: at a Toyota dealership, customers are offered free breakfast when they bring their car in for servicing. At Mercedes Benz, the drivers have fully furnished overnight facilities. In terms of processes, each dealership has a set of workshop processes. These processes are defined by the manufacturer. Brands such as Toyota have transferred the best practices from manufacturing such as 5S, color coding schemes of TPS etc. into the workshops. Typically, the workshop processes are as follows: 1. Bookings: Most manufacturers and dealerships encourage customers to make bookings prior to bringing their vehicle in. This helps the workshop in being prepared for a customer when he/she arrives. However, for commercial vehicles bookings are not taken very seriously. In most cases, the fleet owners have a personal relationship with the service manager or the 6

perspective

markathon | june 2011

workshop controller, and the vehicle is sent in without prior booking. Also, in case of trucks, the number of no-shows is very high. This leads to wastage of resources in case the bookings are pre-opened, and the parts are ready for the customer. 2. Reception: The service advisor is the primary customer touch point when the customer arrives at the dealership. The dealership invests in training the service advisors in people skills, as his/her communication skills and knowledge about the vehicles must be flawless. The service advisor notes down the customer complaints, and undertakes a preliminary inspection of the vehicle. Sometimes, time and cost estimates are given to the customer. 3. Work in Progress: The technician inspects the vehicle in detail, and notes down additional problems or jobs to be done. The job card (document where all the repair details are written down) is then taken to the service advisor, who makes the authorization call. Here the customer is given a time and cost estimate, and is asked for approval to proceed with the job. Only post authorization, work on the vehicle begins. However, in the case of a standard service job, this authorization may not be needed. 4. Inspection, Costing and Handover: The technician hands over the completed job card to the service advisor, who then sends the job card for costing. The workshop controller carries out a quality check and then the vehicle is test driven. The customer is called to collect his vehicle, and the vehicle proceeds to the wash bay. During handover, the customer interacts with the service advisor, who takes her/him through the job card and explains the work done and the costs. 5. After Service Feedback: CSI is becoming increasing important in the industry. It is a vital component of dealer audits, and it is the most important measure of customer satisfaction. Each dealer/manufacturer has its unique method of taking customer feedback, and the

questionnaire varies from a single question, up to 20 detailed questions. Like all other industries, customer service is also heavily reliant on information technology. Comprehensive and elaborate CRM software are used by the manufacturer as well as the dealer. While dealer management systems include bookings interface, costing, work assignment etc., the manufacturer generally uses internet based portals for warranty processing, technical bulletins, recall campaign information etc. However, there are several points of caution in this industry. At the end of the day, the processes and audits can only take the manufacturer thus far and no further. Customer Service in the automobile industry, like all industries comes down to people. During the internship, I had the opportunity to see how a single person can bring customers to the dealership through sheer charisma and relationship building with the customers. Hence, it is of prime importance that the manufacturers choose dealerships carefully, and dealerships in turn, must choose the right service personnel. Also, CSI may be very subjective. It is difficult for all dealerships of a brand to provide the same level of customer service. Variation in service levels across dealerships reflect very poorly on the manufacturer, but sometimes it is the customer perception that differs. For the same service, one customer may be very satisfied, while another, thoroughly dissatisfied. As Peter Drucker said, Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it. And this must be the takeaway for all automobile manufacturers. Extensive research is the need of the hour to find out what the customer really wants. Maybe investing in breakfast for a customer does not make sense. Maybe the overnight facility does not add to customer satisfaction. Maybe all the customer needs is a car which is fixed right, the very first time. Its time all manufacturers prioritised service needs and catered to them. As someone rightly said, If we dont take care of our customers, someone else will!

Special

markathon |february 2011 markathon |june

Author of Buyology and Brand Sense

MARTIN LINDSTROM is among the foremost Brand Consultants in the world today. He is a 2009 recipient of TIME Magazines World's 100 Most Influential People and author of BuyologyTruth and Lies About Why We Buy (Doubleday, New York), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. A prolific traveler, Lindstrom is on the road 300 days annually dispensing his brand of wisdom to top executives of McDonalds Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Nestl, PepsiCo, Microsoft Corporation, The Walt Disney Company and GlaxoSmithKline, amongst others. His personal global audience is estimated at over a million people. Lindstrom has and continues to feature in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, TIME, The Economist, New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Washington Post, USA Today, Fast Company, and numerous other publications. His recent book, BRAND Sense, was acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five best marketing books ever published. Lindstrom's latest book, Buyology, has been translated into more than 30 languages. More at martinlindstrom.com.

Martin Lindstrom

Special

markathon |february 2011 markathon |june Touch the product. Amazon avoided this problem because people don't attach so much importance to the feel of a book as they do to its content. Clothes, on the other hand, must be felt and tried on for size, colour, texture, and so on. Physical proximity to product is elemental to purchase decisions. Shopping behaviour depends on it. If you agree so far, then tell me why it's so difficult to find brands that promote themselves by appealing to all five senses. The only example of integrated sensory marketing I'm aware of comes from Singapore Airlines. The airline has demonstrated an understanding of the psychological importance of the senses in establishing and maintaining customer impressions. By appealing to all senses (music, fragrance, manner, and demeanour mingle in the cabin to evoke the airline's image), the airline has created a branded flying experience. So how can you appeal to all five senses on the Internet? Well, you can't get them all. But you can optimize the tools available to you, one of the most neglected being sound. Why do you reckon you hear that familiar sound of fizzing Coke being poured into an ice-filled glass when you visit the Coca-Cola site and the sound of brewing coffee on the Starbucks site? Meaningful sound is a cheap but very effective way of appealing to another of your visitor's senses and of powerfully enhancing your brand's message. Sensory perceptions are unique to each of us, as memories are. We experience powerful stimulations from them. How come marketers aren't appealing to our senses more? The opportunity of brand building by leveraging the five senses is wide open. Brands are hovering in the wings, as an audience of our highly receptive senses sits in a darkened theatre, anticipating a marketing show that hasn't yet begun. Few companies have integrated their brand-building strategies to appeal to all the senses. This is probably the case for two reasons: not all media channels are able to connect with each of the five senses, and we really don't know how to handle the phenomenon of total sensory appeal. Rome wasn't built in a day. I'm sure we'll get there. The question is how long you can afford to wait? The rewards can be enormous.

MARTIN LINDSTROM

Sensory Brand Management: It Makes (Five) Senses

Most marketing plans appeal to only two senses: sight and hearing. Why so limited? How come almost all marketing and brand building concentrate on two senses when we know appealing to all five is likely to double brand awareness and strengthen the impression a brand leaves on its audience? Several surveys document our olfactory sense as probably the most impressionable and responsive of the five senses. Smells invoke memories and appeal directly to feelings without first being filtered and analysed by the brain, which is how the remaining four senses are processed. We all recognize and are emotionally stimulated by, say, the scent of freshly cut grass, brackish sea air, or the perfume of roses. I'm convinced any car lover drinks in the smell of a new car. Some are getting the hang of sensory appeal. Some supermarkets in Northern Europe are connected to bakeries by hundreds of meters of pipeline. The pipes carry the aroma of fresh bread to the stores' entrances. The strategy works. Passers-by are struck with hunger and drawn inside the shop. A major British bank introduced freshly brewed coffee to its branches with the intention of making customers feel at home. The familiar smell relaxes the bank's customers, not an emotion you'd normally associate with such an establishment. Let's not forget hearing and touch. Sound evokes memory and emotion. A familiar birdsong floods you with impressions of home; a hit song from your youth brings back the excitement and anxiety of your teens. AOL stepped up to the plate by using a voice familiar to many young Web users. Brittney fans discovered they can hear their idol not only when experiencing CDs and videos but also when launching AOL. Brittney lets you know, "You've got mail." Kellogg's has also invested in the power of auditory stimulus, testing the crunching of cereals in a Danish sound lab to upgrade their product's "sound quality." Touch? One major reason online clothes shopping never took off is -- you guessed it -- people couldn't

Article has been taken from www.MartinLindstrom.com with prior permission and approval from the Martin Lindstrom Company Ltd. 9

Cover story

markathon |april 2011 |june

Srikkant, Ritika Nagar, Kaustubh

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Cover story

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Right from our morning tea to our evening snacks, biscuit is one thing that compliments everything. By replacing sweets it has become one of the important parts of Indian family. With the dynamics of 2000 crores and 20 lakhs tonnes the industry is growing by 12 per cent CAGR year on year. Players like Parle, Britannia, and ITC are dominating the market with their products in various categories like Marie, Cookies, Crackers, Glucose, Milk, Cream and others.

Market Share
Glucose 45% Cream Biscuit and crackers Marie and Milk Segment

25% 30%

The fact that the premium segment is growing, is making lots of players put innovative products in this particular segment. The other players in the industry are Cadbury with the launch of Krafts Oreo, PepsiCo, Priya Gold, Cremica, Anmol, Dukes, besides various regional players. The Biscuit industry like the others, is also switching from the volume game to the value game. With dozens of variants in biscuits companies are also price cautious. By outsourcing manufacturing of Oreo to local players Kraft Foods is cutting costs so that customer can experience Oreo biscuits for Rs 6. Also adding to the taste Unibic is launching a chyawanprash biscuit this year giving customers a different experience. This story takes you through the changing trends in various categories of biscuit that includes cookies, crackers, etc.
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Indian Biscuits Industry

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markathon |april 2011 |june

Glucose Biscuit
More than 45 percent of production in India consists of glucose biscuit. Glucose biscuit caters to the mass as it is the cheapest processed food ever made in the world. The credit goes to the Parle Products which ventured into the biscuit sector more than 6 decades ago and established its Glucose-G brand as the leader in the biscuit market. In India consumer gets vast array of food in the price bracket of 1 to 5 rupees and glucose biscuit is one of that array. With the increasing popularity of small packs now there are packs available to fit everyones pockets. In-spite of the increase in inflation rate the glucose biscuit still costs rupees 4 or 5. Lots of factors are responsible for this i.e. the decrease in the excise duty on biscuits by the Indian government, enhancement of capacity by the manufacturer, decline in the margin by the manufacturers, and adopting different modes of cost cutting in terms of packaging, etc. The fight against the inflation is adding loss to the manufacturer of glucose biscuit. The industry growing at 12 percent every year hardly makes any profit because of the low margins. One brand in this category has mystified all the advertisement gurus and even the customer. In spite of having the same shape, size, taste and look Parle G is still trusted by mothers and loved by children the same way for the past so many decades. The brand when started earlier was called Gluco Biscuit then changed itself to Parle G because of similarly named products in the market. After that the name Parle G has become a synonym for glucose biscuit. Bigger players like Britannia have tried their hand at this segment with Tiger glucose biscuits but have missed out on getting a sizeable chunk of the market. The market share of Parle G has increased from 66 percent in 2005 to 76 percent in 2010 while other players like Tiger have seen a decline. Without much advertisement the brand has

Established itself in the heart of the consumer and has set an example of brand credibility in the market. The brand followed the philosophy of keeping the product price low even if the customer is willing to pay more.

Market Share Of Different Comapnies

Parle G Tiger and others

30%

70%

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markathon |june 2011 |april

Cream Biscuit and Crackers:

Cream biscuits and crackers have traditionally been positioned for the upper segment of the market. The major players Parle, Britannia and ITC have had most of this market share amongst themselves. Parle has traditionally been playing the volume game by settling for lower margins in this segment. But ITC and Britannia have always positioned cream biscuits and crackers for the upper portion of their target segment. Cream biscuits from both Britannia and Sunfeast cost close to Rs 10 for 100 grams. Parle, however, only charges Rs 5 for its cream variants. Except for Hide and Seek, Parle has not taken a different strategy to this segment. The strategy of Parle has for the most part been the market penetration. The erstwhile three party domination in this segment is under threat and the competition in this segment is poised to increase significantly with the entry of international companies such as the worlds number one confectionary maker, Kraft and soft drink giant PepsiCo. . This is not surprising considering that the biscuit market in India is worth 12600 Crore and still growing at a fast pace. Kraft Foods Oreo brand is the largest (by value) and the most popular biscuits/cookies worldwide especially in US, Europe and China. Now, they are set to be manufactured in India, via Kraft Foods latest acquisition Cadbury India arm. GSK has launched highend cream and cookies under its Horlicks brand, UKs united biscuits have brought its digestive biscuit McVities to India and PepsiCo is all set to launch a healthy oatbased cookie. In a nutshell, this high-end biscuit segment is starting to get crowded with the entry of MNCs. Indian biscuit industry has for long been dominated by the glucose segment, but, the cream and cracker biscuits and other healthy variants are gaining prominence in the recent years. The cookie and cream segment is growing at an impressive rate of 25-30% in comparison with the functional segment (digestive and glucose biscuits) which is growing at an 8% rate according to a recent study by the ICFAI business school. The product position of a segment has a lot to do with where the market is going to be and a quick comparison with a mature market like that of the UK, will give us a good indication of where the Indian biscuit market is going to be in the near future. A recent research by Mintel (a Market Research Firm) on the UK biscuit market suggests a healthy trend in the sales of nutritional biscuits, crackers and cream biscuits. Within the UK sweet biscuits market, healthier biscuits (which include lower fat and sugar varieties) dominate 13

Cover story sector sales (468 million), accounting for as many as a quarter of all sweet biscuits sales and increasing an impressive 16% between 2008 and 2010. Meanwhile, chocolate biscuit countlines (biscuits which are individually wrapped) are the second biggest sellers (381 million), followed by everyday treat biscuits, the third largest sector at 304 million, according to the Mintel report. A good look at this trend indicates the potential of the cream, cracker segment and the nutritional biscuits. These could be indications of how the Indian market is poised to shape up in the near future. With the demographic dividend, one would expect India to grow significantly in these cream and cracker segments meant for the younger generation. The competitive scenario in the biscuit industry has indeed taken a nice turn with the entry of these MNCs. However, it remains to be seen what kind of impact they can make in a market like India, where the game has traditionally revolved around pricing and distribution given that there is no significant product differentiation. Also, the MNCs entering India are targeting only the high end market through these cookies and cream biscuits, which might be a tricky move, considering that cream biscuits and crackers still account for less than 30% of the market in spite of the impressive growth rates discussed above. Moving ahead and looking at the industry operations, there seem to be a variety of issues that the industry as a whole needs to contend with. First being the high

markathon |april 2011 |june increase in the cost of raw materials and the competitive nature of the marketplace which doesnt allow any price response to increasing input costs. The high variation in the tax rates across various states is another issue of importance. The Federation of Biscuits Manufacturers of India (FBMI) urges the Central government to reconsider its decision to include biscuits in the category of Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR), and levy 12.5% value added tax. It will be interesting to see how these issues are being addressed by the major players, with the international entrants adding to the competition.

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Marie and Milk Segment

The Marie and Milk biscuits segment is one segment that has shown rapid growth and this trend is expected to continue. The Indian Biscuit market is pegged at about 20 lakh tonnes a year. Out of this, the size of the milk biscuits segment is 80000 tonnes. The segment occupies about 25% (13% for Marie and 12% for Milk) market share in the Biscuits industry. Traditionally, this segment has been a favourite among the customers through its diverse offering at low prices. Marie Biscuits are known for their health benefits since they are less fattening than flour and aid in digestion by adding fibre to the body. These biscuits are low on sugar and carbohydrates content which make them a healthy choice for mid meal snacking. The key players in this segment include Britannia, ITC and Parle Agro Limited. A typical Marie pack costs about Rs 10 for about 150 grams, while a Milk biscuit pack costs Rs 5 for about 70 grams. The segment is known for competitive pricing and price wars among many of the players adopting market penetration strategies. Parle Products Limited is a recent example. In order to gain competitive advantage, the company has increased the weightage of the Marie biscuits at no additional cost. The weight of Parle Marie packets of Rs 10 and Rs 22 was increased to 144 grams and 392 grams. Earlier, the company was selling 132 grams and 372 grams packets for Rs 10 and Rs 22. The brand loyalty in this segment is very low and customers dont mind switching their preference if they are getting good value for money option. Promotion strategies play a very important role in this segment considering the intense competition. ITC has focused its promotion strategy around the television advertising. ITCs Sunfeast brand generally uses celebrity endorsements such as endorsements by Shahrukh Khan for promoting its brand. Also many of the Sunfeast advertisements involve children. The main reason here is to strike an emotional chord with the young children since they comprise a majority of the buying customer group. ITC has been supplementing its television advertising with print and outdoor media advertising. Considering Parles promotion strategy, it stresses on the health aspect of the product and also it being the perfect accompaniment to chats, arguments, discussions and gossip sessions. Parle positions its Digestive Marie as authentic Marie biscuits having five times more fibre than the regular Marie. Parle Products claims that digestive Marie keeps one active and light-

footed all day. Existing players like Parle have realized the importance of advertising on their profitability position and market share. It has increased its advertising expenditure by roping in celebrities such as Ravi Kishen and Hrithik Roshan to create mass appeal for its brand. Britannia promotes its Marie brand as one 15

Cover story having perfect balance of taste, crispiness along with added minerals and vitamins for good health. Recently, Britannia has launched Milk Bikis Almond Cookies that specifically targets the young children positioned as important for children's growth and development. The Federation of Biscuit Manufacturers of India (FBMI) has predicted a steady growth of 15 percent per annum in the next 10 years for the biscuit industry of India. Similar positive expectations are being maintained on the exports front. Considering that Marie and Milk segment occupy about 25% market share in the Indian Biscuit industry, growth prospects for this segment are also bright. However, the competition is heating up in the Marie and Milk biscuits segment with many foreign players such as United Biscuits entering the Indian markets. United Biscuits, Indian arm of the $1.6-billion

markathon |june 2011 |april UK snacks firm, has launched its Marie pack under the McVities brand. McVities has used celebrity endorsements to gain market share and fight strongholds like Parle Products and Britannia who have ruled the Biscuits industry for a considerable long time. UB group has brought in actors Bipasha Basu and Shriya Saran to endorse its McVities Brand. As of today, McVities has a 20% market share in the 80 crore digestive category. Similarly many other foreign players are playing the price card to establish themselves in the Indian markets. Considering these aspects, we believe that competitive pricing and differentiated value offering will be the key aspects that will separate the winners from the losers.

There is going to be a lot of hectic activity in the near future with various foreign and domestic companies trying to get their own bites of the biscuit market. The product lines and categories have ample room for differentiation and it is to be seen how each company comes out with their strategies. It would be interesting to figure out how brand loyalty is achieved in this segment where there are only a handful of names like Parle-G, Britannia Good Day and Hide N Seek which have managed to strike a constant chord with the ever changing preferences of the consumers.

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markathon | june 2011 markathon |june

An Interview with Russell Winer

William H. Joyce Professor of Marketing and the Chair of the Marketing Department at Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York found marketing to be much more interesting, and Russell Winer is the William H. Joyce an opportunity to combine my economics Professor of Marketing and the Chair of the background with my interest in consumers. Marketing Department at Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York. Professor Winer Markathon: In the Indian context, what are the has served two terms as the editor of key noteworthy points in psychology of pricing? the Journal of Marketing research; he is the How is the Indian market different from the US in past co-editor of Journal of Interactive this aspect? Markathon: You have been studying in-storeMarketing and is decision making for years. Could you share currently an with us your learning in consumer behavior Associate Editor of from the same? the International Mr. Winer: At one level, people are Journal of Research people in that they look at a retail Mr. Winer: Well, what amazes me is how price and internalize it by mentally in Marketing. In this many purchase decisions are made in the assessing whether it is a good or interview, he talks store, right at point of purchase. In the U.S., bad deal for them. I feel that many we have developed a term for how marketers about the of the basic psychological aspects are focusing more on in-store marketing, psychology of of price hold. However, given the shopper marketing. While it is actually pricing, in-store very wide disparity of incomes in somewhat broader, the main focus is how we decision making and India, a persons reaction to a price will depend greatly upon their consumer choice income or necessities vs. luxuries. models.

Situation and their budgets

Markathon: From Economics to Industrial Administration to Marketing- how has the journey been? Any learning/ insights you would like to share with our readers? Mr. Winer: Economics is a great background for business as you learn how markets work and how consumers should behave. Of course, they dont behave exactly the way economists predict, but it is good to have a baseline model from which we can see differences in behavior. In addition, economics helps us to understand finance and accounting which are important disciplines for marketing managers to understand. Industrial administration was Carnegie Mellons term for business. I was originally interested in finance but

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markathon |june 2011

as brand marketers can draw more attention to our offerings than to a competitors right there on the shelf. Thus, money spent on advertising can be offset by special attractive displays in the store. Markathon: With large brands and companies, product management is a key concern. Are you in support of umbrella branding? Does it help product management or dilute the brand equity? Mr. Winer: In most cases, yes I support umbrella branding. Companies spend millions building brands and it is natural that they would try to amortize that spending over a number of subbrands. However, there have been many cases where brands have been stretched too far resulting in sub-brands that have no real relationship to the parent. Marketing managers should exercise caution when developing brand extensions and make sure that they study consumer reaction to any new stretching that may be beyond the bounds of the original brand concept. Markathon: What interests you the most in the consumer choice models? Mr. Winer: I am interested in incorporating psychological aspects of price and advertising into brand choice models. For example, I have published a paper showing that consumers process prices with 9 endings from left-to-right basically ignoring the last digit. I also study how individual family advertising exposure affects brand choice. I like working with what is called electronic scanner panel data, data collected at point-of-purchase on individual household purchasing. Markathon: As management students, we know how important it is to understand the customer. However, do companies really take the effort to really understand the consumer? Mr. Winer: Good question. In my experience, more companies give lip service to understanding the customer than really do it. It is important for managers to talk to customers and actually go into stores and observe how choices are being made. You cannot make intelligent decisions only sitting in an office tower poring over computer printouts.

Markathon: You are known for your expertise in the use of information technology in marketing. A lot of engineers with IT background venture into marketing. Could you help them in understanding the applications of IT in marketing, so that they can make an informed career decision? Mr. Winer: The most exciting nexus of technology and marketing is whats going on in new modes of communications, particularly social marketing such as Facebook. No one forecasted how much people wanted to connect with each other online and through smart phones or how this could be successfully monetized. However, all the other areas of marketing such as pricing, channels, new product development, etc. are also being affected by technology, mainly by figuring out to reach customers on a 1-to-1 basis and integrating them more into the operations of the company. Markathon: What would be your word of advice to MBA students? Mr. Winer:

Get a broad education in business school. Do not overly focus in any one area because general managers need to have a sound education in all of the functional areas of business. In addition, always think of what the customer wants. The smart managers and companies make products and services that resonate with customers, not with themselves.

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war zone | eye 2 eye

markathon | june 2011

Will Nokia Money achieve the kind of success as M- pesa in Kenya?

Over 90 percent Indian villages do not have bank facility and more than 50 percent of the countrys population does not have bank accounts. 97 per cent retailers in India dont have a facility to deal with credit cards. Nokia Money bridges this gap. Apart from operational gaps and awareness level of Nokia money there could be several other issues that Nokia Money could be facing. Major reason behind success of Mpesa was dominant market position of Safaricom (operator) in Kenya. But

Nokia Money will face major problems in India unless they adopt some changes

Nokia Money has tremendous potential in the high growth Indian ecosystem

Deepi Garbyal FMS Like M-Pesa in Kenya by Vodafone & Safaricom, Nokia Money shows tremendous potential as the growth drivers in Kenya can be found well pronounced in the Indian ecosystem as well. Network: Safaricom had a high market share when it launched this service. Similarly, Nokia has a massive network 1 bank branch = 2 Nokia retailers. It has around 200,000 retailers and dealers who will act as points of sale. Advantage: Nokia is the only handset maker which offers mobile money service, other mobile money services are offered by telecom operators in the country. Here, is a full-fledged service which will bring together banks, operators & varied handsets. Understanding Consumer: User can manoeuvre between a plethora of services; banking, remittances, payment of utility bills and merchants arrived from the successful pilot launches at Pune. The money transfer is assumed to be hit with rural consumers; the payment service would attract the urban segment. Hassle-free: A photo Id proof to have an account and a mobile number is all it demands. Its a smart, secure, cost-effective way to manage ones finances. Previously out of reach and time consuming features are now fast. The roadmap is to settle the concerns of the regulators, the banking industry and the government so that there is adequate transparency and build-up of trust and to adequately train the Nokia retailers for excellent customer service. But, these cannot take away the potential which this excellent offering showcases for the industry.

Rahul Mantri IIM S

here Nokia (cell manufacturer) is carrying out this service, so it will always have to share its revenue with mobile operators, making it costlier for customers. Nokia money will face problem of chicken and egg in the beginning, which means that they will have to gather both agents and customers at the same time as one wont be there without another or in other words scale is needed which will take time. Now RBI has announced that by 2013 banks are going to reach 3.5 lakh villages in India, thereby giving less time to Nokia money for spreading its roots. Currently, the charges for transaction via Nokia money cost 2.5 % of transaction value, which is too high to attract a large customer base because with advent of internet banking customer are not in any mood to pay prices without any major convenience offered and for poor section it seems to cost high. So major change required from Nokia Money team would be to reduce this transaction cost (could be done by generating alternate revenue stream may be by personal advertising). They do not have much time as other competitors like Airtel and Vodafone are joining the same league in India.

Topic for the next issues Eye to Eye: Google Plus : Facebook killer or another Google Wave? Your opinion (view/counterview) is invited. Word limit is 250-300. Last date of sending entries is 15th July 2011. Include your picture (JPEG format) with the entry.

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war zone | silent voice

markathon |june 2011

Silent Voice
Theme: The next out of the box Bingo Ad

LAST MONTHS RESULTS

WINNER: Yukti Gupta | NMIMS

Congratulations!!!Yukti receives a cash prize of Rs 500!

HONORARY MENTION

Prithu Sureka| NL Dalmia, Mumbai

NEXT THEME FOR SILENT VOICE: Re-launch of Lipton Ice Tea LAST DATE OF SENDING THE PRINT AD: 15th July, 2011 EMAIL ID: markathon.iims@gmail.com Send your entry in JPEG format named as SilentVoice_<Your Name>_<Institute>only.

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specials | radical thoughts

markathon | june 2011

Indias Booming Distant Dream?

Jitesh patel | IIM S

Retail

Market:

Pick out any report about Indias retail industry; you will see the same thing. Some of the words often used in these reports are booming, spiralling growth, attractive and all other sorts of superlatives anyone can think of. India is on top of the list for all retail companies -India and Multi-National, who want to expand their business. India is also ranked among the Top 3 attractive destinations for organised retail in Emerging Markets around the world according to research reports. The retail market is expected to double in size and reach US$ 785 Billion in the next four years. Retail spending is going to see an increase, especially in the tier-2 and tier-3 cities. All these facts paint a pretty picture and the likes of Carrefour and Walmart cant wait to dive full-fledged into the Indian retail landscape. But there is more to it than just the pretty forecasts. A closer look at some of the retail chains in the country paints a somewhat grimmer picture. Indias retail industry has a lot of challenges and the way to profitability is full of roadblocks. The Indian consumers spending pattern has long eluded any concrete research and is therefore difficult to decipher for the retailers. The retail spending which is seeing a rapid growth will not be uniform across urban, sub-urban and rural areas. The growth, though happening, is not at all easy to tap into. In the metros and tier -1 cities, the organised retail is an already overcrowded market where profit margins are shrinking constantly. Even the limited success which supermarket and hypermarket format stores have had in Metros and

Tier-1 cities can hardly be replicated in the cities with lesser populations. The competition from smaller kirana and general stores is tougher to overcome in smaller cities and a supermarket can hardly provide the kind of value a smaller store provides to the consumer. Lack of adequate distribution channels to serve the rural markets is another ailing problem. There seems to be no clear cut solution yet for companies to uncover the proverbial fortune at the bottom of the pyramid with respect to the Indian Rural retail scenario. There have been a lot of instances of retail chains closing down or going bankrupt. Subhikshas rise and fall is a classic example of what can go wrong if a retail store plans to expand too fast. Subhiksha had expanded to a chain of over 1600 stores in 11 years when it ran out of cash and a host of other problems followed leading to the closure of the chain. Trinethra was another retail chain with presence in Andhra Pradesh which expanded too rapidly and had to be rescued by Aditya Birla Retails and rebranded under its More brand of chain stores. Reliance Retail has put in more than a billion dollars in establishing its retail presence under various heads Reliance Fresh and Reliance Digital. The ventures are yet to become a significant revenue stream for RIL. Pantaloons Retail , arguably one of the success stories of home grown retail chains has actually seen a marginal drop in revenue in the year 2009-2010 from 2008-2009.

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specials | ADdicted

april markathon | june 2011

Ad-dicted
Gaurav Ralhan | iim s

PRODUCT #1: Denizen TARGET AUDIENCE: Youth in the age group 18-28 years POSITIONING: A new name with the same product value AD AGENCY: JWT CONCEPT: The film opens in a laundrette where Imran Khan comes to wash his jeans. A girl already present in the laundrette (dancing to the tunes of the lovely track being played in the background) plays a fast one the on the guy. Both of them put their Levis Signature jeans for washing and when they take them out it gets converted to Denizen jeans. The concept clearly depicts the transition of the brand from Levis Signature to Denizen. VERDICT: Catch/Miss 50-50 Its a usual boy girl story shot in a laundrette with nothing so special about it. The concept of the advertisement clearly portrays the transition from Levis Signature to Denizen. The concept has been very beautifully executed by the actors with a lovely track being played in the background. The two things that I liked out the ad were they ad beautifully describes the transition from Levis Signature to Denizen and the lovely track played during the film but on the flip side the idea is not that great, could have been more creative.

PRODUCT #2: Center Fresh chewing gum TARGET AUDIENCE: Generic target customer base POSITIONING: Center Fresh Khao, Zuban Pe Lagaam Lagao!! AD AGENCY: Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai CONCEPT: The film opens in a bank and shows a bank robber asking the cashier to put all the money in the bag. The robber is successful in stealing all the money from the bank and even leaving the bank with getting caught. But when the bank employees call the security, the guard (whos the robber) out of his habit comes back in the bank and is caught. The guards identity is revealed with a moral; chew on Center Fresh because it helps you keep your mouth shut. VERDICT: Catch/Miss Catch The advertisement is hilarious, it grabs all the attention it commands and conveys the message splendidly. The Zubam pe Lagaam proposition has worked very well for the brand for the past few years now. The theme has always been based on comedy as this is one of the masterpieces. I am eagerly waiting for the new advertisement to come. It gets double thumbs up from my side. Creativity is what matters and according to me O&M has come out trumps on this front.

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specials | updates

markathon | june 2011 decade long commitment to delighting customers by redefining the meaning of luxury, safety and comfort.

AD WATCH
Cheil Worldwide creates new TVC for Samsung Champ
Samsungs advertising agency, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has created a new TVC for the brands range of Champ smart phones. The TVC for the phone re-defines Samsung Mobiles proposition Musicgiri non-stop. The TVC features a girl using her Samsung touch phone. As she touches the music button on the phone, thousands of music CDs are shown getting out of a music store and finding their way towards her phone. The TVC emphasizes Samsung Champs offering of 1,00,000 songs for their users to download.

Mahindra says 'Grow up to Verito' in its latest TVC

Interface has created a new TVC for the Mahindra Verito. The Verito was previously called the Mahindra Logan, when the partnership between Mahindra and Renault existed. TVC is aimed at building awareness towards road etiquette and responsible motoring, with the Verito as the central theme. The TVC is aimed to set people thinking and hopefully changing their behaviour on the roads. The idea is to urge people to exhibit maturity in an aspirational way hence the phrase Grow Up. The whole campaign aims at driving a positive change, in line with the Mahindra philosophy. At another level it also urges small car / hatchback owners to upgrade (Grow Up) to Verito.

Leo Burnett creates campaign for KBC 5

Leo Burnett has created the launch campaign for Kaun Banega Crorepati 2011. After using the thought Koi bhi sawaal chota nahin hota (No question is small) for Kaun Banega Crorepatis fourth season, for the fifth season, the theme is, Koi bhi insaan chota nahi hota (No person is small). The campaign consists of five TVCs, the first of which went Live on YouTube on 15 June, 2011. It emphasizes that everybody inherently has capability to achieve something extra ordinary and never to underestimate anybody. The campaign creates a unique platform for brand KBC insightful message delivered in a punchy popular entertainment format to be consumed by people from across social spectrum. Chrome Pictures is the production house used to build the campaign.

Raymond continues The Complete Man positioning with new TVC

In a bid to continue with Raymonds The Complete Man positioning, RK Swamy BBDO has come up with a new TVC that explores the relationship with a mother. The film captures the emotions around a moment of success for the young man and the joy and concerns that simultaneously flash through the mothers mind, as she absorbs the news of him going abroad and taking her along. The idea behind the TVC is to engage the consumer at an emotional level, by exploring different facets of The Complete Man.

Skoda rolls out new TVC to celebrate 10 years in India

Saatchi & Saatchi India has created a new TVC for the automobile manufacturer. The campaign, titled Skoda Celebrations, marks Skodas tenth anniversary in India for which special offers for new and existing customers have been planned. The film shows celebratory moments from different moments over the last decade, across different generations. It ends with Skoda urging Indians to add to those moments by joining their 10 year anniversary celebrations. It emphasizes Skodas

Brand Launch
RIM launches BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in India
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) launched its BlackBerry Playbook tablet in India. The BlackBerry Playbook comes in an ultra-portable design and features industry-leading performance with real-time multitasking and symmetrical multiprocessing. The tablet is also equipped with Wi-Fi support and will be distributed nationally through Redington India and Ingram Micro, initially in 1000 retail stores across eight

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specials | updates cities and will then expand to other parts of the country.

markathon | june 2011

MVL Mobiles appoints Scarecrow communication consultant

as

Toyota To Introduce Luxury Car Brand Lexus In India

Japanese automobile giant, Toyota Motor Corp., is planning to make an entry into Indias luxury car segment. This segment has witnessed a massive growth recently, dominated by German car makers like Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Toyota has studied this segment carefully and is planning to launch its luxury car brand Lexus in the country very soon. Considering that the luxury car segment is on a rise in India with many foreign players like BMW, Audi, Mercedes vying for the market share, Toyota does not want to still behind and is aggressively pursuing this segment. Lexus is Japans largest-selling make of premium cars and officially marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide.

MVL Mobiles has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its communication consultant for its upcoming products across India. MVL Mobiles aims to further strengthen its presence in the market, and feels that Scarecrow with its effective creative thoughts and ideas will further consolidate the brand positioning. On its side, Scarecrow believes that zero-tolerance for runof-the-mill thinking and a determination to create genuine differentiation, at every level gives them a tremendous opportunity to do some exciting consumer work leading to some path breaking communication.

Creativeland creates 24-hour online race for Audi

Audi India had launched a 24-hour online race to garner support for the Audi R18 TDI racing at the Le Mans. The idea, conceptualised by Creativeland Asia, was to demonstrate the ultra-lightweight technology of the car, in keeping with its global positioning. Audi had been winning at the Le Mans almost every year. But other than die-hard motor enthusiasts, few people knew about it in India. The objectives was to get as many Audi fans in the country to know about Audis legacy at Le Mans, garner as much support for the team and impart knowledge on a feature or two of the car. For the activity, Creativeland created a website where fans could come and push the Audi team to victory. The final message said, Audi ultra-lightweight technology. The Audi R18 TDI.

Brand News
YOU Broadband appoints Ignite Mudra
YOU Broadband has appointed Ignite Mudra to handle its creative services for its broadband connection. Prior to this, Palasa Creative House handled duties for YOU Broadband. Ignite Mudra will be working on the strategy and creative deliverables of the brand.

Coca-Cola Japan wins inaugural $5,000 WARC prize for Asian strategy
Coca-Cola Japan has been named the winner of the inaugural Warc Prize for Asian Strategy. The entry told the story of I Lohas, a Japanese bottled water brand launched in 2009, which is due to become the latest billion-dollar brand owned by Coca-Cola. The brand was built around crushable packaging, giving consumers the chance to do something simple to aid the environment. The entries were scored by a judging panel of senior clients and strategy experts, led by Prize Chairman Miles Young, Worldwide CEO of Ogilvy & Mather. A shortlist of 25 entries was unveiled in May.

Brand Relaunch
Force Motors unveils new identity as they foray into personal vehicle division
Force Motors has announced its foray into the personal vehicle division with the launch of its new brand identity and the announcement of their SUV Force One. Lowe Lintas has worked on the new brand identity and the communication that will go on-air in the coming months. The logo represents a movement independent of any inertia, a movement that is natural and represents both growth and change. It represents

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specials | updates ambition and hunger for more and is an indication of the direction that Force Motors is headed towards rapidly. The new logo stands for a need to never be content with the status quo and signifies the commencement of a new era for Force Motors.

markathon | june 2011 brand after having pulled the plug on it seven years ago. PepsiCo, which enjoys a strong reach in the traditional ready-to-drink beverages channel, and HUL, which has an expertise in modern trade and the grocery channel, will combine their distribution might to market the product. Lipton ice tea was launched in India in 2004 and withdrawn in a year. The re-launch of the Lipton ice tea is another addition to Pepsi-Co's growing portfolio of healthy offerings. Lipton ice tea will be available in two variants: green tea in mint and lemon flavour and black tea in lemon flavour.

PepsiCo, HUL to re-launch Lipton ice tea

In an attempt to capture the fast growing packaged ice tea market in India, cola major PepsiCo and consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever (HUL) have revived their joint venture (JV) partnership in the country. The JV's Indian arm is re-introducing the Lipton ice tea

Articles Are invited

We are inviting articles from all the B-schools of India. The articles can be specific to the regular sections of Markathon which includes: Perspective: Articles related to development of latest trends in marketing arena. Productolysis: Analysis of a product from the point of view of marketing. Strategic Analysis: A complete analysis of the marketing strategy of any company or an event. Apart from above, out of the box views related to marketing are also welcome. The best entry will receive a letter of appreciation and a cash prize of Rs 1000/-. The format of the file should be MS Word doc/docx. Were inviting photographs of interesting promotional events/advertisements/hoardings/banners etc. you might have come across in your daily life for our new section The 4th P. Send your self-clicked photographs in JPEG format only. The last date of receiving all entries is 15th July 2011. Please send your entries marked as <ARTICLE NAME>_<SENDERS NAMES>_<INSTITUTE> to markathon.iims@gmail.com.

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Please send in your comments/feedback to: markathon.iims@gmail.com Visit: www.iims-markathon.in

Team Markathon, IIM Shillong