A ‘Swift’ remedy to ward-off all evil eyes

For long, this vanguard of Maruti’s marketing army has battled hard to ensure that the company retains the #1 spot in the Indian auto arena. He’s succeeded to a large extent... By Pawan Chabra

Mayank Pareek
Managing Executive Officer – Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki

Two long decades back, Mayank Pareek, an engineer holding an MBA degree and an ex-employee at BHEL, was on the lookout for a job. The first opportunity knocked in the form of a lucrative overseas offer from the Bank of America. He turned down the offer. Many scoffed at him; more so, because he chose to join a government-owned Maruti Udyog Limited (the erstwhile Maruti Suzuki India). That was 1991. Recalling his decision, Pareek recalls, “The decision was mostly triggered by my love for cars. Surely, I was in love with intriguing statistics, but my love for cars was bigger.” He certainly does not regret the divine call. Having joined the company as a Regional Manager in Chandigarh, today, he has climbed the management ladder at the Indo-Jap carmaker to take charge as the Managing Executive Officer – Marketing & Sales. His responsibility: to ensure that the #1 Indian carmaker Maruti’s market share, which has been flirting with the 50% mark of late, remains healthy.

When we sit down for a chat over coffee with Pareek, he chooses to break the ice with a casual discussion on Indian media space. But he quickly drifts on to a debate on automobiles. His passion for cars is visible more than ever. He hasn’t changed, not one bit in 20 years! So what has kept him glued to the Maruti brand for such a long time? He replies, “You look for a change when you experience monotony in your work. But at Maruti, life has always been interesting and every new week brings a new challenge to your desk. Therefore, I never felt the need to look out for greener pastures.” [He says that since the day he presented his resume at Maruti, he’s never taken a look at it in all these years.]

Pareek’s presence at the helm of decision-making on the marketing front has surely been felt by the company over the years, whether it be the announcement of the launch of the CNG versions of five models (which shows how the company is still conscious of what a price-sensitive market desires) or the fact that Maruti earns up to 15% of its revenues from Tier II & III locations, which is definitely great news for the company. Says Pareek, “Even in the past 12 months, Maruti has tried to give what the consumer has expected. When they were looking for small cars, the company met the demand. Now, we have even started to offer what the new-generation consumers want.” He has surely been one of the strongest pillars of Maruti’s citadel in the past two decades. It is also worthy of mention that he had always been amongst the loudest of voices that voted for several small car launches under one category, which helped in de-fragmenting the hatchback market and capturing market share in India.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again.....
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

HE BOASTS INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGY, AND BELIEVES ON THE SAME TO BRING IN A REVOLUTION OF ITS KIND

ALOK SINGH, CEO, NOVATIUM SOLUTIONS PVT LTD, EXPLAINS HOW HE MIGHT MAKE IT POSSIBLE...


What is the nature of your tie-ups with other telecom players like BSNL, MTNL, TTSL, TTML and Mauritius Telecom and how do you think this would help in Novatium’s growth?
Our tie-ups with these telcom companies selling Novatium’s service are established on a few critical points like the market pull, customer acceptance, relevance of such a service in today’s market and Novatium’s clear leadership in this field. We have tie-ups with major telecom players like Airtel, BSNL, MTNL, TTSL, TTML and Mauritius Telecom. It helps propel Novatium’s growth as it makes the offering bundled with these ISPs used for both Internet access and computing applications.

There is a lot of buzz about your Nova nGene...
Nova nGene is an online portal manager that maintains user profile, account details and transactions. The nGene can be accessed from a Nova desktop and users can monitor the usage of their Nova computing service.

Are your offerings only B2C in nature? One rarely hears your B2B plans.
So far, we were only focused on individual consumers that makes us more of B2C than B2B. However, considering the interest shown by SMEs and SOHOs (small office, home office) users, we have now started looking at this market as well.

Currently, you are present in over 100 cities across the country, but not in the rural market. Any future plans?
As a company we are focused on computing for the masses, so we cannot ignore the rural segment. It is noteworthy that the challenges and requirements in the rural market are different from those in the urban market. We believe the no-manageability aspect of Nova Device can prove to be a big boon for the rural consumers. So we are really focused on this market and we believe that majority of the future consumption of the product will take place in the Tier II and the rural belt rather than in the metros.

Earlier this year you were planning to raise $10 million. Any progress on that front?
We have closed this with a major announcement few days away. At present, it’s premature to say anything about it.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again....

FACE2FACE WITH VARUN GUPTA, DIRECTOR, ASHIANA GROUP

What is more important, pricing or location?
From my point of view, both pricing and location must go hand-in–hand. Locational paradoxes arise if the property is far away as then the cost of travelling goes up. Location does not only mean distance, but also infrastructure. Probably, Faridabad is the closest to Delhi in terms of distance, but Noida and Gurgaon are better in terms of infrastructure. Any location in the heart of the city will always be attractive to buyers and therefore will be priced accordingly.

What are the actual selling strategies you adopt?
In terms of sales, we sell directly and don’t go through brokers. Connecting directly with customers gives them the comfort that they are directly interacting with the company due to which lots of issues also get resolved. We have a very transparent way of dealing and agreements are also very easy to understand. On the marketing side, we have a very people oriented approach. We use our own residents as our brand ambassadors rather than using celebs. We also use newspaper, digital and radio advertising apart from hoardings and billboards. However, word of mouth still remains the biggest marketing tool.

And your up-coming projects?
Currently we are executing about 10 and a half lakh square foot of space and we plan to take this number to 20 lakh square foot in the next two-three years. We are actively looking at growing in Pune, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Kolkata and the south regions. We also plan to take retirement resorts to places where we are not present. In the locations where we are already present, we plan to grow with regular housing.

As told to Vineet Singh

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

‘The Big Green help for Kids’... Come Again?!

She came, we saw and Nick conquered. If you thought all your life that ‘Nick’ was an alias used for names, don’t fret – you’re not the target market for Nina Elavia Jaipuria anyway. The Sr VP of Nick India – who has spent her last five years with Nickelodeon – chats up with 4Ps B&M on how she finally managed to make Nick the #1 choice in the children’s entertainment category

We heard Little Krishna garnered the highest viewership ratings amongst kid’s programmes in the country. Recently, Big Animation tied up with you for the licensing and merchandising rights of Little Krishna. How has this deal helped Nick?
These kind of deals work both ways. What should be kept in mind is that both the parties involved can leverage such deals to the best. If there is no synergy, then such deals don’t work. There was one more partnership that we had with Baskin Robbins wherein their orange flavour ice cream was named Nick. In that case, both of us benefited because Baskin Robbins got a lot of customers who wanted to have that ice cream and on the other hand we got presence in a totally different segment.

What is the biggest challenge you face in catering to kids?
One of the challenges we face is that there is only one TV in the house, so everybody wants a share of the television and in the process our target audience, which is kids, become active viewers of whatever is being watched in the family, be it news or soaps. The next challenge is the lifestyle of the kids. They have to go to schools, take care of their studies, and then they have tuitions and exams. Apart from this, the major challenge for any channel is the distribution and we are no exception.

What is the way forward with programming for kids’ channels – live action or animation?
To my mind, kids do not differentiate like that at all. They don’t say that I’m going to watch a live action show or I’m going to watch an animation show. They just come to the channel and say that I’m going to watch my favourite show Ninja Hatori or Spongebob, so on and so forth. Basically they don’t come to see a show on the basis of differentiation but on the basis of the characters that they love. I personally feel that animation is here to stay because it has more ability to capture the imagination of the children. They want to get away from boredom.

They want to get away from stress. They want to get away from Mom’s nagging. And this is all possible through animation. I think animation can deliver emotions and entertainment better than any live action based programming. So, animation is here to stay for sure, but you could always use some amount of live action as well.

Amir Moin

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

ENOUGH SAID... IS STILL NOT ENOUGH SAID!

Changing one’s brand logo is one of the most critical exercises for any organisation – more so as it means the power of brand recall is wiped out in an instant (because of the old brand/logo being phased out) and the company has to invest considerably in again building a recall customer base. Given that, for Spice Mobile, these are similarly critical times as the company has been engaged in the process of changing its brand logo. Spice now has a new logo replacing the old combination of five rainbow colours with a vibrant shade of yellow that – the company says – symbolizes the energy and spirit that the company stands for. According to the company, the move to undergo an identity change was keeping in mind the changing market dynamics and more importantly the bid to signify Spice Mobile’s evolving relationship with its market, customers and other stakeholders. They have also got in place a new brand ambassador, Sonam Kapoor, who would be seen in their flagship S1200 mobile handset, that would have a 12 megapixel camera. It’s noteworthy that Spice Mobile has also recently entered into a 65:35 JV with the Malaysian handset maker CSL Mobile, which owns the Blueberry brand and has plans to launch their range in the country soon.

The company spokesperson says, “We pioneered the dual SIM market in the country and in the coming time, you would see some interesting products from our side. Additionally, we will also be adopting a more aggressive marketing, our aim is to be the number three handset vendor in the country.” But with competition also well endowed in terms of celebrities and attractive logos (read: Micromax, Karbonn, Intex et al), Spice’s leading foray into the dual SIM category is not expected to be smooth. The handset market is at an interesting stage with new players fighting it out intensely. Evidently, enough said about the market... is still not enough said!

Swati Sharma

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IIPM Sports News - Pool Championship - IIPM Lucknow

“Time to check your pool skills …. If you are smart enough take a chance”

Some kind of change and physical fitness is needed for students after the rigorous class schedules and mental exercise, thus this time the Torque club of IIPM, Lucknow organized the POOL CHAMPIONSHIP in the
campus on 20th July 2010. Teams from various sections across batches participated to win the title.

The event started with an environment of enthusiasm. As the energy levels increased and all the participants were ready to swing, they formulated various strategies in order to defend themselves and rise up as a winner all through out. This event was very engaging for the participants as well as the viewers as everyone was engrossed in the game. Event started with knockout round.

Among all the participants Om Pandey from PGP/SS/10-12 and Bhawani Singh from UGP/FW/09-12 were amongst the finalist. At the End, Bhawani Singh emerged as the winner and claimed the title.

IIPM 4Ps Business & Marketing - Nutrivita PRESENTS 100 MARKETING BRAINS THAT MOVE AND SHAKE INDIA

B. O. Mehta

President, Pidilite Industries Ltd.

Creativity is the art of good agency and working with Ogilvy for Fevicol has always given us out of the box memorable moments. In fact, that’s the reason why all Fevicol ads have not only been outstanding, but have also always clearly established the brand. But I remember the ad where a hen was eating Fevicol. And that’s when Piyush really had a tough time to convince us as I somehow felt that it will not promote the brand properly. But when the ad came, it was a huge success as it established the brand message very innovatively. I think it was a great and memorable marketing moment for me as it taught me the importance of intellectuality in advertising and marketing.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎