Do we need a CMO for our cabinet?

We have ministry of finance & a ministry of human resources development which manage well the finance & talents. But the leverage of these efforts can not be obtained unless we integrate the different departments' effort of communication. Our tourism has well communicated & got the result of surge in tourists flow from domestic as well as international destinations. But how much have we marketed our defense products or space innovation. Even we can export our railway, power utility or telecom expertise to under developed nations. But all we need is to communicate through a single window to maximize the impact.

“DO THE NEW” - Borrowed tagline?

UPA budget 2009 stimulated the vibrant Indian telecom market. The 3G services licenses will be distributed soon in the market. The market challenger Tata Teleservices (approx. 10% market share) is all set to storm the 3G services market by making an alliance with DOCOMO, Japan. The later is known for delivering superior value added services based on its advanced mobile technology. The brand essence ‘trust’ (Tata) is reinforced with the ‘lifestyle’(DOCOMO) to enrich the lives of the nation & will lead its new generation.

The initial brand essence of the new identity “Tata Docomo” is perceived to be ‘uniqueness in experience’ what the print adds & the new website says “ Do the new.” But isn’t the idea borrowed from “Do the Dew” campaign? Yes, PepsiCo adopted the tag to revive Mountain Dew in the 90s. Let us see what kinds of TVCs will be designed by the advertisers to communicate NEW……..

WHICH COFFEE WILL START YOUR DAY?

US coffee market has been vibrant due to domestic competition among three rivals – Starbucks, McDonalds’ & Dunkin’ Donuts. Starbucks is the most sought after brand consumed by a majority of Americans.  But McDonalds’ adopted frontal attack to have a category extension & a significant US coffee market share. They penetrated the café market by launching “McCafe” format with lesser price than Sturbucks & it offers beverages (coffee) along with burgers.

But this time Starbucks has been attacked badly by Dunkin’ Donuts. They adopted Viral marketing strategy to spread the news “In a recent national blind taste test, more Americans preferred the taste of Dunkin' Donuts coffee over Starbucks”. They have used social networking sites like Face book, Twitter & YouTube to form fan clubs to spread the message quickly. This type of comparative advertisement has not been adopted in US coffee marketplace before.

India is a growing market for café business. CCD & barista have a created a significant branded café market. But the Market is not as vibrant as US. I hope the major foreign café chains will come soon to India & make the market more competitive.    

EXPORT OF INDIAN CRICKET

If we do PEST analysis of Indian cricket, the present scenario will definitely indicate how the vibrant political weather forced IPL outside Indian border. Few days back, I wrote my blog on "Terror blessing for Cricket India". The subject is going to be true. We, the common follower of our cricket religion, haven't thought in dream that BCCI can take such a high quality managerial decision. Yes, it has decided to launch its best product(IPL) in South African or English soil. So Indian cricket is in the 2nd box of Ansoff's matrix - existing product(IPL) in new market(England may be).

Mr Lolit modi already outperformed English county cricket . That forced them to counter attack by starting EPL(English Premier League). IPL is definitely a great opportunity for all the stakeholders involved. Indians will get a chance to play on fast English pitches rather than domestic slow pitches. They also can get offers to play with traditional English county teams. The team sponsors will get a wider audience comprising of Euripean & Asean people. Even the Indian commercials will hit the English pubs,offices,clubs,homes & will spread throughout Europe.

Isn't it a great experience for Cricket India? Well done Mr. Lolit Modi(Chairman - IPL)! - Well done BCCI!

SMEs hiring MBAs

Time is very bad & might get worst. US top trading zones(NASDAQ, Dow-Jones, S&P 500) are not showing any light of hope to the global trade. Even the oil cartel OPEC is formulating how to regulate the supply & demand of oil in the global market & the effect will be transmitted to pockets of common men . 

The top campuses of Indian B Schools are struggling to provide quality placements to all the students, even some colleges are not able to attract top companies for summer internship. As the slowdown enabled the HR managers to stay away from these campuses, the lesser demand in quality jobs is a boon to the small & medium enterprises(SM Es). The biz freshers have no option in hand rather than joining those companies. So the less effective Indian SM Es have got the opportunity to attract top talents & leverage the slowdown effect.

 It is seemed that this slowdown will be continued for few years & the SM Es will get enough time & resources to turn around till the next boom comes. I hope that the next generation Indian MICROSOFT ,GOOGLE, CISCO, GM,3M will emerge from today's so called SM Es & will drive India to become world's supreme biz hub.

XCD 135 DTSi - BRAND MATTERS

“By end of the day, brands profit while products merely sell.” – Rajiv Bajaj

February came with a hope for auto companies. Two wheeler companies have shown steady growth after decline of several months. But Bajaj Auto could not write it's growth story while rivals Hero Honda & TVS grown at a reasonable rate. Bajaj Auto, which replaced the market leader Hero Honda few years back, could not maintained it due to wrong positioning & problem of distribution channels.

XCD 135 DTSi is saying a different story after it has been repositioned recently. The new commercial of two girls along with addition of new feathers definitely has given a distinct image to this brand. Now the sales is showing a steady growth trend. The added quality is paying off. The communication is in line with the legendary brand Pulsar. XCD 135 is all set to storm the gap of 125 & 150cc in Indian market. Bajaj is expecting to become the market leader again by riding XCD.

TERROR BLESSING FOR CRICKET INDIA

Terror strike happened for the first time in the cricket history.It IS not unexpected & the global regulator ICC has not considered to take adequate action to allocate the proper destinations for current matches. Srilankan players were attacked in such a country, which is presently struggling to survive due to the Taliban aggression on it's soil.

Pakistan will surely lose the right to host the 2011 world cup cricket. It is a great lose not only for PCB but also the industries like transportation, tourism, aviation of Pakistan mainly. ICC may find other locations in the subcontinent to carry on this tournament. So it's the exact time for BCCI to proactively promote safe Indian image. BCCI is strong enough financially & able enough to convince the ICC to take a major portion of the most awaited tournament. 2011 may be starting of a good financial environment worldwide & WC can stimulate the industrial growth in India.