1. The MARKSMAN
K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH VOL. 2 | ISSUE IX| FEB ‘12
MARKETING
THAT GOES BEYOND
DEATH!
IS BRANDING THE WAY TO
ENTER RURAL MARKETS? NEW SECTION
Tete-A-Tete with Mr. K Ramakrishnan-VP of L&T

2. EDITOR’S DESK
Dear Readers,
Welcome back to a brand new edition of your favourite marketing magazine and guide
– THE MARKSMAN!
In our endeavour to incessantly add more value to your reading, we now launch a
fresh, informative yet entertaining section called “brand-Mark-ive” showcasing some
never-before-heard facts and trivia about a brand. We kick-start this section with every
marketers favourite brand – CocaCola.
The cover story for the issue is Reverse Marketing, a concept which sees marketers
move away from traditional forms of marketing which lure customers with a direct
selling message in its communication. Instead, the focus is to let the customer find you.
Our special story is on Marketing That Goes Beyond Death. Should you seriously
contemplate killing your brand? Read on to find out more.
Our featured articles of the month delve into the Nokia Lumia’s contemporary
marketing strategy in the smartphone segment. Also question if Branding is the ideal
way to enter rural markets. And who’s to forget, the trendy Newspaper war playing out
in our own backyards. Flip those pages to read on!
We would like to congratulate Sourabh Sahu (IIM - Indore) for being adjudged the Best
Article of the Month.
Our team caught up with Mr. K Ramakrishnan, Vice President, of L & T Limited, Hazira
Central Services for a short tete-a-tete after his discourse on “The skills for being a
manager and the need to be able to adjust to the changing paradigm”.
Unwind with our regulars- SquAreHead, Bookworm, Tweets and its all about AD-itude!.
Get inquisitive with Buzz and do not forget to write in with articles (check the last page
for topics), your thoughts or suggestions.
¡Buena lectura! (Spanish for Happy reading)
Cheers !!
Team – Marksman
The Interface – The Marketing Club of SIMSR
FEBRUARY 2012 01

3. CONTENTS
NEW
SECTION
TWEETS
TWEETS It’s all about brand Tete-A-Tete
AD-itude! MARK-ive
03
03 04 05 06
SPECIAL STORY
COVER STORY
REVERSE
MARKETING
07
FEATURED ARTICLES MARKETING
IS BRANDING THE WAY TO ENTER RURAL MARKETS?
MARKETING STRATEGY ADOPTED BY NOKIA FOR
…12
THAT GOES
ITS NEW NOKIA LUMIA TO BREAK THE CLUTTER IN THE BEYOND DEATH
SMARTPHONES SEGMENT …14
NEWSPAPER BRANDS WAR! …16 10
BOOKWORM SqAreheaD REWIND BUZZ
18 19 20 21
FEBRUARY 2012 02

4. TWEETS
Google Removes Search, YouTube Content on Indian Court Order
Google Inc. removed content from its India domains that was deemed
objectionable by a New Delhi district court after a civil lawsuit against
the owner of the world’s largest search engine. The content was
deleted from domains .in and .co.in, while remaining accessible from
other countries.
Shahrukh Khan roped in as ambassador for Royal Stag
Pernod Ricard India has signed Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan as the brand
ambassador for its brand, Royal Stag. Shahrukh will work in tandem with his
fellow Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who has been its brand ambassador for the
last several years.
Flipkart acquires Letsbuy
Flipkart, one the country's biggest online retailers, said it has acquired
smaller rival Letsbuy in a cash and stock deal without specifying the
value of the transaction. But people familiar with the matter said it
was worth around $20 million.
Amazon enters India with junglee.com
US online retail giant Amazon has made its first foray into India with launch
of a shopping website, Junglee.com, as it tests the waters for a possible full
entry into the nation's e-commerce market.
Microsoft warns users against Google's privacy policy changes
Microsoft Corp slammed search rival Google Inc with full-page
newspaper ads in the US, saying that recent changes at Google that
allow it to internally merge the data it collects on user activity
across services such as YouTube and Gmail are meant to allow
advertisers to better target customers. Google has touted the
overhaul it announced last week as a simplification of detailed but
obtuse policies and a way to provide a better user experience.
Microsoft India ties up with Ybrant Digital
Microsoft Corporation India has appointed digital marketing solutions and
services company Ybrant Digital as its advertising sales house as it expands
activity to non-metro cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad,
Pune, and Goa.
FEBRUARY 2012 03

5. It’s all about AD-itude!
Advertiser: CPAA india
Advert title: Chanting
Lighter
Creative Agency: Ogilvy
T India
Cancer Patients Aid
V Association this time
C tried something new and
instigating to spread the
awareness against
cigarettes amongst
smokers.
Unlike most countries cigarettes are sold loose in India and so all cigarette shops have
electric lighters fitted for smokers. The ad shows how the lighter itself can be used as
the medium to ask smokers to quit smoking. So the regular lighter was changed with
the chanting lighter. The music it played was a chant which is sung when someone
dies in India. “Ram naam satya hai!”
The ad shows the recording of smokers’ reaction when they light the cigarette. The
purpose of the ad is to show these people that each time they light a cigarette they
are actually taking a step towards death.
Ad seems Very Effective!
This is an innovative print
P ad campaign by
R McDonald’s in Mumbai,
Thane & Navi Mumbai. This
I is very apt for this voting
N season.
McDonald’s came up with
T this ingenious idea of
giving free cokes to all
those who voted in these elections. Show the voting sign and get a coke free!
It is not only an image booster but also a marketing master-stroke. This is a good
initiative to make sure that the youth become socially responsible. The young
generation is conceived apolitical, so this ad makes them more responsible.
Resonating the core idea of anti corruption movement this ad aims at galvanizing the
young against corrupt politicians.
FEBRUARY 2012 04

6. NEW
brand-MARK-ive
SECTION
This new section is
dedicated to a
particular brand stating
some mind boggling
facts and other trivial
information about the
company and aims at
increasing one’s
knowledge quotient.
Coca Cola was first formulated by John The name of the flavour base included in the
Pemberton at the Eagle drug and Chemical secret formula for 'Coca-Cola' is referred to as
Company and called it Pemberton's French 7X which only a few people know. Concentrate
Wine Coca after getting inspired by Vin for 'Coca-Cola' is made in a number of
Mariani. It was sold as a patent medicine that centralized production facilities, and is
was believed to cure many diseases, morphine exported to all countries in the world that
addiction, impotency and headache. bottle 'Coca-Cola'.
The non-alcoholic version of the French Wine Although 'Coca-Cola' is enjoyed ice-cold
Coca was sold for the first time in 1886 at the around the world, in Hong Kong it is also
Jacob’s Pharmacy. served hot as a remedy for colds.
Coca-Cola which means “to make mouth Some unusual uses of Coca Cola include as a
happy” in Chinese is called “Coca-Cola” grease stain remover, rusty bolt loosener, toilet
because of the original ingredients used in the cleaner, spermicide, odor remover, medicine,
medicine, Coca leaves and Kola seeds. and many more.
The Coca Cola logo was created by John The company champions various CSR
Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason initiatives such as rainwater harvesting,
Robinson, in 1885 who came up with the name restoring groundwater resources, going in for
and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive scripts. sustainable packaging and recycling, and
The typeface used, known as Spencerian script serving the communities where it operated.
was the dominant form of formal hand writing The Coca Cola Company presently offers a
in US. portfolio of more than 3500 products in over
The Coca Cola bottles are often referred to as 200 countries.
“Hobble-skirt Bottles” because of its Last year on May 4th 2011, Coca Cola
resemblance the bottle contours resembled to celebrated 125th anniversary by creating the
a dress from the early 1900s. World’s Largest Single Building Illumination in
Coca Cola is credited with inventing the their headquarters at Atlanta, thanking people
modern image of Santa Claus as an old man in around the world.
a red-and-white suit.
FEBRUARY 2012 05

7. TETE-A-TETE
them?
Primarily, interaction with people who can share
their experience about corporate world with
Mr. students. Their exposure needs to be increased
while there should also be soft skill training given
K Ramakrishnan, to students to meet the expectations of the
VP of L&T industry. We need people who can communicate
clearly and effectively. As far as theory goes I think
b-schools are doing a decent job but I reckon soft
skills do not receive their due importance.
How different is the work environment in India
Mr. Ramakrishnan is currently the V.P of Larsen & as compared to the European countries you have
Toubro Limited, Hazira Central Services, Surat. He worked in?
spoke to students on “The skills for being a There are quite a few things we can learn from
manager and the need to be able to adjust to the other country nationals:
changing paradigm”. He had the audience excited 1. Value of time is very high
about future avenues that await them. He spoke 2. Interactions had to be specific and to the point
at length on the importance of communication, 3. Commitment had to be very specific
active listening, risk mitigation and sustainable 4. Discipline not just in terms of time but, walking
efforts. The talk was extremely engaging and on the road, or driving.
inspiring. Mr. Ramakrishnan shared his Do work ethics get compromised when it comes
experiences and learning and left us with some to sales and marketing department?
food for thought. Our voracious team Marksman Yes. I am being very upfront while saying this.
caught up with him after the lecture for additional There may be customers who give you some
insights. indication in some way to help their business. So
Sir you graduated as a B.E. from VJTI and joined there is a very thin line or shall I say there is a grey
L&T. To that regard, does a good manager really area where I don’t think any company can
need to be an MBA? confidently say that they haven’t strayed into. So
In today’s context MBA is important because it there yes there is a bit of aberration or a deviation
helps learn all the facets of management which but generally it is ethical.
would be missed out otherwise. But I would Marketing is a very dynamic field with change
rather prefer a person who has worked in the being the only constant. How to you keep
industry and then undertakes MBA because it yourself updated and stay in the thick of things?
helps them hone their skills and experience. Well in many ways! Reading up and interaction
In order to sustain oneself, they say it is with people are very informative means.
important to unlearn one’s b-school learning Especially in the Business Development field, you
while entering the corporate world. What is your need to spend more time in person with the
take on this? customer. Meet, see the site and understand the
I think that most things you have learnt at college client’s requirements. It is imperative to
or school stand you in good stead while working understand the change by being in it. No
also. I don’t think there is any unlearning as such. substitute for that! Also you need to be at the
It is just that you learn a lot with experience and right place at the right time. Prove yourself, prove
maybe something very theoretical may have to be your worth, accept challenges and turn them into
unlearnt. successes. It’s a demanding result driven world,
What should SIMSR do to ensure students adapt we need to be prepared for it!
easily to corporate life that awaits
FEBRUARY 2012 06

8. It is a marketing concept which companies should be and the only way they could reach
use to create such an image of the company their full potential was to purchase a certain
that the potential customers will seek the product or service.
company, rather than the marketers of the
C company seeking the customers. This is
done mostly by using traditional
O advertisements, print advertisements and
online media but the main difference lies in
V the fact that here companies put out their
content at a location where people will find
E it while searching for the product instead of
directly advertising to sell the product.
R The ‘Law of Attraction’ as people say is the
basis of Reverse Marketing. In words of
Leenders and Blenkhorn, Reverse Marketing
is “an aggressive and imaginative approach
S to achieving supply objectives”. The
purchaser makes the initiative in making the
T proposal. Reverse marketing is a technique
that when used properly can build your
Companies did not worry that this technique
was turning many consumers off since there
O client base simply and easily. However, in
order to use reverse marketing effectively
were plenty of marketing dollars going
around and they knew that they would
R you have to have a clear understanding of
the concepts behind it.
convince at least a small group of consumers
to try their product by these hard-sale
Y The Traditional Way of Advertising
tactics. However, when more became
scarcer and consumers started shopping
The old way of advertising was based on more carefully, these companies found the
companies actively trying to convince hard sales tactics simply no longer worked.
people that they needed their product. To
do this companies would use what is known How Reverse Marketing Works
as the hard sale method which simply Reverse marketing works by not using hard
means they would go out of their way to tell sale tactics. In some cases, reverse
people that their product or service would in marketing means no salesmanship at all.
some way improve or enrich their lives. Instead, reverse marketing allows
Many times in order to sell their product the consumers needing your product to come to
hidden message in these advertisements you by showing them that you are
were that somehow the consumer was less concerned about what they need and that
attractive, less successful, or they were you are savvy enough to help them meet
enjoying life less than they their needs.
FEBRUARY 2012 07

9. COVER STORY
Instead of advertising your business and trying to quality customers who are ready to buy, especially
convince people that your product or service is after seeing that a company is knowledgeable and
better than the competitors, you offer them helpful about a product they wish to buy. A similar
helpful information in solving their problem or example of reverse marketing would be to put up
need. This way you are giving the consumer an unbiased review site, with links to your web
practical advice they are looking for at no price. page for more information or a similar product to
Then at the end of your advice you include a little those you are reviewing. Strength of this type of
information about yourself including your website. reverse marketing is that customers searching the
Since you have talked about their specific issue topic can find someone who first demonstrates
and using an answer to their query, the consumer their knowledge on a topic with helpful
does not feel as though you are trying to sell them information and links at the bottom to check out
anything. Those that decide that your product or their online store. Companies can also use search
service is for them will then click on your link to engines to advertise their products when the
see what you have to offer. And since you were customers are looking for that kind of product on
the one that offered them helpful advice they will the internet but here is a word of caution; paid
be more tempted to buy from you. links on search engine does not serve the same
Reverse marketing works simply because you are purpose as reverse marketing because people
helping the consumer achieve a goal they often don’t like to open them as they are
themselves have without trying to force them to displayed separately. People respond much better
buy anything. The consumer comes to you, not to content when the main purpose of it is not an
you to them. actual advertisement.
Using the Unbiased Approach
The success of the Reverse Marketing Campaign
usually depends upon the ability of the seller to
showcase the benefits of their products in most
unbiased way. The company can project the
unbiased views by either writing it themselves or
they can take help of professional websites to
write unbiased reviews for them. This will not only
create a positive image in the mind of the
customer about the product but also induce them
to put the product in their consideration set. A
good example of this will be reviews of
automobiles present on the websites. In this ever
changing world of information technology where
An example of reverse marketing would be a people have easy access to information on
company that sells health related product such as internet, will you prefer to search reviews about
water purifiers, adds to their web site a long E- product on internet before making a purchase
book or essay about subjects that potential decision? If the answer is yes then you can surely
customers are searching for on search engines. understand the importance of an unbiased good
Compared to just putting a banner ad up on a web review of the product and the extent to which it
site, reverse marketing can attract very high can affect your purchase decision.
FEBRUARY 2012 08

10. COVER STORY
For those who think that despite reverse towards using the products of Dove. This
marketing, customer may buy another product approach did wonders for them and it was very
and all these efforts go in vain. Yes, it is possible successful.
but then companies spend big bucks on direct The concept of Reverse Marketing considerably
marketing schemes, which determine their changes the traditional buyer-seller relationship.
success rate. Reverse Marketing will still be an
easier way to win customers and create a good
image in market.
Success Story of Dove
A wonderful example of Reverse Marketing is
success of ‘Dove’. Usually, cosmetic companies
advertise their products by convincing the
customer about how their products will improve
their flawed looks. If you're dark, they'll make you The traditional relationship, where the seller takes
fair. If you're pimply, they'll clear it up. If your skin the initiative by offering a product, is increasingly
is dry, they'll moisten it. And the list goes on and being replaced by one where the buyer actively
on. Basically cosmetic companies tempt you to searches for a supplier who is able to fulfil its
find the flaws in you, criticize your looks and exact needs. This again emphasises the fact the
create this impression that you're quite ugly market is greatly moving towards customer
overall, and the only way to make yourself more centric orientation. Reverse Marketing can be a
desirable is to use their products. very useful tool for companies to succeed in such
But Dove chose a different approach, though they changing environment. But there are some
might not be willingly doing Reverse Marketing important points that should be considered before
but effect was nonetheless same. Instead of using the reverse marketing tips. First, a new
pointing at the flaws the skin, Dove asked women entrant should be very careful in trying this
to come together and celebrate their beauty. You because customers pay attention to those
will now notice, how very less coercive Dove ads products which are there in their awareness set.
seem as compared to the ads of other cosmetics Dove and other reverse marketers have been
brands. It's a completely different, novel approach successful because they are already established
to marketing altogether. Dove rarely uses models, brands and people know how good they are.
which are viewed as plastic and artificial. Dove Secondly, the most important point, the products
uses 'real women', beautiful, but not extremely should be good enough to speak for themselves.
so, to add a touch of
realism to the ad. And it
is this appeal, the
seeming genuineness of
women, the lack of
coercion, and the lack of
this artificially created
sense of inferiority of
women to the models in
terms of looks, that drew
more and more women
FEBRUARY 2012 09

11. S
P Vampires are all the rage right now from books to
E movies to sitcoms; everyone seems to be hooked
onto these resurrected creatures. Fictional
C although they might be, but their popularity after
death is something to take note of. Although it
I takes a lot of imagination to understand the world
of vampires, we can see something a bit more
A realistic in the world of marketing going on. It is
marketing after death.
L
What is it?
S Two words to sum it all the shock, mystery
T up are “Michael
Jackson”. He might
behind the death and
condolences, another
O have been the greatest
performer of all times
thing that came was a
sudden spurt in music
R and a pop revelation
and always surrounded
sales. Everybody
suddenly remembered
Y by controversy (which
isn’t always a bad
him only for the great
artist he was which
thing!) the fact of the resulted in a huge
matter is that his music increase in sales of his
sales had been on a music. All radio stations
downward spiral since started playing his
long and he was in a lot songs and other artists
of debt. But post his who wanted to be a
untimely death on June part of this surge gave
25, 2009, a lot tributes to him further
changed. Along with adding to it all.
FEBRUARY 2012 10

12. SPECIAL STORY
Can it be
milked?
Well it is pretty evident that dying to market your product is not a very viable option, but
yes, it still can be utilized, and it is something that is being done well. “Limited Edition”,
these words mean exclusivity to the customer and a license to overcharge. Luxury car
makers are doing this since long, making a few hundred cars of a type which are slightly
different than the standard car and charging huge amounts for it and then discontinuing
with it. The Rs 14Cr Lamborghini Raventon is a perfect case in point with just 20 cars having
being made. As people know it will no longer be available, it justifies the premium. Similar is
the case with vintage cars and even antiques in general. The fact that a particular thing will
no longer be available generates a push in people to lap it up while the existing stock lasts.
So in conclusion one can say, killing a brand or rather making something new to prematurely
kill it is a highly effective way to make people buy the product. May it be its snob value or
the exclusivity or the collectability, all we can say is “Offer valid till stocks last”.
FEBRUARY 2012 11

13. FEATURED ARTICLES
IS BRANDING THE WAY TO ENTER
RURAL MARKETS?
-Sourabh Sahu, IIM-Indore
Well, before I come to the specific issue of getting a good sales-figure in rural India for any
business, let’s look at some strategic pitfalls that these companies go through in rural India.
Most marketing men adopt a few ‘quick-fix’ strategies before venturing into the Rural
markets with their brands. They merely strip down all the ‘so-called’ frills from the product
currently being sold in urban and believe that the product is ready to go rural. Just extend
their brand to low cost packs, or merely modify the packaging marginally. Also, use cheaper
packing material, adapt the urban advertising or offer meaningless sales promotion
giveaways. All these and more are just short-term measures to enter the rural markets. And
if one believes that these will ensure success in the rural markets, it can but remain only as
wishful thinking.
What then is the route to building a Brand
In rural?
The answer to the above question is what
our marketers today call ‘Rural Branding’.
A route that is sensitive and appropriate
to the needs of the rural consumer. The
Next obvious question is how it is done. I
Believe, that you can Build your Brand in
Rural only if you build the following five
attributes Into your product:
Build Customization
Customizing or reverse-engineering your product to suit the needs of the rural consumers is
the key to success in the rural market place.
One needs to first go into the rural markets to find out the wants, needs, aspirations and
dreams of the rural consumer, meet up with the villagers and create a product that is
relevant to their needs. It also means we not only need to ‘engineer’ a product that appeals
to him but also need to go back to him for ‘ratification’ of its relevance.
Build Empathy / Relevance
Building empathy for your brand begins with the Brand name. It is important to seek out a
Brand name that is preferably vernacular, that is in tune with the ethos of the market
FEBRUARY 2012 12

14. FEATURED ARTICLES
and the social milieu it will sell in. And the same logic applies for the color, the slogan
and every aspect of communication. They must strike the right chord with the rural
consumer!
Build Recognition
There are two issues that need to be addressed while Building Recognition into a Brand
targeting the Rural Market.
The need for protection against the rampant prevalence of duplicate or parasite brands.
The need to physically demonstrate the use of a product in view of the high involvement
of a rural consumer in the purchase process.
Build ‘Word-of-mouth’
Strong word-of-mouth for a brand can be built through executing customized events
within the village revolving around the core message of a Brand, appealing to the core
target group.
Build Access
Reaching the rural consumer with their products and services remains the biggest
challenge to an average marketer. I am sure as the days go by, the compulsive need to
enter far flung rural homes will provoke marketing men to come up with more creative
solutions for cracking this problem of Building Access.
To conclude, Building a Brand in Rural India will continue to pose the biggest challenge
to the marketing fraternity in the years to come. Hence, the Art and Science of Brand
Building in rural needs to become an integral part of the learning process in the
innumerable Management Institutions across the nation.
FEBRUARY 2012 13

15. FEATURED ARTICLES
MARKETING STRATEGY ADOPTED BY NOKIA FOR
ITS NEW NOKIA LUMIA TO BREAK THE CLUTTER IN THE
SMARTPHONES SEGMENT
Abhishek Shukla, NMIMS
Bring it on - All or Nothing:
Virendra Sehwag goes for it all. If the leather lands in his territory, he swings his willow like a
swaggering blade. If he connects, he is considered to be a game changer but if he fails he is
murdered for not playing by the books. By planning the largest marketing budget on a single
phone than it has ever done before, Finland based and world’s largest phone manufacturer,
Nokia has gone for a zero sum strategy.
The Game Changer:
Apple, Samsung, Sony, HTC all claim to
possess unique brand names in the
Smart phone category. Since Nokia
already missed the Smart phone
wagon, it had to take bold measures to
ensure it stays in the race. Nokia started
off in style. The marketing extravaganza
began with glittering Lumia phone
displays across Delhi Metro stations.
After covering railways, it was the turn Jet Airways flying with Nokia Lumia colors
of aviation with Jet Airways Boeing 737-
800 bearing the colors of Nokia Lumia.
It also featured the names of the
employees who came up with the
marketing idea.
Shahrukh Khan’s tweet praising Nokia Lumia
Bollywood came calling with Shahrukh Khan tweeting that Lumia is an awesome phone. This
marketing strategy seems reasonable given that King Khan’s opinion might influence his 1.5
million twitter followers.
The Amazing Everyday:
Be it a smile or the tears, moments are amazing. ‘The Amazing Everyday’ campaign aims at
capturing those precious moments that happen in our lives every day. Nokia held events across 5
major Indian cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad. The campaign in financial
hub included a dance performance by a foreign troupe. In the political capital, Nokia organized a
mega musical event. Gurgaon was also up for the treat when Lumia pre-orders were distributed by
tennis sensation Sania Mirza. Few lucky Gurgaon locals also received free XBOX 360 to mark the
FEBRUARY 2012 14

16. FEATURED ARTICLES
occasion. Keeping with Lumia’s blue color, Nokia came up with ‘Blue Santa’ who distributed
chocolates and coupons in malls.
Another innovative marketing mantra was at display when toll was exempted for more than 15,000
cars at DND Freeway connecting Delhi and Noida. Then came in a chance for the social networking
geeks to shine in the prize glory. Nokia organized a ‘Lumia Sky Party’ where winners from a contest
held on Facebook were taken for a 45 minute ride in the Nokia Lumia brand Jet Airways plane.
Sania Mirza promoting
Nokia Lumia in a launch
in Gurgaon
Fun Week:
All thanks to Lumia launch, it was a fun filled candid week for the Nokia employees. It began with
‘Wow Monday’ when a life size Lumia was kept in the office and people had to tap on it to receive
gifts such as chocolates, Rubik’s cube and laptop stickers. Then came ‘Kinetic Tuesday’ where scooties
were placed around Nokia office for employees to experience the ride. ‘Surprise Wednesday’ was a
treasure hunt when employees ran around the premises searching for magic boxes. It was time to
turn on the dancing shoes with ‘Foot Tapping Thursday’ where employees showed their dancing
moves. It all ended on a delightful note when the office was closed on Friday so that employees can
attend the launch events.
Nokia Lumia taxi offering
free ride to early
adopters
Will it work?
Is it desperation on Nokia’s part which made it market Lumia on such a grand scale? Will the
marketing strategy be enough for Nokia to regain the telecom throne? Let the clock turn and these
questions will be answered. But one thing is for sure. Nokia has turned the marketing notions on its
head. With it’s out of the book play, Lumia has grabbed the eyeballs. Nokia did lose the Smart phone
battle but it has surely won the Marketing war.
FEBRUARY 2012 15

17. FEATURED ARTICLES
Newspaper Brands on War!
Trisha Pandey, Shailesh J.Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay
I dare you to compete…the latest move of Indian Advertisement industry
The recent addition being The Times of India
(TOI) vs The Hindu ad wars. On one hand “The
TOI ad” screams its value quotient of how it
keeps its readers engaged and not bored unlike The Times of India vs The Hindu
its rival newspapers and on the other “The
Hindu ad” positions its readers as informed
individuals (Stay ahead with Hindu) compared to
readers of other newspapers.
Over the years the Indian advertisement industry has remained apprehensive about its
perception towards comparative advertising. That is the reason the number of comparative
advertisements has remained in few hundred among millions of ads that has been made till
date.
However, among the plethora of varieties of ads techniques available, the comparative
technique has been found to be highly effective (subject to few regulations); reason being
multi-fold:
Establishes value proposition of the brand
Positions the brand as being better than its competitor(s)
Get eyes rolling (maximizing target audience exposure and customer recall value)
Competing through comparison works in interest of quality and price sensitive customers
Market grows more mature and transparent
FEBRUARY 2012 16

18. FEATURED ARTICLES
The comparative ads can be direct if it directly names and attacks its competitors as had been
the popular Rin vs Tide case or it can be indirect like the above mentioned TOI vs Hindu ad. Also
a comparative ad can be targeted against a single rival, who is generally either the market
leader or the nearest competitor in the market for instance the BMW vs Audi print ad or it can
be an ad that targets multiple rivals at the same time-the Colgate Precision print ad.
The concept of comparative ads can be explained through game theory –
Zero sum game -when one brand’s gain is equivalent to rival brand’s loss; Win-Lose- when one
brand’s gain is more (or less) than rival brand’s loss and Lose-Win-when comparative strategy
misfires hampering the brand repute. Misfiring happens when either the regulations are not met
or the exaggeration to prove superiority is beyond limits of being truthful or justifiable. Thus
return-risk tradeoff needs to be handled carefully while implementing comparative techniques;
especially in an environment where customers have grown more awakened and empowered.
Ads which earlier seemed to be highly offensive to Indian market is the reality of advertising
today. The present day Indian advertising houses are gradually developing their knack to conquer
this new territory of advertisement stage.
The truth of Marketing is that the war should go on….and to win this war it is imperative to be
open to change
FEBRUARY 2012 17

19. BOOKWORM
About the author: Philip Kotler (Chicago, IL) is
Ten Deadly Marketing the S. C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of
Sins- Signs and Solutions International Marketing at North-western
University's Kellogg Graduate School of
Philip Kotler Management and the author of 15 books,
including Marketing Insights from A to Z and
Lateral Marketing , both published by Wiley.
About the book:
In this book Philip Kotler recognizes ten most
common mistakes that marketers make. Kotler
covers each sin in depth as a chapter and
provides signs to identify such mistakes and
solutions to reverse them.
These sins are explained in ten chapters and
covers all the downsides that a company faces
in the marketing domain. Each sin mentioned
seems very simple but even the best companies
have failed to practice these ideas and
concepts.
After having explained the sins, Kotler went on
to prescribe Ten Commandments to all
marketers. With these commandments
marketers will learn how to stay market-focused
and customer-driven, fully understand their
customers, keep track of the competition,
manage relationships with stakeholders, find
Favourite Quotes: new opportunities, develop effective marketing
plans, strengthen product and service policies,
“Marketing's work should not build brands, get organized, and use technology
be so much about selling but to the fullest.
about creating products that The book is written in simple words and raises
don't need selling" thoughts. Ten Deadly Marketing Sins is a best
and valuable resource to all the marketers from
the respectable thinker of the modern
“Marketing is easy to marketing age. However the author has been
understand but difficult to quite repetitive and the concepts are well
practice". known to a marketing practitioner. Nevertheless
it would be good information for a beginner to
“Most of marketing is reduced get hold of the key theories and also for
to a one-P function — companies as even the big companies have
failed at these concepts.
Promotion — not a four-P job.”
FEBRUARY 2012 18

20. SqAreheaD
FEBRUARY 2012 19

21. REWIND
A Grandeur which will live in
our memories forever!
We at SIMSR recently conducted our annual festival
Melange- “where Ideas converge” on the 17th and 18th of
February where more than 50 business colleges and 1,200
students participated enthusiastically in various
management and cultural events. ‘Melange’ meaning a mix
of culture, aimed at creating platform where ideas
converged and gave rise to a novel experiences.
The management events saw students drafting solutions to
case studies, business plans and exploring their potential.
Samridhi Social B plan competition with 10 teams in the
finals was about making a business plan answering the
problems of society as well as practicing course skills and
developing awareness of social issues.
The event, running for more than 10 years now, was
planned over three months by a team of 30 senior
students. Among the most important workshop, the IMC
colloquium was held by Prof. Isaac Jacob. It consisted of a
round table of 45 minutes and a presentation of an
advertisement project of 15 minutes for each of the 10
teams. Other workshop by MBA Skool and Scorpio King,
which was about selling a Scorpio to the audience, were
also a hit with students!
Each competition was judged by noted professionals such
as the brand manager of Scorpio. A total of Rs.3.85 lakh in
cash and 10 lakh in goodies were distributed during the
fest. Through the day, students could visit the stalls and
have fun with informal events while in the evening they
danced and performed on the stage. The college band Mauj
also put in an enticing performance. Melange was enjoyed
by one and all alike!
FEBRUARY 2012 20

22. BUZZ
THE CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. The radio station shown in the
pictures is owned by which
company? “The Week” magazine
is also owned by this company.
4. The logo belongs to a company
called XY. XY is also referred as
Golden Y, Rainbow Y, Town Y, Silver
Y and the official internet address
exist in 75 countries. Identify the
company XY.
5. This security company services
stars like Mithun Chakraborty, SRK,
Aamir Khan, Lalit Modi, etc.
Identify the company?
7. This Indian company is the largest
exporter of Roses in the World.
THE CLUES
DOWN
2. The logo is that of Mumbai Mantra,
which company owns this
production house?
3. “IHealthU” comes under the
banner of which famous company?
6. The hood ornament shown is one
of its kind for which famous car
company? The picture shows Saint
George slaying a dragon.
8. Which company owns this retail
chain?
9. This Imperial Eagle used to the old
logo of which bank?
6.Rolls Royce 7.Karuturi Global 8.Bharti 9.Deutsche Bank
1.Malayala Manorama 2.Mahindra 3.Britannia 4.Yellow Pages 5.Ace, owned by Ronit Roy.
FEBRUARY 2012 21

23. Articles can be sent on any one of the following topics*:
1. How digital marketing is changing the face of
conventional marketing ?
2. When fans attack – How companies Handle crises on
Facebook
3. Innovations in promotion and marketing of Movies.
*Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all references are
clearly mentioned
1. One article can have only one author.
2. Your article should be from 500-600 words and MUST
be replete with relevant pictures that can be used to
enhance your article.
3. Send in your articles in .doc/.docx format with font
size 11 (Arial) to: interface.newsletter@gmail.com
4. Subject Line: Your Name_InstituteName_CourseYear.
5. Kindly name your file as: Your Name_Topic
The best adjudged article will be given a winner's certificate.
Deadline for submission of the articles: 11:59 PM , 16 March
2012.
FEBRUARY 2012 22

24. To subscribe to "The Marksman", Follow the link:-
http://interfacesimsr.weebly.com/the-marksman.html
OR drop in a mail/contact us at : interface.newsletter@gmail.com
Subject line: Subscribe: Your Name_Institute Name_Course Year
THE TEAM
COVER STORY SPECIAL STORY It’s all about AD-itude
Vibhav Shukla Upveen Tameri Pallavi Srivastava
SquAreheaD Tete-A-Tete & REWIND COVER PAGE
Pallavi Srivastava Niyati Chamyal Yash Chamaria
Tilottama Sanyal
TWEETS BUZZ DESIGN
Upveen Tameri Sujit Mishra Tilottama Sanyal
BOOKWORM Brand-MARK-ive PROMOTIONS
Hinal Shah Sujit Mishra Keith Mascarenhas
Follow us at: Website:
http://www.facebook.com/simsr.interface http://interfacesimsr.weebly.com
FEBRUARY 2012 23