Spicing up things…

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

At a time when most of the full-service carriers have gate crashed into the supposedly feasible low-cost model, SpiceJet has decided to go against the herd. Anish Srikrishna, Sr. VP, Marketing, SpiceJet, highlights the airlines’ differentiated positioning...

4Ps B&M: How important is it for SpiceJet to build a brand and what are the challenges related to it considering the current turmoil in the sector?
AS: SpiceJet was launched as a carrier that always aimed to provide safe, value-for-money, comfortable and hassle-free air travel to its travellers. The brand’s rapid growth over the first four years since it took off has been built on excellent customer experiences and positive word-of-mouth. But now that we are doing well and growing, it is important that we expand the brand’s reach and appeal to our prospective target audience. The challenge has been to connect with our audience and position the SpiceJet brand as one that offers more than others in the business.

4Ps B&M: When at a time most of the full-service carriers are moving into the low-cost and low-fare business model, how do you plan to differentiate your brand from the increasing competition?
AS: Almost all the airlines today are highlighting the ‘low-fare’ factor as a differentiator. However, we want to place ourselves differently and aim to position our brand as one which caters many services, apart from providing low fares to the customers. The idea is to develop a brand that delivers value beyond the price point. And to achieve that, we are not only providing a safe, modern and young fleet who deliver services in a more efficient and friendly manner with on-time service; but are also committed to listen to our customers so that we offer experiences that they value. All these positive experiences keep the brand alive and fresh in the minds of our travellers. Thus, such kind of positioning definitely cuts through the clutter in a sector that is driven by competitive pricing, which have threatened to commoditise the brands.

4Ps B&M: Is your latest ‘Get More When You Fly’ campaign in line to highlight the same?
AS: Our latest campaign definitely highlights SpiceJet’s unique value offerings for our fliers. When we say ‘Get more,’ we mean that we offer more intangible services to our customers like providing complimentary supervision for minors travelling alone, allowing web check-in without any extra cost, savings on return fares, waiver for sports kits and even selling hot tea and coffee in flight at 30,000 feet at a very reasonable price of Rs.20, et al.

4Ps B&M: What is the marketing mix adopted by SpiceJet to gain maximum reach for its marketing initiatives?
AS: We are looking at a 360-degree approach for our marketing initiatives so as to achieve maximum reach and communicate to all our travellers. For our latest campaign, we are looking at various Indian magazines, radio channels, print, outdoor, et al.

4Ps B&M: How much budget have you earmarked for your advertising and brand building initiatives?
AS: Well, I cannot give you an exact number but we nearly spend about 3-5% of our annual turnover on our advertising and brand building exercises.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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.

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TATA TEA - AGENCY: MADISON MEDIA

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MISSION: Tata Tea wanted to connect with youth. So it re-crafted its communication from brand benefits to a cause driven impetus; from a brand of tea that wakes you up, to awaken the youth to support a social movement.

ACTION PLAN: For the launch of the campaign, Internet was used as the key action-driver and jaagore.com – an online voting registeration site was developed to simplify the otherwise cumbersome process of getting a voter ID card made.

LOLA GK: To get the youth to register on the site, Tata Tea partnered with Channel [V] to create a series of hard hitting spots – ‘Vote ya vaat’ anchored by young celebrities and politicians voicing their individual thoughts. VJ Lola travelled through the country to talk to youth on politics and elections – in her typical whacky style. Next, Channel [V]’s other VJs spoke to the audience about the myths related to voting and finally, short, focused messages from the Bollywood youth icons rounded off the Channel [V] campaign.

RESULT: The campaign reached out to four million youth in the age group of 18-24 years, playing a vital role in the ‘0.7 million new voter registration’ on jaagore.com.

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.

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For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

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The power of change

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

He has not yet completed two months since he assumed the office of CEO of the world’s largest consumer products company, Procter & Gamble (P&G), but Robert McDonald (Bob, as he is fondly called) is all set to give a major growth push to the company. Bob, after surveying the market conditions, has launched a brand new marketing strategy to beat the slowdown blues and has kickstarted growth by promoting his ‘purpose-inspired-growth’ strategy that focuses on P&G’s culture and values. Bob hopes to integrate leadership and value-creation for stakeholders. And this, according to him, can be achieved by a radical change in the thinking of the employees by truly adopting the values of change. Now that’s what you call the power of change - a positive change, of course!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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BSNL banking on WiMax...

Following closely on the heels of MTNL, now BSNL too has invited global bids for its WiMax foray. It is expected that WiMax would help in providing the last mile connectivity for the wired broadband and help in increasing its reach. The broadband penetration in India currently stands at a mere 5% of the total population and one of the major obstacles in its growth is considered to be its reach. With the help of WiMax technology, BSNL hopes to address this problem and get more customers in its kitty. However, the problem with BSNL lies in its service delivery and not in terms of reach and pricing. As it is this public sector has the maximum reach in the country as far as broadband is considered and the prices are also competitive. But, most people who have been using its service complain that it is good till the time one does not encounter a problem as the time taken to solve complaints and the slackened attitude is what gets on the nerves of most customers. Analysts believe that the future of the landline connections lie in the hands of popularity of broadband and it would give BSNL a very good opportunity to rectify its churn rate, but for that the company would have to be serious about its customer grievance solving system, especially when the private companies like Bharti Airtel, RComm and Tata Teleservices are going gung ho about their wireless broadband. And if these services pick up because of the convenience and their better offerings, then there would be no way that BSNL will be able to catch up with them.

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.

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A persistent customer connection and consistent quality performance has helped Tata Group to rise as a brand, finds Ratan Lal Bhagat

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

In true sense history of India Inc. will always be incomplete without taking into account the legacy of over a century old Tata Group. The multinational conglomerate, since its inception in 1868, has crossed boundaries to establish its brand authority in markets across the globe. From steel to automobile, tea to telecom, the giant’s product portfolio is perhaps the most diversified in this country. Yet, it has been able to maintain an enviable consistency in meeting the needs of its versatile target audience making brand ‘Tata’ nothing less than an icon. The brand has not only withstood the test of time, but also has created a tag like the ‘pride-of-India’ in the minds of the consumers. And all of this has allowed brand Tata to grab the second rank in 4Ps B&M India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands 2009 list.

Going by the global standards, in the last fiscal, Brand Finance (an independent company focused on the management and valuation of brands) summed the brand value of Tata Group of companies at a whopping $11.4 billion. Brand Tata was ranked 57 among the top 100 global brands. So, what’s the secret of this success? Well, the group follows its brand building mantra – Leadership with trust – very religiously. But then, more than the mantra, it’s the strategically developed brand association with consumers that has done the trick. Avers Ronnie Talati, VP & Business Head, Fastrack to 4Ps B&M, “The brand Tata has evolved so much with time that today which ever segment the brand enters; it has its own trust and goodwill.”

Even today, almost all the campaigns coming from the stable of Tata Group are sticking to the same line. Be it Tata Tea’s Jago Re... or Voltas’ India ka dil, India ka AC or Tata Nano – The People’s car; they are all targeted at the aam admi with a sense of patriotism and trust, thus managing a better connection than many others. Supports Yashish Dahiya, CEO, Policybazar, “Tata Group has built on its rich heritage and added to the flavour of the current times. Apart from building on the traditional sectors, it is now championing the sunrise sectors like IT, hospitality and consumer products.” Certainly, owing to its rich legacy and thought provoking campaigns, the brand has been able to create a strong influence on the masses.

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.

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Time to focus on Brand

The impact of the economic slowdown seems to be finally moving away from the Indian pharmaceutical industry. And riding on the roll back, Lupin, India’s fifth largest drug maker in terms of sales, has just unveiled its ambitious growth plans. After a successful stint in India, Lupin is all set to capture the US market. The company is planning to launch new branded generic drugs every year in the US in specialised theurapatic areas. And why not? The US pharmaceuticals market has always been a priority market for this drug major. In fact, it contributed around 35% to Lupin’s consolidated revenues for the financial year ending March 31, 2009. However, Lupin, which is one of the fastest growing company and is also amongst the top ten players in the generic markets including US, Japan, India and South Africa, has made this strategic move to increase its revenues and at the same time shield itself from the fluctuations of prices in the unbranded generic segment. Considering the fact that a lot of patents are about to expire, the move certainly makes a lot of business sense. Moreover, the advantage of having branded generic version of the drugs is that even though the cost of the drug comes down, the company can still continue to benefit from the sales of the drug even after the patent expires. This strategy has in fact been followed by many branded drug companies across the globe. Last year, Merck & Co. had also adopted the same strategy when the patent for its blockbuster osteoporosis drug was due to expire. It went ahead with the route of having branded generic version for this drug. Similar was the case with drug major Pfizer, which started selling the branded generic version of its antidepressant, after it went off patent in the year 2006. All this shows the enormous potential that this segment has. Even the stock market has responded favourably to this decision of Lupin and its share prices have soared after this announcement. No doubt, the strategy will further strengthen its presence in US and will add on to its revenues, but then, with rising competition from its domestic counterparts, the company will certainly have to fight hard to make its presence felt in the branded generic segment in the US.

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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.
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Chaebols strike back

One of the sectors worst hit due to the recessionary waves across the globe was the consumer electronics segment. With consumer spending declining in American and European markets, the consumer electronics companies were suffering with a tremendous drop in sales and exports. Korean Chaebols, LG and Samsung were grappling to find a way out of this and looking at ways to boost consumer sentiments and enticing them to spend. So it does not come as a big surprise that the two South Korean majors have managed to post a better-than-expected performance in the quarter-ended June 2009. Both companies have attributed the reasons for their healthy bottomlines to the bullish sales of TV and mobile phones and are forecasting that the quarter ending September 2009 too will yield healthy figures. LG has already announced that it expects its sales to increase by 10% in the coming quarter. One of the reasons for the strong growth numbers for these companies is that both had launched smartly priced touch phones, which did good business across the globe. LG has already displaced Motorola from its third position in the handset category and is looking aggressively to increase its market share. However, the overall market situation is still grim with Sony Ericsson posting a loss of $302 million for the same period. Market leader Nokia has also cut its outlook for the year ahead. A strong yen is keeping the profit margins of companies like Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba under tremendous pressure. LG and Samsung did well in the last quarter as well. Sales of their flat screen TV and Liquid Crystal Display units also seem to be following an upward trend as consumers are expecting these products to offer latest technology at affordable prices. Analysts too are bullish in their expectations from LG and Samsung and are hinting that it could well be a sign that the two chaebols are entering into another growth phase.

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.
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An out of this world experience...

This is what most people expected from the Bandra-Worli sealink when it was showcased to the Mumbaikers last week. However, all those expectations seem to have been washed down the drain, in the early days itself. What’s more, it has started to give nightmares to its makers and even the government. One of the major reasons for the same is that this bridge over the sea has not achieved the kind of traffic it was supposed to get. A survey done by Mumbai Transformation Support Unit of the All India Institute of Local Self Government had shown that around 75,000 passenger car units were supposed to use the sealink on a daily basis, but till now only 32,000 are actually doing the same.

One of the reasons, why people are shying away from using this sealink is that it was build with an objective to reduce traffic congestions and the traveling time. As a matter of fact, in a report given to 4Ps B&M, HCC showed the kind of technology and planning that had gone in making the link and how it would reduce the traffic time for the Mumbaikars to just 7-8 minutes from 40 minutes between these two places. But, jams and chaos that are being caused on the link are actually ending up wasting more time standing on the bridge. Experts also believe that since the link does not cover the western shores, it’s not proving as useful as it was expected .

Moreover, as it’s built on a public private partnership (PPP) basis, it shows some of the biggest loopholes that are present in PPP projects. It’s not that there are any shortcomings in building this sealink, but the time, energy and cost that has been invested in its making has been more than expected. The deal was awarded to HCC way back in 2000, but the Bandra-Worli sealink has shown extensions both on the cost as well as time side. The project was expected to end in 2004, but it took five extra years to finish it and open up for public use. The cost of the project also surpassed its expected level of Rs.300 crore to reach a whopping Rs.1,600 crore.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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‘C’ FOR ‘CUSTOMISATION’

M. JANAKIRAMAN, CEO, BHARATMATRIMONY GROUP

“The financial turmoil may have impacted the budget of middle class weddings, in India but the search for a good groom or bride continues. So our online matrimonial search per se is not affected. These are the times when people actually sit back and think of getting married,” says Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and CEO, BharatMatrimony Group, the market leader among Indian marriage portals.

So does that mean the company did not adopt any strategy to deal with the changing economic environment? No way! Janakiraman not only depended heavily on his shrewd strategies to reap profits, but also went the R&D way to ensure ample service innovations for his portal. He adds, “We even spent 40% of our overall revenues on marketing last year. After all, we are in a business where we lose customers once in every three months.” The matrimony portal has also increased it’s online advertising spending by as much as 10% in the last year.

But that would perhaps be a strategy adopted by every intelligent fish in the market. What extra did Jankiraman do? Well, it’s customisation! The company has rolled out a host of services catering to the needs of individual target segment of consumers, including divorcees, widows and widowers. They not only popped up a sub-arm named Elite Matrimony (with fees as high as Rs.100,000 and catering specifically to celebrities and HNIs), but also ushered in the new concept of ‘Facial Search’, wherein the company uses face recognition technology to assist customers in hunting for spouses that resemble their favourite celebrities.

Says Jankiraman, “This value add helps us go beyond the normal search of caste, age and religion for our customers.” Oh and by the way, Aishwarya Rai look-alikes top the searches in their facial recognition service!

Neha Saraiya

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Divide and rule... happily ever after

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When Subhash Chandra decided to demerge Zee Telefilms into four different companies in April 2006, hardly anyone realised its impact. But with decidedly smaller units and a separate management focus for each of them, the move paid off handsomely. Explains a media analyst, “Before the restructuring, Zee’s entertainment channels were getting all the attention. Now each business has got a focussed management team.” Who says school drop outs (yes, Mr. Chandra was one) don’t know management?

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

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THE RISE OF ACTIVISM...

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Investor activism was always there, Satyam witnessed what shareholder activism can do, and now DLF, to its peril, is feeling the heat of ‘buyer activism’ says Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap

When Ramesh, after a 15-year long and successful career in Europe, finally joined a company in India four years ago, he introduced a number of changes in his company’s modus operandi. He faced no hurdle in getting them cleared from the stakeholders then. But today, he is having difficulties in implementing new changes. Looking at the shareholders opposition, the first question that comes to his mind, “Is this the same India where I always took shareholders for granted?”

Welcome to a new era Mr. Ramesh and all those management personnel who never ever expected Indian shareholders to come forward and actively use what their rights are. Yes, ‘passive investors/shareholders’ are a passé now. The new breed of investors/shareholders/buyers are set to change the corporate dynamics with their measured yet pointed agitations. Many may consider this as an impact of the prevailing market dynamics (read: slowdown), but then don’t we know that in recession lies the seed of revival of both the market as well as corporate governance. And perhaps, the slowdown this time has taught the shareholders to be active rather than being passive and showing their discontent by just selling shares. They have understood, the hard way though, that passive discontent neither serves the purpose nor does it creates an impact on the management. Now when their investments are touching new lows on a daily basis, investors are ready to question a number of corporate decisions.

Peter Paul de Vries surely is an unheard name in the investor/shareholder/buyer activism domain in India. But as the head of the Dutch shareholders association, VEB; his success, in dragging ABN AMRO’s management to the court for bypassing shareholders while selling one of the bank’s most attractive assets, must have inspired many at Satyam, Subhiksha, Hiranandani Group et al. Though not new in the West, there have been rare instances in Indian context when investors/shareholders/customers have posed tough questions, let alone the concept of dissent. But times are finally changing and changing for the better. Thanks to investors like IL&FS, IFCI Sicom, ICICI Venture, Azim Premji’s trust, and Laxey Partners et al, for their activism, fraudulent nature of many promoters has been exposed. Had it not been for the institutional investors’ opposition, Satyam’s proposal to acquire Maytas Infra and Maytas Properties would have been cleared creating yet another classic case of ‘unnoticed’ corporate fraud. Similarly, ICICI Ventures, QVT Financials and Laxey Partners played the role of whistle-blowers for Subhiksha and Hiranandani Group, respectively.

But then, retail investors are still apprehensive in taking on the powerful management/promoters, owing to the complexities in regulations and the huge legal costs that come attached with such acts. However, for a change; what has taken the entire nation by surprise is the uprising of buyer activism, an off beat phenomenon till recent past. In the Indian domain, where buyers are unorganised and are meek to take on the promoters, buyer activism heralds the beginning of a paradigm shift. It certainly marks the beginning of the end of passive activism on the part of the buyers. Definitely, corporates who in their good times, rarely paid heed to buyers are all set to face the music of buyer activism.

OMR; oh, please don’t read it as Optical Mark Reader, we are referring here to Old Mahabalipuram Road (Chennai), the new hot seat of the uprising buyer activism. DLF, which is developing the Garden City Project in Chennai has been literally forced to dance to the tune of the falling market as well as the new enligtened buyers. It is a classic case of the paradigm shift that is slowly yet steadily gripping the market. Once during the good times DLF and the likes dictated the terms and as an antithesis, in times of market meltdown now the buyers are getting the things done their way. The builders who had been milking the buyers for too long with overnight double digit price rise have been literally forced to give in to the demands of the buyer.Market reports state that the DLF is willing to reduce the price of its apartment by as much 10-30% in Chennai and Bangalore and is repricing its Hyderabad project by slashing approximately 50%. But buyers argue that the new prices too are very high. However, analysts expect that this move from buyers and price cut from DLF may force many other developers to cut prices between 25-30%. Ashish Bhalla, MD, Millenium Spire, avers to 4Ps B&M, “It is an unprecedented event and has grabbed wide attention. What is noteworthy is the fact that forcing price cuts and threatening to exit cannot be considered as an aberration.”

Buyer activism may be a common phenomenon in the developed countries, but certainly, as buyers realise their power, with time the voice against their exploitation will only grow stronger and louder in India. DLF is just an eye-opener. So, Mr. Ramesh, the next time you prepare a proposal don’t even dare to underestimate any one be it the investors, shareholders or buyers.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

What were you thinking?!

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

That brought us to the people conundrum of Ignitee. It all reached a Collinish tipping point during the time when Atul was roped in to becoming a board member around a year ago. That was the time when the agency went through ‘an internal structural change’ – well, read it as ‘many exits from the organisation’. Fighting fire with a washing machine, the agency on a double spin not only went into a critical recruitment drive and roped in well experienced and respected people directly from the ad fraternity – like S Dharmarajan (Vice President for online media), Ashok Karnik (Executive Creative Director) and Sandy Pinto (Senior Vice President for Business Development & Client Services) – but also promoted key personnel, like Harminder Kaur, who was promoted to the post of Chief Strategy Officer.

My issue was with the fact that till last year, the agency did not have even an HR department. That is not to say that an HR department is supremely necessary – as many excellent performing companies have specific staff who double up as HR personnel – especially in companies like Ignitee, where the gross staff base is just around 100 people (they do plan to hire 50 more in the next six months). The agency, to its brilliant credit, has even launched a new venture cell known as SPARK, which is a cell wherein employees can post their innovative business propositions; and if the jury likes their idea, the employees get a platform to jumpstart this venture from within the organisation’s aegis. There is no taking away the fact that such an orientation is only possible in agencies that are fanatically oriented towards taking care of their employees.

Notably, the agency is instrumental in introducing some of the largest brands to the digital medium; glowing examples being HDFC Bank, Satyam, DLF, Religare, Tata Corproate, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Yamaha, CNN, ICICI Prudential, ICICI Home Loans, ESPN, Jet Airways, Reliance Life Insurance, Tata Motors, Tata Indicom, NIIT and Microsoft. Even in the offline domain, the agency is making its own niche waves (as was seen in the Kids Zee commercial), though they still have their major revenues from the online space only – ‘Media’, ‘web development & creative dialogue’, and ‘search’ contribute 40%, 30% and 25% respectively to the overall revenues of the agency. And with the Incredible !ndia account, the recent Congress Rajasthan & Delhi internet campaigns, and Kerala tourism projects, Ignitee has solidified its stamp in the net space. Add to that Ignitee’s brilliant growth plans and new branches (Hyderabad and Dubai being the recent additions) and one starts questioning the extra ‘e’ in their splendiferous name less and less. Well, if Ekta Kapoor can get away with the extra ‘K’s, then what do I and Oscar Wild care about an extra ‘e’, forr ggod’s sakke!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

FOR THE NAMESAKE?

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

Famous American philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression.” No matter how germane it may sound but it’s certainly not the pervasive truth. In fact, at times it’s the pioneer who eliminates the fear of failure, all by making way for others in an unfamiliar terrain. If not many, Pioneer India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. (PIEL), a subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, Japan, is surely one that believes in testing waters when the tide is high.

After establishing a representative office in India in 2005 and collaborating with Autocop India the very next year, Pioneer has finally made a full-fledged entry into the Indian market. Much to an extent that the company is even eyeing a turnover of Rs.5 billion from its Indian operations by the end of 2010! But then the moot question is what makes them do so, particularly at a time when the Indian auto industry is being marred by shrinking sales and bleeding bottomlines? Isn’t it wrong timing? or, as many fear, is it just for the namesake? “I don’t think so! India is going to witness Commonwealth Games in 2010 and by that time the market would be at its peak. But yes, the initial six months or a year are a bit challenging because of the global turmoil,” counters Takashi Yoshida, MD, Pioneer India Electronics. In fact, by entering India, the company is even eying a respite from the global turmoil that has forced it to anticipate an operating loss of $178 million for the year ending March 2009. As Sumit Arora, Associate Director, Synovate India puts it, “Pioneer has made a perfect move and that too at the right time as the Japanese market is quite saturated. Moreover, the company also faces a fierce competition in their home market. Thus, moving to India is the right strategy for them currently.”

The company has already injected about Rs.160 million in the new subsidiary in India. It also plans to spend $3 million on its marketing activities in the country and has even roped in Shahid Kapur as its brand ambassador. “Pioneer has been in India for long but we still don’t have a brand image. As such we wanted to have a brand face that relates to the product,” reasons Yoshida. It seems that the company has certainly rolled its sleeves to capture every bit of the Rs.12 billion in-car entertainment market in India. But that’s not the only domain where the company is upbeat about growth, it is also riding piggyback on the consumer electronics category, which includes products like Plasma’s, DVD Players, Surround Sound Systems and Home Theaters components, et al.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

HUL’KING UP THE GLORY, YET AGAIN?!

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

IN A DIFFICULT MARKET CHARACTERISED BY RISING RAW MATERIAL COSTS AND DECLINING CONSUMER BASE, HUL HAS STORMED BACK

HUL has seen one of the best times in the year 2008, as the major has become the only FMCG company to have recorded a robust growth irrespective of the present economic turmoil. After years of sluggish growth, the MNC has started recording impressive growth figures and appears to be back in action.

For the third quarter ended September 08, HUL recorded a net sales increase of 20% to a very convincing Rs.4,02.78 billion. Additionally, FMCG sales from Indian market saw a hike by 22%. There’s more! The last two quarter results saw an average net sales growth of 20% and such positive results were expected to be carried forward. The top brass of HUL agree that Nitin Paranjpe and Harish Manwani, the present CEO and Chairman respectively, are the best leaders that HUL has had in the past two decades. The duo stumped market watchers, when for the third quarter, HUL recorded a whopping 34% increase in net profit, now at Rs.5.46 billion. Starting from price hike to penetration, the zealous CEO, resorted to all ‘P’s to sustain his company’s market share. The CEO’s strategy to increase prices, on account of increasing raw material costs, has been well received by both the internal team as well as trade pundits. On an average across 20 categories that HUL straddles, there has been a hike in prices for products between a mean of 1-28% yoy. According to Tushar Bhattacharya, a senior FMCG analyst at FICCI, the move “didn’t disturb the sales of HUL as most of the brands owned by HUL have a strong value proposition where consumer won’t mind spending more.” Interestingly, growth in the personal wash segment (with Lux and Lifebuoy leading category growth) was mostly price led.

Apparently, it is not only the price factor that has helped HUL move out of its earlier impasse. Another strategy that has helped the company stand at the heel of competitors has been continuous product line rationalisation in 2008. Initiatives in the shampoo (new Dove), skin (where Ponds gained momentum with new launches), laundry (with innovations like Rin matic) and several other categories benefited HUL immensely. Besides, the clear cut positioning of Axe-‘dark temptations’ in the deodorant category also helped HUL gain ground over relatively new competitors (read: ITC) in the market.

Comparatively speaking, however, this year even Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) did a massive re-positioning exercise for its masculine brand Cinthol with Hirthik Roshan. To beat GCPL, HUL concentrated on its penetration strategy instead. Currently, Axe has presence in more than 15 states while GCPL’s Cinthol has a presence in just ten. Apart from urban centres, HUL’s omnipresence in rural India (displaying a strong 30% growth) across categories has also helped. Now that the suave management honchos at HUL have managed to save their mega-corporation from decline, there’s cause to pause and take stock. While competition is at its lethal best, consumers are increasingly getting tight pocketed. So will the ‘Fair & Lovely’ run last?

Angshuman Paul

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

C’mon India, Teach India

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

‘Each one teach one’ became passé as The Times of India group (after the success of its Lead India campaign) launched the ‘Teach India’ campaign in July, even as it pledged to form India’s largest classroom. The initiative required volunteers to take out two hours every week and teach under privileged children & illiterate adults to empower them with the sword of knowledge. The campaign achieved a record 10,000 volunteer sign-ups within the first three days of the launch. The initiative hit the right chord with the Indian youth, who till now were only concerned about social issues, but did not have an appropriate platform to express their concerns into actions.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Idiocy on the idiot box

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Things change almost on a daily basis in the GEC space and ten days of a blackout may not do much harm for now, but GECs need to watch their backs so that a similar situation does not crop up again in the near or distant future. Sources indicate that the present truce is merely a temporary deal – and the fire may flare out again and soon. Minimum demands of TV workers have been met and more discussions are to take place.

In this recent blackout period, viewers and advertisers mainly migrated to cricket (thanks to the euphoria created by Yuvraj's sixes against the Aussies), movies and music genres. Sports channels had been the biggest gainers, with 50% increase in their GRPs for the period November 10-14, followed by movies and music category, which gained 40% and 30% GRPs respectively (aMap data). Had the strike continued for long, it may have proven to be a golden opportunity for them to expand their audience base. Take 9XM and MTV, which have already been poaching eyeballs from other genres, for instance. MTV Roadies sixth season (to be kick-start on November 29th), would have robbed a lot of youth audience from various channels (maybe many of those who were hooked on to various reality shows on GECs). “During the strike, eyeballs got addicted to other genres like movies and music, which meant more variety for advertisers, who so far had to stick to GECs when it came to numbers,” offers a Delhi based media planner.

Within the GEC category, Colors has got the highest GRPs (117.51 points) during November 10-14, as it remained the only GEC airing some fresh content in the form of Big Boss. Similarly Sony’s repeat telecast of Indian Idol 4 also boosted the channels’ GRPs by 7.7%, making it the only GEC to have actually gained GRPs during this lean and mean period.

Fact is that this temporary setback as a result of the blackout could have resulted in a permanent backlash for GECs. It had all the potential to change the rules of the games, but for some last minute divine intervention that must have seen broadcasters heave a sigh of relief. Reportedly, wages for striking workers from now will be monthly deals, with a 7.5% raise, better work timings and they'll be paid overtime. For now, no one seems hurt by the melodrama... But in an industry plagued by rising input costs, the impact of a further rise in salaries of workers is certain to translate into higher costs for advertisers. Broadcasters had in any case been rooting for an increase in ad rates for some time now and the last shove may well come from this deal with TV workers unions. The good news however is that unlike the saas bahu operas that continue tirelessly for years, with this break of deadlock, the biggest crisis ever faced by the Indian TV industry has come to an end.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Convenience Healthcare

IIPM is A World of Career

It has the right strategy to focus on customer care, open speciality institutes. But will its hub-n-spoke model work?

A religious trip to Vaishnodevi Temple turned bad for the Sehgal family. On his return, Rajiv Sehgal, Executive Director, GKB, met with an accident. He was rushed to Delhi, but no hospital would admit him without an enquiry. Only Max Healthcare did it. Says his wife, “It provided us with all the support we needed. When it comes to care, we think Max is the best.” Such comments speak volumes about the growing popularity of Max Healthcare.

Reveals Sanjay Rai, Director, Sales & Marketing, Max Healthcare, “We treat our patients in a totally different way. Gone are the days, when patients where treated as patients. Now, they are treated as customer. We believe in this principle. We have implemented world class services in our hospitals and we have a 70% occupancy rate.” In a bid to strengthen relationship with the patients, Max has offered facilities or commissions to doctors who refer patients for diagnostic tests.

This is the right strategy to adopt as healthcare in urban India becomes matured and developed. Look at developed markets like the US. According to a recent article in McKinsey Quarterly, “New research indicates that the US patients and physicians are more and more likely to base their choice of hospitals on non-clinical aspects of a visit – like convenience and amenities. Yet few hospitals have the marketing skills, the organisational structure, or the operating approach needed to deliver a distinctive experience in the way that retailing and hospitality companies do.”

Therefore, success in healthcare, in a sense, will be all about customers’ delight. And Max has been at the forefront to strategise it. In addition, the group has joined hands with Harvard Medical International, an arm of Harvard Medical School, and Singapore General Hospital for clinical practice, research and training. Max Healthcare can also claim to be the pioneer of the hub-and-spoke model in India.

Industry sources contend that Max plans to offer India’s first distance-education MBBS programme, and it is in discussions with America’s Oceania University. Sources reveal that while the theory part of the course will be based on long-distance model, the practical will be at various Max units. Adds Rai, “We have expanded, and entered into several JVs. This has helped us to focus on NCR centric delivery.”

However, it was not an easy road to health and success. Initially, the hub-and-spoke model didn’t work. Doctors saw organised primary clinics as competition to their private practises and, therefore, were unwilling to join Max. Patients didn’t prefer Max as it had few well-known doctors. In 2003, the CEO and Chief Medical Officer left the company. The next year, Harvard Medical International terminated its contract. But then nothing could stop Max’s promoter, Analjit Singh.

To woo customers to pay higher prices, Max forged alliances. Thus, it had dedicated customers, whose bills were picked up by their organisations. Singh realised that a more profitable category was specialised centres, where patients had to come because of a drastic shortage in urban areas. Hospitals constituted another lucrative segment that was tapped by Max. Pipes in Rai, “We have launched a Brain Suite, which is the best healthcare device for brain tumour. We have plans to create a national centre of excellence.”


This too may be the right strategy for the future. Another article in McKinsey Quarterly concludes that US hospitals and healthcare firms need to change their approach and focus to survive, and thrive. “A vital step is to compete on the basis of strengths in specific clinical service lines rather than relying on the power of full integration. Several large payers are already nudging hospitals in this direction by adopting a ‘centre of excellence’ approach.”

But Singh has to remain a little apprehensive about his horizontal integration approach. The 1990s witnessed a wave of hundreds of M&As in the US healthcare sector. They were all driven by the logic that such integration will lead to economies of scale, cost reductions, market power, and automatic patients referral. All of them eluded most buyers in a few years’ time. There was a grim realisation that being present in every field may not be a great idea, and multi-hospital systems “do not necessarily outperform independent hospitals.”

Today, the buzzword in America seems to be ‘boutique hospitals’. Stated a recent article in McKinsey Quarterly: “Private clinics… have already gone beyond private rooms to offer luxury suites, catered meals, and round-the-clock private nurses. In Seattle, the team physician for a professional sports franchise opened a practice that charged patients $20,000 a year for 24-hour access to medical services.... In Minnesota, a chain of “cash-and-carry” medical clinics in shopping malls promises walk-in patients that they will be able to walk out within 30 minutes, for a premium of about 75 percent over customary fees. ”

Moreover, as hospitals become focused and patients value conscious, healthcare firms will need to do what pioneers are doing in other services sectors. “Like cutting-edge retailers, they must identify the characteristics of the patients they can best serve and attract those people by creating specific value propositions,” says a recent global study. Only then can Max claim to be a glocalised healthcare group.


Edit Bureau: Sreoshi Ghose

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Honour, well deserved!

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Retrospecting on Hema’s reflections...

She chewed our ears off as the motar mouth Basanti, she took everyone’s breath away as the ultimate Dream Girl and with each passing year, she continues to glow just as radiantly. A great mother, an ace actor, a beautiful performer and a sharp politician; she performs the balancing act with absolute ease. At 58, Hema Malini steals glances with her charming elegance and poise. She started her second innings with Baghban and what a comeback it was!

The Bangkok International Film Festival (July 19 – July 29) honoured the lady and held the first retrospective of her career. Hema left for Bangkok with her younger daughter Ahana, to revive old memories and enjoy the adoration and recognition. One witnessed Lal Patthar, Sholay, Baghban and Dillagi being showcased at the festival. Ravi Chopra, the maker of bhagban , has only praises to spare, “I personally feel that this honour is well-timed considering her contribution to the Indian film industry has been tremendous. In fact, amongst the yesteryears’ actresses, Hema Malini was one of the only real superstars. She is a great artiste and looks better than lots of new-age women. All I can say and hope is that it’s only the beginning for her and I look forward to working with her in my future projects.”

Hema walked the red carpet, clad in a beautiful traditional saree, and we bet she loved the attention and is now basking in the afterglow!
Edit Bureau: Neha Sarin

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)