Friday, February 1, 2013

Markathon February 2013 Edition




Dear Readers,

As we step in to the realm of the year 2013, celebrations have begun in our land of festivities with Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal in the month of January, each bringing out the best from marketers across to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.

The year 2013 will witness the largest congregation of devotees at the holy city of Allahabad. The irresistible attraction associated with the magnificent Kumbh fair has drawn researchers from Harvard Business School to study the factors of success of such a grand event.

This month also saw the celebration of the Republic that we are. However, the assault of the two shaheeds on the LOC sent shivers across the nation, urging many to question the bilateral ties of India with its neighbour. Huge uproar of criticism for the same was also observed in the social media circles, reinforcing its relevance.

Social media, in itself, has proven to have various implications on the Marketing domain. How does a marketer make the best use of social media for effective marketing? The answer lies in Big Data. Be it consumer engagement, consumer behaviour analysis or targeted promotions, big data is the most potential tool for marketers. This month’s cover story illustrates the key insights about big data, its application in various sectors of the industry and the challenges and opportunities posed by it to the marketers.

The corporate Vartalaap of this month features the interaction with Mr. Dharamendra Satapathy, VP and Head of Marketing, TATA Asset Management. An alumnus of Symbiosis Institute of Management with a diverse experience of more than 15 years in the field of Marketing, he has previously worked in the advertising field with the likes of Lowe Lintas and RMG David. He shares insights about his stint in advertising, media, PR and knowledge management at Tata.

For the academic Vartalaap, we have with us Prof. Patrick Barwise, Emeritus Professor of Management and Marketing at London Business School and chairman of ‘Which?’, the UK’s leading consumer organization. Widely recognized for his publications on management, marketing and media, his book Simply Better, is widely appreciated and won the American Marketing Association’s 2005 Berry-AMA Prize. He talks about the latest trends including neuro-marketing and video ethnography. We hope that you will find this edition of Markathon as informative and interactive as always.

As always, do send in your feedback/suggestions to markathon.iims@gmail.com.

Sit back and enjoy this issue!
 
Happy Reading
Team Markathon