Dear Readers,
Recently I was startled to find the marriage of two iconic automobile brands with mutually exclusive target segments. Aston Martin has definitely played down its image of a marquee by partnering with Toyota for the development of a small car. Such move by AM to reap volume targets would definitely antagonize its loyalist. It is a perfect example of brand abomination as said by Mark Ritson. How brands and companies can mark a difference and also create new opportunities in tumultuous times without brand abomination, can be learnt from LG and Bharat Matrimony. While the former one has started developing a 50ltr refrigerator for rural India, the latter has come out with a facial recognition tool to search your life partner possessing similar facial traits of your dream celebrity and this is what I call an innovation in marketing.Keeping innovation in marketing as the agenda, the cover story analyzes how three essential commodities have gone through the cycle of branding and have opened up a completely new chapter in the branding of commodities. Right from water, salt, sugar, steel to of late branding of eggs has proved beneficial for all the partners in the value chain and has been immensely appreciated by consumer forums. But as a mark of caution, one should only choose those commodities where branding can create differentiation in the perceived value of the consumer that was previously missing in the raw product.
We are again back with the Pandora’s Box section, long after the first issue discussing the potential benefit of humor in advertising to capture the consumer mindshare. The exponential growth in the use of WOM in the virtual market space along with the statutory strategy to be adopted has been exemplified in the perspective section. How Kishore Biyani managed to save Pantaloons in the midst of recession by following a customized 4P strategy is made available in the strategic analysis section.We are really proud to present the guest of our month Ms Nadia Chauhan, Jt MD & CMO of Parle Agro. An icon for many management graduates, she has proved her competency by revitalizing the company portfolio with breathtaking brands like Appy, Bailley and several initiatives to her credit. She carries an aura of command in business, which is clearly reflected in every word she spoke for the interview.
Further entrenching our corporate column, we bring you Ramesh Jude Thomas, President and CKO, Equitor Consulting, who has spoken about the innovative way of brand mortgaging to leverage brand equity and thus monetize it.
Our Silent Voice section has created flutter across the B-Schools of the country with largest ever entry received. We have gone a step ahead to get the entries evaluated by creative designers of Ogilvy & Mather India and to bring professional approach to our system.
Please continue your support and wishes and let Markathon explore the world of marketing with passion.
Asit Kumar Jain
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