Markathon May 2012 Edition

Dear Readers,

With the scorching heat of summer and the daily routine becoming tiresome, the ongoing IPL is one thing that is keeping us occupied, to some extend for sure. Though the craze has faded over the years with shuffling players and unanticipated performances, but the cricket crazy nation that we are living in, nothing can make it less popular, not even its overdose. Marketers are utilizing it to the fullest to reach out to their targeted consumers, be it the cellular phone service providers like Vodafone or the leading soft drink providers like Coca Cola. In lieu of the ongoing craze, we too have highlighted IPL in few of our regular sections, hope you like it.

From the innocent days of galli cricket to the youthful college days spent in canteen, from the night outs in hostel to the coffee breaks at the ever demanding work place, life has never been easy. Something which has helped us keep going are the small entertainment packages that come along, be it in the form of the cartoon corner in newspaper or the recently released animation flick - The Avengers. In this issue, we have tried to cover one of the biggest source of entertainment to kids and youth alike i.e. the Animation industry.

As we try to adapt to the dynamic business requirements in this competitive scenario, captivating the customers holds the key to every challenge. Animation comes handy under such scenario where innovation is the lone driver. Thus animation having moved beyond entertainment is catering to the needs of many industries and businesses and helping them achieve monumental growth. The cover story “How animation drives businesses” explores this aspect of the appealing and engaging Animation industry. Emphasizing its use in the much talked about movies and advertisement space and the hidden applications in the form of content development and online marketing, it takes you back to your Disney days, gives you a ride with ZooZoos and leaves you with after thoughts on its unlimited scope in business application.

Our Vartalaap for this month features Mr. Sachin Gupta, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Johnson Cornell University and Professor of Marketing at the Johnson Graduate School of Management. With an expertise in Data driven marketing, his research focuses on interesting areas like measurement of returns on marketing investments. With special interest in prescription drug, consumer goods and hospitality industries, one among his many awards has been the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly's best paper award for his article on customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry. With valuable inputs on different industries and quantitative marketing techniques, readers would definitely not want to miss this interview.

With busy schedules for those enjoying their work lives and lazy vacations for those relaxing in the luxury of their houses, hope this issue brings about some variation in your daily routine and takes you back to the good old days of Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry.

Do give us your feedback about this edition and suggestions for the magazine at markathon.iims@gmail.com.

Sit back and enjoy this edition!

Regards,
Team Markathon