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Serial No Content Page No
1 Career Opportunities in Sales and Marketing 5
2 Introduction to Marketing 7
3 Sales vs Marketing 8
4 Need, Want, And Demand 9
5 Consumer Vs Customer 10
6 B2B vs B2C 11
7 C2C Marketing 12
8 STP 13
9 Perceptual Mapping 17
10 Marketing Mix 18
11 ATL & BTL 21
12 The 4A Framework 25
13 Marketing Research 26
14 Brand and Branding 29
15 Co-Branding 30
16 Brand Equity 32
17 Brand Resonance 33
18 Additional Branding Terminologies 34
19 Product Mix – Line, Depth, Width 35
20 Product Life Cycle 36
21 Recap 38
22 SWOT Analysis 40
23 Porter’s 5 Forces 44
24 PESTEL Analysis 47
25 BCG Matrix 48
26 Red Ocean Vs Blue Ocean 51
27 IMC – Integrated Marketing Communication 51

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Serial No Content Page No
28 Digital Marketing 54
29 Go-to-Market Strategy 56
30 Ansoff’s Matrix 57
31 Maslow’s Need Hierarchy 57
32 AIDA Model 58
33 Consumer Buying Behavior 61
34 Distribution Strategies 63
35 Modern trade v/s Traditional Trade 70
36 New Channels of Trade 71
37 B2B Sales Process 72
38 Introduction to Product Management 73
39 New-Age Marketing Techniques 75
40 Performance Marketing 76
41 POSM Under BTL: Boosting Sales through 77
Targeted Promotions
42 Rural Marketing 79
43 Memorable Marketing Campaigns 80
44 FAQs in interviews 82
45 Cases 84
46 Wrap Up 85

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 Career Opportunities in Sales & Marketing

We know that you have already been troubled with the question of why marketing across interviews
and you probably have curated an answer by now. There is also the possibility that you have decided
to pursue marketing because you are averse to numbers. However, we are here to provide you with
some clarity on the different options that you can look at as a Marketing MBA student and how you
can chart your career growth.

1) Sales & Marketing Executive / Sales & Marketing Manager

 Market Research and planning

 Creating a marketing and sales strategy at the SBU level/Regional level
 Ensuring client engagement and dealing with sales and conversions appropriately
 Striving for customer service excellence and ensuring product/service awareness levels are at
peak levels

2) Area Sales Manager

 Managing the sales function of the zone including implementation of schemes, managing
distribution
 Team trainings and capability building activities
 Field visits and understanding customer and consumer behavior

3) Business Development Executive

 Lead generation and management of prospects

 Creating networks of clients to drive business referrals
 Working closely with both clients and prospects to curate solutions for their requirements

4) Brand Manager or Brand Specialist

 Strategizing entire brand portfolio, value, mission, vision, and goals

 Translating said strategies into branding plans, STP and Go To Market strategies
 A keen focus on customer-driven insights for strategic planning

5) Media Planner/ Digital Marketing Manager

 Effective campaign design and planning

 Identification of potential target audience and targeting them to enhance both reach and conversions
 Developing the right media mix to ensure maximum ROI
 Evaluation of media campaigns and strategies
 Developing an online presence for the Brand
 Creating online communities that drive organization visibility and eventually conversions

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6) Advertising / Promotion Managers

 Advertising Campaign designing and its execution

 Promotional efforts to be discussed at a strategic level with impact measurement
 Coordinating with vendors or agencies to drive Advertising campaign success
 Evaluation of campaign success and overall impact to organization goals

7) Market Research Analyst

 Devise and evaluate methods for collecting data, such as surveys, focus groups, questionnaires,
and opinion polls
 Present their findings to executives and clients through visual means to help them make
informed decisions
 Interpret the data they've collected, organizing this information into statistical tables and reports
 Measure effectiveness of marketing programs and strategies

8) Key Accounts Manager

 Managing a large customer or a B2B partnership

 Developing strategies for improving offerings to these key accounts
 In direct touch with heads of various divisions of the key account
 Bargaining and price setting tasks including periodic review

These describe the vast majority of the career options in Marketing. However, this is not an exhaustive
list and there may be many more different roles specific to industries and organizations.
As you might have noticed, the demarcation between sales and marketing or Media and Advertising
is not very clear and these differ from organization to organization.
The roles are fairly overlapping because the entire marketing and sales team efforts have to be directed
towards the same goal, those in alignment with the overarching organization goals.

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 Introduction to Marketing

What is Marketing?

You would often hear your non-marketing friends saying – “Marketing toh sirf GAS hai yaar!”
(Translation – Marketing is just GAS). Brace yourselves. We are about to get into some real deep
stuff.

Let’s start with some basic understanding of the term.

Marketing is identifying and meeting the needs and wants of customers, profitably.
The aim is to identify the needs (and wants) of a target market, create value for the customers by
satisfying those needs and make sure that they keep coming back to you.

Marketing is a very wide term. It includes all the activities right from the production of the goods
to their consumption. Every activity in between - designing, pricing, promotion, distribution,
transportation, warehousing, etc. - are activities of marketing.

Alright, hope you got that well. You need to have a great deal of clarity about this question.
You don’t want to mess this up in the interviews. Just in case you need more definitions to be
absolutely clear, here is a curated list for you:

1) Philip Kotler (Also known as Father of Marketing) –

“Marketing is the social process by which individuals and organizations obtain what they need and
want through creating and exchanging value with others.”

2) American Marketing Association

“The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and
exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”

3) Mary Ellen Bianco – Director of Marketing & Communications, Getzler Henrich & Associates
LLC
“Marketing includes research, targeting, communications, and often public relations. Marketing is
to sales as plowing is to planting for a farmer—it prepares an audience to receive a direct sales
pitch.”

Reread the above definitions and try to get a deeper understanding.

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Sales vs Marketing

What is the difference between Sales and Marketing?

This is one of the most basic yet the favorite question interviewers like to ask
(After “Tell me about yourself”, of course).

Marketing: Study the market and the customers, focus on their needs and satisfy them to create
profit. You spend money so that you have the right insights to develop the right product and you
spend more money to promote it and maintain a relationship with the customers. It is, hence, a cost
center.

Sales: The task here is to make sure that maximum customers purchase your product. You PUSH
your products into the market and generate profits. It is hence a revenue center for the company.

Refer to the below table for the differences

Marketing Sales
Act of understanding the market and Act of converting prospects to actual
the customer paying customers
Emphasis on product planning and Emphasis on selling the product
development already produced
Long term process Short term process
Focus on the market and the customer Focus on the company and the
first – Outside In product first– Inside out
Profit through customer satisfaction Profit through sales maximization
PULL your customers towards your PUSH your products to your customers in
product/brand the market
Cost center Revenue center

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 Relation Between Marketing and Selling

“The aim of Marketing is to make Selling superfluous” - Peter Drucker (Father of Management
Thinking)

(Before you google, Superfluous: unnecessary, especially through being more than enough
e.g., this definition right here, for some of you)

Peter Drucker goes on to say that the aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so
well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. That is exactly how you make selling
unnecessary. Of course, in real life, you cannot completely remove sales as a function, but you can
reduce the dependency on it by improving your marketing efforts.

Getting familiar with the concept of Marketing and understanding why is it different from Sales is
very important. Make sure you are thorough with these two ideas. Before you get into more
Marketing Gyaan, let’s visit some key terminologies that will help you comprehend the concepts
better.
 Need vs want vs demand
 Customer vs consumer
 B2B vs B2C

Need, Want, And Demand

Needs are basic human requirements – food, clothing, shelter, electricity, transportation, etc.
Human needs have been evolving over the years. For example, food has been one of the most basic
needs of human beings. But fast-paced lifestyles have created a need for ready-to-eat food products.
There are various levels of needs, best explained by Abraham Maslow through the Hierarchy of
Needs (covered later in this course)

Wants are needs that get shaped due to culture and individual personality. A desire for a specific
means to satisfy one’s need is what differentiates a need and a want.
For example, you are thirsty and you need water to quench the thirst. But if you find yourself asking
for a Bisleri bottle at restaurants when the waiter asks - “Mineral water or Regular water?”, that’s a
want right there.

When wants are backed by buying power, demand is created. People want to choose products that
provide the most value and satisfaction for their money. A desire, without the buying capacity, will
not be converted into a demand.

Marketers do not create needs:

1) Needs pre-exist marketers.
2) Marketers, do not create needs, they influence wants.
3) They might promote the idea that a Mercedes would satisfy a person’s need for social status.
4) They do not, however, create the need for social status.

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 Consumer vs Customer

You might have found yourself using these terms interchangeably. But there is a significant (and
subtle) difference between the two terms.

Consider the image below

Say the mom and her baby, roaming around a shopping mall,stop
near the baby diapers section. Who do you think is the customer
here and who is the consumer?

Put simply, the one who buys the product is the customer.
The one who uses (or consumes) it, is the consumer.
So, the mother here is the customer for the baby diapers, but her
baby is the consumer.

An individual goes to a shop and buys a wristwatch for his

friend's birthday. The friend who buys the watch is the
customer as he has done the transaction with the seller. Once he
gives the gift to his friend, it is the friend who will wear the watch, and hence is the end consumer.

Lego’s customers are children, but shoppers are their parents. Lego used this difference to their
advantage to create two separate user journeys, each covering touchpoints characteristic for that
particular group. This helped Lego create a more engaging environment and user experience for
both groups.

If you buy a smartphone for yourself, you are both the customer and the consumer. Some DIY
examples for you – identify the consumer and the customer
1) Soap for washing utensils1
2) Cement used for building a bungalow2

Now, let us try and understand this concept with respect to FMCG companies. Typically, FMCG
companies distribute their products through several channels – general trade, modern trade and E-
commerce. Let us consider general trade (small/medium sized stores, kirana stores) as it is the most
prevalent channel. The owners of these stores are the customers, and the ones consuming the
products such as you and I are the consumers.

Customers and consumers are considered to be important targets for marketers to generate sales and
revenue. It is the customer who makes the purchase but is often influenced by the consumer.

1 You might say that your maid is the one using it, but the effects are experience by you, so you are
both the consumer and the customer.
2 This might call for a debate, but if the owner is involved in the decisions, he/she will be the

customer as well as consumer

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B2B vs B2C Marketing

Business to business marketing (B2B)

B2B refers to when companies deal with institutions rather

than individuals. For example, Intel & Microsoft doing business
with Computer manufacturers like Dell and HP.

Business-to-business marketing refers to the marketing of

products or services to other businesses and organizations.
B2B marketing campaigns are aimed at any individual(s) with
control or influence on purchasing decisions. This can
encompass a wide variety of titles and functions, from low-
level researchers all the way up to the C-suite executives. B2B
marketing may use channels such as emails, blogs, and direct
sales.

It holds several key distinctions from B2C marketing, which is

oriented towards consumers. In a broader sense, B2B
marketing content tends to be more informational and
straightforward than B2C. This is because business purchase
decisions, in comparison to those of consumers, are based
more on bottom-line revenue impact.

Business to consumer marketing (B2C)

B2C describes businesses whose customers are individual consumers, rather than professional
buyers. Therefore, all of the business' marketing is dedicated to the needs, interests, and challenges
of people in their everyday lives. B2C business includes goods and services such as food, clothes,
cars, houses, phone services, credit repair services, and so on.

B2C customers get influenced through many factors such as emotions, personal beliefs, and
attitudes, family, friends, and colleagues, etc. Unlike B2B marketing where companies take rational
approaches to convince customers, B2C marketing may often involve emotional and social angles.

The fundamental difference in a B2C channel as compared to the D2C channel is the existence of
intermediaries or the middle distribution channel. D2C channel is an evolving space and now
consists of 2 types - pure-play D2C (website selling), omnichannel D2C (website + marketplaces).
Examples of popular D2C brands: Boat, Lenskart etc.

Example
Bournvita is portrayed as the best health drink for kids that is preferred by caring mothers
(rather than just purely focusing on its functional benefits)
Raymonds’ tagline “the complete man” is another emotional approach to influence
customers. The tagline has an aspirational message, instead of focusing on the supreme
quality or comfort of the products.

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 C2C Marketing

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) ecommerce is a model in which one consumer sells his goods or services
to other consumers online. The transaction that is made between two customers is led by a third party, that
looks after transaction status, payments, and other aspects. This model helps sellers as well as buyers to
find each other by charging a small fee or commission.

Examples:

eBay
We bet you guys know this C2C ecommerce website very well. Who doesn’t? eBay is a popular shopping
website in which customers buy and sell a large variety of goods and services worldwide. And do you
know this website is not only built for customers? Businesses can also enjoy the great benefits of eBay.

OLX
One of the greatest C2C ecommerce platform examples to emerge from India. OLX is almost similar to
eBay. OLX has made it so easy for people to buy, sell, and exchange new as well as used goods and
services online.

The power of a huge network is easily among the most important criteria that will ensure the success of
C2C businesses. Social media campaigns and paid advertising are the most used techniques by
C2C businesses.

Example
Let's look at one of the ad campaigns by OLX:

Campaign titled ‘No More Dekhte Hain, OLX Pe Behchte Hain’, which taps into the Indian
mentality of ‘delaying’, ‘postponing’, ‘laziness’, and ‘procrastinating’ things. The campaign
highlights the prevalent attitude in our society and captures our obsession for old things and
the inertia to change them owing to procrastination and encourages to ‘sell off’ old things on
OLX. The ad has been released in six languages apart from Hindi, making it a cross-medium,
360-degree campaign.

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 Segmentation, Targeting, And Positioning

Segmentation

The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous market into clearly identifiable
segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a
marketing mix that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted segment. Few
companies are big enough to supply the needs of an entire market; most must breakdown the total
demand into segments and choose those that the company is best equipped to handle.

Four basic factors that affect market segmentation are: IMAA

1) Clear identification of the segment

2) Measurability of its effective size

3) Its accessibility through promotional efforts

4) Its appropriateness to the policies and resources of the company

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Segmentation is done using 4 broad parameters: Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic,
Behavioral

Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/market-segmentation

Take the example of toothpaste. How would you segment the market as per the above
parameters?
Consider toothpaste as a product.

Geographic – Segment as urban, semi-urban or rural areas

Demographics – Can segment population as kids, youth, adults, senior population, etc.
Psychographics – Based on lifestyle and attitudes. Lifestyle examples can be office - goers,
college-goers, etc.
Behavioral – Some may want whitening of teeth, some may ask for strong teeth, some want
freshness, etc.

Targeting

After you are done segmenting the market, your task is to choose a segment that you would want
to target, based on profitability, volume, future potential, etc. This process is known as targeting.
Say for the above example of toothpaste, Close-up has a target segment that shows the following
traits in particular:
Geographic - Urban and semi-urban areas
Demographic - Mostly youths in their teenage life stage
Psychographic - Outgoing, social
Behavioral - Freshness and clear breath (for social interactions)

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 Note that you can choose to mass target your product without differentiating at all– example commodities
like salt, sugar, milk, etc. or target multiple segments– example Marie biscuits targeting elders and
seniors as well or target a niche segment in particular –e.g. Horlicks Junior, specifically for kids

Bases for Targeting:

1) Market size – Sustainability
2) Expected growth – Future potential
3) Competitive position – Attractiveness
4) Cost of reaching the segment – Accessibility
5) Compatibility with the organization’s objectives & resources

Let’s apply the concepts of Segmentation and Targeting to something we all love to talk about.

We can hear your screams, Potterhead’s!

If you notice closely, the students of Hogwarts have actually been Segmented, based on their
psychographics, as depicted in the image above. You’re Targeting now depends upon what do
you think is the most suitable segment for your product or service.
Say you want to open a new bookstore - you know the wise Ravenclaws might be a good target
group. Letting our imagination flow out a little more, Gryffindors would make a great TG for
Mountain Dew - because “risk utha naam bana” (translation: Take risks and make a name for
yourself). We will leave it to you to decide what products or services are best suitable for the
Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs.

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Positioning

Positioning is developing a product and brand image in the minds of consumers. It can also include
improving a customer's perception of the experience they will have if they choose to purchase your
product or service. The business can positively influence the perceptions of its chosen customer
base through strategic promotional activities and by carefully defining your business' marketing
mix. Effective positioning involves a good understanding of competing products and the benefits
that are sought by your target market. A business should aim to differentiate and define themselves
in the eyes of their customers in regards to their competition.

In our above discussion on toothpaste, you may observe that Close-up wants to position itself for
“Fresh breath”, Colgate for “Strong and White Teeth” and Sensodyne for “Sensitivity”

Positioning in the smartphone sector:

Apple – Ultimate user

experience; premium and quality
phones

OnePlus – High end features at

prices lower than the
competitors

Xiaomi – Value for Money,

budget friendly phones

Blackberry (R.I.P) – Suitable for

corporate use; high security

Elements of positioning: (Some More Important Terminologies)

Target Audience/Target Group/TG: For whom the product is intended

Points of Parity (PoP):

Attributes similar to other products in the category. Points of parity are important because customers
expect basic offerings from a category. PoPs are also often used to nullify the advantage that the
competitor might have over you. E.g.: Two facewash brands, both offering to reduce acne, becomes
a PoP.

Points of Difference (PoD):

Attributes that differentiate the products from others in the category. The more the number of PODs
the better is the positioning. Two facewash brands, both offering to reduce acne, but one using only
natural ingredients to do so, becomes a PoD.

Tip: Feel free to use these terms in your group discussions or case discussions, you may come
across as knowledgeable.

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Perceptual Mapping

A perceptual map is a visual representation of how consumers perceive different brands or products based
on specific attributes. It is a market research tool that helps companies understand how their products are
positioned in the market compared to their competitors.

The map is typically created by asking consumers to rate various brands or products on specific attributes
such as quality, price, convenience, or any other relevant factor. The results of these ratings are then
plotted on a two-dimensional graph, with each axis representing a different attribute.

The position of each brand or product on the map is determined by its average score on each attribute.
Brands that are perceived as similar by consumers will be located closer together on the map, while brands
that are perceived as different will be farther apart.

Perceptual maps can help companies identify gaps in the market and develop marketing strategies to
improve their position relative to competitors. They can also be used to track changes in consumer
perceptions over time, and provide valuable insights into shifting market trends and consumer preferences.

Example: Perceptual Map of Automobiles

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Marketing Mix (4Ps/ 7Ps of Marketing)

4Ps/7Ps are the set of tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to produce the response it wants
from the target market.
They make up the business plan for a company and when handled right, can give it a great success.
Handle it wrongly and the business could take years to recover. The marketing mix needs a lot of
understanding, market research, and consultation with several people, from users to trade to
manufacturing and several others.
The 4Ps of Marketing are generally used for Products (here, tangible). In terms of services
marketing, there are 3 additional Ps in the Marketing Mix, namely People, Processes and Physical
Evidence

“P”-1: PRODUCT
Product refers to an actual item being sold, that satisfies a consumer’s needs or wants. There are five

levels of a product:

Level 1: Core Product:

This is the basic product and the focus is on the
purpose for which the product is intended.
For example, a warm coat will protect you from
the cold and the rain.

Level 2: Basic/Generic product:

A version of the product containing only those
attributes or characteristics absolutely necessary
for it to function.
For example: For a warm coat this is about fit,
material, rain repellent ability, high-quality
fasteners

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Level 3: Expected Product:
The set of attributes or characteristics that buyers normally expect and agree to. E.g. The coat should
be really warm and protect from the weather and the wind and be comfortable when riding a bicycle.

Level 4: Augmented Product:

This refers to all the additional factors which set the product apart from that of the competition.
For example: Is that warm coat in style, is it color trendy and made by a well-known fashion
brand?

Level 5: Potential Product:

This is about augmentations and transformations that the product may undergo in the future.
For example, A warm coat that is made of a fabric that is as thin as paper and therefore light as
a feather that allows rain to automatically slide down
“P”-2: PRICE
The price is the amount a customer pays for the product. It is determined by several factors including
market share, competition, material costs, product identity and the customer's perceived value of
the product. The business may increase or decrease the price of the product if other stores have
similar products.

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“P”-3: PLACE
Place refers to the point of sale. It is the location or kind of outlet a product is sold at and it also
includes the channel/distribution. Channel is the mechanism through which goods and/or services
are moved from the manufacturer/service provider to the user or consumer.
(Place is actually the Distribution part of Marketing, but it is named “Place” just to keep the “P”
consistency)

“P”-4: PROMOTION
Includes the activities undertaken to make the product known to the TG (target group or audience)
and persuade them to initiate the purchase. The several tools that facilitate the promotion objective
of a firm are collectively known as the Promotion Mix.
The Promotion Mix is the integration of Personal Selling, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Direct
Marketing, and Advertising
Let us look at the individual components of the promotions mix in more detail. Remember all of
the elements are 'integrated' to form a specific communications campaign.

Personal Selling:
Personal Selling is an effective way to manage personal customer relationships. The salesperson
acts on behalf of the organization. They tend to be well trained in the approaches and techniques of
personal selling. However, salespeople are very expensive and should only be used where there is
a genuine return on investment.

Sales Promotion:
Sale promotions are of two types– consumer promotions (targeted at consumers) and trade
promotions (targeted at retailers to ensure they buy more of the product to be kept in the store).
Examples of consumer promotion include the BOGO (Buy One Get One) promotion. Others include
couponing, money-off promotions, competitions, free accessories (such as free blades with a new
razor), introductory offers (such as buy digital TV and get free installation), and so on.
Examples of trade promotion include – trade schemes, gifts to retailers on purchase of a particular
amount of SKU, extra SKUs when purchase crosses a particular number, etc.

SKU: In the field of inventory management, a stock keeping unit is a distinct type of item for sale,
such as a product or service, and all attributes associated with the item type that distinguish it from
other item types. For example, Lay’s is available in Rs 5 Pack, Rs. 10 Pack and Rs. 20 Pack. Thus,
there are 3 SKUs of Lay’s available in the market.

Public Relations (PR):

Public Relations professionals help a business or individual cultivate a positive reputation with the
public through various unpaid or earned communications. Unlike advertisers, who tell stories
through paid methods, PR professionals tell their stories through unpaid or earned media. The PR
team can be seen in full fledge especially during times of crisis, such as when Maggi got banned due
to the presence of lead in the product.

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Direct Marketing:
Direct marketing is very highly focused upon targeting consumers based upon a database. As with
all marketing, the potential consumer is 'defined' based upon a series of attributes and similarities.
Creative agencies work with marketers to design highly focused communication in various forms
such as mails. The mail is sent out to the potential consumers and responses are carefully monitored.

Advertising:
Advertising is a 'paid for' communication. It is used to develop attitudes, create awareness, and
transmit information to gain a response from the target market. There are many advertising 'media'
such as newspapers (local, national, free, trade), magazines and journals, television (local, national,
terrestrial, satellite) cinema, outdoor advertising (such as posters, bus sides).

ATL And BTL Marketing:

Two more important terms in the Communications & Advertising area are ATL and BTL.
ATL –Above the Line Marketing
BTL – Below the Line Marketing

The terms ATL and BTL were first used in 1954 after Proctor and Gamble began paying advertising
firms separately (and at a different rate) from other suppliers who dealt with more direct promotional
efforts. In effect, marketing that was broader was separated from more direct marketing.

What is the Line in Marketing?

“IT SEPARATES DIRECT MARKETING FROM HIGHER LEVEL BRAND MARKETING.”

You’ll often find questions around “Design ATL/BTL strategy for XYZ company”. Let’s get on
with it.
‘ATL Marketing’ stands for
‘Above the Line Marketing.’ This
kind of marketing is the kind of
marketing that has a very broad
reach and is largely untargeted.
Think about a national TV
campaign, where viewers across the
nation see the same advert aired
across the various networks.

This kind of marketing is mostly

used for building brand awareness
and goodwill.

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Use Cases:
FMCG Companies usually have a high expenditure in the form of ATL marketing. You must be
able to recall the numerous TV campaigns over the years for detergent or toothpaste companies.

Which ATL Campaigns that you can recall? - Yes, even we thought about Amul. Go ahead have
a look.
https://www.amul.com/m/amul-hits

Read about another of India’s most popular ATL Campaigns over the years here:
https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/at-60-fevicol-sticks-to-quirky-advertising-to-woo-
consumers-1566974674135.html

‘BTL Marketing’ stands for

‘Below the Line Marketing.’ This
kind of marketing is the kind of
marketing that targets specific
groups of people with focus. For
example, a leaflet-drop in a specific
area, a Google AdWords campaign
targeting a certain group or a direct
telemarketing campaign targeting
specific businesses.

This kind of marketing is best for

conversions and direct response

Use Cases: Whenever a start-up, or a

small businesses, begins advertising, it begins with Below the line marketing. These campaigns may
not get very popular but their effect can be better quantified.

Here is a compilation of some of the most unique BTL campaigns of 2019:

https://www.quantastic.in/post/10-of-the-best-btl-campaigns-of-2019

A newer term TTL emerged to explain a more integrated marketing approach, which combines both
the widespread and direct approaches, rather than the traditional ATL/BTL separation.

An example of effective Through the Line marketing efforts would include a mixture of broad
audience reach (like billboards or street pole ads), as well as a solid digital strategy which would
include social media marketing, email campaigns as well as integration with your website objectives
– basically, every touch-point a consumer has with your company, they are seeing the same brand,
the same messaging and the same call to actions. In this way, you are both cementing your brands
in the hearts and minds of your consumers, while also encouraging them to take action and make
them want to engage with you.

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 Now that we have looked at the 4Ps, let’s explore the additional 3Ps for services – People,
Process, Physical Evidence

“P”-5: PEOPLE
These are the people directly related to the business such as the employees.
Employees represent a company while interacting with the client or customers. They are the ones
who deliver the service. Therefore, it is important to have the right set of people to deliver superior
service and enhance the customer experience.

“P”-6: PROCESS
Process represents the method or flow of providing service to the client. It's best viewed as
something that your customer participates in at different points in time.
Here are some examples to help you build a picture of the marketing process, from the customer's
point of view.
Example - Going on a cruise - from the moment that you arrive at the dockside, you are greeted;
your baggage is taken to your room. You have two weeks of services from restaurants and evening
entertainment, to casinos and shopping. Finally, you arrive at your destination, and your baggage is
delivered to you.

“P”-7: PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

A service does not have any physical attributes to it. So, what are the tangible aspects of your service
that the customer can experience? That is what comes under the final “P” of the Marketing Mix –
Physical Evidence.
To define Physical Evidence, it is the environment in which the service is delivered, and where the
firm and customer interact, and any tangible components that facilitate performance or
communication of the service
There are many examples of physical evidence, including some of the following:
1. Packaging (considered in the product dimension in the traditional 4Ps)
2. Internet/web pages
3. Paperwork (such as invoices, tickets, and dispatch notes)
4. Furnishings
5. Signage (such as those on aircraft and vehicles)
6. Uniforms
7. Business cards
8. The building itself (such as prestigious offices or scenic headquarters)

Example: A sporting event is packed full of physical evidence. Your tickets have your
team's logos printed on them, and players are wearing uniforms. The stadium itself
could be impressive and have an electrifying atmosphere. You traveled there and parked
quickly nearby, and your seats are comfortable and close to restrooms and store. All you
need now is for your team to win! Some organizations depend heavily upon physical
evidence as a means of marketing communications, for example, tourism attractions and
resorts (e.g. Disney World), parcel and mail services (e.g. UPS trucks), and large banks
and insurance companies (e.g. Lloyds of London).

23
As a mandatory exercise, do try to analyze the Marketing Mix for different products and services.
Also, it is a good idea to have the 4P/7P analysis ready for any company that visits the campus
during the summers. Not only will it help you understand the company better, but it will also help
you study different strategies used by companies.
Below are some links to start with:

Coca Cola - https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/products/16786-coca-cola.html

Netflix - https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-of-netflix/

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The 4A Framework

While marketers swear by the 4P’s and their relevance is never in doubt, one criticism it faced is
not being customer-centric. Note that this does not mean the 4Ps have flawed but there is room for
other tools to complement the 4Ps. The 4 A’s of marketing is one such complementary tool. The
components of this framework are Acceptability, Affordability, Accessibility,
and Awareness.

“A”-1: ACCEPTABILITY
This is related to the P- Product. It says that a product or service offering must meet or exceed the
needs and expectations of customers in a given target market. It has two dimensions: Functional
Acceptability and Psychological Acceptability. They respectively refer to the objective attributes
and subjective attributes of the product.
While buying a Mobile phone, a mid-priced phone may be objectively functional in the sense that
it has good performance, boasts of a decent camera but a similar sized phone made by Apple or
Google may be more psychologically acceptable to a certain section of buyers. Psychological
acceptability is mostly associated with so-called luxury brands.

“A” -2: AFFORDABILITY

This is associated with the P-Price. It refers to whether customers in a given target group are
economically able and psychologically willing to pay a given price for a product. Therefore, the 2
dimensions of affordability are economic affordability and psychological affordability.
Economic affordability refers to whether the potential customers in the target market have the
economic resources to be able to purchase the product/service while psychological affordability
deals with the willingness to pay.
There could be someone who can economically afford to purchase a BMW but that does not ensure
he/she is “willing” to pay for it and might deem it unnecessary. Similarly, there could be someone
willing to pay for a luxury car but cannot economically afford it.
For Mobile Phones, a similar trend can be observed. There could be someone who can economically
afford an iPhone but might not be willing to pay for it. On the other hand, there might be a user who
would love to own an iPhone and is willing to pay for it but might not be able to afford it
economically.

“A” -3: ACCESSIBILITY

This is linked to the P-Place. This describes how easily can a customer acquire or use a product or
service. The dimensions of accessibility are availability and convenience. Availability refers to
whether a company has enough to meet the demand whereas convenience refers to how easy it is
for potential customers to acquire a product or service.
FMCG companies like Nestle have to ensure their products are highly accessible. Robert Woodruff,
the former chairman of Coca-Cola, captured the essence of Accessibility when he said in 1923 that
Coca-Cola should always be “within an arm’s length of desire”.
Mobile Phone companies have different strategies when it comes to ensuring accessibility. Google
Phones are sold extremely selectively and mostly across digital channels only. While a brand like
Xiaomi aims for maximum penetration across both urban and rural channels.

25
“A” -4: AWARENESS
This is related to the P-Promotion. Awareness refers to whether customers are adequately informed
about a product’s attributes and benefits in a way that persuades potential buyers to give the product
a try and reminds existing users why they should continue to purchase a product. The two
dimensions of Awareness are product knowledge and brand awareness. The basic idea here is that
most potential customers will not buy unless they have a positive perception of the brand and
adequate information regarding the specific product or service.

Brands aspire to have the product knowledge to a level that it almost becomes synonymous with the
product itself. Classic examples of this would be Xerox and Maggi in India.

The 4C framework is another framework very similar to the 4A framework.

For a detailed understanding of the same please refer to the link below
https://www.smartinsights.com/marketing-planning/marketing-models/4cs-marketing-model/

Marketing Research

According to American Marketing Association, “Marketing research is the function that links the
consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information—information used to identify and
define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor
marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process.” Marketing research is
all about generating insights. Understanding Consumer Behavior, it goes through below stages, may
vary depending upon the business problem or research objectives.

There is a famous saying in HUL:

“If you haven’t done ground level market research for at least 1000 customers, you are not allowed
to attend any events in the company”. Now you can imagine the sheer importance of Market
Research.

26
 Develop
Define Research Information Analyze Presentation Decision
Problem Plan Collection Information of findings Making

https://open.lib.umn.edu/principlesmarketing/chapter/10-2-steps-in-the-marketing-
research-process/
https://www.mymarketresearchmethods.com/the-market-research-process-6-steps-to-success/

Market Research Objectives

1) Identify target markets

2) Develop new products or improve existing ones
3) Evaluate market opportunities and competition
4) Make informed marketing decisions
5) Mitigate risks by understanding market trends and procuring competition information

Types of Market Research

Classification based on the direct or indirect sources of information:

A. Primary Research: This involves collecting new data directly from the target market or
audience. It can be further categorized into:

a. Surveys: Surveys involve structured questionnaires administered through various methods such as
online surveys, telephone interviews, or face-to-face interactions.

b. Interviews: Interviews can be conducted in person, over the phone, or through video calls. They
can be structured (with a predetermined set of questions) or unstructured (allowing for more open-
ended discussions).

c. Focus Groups: Focus groups involve a small group of individuals (typically 6-10) who engage in
a facilitated discussion on a specific topic or product. It provides qualitative insights and
encourages group interactions.

d. Observations: Observational research involves directly observing consumer behavior in real-world

settings or controlled environments. It can provide valuable insights into how people behave and
interact with products or services.

B. Secondary Research: This involves gathering and analyzing existing data and information that
was collected by someone else for a different purpose. Secondary research can include sources like
government publications, industry reports, academic studies, market research reports, and online
databases. It is a cost-effective way to gain insights without collecting new data.

Classification based on nature of research:

A. Quantitative Research: Quantitative research focuses on collecting numerical data that can be
analyzed statistically. It aims to measure and quantify consumer behavior, preferences, and market
trends.

27
B. Qualitative Research: Qualitative research aims to understand consumer perceptions, motivations,
and underlying reasons behind their behaviors. It provides in-depth insights and is often conducted
through interviews, focus groups, or observations.

28
Brand & Branding

What is a brand?

(Some Punch lines for your GD/Interview)

“Brand is the personality of the organization”
“What a company makes is a product; what you buy is the brand”

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a name, term, sign symbol or design or
a combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers
and to differentiate them from those of competitors.
A brand is an accumulation of emotional and functional associations. Associations are nothing but
the images and symbols associated with the brand or brand benefits.
“Brand is a promise that the product will perform as per consumer’s expectations. Branding is the
process of endowing products and services with the power of a brand”
As a part of the Branding process, marketers need to teach consumers “who” the product is – by
giving it a name and other brand elements to identify it. They should communicate what the product
does and why the consumers should care about it.

Consider this symbol to your left.

Although just a stylized tick mark, you would instantly recognize this
image as the logo of Nike (it’s called the Nike Swoosh).
You associate this particular symbol with the Nike Brand. Having this logo
automatically increases the credibility and the trust factor for the product. That’s
the brand doing its work in the background.

29
Co-branding

Co-branding is a popular marketing strategy where multiple brands come together to offer a product
or service such that it utilizes the brand value of all the involved brands. A co-branding venture is a
strategic alliance which usually takes place between brands which have similar values, cultures and
long-term visions.

A co-branding strategy aims to combine the marketing power of all the brands coming together. It
gives a wider market reach as well, since the companies are able to reach each other’s target groups.
Co-branding also pushes companies for better innovation and design as it requires them to go beyond
their usual product design and explore new ways of brand representation as per the alliance.

There are broadly 2 types of co-branding strategies:

1) Ingredient Co-branding - This happens when one brand’s product is a component or ingredient
which is used in the production of another brand’s product. This utility combined with the aligned
brand images make this strategy a successful one.
Some popular examples of Ingredient Co-branding are:
● Dell laptops + Intel chips - the whole “Intel Inside” campaign is one of the most significant
examples of Ingredient Co-branding
● One Plus Phones + Hasselblad camera

2) Composite Co-branding - When 2 (or more) well-known brands come together to combine their
marketing and branding efforts to offer a product or service such that it results in a more powerful
brand communication, it is known as composite co-branding.
Some popular examples of Composite Co-branding are:
● Puma and Ferrari’s long-standing partnership has been one of the most successful co-branding
efforts
● Apple + Nike - combined the brand influence of the most iconic brands in their respective
categories
● Starbucks + Spotify - banked on the brand loyalty of the customers which lie within the purview
of these popular brands.

30
Here are some of the Best Global Brands as per a report by Interbrand (2022)

It is highly recommended that you read and understand the product/services of these
companiesand analyze their marketing strategies.

To see the complete ranking https://interbrand.com/best-global-brands/

When you visit the website, click on individual brands to understand what are the
strengths ofeach of these brands that differentiate them from each other as well as
their competitors.

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Positioning vs Branding

So here we are with some basic understanding of what Branding is. But have you guys started to
question the difference between Branding and positioning?
After all, both things involve building a perception about your brand/product amongst the minds of
the consumers. But then why have two different terms for the same thing?

Positioning is Act of designing a company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in
the minds of the target market – it’s about where you rank in your customers’ minds about your
competition.

Branding on the other hand, is building the personality of the product, service or company. The
goal is to elicit a positive rational or emotional response from the market. Branding comes from
your customers’ experiences with your business. You build strong associations (logo, jingle,
taglines, color, etc.) and thoughts in the mind of target audiences.

Positioning comes before Branding.

Brand Equity

Brand equity is the value of the brand in terms of perceptions in the minds of the consumer.

(Brand value, on the other hand, is the financial worth of the brand. Businesses need to estimate
how much their brand is worth in the market if someone decides to purchase the brand)

If people think highly of a brand, it has positive brand equity. When a brand consistently under-
delivers and disappoints to the point where people recommend that others avoid it, it has negative
brand equity.

Imagine there are two smartphones, A and B. Both phones have the same specifications, features,
performance, dimensions, design, etc. If asked to choose one, you would choose anyone of them.
Now say we put the Apple logo on one of those phones, rest of the things remaining the same.
You would automatically associate the phone having the Apple logo as having a better performance,
better user experience, better quality, better customer support and a premium feeling to it. You
wouldn’t mind paying more for this phone over the other, because, of course, Apple. The additional
weight a product gets because of the brand is what brand equity is. Positive brand equityhas value:

1. Companies can charge more for a product with a great deal of brand equity.
2. That equity can be transferred to line extensions – products related to the brand that include
the brand name – so a business can make more money from the brand.
3. It can help boost a company’s stock price.

32
 Brand Resonance

One of the key concepts related to the brand is Brand resonance. Put simply, it tells us how well the
customers “resonate” with the brand. It is the intensity of the customer’s psychological connection
with the brand and the recall the brand has in different consumption situations.
Building Brand resonance involves several stages. Study the diagram below.

Brands should approach the brand-building process through specific stages. Brands can choose
either
1) The rational approach (left side of the diagram, like the rational left side of the brain) by focusing on
the functional aspects of the offerings or,
2) The emotional approach by focusing on the customer’s psychology and feelings.

The first stage involves establishing the identity of the brand. Salience refers to how easily or often
does a customer think of a brand.
Second Stage: Brand performance means how well the product or service meets the customer’s
functional needs. On the other side, Brand imagery describes ways in which a brand attempts to
meet psychological and social needs.
Third stage: Brand judgments focuses on customer’s personal opinions and evaluations. Brand
feelings are customers’ emotional responses and reactions to the brand.
The Ultimate stage, the Summit– Brand Resonance: Extent to which customers think that they
are “in-sync: with the Brand”.
33
Example: Brand Resonance Pyramid for Mercedes-Benz
https://bmvsmb.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/mercedes-benz-kellers-brand-resonance-pyramid/

Some Important concepts related to Brand:

Brand Extension – Companies introducing new products under their strongest brand names. For
example, Nestlé using Maggi’s brand power to foray into sauces and soups.
Brand extension helps companies facilitate new product acceptance and they save on building
awareness and trust amongst the customers.

Brand Revitalization – Adopted when Brand reaches the Maturity stage in the Product Life cycle
and when the profits fall drastically. Example: Snapdeal changing its logo and packaging after six
years of existence to manage the dropping sales position. It launched the new “Unbox Zindagi”
campaign to boost its awareness and brand image.

Note: There might be questions in case discussions or interviews to revitalize any brand of a
company. Read about different strategies adopted by various companies over the years, it will help
you build a good thought process.
Brand Identity - Brand identity is how you want your brand to be perceived and it includes
everything from the language you use, through to your color palette, and your organizational values.

Brand Image - Your brand image is essentially the same. The only difference is that while your
identity is how you want to be perceived, your image is the reality today

Brand Positioning - Your positioning takes your identity and positions it to a particular audience in
a way that magnifies certain attributes of the brand while downplaying others

34
Product Line, Depth, Width

You will come across these terms quite often in Marketing. Definitions first.
Product Line – An array of closely related products. Dairy products, smart-phones, skin-care
products, hygiene products, etc. are examples of different product lines. The products under one
product line have a great extent of functional similarity between them.
Product Depth – The total number of products under one product line is called the Product Depth.
For example, for the smart-phones product line of OnePlus, assuming 4 models in the sale currently
–OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro, the Product Depth will be 4.
Product Width – The width of the Product mix is equal to the number of product lines within a
company. For example, consider P&G having the products broadly in two categories – Detergents
(Arial, Tide, etc.) and shampoos (Head and Shoulders, Pantene, etc.) then the product width will be
two.
Product Mix – A combination of all the Product Lines within a company is broadly referred toas
the Product Mix of that company.

Let us take an example of Dabur and study its product mix.

(There are a lot many products offered by Dabur, the above list is just for purpose of explanation)
Product lines: Health Supplement, Foods, Home Care, Consumer Health
Product depth:
For Health Supplement- 3 (Chyawanprash, Glucose-D, Honey)

For Food – 3 (Real Juice, Active,Capsico)

For Home Care – 3 (Odonil, Odomos, Sani Fresh Shine)

For Consumer Health – 4 (Honitus, Dabur Lal Tail, Dabur Lal Dant Manjan, Dabur Active
Antacid)
Product Width = No. of product lines = 4
35
Product Life Cycle

The Product Life Cycle (PLC) describes the stages of a product from launch to being discontinued
(Ah. that was harsh). As we will see in the example, the product lifecycle can be reviewed across an
entire category, or in the context of an individual company product. It is a strategic tool that helps
companies plan for new product development and refine existing products.
There are 4 stages shown in the table below to the lifecycle process, although decline can be avoided
by reinventing elements of the product. It is also recognized that some products never move beyond
the introduction phase whilst others move through the life cycle much faster than others.

The stages of PLC:

Introduction:
Introducing a new product where it's unknown and is a fresh face in the market. The price is
often higher as distribution is limited, and promotion is personalized.

Growth:
Here, the product is being bought and with volume, the price declines. Distribution increases
and promotion focus on product benefits.

Maturity:
Here, the product competes with alternatives and pricing drops. Distribution becomes intense
(it’s available everywhere) and promotion focuses on the differences to competitors’ products.

36
 Decline:
The product is reaching the end of its life and faces fewer competitors. The price may rise and
distribution has become selective as some distributors have dropped the product. Promotion aims
to remind customers of its existence.

How can I use this model?

When reviewing your business, you need to understand which stage your products or services have
reached. This can be assessed in terms of market share and growth. Reviewing the portfolio enables
marketers to plan for new products, reinvent existing products or discontinue products that are in
serious decline.

An example of the Product Lifecycle model

This example shows how the yoghurt product category has moved through the product life cycle by
remixing elements of the marketing mix. Examples of stages and how PLC evolved:

1) Introduction:
• Yogurt available in health food stores
• Functional and plain packaging
• Promoted as a health food

2) Growth:
• Yogurt now available in supermarket chiller cabinets
• Packaging gets a makeover
• New flavors introduced; Strawberry and Vanilla

3) Maturity:
• Product re-invented with added fruit, added muesli, added chocolate!
• Packaging changes into different shapes and sizes
• Promoted as a fun snack and a luxury treat

4) Decline:
• Ad campaign evoking brand association through remembrance and fondness
• Brand available at select retail megastores only

A tip is to review customer feedback continuously, to ensure your products don’t reach the end of
their shelf life, carry out regular customer surveys. Get feedback and find out what works, what
doesn’t and why.

37
We will take a break at this part of the document and reflect on things that we have studied so far.

Below is the flow of topics that we have covered so far:

We strongly recommend that you go through these topics again, focusing more on their practical
applications. Pick any brand of your choice and try searching for keywords such as “Apple
Marketing Mix”, or “ITC Product Mix”. It will help you understand how exactly to go about these
basic concepts.

The next sections of this document will focus on different Models and Frameworks, relatively new
concepts such as IMC, Digital Marketing, Go-To-Market, Distribution channel, Consumer
Behavior and B2B Sales.
In the end, we have some interesting terminologies, with examples, for you. Let’s go ahead then.

38
Models and Frameworks

Now that you are thorough with some of the basic marketing concepts, it is time to visit the world of
models and frameworks. Whenever faced with any problem (or even if not), whenever you want to
perform some kind of analysis about your products, your company, the industry in general, or the
broader environment where your company operates, it is always a good idea to have a structured
approach, rather than being all over the place.

There are a variety of models/frameworks available for various kinds of analysis. It is CRUCIAL
to know WHICH model has to be applied WHEN. And because each model has its purpose, you
need to find your purpose (of analysis) first. We repeat – find your purpose first.

Time for a story.

Once upon a time, there was a person named Mr. Stark. He had a Vision (pun intended).
His vision was to build a computer company and make it the top company in the category. He also
aimed to be a billionaire in the process. Mr. Stark had a structured approach to his analysis and
decisions. He first went on to analyze the industry he wanted to get into - computer industry in this
case.

To do so, he used Porter’s five forces model. It helped him analyze the power of various forces
present in the industry, namely the competitors, the suppliers, the customers, the substitute products,
and new entrants. Understanding the power of these forces in the computer industry helped him
gauge the attractiveness of the industry and decide whether he should choose this industry or not.

After studying the external factors, Mr. Stark decided to evaluate the internal factors that could
decide the future of the company. He needed to know what are his (the company’s) strengths and
weaknesses, and also what are the threats and opportunities for him. That’s how he came to know
of SWOT analysis. He spent a good amount of time evaluating himself so that he knows exactly
how to make use of available resources.

He later realized that he needed to look beyond the business level analysis to a broader level of
analysis and study the macro-environmental factors that could affect his company. Factors such as
the political atmosphere, legal atmosphere, economic conditions, etc. could greatly influence the
company and its business. Hence to study them, he used a popular framework called the PESTEL
framework.

Through an in-depth analysis of the industry, company, and the environment in which he planned
to operate, Mr. Stark was able to launch a highly successful company. He created a range of products
over the years and made good money out of it. He continued to have a structured approach for his
decisions, using the BCG Matrix and Ansoff Matrix to evaluate his product portfolio and growth
strategies whenever required.

Mr. Stark was truly a genius. We love him 3000.

39
The story aimed to help you understand why a particular framework is used in a particular situation.
To put it in a more non-fictional form -

Note: By external, mean external to the company. The same goes for internal.

Let us go through the models one by one.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT matrix) is a structured planning method used to evaluate
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or a business venture. A
SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person.
You can employ a SWOT analysis before you commit to any sort of company action, whether you
are exploring new initiatives, revamping internal policies, considering opportunities to pivot or
altering a plan midway through its execution.
Strengths:
Characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others. Try to look for
answers to these questions to find your company’s strengths -

40
What advantages does your organization have? What do you do better than anyone else?
What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that others can't?

Note that if there is something that everyone does, then it won’t be a strength to you. For example,
if you launch a new flavor of chips and price at Rs. 10, do not claim that your strength is budget-
friendly products. Almost all the popular chips are priced in this category. So make sure that the
strength is an “advantage” over your (or most of your) competitors.

Weaknesses:
Characteristics that place the business or project at a disadvantage relative to others

What factors lose you sales?

What aspects of your company need improvement? What are the limitations you face in terms of
resources?

Being realistic and practical is the key to cracking this section. After all, acknowledgment of your
weaknesses is the first step towards improvement.

Opportunities:
Elements that the project could exploit to its advantage, such as technological trends, changing
economy or political environment, increasing demand for your products in your industry, etc.

What good opportunities can you spot? What interesting trends are you aware of?

A useful approach when looking at opportunities is to look at your strengths and ask yourself
whether these open up any opportunities. Alternatively, look at your weaknesses and ask yourself
whether you could open up opportunities by eliminating them.

Threats:
Elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project

What obstacles do you face?

What are your competitors doing?
Are quality standards or specifications for your job, products or services changing? Is changing
technology threatening your position?

You might get confused between weaknesses and threats – you may call a weakness as a sure threat
to the company in some way or the other. Understand that weaknesses are the internal factors that
can hold back your company from growing further. Threats, on the other hand, are the external
factors that pose a potential problem to your company in the mere future.

41
 Go through the below examples of SWOT analysis to get a better understanding of how it shouldbe
done.

1. SWOT for PepsiCo

Products: Pepsi, Lay’s, Kurkure, Mirinda, Gatorade, Slice, 7up, Mountain Dew, etc.

Strengths Weaknesses
• High Brand Equity • Reliance on carbonated
• Customer loyalty drinks when customers
towards brands are looking for healthier
like Doritos, options.
Lay’s, Pepsi etc. • Lack of product
• Strong distribution diversification – only
network food & beverages in the
• Clear Target Audience –
product portfolio
The Youth

Opportunities Threats
• Increase demand for • Sprouting oflocal brands
healthy beverages. catering to hyper-local
• Partnershipswith taste buds and healthier
businesses to increase options
sales e.g Domino’s & • Environmental
Coca-Cola Regulations. Eq.
packaging

42
2. SWOT for Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.

Brands: Van Heusen, Peter England, Louis Philippe, Pantaloons, Forever 21, Ralph Lauren, etc.

Strengths Weaknesses
• Iconic and Strong Brands
• Rapid Product
• Sub-optimal presencein
Development which is
important in fashion high growth segments like
Women's traditional wear
• Strong distribution
network
• Low Global Presence
• Leadership Capability due
to being a group led firm

Opportunities Threats
• Extremely rapidly growing • Industry markdown
market • Commoditised Fashion
• Digital Influence on the • Retail Space Shortage
apparel industry ever Across the country
growing • Internal Brand
• Acceptance of Global Competition leading to
fashion is also on the rise possible cannibalisation

43
 Porter’s Five Forces Model

What is this model and why is it used?

Model used to study the attractiveness (profit potential) of a particular industry. It is done mainly
while launching a new product or a service in a particular category or when you want to make
changes in your existing corporate strategy.
Industry structure has a strong influence in defining the competitive rules of the game as well as the
strategies potentially available to the firm.

 What are the five forces?

1) Rivalry amongst existing firms
2) Bargaining power of customers/buyers
3) Bargaining power of suppliers
4) Threat of new entrants
5) Threat of substitutes

44
What better way to understand this than by taking an example?

Porter’s five forces analysis for the soft drinks industry. (REMEMBER that you carry out this
analysis for an industry, not for a company)

Rivalry amongst existing firms:

Factors such as size and scale of competitors, costs involved, the potential of the industry, etc.
greatly affect the dynamics of competition in the industry. If an industry is a high growth industry
and all competitors have enough pie for themselves, they would rather focus on the products instead
of handling the competition. But for a slow-growing industry where the customers are limited,
rivalry may be fierce.
There are a handful of players in the soft drinks industry creating a high level of competition in the
market. Firms spend heavily on sales and promotions to differentiate themselves and to reach every
customer in the best way possible. Hence, the rivalry in the beverages sector is HIGH.

Bargaining power of customers:

Buyers or customers influence the industry by forcing down the prices or demanding higher quality,
directly affecting the profitability of the operating companies. By bargaining power, we mean that
they try to manipulate the products and prices as per their choices because they are in a stronger and
better position. When can customers have higher bargaining powers? Consider a situation where
customers are flooded with choices for a particular product. It is completely up to them which
product to choose. They will readily switch from one product to another if the prices rise or the
quality drops. So, producers are constantly in competition with each other to produce the best atthe
lowest prices.

Consider the case of Jio. Jio’s budget-friendly offerings actually put pressure on other providers.
Mobile Number Portability or MNP had previously eased out the switching process but the options
were limited and the offerings were similar. Customers had little choice for themselves. Now, the
scenario is completely different.

In the beverages industry too, the switching cost is low and customers can shift from one product
to another without hesitation. Hence the bargaining power of customers here is HIGH.

Bargaining power of suppliers:

Suppliers are the ones that supply material (Raw material), or products to be further used for making
other products (like camera sensors used in the making of mobiles). A supplier in a generic sense
contributes to the making of a product or service.

Suppliers can exert power by increasing the prices of their offerings or reducing quality. Suppliers
can get powerful if: The industry is dominated by a few suppliers or High switching costs involved.

In the beverages industry, suppliers include bottling manufacturers or packaging suppliers. It is easy
to switch between these suppliers due to the abundance of options hence reducing the bargaining
power. Additionally, many companies may involve in backward integration i.e., owing their supplier
network. Thus, over all the Bargaining power of suppliers is low, in this case.

Threat of New Entrants:

When an industry has limited barriers to entry - such as low investment, favorable policies, abundant
resources, less competition - new firms may keep foraying into the business. Every time a new firm
enters the competition, the profitability of the existing players takes a hit. Hence, existing firms
constantly try to create barriers, by holding on to resources or lobbying with the government and
thus protecting themselves.

45
 In the soft drinks industry, existing companies have already carried out massive expenditures and
possess economies of scale. To enter in the beverages industry, an ample amount of money is
required for the sake of manufacturing, bottling, distribution, and storage. The major difficulties
when starting a beverage business is of distribution channels; well-known brands are retaining many
of the main distribution channels including supermarkets, restaurants and gas stations, etc. Thus,
the threat of new entrants here is moderate. You will often find existing players launching new
products in the category, rather than completely new brands entering the market.

Threat of substitutes:
Substitutes are alternatives to your products and services. This should not be confused with
competitors’ products. For example, iPhone X and Samsung s10 are competitors. But their
substitutes can be tablets that limit the potential of smartphones in general. Thus, substitutes are for
your products (not the company), and they belong to different categories altogether.
Substitutes place a cap on the prices the firm can change.

The usual substitutes for the carbonated beverages are water, tea, sports drinks and many more. But
most of the customers do not switch between categories, each has its purpose.
Overall, the threat of substitutes is low for the soft drink beverage industry.

Surprise, Surprise!!
Although you will find most academic resources discussing the above five forces, there is an
additional 6th force which was proposed at a later stage. It is called Complementors. These are the
companies or entities offering goods that are complementary to the goods in a particular industry.

If the business is booming for the complementors, then this could positively affect the business of
the firms in the given industry. On the other hand, if a business is slow for the complementors, this
could adversely affect the business of the firms in the given industry. So, complementors and
complementary goods do not necessarily increase or decrease the competitiveness of an industry,
they merely add another layer to the structural complexity of the competitive environment.
A basic example of complementary products is the hotdog and the bun, which when put together,
provides more value than they are apart. This complementarity results in a commercial symbiosis.

What could be the complementary products for the soft drinks’ category? Alcohol? Maybe.

Conclusion: Looking at all the factors above, we can conclude that entering the world of beverages
is a challenging task to accomplish as there exists a tough competition and the brands are striving
to maintain their name through various incentives, advertisements, promotions and many more.

Things to be kept in mind while using this model:

1. Used only at the level of individual business units (Strategic business units or SBUs) and not at
the level of the whole organization
2. These five forces are not independent of each other
3. Understanding the connections between these forces is very important

Hope you absorbed all the forces well. May the forces be with you.

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 PESTLE Framework

Why do we need this model?

1) To describe some of the macro-environmental factors that affect organizations
2) These factors can affect strategies and how organizations seek to handle aspects of their
environment
How are the factors categorized?
Political Factors:
These determine the extent to which government and government policy may impact an
organization or a specific industry.
Economic Factors:
These factors impact the economy and its performance. Factors include interest rates, employment
or unemployment rates, raw material costs and foreign exchange rates.
Social Factors:
These factors focus on the social environment and identify emerging trends. This helps a marketer
to further understand customer’s needs and wants. Factors include changing family demographics,
education levels, cultural trends, attitude changes and changes in lifestyles.
Technological Factors:
These factors consider the rate of technological innovation and development that could affect a
market or industry. Factors could include changes in digital or mobile technology, automation,
R&D, etc.
Legal Factors:
An organization must be aware of any change in legislation and the possible impact it may have on
business operations. Factors include employment legislation, consumer law, health, and safety,
international as well as trade regulations. Political factors do cross over with legal factors; however,
the key difference is that political factors are led by government policy, whereas legal factors must
be complied with.
Environmental Factors:
These factors relate to the influence of the surrounding environment and the impact of ecological
aspects. Factors include climate, recycling procedures, carbon footprint, waste disposal, and
sustainability.

Refer this link to get a grasp of how a PESTLE Analysis can be conducted.
 https://www.mbaskool.com/pestle-analysis/companies/18007-reliance-industries.html

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 BCG Matrix

What is the BCG matrix?

1. A tool that allows an organization to classify and evaluate its product portfolio.
2. It is also called Product Portfolio Matrix. Used for an overview of products, not for detailed
analysis.
3. It helps to identify what stage a particular brand is in and what is its contribution to revenue,
and its future potential.
4. This allows the company to properly allocate its resources, and decide which products to focus
on and which one to step away from.
5. It positions the products or services of the company based on market growth and market share
of the product/service.

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Question marks (or problem child)
A business unit that has a small market share in a high growth market.
They do not generate profits unless the company decides to invest resources to maintain and even
increase the market share (become potential stars). They have a high demand for liquidity and the
company must ask the question: Invest or give up the product?

Stars:
These are promising products for the company, they even can be considered as leaders of the
industry. The strategy is to boost these products by appropriate investments and maintain a position
of strength. These products require a large amount of cash but also contribute to the company's
profitability. They are becoming progressively cash cows with market saturation.

Cash Cows:
These are products or services which are mature and which generate interesting profits and cash but
need to be replaced because the future growth will be lower. Cash cows require little investment
and generate cash that can be used to invest in other business units.

Dogs:
These products are positioned in a declining market and that the company wants to get rid of soon
as they become too expensive to maintain. The company must minimize the dogs. The company
must decide whether it still injects liquidity, otherwise, it will eliminate the dogs in the near future.

Below is an example BCG matrix for Coca-Cola.

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Below is the BCG Matrix for ITC. (It is a very commonly asked question at the ITC interview
process, Do your research about the rationale behind the placement of each brand in the matrix),
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd and Nestle.

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Red & Blue Ocean Strategy

The Red Ocean is usually considered as a market structure which is highly saturated, competitive,
with lots of players and one where there’s very little room for growth. Red, as the color of a blood
in a war-land, analogous to a market structure which everyone is trying to get the better of the other
in order to increase a bit more of their market shares, profits, revenue and so on. A typical example
across all the countries would be the airlines sector. They operate in low margins and mostly their
profits are in RED.
The Blue Ocean on the other hand is market structure which is known to be new and open, where
there’s no or very little competition or players, and there exists a large room for growth. Blue,
analogues to the blue ocean where there is a lot for all to co-exist and explore beyond themselves,
thus arrives. A typical example for Blue Ocean would be when Apple had ventured into digital
music using the iMusic, and thus started distributing music online, which signaled the beginning of
online music and was a differentiator from the then saturated Compact Disk and DVDs music setup.
A Blue Ocean, thus, are defined by untapped market space, demand creation, and the opportunity
for highly profitable growth.

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Integrated Marketing communication means that all the communication and messages received by
a customer through various brand contact points should be relevant, coherent and consistent over
time. This means even if a brand uses multiple channels to reach out to a customer, the message that
reaches the customer should be the same. A brand shouldn’t be speaking two different things on
two different channels. And by speaking we do not mean just the verbal part. The non-verbal means
of communication such as your logo, packaging, brand ambassadors and so on are includedas well
– Anything that a customer interacts with is an important means of communication.

To give you an example where a brand’s messaging isn’t consistent across channels – take the
example of McDonald’s in India. The company wants to give Indians the experience of having
51
 American food and its culture. The breakfast menu doesn’t have Indian snacks like poha or dosa.
It has western food items in it. (Note that the menu is also a way of speaking about your brand).
Now say if you are having the American Breakfast in McDonald’s, influenced by the sophisticated
interiors and English-speaking staff, and then a random Hindi breakup song plays in the background,
how would you feel? The song is going to ruin your whole “American” experience right there. If your
brand has one message to give, then all your touchpoints should speak the same thing – verbally or
non-verbally. That is what IMC is all about.

Another reason why IMC is important is because it allows the usage of multiple channels to reach
customers. Depending on their relative strengths, greater impact can be achieved together as
compared to what each channel would have achieve individually. The aim is to convey the brand’s
story (one common story) using different promotional elements.

Consistent images and relevant, useful, messages help nurture long term relationships with
customers. Here, customer databases can identify precisely which customers need what information
when, and throughout their whole buying life. Disjointed messages can dilute the overall impact
and cause confusion and frustration amongst the customers.

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Here are some examples of integrated marketing communication:
Apple conveys the premium experience it offers through various means. Be it the
‘if youdon’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone” campaign that builds
the exclusivity of the products, its stores with superiorly designed interiors, or its
minimal hoardings and advertisements. Even the colour scheme used on various
channels is consistent. This helps to establish a clear positioning and achieve a
higher impact.

Coca Cola launched the Open Happiness campaign through a very catchy TV
commercial. Apart from TVC, the company ensured that other communication
channels like social media, print, online ads, OOH, etc. were also used effectively.
This shows the overall use of IMC channels to capture people across media
channels.

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Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using digital channels to reach
consumers in a personal and cost-effective manner.
Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet.
Businesses leverage digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and other websites to
connect with current and prospective customers.

Digital Marketing Glossary: (Make sure you

know these terminologies if you apply for
companies with Digital Marketing profiles.
These are the ABCs of Digital Marketing)

Pay-Per-Click:
PPC stands for pay-per-click, a model of
internet marketing in which advertisers pay a
fee each time one of their ads is clicked.
Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your
site, rather than attempting to “earn” those
visits organically.

Cost-Per-Click (CPC):
Cost Per Click (CPC) refers to the actual price you pay for each click in your pay-per-click (PPC)
marketing campaigns.

CPM:
This is the “cost-per-thousand” views of an advertisement. Often, advertisers agree to pay a certain
amount for every 1,000 customers who see their ad, regardless of conversion rates or click-throughs.

Click-Thru Rate (CTR):

The percentage of people who click on a link (e.g., in an e-mail message or sponsored ad) after seeing it.
CTR = CPC/CPM (Favorite interview question for DM profiles)

Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA):
Represents the ratio of the total cost of a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign to the
total number of leads or customers, often called “CPA” or “conversion cost”

Inbound Link:
A link from another website directed to yours, also known as a “backlink.”
Related marketing areas that focus on inbound links include link popularity social media, and online
PR, all of which explore ways to collect quality links from other websites.

Landing Page:
A stand-alone Web page that a user “lands” on, commonly after visiting a paid search-engine listing or
following a link in an email. This kind of page often is designed with a very specific purpose for visitors.

Search-Engine Marketing (SEM):

A phrase sometimes used in contrast with “SEO” to describe paid search activities, SEM may also more
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generally, refer to the broad range of search- marketing activities, either paid or organic. The sponsored
ads that you see when you search something on google are a part of Google’s SEM, using Google
AdWords.

Search-Engine Optimization (SEO):

The process of using website analysis and copy/design/structural adjustments to ensure both the highest
possible positioning on desired search engine results pages and the best experience for a given site’s
users. This enables websites to appear on the top of the search results. The aim should be to make your
site relevant, useful and easy to use for the users.

Points to Note:
SEM uses PAID strategies to appear in search; SEO uses ORGANIC strategies to appear in search.

Affiliate Marketing:
Suppose someone buys a product through your affiliate link (link that you posted on your channels), you
can then get a commission based on your business conditions with the owner of the product that just got
sold.

Content Marketing:
Content marketing is a technique of creating and allocating valuable, relevant and consistent content to
attract and eventually convert your target audience to be your customers. Example, Running podcasts in
Gaana, Spotify Etc.

Email Marketing:
Email marketing is when you send a commercial email message to your ‘subscribers’. Email subscribers
are contacts who have signed up to your email list and given permission to receive communications from
you. Two kinds of emails are:
a. Promotional emails
b. Informational emails

Organic marketing involves creating and distributing valuable content to attract an audience without
using paid advertising. For example: SEO, Unpaid social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Email newsletters, Blog posts, User Generated Content

Paid marketing is the process of attracting traffic to your website from paid advertising. For example:
Paid SEO, Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Influencer marketing through sponsored posts.

Social media marketing is the process of creating content for social media platforms to promote your
products and/or services, build community with your target audience, and drive traffic to your business.
Businesses today are present on a variety of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok and others depending on their target audience. These platforms provide
businesses with a plethora of tools to not only target the consumers of their choice based on their
demographics, interests, or behaviors, but also provide metrics to track the success of their marketing
efforts.

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 Go-to-Market Strategy

A go-to-market strategy (GTM strategy) is an action plan that specifies how a company will reach
customers and achieve a competitive advantage. GTM can be associated with product launches. The
purpose of a GTM strategy is to provide a blueprint for delivering a product or service to the end
customer, taking into account such factors as pricing and distribution. A GTM strategy is somewhat
similar to a business plan, although the latter is broader in scope and considers such factors as funding.

Checklist for a go-to-market strategy:

1) Define the target market (STP analysis)
2) Define the value proposition (Can be functional, emotional or economical)
3) Set the pricing strategy
4) Address the Marketing and Promotions Price, Promotion and Place
5) Devise a channel strategy
6) Have a timeline for everything that you have planned

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 Ansoff’s matrix

Ansoff matrix is used when companies want to look at opportunities to grow, and hence need to
choose one of the various growth strategies – Diversification, Market Development, Market Penetration,
and Market Development. Also known as the Product-Market Matrix.

1) Market Development – Trying to sell more of the same things to different people. Can be done by using
different geographical market, different sales channel or a different target segment. For example,
OnePlus getting into partnership with Reliance Retail to create a better physical presence and target a
wider consumer base.
2) Diversification – Selling completely different products to different customers. Example – Reliance Jio
3) Market Penetration – Increase market share by penetrating deeper into an existing market with the
existing product. The Telecom industry is again a good example of such a strategy, where companies are
trying to increase their customer base by expanding their network and offering friendly packages.
4) Product Development – Introducing a new product in the existing market. Example OnePlus 6T after
OnePlus 6.

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains the different stages in which humans evolve in terms of their needs
and desires. Unless we have the fundamental basic human needs at the bottom of the hierarchy, we will
not strive to meet any further desires. As each requirement is fulfilled, we move up the hierarchy. If
marketers know the wants and needs of their target market (which every good marketer should!) then
this can be used as a selling point to influence the TG.
Physiological Needs – Roti Kapda aur Makaan (Translation – Food, clothing, and shelter). Also, the
internet.
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Products: Sleepwell Mattress, Durex, Kent RO (I trust only Kent)

Safety Needs: Darr sabko lagta he (Translation: Everyone fears something or the
other) Products: Health Insurance, Vehicles positioned for safety (Example: Volvo)

Social Needs: Man is a social animal. Here, the need for emotional relationships drives human
behavior.
Products – Facebook, Tinder, etc.
Self Esteem: Zindagi main kuch chahiye to sirf izzat! – Zakir Khan (Translation: There’s one thing
we need in our lives and that’s respect)
Products: iPhone, all sorts of Luxury products etc.

Self-Actualization: Nirvana. The need people have to achieve their full potential as a human being.
Products/Marketing: Travel companies, Army and Navy advertisements,
Royal Stage (“Make it large”), probably Rajnigandha as well ;)

AIDA Model

Building a substantial and loyal customer base does not happen over-night. There are a series of stages
that a customer goes through before being called as a customer/user of the product. The AIDA model
structures this journey and categorizes it into 4 stages – Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

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 Firms should approach the customer acquisition journey through the following stages:

1) Attract attention: The product must attract the consumer's attention. This is done through effective
promotion and advertisement. Do not assume that people would be aware of your products. You need to
break the clutter and garner attraction for your products. Traditional methods such as print/TV
advertisements or social media can be leveraged for creating awareness. For example, CRED became
extremely popular in 2021, almost 3 years after its launch in 2018 due to its advertisements portraying
icons from the 90s (Don’t you recall the advertisement that features Rahul Dravid - “Indiranagar ka
Gunda”?)

2) Maintain interest: After capturing the attention of the consumers, you should now focus on generating
interest for your product. Focus on relevant messages for your TGs. For example, in all its advertisements
CRED highlighted the message – “Download CRED and get a reward for paying your bills”. This simple message
created a buzz and ensured that consumers went on to read about CRED and what all the app offered.

3) Create desire: If you manage to create interest for your product, it is important to help the customers
realize why they need your products. This step involves the transition of a customer from “I like it” to “I
want it”. The focus should be on the benefits of your product and the functional or emotional value that
it offers. In the best-case scenario, the advertisement or the product itself creates the desire to purchase.
For example, CRED offers cred coins that can be used to earn rewards and cashback. They also use the
tagline - “It pays to be good.”

4) Take action: As soon as there emerges a desire to try your product, this must be transferred into action,
that is, the purchase. Brands may offer discounts or early bird offers to customers to expedite or confirm
the buying process.

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To summarize, you start by catching the customer’s attention, then you communicate with the customer
with relevant messages to generate interest and desire, all of it finally leading to the action of purchasing
your product.

Let us now see how Netflix successfully used the AIDA model to penetrate the Indian market.

1) Awareness: To create awareness Netflix went the traditional way of outdoor advertising by placing
huge posters of shows like Narcos, Friends, etc. They also had a few original shows under their
banner like Sacred Games which they promoted.
2) Interest: Interest was created by focusing on the youth population of India. Customers would see the
1-month free trial on their website which would create curiosity about other shows that were being
featured on Netflix.
3) Desire: After experiencing Netflix for a month, the desire to continue with Netflix would become
stronger with the original documentaries, shows, multiple original web series, a large Hollywood and
Bollywood movie collection, features like support for any device, personalized recommendations
based on watching habits of viewers, high-resolution videos and much more.
4) Action: The action step would be achieved when Netflix offered multiple plans for subscriptions
depending upon the pocket of the customer. The customer at this point is hooked to all that is being
offered and converting the customer here becomes easier.

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 Consumer Buying Behavior - Steps Involved in Buying Process

The consumer decision process, also known as the buyer decision process, aids marketers in determining
how customers progress from learning about a product to making a purchasing decision. From a
marketing and sales perspective, understanding the buyer's purchasing process is important. The
customer or buyer decision process will allow them to create a marketing strategy that persuades them
to buy the product or service in order to solve their problem.

1) Problem/Need recognition

The First step is where the customer identifies an issue or requirement that is met by a product or service
on the market during need or problem identification. The buyer notices a distinction between his or her
current state and a desired state. This is caused by a stimulus. There are 2 types:

 Internal stimuli can elicit a desire. This happens when a person's basic needs, such as hunger, thirst,
and sex, becomes so strong that it becomes a driver.
 External Stimuli: Advertisements, Peer pressure, Change in financial status of individual etc.

The customers may or may not know what will solve their problem at this stage.

Example: A college freshman, Sarah, has a computer that is starting to run slowly. She is getting
ready to start the semester and needs a computer that will efficiently help her with her assignments.

2) Information search

When the consumers start searching for information to help them solve their dilemma, the next step of
the purchasing decision process begins. They know they need to do something to improve their situation,
but they're not sure what the right option is. The consumers begin looking for information that will assist

61
 them in better understanding their situation and determining what will resolve their problems. The
customers often conduct online research and search for solutions at this stage.

Buyers or customers can get information about goods from different sources.

 Personal sources: This includes family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances, etc. 

 Commercial sources: This includes advertising, salespeople, dealers, packaging, display, etc. 
 Public sources: This includes mass media, consumer rating organizations, etc. they also become
confidential to provide information.
 Experimental sources: This includes handling, examining, using, etc. Such information becomes
decisive and confidential.

Example: Sarah, may start seeking information to help resolve her immediate problem, which is
speeding up her computer. Depending on what she finds, she may also begin searching for options for
purchasing a new computer.

3) Evaluation of alternatives

Customers begin to focus on what they heard or found after the initial knowledge quest is completed.
They start weighing their choices to see which one is the best fit for their dilemma. Customers have a lot
to think about at this stage in the purchasing process. They must figure out which solution is the most
reliable, cost-effective, high-quality, and high-performing.

Example: In this phase, Sarah might be making a comparison list of multiple computers. The list may
include prices, features, and going through reviews.

4) Decision making/ Purchase

They make the decision to purchase the best brand. However, their judgement is affected by the actions
of others and the circumstances. The consumer has looked at many choices, understands the pricing and
payment options, and is determining whether or not to proceed with the purchase. That's right, they could
still decide to leave at this stage. Giving as much information as possible about the need that was
generated in phase one, as well as why your brand is the best provider to meet that need, is critical at this
point.

5) Purchase

This is where the actual purchase is made by the consumer. He/she decides to purchase the product after
all the evaluation.

Examples: Sarah, has decided to buy, she is likely eager to make the purchase and get her computer.

6) Post Purchase evaluation

The customers will evaluate whether the solution has correctly and fully met their requirements. They'll
determine if it was worth the money and whether the brand lived up to its promises. They would either
be satisfied or have buyer's remorse. If the former is true, the consumer will return to make another
purchase. But if it’s the latter, the customer could reject the brand, never make another purchase, and
even share their negative experience with others.

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 Distribution Strategies (The Place in the 4Ps of Marketing)

What is distribution?
Companies produce certain goods for people like us so that we can use them for our daily needs.
But how it reaches us (through retail shops, showrooms, e- commerce websites, etc.) is called
distribution.
Formally put - The process of making a product or a service available for the consumer or the business
user who needs it is called distribution.

Depending on the type of product and its positioning, there are 3 common distribution strategies
available:
Intensive distribution: Used commonly to distribute low priced or impulse purchase products.
Example: chocolates, soft drinks.

Exclusive distribution: Involves limiting distribution to a single outlet. The product is usually highly-
priced and requires the intermediary to place much detail in the sale.
Example: Sale of vehicles through exclusive dealers.

Selective Distribution: A small number of retail outlets are chosen to distribute the product. Selective
distribution is common with products such as computers, televisions household appliances, where
consumers are willing to shop around and where manufacturers want a large geographical spread.
Example: Whirlpool selling a majority of its appliances through select dealers.

Selling Process

Prospecting: It is defined as the process of identifying potential customers who can take a decision to
buy as well as the money to buy and is showing interest in a company’s products and services. A sales
lead is quite different from a prospect where a sales lead is adequately defined as a “probable” prospect.

Qualifying: The prospect is further qualified based on certain criteria, which may differ from company
to company. The set of basic criteria that is followed has been captured below:
● Whether the prospect has a need for the product
● Whether the prospect can make the decision to purchase the product
● Whether the prospect can afford the product
Pre-Approach and Approach: This stage involves further understanding the prospect in greater detail
by conducting research and then planning the sales to initiate a smooth sales process. This is then
followed by approaching the prospect to convert them into a customer where an attempt is made by the
salesperson to understand the buyer’s needs and expectations.

Sales Presentation/ Proof of Concept: This is an important step in the process where the salesperson
makes an attempt to convince the buyer that the product being sold will exactly fit his/her need. The
product’s unique selling proposition will be highlighted in an effort to differentiate it from the
competition and in most cases, the product itself (or at least a replica) will be displayed so that the buyer
has a better understanding about the product.

Closing the Sale: This is the stage where after the prospect has fully understood the product and has
been clarified of its benefits and how it would provide value to his firm, the salesperson closes the sale

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by asking for the order.

Follow Up: This is a crucial step in the selling process that is often overlooked but is essential to develop
a strong relationship with the customer. Follow ups before, during and after the time of delivery of the
product should be ensured so as to provide a smooth experience for the customer. It is more expensive
to develop new customers than to maintain the existing ones, so this is an effective method to build loyal
customers and ensure cost competitiveness.

Distribution Models

Generally, companies use two approaches for Distribution (We also call them Channels of Distribution)

Direct channel (Also known as Zero level - Zero intermediaries)

When companies sell directly to the consumers without involving any intermediary (Distributor, retailer,
etc.) in between.
Example: Apple has its OWN Apple stores (or in partnerships) spread across the market, showcasing
and selling its various product offerings to its customers.
Bata also has a few company-owned stores through which it sells its shoes and other products
NOTE: Some companies also appoint sales personnel, who personally take orders from clients, based
on which company supplies them with the required product. This is usually the case in a B2B segment

Indirect Channel

Indirect channel is reaching the customers through intermediaries such as wholesalers, distributors,
retailers, etc.
Why Indirect Channel though?
India’s population = 1.35 billion (Assuming all of them wish to live and so they buy essentials)
Major Companies producing goods = Let us assume somewhere around 1000
Problem: It is impossible in this non-MARVEL universe for these 1000 companies to cater to the mass
population on its own.
Solution: Indirect distribution channel. By leveraging the reach of various intermediaries (Like 1000s of
Distributors reaching Lakhs of Retailers and these Retailers catering to crores of Consumers)

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Based on the number of intermediaries, indirect channels can be further classified into:
 One level
 Two level
 Three level

Strategy concerning levels depends upon what type of customers does a company want to target, how
wide a reach does a company want to attain and so on.
Example- Automobile companies have dealers all across the country, serving as the only link
(Intermediary) between the company and the customer
All the major consumer goods companies (HUL, Dabur) use two-level distribution for themajority
of their product offerings catering to the urban and semi-urban areas

Let us take a deep dive into the sales and distribution.

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1. C&FA- Carrying and Forwarding Agents:
A CFA normally undertakes the following activities:
1) Receiving the goods from the factories or premises of the manufacturer/firm
2) Warehousing these goods
3) Receiving dispatch orders from the manufacturer/firm
4) Arranging dispatch of goods as per the directions of the manufacturer or
firm by engaging transport on his own or through the authorized transporters
of the manufacturer/firm
5) Maintaining records of the receipt and dispatch of goods and the stock
available at the warehouse
2. Stockists/Distributors:
Stockists or distributors typically operate in urban areas, where they receive goods
from the company's warehouse and distribute them to different retailers.
Additionally, they may sell products in bulk to wholesalers to expand their
distribution reach and reduce the logistics costs associated with serving low-value
outlets.

3. Wholesaler:
They operate mostly outside the main markets of a city and deal with a large number
of a company’s products of services and mostly deal with a variety of companies at
once. Their business model works on low margins and hence it is extremely important
that they conduct sales in high volumes. They are independent elements in the channel
and are not on contract with any company. Their major role in the channel is to extend
the reach of the channel to remote areas that are not accessible to distributors.

4. Super Stockists:
This type of distribution operates in rural areas, where a major stockist supplies
large quantities of products to multiple rural wholesalers. The super stockist
plays a crucial role in helping the company expand its reach into remote rural
areas. Additional incentives, such as covering extra freight charges for more
distant locations, may be offered to support distribution in these extended
geographies.

5. Modern Trade:
Retail chains like Bigbazaar, Dmart, More, and others are referred to as
modern trade stores. In this format, companies supply goods directly to
these stores, thereby bypassing distribution margin charges. As a result,
these stores are able to offer discounts and promotional schemes to
customers by passing on the distributor

6. Retailer/Dealer:
The retailer is the end customer. This person will stock many competing goods and
sells the productsto the end consumer.

7. Direct to Consumer (DTC)/ Ecommerce –

With the COVID-19 pandemic, this platform saw a steep surge in adaptability. It
represents a digitalcatalogue of products on the site which the customers can
directly purchase from.

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Why so much fuss for deciding a Distribution channel?

To choose a distribution channel means, to choose how the company’s product

is going to reach its target customers.

All that hard work spent on product development, formulating the right price for the product and
creativity unleashed on advertising the product (Basically the first 3Ps) will be wasted if the product does
not reach the customers at the right place at the right time.
(No company can do this perfectly. The best amongst the rest, however, claims
to hold the “Competitive Advantage”)

People Involved in The Channel

To sell and distribute products, several stakeholders play an important part in the channel. Thetraditional
three-layer model which we spoke about earlier will give you a fair understanding of the intermediaries
present. However, there are people who ensure that products are delivered to the market. For the right
products to be delivered to the right markets, the sales, and stocks of the products of a company need a
lot of planning post which they need to be monitored. Both are done by the employees of the company.

Please note that Sales and Distribution of products depends on the industry that the company operates
in. In pure B2C business, even more so in FMCG, the layer model is followed. Refer below:

National Sales
Distributor Sales Distributor Sales Area Sales Regional Sales Head/Category
Zonal Manager Branch Manager Head/Group
Manager Executive Manager Manager
Product Manager

The Distributor Sales Man (DBSM) is solely responsible for taking orders from the retail stores and is
the final point of contact before the goods go into the channel. The order taking process is explained in
the next section. The DBSM is a paid employee of the distributor (not the company!). A company may
have many distributors in a city and these are managed by the Distributor Sales Executives. Their job
includes tracking orders, managing and training salesmen, communicating schemes and incentives, and
so on.

This DSE further reports to an ASM who takes care of a few cities. He will travel to the other cities and
monitor the activities. He will also give recommendations to improve the same. The ASM reports to a
ZM or RSM depending on the company structure who could be managing a few states and finally, the
branch manager is the head of the territory (North, East, South or West). The Branch Managers report to
the corporate office where the Sales for the country is headed by the NSM or Category Head or GPM.

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 Now, it is important to understand that the structure could really differ from one industry to another. For
example, the pharmaceutical industry. The products produced by a company like Cipla or Abbott may
be of 2 types: Tablets/Syrups or Health/Nutrition Foods. In the first case, doctors have to be aware of the
product and thus after testing and approval, the product is presented to doctors. Again, companies would
prefer to have executives do this initial client call. Once the doctor is apprised of the product, theywill start
prescribing it. Thus, the medicines have to be available at the chemist store. This job is typically done by
the salesmen. There are stricter norms for the storage of these goods. From there upwards, the traditional
chain of management continues.
Lastly, in IT B2B sales, things are a bit more different. The company would be selling software and
Technologies to other companies in the market. This requires proper officials from the company (Who
work on partnerships, alliances, and front-end sales) to target potential clients and seal the deal. These
could be divided into software-based teams, division-based teams or any other that the company deems
fit. In almost all these companies, the salespeople are under the payroll of the firm.

Thus, it is ideal that you read up on the industry and company-specific norms before you head there.

Sales Terminologies

 ABC – “Always Be Closing” is defined as a sales strategy behind the idea that a sales representative’s
primary aim at every stage of the sales process should be to close the sale.
 Channel Partner – This is often a person or an organization that offers products and services on behalf
of another entity who primarily produces the goods and services. The partner is often maintained with
the company via a co-branding arrangement.
 Churn Rate – It is described as the proportion of customers that discontinues purchase of a product or
service, measured within a specified period of time.
 Cross-Selling – This is when a customer purchases a product and they are offered a second product
(often complementary or within the same segment) at a discount or as a reward, often to increase sales
or develop good relations with the customer.
 Customer Acquisition Cost – It is defined as the cost that is involved in acquiring a new client who
purchases the product or service.
 Customer Relationship Management – It is defined as a system or a set of practices (with the aid of
technology) that is used to manage and analyse customer purchase data with the aim of improving
engagement and as a result, increase revenue.
 Key Account Executive – Sales manager who is responsible for handling “high value” clients that are
critical to the growth of the business. The manager has the objective of ensuring that the company is the
sole supplier to these key accounts and to maintain good customer relationships with the said client.
 Customer Lifetime Value – This is defined as the total value of a particular customer in terms of the
revenue they add before they churn.
 Upselling – It is defined as a technique in which a seller showcases a more expensive or an upgraded
product in an attempt to increase the average order value.

The Order Taking Process

Order taking is one of the most crucial components in sales. For most FMCG and Pharma products, the
salesmen usually go to take the orders, except in Key Account Management (Stores like D-Mart or Food
world).

The areas to be covered by the salesmen are provided by the company. Usually, these routes and areas
are called “Beats” in traditional distribution companies. The DBSM goes on these beats as recommended.
They are expected to visit and convert a minimum number of stores every day and to ensure that, some

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 companies tie their incentives to these successful sales made.

The order taking process starts with meetings at the Warehouses or DBs in the morning post which the
salesmen set out to the shops to take the orders. Personal Device Assistants are given to each salesman
to record their orders and keep track of the stores.

Retail Environments

• Most companies classify their retail and wholesale into different environments
• Each class of stores is divided either by type or by volume/value sales
• Types: Medical Stores, Bakeries, Low-End kiranas, High-End Supermarkets, Foods,
HardwareStores etc.
• Volume/Value: Platinum, Gold, Silver (In decreasing order of sales)

Typically, in most firms, the retail environments are split to set better targets and place the right products
in the right shelves to promote better off-take. For example, Pedigree, which is a product of Mars and
Wrigley will be found in supermarkets, medical stores, hypermarkets, etc. You will not find them in
small Kirana stores or tea shops as the customer's purpose is not to go there for a Pedigree. Thus, retail
environments if defined properly can help promote sales and coverage.
Another important concept is to understand the difference between Universe and Coverage for a firm.
Let us take Perfetti Van Melle India for example. Happydent and Center Fresh are products you find in
many stores. However, the universe of available stores where PVMI products could be 12 million in
India. However, the company directly distributes to at least 2.5 million stores and the products are
available in about 4 million stores. Thus, the universe of stores here is 12 million but the coverage of the
company is 4 million which is about 33%. Many companies will be satisfied with even 15% and some
may feel that 50% is too less. Thus, it purely depends on the product and the company’s expectations
based on consumer’s demand for their products.

Margins

Companies need to get their products to the market through intermediaries. No one would do this for
free. Thus, the company provides them a % of the sales as margin which is the income for the channel
partner. There are usually 2 ways of calculating it:

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It is up to the company to decide which method they are going to follow. However, it is very important
to realize – Lesser the intermediaries; better the overall margins. Thus, a company naturally makes
more profits in directly selling goods. This is why IT products have a higher contribution margin
than FMCG products in general.

Modern Trade v/s Traditional Trade

Modern Trade also referred to as organized retail involves a more organized and coordinated approach
to distribution and logistics management. It includes large players such as supermarket chains,
hypermarkets, mini-supermarkets and other retail businesses that deal with fast-moving consumer goods.
This channel has been growing very rapidly in the increasingly urbanized India.

Traditional trade is an associated network of small retailers, dealers, stockists, wholesalers, distributors,
open markets, kiosks, and street vendors. Traditional trade builds on inter-personal relations between the
customers and retailers, the majority of people in India still buy their groceries and other household
goods from these outlets.

The main difference between traditional trade and modern trade is that distribution in modern trade is
more organized. Retailers often deal directly with manufacturers. Many large retail chains have
integrated their services to offer their own brands in groceries and other goods. Reliance Fresh, Future
Group, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Shoppers Stop all have a host of their own brands.

Here is a comparison chart to help you understand the contrasting aspects of both forms of trade.

Comparison Traditional Trade Modern Trade

Basis

Definition Small dealers, stores, Large retail chains,

kiosks, etc. supermarket chains,
Etc.
Customer Retailer picks out Customers can walk
Interaction products and gives the around, evaluate with
customer other products and
choose accordingly
Lead Time Short and Direct Structured
Economies Goods are sold at Purchases can be
of Scale MRP driven by promotional
discounts that are
absorbed by retailers.
On-Time Lower Focus Higher Focus
Deliveries
Order Orders placed based Orders placed in
on current stocks advance according to
plans to meet
promotional demands

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New Channels of Trade

E-commerce or electronic commerce refers to dealing in goods and services through the electronic
media and internet. E-commerce or E-business involves carrying on a business with the help of the
internet and relates to a website of a vendor selling or providing services directly from its portal to the
customers. The e-commerce industry helps in reducing costs in managing orders while also interacting
with a wide range of suppliers and trading partners.

E-Commerce can be either multi-product (providing almost all categories of goods and services under
one roof, targeting customers of all possible products and services, such as Amazon or Flipkart) or even
single product. The types of E-commerce depend upon the parties between which the exchange of goods
or services is taking place and can be classified as follows:

Business to Business or B2B - Eg AliBaba, Udaan, IndiaMart

Business to Consumer or B2C - Eg Myntra, Nykaa
Consumer to Consumer or C2C - OLX, AirBnB
Consumer to Business or C2B - Shutterstock, eBay

E-commerce marketing pertains to activities which create awareness about your e-commerce store, drive
traffic to it, and further convert visitors into paying customers. Marketers adopt a mix of several
strategies to make this happen.

Another emerging sales channel in e-commerce is Direct-to-Consumer or D2C. D2C companies

manufacture and ship their products directly to buyers without relying on traditional stores or other
middlemen. This allows D2C companies to sell their products at lower costs than traditional consumer
brands, and to maintain end-to-end control over the making, marketing, and distribution of products.

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Business to Business Segment (B2B) – Sales

As you have seen in the previous section B2B Marketing is related to letting the institutional buyer know
about your product and positioning yourself as one of the solution providers.
Today B2B Marketing in Technology space happens with grand launch of the products and the
companies leverage the social media and digital platforms for the launch. Technology fairs, summits,
and exhibitions are some of the traditional ways the B2B companies have launched and infirmed about
the latest product or services. Another example of B2B Business would be Amazon for Business, where
Amazon sells bulk quantities to offices and stores at a much better price. You will also learn about
influencer marketing in B2B Space ahead in this dossier, that has gained momentum in the past 2 years.

Some of the companies take the B2C route of advertising their product so as to take the bargaining
product from the hands of OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer), in the late 1990’s Intel’s
management understood that the OEM’s (Like of Microsoft/Dell/HP) are having more bargaining power
for choosing their Integrated Circuits (or chips as we say in ordinary terms) the company decided to
influence the consumer of the product through the advertisements “Intel Inside”, which marked the
revolution of B2B marketing space and now we all know how successful Intel is with their processors

Some of the companies that visit the campus hire for the B2B Sales or Solution consultant. No matter
which background you belong to, understanding that it is about selling and providing a tailor-made solution
to the customer as well as consumer is important. (no one size fits all).

Before starting with sales processes of some B2B Companies understand that most of the big B2B
companies work with channels to distribute and expand their business geographically and to tap on the
reach of local channels and their resources. While this is true for most of the big companies (Google,
Microsoft, Siemens, Cisco), the smaller businesses like selling CRM tool, an accounting software,
software companies delivering tailor made projects, take the direct to customer routes. Also, the sales
pertaining to B2B is largely dependent upon how knowledgeable is you front line salespersons, because
majority of the B2B Sales are technology related for businesses, and right communication and solution
selling is the core values of B2B Salesperson

B2B Sales Processes

A company is into Electronic/Electric product manufacturing which is not the final finished product but
will be used as an important component in a bigger machine or a turnkey solution (Example: Electric
Motor, Microcontroller)

To start their sales, they will first hunt for their customers it could be a Manufacturer who produces
Elevators which needs a motor in every Elevator they make and also need of Microcontroller (Imagine
how that Elevator of NMIMS works with click of buttons).

The product could be demanded by a System Integrator (SI): (SI Integrates different parts from different
suppliers and create a working machine Example: a local computer assembler as we have seen in the pre-
laptopera, similar there are SI’s who use Motors and Microcontroller to make a working machine)

So here we get segmentation of customers: Factories & SI’s. The company will then map these types of
customers across the geography and assign relevant Sales Engineers or Executives. These salespersons
will then meet the customer understand their requirement, both technically and commercially and design
a solution from the range of products in their offerings.

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 Needless to say, this is just a glimpse of a very simple sales process of a B2B Company, the most
complex part in B2B selling is designing the exact solutions or the mix of products for their customers,
since established companies have products for everyone starting from low end to big end (Consider
Honda City is priced range from 9 Lakh to 18 lakhs) similarly B2B company sales Executives need to be
thoroughly knowledgeable about company’s offerings and well sound to understand their customer’s
needs, wants and demands.

There are companies visiting campus who provide cloud sales and solution roles, please read more about
cloud sales and solutions (Refer Gartner, Forrester Research Reports).

The company depending upon their internal policies may go ahead with direct selling or go through the
channel.

The Main criteria to go through the channel is based upon

1) Is there only selling involved or customer needs some add on services too?
2) Will the logistics be a concern?
3) Most Important: Credit-worthiness of the end customer.

Introduction to Product Management

What is a product?

Product in itself is so ambiguous that it could be anything. The keyboard I used to type this or the device
you are using right now to read this or even apps like Bumble, Tinder or Zomato is a product. We are
just surrounded by products. However, it is not necessary that a product manager is in charge of the entire
product.

For example: When you use Instagram, you are using a multitude of different features. The reels section
is a product, the like, share, and save buttons are 3 different products, direct messaging and commenting
are products. Different product managers work on these different features.

A product manager at a company could be in charge of an app on the android platform and another one
could be a product manager of the iOS platform.

Having introduced the word Product Manager above, let's first understand what Product Management
is:

Product management is an organizational function that guides every step of a product’s lifecycle — from
development to positioning and pricing — by focusing on the product and its customers first and foremost.
Product management is a varied, dynamic field that significantly impacts organizations and their
stakeholders. The product development team focuses mainly on executing the product life cycle:
Introduction, Growth, Maturity, Decline (Revision done, you are welcome!).

Now let us figure out the role we would be applying for – Product Managers. A product manager (PMs)
connects business strategy, design knowledge, and customer needs in order to develop a product that is
relevant, feasible, and valuable. PMs are focused on optimizing a product to achieve the business goals
and user necessities while maximizing return on investment. They combine user-focus, business savvy,
and tech expertise to create strong product outcomes.

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The fundamental success measure of a product manager, regardless of the industry, is the ability to
understand, perceive, and capture the users’ problems. A great product manager will see the end-user
perspectives and deliver the most feasible solutions for them. The success of a PM depends a lot on the
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics.

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 New Age Marketing Techniques

1) Cause Marketing: Cause marketing is a marketing technique that involves partnering with a charitable
organization to promote a particular product or service. The goal is to create a mutually beneficial
relationship between the company and the charity organization, where the company benefits from
associating with a cause, and the charity organization benefits from increased exposure and donations.

For example, the shoe company Toms is well-known for its "One for One" campaign, in which it donates
a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased. This campaign has helped in
differentiating Toms from other shoe companies and has been highly effective in generating brand loyalty
among socially conscious consumers.

2) Guerrilla Marketing: Guerrilla marketing is a marketing technique that uses unconventional methods to
promote a product or service. It involves using low-cost or no-cost tactics such as graffiti, street
performances, flash mobs, and other creative means to reach a target audience.

One famous example of guerrilla marketing is the "Red Bull Stratos" campaign, in which Austrian skydiver
Felix Baumgartner jumped from a helium balloon in the stratosphere back in 2012. Red Bull, a brand
known for its energy drinks, sponsored the event and used it as an opportunity to promote its brand message
of "giving wings" to people.

3) Ambush Marketing: Ambush marketing is a marketing technique that involves associating a brand with
an event, without actually being an official sponsor. The goal is to leverage the event's popularity and create
brand awareness without paying the high sponsorship fees associated with being an official sponsor.

One famous example of ambush marketing is Nike's "Ambush" campaign during the 2018 World Cup, in
which it created ads featuring soccer stars such as Neymar Jr. and Cristiano Ronaldo without being an
official sponsor of the tournament.

4) Meme Marketing: Meme marketing is a marketing technique that involves creating and sharing memes
to promote a product or service. Memes are typically humorous images or videos that spread rapidly on
social media platforms, making them an effective way to reach a large audience quickly.

One famous example of meme marketing is the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme, which was used by a variety
of brands such as IKEA and Netflix to promote their products and services.

5) Surrogate Marketing: Surrogate marketing is a marketing technique that involves promoting a product
or service indirectly, by advertising a different product or service that is related to the original product.
For example, a company might advertise a non-alcoholic beverage as a way to indirectly promote its
alcoholic beverage product. This technique is often used in industries with strict advertising regulations,
such as the tobacco and alcohol industries.

One famous example of surrogate marketing is Bacardi's "Music CDs" campaign, in which it promoted
music CDs instead of its alcoholic beverages to circumvent advertising restrictions in India.

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Performance Marketing

In today's digital age, companies are always looking for new and innovative ways to reach their target
audience and drive sales. One approach that has gained popularity in recent years is performance marketing.
This article explores what performance marketing is, how it works, and how companies can use it to drive
measurable results and return on investment (ROI).

What is Performance Marketing?

Performance marketing is a type of online advertising that focuses on driving specific actions, such as clicks,
leads, or sales. Rather than paying for impressions or clicks, performance marketing campaigns are typically
designed to pay only when a specific action is completed. This means that companies can track the
performance of their campaigns more closely and adjust them as needed to maximize their ROI.

How Does Performance Marketing Work?

Performance marketing campaigns can take many forms, including pay-per-click (PPC) ads, affiliate
marketing, and influencer marketing. In each case, the goal is to drive specific actions that align with the
company's business objectives. For example, a company might run a PPC campaign to drive traffic to a
landing page, an affiliate marketing campaign to drive sales through partner websites, or an influencer
marketing campaign to raise brand awareness among a specific audience.

Benefits of Performance Marketing

 Measurable Results: Because performance marketing campaigns are designed to track specific
actions, companies can measure the effectiveness of their campaigns more precisely than with
traditional marketing approaches.
 Greater ROI: By focusing on specific actions and targeting the right audience, performance
marketing campaigns can be more cost-effective than traditional marketing approaches.
 Increased Flexibility: Performance marketing campaigns can be adjusted in real-time based on
performance data, allowing companies to optimize their campaigns for maximum ROI.
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  Better Targeting: By targeting specific audiences with personalized messaging and offers,
performance marketing can help companies reach their ideal customers more effectively.

Challenges of Performance Marketing

While performance marketing offers many benefits, there are also some challenges to consider. For example,
it can be difficult to identify the right target audience and craft compelling offers that motivate them to take
action. Additionally, measuring and analyzing campaign data can be time-consuming and complex.

POSM Under BTL: Boosting Sales through Targeted Promotions

In the world of marketing, companies are always looking for ways to attract customers and increase sales.
One popular approach is to use point of sale materials (POSM) as part of a below the line (BTL) marketing
strategy. This article explores the benefits and challenges of using POSM under BTL and offers some tips
for effective implementation.

What is POSM?

POSM refers to a variety of promotional tools used to attract customers at the point of sale, such as banners,
posters, stickers, and displays. The goal of POSM is to grab the attention of customers and encourage them
to make a purchase. Effective POSM can differentiate a brand from its competitors, reinforce brand
messaging, and improve the overall customer experience.

Why Combine POSM with BTL?

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When used together, POSM and BTL can be a powerful combination for boosting sales and building
customer loyalty. POSM can help BTL campaigns stand out by providing eye-catching visuals and tactile
experiences that engage customers at the point of sale. BTL, on the other hand, can drive traffic to the point
of sale and provide a platform for personalized communication with customers.

Challenges of POSM under BTL

While POSM under BTL can be effective, there are some challenges to consider. First, it can be difficult to
coordinate and execute a POSM campaign across multiple stores or locations. Each store may have different
needs or limitations, such as limited space or strict brand guidelines. Second, POSM campaigns can be
expensive to produce and distribute, especially if they involve custom designs or materials. Finally, it can be
challenging to measure the effectiveness of POSM campaigns, as it may be difficult to track how many sales
were directly influenced by the POSM.

Tips for Effective Implementation

Despite these challenges, POSM under BTL can be an effective strategy if implemented correctly. Here are
some tips for success:

 Set clear goals and metrics: Before launching a POSM campaign, it's important to define what
you hope to achieve and how you will measure success. For example, you may want to increase
sales of a particular product or drive traffic to a specific store.
 Customize POSM to each location: To maximize the impact of POSM, it's important to tailor the
designs and materials to each store or location. Consider factors such as store layout, customer
demographics, and local regulations when designing the POSM.
 Leverage technology: Technology can be a powerful tool for coordinating and executing POSM
campaigns across multiple locations. Consider using digital signage, mobile apps, or cloud-based
platforms to streamline the production and distribution of POSM.
 Track and analyse data: To measure the effectiveness of a POSM campaign, it's important to
track and analyse data such as sales figures, customer feedback, and social media engagement.
Use this data to refine your POSM strategy and improve future campaigns.

POSM under BTL can be a valuable strategy for companies looking to boost sales and build customer
loyalty. By combining eye-catching visuals and personalized communication, POSM and BTL can create a
memorable customer experience that drives results. However, it's important to consider the challenges and
implement best practices to ensure success. With careful planning and execution, POSM under BTL can
help companies differentiate themselves from competitors and build stronger relationships with their
customers. As technology continues to evolve, there are more opportunities than ever to use POSM and BTL
together to create engaging and impactful campaigns. By embracing the latest technologies and using data to
guide decision-making, companies can create POSM campaigns that are tailored to each location and
customer. With a strong POSM strategy in place, companies can increase sales, build brand awareness, and
foster long-term customer loyalty.

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Rural Marketing

The rural market is vastly different from the urban market owing to differences in income, infrastructure,
consumption, and facilities.

Here are some of the strategies that can be applied for the rural markets:

 Modifying product design to make the product specifically convenient for the rural population
 Offering competitive pricing and discounts to deliver maximum value for money
 Introducing smaller SKUs
 Increasing utility over fancy features to improve attractiveness to rural market
 Adaptive brand building according to audiences’ taste and preferences

Examples:
1) LG introduced Sampoorna TV, which had on screen display options for volume, channel, mute in
regional languages. Within the first year of launch, around 1 lakh TV sets were sold.
2) TATA Steel branded their products as “TATA Shaktee” in order to connect with rural audience and
improve top of the mind recall.
3) CavinKare introduced 4ml sachets of Chik shampoo priced at 50 paisa each at a time when other
shampoos were sold in Rs.2 packs.

Promotional strategies

 Mass media like television, radio, films, newspapers & in local magazines
 Rural specific media like audio vans, posters, and pamphlets
 Door to door selling through trained salesmen/locals
 Outdoor campaigns with billboards, painted walls
 Entertainment programs like folk dance, street play, and puppet shows
 Mobile publicity vans with short film screening capacity
 Utilising the opinion leader Village head or any other respected person in the village) as a promoter.
 Word of mouth promotion facilitated through referral schemes
 Product demonstration & free sample distribution in public

Examples:
1) Asian Paints promoted the Utsav paint category by painting the Mukhiya/post office of a village 6
months before the launch and organizing painters’ meet in the villages.
2) HDFC Festive treats where rural and semi urban consumers will be able to avail offers specially created
for them, like discounted processing fees for loans, reduced EMIs, and discounts on 1000+ brands.
3) Dabur Pudinhara set up a 22ft tall Pudinhara bottle along with Thandak zone in Nauchandi mela (Mass
festival)

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Memorable Marketing Campaigns

To truly understand how to create original campaigns it is important to study the campaigns that have
taken the world by storm in the past. With technology's evolution in recent years, there have always
been new ways for marketers to grab attention, forge relationships and create brands that will live
forever. These campaigns are all very unique and are here to show you the potential of what can be
done with the right knowledge and tools. Below are a few memorable campaigns from different
organizations all using unique strategies that have taken their companies to the top.

1) Swiggy - Why is this a Swiggy ad?

Swiggy launched a seemingly random ad that featured a few references to the company but didn’t
seem to be promoting anything in particular. That’s because the campaign wasn’t focused on telling
the consumer anything specific but used the campaign as a tool for the brand to connect with the
consumer! Click on the link below to read more about the campaign!
Link: Swiggy Case Analysis

2) Heineken - The Closer

Heineken has always been a company that has been known to push the limits of marketing and has
always been an exciting brand to watch from a marketing standpoint. The Closer is one of their recent
campaigns that focused on a hot topic in today’s corporate world, ‘Work-Life Balance’. Heineken
even created a bottle-opener that would turn off your work devices as soon as you opened a Heineken!
Take a look at how Heineken truly connected to their audience on the link below!
Link: Heineken - The Closer Website

3) Dumb Ways to Die - Metro Australia

Marketing doesn’t always have to be used to generate revenue, it is also a very powerful tool to
generate change in society! This campaign from Metro Australia is a great example of how to create
something viral for a good cause and shows us how using multiple channels can ensure the greatest
reach.
Link: Dumb Ways To Die: Case Study

4) Smile - Movie Advertising

Although Guerilla Marketing has been around for a while, it is still a relatively new marketing
technique that can be very effective. The release campaign for Horror-Movie Smile, was a great
example of how effective guerilla marketing can be. Click on the link below to read more about the
strategy.
Link: Smile Movie Advertising Article

5) Red Bull - Red Bull’s Marketing Strategy

When it comes to marketing there are very few companies that can compete with Red Bull, and this
strategy of putting the brand first and working on associations is something that has been perfected
by Red Bull. The video below does a great job of sketching out how exactly the company has built
the great brand and amassed an even greater following.
Link: Red Bull Case Study

These five campaigns are only the tip of the iceberg and there are way too many great campaigns out
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 there and a lot more resources for you to explore for more knowledge.

We are also attaching some marketing campaigns and other associated trends. Do give them a check,
might give you more than a few talking points for interviews and you can also use them as a guide
for idea generation!

For more knowledge on the subject of marketing, do visit our annual marketing magazine Buzz.
Themagazine this year featured interesting takes on topics like the metaverse, the paradox of
personalization, the era of crypto, product placement, and disruptive marketing. Happy reading!

http://notjustmarketing.in/buzz/

Last year's edition of Buzz featured articles that spoke about some developments in the world of marketing along
with a treasure trove of knowledge on some very important topics in the world of marketing!

Marketing News – Links

1) Brand Equity: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing - Indian market focused

source of marketing news and insights covering the latest trends, campaigns, and events across a variety
of industries.
2) American Marketing Association: https://www.ama.org/ - A professional organization for marketers
providing thought leadership, education, and networking opportunities.
3) Marketing Week: https://www.marketingweek.com/ - UK-based marketing publication covering the latest
news, trends, and strategies in the industry.
4) AdAge: https://adage.com/ - Leading source of global marketing and advertising news, analysis, and data.
5) Afaqs: https://www.afaqs.com/ - Indian marketing and advertising news site covering the latest
campaigns, trends, and events.
6) Marketing Dive: https://www.marketingdive.com/ - Daily newsletter covering the latest news and trends
across the marketing industry.
7) Social Media Today: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/ - News and insights focused on social media
and digital marketing strategies and trends.
8) Campaign Live: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/ - UK-based publication covering the latest news and
campaigns in advertising, media, and marketing.
9) The Drum: https://www.thedrum.com/ - Global marketing publication covering the latest news, trends,
and insights in the industry.
10) Forbes Marketing: https://www.forbes.com/marketing/ - Section of the Forbes website dedicated to
marketing news and insights.

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 FAQs in Interviews

This section is a compilation of commonly asked interview questions related to Marketing. This is not
exhaustive but will provide you with a good framework to workaround

1) Why choose marketing after ?

2) What Marketing Concepts have you learnt in your short stint as an MBA student so far?
3) Difference between Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning and why is the order S-T-P necessary?
4) What are 4Ps/7Ps and who developed them?
5) What are the steps taken to launch a new product in the market?
6) What do you know about marketing research? What are the different steps involved?
7) What is your favourite brand and why?
8) Which is the best commercial you have seen recently? Which is the worst?
9) Are you open to working in sales for a longer time? / If given a choice, will you pick sales or marketing?
Justify. (This one is very common and needs to be as natural as it gets)
10) You have been allotted a new city by your company for Business Development. How will you go about
generating leads?
11) How will you convince a distributor or stockist to stock our products if they are new in the market and
priced higher than competing products?
12) Create a BCG Matrix for our company portfolio
13) How will you go about increasing sales of a product in an entirely new region of operation?
14) Keeping spends to a minimum, how will you go about creating awareness for a new product launch?
15) Explain what do you know about Digital Marketing and what changes it has brought about?
16) Explain the various metrics involved with Digital Marketing (Impressions, PPC, Reach, etc.)
17) How does marketing differ in the organized sector versus the unorganized sector?
18) Particularly to India, which one would you say is more important, Sales or Marketing?
19) Devise a suitable Promotion mix for our company
20) Who would you guess are our biggest competitors and why? How can we differentiate ourselves
from them?
21) What is the difference between B2B and B2C Sales? Which one are you more intrigued by?
22) What according to you are some of the limitations of online marketing?
23) What is the difference between service marketing and product marketing?
24) How would you respond to negative reviews and comments about our brand online?
25) How would you decide fund allocation between traditional and digital marketing based on our product?
26) What do you know about branding and what are the different brand elements?
27) Devise a rural marketing strategy for {FMCG company name}.
28) What is your understanding of the target audience for {industry} products, and how do you ensure that
your marketing campaigns are effective for this audience?
29) How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and consumer behaviour in the industry? With the help
of an example explain how you would incorporate this information in the marketing strategies?
30) What potential challenges do you foresee in marketing {industry} products? How would you overcome
them?

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31) Define success metrics for a marketing campaign for {industry}.

This section contains some of the commonly asked behavioral interview questions. Kindly note that questions
merely give a flavour. It is advisable to look up more of these questions online.

1) Tell me about a time you had a deadline that was next to impossible to meet. How did go about it?
2) Tell me about a time you had to jointly work with someone whose working style was vastly different from
yours. How did you collaborate?
3) What is your proudest accomplishment and why?
4) Tell me about a mistake you made? How did you rectify it?
5) Have you had to pitch an idea to a senior leader at work/authorities at college? What was the outcome?
6) Tell me about a time you handled a stressful situation when you were under a lot of pressure.
7) Tell me about a time when you overcame a conflict at work.

Some tips to handle these questions:

1) Avoid using generic statements such as “I am hard working, diligent etc.”, “I never miss deadlines”.
2) Make a list of instances that stand out in your work, college journey. Highlight these in your interview
and make sure to speak about the impact created than the details.
3) Use the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) wherever possible. It will highlight
that you have structured thought process.
4) Practice answering questions out loud. This will help you answer questions confidently and crisply
during the actual interview.
5) Last but not the least, be absolutely honest (Trust me, the interviewers will see right through you).

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 Cases

Some companies also chalk out small cases or rather caselets for discussion either in the GD round or
during the Interview. Here are a few examples.

1) ABC Ltd is a successful company selling toiletries in the USA. They are looking to expand their
geographical reach and have shortlisted India as a lucrative market. Chalk out a Go to Market Strategy
for ABC Ltd to enter the Indian market.

2) The company you work for is the current market leader in the telecom industry. A competitor, a legacy
player with deep pockets has recentlydecided to venture into this ever-growing industry and has launched
certain disruptive offers. How will you react?

3) You are in charge of extending the product lines for C&T which is a beverage company that produces
in-house brands of Coffee and Tea. What things will you take into consideration before you arrive at a
decision?

4) You are heading strategy for XYZ ltd. which is a household name in the apparel industry. With the digital
disruption the country has witnessed over the last few years, you are tasked with charting a way ahead
for XYZ. Evaluate your options and suggest a suitable medium-term (3-5 years) growth strategy.

5) Company X, a leading player in the Toy industry has been showing declining sales for the past 4 quarters
despite strong industry growth. You have been hired to identify the potential root cause for the same.
Describe the approach you will take.

6) You are the VP, Sales of a Multi-Brand Fashion Retail company ABC. Your company has grown to be
the leader in sales in all Tier 1 cities but has not managed to get a grasp of the lower tier zones. Chart out
a strategy that could help you increase the scope of your business.

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Comments

Time to wrap up the dossier, folks. We had a great time creating and curating it, hope you had a good
time while going through it. We presume you are a better marketer now. The concepts in the dossier will
be helpful not only for the summers but for your academic projects and case studies as well.

In case you have any doubts, feel free to mail us. We would also love to have some feedback on the
topics that can be covered or skipped. Do share your thoughts here - njm@nmims.edu.in.

We wish you all the very best for your Summers. Keep reading and keep learning.
Build a great foundation for your Marketing career ahead.

From NjM,
With Love

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