Prem Kamath, Vice President, Marketing & Communication

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Prem Kamath, Vice President, Marketing & Communication, Star India agrees wholeheartedly and says that Star India has three different agencies for its various brands viz. O&M for Star Plus and Star Gold; JWT for Star One and Star Movies and even an on-site agency Bettercom to handle their BTL communication activities. “We (Star India) draw up our own communication strategy, do research and draw conclusions. Then agencies are called in and told – this is my communication plan – now give me a script to match this. And if you don’t give me a good script, I’ll simply ask another person to write me a script,” he explains, adding that having multiple agencies exacerbates the need to concentrate a majority of the communication strategy planning at the corporate HQs itself.

But if agencies are simply shops for churning out advertisements (for awards or otherwise!) - as they are now, sooner or later they are gonna be hit because declining advertising effectiveness, media clutter and changing consumer habits (thanks to disruptive technologies such as the Internet and TiVo), will make mass-media advertising redundant. This is already happening and is reflected in the fact that clients and their marketers have started taking more ownership of brand communication strategies.

In fact, over the last few years, most of the real, cutting-edge stuff – Surf, Idea, Airtel, Vodafone, Lead India, ICICI Prudential, Cadbury, Perfetti, Coke, Pepsi, et al – have come from a solid collaboration with the client, concurs BBDO’s Exec. Chairman, Josy Paul, “Ask Balki, Aggi, Prasoon or Piyush and they’ll all agree that marketing teams of these brands have contributed up-front, shown imagination and intelligence to make a difference.” Reliance Communication, one of the fastest-growing telcos in India and therefore understandably one of the largest advertisers is riding a similar horse. With three agencies on its panel – Mudra, Leo Burnett and Cartwheel, Sanjay Behl – Reliance Communications’ branding chief stresses that “more creative ideas emanating from multiple perspectives of different creative teams gives (them) a huge flexibility to choose the best rather than settle for the ordinary.” He admits that multiple agencies “raise the bar on creative quality.” In fact, sources in RCOM admit that nearly 80% of the advertising brief is now strategised by the in-house marketing team, while agencies work on just the balance 20%, read: executing the client brief. Admits Mahesh Chauhan, the strapping President of Rediffusion, “The agency game has not really evolved in India. We’ve become mere vendors of creative wares.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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In’grain’ed forever

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Move over equity markets, the era of commodity exchanges has just about begun in India, says Joseph Massey, CEO, MCX

In an exclusive interaction with 4Ps B&M, Joseph Massey, MD and CEO of MCX, talks about the past, present and future strategies of this commodity exchange. Excerpts:

4Ps B&M: What are the most popular commodities being traded by the Indians these days?
JM: There are whole lot of non-agri commodities like Gold, Silver, Copper, Crude Oil, zinc, etc. and agricultural commodities like Cardamom, Pepper, Ref. Soyoil, etc. that are most popular commodities being traded.

4Ps B&M: An IPO is due shortly. What preparations are on?
JM: Strengthening the processes, improving transparency, efforts to identify benchmark industry practices and following them are the major activities that are being undertaken by the exchange to cater to both the pre-and post-IPO requirements as this would remain the first issues of IPO by the company.

4Ps B&M: How have you cornered 75% of the comex pie?
JM: Our first challenge was to identify the right talent and make strategic tie ups to undo the 40 years of unlearning. So training was strategy number one. Secondly, we educated end users about micro details via intensive education for intermediaries, at management and agri business colleges. Then, of course we had the technology advantage as provided by our parent Financial Technologies, which specialises in applying technology to and establishing market places.

4Ps B&M: How has MCX’s timings (the exchange closes just before midnight) helped it to link with international markets?
JM: These commodities are global, so we decided to give prices for longer hours. We extended timings to gain European and US time advantage. Besides, we thought that actual users of size are going abroad, but SMEs are not following for lack of money or intermediaries. So we cross listed products on global exchanges that gave global efficiencies in the local market.

4Ps B&M: Are these exchanges actually benefiting farmers?
JM: Almost every farmer in the country is benefiting. If you make a good road in a village, every farmer benefits, though not all farmers drive cars. Knowing future prices in advance, benefits farmers both directly and indirectly. The farmer may still go to his traditional selling agent, but now he knows the price four months from now and bargains better. Second, post futures, it does not matter which villager is going to which intermediary but all these markets were acting as homogenous market, all aligned to a national price. This is a huge indirect benefit.

4Ps B&M: What’s the potential that you foresee?
JM: MCX and its intermediaries have invested about Rs.5,000 crore in building the marketplace. Our target is that in this new industry, 5 years from now, close to a million jobs can get created and almost Rs.25,000 crore of investment can be absorbed by this industry and its institutions. Exchanges globally are now moving from natural commodities and indices to synthetic instruments. MCX will trail a similar route.

4Ps B&M: Plans for retail investors?
JM: It has been statistically proven that when you introduce commodities in your portfolio, it gives better returns. Multiple options been given to the retail investor based on gold where they can come to futures market – invest in 1 kg gold, 100 gm bar or an 8 gm coin. But yes, they are not a significant percentage because the largest community on our platform is that of hedgers.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
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IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

RFID is conquering the last yard in retail

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RFID is streamlining inventory management & improving customer service for retailers the world over

Amit Mukherjee,
Group Chief Information Officer, RPG Enterprises

Retail is one of the largest industries in India, accounting for over 10% of the Indian GDP and more than 8% employment. Industry analysts say that it is on a high growth trajectory with a projected $453 billion potential by 2011(E), fuelled by the Government of India’s (GoI’s) increasing focus on achieving 9-10% growth in GDP, and the growing consumer income level and aspirations. With such a huge demand and an operations-intensive supply side, Indian retailers are gradually realising the power of technology as a key growth enabler. Retail organisations are leveraging information technology (IT) to reduce costs, improve performance, and create competitive advantage. A key technology player would be Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID), which is proliferating rapidly throughout the retail industry. This is also good news to the Indian software players as they can now look inwards for business. With a broader market for RFID & more software players with expertise, it is also becoming viable for small retail players as well.

The retail fever gripped India in 2000, but the automation process started only a couple of years back. The main reason for the technology laggardness was the lack of scale. The industry was very nascent, share of organised retail was a miniscule percentage of the total market base and the retailers were still experimenting. As the industry grew by leaps and bounds, the high performance companies started rethinking the fundamental business processes and strategies that can be enabled by RFID - and started using these to differentiate them in the marketplace by developing cost-effective and efficient supply chain applications and capabilities.

Major impact on supply chain can be created through RFID - automated devices can keep track of a product from distribution centre to the store. This enables adequate inventory management and advance planning so that demand can be met timely. Proper planning would ensure economies of scale while a product is being ordered, better tracking would mean better control of shrinkage and therefore result in a lot of savings, part of which can be transferred back to the consumer. So RFID will also have a positive impact on consumers, as well. No wonder, global retail giants like Wal-Mart focus so much on RFID technology and they had in fact implemented such technology some twenty years back.

Even though, RFID adoption in India is comparatively new but statistics show that India’s growth in organised retail has been much faster than in the other matured markets of US and Europe. As the Indian retail players grow and acquire scale in operation and as they wake up to the benefits of technology and become more and more savvy, we will see significant investments in RFID adoption. It is difficult to forecast accurately, but within five years, investment in RFID would be to the tune of Rs.50-100 crore.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
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Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000

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Technical Specification

Camera: 2MP (1600 x 1190); Zoom: 3X Digital Zoom; Microphone: Built-in Face tracing with CMOS Sensor; Viewing Angle: 71 degree.
PRICE: N.A.

With definite conviction, this gizmo is only for notebook users, and this is palpable from the spring loaded LCD clip on the back. Like any other product from Microsoft, this one is scratch-resistant and has a brushed metal finish; no wonder the Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 has enough to beckon the consumer. There’s more! And to protect the miniscule CMOS sensor from being drenched, the sensor has been placed behind a big piece of flat plastic. According to a Delhi based wholesaler, the gadget is, “Easy to handle and is brilliantly weather-resistant, all which makes this product different from those offered by rival Sony.”

Marketers’ delight: Easy to carry anywhere and its palpability will delight the customers.

Tester’s note: Pros – 2 Mp camera. CMOS sensor. Good protective casing and collapasible lens. Cons – Clasp restricts suitability to thinner notebooks. Frame rates drop at higher video resolution.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
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IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

?e? ?????µe t?? ap??t?s?!!!

Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!

Strapped for cash, fighting to breathe, Novartis seems to be hitting blind by investing valuable cash in M&As

The Bible has one of the first references to Quo Vadis, aka, “Where are you going?” A question the world seems to be asking of the Swiss drug behemoth, Novartis, quite pertinently. Sectorally, the global drug industry is anything but in good health; and Novartis seems to be trying hard to combat this losing battle by diversifying – the recent $39 billion acquisition of a 77% stake (25% now and 52% between 2010-2011) in the eye-care firm Alcon (from Nestlé) a leading case to point.

Danielle Vasella, Novartis Chairman and CEO, is pretty clear that he needs to find newer avenues for growth; and overt reliance on precociously radical pharmaceutical is not a remedy he can rely on. Digest this. In 2005, Vasella doled out $13 billion to buy out cheap generic German drugmakers Hexal and Eon Labs. And in year 2006, Vasella splashed out $5.7 billion to acquire US vaccine maker Chiron in a bid to enter global vaccines market. On the positive front, the global vaccine market is expected to touch $20 billion in 2009 (more than 100% increase over 2004). And creditably, even Novartis’ generic arm, Sandoz, is No. 2 worldwide.

So what’s right with the Alcon deal? It’s the leading player of the $25 billion eye care industry. Claudia Lenz, Bank Vontobel analyst, told B&E, “Alcon...will undoubtedly become a profitable source of growth for Novartis once it acquires the majority sometime in 2010 or 2011.” Novartis already has a massive hold on the global contact lens business; and with Alcon’s globally sold glaucoma drugs and cataract surgery products (double digit sales growth), the company will also help Novartis tap developing economies, where Alcon’s markets grew 21%.

So what’s wrong with the deal? “This acquisition removes the financial flexibility of Novartis to meaningfully address its structural problems as the company heads for a patent cliff in 2012,” asserts Karl Heinz Koch, leading pharma analyst at Bank Vontobel. Even Morgan Stanley forecasted that Novartis, in the next four years, will be facing generic competition to approximately one third of its revenue sources. Add to this the hitting Bear Sterns assessment that clearly downgraded the deal as rank expensive.

If diversification were Vasella’s paradigm, one wonders why last year he sold off the top performing Gerber Foods to, hold your breath, Nestlé itself (for $8 billion). It’s a predicament he’s yet to resolve, especially at a time when cash at Novartis is disappearing faster than Elvis left the building! Quo vadis Mr. Vasella?! We know what his grudging response (in Greek, of course) would have been, “?e? ?????µe t?? ap??t?s? [I don’t know the answer!]” Elvis fights on...

Priyanka Rajpal

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...