1. 10 Most Important Things I have learnt in my Marketing Career Rohit VarmaAsian Institute of Communication & Research, Neral 18.12.09

2. a.k.a.10 things they never teach you about marketing at an MBA School !

3. My Marketing assignments to dateMarket research industrialSales industrialNew business developmentConsumer sales & marketingConsumer salesProduct DevelopmentMarketing Information SystemBrand ManagementHead of MarketingDigital MarketingMarketing consultingMarketing Prof. (visiting !) ? Excludes the non-marketing non-sales assignments non- non-

4. My Marketing assignments to dateHoechst IndiaMarket research industrialSales industrialNew business developmentConsumer sales & marketingVST IndustriesConsumer salesProduct developmentMarketing information systemBrand managementRediff.comHead of Marketing- advertising, PR, BTL, market research, Mkt. Info systemAptech LimitedDigital marketingMarketing consulting

5. Which are your favouritemarketing success stories ?

6. What is marketing ?

7. Marketing is the art & science of meeting customer needs

8. Marketing is the art & science of meeting customer needs, profitably

9. Marketing management is the art & science of meeting customer needs, profitably

10. 1. Marketing is not well understoodNot many people understand it : the fieldhas changed, 4P, 3A, 4 C ?More companies in India today are sales- sales-led, finance-led, production-led etc. & finance- production-not marketing-led marketing-

11. 1A. Marketing is not a profession In India, and probably elsewhere, marketing is usually seen as a practise, practise, not a profession This is not the fate of even direct marketers, ad guys, market researchers, et al !

12. 2. Experience is the best teacher 10,000 hrs of experience needed for mastery : Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers Outliers Take up jobs which make you work hard A field stint is critical Need to experience all aspects viz. sales, customer care, brand management, market research, advertising, industrial sales, PR : doesnt matter where you start

13. 2. Experience is the best teacher These jobs will particularly help you appreciate marketing : - consumer marketing - customer facing - any competitive industry - digital - entrepreneurship If you want marketing, avoid B2B / industrial companies early on

14. 2. Experience is the best teacher Advertising is best learnt in jobs which allow you to spend (lots of) money

15. 3. The three most important questions in marketingThe 3 most important questions inmarketing, nay in business are :1. Who is the customer ?2. What does he/she value ?3. What do you have that is of value to him/ her ?

16. 3. The three most important questions in marketingThe most important Ps are People andProducts :Products should be deemed valuable for aset of People

17. 4. Marketing is becoming more of a team sport Most organizations moving from products to service Entire organization involved in delivering the service : multiple touchpoints important Marketing person has to orchestrate a happy experience Not longer (even if it ever was) mainly about advertising & communication

18. 5. Marketing people are best poised to deliver growthBuild and grow marketsGrow market shareGrow share by volume and value

19. 6. Study the most admired brandsMake history your teacher, learn frommost admired brandsBrands were not built in a dayStudy Indian brands !

20. 7. Digital will make advertising free The best advertising is free or low cost e.g. websites with organic search, social media, YouTube, search Consumers are avoiding media or advertising Consumers are creating their own news / content Consumers content is more trusted than ads

21. 8. What you are is more important than what you sayWorld moving towards radicaltransparency : what you are is moreimportant than what you say

22. 9. Do goodUse your talents for the public good :- 43 million Micro, Small & MediumEnterprises- Non-profit Non-

23. 10. Market yourselfKnow whats different about itPut that uniqueness up online

24. Marketing is changingWont be simply to focus on outbound messaging but toconsult with sales, customer service, and humanresources on how the brand must be communicated inevery consumer interaction, every tweet, and everytouchpoint.Wont be merely to imagine creative messages but tofashion programs that are seamless with the actualproduct and service experience.Wont be to plan bursts of communication on a yearlongcalendar but to respond to and be part of the ever- ever-changing dialogue with consumers.Wont be to count friends, page visits, eyeballs, readers,or viewers but to measure changes in consumer attitudeand intent.Wont be merely to talk at consumers but to listen andengage one to one.Wont be to build campaigns but relationships.Wont be to create impressions but experiences, andWont be to buy media but to earn it.

25. Marketing is changingTo some of you, these changes sound easy, but they represent painfultransitions for marketing organizations.In 2010 and the years that follow, everything will change: jobexpectations, skills, metrics, structure, budgets, agency demands andcompensation, and the role of the marketing function within theorganization.While the changes will be difficult, they will also be extraordinarilyexciting. In the end, the marketing organization will be integral partnersin everything the enterprise does, living up to Peter Druckers famousquote:"Business has only two basic functions -- marketing and innovation."Marketing is dead. Long live marketing!Social Media Today blog, in the post 2010 : The Year Marketing Dies

26. Why is the Internet important ? It (alone) has reach and richness Reach : Internet reaches ~ 2 billion people Richness : A combination of - bandwidth - interactivity - customizationThis has profound implications !

27. What is the difference between ? FMCG and non-FMCG non- Consumer and industrial Product and service Consumer technology & non-consumer non- technology categories Public & private sector Profit and non-profit non- Whether you run a business or dont run a business how is it like to work in these companies

28. Rohit Varma rohit@interskale.inhttp://marketerskaleidoscope.com twitter.com/rohitvarma