Annual Marketing Seminar of IIM Kozhikode, Synapse 2006, Achieves Resounding Success

Annual Marketing Seminar of IIM Kozhikode, Synapse 2006, Achieves Resounding Success

IIM Kozhikode organized the 2006 edition of its Annual Marketing Seminar, Synapse, at its scenic campus on August 19th & 20th. The seminar was a resounding success, with enthusiastic participation from industry and academia. The theme of the seminar was "Marketing Revelations: Through the Seer Stone"; topics discussed ranged from brand revival to international marketing to a riveting talk on the marketing of movies by Yash Raj Films.

ITC Ltd. was the Platinum Sponsor of the seminar, Business Standard the print media partner, and the online media partner was CoolAvenues.com.

"In India for every truth, the opposite is also true," said Mr. Syed Ahmed, EVP - Marketing of ITC Ltd., the keynote speaker of Synapse 2006, quoting Shashi Tharoor. Diversity, he said, is one of the biggest challenges in India, and marketers need to be sensitive towards the values and belief systems of the consumers. Citing the example of ITC's e-Choupal to justify the viability of 'enlightened self interest', he emphasized corporate responsibility towards society and the environment which in turn would go a long way in reducing economic inequity. He stressed that a good corporation acted as a trustee of the socio-environmental resources that it employed in production, using them in a sustainable manner. Mr. Ahmed signed off by saying that the boundless potential of India combined with the energy and enthusiasm of the younger generation could create magic as we stood on the cusp of a new age.

Mr. Jayanth V. Pendharkar, Head - Global Marketing, TCS, gave a riveting talk on the role of marketing in IT companies. Having first joined TCS in 1971, he discussed the evolution of the IT industry in India, specifically clarifying how IT's growth in India was driven more by happy coincidences, such as a forex crunch in the 70s and the Y2K boom, rather than any 'grand design'. Stressing on the importance of Indian IT companies developing global brands based on Indian values, he touched upon the importance of the 3Cs - cost, clutter and consistency - of building a strong brand. He stated that Indian IT companies currently clock around $30 billion out of an opportunity of $1200 billion, signifying the magnitude of the challenge ahead. He concluded his speech by impressing upon the students the attributes they needed to possess to succeed in today's companies.

Day 2 kicked off with a lively and interactive talk by Mr. Anupam Datta, Head - Dairy Business, Britannia, who has been instrumental in the revival of Britannia's Milkman brand. Mr. Datta started off with a snapshot of the dairy industry in India, its business drivers and related challenges. Emphasizing that differentiation is the key to marketing, he added that sometimes tough decisions need to be taken to build image leadership. To reinforce this statement, he detailed the strategy that helped Britannia effect the resurgence of Milkman. He concluded by reiterating the importance of adopting a focused approach in order to meet goals.

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Contributed by -
Media Cell Team,
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode,
Kozhikode, Kerala.

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