Corporate Biggies Adorn Annual Marketing Summit "Srijan '08" at IMI-Delhi

Corporate Biggies Adorn Annual Marketing Summit "Srijan '08" at IMI-Delhi
Post-event Press-release

The panel discussion for the session was initiated by Mr. Apurv Nagpal, Marketing Director, Sab Miller-India. The IIM-A alumnus was the Category Marketing Manager at Reckitt Benckiser before joining SAB Miller.

Mr. Apurv Nagpal, Sab Miller-India, Mr. Princy Bhatnagar, Xerox India & Sanjeev Katyal, McDonalds India, Paritipating in Srijan '08 at IMI

Mr. Apurv described innovation as anything but continuous process, which helps in cutting costs, and that can be communicated through advertising, etc. He highlighted the necessity to innovate by giving the examples of the type-writer and the photographic film, which become obsolete before the manufacturers could adapt to the changing market requirements. He gave his own example at Reckitt Benckiser, where he took the initiative to innovate by designing a tablet that is used in automatic dish-washers, leading to better performance. The second case that he mentioned was about the increase in sales of Miller brought about in the US markets. Mr. Apoorv emphasized the importance of adapting to the markets while innovating, by analyzing how he modified the flavor of Miller Beer to be accepted by the Mexican tradition. Though he denied outright that there cannot be any rules for innovation, he stressed on the importance of assessing feasibility, conducting research, and understanding that making ideas come to life is a bigger challenge than formulating it.

The dais was then taken over by Sanjeev Katyal, Marketing Director, McDonalds India. He started of by dissolving some myths about brands, and then went on to define a brand as a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or an organization. He educated the audience on the importance of strategic as well as intuitive thinking that results in a charismatic brand. Carrying forward the point made by Mr. Apurv, he emphasized on execution, over strategizing. And he said that one must give due importance to execution, for it is the creativity that gives a brand its leverage. He further explained on innovation using the example of McDonalds, which came up with the successful McAloo Tikki Burger to suit the Indian consumer market.

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* Contributed by -
Varun S. Pilla (Campus Associate),
Media Cell,
IMI Delhi.

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