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Post Event Press Release Day I The two-day national brand seminar of the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode was kicked off today. Several stalwarts of the industry and top CEOs graced the occasion. Prof. Tapan Panda, Chief coordinator and Chairman, MDP, welcomed the gathering. Mr. B. K. Menon, Chairman of the Kochi Refineries Ltd. inaugurated the function. He also delivered the keynote address. Applauding the effort to bring in the industrialists together with the bright minds of the future, he talked about building corporate brands in Indian scenario. He talked of how India as a brand is weak in India itself but is very strong as a brand abroad. The next speaker, Mr. Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., defined brand as a 'thought'. He added, "The thought is owned by the consumer in his mind and not by a company or an advertising agency." He spoke of the brand being omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient which makes a brand comparable to God. He punched in with the key distinction of a brand from God, being in the only consolation that "God does not brand himself". His lively speech was full of anecdotes and examples that threw the audience into peals of laughter, but strongly kindled insightful thoughts in the minds of the budding managers of tomorrow. Mr. K. S. Ramesh, the CEO of Kavincare, the chief guest of the function spoke of the generative and degenerative aspects of the brand. With his vast knowledge and experience in his long career in the FMCG industry with majors like P&G, he spoke of his success in creating a pan-India shampoo brand Chik that has penetrated deep into rural markets and is presently the no. 2 brand in the Indian shampoo industry. One of the key generative strategies he talked about emphasized on giving value for money to consumers rather than giving a sub standard low priced product. He also talked about how price discounts can be a short-term measure but cannot be a long-term solution to gaining market share. The next speaker was Mr. Ramesh Jude Thomas, Country head, Equitor, a brand-consulting firm based in Bangalore, which is the Indian associate of the Global major, Interbrand. The evening concluded with a resplendent rock show by Benett and his band. Benett is the professional keyboard player for music director trio Shankar, Ehsan and Loy. Contributed by: - |
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