Public Relations and Social Marketing

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND SOCIAL MARKETING 4(1+3)

Lesson 12 : Social Marketing Requirements in Changing Indian Marketing

Major changes in Indian marketing- shifts

1. Discount Effect: Promotions, discounts are now known as the basic workhorse of marketing programme. Price promotions can increase sales in only three ways: Growing the category, switching & purchase acceleration. Price promotion can indeed benefit total category sales through bringing down prices & added visibility through displays & other marketing activities.

2. Shift from Customer Satisfaction to Customer Value Management: The word value should mean satisfaction .Value should always measure in terms of total benefits & total cost. The meaning of term Value Marketing is more than the price cutting, low margins, giving extra quantity & low budgets. Consumers will choose that company which offers better value for their money. Providing better value to customers is the job of the whole organization. This is a function of strategic importance, which cannot be left in the hands of a few marketing people. This has been managed by a team of cross-functional experts and monitored the top management.
   

3. A Shift towards One-On-One Marketing: While the earlier paradigm aimed at meeting the needs of segments of consumers, the new paradigm treats every customer as unique. The development of technology has made it possible to address the needs of individual customers, the day may not be very far off when a customer wanting to buy a toilet soap may have to put his/her hand into a scanner which will sense the skin complexion and pop out a pouch of liquid soap that is ideally formulated to suit his/her skin.

4. Get closer to the customers: Getting close to the consumers is no longer a management jargon but a reality and a survival strategy in the times of tough competition. All the touch points with customer i.e. pre purchase, during the purchase and post purchase need to be carefully handled to satisfy customer expectations.
   

5. E – Business Center: Education is one big business that cannot be ignored by marketers; it is not just the primary education, but the life-long education that has become necessary for survival in the modern ever-changing world. It is getting delivered more and more through the net which allows the learner to plan his course at his pace and have a one-to-one interaction with instructors through e-mail. Eventually education will become guru centric from the current institute-centric mode.
   

6. Rural Migration: With comforts, communication and connectivity made available in the rural areas why would anyone want to live in the congested, unhygienic and polluted big cities. Companies selling farmhouses and plantations exploit this desire for the green rural environment, with connectivity established through satellites; rural area will become attractive locales for ever setting up of business organizations.