The Dinosaur Agency & the Ice Age

There has been much said about how specialization and splitting up into micro-agencies is causing the demise of the traditional agency.  Sure, that's part of it.  But the underlying problem is deeper.  The heydays of the agencies were when companies were selling products.  The Agencies came into their own in the 1900s when, for the first time, mass production and improved distribution systems allowed mass, standardized products to be sold on a vast scale.  So the main task of an agency was to build awareness for those products, and communicate their virtues.   

Today what matters to buyers is the total customer experience, not just the brand or the product attributes.  Yet, most agencies don't talk customer experience.  

"Our new campaigns are geo-tagged every lead generated from all touch-points makes its way directly into our cloud-based CRM system..."  - Interview with Girish Shah - Godrej Properties 

As part of our ongoing series on the importance of technology for marketers and the hunt for tech savvy CMOs we interviewed Girish Shah of Godrej Properties.  

In his interview with Paul Writer he talks about some great things they are doing in the CRM and LeadGen space

" Real estate as you would know is a micro-market driven business , technology has helped us to understand our consumer profiles and micro-markets & where the demand comes from"   

Read the complete interview here...

"There is a certain velocity that technology has today which we need to consider in our plans" - Interview with Deepali Naair - L&T General Insurance 

Retailers Not Catering to Tablet-Wielding Shoppers

So far retailers are not taking full advantage of the opportunity to extend their content efforts to tablets, a survey of 100 major retailers sponsored by Zmags has found.

The study reports that more than two-thirds of retailers have not optimized their sites for tablet commerce. Instead, they are hoping their traditional websites are "adequate enough" for tablet shoppers. And, while some retailers have developed iPad apps, 25 percent of those don't allow consumers to make purchases directly through the app.

"The end game is to create a digital and technology ecosystem with integration of analytics, social media, self-service, mobile and eCommerce" - Interview with Belson Coutinho - Jet Airways

Belson Coutinho is a highly accomplished digital marketing & eCommerce professional with over 19 years experience out of which sixteen years are in airline management. Belson currently heads the global eBusiness and innovation strategy at Jet Airways and Jet Lite.

As part of our Interview series on the importance of technology for marketers we spoke with Belson Coutinho, Sr General Manager, eCommerce & Innovation at Jet Airways.  

Read on to get his take on using technology to engage and communicate better with customers.

Here are the excerpts from the interview with Sameer on the importance of technology for marketers.

Job Listings on Paulwriter.com 

Watch this space for new job listings on Paulwriter.com every week for mid to senior level marketers.

CMO based in Bangalore, India: Job purpose is to lead the business development function and manage new customer acquisition and grow existing customers across geographies, verticals and service lines.  Plan for and ensure achievement of strategic revenue objectives for the organization   

Vice President - Sales and Marketing - Playground Sports India Pvt. Ltd. Position is based in Bangalore, India. Role covers leading the company's efforts in developing the Indian market for sale of sports goods and sport related services online, lead Sales, advertising and coordinating marketing aspects of all other related activities (including online and offline efforts).
This is a significant opportunity to drive the company from start and play a vital role in building Playground's unique concept in India.

Function reports into the CEO and relevant experience of 7-10 years is required. Preference for experience in retail industry and online marketing      

Social Wavelength, a brand of Social PR. Outsourcing Pvt. Ltd. a Social Media Agency, headquartered at Mumbai, India, is looking for various entry-level and mid-management positions.

Marketing Executive for OnTrac based in Bangalore and responsible for executing marketing strategy and plans as well as supporting the sales team.