The Futurist CMO 2012 - Highlights

Paul Writer's second edition of The Futurist CMO Conclave at New Delhi last week, saw an interesting collection of speakers, subjects and discussions. With over 100 CMOs and Heads of Marketing participating in the two day conference, there was a lot of opportunity for exchanging views and networking - (notwithstanding heavy rains and traffic delays). The CMO Hall of Fame was recognised during the event and it ended with the unveiling of the Digiratti Awards for 2012. 

Interesting panelists discussed topics around the connected customer, social media and digital marketing. Luxury Marketing in India and Good Cause Marketing discussions raised a lot of questions and comments. Day 2 was even more engaging with Citibank' CMO sharing their innovative and integrated marketing plan and questions answered on what to do when you want to publish your own book. A lot of excitement from the sessions on 'Mind Reading' by Nakul Shenoy and Gayathri Swahar (Nielsen) as well as the presentation on Chennai Super Kings marketing to their fans. All in all a power packed two days of new-age marketing interspersed with some great food and networking amongst peers.

The Futurist CMO Conclave is an annual event hosted by Paul Writer that brings together 100 of India's leading marketers from companies such as IBM, Dell, HCL, Citibank, India Cements, Nielsen, Apollo Hospitals, Elsevier Health Sciences, Tupperware, Royal Orchid Hotels and more. 

Paul Writer hosted this conclave with support from corporate partners such as Dell, Strategic Outsourcing, One97, Unmetric, Regenta Hotel and Freethinkers.  The next edition of the Futurist CMO Conclave is scheduled for August 23, 2013.

The Economy: What Desi CMOs Should Know and Do

 The economy was a major, if not the most important theme in the past month as India celebrated 65 years of Independence. 

Over the last few months, we have been hearing rumblings about an economic slowdown. 'The Economist' even carried an article - 'Farewell to Incredible India'.  Phrases like 'policy paralysis'; 'the first of the BRICS to lose its investment-grade credit rating' are becoming more frequent. 

Here is an excerpt of the speech that really hit home for me:

"These days the global economy is passing through a difficult phase. The pace of economic growth has come down in all countries of the world. Seen together, the European countries are estimated to grow at 0 percent this year. Our country has also been affected by these adverse external conditions. Also, there have been domestic developments which are hindering our economic growth. Last year our GDP grew by 6.5 percent. This year we hope to do a little better. We cannot do much about the conditions that prevail outside our country. But we must make every effort to resolve the problems inside our country so that our economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities in the country are again speeded up."

While I am not an economist, I have experienced marketing in an economic downturn (from my US and Japan days). For many Desi CMOs, this may be their first encounter. We need to understand the economic climate as a DesiCMO community and adjust our marketing strategies and spends to account for these realities.

Read on for more...

Entrepreneurialism in India: The Opportunities & Challenges

Is the Indian Consumer Willing to Pay More for Better Customer Experience?

Customer engagement in India is fundamentally different from customer engagement in mature markets.  Unlike the mature markets that are plagued with stagnant growth rates and a saturated pool of customers, the Indian economy has had healthy growth and a seemingly endless supply of new customers.  The expanding middle class and the emerging affluent[1] with higher levels of disposable income have fuelled an unprecedented growth curve for Indian businesses.  However circumstances are changing - the IMF recently reduced the growth estimate for India down to 6.1%[2] from the revised growth rate of 6.8% announced earlier in the year.  While still growing at a healthy rate compared to the mature economies, India is now facing a slowdown.

The questions smart businesses are asking themselves:

• What can we do differently to maintain our revenue streams and profit margins in the soon-to-be-new normal?
• Will the traditional approach of focusing business strategy on customer acquisition still work during the slowdown or should the focus be on retention of the most profitable customers?

Search: Content Marketing's Secret Weapon

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that content marketing is definitely in vogue with marketers across the B2B and B2C spectrum. It has spawned a cottage industry of books, conferences and the inevitable "gurus"

But while I'm as big a fan of the latest Facebook meme as the next guy, I reckon it is the science of content marketing, not the art, where much of the untapped opportunity still lies.

Sure content still has to fulfil a purpose - educate, inform, entertain - but it is the black art of search, algorithms and devices that can make the difference between the greatest piece of content no-one ever saw and the piece that went (insert dreaded word) viral.

Some tips then on ensuring that all the hours spent creating the ideal piece of content aren't all for naught.

Remember the basics: For many consumers Google is their default starting point on any online journey - as high as 63% of US consumers use it daily. Sure they may have clicked through from your brilliant banner or followed a link from their friends Facebook feed but chances are, they start by searching. Especially if it's an unfamiliar category or one they're researching in some detail. In recent research search ranking was ranked as the 3rd most important contributor to perceptions of a brand - and this was before they'd even interacted with the content! Being findable remains Job 1