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COVER STORY
Marketing of e-Halth Business : Challenges and Elucidation
--Bhishma Kukreti
The emergence of Internet has opened many channels for various businesses and at the same time created many unknown and unheard of challenges. The health industry is one such industry, which has been getting new leads, rewards and advantages from the Internet, but also facing fresh confrontations and challenges. The marketing of e-health requires specialized, focused and dedicated effort, branding and sales-distribution methodologies. This article throws light on the specific aspects of e-business or online marketing for running the profitable e-healthcare business. It also discusses many issues and challenges related to online health business.
© 2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Branding in Retail : An Imperative for Profitable Growth
-- Shraddha Shivani and Rakesh R Pandey
Organized retail in India, which stands at around 2-3% of the total retail, is showing signs of bigger and better growth. The outside conditions influencing the retail industry include fast growth, end-users' knowledge and direct competitors. A product or service cannot make a leap from being a commodity to a brand unless an ideational dimension is added to it and this is true of retail too. Branding is a strategic point of view, not mere select set of activities. It is central to create customer value, not just image. It is a key tool for creating and maintaining competitive advantages. Brands are cultures that circulate in society as conventional stories. Brand strategies must be engineered into the marketing matrix addressing distinct components of brand value. This article deals with the changing dynamics in Indian retail sector, the changing external environment and the various branding strategies being adopted by the retailers for creating value in the customers' minds for their products and services. The retail industry can draw lessons from the current branding practices of the peers for a profitable growth.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Sensory Branding : Building Brands Beyond USPs
-- Preeti Chauhan
In today's era of cut-throat competition, differentiating brands on the basis of certain Unique Selling Proposition (USP) cannot suffice; rather, building a long-term relationship with the customers by involving them with the brands is more important. Sensory branding as a tool of customer experience management with the brand is quite scientific and innovative. Under this concept, brands are evaluated not only for what they appear to the eyes but more importantly what overall experience do they provide to the customer, involving all the five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Indian Rural Market : A Silver Lining for the Marketers
-- Aditya Prakash Tripathi
Rural India, because of its many natural credentials, has become the largest hub in the world for domestic and global business houses, to market different kinds of products and services. A small increase in the rural folks' income results in an exponential increase in their buying power. The key to success in this market is to understand the psyche of the rural consumers, which is completely different from that of their urban counterparts. This article attempts to explain the Indian rural market as an upcoming opportunity and profile its socio-economic behavioral and cultural aspects. It also outlines the challenges and future trends in rural marketing.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Designing an Integrated Marketing Model Based on Consumer Needs
-- A M Sakkthivel
Understanding the needs of consumers is a very vital function of marketers in order to create, experiment with and deliver value in their products/services based on the consumers' requirements. This aspect has a crucial bearing on the designing of effective marketing model to implement marketing strategies. This also has an impact on the consumer buying behavior and decision-making process in the selection of products/services. The marketers, who manufacture/generate products/services, ought to understand the ability of their products/services to fulfill/satisfy the variety of needs of consumers. This article aims at providing insights into different marketing strategies in this regard.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ADVERTISING
Cadbury's Advertisements : Yummy, Creamy and Chocolaty
-- Ashwini Sovani
Though chocolates do not find space for themselves in the Indian sweets category, Cadbury with its innovative positioning through focused commercials has been able to draw attention from the Indian customers. The advertisements are oriented towards Indian culture and ethnicity to grab the attention. This has enabled the company to make a silent entry into the Indian sweets category. The article analyzes the innovative advertisements of Cadbury chocolates.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ADVERTISING
Mobile Advertising : Another Dimension in Promotion
-- Shyama Labh
The present article throws light on the concept of mobile advertising, its pros and cons, the recent trends and the future of such advertising forms. It also discusses the case studies on the use of mobile advertising by advertisers and how they have gained through this medium.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ADVERTISING
Tele Ads on Food Products : Marketing `Obesity' to Children
-- Rashmi Joshi
In recent years, there has been growing social and public concern about the alarming rise in childhood obesity. The factors like changes in lifestyle, diet as well as marketing and promotion of food products have played crucial contributory roles. Self-regulation by the companies that advertise foods rich in higher-than-recommended amount of sodium, total fat and saturated fats alone will not be a sufficient response to address this grave issue. Given the difficulties in gaining consensus and commitment on a permanent basis across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, stringent legislation and punitive action may be needed to achieve the desired effect.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ADVERTISING
Advertising in Indian Rural Market
-- Anil Chandhok and Upasna Chandhok
Earlier, rural India was ignored by the marketers because of lack of infrastructure and other problems like illiteracy and poverty. Now, the scenario has completely changed with noticeable improvement in all the problem areas. It is generally seen that companies foraying into rural areas, engage in short-term sales-oriented activities. In order to be successful in the rural markets, organizations should design integrated campaigns. They should have the real desire to invest energy and capital in the rural areas on par with the urban market. They should also understand that the gestation period for positive results in the rural market is much more than that in the urban market. Therefore, they should enter the rural market only when they are well-equipped with patience to wait for sustained results.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
RETAILING
e-Retailing (Electronic Retail Management)
-- V Ramprasad
In these days of fierce competition, complacency has no place. While technology is fast changing, novel customer practices and methods are evolving for the development and delivery of high quality retailing and customer service. Info-tech helps in providing efficient support in order to overcome competition with necessary solutions to adopt best practices of e-retailing for customer attraction, retention, promotion, service and overall growth.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
EXPERT VIEW
Brand Extensions : Handle with Kid Gloves
-- V Ganapathy
Brand extension will be and can be successful, if it is well-thought- over. When you launch any brand extension most of the times you ride on the equities of the mother or main brand. Hence, adequate measures have to be taken to ensure the brand extension plan as a very clear long-term objective and a strong communication platform. To successfully launch good brand extension, the product and the communication strategy should fit into the overall values that have been defined about the brand.
©2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved
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