Session on Blue ocean strategy in Murugappa Group by Mr.A. Vellayan, Vice-Chairman, Murugappa Group
“If you don’t take risk, you’ll never move ahead”....These were the words that echoed in my ears by the end of the session with Mr. Vellayan, Vice-Chairman, Murugappa Group ...Highly Inspiring and Enlightening , are the words that spring up in my mind if I need to sum up the entire session in a nut shell...
This was during the industry speaker session at CBS where we had a chance to cruise through the blue ocean strategy implementation case-study in Murugappa Group from none other than the Vice-Chairman of the group...Mr.Vellayan was truly inspired by the the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” that ,he went ahead and implemented the concepts from the book to revamp the process of functioning at Murugappa Group..
The major point he under-scored was that as long as you are in your comfort zone, you can never move ahead and achieve new horizons. So if one wants to scale new heights and enter the real competitive zone in business, they must break the shackles of monotony and try doing things differently. The main driver is the pace at which the market dynamics change over a period of time, where, past successes and present market leadership doesn't guarantee future performance. Thats where firms need to keep re-inventing themselves to maintain the pace.
It was an exciting and challenging task to implement this strategy in his organisation with change in processes. Getting every SBU to understand the importance of this concept and motivating them to go ahead and implement it required a lot of patience and deliberations.
According to Mr.Vellayan, One has to invest a lot of time, apart from money, to see this strategy bearing results for them.Things can never change overnight , if one believe that something will work in his/her favour, then one important quality one must possess is diligence.The growth of Murugappa group from strength to strength , stands testimony to this fact.
The most essential factor that should determine why this strategy should be implemented in an organisation , is the requirement and urge to understand the customer’s needs and deliver accordingly. Going ahead on this will become the organisation’s competitive advantage which cannot be replicated easily.
By the end of the journey thro this Blue Ocean, he also clarified our doubts regarding the hurdles that could come in the way while executing such strategies.
Some people wait for things to happen, while others make things happen. Mr Vellayan belonged to the latter category . It was truly inspiring to listen to him which made us to understand that successful businesses are never done inside a cocoon ! Hard earned success never comes just by crossing seven seas. In modern business, enterprises need to cross the red oceans too to land in treasure islands.
By Pradeep, Marcom Varsity, CBS
Friday, February 22, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Excavation of a shopper's mind !!
Session by Mr Anil Srinivasan, MBA (U.S.Cal), MPhil( Columbia), CEO, Recraft
What’s the toughest nut to crack on this earth? What is that question to which even a scientist is still searching for an answer? Some things can give sleepless nights to psychologists too...They are the human minds....Try peeping into the mind of a consumer , and you will realise the complexities involved in understanding their behaviour and thereby deciphering a buying pattern from that. This was the crux of the session we had with Mr . Anil Srinivasan
Though the concept of understanding consumer and shopper behaviour seems complex, the methodologies adopted by him to drive home the point ,were very innovative and yet relatable. He made the learning fun & simple.
Entertainment....Doesn’t this word lighten up every face and give us the immediate motivation to discuss more. This was the tool used by him to take us through the ideas of merchandising in retailing and thereby make us understand the relevance of it in today’s world. This even gave us a chance to score some brownie points over one another as we were split into groups and asked to design a strategy to promote a movie that released recently. The importance of retail innovation and its convertibility factor into sales was also emphasised when he judged our strategies on the basis of its popularity and relevance. Another interesting insight to note here was that the retail merchandising that are done to promote a movie should not be a byproduct of the movie , but a reason to draw crowds to watch the movie and thereby buy the goodies. Looking at the response for the activity, it became very evident that India indeed has moved on from being a utilitarian economy to what today is called an ‘Entertainment Economy’.
The critical factor in understanding any new concept lies in the way one is able to criticise the concept effectively. The criticism should not be baseless though. He insisted on asking each one of us to be hyper critical about any of the shops that we had visited recently and note the glaring points of discomfort. This helped us understand the importance of being really clear about what should be expected from a good store vis-a-vis an average one.
Consumers can give you a hard time when it comes to understanding their behaviour , but as long as professionals like Mr.Anil exist, the learning journey would always remain exciting ,memorable and objective.
What’s the toughest nut to crack on this earth? What is that question to which even a scientist is still searching for an answer? Some things can give sleepless nights to psychologists too...They are the human minds....Try peeping into the mind of a consumer , and you will realise the complexities involved in understanding their behaviour and thereby deciphering a buying pattern from that. This was the crux of the session we had with Mr . Anil Srinivasan
Though the concept of understanding consumer and shopper behaviour seems complex, the methodologies adopted by him to drive home the point ,were very innovative and yet relatable. He made the learning fun & simple.
Entertainment....Doesn’t this word lighten up every face and give us the immediate motivation to discuss more. This was the tool used by him to take us through the ideas of merchandising in retailing and thereby make us understand the relevance of it in today’s world. This even gave us a chance to score some brownie points over one another as we were split into groups and asked to design a strategy to promote a movie that released recently. The importance of retail innovation and its convertibility factor into sales was also emphasised when he judged our strategies on the basis of its popularity and relevance. Another interesting insight to note here was that the retail merchandising that are done to promote a movie should not be a byproduct of the movie , but a reason to draw crowds to watch the movie and thereby buy the goodies. Looking at the response for the activity, it became very evident that India indeed has moved on from being a utilitarian economy to what today is called an ‘Entertainment Economy’.
The critical factor in understanding any new concept lies in the way one is able to criticise the concept effectively. The criticism should not be baseless though. He insisted on asking each one of us to be hyper critical about any of the shops that we had visited recently and note the glaring points of discomfort. This helped us understand the importance of being really clear about what should be expected from a good store vis-a-vis an average one.
Consumers can give you a hard time when it comes to understanding their behaviour , but as long as professionals like Mr.Anil exist, the learning journey would always remain exciting ,memorable and objective.
By Pradeep, Marcom Varsity, CBS
2 hour trip to the 10-second film world
Session on Making TVCs & Post-production issues by Ms.Latha Menon, Director, Iris Films
Now this one will find a place in my list of favourites , right on top. I have been waiting to meet such personalities, as they are the minds behind those creative ideas being put on screen from paper in the form of Ads. Always wanted to know the real picture from the people who have been there and done it. So, here we go into the session by Ms.Latha Menon(Director, Iris Films)
Amazing!!!This was the one word that ran through my mind throughout the session .She started off with her experiences during the making of Aircel ad with actor Surya (a leading Tamil Film actor). The reason she chose this particular ad from the plethora of other ads she has done was that because it involved lot of complexities while executing this ad. It showed one of the services offered by Aircel called Copy Tunes. To convey this point ,Actor Surya was dressed in 10 different attires , each playing a different role. As a concept , this idea was pretty exciting. but to execute this gonna be challenging. But that is the best part of people like Latha, they handle these stuffs so casually that every challenge looks like just another job done.
She took us thro the entire process of production and post production activites invlolved in shooting of the commercial. To see the entire story board getting transformed into a fantastic commercial ,it was jaw dropping to say the least.This way we got exposed to non-linear editing tools like Avid which were used in the post production works of commercials.
Apart from this she showed us a few other interesting ads from across the world, which were equally or even more challenging to shoot.They were masterpieces of Ad filmmakers from across the world.The techniques involved in their making made them even more memorable to watch.
Then came the exciting part of the session when she shared with us her experiences with Mr.Mani Ratnam (a highly rated Tamil/Hindi Film Director), while working on his popular tamil movie Kannathil Mutthamittal.She assisted him during the making of this landmark movie.The struggle that they went through while canning the movie, and how they managed to overcome them was truly inspiring. That's how the excitement gets transferred on to the screen when we watch these brilliant pieces of work.Hats off to these trendsetters, they inspire a generation of such aspirers to chase their dream with sheer optimism.
The time of reckoning was nearing, session was coming to its end, but as they say, all good things come to an end. But they also say, After every end,there is a beautiful beginning awaiting ....
So the wait begins.....
Now this one will find a place in my list of favourites , right on top. I have been waiting to meet such personalities, as they are the minds behind those creative ideas being put on screen from paper in the form of Ads. Always wanted to know the real picture from the people who have been there and done it. So, here we go into the session by Ms.Latha Menon(Director, Iris Films)
Amazing!!!This was the one word that ran through my mind throughout the session .She started off with her experiences during the making of Aircel ad with actor Surya (a leading Tamil Film actor). The reason she chose this particular ad from the plethora of other ads she has done was that because it involved lot of complexities while executing this ad. It showed one of the services offered by Aircel called Copy Tunes. To convey this point ,Actor Surya was dressed in 10 different attires , each playing a different role. As a concept , this idea was pretty exciting. but to execute this gonna be challenging. But that is the best part of people like Latha, they handle these stuffs so casually that every challenge looks like just another job done.
She took us thro the entire process of production and post production activites invlolved in shooting of the commercial. To see the entire story board getting transformed into a fantastic commercial ,it was jaw dropping to say the least.This way we got exposed to non-linear editing tools like Avid which were used in the post production works of commercials.
Apart from this she showed us a few other interesting ads from across the world, which were equally or even more challenging to shoot.They were masterpieces of Ad filmmakers from across the world.The techniques involved in their making made them even more memorable to watch.
Then came the exciting part of the session when she shared with us her experiences with Mr.Mani Ratnam (a highly rated Tamil/Hindi Film Director), while working on his popular tamil movie Kannathil Mutthamittal.She assisted him during the making of this landmark movie.The struggle that they went through while canning the movie, and how they managed to overcome them was truly inspiring. That's how the excitement gets transferred on to the screen when we watch these brilliant pieces of work.Hats off to these trendsetters, they inspire a generation of such aspirers to chase their dream with sheer optimism.
The time of reckoning was nearing, session was coming to its end, but as they say, all good things come to an end. But they also say, After every end,there is a beautiful beginning awaiting ....
So the wait begins.....
By Pradeep , Marcom Varsity ,CBS
Friday, February 1, 2008
“In” sight of a Human Mind
Session by Ms.Mythili Chandrasekar,Senior VP & Executive Planning Director,JWT @ CBS
It is believed that Human mind thinks really fast and at times these thoughts get transformed into some of the wackiest craziest ideas on screen in the form of ads. Ever wondered, what goes into the mind of a person who recognises these thoughts?... ...Well, I got a glimpse of this during the session with Ms.Mythili Chandrasekar, Senior VP & Executive Planning Director, JWT.
It’s quite interesting to capture these emotions when it comes to human reactions. But that’s what makes the task and advertising industry even more exciting. The ability to see, feel and believe what’s running in a human mind , and try incorporating them in the ads that we see is one hell of a creative journey, yet enjoyable. Lucky are the ones who make this their professionJ.
The role of an account planner apart from handling the clients includes giving these valuable insights which enables in the creation of a wonderful ad. There were instances of how one could understand the stark differences in the way Men and Women behave under certain situations which emanated through the ads she shared with us. The humour content that these ads carry are most of the times how we take a dig on ourselves. The brilliance lies in the way this insight is intertwined with the creative proposition to get screened as a cut above the rest in terms of the ad concept.
She also shared with us the studies that she was involved with regarding the changing Indian culture. This was to show how the effect of a strong economy was reflected in the transformation of India , in terms of its ethos, its social implications and the buying pattern of an Indian consumer. The ads that conveyed this transformation stood out, as every ad had a single minded proposition about the Indian consumer and his way of living.
To name a few were the HDFC Bank ,Manhattan card and the Latest Lead India ad by Times of India.
Yet another enlightening afternoon spent experiencing the experiences of stalwarts from industry....:)
It is believed that Human mind thinks really fast and at times these thoughts get transformed into some of the wackiest craziest ideas on screen in the form of ads. Ever wondered, what goes into the mind of a person who recognises these thoughts?... ...Well, I got a glimpse of this during the session with Ms.Mythili Chandrasekar, Senior VP & Executive Planning Director, JWT.
It’s quite interesting to capture these emotions when it comes to human reactions. But that’s what makes the task and advertising industry even more exciting. The ability to see, feel and believe what’s running in a human mind , and try incorporating them in the ads that we see is one hell of a creative journey, yet enjoyable. Lucky are the ones who make this their professionJ.
The role of an account planner apart from handling the clients includes giving these valuable insights which enables in the creation of a wonderful ad. There were instances of how one could understand the stark differences in the way Men and Women behave under certain situations which emanated through the ads she shared with us. The humour content that these ads carry are most of the times how we take a dig on ourselves. The brilliance lies in the way this insight is intertwined with the creative proposition to get screened as a cut above the rest in terms of the ad concept.
She also shared with us the studies that she was involved with regarding the changing Indian culture. This was to show how the effect of a strong economy was reflected in the transformation of India , in terms of its ethos, its social implications and the buying pattern of an Indian consumer. The ads that conveyed this transformation stood out, as every ad had a single minded proposition about the Indian consumer and his way of living.
To name a few were the HDFC Bank ,Manhattan card and the Latest Lead India ad by Times of India.
Yet another enlightening afternoon spent experiencing the experiences of stalwarts from industry....:)
By Pradeep , Marcom Varsity, CBS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
