CHANGING THE
BASICS
By
MOHAMMED MURAD
May 20 - June 02, 2002
Desperate times call for desperate measures. At
times, abnormal decisions are made to restore normalcy. The rapidly
changing demographics of business require constant evolution of
strategic planning, creative thinking, adaptation and sustaining
competitive advantage. Marketing is as demanding as ever. In these
demanding-times pressure on Marketers to bring about positive results
is at its peak and such special occasions require special treatment.
Some quick thinking with carefully planned maneuvers and on-the-spot
creativity can save the day. No matter what the treatment is the
doctor needs to know the basics of medicine and in this case the ABC's
of marketing. This article attempts to discuss and rejuvenate the
process by which students in Pakistan learn the basics of marketing.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Philip Kotler's famous "Principles of
Marketing" have long been the only book taught to marketing
students in almost all business schools throughout Pakistan. I have
gone through the same process when I was doing my MBA. I have found
this book to be very useful, technicalities mixed with case studies
and examples is a nice way to approach the subject. When it comes to
business, unfortunately, Pakistan is quite different than the US. The
Complete business model and the ingredients involved therein are all
different in composition and character. That is why we are missing out
in those creatively lusty minds, which can bring about a domestic
revival of Marketing.
In our business society, Marketing has become
synonymous to Selling. By a marketing person employers actually mean a
sales person who can directly bring them more business. Students are
not given the correct mix of marketing during their training in many
business schools and as a result when they pass out they keep on
searching for the perfect moment and the perfect company to practice
the steps they have learnt from their books. The moment never comes
and the company doesn't exist! In fact, chances for the situations and
case studies presented in foreign books being applied in Pakistan are
very few. We may learn about Harley Davidson or Wal-Mart but we cannot
reinvent the wheel through same footing, our wheels are made in a
totally different style, the Pakistani Style!
We need to equip our new, budding Marketers with
the vision that form the foundations of our business. Referring, to
western marketing techniques and procedures, is good to improve ones
vision or insight but that only comes when you have a sound and solid
foundation to build upon your Marketing imagination. As a first step,
whenever a Marketing course is taught include as much of Pakistan as
you can.
No matter how well written western books are they
are written under a different set of variables and a totally different
environment. The producer-consumer relationship is based on a
completely different structure and a different society. There are
numerous books on human psychology of exceptional scholastic
excellence. No doubt, they are good but are they well suited for us as
well. Do they define the psychological attributes of Pakistanis and
Muslims too, has the author gathered enough data from all corners of
the world before laying an absolute set of rules, theories and
formulas to define the intricacies of a human mind. Does the author's
segment include Chinese, Japanese, Pakistanis, Arab and Russians as
all of these have different set of personality attributes governing
their behaviour and thus the society in which businesses are
conducted. Why do multinationals have different policies for different
countries? Surely the governing rules are different but the society
for which they have endeavoured has a different chemistry altogether.
Since Marketing is all about people, teachers should adopt a policy
similar to these multinationals; think globally and act locally.
THE MARKET - IN MARKETING
Once Pakistan is made an imperative part of all
Marketing trainings one can now start injecting the Pakistani Market
into Marketing. The basic axiom in this approach being that students
find it easier to grasp and apply living examples of Marketing which
they see every day and they don't live in the U.S or the UK, they live
in Pakistan. Give them Pakistan and you'll see the difference. You
would find them much at ease when entering practical lives. Not
everyone becomes a part of a multinational or go abroad to wonderland.
Construct a course around Pakistan! Students find it easier to grasp
even the most difficult of techniques or processes from the world they
live in. This will open up their minds and put them on the road of
creative marketing.
Marketing is everywhere! Look around you and you'll
find Marketing at all corners of Pakistan. Your favourite Sweet Shop,
Grocery Store, Restaurant or even the Pan-Wala would become living
examples for your Marketing class. You all know about Sony, Phillips,
Coke, Pepsi, Nike, Microsoft, Honda, Nestle, Lever, P&G (Procter
& Gamble) what they did in the U.S or Europe is not much of help
to a freshman but if one uses the same companies and use their
Pakistan based operations as examples and case studies, one could
easily understand and apply each and every step, model, function or
even a definition presented in a standard marketing course. Bridge the
gap between Pakistan and Marketing, Bring the Market in Marketing.
THE RIGHT FORMULA
Developing the best approach for a Marketing class
is the most important task for marketing teachers. Many have started
including Pakistani examples in their course structures, unfortunately
these are seldom planned or more often the result of a spontaneous
thought. Lets consider that you are teaching a fresh marketing class
and need to develop a formula or a theorem for your approach. The best
formula, in my humble opinion, would then be:
Pakistani Market (Complete
Course) + Pakistani Case Studies + Practical Marketing + Reference
Book
This is an altogether different approach. I know
one thing I have made your life miserable but your students life a lot
easier. Now you have to plan and prepare a course from level zero and
find examples, success stories, failures and metaphors from our
Pakistani Market. Following the "Philip Kotler"
"Principles of Marketing" in totality would have been a much
easier approach but since your students need to learn Marketing from a
Pakistani perspective you will have to work hard to facilitate their
learning. A person who has never gained any work experience is
different than the one who discontinued his studies and went for an
early job during his career. Early jobbers have better knowledge and
experience of Pakistani Market and Business practices than a person
who has been studying throughout his life. This type of training is
ideal to abridge the gap and provide students not only with practical
marketing knowledge but also with an insight and exposure to
productively creative marketing.
Now that we have developed a formula lets dive into
some details. The Pakistani Market includes all local and
multinational businesses and products marketed in Pakistan. For
Pakistani case studies you just need to keep your eyes and ears open
and you'll find success stories and failures all around you. It
doesn't have to be a big multinational even a small burger shop will
do the trick. Teach your students applied marketing. They learn
through unforgettable experiences. I, for one, have learnt a lot about
customer relations, product positioning, distribution, market planning
& strategies, advertising and selling through practical approaches
during my training. The most important part of this course outline is
the use of a Marketing Book. If you ask me, I would go for more than
one reference book. These Books should only be used to add value to
your student's knowledge. They must act as reference points and
consulted only to gain a broader vision and a different perspective.
MADE IN PAKISTAN
Our Marketing Book is all over Pakistan; companies,
products and individuals, all chip-in to form the topics and the
chapters in our book. How many of our graduating students know about
our local industry, what national and multinationals are producing and
how competition is evolving in Pakistan. How many of our marketing
students know about companies like Hilal Confectionaries, Candyland,
National Foods and A.R Foods. Do they know that products like LifeBuoy,
Lux, Sunsilk, CloseUp, Supreme, Dalda, Lipton are all Lever Brother
products while products like Pantene, Ariel, Ascend, Camay, Safeguard,
Vicks are all Procter & Gamble's. Each and every product has
something to add to our Marketing course and thus, should be placed in
its appropriate place. Don't forget your local market, I'm sure it
must be full of potentially quotable examples you can use in your next
marketing class.
There are Media Rivalries and product wars
exemplifying strict competition in our consumer goods industry. You
will find creative moves and equally creative responses, discount wars
and value additive measures all showing that our marketing spirits are
still alive. You just need to do some pick and polish stuff and you'll
be heading for a real treat for your students.
Changing the Basics of a not so productive
Marketing course is becoming more and more imperative since Pakistan
needs aspiring marketers who know about Pakistani Products well enough
to market them. There may be three basic categories of marketers in
Pakistan. Those who market for the local market only, those who market
for International Markets and those who market for both, local and
International markets. In all three cases developing strong ties with
your domestic environment and local produce is important. The basic
product idea, its history and the theme (concept) behind the product
everything matters. We need to plant and nurture a breed of marketers
who can create a constructively productive marketing environment
within Pakistan. Once we have established a strong infrastructure we
can expect to see a highly competitive Pakistan in the International
arena. Our marketing students need to be equipped with the very
ingredients of Pakistan. Tell them who they are, and they'll show you
what they are!
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