“Direct Marketing is the beginning of a movement to understand ROI-driven marketing in India,” says Luisa Mazinter, CEO of theMarketingsite.com, who is co-chair for the DMAI convention, 2012 to be held in August
Q] What do you think of the current Direct Marketing scenario in India?
India is a very dynamic and exciting market. It is certainly a big growth story. There is so much opportunity for growth in this market. Businesses in this country would benefit hugely by being aware of the power of a Direct Marketing (DM) approach. The Indian market is ready, the challenges are all surmountable, and compared to other markets around the world, the growth trajectory in India is very promising.
Q] Where do you think India is, when it comes to usage of this marketing discipline?
It is very similar to South Africa -- there is this hugely sophisticated business environment as well as people who are from a lower economic stature and not as sophisticated, which results in inherent challenges in reaching people, making them put their hand in their pocket and pull out their money to pay for a product or service, which is the ultimate objective of marketing. At the same time owing to the proliferation of mobile and Internet connectivity, DM in India is perfectly poised to become the next springboard of success.
Q] Do you think this discipline is underleveraged in India?
Yes. There are a large number of corporates using DM effectively, but mid-sized or smaller companies are not using it at all. DM is such a discipline that any kind of company can use it – be it small/mid-sized with a small database of customers that needs to be grown or a large corporate with millions of people on its database – the same techniques can be used to grow the business and measure the impact of marketing spends and use it better next time. From what I understand, a very small percentage of top companies are using DM in India; and invariably it tends to be companies affiliated with global brands. One thing I have heard here is that people think DM is about direct sales, which is sad.
Q] What are the factors obstructing the growth of DM in India?
The biggest obstacle is education and lack of awareness. Another one is lack of integration. In a business, Marketing and Finance should work hand in hand because it is about understanding the financial perspective and marketing to drive numbers. As we work in a digital age, it is also working with IT and Analytics to make sure the data is converted into insights about your customers that will allow you to convert money into the bottomline. Only with cross-functional integration of these three disciplines in business can we really drive effective marketing.
Q] How is the DMAI hoping to change things through its convention?
DMAI is very courageous in fighting the fight for DM in India. The convention is really a case of telling the Indian market that DM is very effective and legitimate, because this is what is going to drive your business in future. This market is absolutely poised for growth; it can either be managed or unmanaged growth. The shift the DMAI hopes to bring about is for a marketer to feel a sense of achievement and say, “I took my company from X to Y level because I understood my market and consumers. My consumers are so loyal to me that they won’t even consider my competitors.”
Q] Who is the DMAI targeting?
The DMAI is targeting marketers in general and also businesses, and anyone who is looking for an intelligent way of taking their goods and services to the market. This is not just about the CMO, it is about the CFO, CIO and CEO; it is about moving our approach to business from an anecdotal to a structured approach.
Q] What can we expect from the convention?
A very exciting and dynamic convention, with speakers from all over the world, some top notch international and local speakers talking on very relevant subjects ranging from important analytics to generate results; the role of Digital and how it can be leveraged through direct retention marketing and loyalty.
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