Did Marketing make the difference with regard to the Outcome of the recently concluded 2014 Parliament Elections? Does this demand Organisations of any size to take a leaf out of this, particularly ,on the Marketing front.?

There is a strong school of thought that “Effective Marketing Communication” made all the difference in this recent concluded  elections.

The way BJP has managed its strategy will excite many B- Schools to perform case study about the entire campaign. Branding strategy & Marketing Strategy are visible with an  effectively  use of new age Technology.

BJP resorted to  “Election Management” rather than conventional election campaigning. The following are a few highlights ,which I am sure, any Marketer will appreciate.

a.Branding   :

What Modi stands for  : Leadership / Development / Good Governance /

                                         Against corruption

Tag line : “Ab ki bar, Modi Sarkaar”

These are strong emotional connect which any Marketer will desire his product / Services  be associated .Effort was put to have TOMA (Top of the mind awareness ) among the audience.

b.Marketing  : Marketing strategy was in line with the brand strategy

i) Product Differential strategy.

ii)STP –Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning

eg : Rural/Urban ;Demographic (First time Voters)

iii) Marketing programmes were tailor made to suit specific Market segments.

eg: 3DHalogram Rallies,  NaMo Merchandise,   Chai pe Charcha, Bharat Vijay Rallies,

TV/NewspaperAdvertisements
iv) Marketing communication through Social Media:

eg: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Youtube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Flickr, Ipad/Iphone/Android applications

                  

Therefore, This election  proves beyond  any doubt about  the effectiveness of Marketing in deciding the success or failure of the Parties even in Parliament elections. The success of the winning Party in this election is analogous of any Product / Service organization which tastes similar success concentrating on their “ Marketing Management ”.

Do Marketing contribute to the success of B2B companies in today's environment.

Many B2B businesses are of the opinion that Marketing does not contribute to the success of B2B companies as much as it could compared to B2C businesses.Is it still so in the changing Market dynamics of today's environment.?

Below mentioned are a few revelations in this perspective :

a. B2B com­panies’ product development process is still conducted from a perspective that is primarily inside out. ie. seldom inputs from the customer feedback is considered seriously to be integrated in the process.

b. Pricing of products and ser­vices in most of the B2B companies are based on  a cost plus  basis.

c. There are only a handful of B2B Companies that have a comprehensive strategy in place for strengthening their brand image and corporate reputation.

Probably, B2B Companies belief  that their  product / Service evaluation by the customer is more from the functional aspect which makes this important Marketing function diluted.

Evaluating  the above mentioned facts drives us to the conclusion that  better Management of the B2B business brand portfolio could integrate into the organization to achieve its corporate goals. Therefore, Marketing as a function in B2B enterprises will definitely yield success.