‘Cost cutting’ – not the only purchase criteria of Global Outsourcing Companies

Consumers like you and me (generic) in the alternative evaluation stage of our purchase-decision-making-process develop certain criteria (price, quality, brand name, etc.) against which the product or service to be consumed would be valued and of course, this is based on whether our involvement in consumption is high or low. Let’s assume the product to be purchased is an automobile, automatically signifying a high involvement purchase and you will without a doubt mull over your decision with such criteria as price, performance, delivery schedule, servicing abilities and a myriad other clauses of your own. Earlier, with little or zilch competition, marketers worried very little of whether their products were tailor-made to gratify the needs of buyers or not. Conversely, owing to colossal corporate warfare, companies even after delivering top value products and services to consumers, must also bear with the fact that they have to cater to even the minutest of factors that would influence a buyer’s purchasing decision.

The reason why I have crafted out the above mini-version of the buyer decision model is because, ironically a similar sort of scenario now dwells in the Global Outsourcing (business) markets. Formerly outsourcing companies, contracted work primarily to those nations that implicated lower labour costs and ensured quality output (which is an obvious criterion) and these were made available to the buyers with ease by the suppliers. On the contrary, now buyers (Outsourcing companies) have upped the ante by anticipating superior services from suppliers that include enhanced geographic reach and services scope, suave work-delivery models and an assortment of the best talent that is essentially unmatchable.

Suppliers must now gear up and proactively strategise to meet the next-generation sourcing challenges. Though quite a few speculations made rounds of the fact that outsourcing in India has taken a dent during the economic downturn, many Indian IT and ITes (BPO, KPO, LPO) companies emerged victorious, having overcome the dreadful recession. Now, there is a change in the kind of challenge the suppliers of outsourcing services face; a confrontation that is only going to make them mature, improvise, sustain, compete and achieve business triumph. How? By managing to explore new and improved global delivery models, sketching out expansions that ensure positive consequences, adopting few of the best industry practises, recruiting a diversified and effective manpower and certainly the imperative feature (USP) of outsourcing – ensuring impeccable cost effective exercises.

The main motto of this article is to ascertain the significance of how a buyer’s purchasing decision (whether a B2C or B2B market) is subject to change. The functioning of a marketer and his organization can be smooth, provided both pay the right amount of respect to this thing called 'change'. The beauty of marketing is evident when such changes are handled well by bearing the fundamentals in mind and in this case the marketing fundamental being Consumer Buyer Behaviour. It is fitting therefore, to conclude this editorial with 'Heraclitus' cliché statement – The only thing that is constant is change, and flexibility is the need of the hour. 

A Manager's Guide to Creative Cost Cutting


Making profitable outsourcing decisions

FIFA World Cup - Official Theme Song - Wavin Flag by K'Naan

My heart starts racing every time I listen to this track; swelling my anxiety levels as the FIFA World Cup 2010 approaches.

Troubadour                                Football World Cup 2010 (Only Hits)  

Meticulousness - A must for Ad makers

Boy! It feels really good to be back and to start writing again. And this couldn’t have come at a better time, because it has been a little over 2 months since I entered the Advertising Industry and it seems as though I have learnt a lot more than I could have asked for. This fact, makes me believe that I am qualified enough to write something about the Advertising Industry and also the people working in the industry.

One of the most critical qualities (job attribute) that a person, who aspires to enter the Ad world must possess is Meticulousness. In fact, a lack of this feature (paying attention to detail) would make life a living hell, for even a little bit of ignorance would result in elevated costs. How? Let’s take an instance - Imagine you are walking past a huge hoarding of Pepsi with its baseline (tagline) being wrongly displayed as – Youngistan Ka VOW!! Instead of WOW!! There needs no explanation what would happen to the maker of that Creative (Ad). He/she would simply be fired. Why? Because there is absolutely no room for errors in this industry. 

There is a lot that goes behind in bringing a creative (advertisement) into existence, be it BTL or ATL; from designing to getting the copy (headline for the Ad) correctly spelt  to making sure that it appeals to the TG. An error made like that of misspelling WOW as VOW would lead to bad repercussions, especially when the brand is newly launched unlike Pepsi which is already an established brand. But even for Pepsi, such blunders are inexcusable.

Why meticulousness and what about creativity? you must wonder. Let’s face it, creativity comes through to you only when you pay enormous attention to detail. I can explain this better with an example - If Leonardo Da Vinci had painted Monalisa with her hair cut by an inch, the painting portrait would not have received the same accolades as it has received now. He was meticulous in painting her in a manner that personifies it to be the most creative and iconic painting in the world.

Stay meticulous, stay creative.

Advertising Photography                             Advertising Business

Arrogance unlimited

Is it the fact that a large chunk of employees of government organizations hate serving people, or is it that they really hate working? Is it that they have a bad rapport with their boss, or is that they are paid very less? Is it hatred towards consumers, or is it plain arrogance?... There could be numerous questions that could be added on to get more inquisitive about a government or nationalised employee’s reason to be serving consumers the way he/she does. 

Ironically it is the consumer at a government office who needs to be polite, needs to wait, needs to pay more (bribe) for a particular service and even worse gets told off for questioning about a particular product. I only wonder the fate of the same set of employees if they served in private organizations. Employees who constantly act as an interface to consumers are considered one of the most important touch points for an organization, and any wrong doing on their part would affect its (company’s) reputation. Disciplining such employees is a major step that needs to be taken by the government, for if the same scenario continues, there would be hell to pay as consumers would start finding simpler and better ways to gratify their needs.

Muslim Rage and Christian Arrogance: A Time for Reason, Repentance and Dialogue.

Children - Floating Signifiers of advertising

It is essential for us marketers to understand the phrase or concept termed ‘Signifier’ with respect to marketing communication. ‘When an object or image is shown in a particular context in order to refer to some underlying meaning, it is a signifier of that meaning’. For instance, the use of Yuvraj Singh in marketing communiqués may signify the meaning of style, performance, etc. Marketers need to be vigilant while strategically placing these signifiers within the framework of a particular advertisement, through which they would be able to transfer meaning from the signifier to the product being communicated.

The focus of this post is on children being portrayed as floating signifiers. Commercials featuring children attempt to convey different sets of emotions and meaning which the kid being showcased in the Ad is intended to represent. These kids are expected to prompt a certain feeling or concept which has been tapped pretty well by most marketers. The most relevant feeling or emotion of the audience (target market) that a child can often tap is the cute, heart-warming attraction towards himself/herself and in turn towards the product being advertised. Children are also used in advertisements as referents to the future, purity and innocence, responsibility, chaos and fun. Check ads of Airtel and Vodafone that have been victorious in winning consumers’ attention. Having said this, it is an uphill task or an impossible one for marketers to appeal to audiences’ other emotions which could be - sense of identity with the endorser, confidence in the endorser, etc considered very vital in creating an unforgettable brand

However, it needs to be made clear that a child to become a regular brand endorser is difficult as the audiences tend to negate repetition, hence lowering brand recall and awareness. Children are better of being used as brand faces than being employed as brand ambassadors.

And remember everything depends on the context (product being advertised, target audience, brand positioning, etc.)!!

The Power of Will

The power of will helps a constant smoker quit gradually; the power of will enables a boyfriend who is heart-broken get over his cheating girlfriend; the power of will generates oodles of energy to a sick person who recovers speedily than expected. Yes, it is the power of will that reduces the procrastinating nature of individuals and overcome their lethargic nature so as to desire and drive oneself towards prosperity and achieve the unimaginable.

Marketers with the same will power could gain success for their firms through persistent planning and follow up of the same. I know, however, that it is the Plan that matters more than the will power; but the fact is both go hand in hand and what big can a plan achieve with absolutely zero endurance and the will to stick to it even after certain failed attempts. There are many such firms that have gained popularity not just because of their ability to strike good with their marketing strategies but also because of their will power that ensures persistence, determination and belief.

The real constitution of the living being

‘When Sanatana Gosvami asked Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu about svarupa (the real constitution of the living being), the Lord replied that the real constitution of the entity is to render service to the Lord. Extending this, we see that one being serves another living being in some capacity and thus enjoys its life. There is no exception to service in this society of living beings. The politician convinces the voter of his capacity for service and thus gets his job. The artisan serves the merchant; the store owner serves his customer. In fact no living being is exempted from rendering service to others. Service, then, is a constant companion of the living being, and so we may conclude that rendering service is the eternal religion of the eternal living entity.’

An excerpt from the ‘Bhagvad-gita – As It Is’ delves into the constitution of the living beings and the manifestation given by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If every marketer adapts this theory and personifies it as a practise to be followed by every employee in the organisation, the corporate world would be a better place, at least from the consumers’ perspective. This is exactly what is lacking in corporates and hence leading consumers into frustration. Out of one such frustration that I experienced, I had pointed out on how rendering service has to be the main motto of every firm in one of my previous posts. Firms must read this line everyday that’d help them achieve consumer gratification - 'Service, then, is a constant companion of the living being, and so we may conclude that rendering service is the eternal religion of the eternal living entity'. Doing this would give real meaning to the existence of the company, the employees, and the products and services they generate.

‘Enjoy serving! As every service you’d render would make the Supreme Lord happy and satisfied.’