Blog by S.Swaminathan

I had recently posted about the impact of UGC(user generated content) in travel and the rising power of user-driven marketing. It seems this is an interesting trend that is gaining ground. Myspace, the social networking site, conducted a study called neverendingfriending and there are some interesti...

Wired has released the annual list of most innovative companies in the world.  Apart from the Googles, Apples and the like, to me the list has some interesting trends of how customer-focussed innovation is going to be key for survival and growth of companies around the world.

Here are key innov...

Maria Mandel' s Breakthrough Summit keynote address provides directions for how marketers need to build interaction with consumers:

Become a better storyteller
Consumers are more likely to pay attention to campaigns based on solid and entertaining storylines. As an example, Mandel referenced the Jerry...

I read this interesting piece of article in Wired about a company called MusicToday and their business model. It conjured-up a lot of thoughts in my head on how marketing and marketing service providers have to reinvent themselves for this new era.

In the article, John Legend, the musician quotes ...

According to a research study released by Compete, when making travel decisions, consumers listen to one another. In total, consumer generated content (CGC) already influences $10 billion a year in online travel bookings.  Consumers are increasingly embracing their peers’ voices online: 20% rel...

Economist has an interesting article on ranking of countries on Networked Readiness Index. US has lost its top place and has fallen to the seventh place. India is ranked 44th while China has been ranked 59th. About 122 countries have been ranked in the report.India has lost 4 places in the ranking s...

I spoke at Mobile Monday in Mumbai yesterday and shared my thoughts on how brands could leverage the power of mobile marketing. With over 2 billion mobile phones worldwide and 200 million mobile subscribers in India( and growing!), mobile as a marketing medium is reaching a tipping point. Marketers,...

Peppers & Rogers along with Carlson Marketing have come-up with an interesting report on the key drivers of loyalty in financial services. Some of the key drivers are:

1. Switching costs: The customers' perception of the effort to change from one financial services institution to another is 'swit...

I have in the recent past seen a host of advertisers and mobile shortcode operators treat this medium the same way as many other mediums. Most of them are "text and response" campaigns. But, I certainly believe mobile offers greater opportunities and what is needed is a bit of imagination ...

NetPlus Marketing's co-founder Denise Zimmermananticipates that direct and brand marketing will begin to merge, with direct marketers focusing on integration and relevancy.  She writes:

Direct marketers and brand marketers are starting to explore and execute their unique strengths and perspectiv...