Blog by S.Swaminathan

I have always found that when we talk of loyalty or CRM, immediately the discussion moves towards transactional and behavioural data of customers. It becomes a cold discussion of  "variables" and " fields" that one has captured about the customer. Then, it moves into models,...

Reading this article in BBC,  the need to set the context of creativity in a new framework became quite evident in my mind.

1. Creativity is fast changing from an individual's domain to a platform of sharing, amongst a group of passionate individuals.
2. Accepting the rules of collaboration is a reali...

I went to the launch of the Harry Potter Book (Harry Potter & the Half -Blood Prince)   at Crossword, a leading bookstore,  in Mumbai. This was a brilliant case of PR, WOM, Event and experential marketing rolled into one. 

Crossword was buzzing with parents and kids. Kids wer...

I just came across a brilliant viral marketing campaign by Virgin Express.  This is a really smart way of engaging customers and building a huge word-of-mouth for the brand.It's a great idea because it combines mobile marketing, internet, offline promotions, advertising, sponsorships etc.

It is ...

I was reading a very interesting article by John Battelle in adage on Are you becoming irrelevant to  your consumer? and here's my thinking on this issue.

Contextual Creativity should become the focus area for agencies and marketeers in an era of increasing media disintermediation. What does th...

Changing consumer lifestyle and demographics will pose new challenges to marketeers. A study by Bain & Company( quoted by TBWA & Brandnoise) - Download 2020.pdf  brings this out very well.

Key points according to me:

1. Unexpected sources of competition - Campbell's competition is not other...

I have always in my discussions with many marketing and agency professionals in India, seen a bit of cynicism with the Indian online numbers. 

It's common to hear things like

- " It is too small to pay attention to this medium right now. "

- " Internet is not  my medium when i...

It is easy to understand the importance of multi-channel consistency across everything brands do, when they interact with customers. But it is quite difficult to implement and then measure the results of "consistent customer experience".

A recent white paper in interactive marketing, on Lex...

I just got to read this article on Dell and my mind started moving in what is called as "Dell Time" , as to how information inventory will become a competitive advantage for enterprises.

Dell's information inventory helps them turn their inventory 107 times a year while HP/IBM  turn th...

Marketing, according to Dipak Jain, Dean of Kellogg School of Management has to move over  from 4Ps and focus on 3Cs - Convenience, Choice and Control as customer experience becomes the single important differentiator for brands.

I think this is an important shift that he is predicting for the ...