futurist cmo march 2012

7/28/2019 Futurist CMO March 2012

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The Dinosaur Agency & The Ice Age - Jessie Paul

The New 80:20 Rule - Paul Hewerdine The Marketing and IT

Recognition (M.IT.R) - 50 List The Maharanis of Marketing

The Six Obstacles to becoming a Data-Savvy

Organisation - ITSMA- Julie Schwartz


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CONTENT

ADS

M.IT.RInterviews

The M.IT.R Interviews 8

AEGON Religare Life Insurance Co. Ltd 9

Apollo Hospitals 9-10

Axis Bank 11

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd 12

Birla Sun Life Insurance Co. Ltd 12-13

Caf Coffee Day 13

Capgemini India 14

Citibank India 15-16

Datamatics Global Services 16-17

DHL Express (India) Pvt Ltd 17-18

Dish TV 18

Dr Lal PathLabs 19

Elsevier Health Sciences 20

Essar Group 20-21

Eureka Forbes 21

Future Generali 22

Godfrey Philips India 22-23

Godrej Properties 23

HDFC Bank 24

HDFC Life 24-25

Hexaware Technologies 26

IDBI Bank 26-27

IndusInd Bank 27-28

Editor's note 1

The Dinosaur Agency & The Ice Age - Jessie Paul 2-3The New 80:20 Rule - Paul Hewerdine 4-5

The Marketing and IT Recognition (M.IT.R)-50 List 6-7


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Dear Reader,

I believe that technology is becoming ubiquitous and has a role to play in every area oflife and business. This year, at Paul Writer, one of the themes we are exploring is the roleof technology in marketing and the business impact of that.

On the IT side, Big Data is an important trend that is being addressed. Just take theexample of customer contact information. You know their wedding dates, birthdays,food preferences, annual income, credit card number and a whole lot more. So much

data that you can predict milestones like pregnancy without even asking - as retail chainTarget did!

Almost every company today is drowning in data. Very valuable data. Very BIG data.But unless you have the right analytics system in place, its not data, its just noise.

The other tech trends that marketers can make use of are digitization, mobility andcloud. I think every CMO should have an IT roadmap. And the funds to implement it.

We were chosen by IBM as a Knowledge Partner for their Marketing and IT Recognition(M.IT.R - 50) program that sought to recognize 50 CMOs in India that used IT forbusiness benefit s. In this issue you can read interviews with these forward lookingCMOs, and understand what they are doing to benefit their organizations.

Going through the various case studies, I think there are three different lenses in whichCMOs approach technology. The first one is to analyze the customer experience and putdown all the ways in which technology can improve it. The second is to study all the

business stakeholders and understand how your firms relationship with each of themwill be improved by technology. The third is to understand current business bottlenecksand see how technology can improve it. Id be happy to hear from you on whats themodel that works best in your organization.

On the occasion of International Womens Day, we wanted to do something to recognizethe women leaders in marketing. Not so much a list as a recognition of the ladies wehave come across in our work. In this issue youll find our first ever list of MarketingMaharanis as well.

Happy reading and happy FY2013!

Jessie PaulCEO, Paul WriterHost-The Futurist CMO

EDITORSNOTE

M.IT.R

Interviews

ING Vysya Bank 28

Jet Airways 29

Kaya Skin Clinic 30

L&T General Insurance 30-31

L&T Infotech 32

Legrand India 32-33

Mahindra Satyam 33

MakeMyTrip.com 33-34

Max New York Life 34-35

My Financial Advisor 35

NIIT Ltd 36

The Oberoi Group 36-37

Oriflame India 37-38

Pearson Education Services 38-39

Suzlon Group 39

TNT Express 40

Tupperware 40-41

UTI Asset Management Company 42

UTV Channels 42-43

Walt Disney Studios 43

Zensar Technologies 43

The Maharanis of Marketing 44-45

The Six Obstacles to becoming a Data-Savvy Organisation - ITSMA 46-47

Photo Memoirs from the IBM Connect Event 2012 48-49

Crossword Puzzle 50

Marketing Quiz Whizz 50

About Paul Writer 51

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Sure, thats part of it. Butthe underlying problem isdeeper. The heydays of theagencies were whencompanies were sellingproducts. The Agenciescame into their own in the1900s when, for the firsttime, mass production andimproved distributionsystems allowed mass,standardized products to besold on a vast scale. So themain task of an agency wasto build awareness for thoseproducts, and communicatetheir virtues. They had tobuild a brand or trustfactor in the firmsproducing these goods asconsumers were no longer

buying direct from themanufacturer but from adistributor. (For example ifyou buy milk from amilkman you trust him, ifyou buy a carton of milkfrom a shop you have totrust the brand onthe carton.)Today, the supply chainevolution continues andmost products nowa. have a service componentbuilt into them eg carsb. rely on a contentecosystem eg computers,phones, most smart devices

c. are customized/customizable eg shoes,T-shirts, mugs, apartmentsd. offer after-sales serviceeg cars, water purifiers,air conditionerse. are tending towardsan economic orderquantity (EOQ) of one egbanking services, musicdownloads, videosWhat matters to buyers isthe total customerexperience, not just thebrand or the productattributes. Yet, mostagencies dont talkcustomer experience.They dont talk about supplychains, CRM systems,

customer contact centers,returns policies, recall alerts,crisis communications.They continue to pridethemselves on beautifulcampaigns that enrapturepeople. And distancethemselves fromcustomer interactions.For example, like manyothers I love the new AirtelHFZ campaign - but speakto users and they willcomplain about poorservice, long hold time, calldropping etc. So while youlike the ad you may not

actually buy the servicebecause there is the vastecosystem of your peerstelling you another side ofthe story. Much like howVodafones (Hutch) doggiecreated the image of warmfriendly customer servicewhich again wasntnecessarily reflected in truelife. On the other handI didnt quite like the secondIndigo airlines ad.But because the overallcustomer experiencecontinues to be goodI will continue to choosethis airline.Firms that want goodadvertising but also want a

good customer touchprogram tend to usemultiple firms. One forregular advertising, andothers like Sapient Nitro forthe digital experience piece.Causing yet more revenueleakage for ad agenciesalready bleeding from theseparation of media buyingand the consequent loss ofthe 15% commission.There are a few firms thatdo talk the language ofcustomer experience design- Ideo, Frog Design andWieden & Kennedy to

name a few (and I am notendorsing these).And which do it under oneroof. These and others likethem which arecustomer-centric are ideallysituated to emergeunscathed from the Ice Age.Many have a design armwhich currently doesnt doadvertising but thats aneasy piece to add on to theirother capabilities - and thenthey can really change theagency landscape.After an MBA I wanted to doadvertising so much that Iturned down my campusplacement and took theagency job at half the salary.

I learned so much in my 3years there that it was asolid investment. But inthose days (1995-98) - underone roof - I got exposure toall the channels that werethen prevalent, whereastoday, an AE would have togo to multiple firms andeven outside the firm tolearn about all the ways inwhich customers interactwith brands. Unless thischanges, the Big Agencyas we know it will continueto freeze.

There has been much said about howspecialization and splitting up intomicro-agencies is causing the demiseof the traditional agency.

By Jessie Paul

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Last year Accentureconducted an extensivesurvey into the strategicpriorities of senior marketersglobally. Whilst the resultswere hardly revelatory, therewas a remarkable consensusof opinion with 81% ofexecutives citing operating

more efficiently as theirmost important goal.Faced with budgetarypressures, headcount issues,demands to demonstrategreater ROI and simply, notenough hours in the day,B2B marketing execsare certainly feelingthe pressure.

So is now the time formarketers to really lookafresh at the way theyredoing things? Or risk addinghair loss and marital woes tothe long list of tribulations inthe year ahead?

Driving repeatability andre-use in marketingHeres a thought: What ifyou could industrialise yourmarketing activities essentially, standardisingthe way you do thingsand driving greaterrepeatability and re-usein your approach?One Earnest client, a globalIT service provider hascommitted to doing the verysame but in the IT space industrialising the way itdelivers technology servicesto customers. Rather thanbuilding a bespoke solutionfor each customer from theground up, theyvedeveloped reusabletemplates, based onindustry best practice andtheir own experience ofwhat works, so the solutionis essentially 80% pre-built.They can then focus theirtime and efforts on the 20%that really matters tailoring it to meet thespecific needs of thatcustomer. It cuts cost,

reduces lead times andactually ensures a betterperforming solution.Win:win for everyone.

So the big question is howcould the same principlesof industrialisation beapplied to your marketing

efforts?Think about the new 80:20rule. How much of what youdo can be made repeatable- the 80% bulk work - so youcan ensure your valuabletime and resources arespent on the 20% where youadd most value? In short,ensuring youre notreinventing the wheelevery time.

A lot of process goes along wayFirst off, how many more ofyour key marketingprocesses could bestandardised? From

campaign planning,development andmanagement to agencyappointment andengagement, from customerrelationship management tosales enablement activity,think about how clearprocesses can be definedand adopted across yourmarketing function.Give consideration to thetools and functionaldocuments (such as briefingtemplates, time-plans, bestpractice guides) that areneeded to support astandardised approach - andmake sure your marketersare fully inducted andup-to-speed with how touse them. Importantly,ensure theres a feedbackloop in place so thestandardised process can berefined to drive furtherefficiencies andeffectiveness.

From output to outcomesLook at your entirecommunications output.

A good starting point is toconduct an audit of all ofthe outputs (both off- andon-line) that your marketingfunction has developed overthe last 12 months. Whatmay surprise you is themany different ways youtalk about and visualise

your brand and corepropositions and the sheernumber of formats beingused. Evaluate whatsworking and whats not and think about how thisoutput can be standardisedand rationalised movingforward to drivebetter outcomes.

Here are a few starters:Establish a lexicon for your

brand, including amessaging framework andboilerplates to bring greaterconsistency to the way yourpropositions are articulated and reduce the cost and

time spent by staff andagencies creatingnew messages.Review your brand

guidelines with a view tospecifying the differentformats that can be usedand when then ensureflexible design templatesare in place. Be strict aboutpolicing your brand. Itllavoid people trying tocreate yet another formatfor a brochure, whitepaper or email, when theemphasis should really beon the content.

Think in terms of marketing

programmes rather thanad-hoc campaigns. Plan aseries of activities aroundyour audiences and lookat how different campaignassets can be re-usedacross multiple waves ofactivity. So if the campaignconstruct works for oneaudience, use the sameapproach again but focusyour efforts on tailoringthe content to thataudiences needs.

Never lose sight of the fact

that good content shouldntbe bound to any one media and can be leveragedacross PR, white papers, atevents and in social media.Build a specific contentmarketing plan with a realemphasis on creating high

quality, sticky content thatwill be eminently useful toyour audiences, and morelikely to be shared. Smarterre-use means less need tofeed the content monster.Look at what can be

automated and automate it.The buzz around marketingautomation is deafening atthe moment but effectivelydeployed with the righttechnology and processes,it can help to streamline theway leads are nurturedand qualified takingindustrialisation tonew heights.

Measure, learn, refineAt the heart of any effort tomake the marketing functionleaner, theres got to be acommitment tomeasurement. Its essentialto ensuring yourstandardisation efforts arentjust delivering efficiencybenefits but are also helpingto improve your marketingeffectiveness. By putting inplace quantitative andqualitative measureswherever possible, you canbenchmark performance andproactively improve yourapproach moving forward.So if youre really seriousabout operating moreefficiently, could theprinciples of industrialisationhelp turn your marketingfunction into a well oiledmachine, thats firing on allcylinders? Heres to the nextindustrial revolution.

Industrializing Your Marketing Effortsto Drive a Better ROI

THE NEW

80:20RULEBy Paul Hewerdine

Paul Hewerdine is the Partner & Planning Director of Earnest Agency. For more information, you can follow his blogs onhttp://earnestagency.wordpress.com, follow him on twitter at twitter.com/earnestagency or also visit his companys site

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AEGON Religare Life Insurance Co.Ltd. Yateesh Srivastava

Apollo Hospitals Arvind Sivaramakrishna n CIO

Axis Bank Manisha Lath Gupta

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd Tapan Singhel

Birla Sun Life Insurance Co Ltd Arun Malkani

Caf Coffee Day K Ramakrishnan

Capgemini India Sangeeta Sundaram

Citibank India Sanjeev KapurDatamatics Global Services Ravindra Datar

DHL Express (India) Pvt Ltd Chandrashekha r Pitre

Dish TV Anjali Malhotra

Dr Lal Pathlabs Sameer Kaul

Elsevier Health Sciences, Ajit Sharma

A Reed Elsevier Group Company

Essar Group Shivnath Thukral

Eureka Forbes Marzin R Shroff & Shashank Sinha

Future Generali India Life Insurance Abraham Alapatt

Company & Future Generali India

Insurance Company

Godfrey Philips India Nita Kapoor

Godrej Properties Girish Shah

HDFC Bank Kartik Jain

HDFC Life Sanjay Tripathy

Hexaware Technologies Deependra Chumble

IDBI Bank Saumya ChaudhuriIndusInd Bank Mohit Ganju

ING Vysya Bank Sonalee Panda & CVG Prasad

Jet Airways Belson Coutinho

Kaya Skin Clinic Suvodeep Das

L&T General Insurance Deepali Naair

L&T Infotech Sushma Rajagopalan

Legrand India Palash Nandy - VP Marketing

Lenovo India Shailendra Katyal

Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra Sanjay Seth

MakeMyTrip.com Manish Kalra

Manipal Global Education Services Vivek Kumar

Max New York Life Anisha Motwani

My Financial Advisor Nita Menezes

NIIT Limted Mohit Hira

The Oberoi Group Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah

Oriflame India Sharmili Rajput

Pearson Education Services Naveen Raman

Reliance Capital Sanjay Jain

Sasken Communications Swami Krishnan

Technologies Ltd

Suzlon Group Dharini Mishra

TNT Express Bhaskar Madapura

TPG Wholesale Pvt Ltd Pravahan Mohanty

Tupperware Anshu Bagai

UTI Asset Management Company Gaurav Suri

UTV Channels Kunal Mukherjee

Vedanta Senjam Raj Sekhar

Walt Disney Studios Sanjay Narayanan

Zensar Technologies Ajay Bhandari & Shaonlee Bose

COMPANY NAME REPRESENTED BY

M.IT.R-50 AT IBM CONNECT 2012 IN ALPHABETIC ORDER

Fast and successful Web site integrations

Improved business intelligence efforts to help drive customer engagement

Measure marketing effectiveness

New marketing technologies to better engage customers

eCommerce platform implementation

Integration of marketing with supply chain

Implementing CRM systems

Improving accessibility and usability of customer information

Building a customer data warehouse Developing self-service options for customers

Cost savings from the integration

Innovation and product development

Communication dissemination internal and external

M.IT.R-50- 2012,is a recognition for those Top 50 Gurus of Marketing in India

who have achieved success in their business through the use of technology.

This list was unveiled at a unique event hosted by IBM, to bring

out the still nascent and tentative relationship between two areas of business

in India, considered to be in opposing directions but moving towards

strategic leadership.

Paul Writer was the knowledge partner for this event and in the journey to

identify the M.IT.R-50 we interviewed several senior marketers and captured

their views on emerging and existing technology used in their marketingprogrammes. The interview collection is as varied as is it

is interesting.

M.IT.RThose on this list have used technology in the following ways:MARKETING & IT RECOGNITION

The above list is of CMOs and Senior-most Marketing Leaders

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PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?

YS: This marketing year should see attention given toimproving Customer Data Management & Analytics andSocial Media & Digital Communication. Additionally, theintegration of a Customer Self Service attitude into ourbusiness system and dedication to e-commerce andrevamping our website.

PW:At AEGON Religare Life Insurance Co Ltd, how hastechnology played a role in customer acquisition orretention?YS: We use technology to help customers buy policiesonline through a fully self-service option. In addition weuse technology to offer payment options to ourcustomers as well as create avenues for engagement.Data from our existing customers - demographic and

transactional will be used to create opportunities forengagement to enable service, cross-sell and up-sell.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?YS: In life insurance sales, online was a channel ofdistribution that was non-existent. At AEGON Religare, wedesigned a product and process aimed at creating a pureonline channel and create a new mode of distribution inlife insurance. Technology was at the backbone of theproduct offering to help create a new channel.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the ITcomponent of marketing? And how aligned are themarketing and IT functions in the organization?YS: No we have different budgets but during the planningexercise the two departments sit together to createcommonality of goals and objectives.

PW: How important is technology for the success of themodern marketer?AS: The 4 Ps of Marketing clearly has given way to 4 Pswith a T (for Technology). One may look at this as 4 Psand a T or a Technology component engrained in each

one of Price, Product, Place, and Promotion.Price is no longer a static perspective and has becometruly dynamic (read real time) and technology is making itself-discoverable at the point of shopping, comparisonacross options is fast and instantaneous.Products are not cast in stone and are customizableto a market of one, thanks to a plethora oftechnological innovations.Place - thanks to ICT is lot less relevant and even atphysical locations the play of technology is omnipotent.Mobile stores and the like are creating value greaterthan storefronts.Promotion is across a significant choice of channels all ofwhich have technology at play, it would be impossible to

have a successful promotion with the leverage ofSocial Media, Mobility, e-Commerce and a DigitalMarketing strategy.A marketer without technology leverage is obsolete.

PW: What are your current marketing priorities & howdoes that translate to technology?AS: As the Number One healthcare provider with clinicaloutcomes in line with the worlds best, the priority of ourmarketing efforts is to touch a billion lives through twohealthcare delivery channels namely:1. Clinical Excellence Channels like Hospitals, REACHHospitals,Clinics, Wellness and other similar assets. Theseare enabled through expert consultants backed by thebest clinical technologies like Cyberknife, Robotic Surgery,2 Tesla MRI, PET CT, 320 Slice CT, Novalis etc.2. Technology leveraged channels like, Tele Medicine(Apollo Tele Health), Electronic Patient Health Record(HealthHiway), Healthcare e-Learning (ApolloMedvaristy)Mobile Health (Health Net Global).

YATEESH SRIVASTAVACMO - AEGON Religare Life Insurance Co Ltd.

ARVIND SCIO - Apollo HospitalsM.IT.R

INTERVIEWSIBM and Paul Writer recognize all CMOs who have adopted technology to enhancecustomer experience and engage with the market in order to drive business results.Naturally, with the support of their CIOs and technology partners. This goes beyondusing social networking platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and is more aboutembracing and cultivating a spirit of collaboration both internally and externally toenable a smarter business.

MARKETING & IT RECOGNITION

"Technology was at thebackbone of the productoffering to help create a newchannel"

...the presence of a set of assetsto deliver Healthcare throughinnovative, technology ledchannels further augments theability to touch a billion lives

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PW:As a marketer what would you say are your current

priorities?MLG: In the coming year I would say our focus will be touse technology to better manage Customer Data and useanalytics to engage in a more efficient manner. Also,increase our use of Social Media and digitalcommunications, revamp the website for more interactionand improve Customer Self Service tools. At Axis Bank weare always working on new product development so thatit remains relevant to changing customer needs and westay ahead of our competitors

PW:At Axis Bank, how has technology played a role incustomer acquisition or retention?MLG: For Axis Bank, technology has played a role incustomer acquisition and retention in several ways. Firstof all, we build on our brand engagement through outdigital interfaces like Facebook and the website. The AxisBank FB site has 4.5L followers, the highest amongstbanks in the country.

Secondly, we use analytics and campaign management toselectively reach out to customers with new products,services or promotions that may be relevant to them. Wehave tied up with partners to disburse more of ourproducts online like GI and Loans, which makesacquisition much cheaper and productive.Naturally, the next step is strengthening the relationshipand keeping the customer satisfied. Through better UserInterfaces on Internet Banking and Mobile Banking, wedeepen our relationship with our customers allowing themto reach us anytime anywhere 24x7. We now have the

largest ATM network among private banks making us the

most accessible brand.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?MLG: In market expansion, our aggressive ATM strategyhas definitely helped us to expand our reach and presencein our customer's lives. We are actively working on newproduct development, and we cannot deliver newproducts without technology in Banking. So really,technology is the backbone for us to develop and delivernew products to our customers.I believe that it very important that modern marketersadopt technology and use it to drive business results. Thisof course, means we work with the CIOs and strategicallymove towards acquiring the technology relevant tothe business.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the ITcomponent of marketing? And how aligned are themarketing and IT functions in the organization?

MLG: We do have a specialized Digital Marketing teamwithin the marketing team which drives all digitalchannels like Internet, Mobile, bank owned websitesand Social Media. There is a separate budget forthese activities.

Marketing and IT work very closely to drive the Banks ITagenda, especially for customer facing interfaces.However, the final word on technology investments andbudgets reside with the IT function, as they are thedomain experts.

In the forefront of Marketing action are staked a bunch ofTechnology initiatives that span Portals, Social Media ,Mobility , Digital Salesforce enablers and Digital Market-ing. These represent the Front Office. The middle office issupported by Technology assets like applications forPatient Servicing & Management, Healthcare Ecosystem(Physicians,Pharmaceuticals, Associations) Relationshipand Partnership Management and bringing up the rear arethe Customer Analytics & Loyalty Management systems.

PW: In your organization how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?AS: Customer Acquisition is empirically a function ofReach (Penetration, Presence, and Coverage) and SuccessRate (Conversions, Hit Rate, Positive Brand

Behaviour).Customer Retention in the Healthcare space ismulti-dimensional, building a life time relationship withthe patient served, earning the patients reference ( NetPromoter Score) and the positive clinical outcome andservice experience translating into winning a life timerelationship with the family and friend circle of the patientand going further to earn their reference too.Reach is an outcome of Technology enabled Marketingactivities both above the line and below the line dulypulled together by technology enabled sales force.Each of the IT assets in the Front Office from Portals toSocial Media presence to Mobile and Digital strategies areensuring a coordinated set of actions from Carpet Bomb-ing to Laser sharp personalized messaging.The Middle and back office systems , which are an integralpart of the Retention strategy lead by multi-channelrelationship management program that sits on top of a Unique Healthcare ID strategy running over the years isaugmented by the value that an Electronic Medical

Record system that is gaining significant traction inthe marketplace.Technology aids in making linear marketing channelsbehave exponentially both for Client acquisition andretention. Predicative and Big Data analytics makescommunication sharper. Social media is helping get closerto the real voice of the customer and a state of the artresponse management infrastructure enhancescustomer delight.In the midst of all this, the presence of a set of assets todeliver Healthcare through innovative technology leadchannels further augments the ability to touch a billionlives. Lastly, technology outside the IT sphere in terms ofleading clinical technologies is continuously improvingclinical outcomes which are the key purpose of the sector.PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?AS: Product development at Apollo is governed byClinical Innovation on one side and Information Techno-

logical leverage on the other dimension. Few areas, wherethe latter plays a key role are:1. Customer acquisition through the campaign manager(CRM) module in our PHR (Patient Health Records) bysegmenting customer database & running TG specificcampaigns to drive walk-ins2. Customer retention by enabling stickiness through aone-of-its kind Health and Wellness record solutions inour PHR being available at the customers fingertips.3. Ease of doing business and getting service is an a areaof continuous improvement and technology tool likeeDoc" online Doctor appointment scheduling systemwhich enables patients to fix their own appointmentsdirectly with doctors.4. International Research helps build solutions relevantfrom a Medical Tourism perspective.

5. Website and social media acts as listening posts tohelp size and develop new solutions based on clientexpectations.In addition to playing an integral role in our Clinicalinitiatives which have been critical to our clinicaloutcomes & service delivery, technology has the keydriver also through:TelemedicineRemote Second OpinionIntegrated online training & development24X7 Call center, provides not just information and servicebut also creates new solutions through its leverage.Continuously improving experience of the Portals.

PW: What would you say is the level of collaborationbetween the CMO and CIO in your organization was:AS: At Apollo, the CMO-CIO lines are nearly non-existent -effective collaboration of the CMO and CIO is an impera-tive in todays market.

As the anchor and owner of many of the Technologyassets right from early stages of building these marketingassets, our CIO plays the role of the primary stakeholder.The CIO is sized of tasks, such as adoption level ofPrimary Health Records a key market facing tool.Thus is automatically aligned to continuousspecification improvement.The CIO has a chair, an important one, in all key marketingcampaigns. Billion Hearts Beating program is a greatexample of this.Significant new product development is taken up as aJoint ownership between the CMO and the CIO. Thus,sizing, scoping and functionality are clearly not a battle ora surprise.It would be appropriate to state that the CMO is as muchan owner of the technology solutions as the CIO is theowner of the marketing plans.

MANISHA LATH GUPTACMO Axis Bank

"we build on our brand engagementthrough out digital interfaces likeFacebook and the website. The AxisBank FB site has 4.5L followers, thehighest amongst banks in the country

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TS: In the current future, I would advise every marketer tofocus on the following aspects that would increase theefficiency and productivity of all marketing initiatives.Most importantly, it is critical to optimize your CustomerData Management & Analytics and, Social Media & DigitalCommunications outreach programs.Subsequently, a solid and focused Customer Self Serviceattitude and E-commerce foundation should bedeveloped upon.An ongoing initiative to Link Supply Chain to MarketingInitiatives and New Product Development must alwayshave a keen focus.Finally, ensuring that your companys website is revampedand up to date to ensure that the target audience is awareof your key offerings and is straight away able to identifywith your value added services.

PW:At Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd, how hastechnology played a role in customer acquisition or

retention?TS: Our IT services are recognized as one of the centres ofexcellence globally in Allianz. It has been leveraged toenhance customer experiences by providing solutions atthe customer / Intermediary desk . The ease oftransactions and convenience gives us a cutting edgeadvantage in customer acquisition. Also, since 60 % ofour policies can be technically renewed by our customersand intermediaries personally, this effort does tend toenhance retention.PW:How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?TS: There has been no doubt that technology hasextended our reach to geographies that were previouslymore difficult to reach. Our solutions today allow us toservice area right from Baramullah in Kashmir toKanayakumari and similarly from the east to the west.

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?AM: Amongst my current priorities for this year are

Customer Data Management & Analytics, Social Media &Digital Marketing and revamping our companys website.

PW:At Birla Sun Life Insurance Co. Ltd, how has technol-ogy played a role in customer acquisition or retention?AM: Our entire customer cross-sell and upsell programand analytics marketing is based on statistical models andthe use of technology and systems. Customers are alsoperiodically communicated with on offers and relationshipinitiatives through database management based ontechnology. They are also able to make premiumpayments and do a number of other transactions online attheir convenience. This reduces pressure on physical

branches and personnel and gives the customer theopportunity to interact/transact at his will and time.

Web based analytics using relevant tools is also integral toboth acquisition and retention initiatives by the organiza-tion. Overall, technology has really added teeth to ourmarketing initiatives and is playing and will continue toplay a very integral role in the marketing initiatives inmy organization.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?AM: Accelerating opportunities to leverage and adopttechnology is the key to long-term business growth andproductivity. Technology will serve as the connectbetween the organization and the opportunities and


KR: As a marketer, my current priorities would includeCustomer Data Management and Analytics as well asSocial Media & Digital Communication at the forefront.Other priorities on my plate includes constant attention toinvesting in new product development and enabling arapid expansion in India to reach a number of 2000 cafesby the end of 2014.

PW:At Caf Coffee Day, how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?KR: Here are some examples of our complete technologybacked marketing approach:Social Media: Brand presence on popular social mediaplatforms serve as a perfect channel for customer interac-tion, promotions, announcements etc.CRM: Our gift card program, Caf Moments is a completetechnology based solution. It becomes ready to use afteran easy one time SMS activation. All interactions likebalance check, transaction notifications, reload can be

done via SMS or online.Bean Banter: A digital tent card, this small device iscapable of running 15 campaigns at once. It drives interac-tion by displaying messages based on user response.Digital Kiosks: We are working to build touch screeninteractive kiosks for in-cafe engagement. The device willprovide a personalized experience with internet access,menu ordering option, games and a fully integratedloyalty program.Centralized Radio: Centrally controlled radio that iscustomizable to tastes of customers of every region,language and age etc.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?

KR: In terms of Product Development, we reach out to ourcustomers online via surveys, polls, researches for newproduct development and feedback. One of our productscalled Warm choco indulgence was created based on anextensive customer research done on Facebook. It nowcontributes to 30% of our dessert sales. Where InternalCommunication is concerned, we regularly broadcast toall our cafes for training and internal employee communi-cation. One such internal celebration was done on reach-ing the 1000th caf milestone where all the cafs werelinked to a central cross-communication channel at thesame time.On reaching the million Facebook fans mark, wecelebrated with our customers at all the cafs on thesame day at the same time. The event photos weretweetcasted live by us and our customers.In relation to Market Expansion, we receive close to80,000 downloads a day where Bluetooth provides aninteractive link between our customers and the brand.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?KR: Honestly, we do not have anything known as amarketing budget. We earn from other brands that useour cafs as a medium to communicate to youngsters anduse that money to communicate with our consumers.Therefore there is no separate IT component in thisbudget. However, the IT function is very clearly alignedwith the goals of the marketing organization built towardsseamless service delivery, engagement buildingand analytics.

solutions they require to grow and compete in the globalmarketplace. Technology, in partnership with other keyorganizational functions such as marketing, product andsales, will develop the tools and processes required tobring about innovative new product and process improve-ment opportunities adapted to the needs of customers.Additionally, technology will make available a range ofproducts and assistance services to help the companyrapidly move new product opportunities into productionand out into the market. In fact, the internet has thepotential to become a full fledged alternative channeleven in a complex product category like insurance. Thiswill lead to simplification of the product and hence muchgreater opportunities of reaching out to lesser financiallysavvy customers.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?AM : IT is integral to most functions within the organisa-tion and marketing is one of the chief users of technology.In fact IT as a function within its budget provides formarketing driven technology initiatives.

Both IT and marketing are very aligned and arejointly taking forward a number of largeorganizational initiatives.

K. RAMAKRISHNANPresident, Marketing - Caf Coffee Day

TAPAN SINGHELCMO - Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd

ARUN MALKANICMO Birla Sun Life Insurance Co. Ltd

" (IT has) been leveraged toenhance customer experiencesby providing solutions at thecustomer / Intermediary desk

" Technology will serve as the connectbetween the organization and theopportunities and solutions they requireto grow and compete in the globalmarketplace

" Brand presence on popular socialmedia platforms serve as a perfectchannel for customer interaction,

promotions, announcements...

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PW: How important is technology for the success of themodern marketer?

SS: Todays marketer cannot function without technology.It is an integral part of marketing.We need technology for measuring the ROI. Marketingbudgets are always under a scanner compared to otherdepartments, and the use of technology to track data andanalyze our returns and monetize the success of anymedia and communication is very important.In large corporations like ours, with multiple geographies,deploying consistent brand assets would be impossiblewithout technology. Today, monitoring the brand, ensur-ing consistency in its usage, reusability of brand assetsand checks on communication guidelines, is allmade much easier with archived portals and othersuch technology.And most importantly, digital technology and the use ofsocial media, our website and other digital propertieshave made it possible to interact with customers andrespond and communicate to and with our target audi-ence, making it the key support for marketing.

There are no doubt challenges in the adoption of technol-ogy in the marketing arena. A personal evolution isrequired. Awareness of ever changing trends and chang-ing the composition of the marketing team is requiredtoday. While I have hired specific people with technologyskills, I also ensure that my team members learn newthings and update themselves constantly.PW: What are your current marketing priorities & howdoes that translate to technology?SS: If I have to identify my top priorities for the next 12months, they would be:Brand development for both the internal and externalaudience in a manner that integrates the process com-pletely. Ability to have a same brand experience internallyand externally. A clear shift to digital advertising. Globally,Capgemini has already taken a decision to move itsmarketing channel from the traditional to the digital. InIndia, we have used some traditional medium in the past,but going forward it will be more digital media.

Gear up to drive a content management strategyAnd, an Account Based Marketing approach for greatercustomer intimacy

PW:At Capgemini how has technology played a role incustomer acquisition or retention?

SS: Well, apart from the obvious CRM system in managingthe sales and marketing pipeline, we have used technol-ogy in a powerful way for our recruitment communicationand process. For each recruitment communication cam-paign as well as all organic visits to the website we are notonly able to track and analyse the statistics, conversionrates etc. we are also ensuring that the resumes receivedare categorized and sent to the corresponding technicalleader in the organization for review. The life-cycle of aresume is completely supported by technology atCapgemini making the process more efficient, effectiveand transparent. We are also able to drive efficiencies onour campaigns owing to this.On the customer end we are still in the early stages oftechnology adoption in India but are clearly movingtowards it. At the moment we are able to do somecustomer behavior analysis and tracking of sales leadsetc. But what we would like to move towards is specificcontent for customers based on their requirement, more

engagement and two-way communication.PW: What is the level of collaboration between the CMOand CIO in your organization? Does marketing have aseparate IT Budget?SS: I think the level of collaboration between Marketingand IT is definitely improving. There is a sense of under-standing of each others business needs which has led thetwo to work together. This in our organization was clearlyimportant when communication to 37000 employees inover 8 locations in India had to be streamlined. But, it isalso true that the CIO now involves marketing whenevaluating vendors for some communication technology,or inputs are taken from our department when revampinga CRM system. Marketing is definitely an importantstakeholder in any customer engagement or sales tech-nology being implemented. This was probably not so true,say 2 years ago.Globally, the marketing budget at Capgemini had evolvedto include technology that was required. Here in India, we

have slowly moved to get less and less dependant on theIT budget for technology that we need to run successfulmarketing programs. Be it an upgrade for the website andintranet, analytics and tracking or bandwidth for launch-ing campaigns, we now manage it ourselves as IT hasother responsibilities that require their attention.

PW: How important is technology for the success of themodern marketer?

SK: Technology has always played a critical yet under-stated role in the success of any brand. Superior deliveryof benefits across categories ranging from fairness creamsto razors, drugs to cars or for that matter any householdproduct, has been contingent on the research and tech-nology prowess of a company.Today, technology and in particular digitization of infor-mation is impacting the success of marketers, more thanever before. As per a recent release, more than two billionpeople use broadband today as compared to ten yearsago and three billion people are likely to have smart-phones in the next 10 years. This has and will continue tofundamentally change the way clients consume informa-tion and therefore it is imperative for marketers today tonot only embed their brand in the digital space but alsoprovide convenient access through new devices tocontinue to be relevant to consumers.The same is true for the financial services sector as well.Retail Banks in India have leveraged the digital medium to

increase their distribution and for most modern banks thedigital channels today have emerged as the largestcustomer touch point. Our survey shows that over 51% ofCitibank Indias customers prefer to transact online. Over60% have signed up for e-statements and nearly 90% ofall customer communication is now electronic. There is agreat opportunity for banks to further build on this reachby focusing on offering greater choice, convenience andcontrol to their customers through not only the traditionalinternet banking channel but also the emerging Mobile,Tablet and Social Media platforms.To summarize, I believe that there is no option but toembrace the rapid changes led by evolution of technol-ogy. Over the past decade several industries like music,photography have been totally transformed by softwaretherefore only brands which are willing to constantlyadapt will survive.PW: What are your current marketing priorities & howdoes that translate to technology?

SK: Our goal is to improve our market share, dispropor-tionate to our physical footprint and resources deployedin the marketplace. This requires us to build our productand brand preference through significantly strongerdelivery of our value propositions. Technology can play akey role here and to start with, technology can help makebanking faster and easier for our customers. A userfriendly website, mobile interface, ATM technology helpsus not only overcome our distribution limitation but alsoallows customers to do time consuming branch transac-tions instantly from their home or office.Secondly, technology can help us customize product/offerbundles for our clients. For instance, our backend analyt-ics has helped us understand the preferences of our

customers such as where they like to dine, shop and howfrequently they like to transact. Analyzing this data, we

have constructed a recommendation engine, called CitiFor You. The engine analyzes customer profile, transac-tion behavior and purchase preferences and suggestsfinancial products and services that aremost relevant.Thirdly, technology also plays an important role in contex-tual delivery of propositions to help build product andbrand relevance. A good example is our best in classCitMobile applications where we offer location basedservices to find a nearby branch, ATM or dining offers.We also leverage technology to do contextual messagingin our ATMs wherein we centrally control communicationof a product or offer depending on the location of ourATM e.g. ATM in mall ATM versus ATM in a branch.Another great example of leveraging technology in theoffline world is our deployment of a solution at point ofsale where-in our card clients can pay for purchasesinstantly using rewards points instead of cash. Today wehave more than 1500 merchants offering this service and

this contextual deployment significantly enhances thevalue of our credit cards in minds of our clients.PW: In your organization how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?SK: Traditionally, Citibank is known for innovation in thefinancial sector. Be it, phone banking, ATMs or onlinebanking capability for NRIs, we have been forerunners inusing technology to provide superior service to ourclients. In the long run, delivering superior service every-day is the best way to build loyalty for the brand andretain clients.On the acquisition side, we are leveraging technology inthree ways. Firstly Citibank has traditionally been one ofthe highest spenders on online for acquisition. One of theprimary reasons is that media costs of digital channelshave not been monetized commensurate to the reachdelivered by the medium resulting in a cost arbitrageversus offline advertising. Secondly we have leveragedtechnology to provide an enhanced sales experience to

our prospects. We are gradually moving our physicalbrochure ware to electronic format to deliver a moreconsultative & need based sales experience. Some of ournew branches also have digital displays. We are also thelargest buyer of OOH screens amongst financial brandswhich allows us to customize message for prospects bylocation. Thirdly and more recently we are using our socialplatforms like Facebook where we have more than350,000 fans to engage prospects and enhance ourbrand relevance.

SANJEEV KAPURCMO - Citibank India

SANGEETA SUNDARAMMarketing & Communications leader - Capgemini India

" Apart from the obvious CRM system inmanaging the sales and marketing

pipeline, we have used technology in apowerful way for our recruitmentcommunication and process....

we have leveraged technology to provide anenhanced sales experience to our prospects.We are gradually moving our physicalbrochure ware to electronic formats to delivera more consultative & need based salesexperience...

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PW: There is a lot of debate on how sometimes thecommunities on social media for most brands are rarelythe actual customers for that product of service. What isyour view on this?SK: Yes, it is likely that social communities have moreprospects than customers. This should not come as asurprise as in the real world, for most brand at a givenpoint of time, there would be more consumers consider-ing the brand than using the brand. Even though there arelikely to me more prospects, brands need to leveragethese platforms to strengthen its relevance with thecommunity by talking about or offering things which areinteresting for the members. For brands like Citi, this mayrequires us to talk beyond serious financial products onthings such as our association with Cricket, Theatre, andDining etc. This helps members to start forming animpression that a particular brand speaks the same

language as them and this enhanced relevance over aperiod of time is likely to translate into product usage.However, in an attempt to aggressively monetize thecommunities dominated by prospects, brands shouldavoid product hard sell as that begins to undermine thespirit of the platform and repel the members to engagewith the brand.PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?SK: Unlike before, digital technology now allows clients tointeract with brands and build a dialogue. This allows

companies to get real time feedback on the quality ofdelivery of service, products etc and helps brands tocontinuously recalibrate and improve various facets of theproduct that impact the delivery of value proposition.Technology could also be used to help build radically newproducts or sometimes take operational decisions.An example of leveraging technology for buildingradically new products to serve new segments is biomet-ric ATMs with voice navigation capability to serve illiteratemicrofinance clients. An interesting example of leveragingSocial Media to take operational decisions is a CrowdSourced ATM initiative on Facebook wherein our fans onFacebook decided the location of our new ATMs in Delhi& Bangalore.PW: Would you say the level of collaboration betweenthe CMO and CIO in your organization was:

SK: Excellent. In the digital world, it is imperative for theCIO and CMO to work together closely. The CIO is thewindow to the realms of possibilities in the technologyworld which a CMO can then interpret and bring about asolution for consumers. Given the rapid pace of change intechnology both the CIO and CMO have to stay close tothe ground and continuously look for opportunities toimprove client delivery and stay ahead of competition.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?RD: Technology forms the backbone of everything we doacross the organizations. Over the years, Datamatics hascreated a wealth of IP that we are able to deploy for amore efficient life cycle management for our IP, products,solutions and services. Our focus has always been onautomating processes to the greatest extent possible toenhance speed and quality of output while deliveringsubstantial cost benefit for us and our customers. Tech-nology has thus helped strengthen our delivery engine aswell as our new offerings development processes.

Leverage of technology and new outreach channelsenabled by technology has helped us drive visibility forour brand and offerings rapidly in new markets andmarket segments. Smart use of technology has also

helped streamline our business development and salesengine with a good alignment with our delivery engine.

We are also able to improve our knowledge sharing andinnovation management abilities within the company. Inthis way, Datamatics is able to provide a better and morecustomized opportunity to capture our targeted andprospective clients for our innovative offerings.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?RD: We do have provisions for IT deployment for greatermarketing & sales effectiveness and an operations teamthat ensures our investments in technology are alignedwith our expectations and with our business priorities.

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?RD: In the highly competitive global marketplace, it isimportant to ensure high brand visibility amongst chosenmarket segments. Beyond mere brand visibility, it isnecessary to present a differentiated brand promise thatwill clearly convey relevant business value to the targetsegments. As a provider of Next Generation solutions to

our global clientele, our current marketing priority is toestablish our brand promise firmly in our target markets,with targeted visibility in our chosen segments. We willalso focus on building holistic relationships with ourclients by broadening our coverage of their requirementsacross their organizational value chains.On the offerings front, we are actively promoting ourSmart Analytics capabilities with our existing clients aswell as prospects, to help them extract meaningfulinsights from the terabytes of transactional data they haveto cope with, for better informed decisions.

PW:At Datamatics Global Services Ltd, how has technol-ogy played a role in customer acquisiti on or retention?RD: We consider technology as a value enabler forourselves as well as our clients. In our existing relation-ships, our focus has always been to leverage technologyto drive optimization in the clients business processes,with a focus on delivering breakthrough cost savings,quality enhancement and shorter processing time. This

plays a big role in not just retaining our clients but alsoexpanding our relationships with them.

For new business, technology helps us ensure goodvisibility of changing market preferences for our sales andmarketing decision makers and also our delivery manag-ers. Through the use of sales force automation, we havebeen able to achieve a more streamlined and effectivesales engine. New outreach channels such as social media,webinars etc have helped in enhancing our marketingoutreach beyond the website. We also ensure our fieldsales force, always on the move are able to access thelatest and most relevant information on the industryand the specific clients they are meeting, throughmobility solutions.

RAVINDRA DATARHead Global Marketing - Datamatics Global Services Limited

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?CP: Justifying Return-on-Marketing-Investments by optingfor selected measurement techniques that help drivespecific business objectives. At the same time provide ourcustomers with unique value propositions that last longer.Main areas of focus in this current marketing year shouldinclude particular attention to Customer Data Manage-ment & Analytics and Social Media & Digital Communica-tion. Additionally, a Customer Self Service attitude shouldbe developed to increase online dependency. Finally, NewProduct Development and e-Commerce should be anongoing investment.

PW:At DHL Express, how has technology played a rolein customer acquisition or retention?CP: Technology has played a pivotal role as e-Commerceapplications enable daily transactions to be completedfaster and error free (if any). Applications like SMS/WAPensure timely updates providing customers real-timeupdates and accessibility anytime anywhere giving DHLan edge over competition. As part of many firsts to ourcredit DHL Express India also was the first to introduceIndias first and only 24-hour customer service call centrein the Express industry.

Multiple Tracking Options: DHLs online tracking is thefastest way to find out where your shipment is. There isnow no need to call Customer Service numbers when wecan offer you real-time details of your shipment. The callis answered in three rings. Our back-up Customer ContactCentre in Chennai makes sure that the customer getsun-interrupted service all the time, even in caseof emergencies.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?CP: Technologies like Scanning Solutions, TCL, SmartTruck ensure customized solutions which creates a needof new products and markets that directly contribute tomarket and business expansions owing to their highlyintrinsic nature as per customer requirements.To start with the Online Scanners (Motorola 9596 series ofPDA) which are designed to talk to customer services andoperations systems parallely where once a booking iscaptured in customer services application (CSV CyberServices) based on the couriers area of operationreceives the fresh request within three to five mins ofregistration. Once the courier accepts the request andupon collecting the parcel from the customer the event iscaptured and transferred back to Track and Trace serverwithin three to five mins giving next to real time visibilityto the end customer. The same technology is used whenthe courier is out for delivering a parcel and based on thetiming of the event the information travels instantly to thebackend systems within five mins and the same is visibleto the entire world through DHLs Track and Trace.

Customs clearance is considered to be a tedious processacross the globe and where the need of paperwork fordutiable shipment plays a crucial role at the time of boththe export and import clearance this is where theimaging solution of DHL namely CIA (Clear In Air) comesinto picture wherein the paperwork are scanned flight-wise at origin and destination. Within minutes of imagescanning one is able to download the images and file thedocuments for pre-clearance this clearly saves six to 12hours of clearance time thereby gives us a clear edge overall the other competitors.

CHANDRASHEKHAR PITRESenior Director Marketing South Asia, DHL Express

Datamatics is able to provide a better

and more customized opportunity tocapture our targeted and prospectiveclients for our innovative offerings

Applications like SMS/WAP ensuretimely updates providing customersreal-time updates and accessibilityanytime anywhere giving DHL an edgeover competition

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Last but not the least the SMART TRUCK solution,a technologically advance solution wherein for hugevolume / remote area and higher cut-off demandingcustomers a vehicle equipped with GPRS connectivityhaving capability of enabling the couriers to performdata capture / re-weighing / imaging while on moveand thereby reducing the processing time in facility andclearly allowing the customer to have late cut-offs alsothis vehicles location can be tracked using maps therebythe back office can also plan their processingactivities accordingly.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?CP: Yes indeed we do have budget for IT Components asin todays scenario any marketing plan would be incom-plete if it does not have a space for IT in it. We at DHLbelieve marketing decisions depend upon IT, and ITdepends upon marketing decisions. The two are interde-pendent. Decisions that are made in marketing are basedupon information provided by IT, and systems that aredeveloped by IT are based upon requirements providedby marketers.

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?AM: For every marketer, customer acquisition and reten-tion are both equally important. In addition, ours being asubscription led business, the relationship continuesmonth-on-month, thereby necessitating constant interac-

tion and management of information flow, paymentcycles, retention etc.. Thus data analytics and targetedcommunication are a priority towards customer profiling,segmentation, behavioral studies and so on. In addition,product engagement and revenue enhancement, be itthrough new product innovations and/or existing basketsales, are also critical parameters.

PW:At Dish TV, how has technology played a role incustomer acquisition or retention?AM: Technology plays a very critical role at every step.Towards acquisition, use of MIS based geographicalsegmentation, analytics based market prioritization andGPS based mapping of customer/ trade presence. Inkeeping with todays digital generation, new productenhancements like web stores, mobile apps for productengagement and customer convenience.On the retention side, CRM tools, predictive modeling andforecasting techniques, trigger based automated market-ing systems, customer segmentation life-cycle manage-

ment, loyalty programs and targeted marketing. We dodeploy advanced tools for MIS/ data analytics and cam-paign design/management. In addition, newer vehicles forcustomer communication with large capacity and auto-

mated delivery including specially developed on-TV tools,too. Use of digital and social media and ORM techniquesfor customer feedback management with real-timeresolution/ close-looping etc.

PW: How has technology played a role in new product

development, market expansion or other areas?AM: Primarily through the use of GPS and geographicmapping tools for customer and retail mapping/ align-ment, customer contact data cleansing and augmentation,special self-help tools for dealers for respective subscriberdata mapping for augmenting recharge business, devel-opment of mobile apps and WAP website and so on.Moreover, development of new technology for productdelivery through advanced set-top-boxes with addedfeatures like recording, return-path and their marriagewith other connected devices ( laptops/ mobiles) or VOD,catch-up TV to constantly upgrade the consumersTV viewing experience.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?AM: The two functions work very closely indeed. Fromconceptualization of new products, their back-end andseamless delivery, to MIS/ analytics and customer

life-cycle management. There are designated budgetsplanned for acquisition/ development of newer tools formeeting the stated objectives, from time to time.

ANJALI MALHOTRAExecutive VP, Marketing - Dish TV

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?SK: Focus should be drawn on the following for thismarketing year:Customer Data Management & Analytics (Return onInsights (ROI) as well as the conventional ROISocial Media & Digital CommunicationEnhancing Customer ExperienceNew product developmente-CommerceRevamping the website

PW:At Dr Lal PathLabs, how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?SK: We are India's largest chain of diagnostics labsserving more than 7 million customers. For us technologyleadership plays a role in many dimensions. We have themost advanced cutting edge testing equipment at ourlabs leading to most accurate test results in the industry.We launched India's only fully dedicated NationalCustomer Care infrastructure that acts as a customer

touch point from morning 7 am - 11 pm. This facilitatesa one stop shop solution to the entire gamut ofdiagnostic needs.We use the best IVR and telephony technology to providea 'One Call Does It All' kind of a solution. Our websiteprovides fast viewing of test reports, our ICT technologyintegrates our thousands of centers together. We alsolaunched Asias largest lab at Rohini to serve our custom-ers effectively. All the above helps us to acquire and retainour millions of customers.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?SK: We have invested a lot at Rohini which has become agame changer in the Indian diagnostics space - OurRohini lab is Asia's largest lab. This lab is spread acrossaround 85,000 sq ft. - has 6 floors, each dedicated to aspecific discipline of diagnostics. This lab has a state ofthe art section on New Product Development wherein -the marketing team, R&D team, ops team, technical team,sales teams, technical group, and other cross functionalteams meet every week to evolve and discuss launch ofnew products and services.For us new products mean new tests, new technology andnew medical practices based on customer feedback andcustomer needs. We have a franchising department thatuses communication technology to stay in touch withdoctors, business partners - with an aim to increase ourmarket footprint and expand in other areas.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?

SK: The marketing budget is segmented into C2B (I like tocall it C2B instead of B2C) and B2B. We have internallyallocated a budget for digital and innovations. We areplanning in the coming year to increase the % spends forDigital (including social and Innovations. Innovation as aconcept has taken shape this year in Q3 and next year FY13 we will commit more time and resources to leveragedigital, technology and innovations to make thingshappen for delighting our customers, connecting withthem and improving topline. Marketing drives these newpractices and is very well aligned with cross functionalteams including IT team to make things happen.

SAMEER KAULVP, Marketing - Dr Lal PathLabs

Technology plays a very critical role atevery step - in keeping with todays digital

generation, new product enhancementslike web stores, mobile apps for productengagement and customer convenience...

We will commit more time andresources to leverage digital, technologyand innovations for delighting ourcustomers, connecting with them...

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AS: My top areas of focus span from optimizing ourCustomer Data Management & Analytics and developingour Social Media & Digital Communication channels toimproving on New Product Development, e-commerceand, bridging the gap between Supply Chain and Market-ing Initiatives.

PW:At Elsevier Health Sciences, how has technologyplayed a role in customer acquisition or retention?AS: We have used Social Media and Web Resourcesextensively to acquire new customer base while stillretaining our existing base while simultaneously keepingour customers meaningfully engaged.

We also have the largest Health Sciences Community onFacebook with over 51,000 fans and have generated salesboth in pre-order and regular format for over 60 K USD.Our database grew over 125% last year which was over a72% growth in database the previous year.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?AS: Our exciting new products such as ExPharm Pro ,MBBS Consult, Elsevier Interact Cyber Anatomy etc. have

all been based on a product seeding evaluation anddevelopment process online. In fact, these are real

products to be launched in the markets in the next3-9 weeks.This has been the beginning of our online endeavour rightfrom review to feedback, to alpha and beta testingconducted online, and now we are ready with productswhich cater specifically to the online population.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?AS: Over a period of last 3 years, we have consciouslyre-aligned our marketing budgets from being printmarketing specific to a current scenario, where about 40%of our marketing spend is on digital marketing andmarketing of digital products.The reason for his re-alignment is that the reach andtimeliness of awareness increases by leaps and boundswhen we invest in the digital marketing space.While IT is a separate function in the organization manag-

ing networks and systems, digital marketing is managedby digital marketing specialists.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing?ST: IT is a corporate function, driven from the top, and soit is a way of life for the organisation.. We have an ITmanagement committee in which marketing has a seat.Our IT budget allocation is simple - we allocate the cost ofit across employees and then apportion the budget. So,for example, when were putting in place a cutting-edgeintranet platform on a cost-per-employee basis it comesout as a very small investment of Rs. 100 per employeeand the ROI is easily justified.

PW: How do you see the role of technology in thefuture?ST: Our investment in digital marketing is growing thoughon a low base. Our visibility through digital media isconstantly increasing. Customers and employees are now

coming to us through technology platforms like ourwebsites, intranet, YouTube and social networks. Whetherit is our employees or customers, interfacing through a

tech-led channel is now 60-70% of our total interaction.The challenge is to constantly ensure that were using theright tools to reach the right audience. Our real marketingarms and legs are also through tech, in the form ofe-commerce.Technology adoption can be a daunting task for peoplewho have not seen the benefits of it. When we launchedour internal TV platform there was skepticism. But whenwe made it an iPad app, people were instantlyconnecting with the initiative. Tech allows me toderive ROI much faster.I think the next level of marketing for a B2B corporate likeus is using social media more effectively. How can wegenerate more value through micro-blogging, how can webe a more important player in the community; these arequestions that we need to answer. We are now moving toSocial Media 2.0, which will be a new phase of reinforced

corporate investment and commitment to technologybased platforms.

AJIT SHARMAHead of Marketing- South Asia - Elsevier Health Sciences

PW: How important do you think technology is formarketers?ST: I think it is extremely important. While we are an oldeconomy company in terms of the sectors that we are inlike steel, oil and gas , infrastructure etc, but everything isled by technology. We look for technology to amplify ourinitiatives. For us technology is not just an enhancer buta driver.

Our marketing function is also on a technology platformand internal communications as well as HR aretechnology-led. External communications comprise ofsocial media, web analytics, SEO, SEM and microblogging.Our internal web-based TV platform that reaches 75,000employees is also a pioneering technology platform thatallows us to communicate and engage with our growingglobal workforce. CRM, salesforce automation, supplychain are all critical technologies for our business.

SHIVNATH THUKRALGroup President-Corporate Branding & Strategic Initiatives - Essar Group

Shashank is the General Manager and Head marketing ofDirect Sales at Eureka Forbes which is pioneer in the useof technology for lead management. Here is a quick Q&Awith this marketing leader

PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?SS: Modern marketers today are moving towards betteruse of technology in their marketing plans in order todrive business results. We at Eureka Forbes are growingour use of social media and digital communications.Customer Data Management to better engage with ourcustomers and analytics to target our communication isanother priority. Apart from that we are growing oure-commerce footprint and looking for more innovation inour product development. Another priority is linkingsupply chain to marketing initiatives for better alignment

PW: In your organization how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?SS: Being a direct marketing organisation, technologyplays a crucial role for us in both acquiring new customersas well as retaining them. Our award winning model oflead management has been one of the first used by anIndian company.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?SS: As of now not really in terms of new product develop-ment, other than partnering with consumers to build newconcepts that later are converted into products.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?SS: Not yet, but we earmark a portion of our Marketingbudgets into new technologies where we see

benefits coming.

SHASHANK SINHAGeneral Manager & Head Marketing - Eureka Forbes

Our exciting new products such asExPharm Pro, MBBS Consult, ElsevierInteract Cyber Anatomy... have all beenbased on a product seeding evaluationand development process online

When we launched our internal TVplatform there was skepticism. But whenwe made it an iPad app, people wereinstantly connecting with the initiative!

Our award winning model oflead management has been oneof the first used by an Indiancompany.

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PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?AA: In this current marketing environment, my prioritiesinclude Customer Data Management & Analytics, fosteringa Customer Self Service Attitude and promoting growthof our organizations e-commerce in volume, value andquality of service.

PW:At Future Generali India, how has technology playeda role in customer acquisition or retention?AA: Our portal HYPERLINK "http://www.futuregenerali.i n"www.futuregenerali.in allows customers to renew, serviceand buy life & general insurance policies online. The portaldelivers instant, secure transactions and on-the-flydocument generation. In just over a year, we have servedover 20,000 customers and generated over Rs. 20 Cr. ofGWP via the portal.

We also use SEO/SEM campaigns targeted at customersegments to solicit online evaluation/purchase. We are

encouraging customers to renew online because it issimpler, instant and convenient for both the customer andus to do this. We also use cutting-edge technology tooffer full service presence at over 70 Big Bazaars acrossthe country through our Mallassurance desks - tocustomers to either service their policies, renew or buyour special OTC insurance products. Customers can gettheir policy document generated at the outlet and canpay at the cash counter along with their other purchases.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?AA: Following our success in the online space, we arededicating increased focus on developing all our retailproducts with a view to offer them online as well. In thecase of Life insurance, we offer both a competitive TermPlan - Future Generali Smart Life and a unique monthly-pay ULIP that is very much like a Mutual Fund SIP, calledFuture Generali Select Insurance Plan.On the General Insurance front, we offer competitivePersonal Accident, Travel and Health Plans currently, andwill soon be going live with Motor policies renewal andsales online. We have also filed an extremely attractive"online-only" Health Plan and are awaiting approval fromthe regulator soon.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?AA: Other than our robust, dedicated IT budget, we

allocate about 8% of our Marketing budget todigital/online marketing efforts. These typically includeSEO/SEM efforts, traditional and innovative forms ofbanner advertising online as well as via social mediainvestments (including category-brand integrated gamesdeveloped for our Facebook followers) to seed thebrand and increase our share of mind in an evolving targetcustomer segment.Our IT and Marketing efforts are fully aligned and our ITteam works with our external partners and agencies toensure front & back end synchronization and optimization.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?NK: Technology has helped us take regular feedbacks andcreate consumer backed products. It has also helped salesand distribution and enhanced our data management,commercial tie-ups, sales and marketing link ups to namea few.

PW: Do you have a separate budget for the IT compo-nent of marketing? And how aligned are the marketingand IT functions in the organization?NK: Yes, currently it is housed in marketing and we arealigning this with the IT department for the organization

ABRAHAM ALAPATTSenior Vice President & Head - Brand & Corporate Communi-

cation - Future Generali India Life Insurance & Future Generali

India Insurance

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PW:As a marketer what would you say are your currentpriorities?NK: New product development - to stay in touch with thechanging demands in the market. Align and Link theSupply Chain with Sales and Marketing Initiatives.

PW:At Godfrey Philips, how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?NK: Being a restricted category we have a permissionbased consumer interface model which takes a longertime to develop, respond and maintain . Expectedly therehas been a slow progress and we are taking steps tobridge the gaps.

NITA KAPOOREVP Marketing & Corporate Affairs - Godfrey Philips India

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PW: How important is technology for the success of themodern marketer?GS: We understand the importance of technology andleverage the technological enablers to achieve the follow-ing:Service active seekers on a real time basisCreate technological enabled platforms to make commu-nication and interaction more engaging & interestingTap global customers and segments to nullify theconstraints of distance and time zonesMake our marketing campaigns ROI driven and effectivethrough lead trackers and analyticsReal estate as you would know is a micro-market drivenbusiness, technology has helped us to understand ourconsumer profiles and micro-markets & where thedemand comes fromTo help us create a seamless flow of information and arich central repository of data for the cross functionalteam synergies.

PW: What are your current marketing priorities & howdoes that translate to technology?GS: Currently we are focused on the following core areas:- Customer Data Management & Analytics- Social Media & Digital Communications- Customer Care Portal- New product development- Revamping the websitePW: In your organization how has technology played a

role in customer acquisition or retention?

GS: Customers find our new SEO-friendly, platformagnostic, meta-tagged corporate website much moreinteresting and usage statistics indicate a 50% increase inthe time they spend on our site.Our new campaigns are geo-tagged every lead generatedfrom all touch-points makes its way directly into ourcloud-based CRM system, from which useful data likeresponse rate and ROI is generated. In the past year alonewe have doubled the number of leads captured in thesystem.To reduce TAT our new call centre gets leads assigned tothem via the CRM system. Executives are trained toprovide relevant information and assign a rating that isthen used as an indicator of intention to purchase, so

managers can prioritize their responses and our conver-sion rate is kept high.If customers visit and book a property, the lead is thenconverted and transmitted to our ERP system. A visualrepresentation of a funnel representing deal flow isgenerated periodically in our dashboards, which bringsour efforts to convert opportunities into sharp focus.Payment schedules, collections, etc are monitored fromthere so intimation/reminders can be sent out and cross-selling can also take place.SFDC software has helped us to maintain a centralrepository of rich data of active seekers across 12 citieswith whom we continually communicate throughe-mailers, festive greetings etc , ergo build sustainingrelationships which are not only transactional.PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?GS: We collect over 200 data points of information aboutour customers. This information is then analyzed togenerate detailed customer segmentation profiles foreach and every project. This in turn influences our mediabuying and product design strategies.As real estate is a high involvement product, we areinvesting heavily in interactive technologies ranging fromvideo walkthroughs to 360 degree virtual tours. Mobileand handheld applications are an especially effectivemeans for us to provide the latest content-rich informa-tion to people around the world on the go.In an age where most consumers are active Internet usersdepending on content provided online as a primary

source of information, positive online reputation manage-ment is vital. Through the use of social medial listeningtools, we are able to patch on to discussion forums,groups and consumer complaint redressal sites to resolvequeries or complaints and generate buzz.

PW: Would you say the level of collaboration betweenthe CMO and CIO in your organization was:GS: Excellent. Senior Management has been involved withcustomizing Business Objective and Business Intelli-gence dashboards used to monitor key matrix andhighlights areas that need development.

GIRISH SHAHVP Sales & Marketing - Godrej Properties.

We also use cutting-edge technologyto offer full service presence at over 70Big Bazaars across the countrythrough our MallassuranceTM desks

Technology has helped us take regularfeedback and create consumer backed

products. It has also helped sales anddistribution and enhanced our data

management, commercial tie-ups,sales and marketing link ups...

Our new campaigns are geo-tagged;every lead generated from alltouch-points makes its way directlyinto our cloud-based CRM system,from which useful data like responserate and ROI is generated

22 23

T h b bl HDFC Lif d k N d b l d i kl f i i


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PW: What is your view on the importance of Technologyfor Marketers?

KJ: Our lives are becoming increasingly device led.Enabling technologies are empowering customers to playan active role in content consumption as well as contentcreation. Understanding this evolving technology inter-face where content meets customer is becoming crucialfor marketers. In addition, the explosion of customer dataand its promise of optimizing marketing spends furtherunderlines the need for todays marketers to have atechnology edge. Indeed at HDFC Bank the collaborationinteraction between technology and marketing is abusiness imperative.

PW:As a marketer what are your current priorities?KJ: Id have to say that Customer Data Management &Analytics and Social Media & Digital Communication areimportant priorities for us. The key is ensuring that theseare aligned to business. Revamping the website keepingit relevant and user friendly while enhancing it fore-commerce - would also be a current priority.

PW: In your organization how has technology played arole in customer acquisition or retention?

KJ: HDFC Bank sends out 3,000 campaigns a year,supported by over 300 analytical models. We have alsoidentified over 200 customer segmented behaviourtriggers that are used to initiate customer interventions.We serve targeted messages to our customers across allpoints of contact including ATM and the internet. Efficientdelivery and tracking of these campaigns at this scale hasbeen made possible only through technology.

PW: How has technology played a role in n ew productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?KJ: An example is the use of mobile technology. OurNetBanking on Mobile facility allows access to variousbanking transactions on the go. HDFC Bank's Mobile BankAccount developed in partnership with Vodafone's mPaisaprovides banking services to the unbanked through theubiquitous mobile phone.

To overcome the above problems, HDFC Life undertook acritical technology initiative to implement a configurable& scalable solution to facilitate revenue collections & driveup the persistency/conservation levels. The solution wasbranded MINT.Customer satisfaction, retention and user productivityhave been the guiding forces in the design and develop-ment of MINTRenewal & Retention.Mint was designed to enhance the ability to retaincustomers and collect premiums. The solution managesthe premium collection process and automatically notifiescontact center agents and HDFC Lifes front office team,who then inform the customers about renewals andrevival details.There are four stages in the lifecycle of the renewals andrevivals process and these are mapped by the systemA) Early reminder which alerts customer via calls of their

premium due datesB) Missed due date but within grace period customersare called and reminded to make the relevantpremium paymentC) Cases that exceed the grace period but within a fewmonths, once again a process is initiated since the policycan be reinstated without medical testsD) Cases that exceed 6 months are automaticallyassigned for revival attempts. It then performs segmenta-tion of data, allocation to the agents/executives forsubsequent follow-up through managed workflows.If the customers contact details are not updated, thesystem creates a workflow for these too so that an offlineprocess is initiated to trace the customer and alert him. Itis also integrated with auto dialers for automatic dial outto the customers which increases the productivity of thecall centre agents.The solution is based on n-Tier J2EE architecture withOracle backend. Policy and Customer data is received

from the Core Insurance system. System performsSegmentation of data, allocation to the agents/Executivesand subsequent follow-up through managed workflows. Itis integrated with ASPECT auto dialers for automatic dialout to the customers.MINT is configurable and scalable solution. The system isdeployed on a highly scalable architecture with JBOSS asthe Web application server with support for load balanc-ing. Flexibility and workflow capabilities of the systemallow it to be easily used and configured to manage dataflow across departments like Customer Service andBranch operations. The solution provides a more stream-lined process ensuring higher productivity, greatercustomer retention.The system provides details of lapse and premium-duepolicies to project teams enabling them to e ngage withcustomers and drive various campaigns on existing and

new products. Campaign details are shared with businessand better contactibility.

PW: How has technology played a role in new productdevelopment, market expansion or other areas?ST: HDFC Life follows a robust and structured newproduct development process to shorten the concept-to-launch cycle.The process followed to ensure faster product develop-ment is:Product planning team liaisons with Business Systems &Technology while designing the product document beforefiling to the IRDA.

New product can be cloned quickly from an existingproduct in a matter of 2 hours post which only the prod-uct specific business rules are initiated. This ensures fasterdevelopment.Phasing of requirementsPhasing of TestingPreparation of the Test Cases repositoryAdoption of Agile methodology to cope withIRDA changesAll the above steps and initiatives helpedthe organization:Launch the product in 21 days.The advantage of faster to market can be translated intoadditional EPI Opportunity which is calculated at Rs 111 crsin the year 2010-11.The success of this initiative was amply displayed whenwe were the only Insurance Company to be ready

with new products to launch in the post-IRDAregulation period.HDFC Life addresses event specific needs of customersthrough its product portfolio across unit-linked andconventional platforms.Well structure

futurist cmo march 2012

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