That's A Wrap
Hey all, Piet here again, the new guy from Marketing News. As I'm typing this, I'm eating the last chunk of ceremonial chocolate chip cookie, and sipping some fine Coca-Cola. Mplanet 2009 has just ended.
Now I've only been at AMA for a month, and I'm new to covering the marketing scene. But from a newbie's perspective, Mplanet was quite a site. I've learned more in a few days than I ever thought possible - about B2B segmentation, and brand differentiation, and international marketing, and much more. I've met loads and loads of marketing masterminds, bright minds from universities, and innovative B2B leaders and researchers. I'm exhilarated and exhausted, deeply enlightened and inspired. In other words, what a rush!
Sitting here reminiscing over the past few hours and days, I keep going back to what R.K. Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Tata Coffee and Vice Chairman of Tata Tea and Indian Hotels, Tata Sons, Ltd., said at the end of his morning presentation today.
After giving a brief history of the company's mind-blowing growth - from coffee and tea and hotels to the steel industry and vehicle sector and beyond - a woman in the crowd, who had recently been to India, spoke up. She acknowledged that despite Tata's massive outreach, and given the fact that such a company may be met with resistance in the U.S., she was surprised that there was such a strong sense of admiration from casual Indian consumers.
So she asked Kumar why. He said that the company strives to take a pass on financially sound options if they seem unethical. He acknowledged Tata's charitable contributions, such as through the construction of a new $65 million oncology hospital near Calcutta, and facilities like the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
But he said Tata had a unique connection to the country's citizens. Much of the wealth the Tata family accumulated was put into a charity foundation. Kumar estimates that the foundation, coupled with a smaller trust, has a 66 % stake in Tata Sons, Ltd.
Kumar says most Indian citizens know that "a great part of the wealth Tata generates goes back to the people. So they are partners in an enterprise. It's an invisible partnership, but it's still a partnership."
I think the same applies to this convention we've been through. There are so many thoughts and ideas, and even disagreements, when it comes to marketing strategies. There is so much fierce competition for business, between companies, marketers, and messages.
And yet here at Mplanet, I think, we became partners. We had the chance to learn from others, and to teach others in turn. We had the opportunity to put aside any differences of opinion so we could improve our work, our mission, our purpose - and ourselves.
I hope you enjoyed Mplanet as much as I did. Do make sure to check out the Marketing News blog for more Mplanet info, and this blog as well. Check marketingpower.com for Mplanet content, and look out for an attendant survey in your inbox soon.
Happy travels to one and all! See you next time.
Posted by John Frank on January 28, 2009 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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