'Customers Appreciate Use Of Technology In Brand Promotion'

Traditional media has limitations to it and brand promotion is not possible without leveraging cutting-edge technology, according to marketing specialists.

The panellists at the launch of the 12th edition of BW Businessworld Marketing Whitebook for 2016-17 in New Delhi on Thursday (July 21) discussed the role of technology in marketing.

They said brand promotion needs to be interesting these days as the needs of consumers are evolving with the use of new technologies. India's consumer market has grown significantly in the last three years and digital has dominated it.

"Fourteen servers respond simultaneously every time we insert an ATM card into a machine. A simple post on the social media platform tells a lot about the customer, area and the behaviour of friends. People are telling about their likes and dislikes and that is how technology is being used to foster growth. In today’s world, CMOs are spending more money than CIOs," said Kartik Sharma, managing director of Maxus South Asia.

Sharma added that marketing is getting too complicated with the advent of technology.

Sai Narayan, vice-president and head of marketing at PolicyBazaar, said: "Television and digital are at loggerheads but only technology can help in bridging this gap... Research online, buy offline used to be the trend, but now it has changed to 'research offline and buy online'".

"Values are high for the brands as they have an intimacy with the customers. Technology can be used to integrate all the platforms, seamlessly. Toady customers appreciate technology and curiosity is the only way we can keep the intimacy alive between a customer and a brand," said Sanjay Menon, head of global service lines at SapientNitro.

Prashant Singh, managing director of Nielsen South Asia, said, "Technology has a role to play beyond digital. Identifying the needs of the customers helps digital to channelize the movement of the brand. Technology can be used to bring in those which have been left out in the society."

"Changing homes to furniture, all has gone digital. Customers do their bit of research online and offline both, before engaging with any brand. Brands need to have a diverse pool of talent comprising of age and experience. The success of any brand depends on it," said Atulit Saxena, chief marketing officer-brands at Future Brands.