Indian businesses value Marketing Excellence

An increasing number of Indian businesses in New Zealand are beginning to appreciate the significant role that marketing plays in promoting sales, improving profitability and lifting the market share and are taking steps to have in place sound strategies and programmes.

While the large and medium businesses, franchisees, and those with national and international networks have been enjoying the benefits of robust marketing plans, many smaller companies, especially owner-operated enterprises employing less than five employees, had not realised its importance until recently.

Price wars orchestrated by fierce competition, the growing need to be more visible in the market place and the desire to grab larger market share have been factors that have encouraged many to adopt good marketing policies.

I believe the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards (IBA) has also been instrumental in improving awareness and encouraging businesses to perform better and be recognised for their success.

An Important Portfolio

Inclusion of the ‘Best Marketing Excellence’ Category last year was a step in the right direction and I am personally aware of the huge motivation it provided many companies to look at their marketing portfolio and realign their strategies and programme to the evolving trends in the economy.

As Radio Tarana works in exclusive and professional partnership with Indian Newslink, I was informed that this Award was instituted to recognise marketing strategies and programmes that lead to improved company performance.

I attended the Gala Black Tie and Awards Night and Presentation Dinner held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel on November 16, 2009. It was a stunning success with more than 475 businesses of Indian origin networking and seeking to find ways and means of promoting the image of their companies, which I believe, was yet another unique way of achieving marketing excellence.

There were ten winners in as many categories, a Supreme Business of the Year Award winner and 30 finalists at the IBA 2009 Awards, almost all of who are among the regular advertisers on Radio Tarana, yet another endorsement of the importance of radio advertising to achieve marketing excellence.

In choosing Auckland based Global Financial Services Limited as the winner in this category, the panel of judges noted that this company had real strength in the marketing area.

“Global Financial Services Limited has implemented targeted marketing, using both Radio and Television to strengthen the brand. The Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) provides a competitive edge, enabling fingertip control of their customer base,” they said.

Improving brand loyalty

Although New Zealand is a mature market in terms of availability of goods and services, there is little money around for marketing and advertising, compared to other countries of similar size (Singapore and Ireland for example). In addition, cultural complexities are confounding and tastes are extraordinarily fluid. People who are not used to brands flit easily from one to another.

This has turned marketing into an exciting exercise, with consumer research undertaken on a regular basis.

Companies are always coming up with new products, or tweaking old ones, to suit local tastes and meet exacting preferences. Some prominent examples in the UK and to some extent in New Zealand are Unilever, which makes its soaps and shampoos  foamier to appeal to some ethnic groups, Proctor & Gamble that produces toothpaste in herbal and green tea flavours and Adidas that has special sportswear designed for Asian bodies and “global” ones.

Growing Partnership

I believe that Indian Newslink has lifted the profile of the Indian community by launching IBA two years ago. As always, we are happy to be associated with the newspaper and its activities.

I strongly believe in improving business prospects through marketing excellence, which is why Radio Tarana is sponsoring this year’s Best Marketing Excellence Award. I am aware that successful marketing leads to successful branding, and successful branding leads to customer loyalty and with that begins a unique two-way relationship that is sustained again through pursuit of excellence.

Radio Tarana and Indian Newslink believe in steady and strengthening relationship not only with our customers but also with each other; which is why we do not flit around but find ways and means of promoting the best interests of our business community and our customers.

An invitation

I invite all companies eligible to enter the Best Marketing Excellence Category, along with two other categories and participate in the Awards Scheme.

These Awards are meant to promote our business community and celebrate the achievements and successes of Indian organisations.

Free workshops

I am also happy that free workshops form a part of IBA 2010.

A number of businesses would benefit from these workshops, which have been designed to motivate companies, especially small and medium enterprises, professionals and self-employed persons from entering the Awards.

I am told that the first of these workshops, held at Stamford Plaza Hotel on May 12, was successful.

Two more workshops will be held at the same venue on June 16 and July 14 at 4 pm.

Please register your name as soon as possible. Please call (09) 5336377

Email: editor@indiannewslink.co.nz

Robert Khan is the Managing Director of Radio Tarana, which retained its position as the ‘Number One’ Indian radio station in New Zealand at a Research International April 2010 Survey.