Purpose, Planet, Performance

“Content is king but emotion is queen. It’s the lady that rules the house,” says Muralidharan Kannan as he recalls how during his time as a regional marketing manager in Tamil Nadu, a thank you letter to approximately 200-odd customers increased footfalls by 30 per cent resulting in a 20 per cent premium sellout in three months.

At present, the chief manager for marketing at ACC, Kannan’s second lesson is the 33-33-33 rule. “I spend 33.3 per cent of my time with people who are my seniors or those I look up to, to learn from their experiences and advice. The second 33.3 per cent of my time is spent with my peers like my counterparts or colleagues to learn how people at my level see things differently. The remaining 33.3 per cent of my time is spent with people, who are younger or newer to work and whom I can help guide.”

A Growth Sector

Kannan points out that these are interesting times that are witnessing the evolution of the marketing sector on multiple fronts such as content, channel and commerce. The common catalyst for all this is digital. He argues that the debate is not about artificial intelligence vs creativity but the combination of the two. And the secret ingredient which drives a brand is its purpose. 

“Major disruptions will continue on the channel front across the 3Vs of video, vernacular and voice, providing opportunities for the brand to leverage them across the funnel. On the commerce front, by 2025, the Indian ecommerce market is expected to reach $188 billion. There is a sudden surge in consumers exploring new ways to search and shop online,” says Kannan. Brands can leverage martech to identify microtrends nearly a year or two ahead, enabling marketers to reach consumers in novel and more effective ways.

A Purpose-Driven Road

While marketing has the famous 4Ps, Kannan’s long-term plan has just three. He counts these as purpose-driven marketing, planet and performance. “I will continue to be focused on purpose-driven marketing. With sustainability at the heart, my work will aim towards leaving this world a better place. Putting my skills to work, I’ll continue to contribute towards the organisation’s profits through insight-led and data-driven marketing activities that are both effective and scalable,” he states. 

While his short-term goal is to create memorable experiences that are bigger, better and bolder for customers to add value to their lives through the products and services of the brand, his long-term goal is to improve people’s lives.