MUSCAT — Khimji Training Institute conducted a seminar on ‘Brand management and customer engagement’ recently at Crowne Plaza. The presentations during the seminar covered diverse topics relating to advertising, sales promotion, product development, consumer research and public relations.
“It is very essential to build strong brands that ensure sustained business growth. Marketing is not about the battle of products but a battle of perceptions,” said Vivek Pande, CEO, Khimji Ramdas, Lifestyle Group while presenting a paper on ‘The eternal laws of marketing and branding and current trends in customer engagement’.
“Today consumers are getting more and more brand conscious. And a brand name should always take precedence over the company name,” he said.
He highlighted that brand value has two key aspects: How well it is known in the market and what it stands for? A brand that does not stand for anything has no value, he said. Brands are brands and companies are companies. Brand name should always take precedence over the company name, he added. On his concluding remarks, Vivek emphasised that opportunities for new brands are created constantly by invention of new categories.
Rajiv Ahuja, Head of Corporate Communications and Customer Care, Khimji Ramdas in his presentation on ‘Current trends in customer engagement based on the Cannes Lions International Advertisement Festival 2010’ gave a riveting lecture on the changes that have taken place on the customer front, specifically the changes on the way customer engagement has turned into community engagement.
He also explained about the current global trends in advertising and elaborated on the award winning promotions that won prizes at the festival. ‘The future of profits is in its purpose, making long term customer relationships through community involvement is the way forward,” he added.”
The new consumer is wise and has more choices; they are more interested in ideas that are born out of life than those forced into their lives. Engaging customers and touching hearts from the virtual to
the real world will be the vital differentiator for businesses,” he said.
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