Indiantelevision.com Team

(7 March 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: While online marketing is a part of mainstream marketing activity in the more developed markets, in India it is still in the teething stage. Lack of awareness of the potential of internet, spread of its use in India, low awareness of how internet marketing works and a general unwillingness to "try new things" accounts for the low level of online marketing activity in India. However, in the last two years, online marketing has seen a steep growth and seem to be gathering critical mass.

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is organising a conference on digital marketing on 16 March 2007.

The entire conference is formatted in form of panel discussion key aspects of connecting with the consumer. The effort here is not to bedazzle the advertisers with attractive case studies, but to encourage a healthy debate among the panels and among the participants with the panelist so that at the end of the day there is a mature and nuanced understanding of how much or how little the internet can do for your business.

The first session examines what digital marketing is and what it can be. Although a poor cousin of its more developed counterparts in the mature markets of west and south East Asia, online marketing in India is happening in India. However, relative to the number of internet users in India, online marketing activities are very limited. Are there lessons that we can learn from the growth charts of online marketing in more developed markets? Are there real opportunities in India? And what are the challenges of using Internet as a marketing medium in India? These are some of the questions that speakers would seek to address.

Yahoo! India MD George Zacharias talks about The Global Experience. Rediff.com Ajit Balakrishnan looks at the challenges going forward.

Another panel discussion looks at the effectivess of digital marketing. Is digital an effective marketing tool? If it is under what circumstances does it work best? If not, is there a way of making it work for you? What are the parameters of measuring the success of digital marketing? Does Digital Media provides a better RoI or is it not yet a RoI medium?

The panelists includ Mudra Marketing Services CEO R Lakshminarayanan, ICICI Bank head corporate brand Tina Singh, Pinstorm Technologies founder and CEO Mahesh Murthy and Citibank head eBiz special initiatives Srinivasan Rajagopal.

Another panel discussion looks at creativity. Is it an impediment on the digital medium? Does internet inspire creativity or limits it by its very nature? In India internet is mainly used by 18-35 age group. Is that a challenge to creativity? Internet is a two way mechanism where consumers too can contribute to the creativity, how can we creatively harness this potential?

The panelists include Leo Burnett national creative director K V Shridharand Lowe executive creative director,Priti Nair, The third panel discussion looks at brand building. How far can digital medium take you? Are internet and mobile platforms effective brand building tools? Or do they work only for certain types of brands? What are the ways of building brands through the Digital medium? Do we sometimes expect too much out of digital medium? Or do we invest without any expectations at all? What works and what does not?

Looking to answer these questions are Group M COO South Asia Vikram Sakhuja, Yahoo! India director ad sales Pearl Uppal, Lenovo country manager – marketing, Rahul Agarwal and HLL FM media services Rahul Welde.

Another panel discussion looks at the role of promotional marketing. Is digital medium breeding groud of new ideas? How has promotional marketing changed due to internet and mobile? Is it providing better connect than traditional promos? What are the next big opportunities? What are the impediments?

The panellists are Hungama MD and CEO Neeraj Roy, Kidstuff Promos and Events president Jai De Costa