An exemplary “imperfect”, yet perfect Marketing tool – destined to succeed!
My recent visit to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar near Pune, India was both educative and enjoyable. The people I met with, their culture, their appetite for growth while remaining humble, was something that I found truly noteworthy and worthy of sharing!
One incident, in particular, that is still fresh in my mind relates to a person by the name of Sunil Kandare. I happened to meet with him at Sydney Point in Panchgani. It was a sunny day, those kinds of days where one would rarely want to venture outside, except if one were an adventurous tourist. And yet, there he was, sitting on his scooter wearing a cap, deceptively waiting for customers to buy ice cream from him. No propaganda, no publicity, and no public promotion. Instead, he sat around quietly, yet intelligently, “preying” on visitors by sharing valuable information on and about Panchgani and the various peaks/ plateaus that one could see. For those not familiar with Panchgani, Sydney Point offers a panoramic view of five ‘ghanis’ or platforms. Setting up shop in such a “strategic place” with a Point of Need (PoN) – demand of ice cream on a hot day, and then sharing detailed historical, geographical, and geological information with tourists like me, resulting in one-on-one relationships, became the perfect packaging to “promote” his product, manifesting in him selling his ice cream, while at the same time creating fond memories in the minds of the buyer, resulting in further promotion of both the place and his product.
That said, to truly leave a lasting impression, the “product” had to be of paramount importance, and so did it for Mr. Sunil too. His ice cream tasted good, was stored in insulated containers to maintain their temperature, and was fairly “priced” to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.
My takeaway from this visit and interaction was that Marketing is not always about mass advertising or awareness-creating or large-scale promotions. It is essentially about meaningfully addressing consumer expectations through a process of confidence building, and this in turn translates more succinctly into the 4Ps – product quality, pricing, promotion, and placement. Mr. Sunil’s approach to business reminded me of this – marketing tools don’t need to appear perfect; they can be non-conventional and home-grown and be effective! Here’s hoping that our micro, mini, and small enterprises continue to leverage this and grow in the years to come!