The Marketing ‘Jenga’

There is a great underlying power in a ‘promise’. Marketing and Advertising in its essence boils down to a promise that we make and how best we deliver on that promise, every time. That in turn builds the perception and customer loyalty. The gap where things tend not to work in order is the root intent and many a times creating a mirage. For e.g. the claims by every other entity for being No.1 where no one is actually informed about against what is it No.1 and on what parameters. We see this day in day out, don’t we? Many a times the real picture is masqueraded with a lot of hooks which later on is realised to be unfruitful by consumers of various products.

I see marketing like a game of ‘Jenga’. Each block needs careful attention, in this case – for the consumer to unmask the messaging. To me, Brand is a living thing and Marketing supplies oxygen.

Today I will talk about five essential aspects of ‘showing’ what we tell. Some may be old gold approaches but still works really well.

Under commit and Over deliver

This is the first main mantra I learnt way back in year 2000 and till date, the essence of this means deeply to me. What we commit forms the basis of what expectations we need to fulfill. I have come across many instances where the commitments go simply overboard or maybe it is not the best commitment. Making a commitment is also an art and needs to be dealt with care. The mantra that has worked for me all these years is under commit and over deliver. Best part- applies well in both professional and personal life.

Understand the Mindshare before Marketshare

Be it any business, one needs to also pay deeper attention to the dynamic consumer mindspace. Where is your consumer and what will make him spend loyally are the two questions that needs to be answered every time, with a combination of mind and heart.

Differentiating between Features and Benefits

It may be not that difficult to answer this, however, many a times the consumer may get confused if it is not 100% clear and simple. The mental block that may occur with marketers here is ‘what I understand, the consumer will understand’ which, may not be true every time. Take Volvo for example; the Swedish car maker has a steel roll cage in its cars. This is a great feature, but it is meaningless. The meaning comes from the salespeople showing customers that the roll cage will keep the people in the car safe – more so than other cars lacking the same feature.

Try Making it Tangible

One of the most important things any marketing professional can do is make the abstract concrete. A benefit prospects can interact with has a lot more impact than something abstract. For example, if a product makes the warehouse operate with greater efficiency, instead of talking about efficiency – one of the most abstract business concepts – put it in real dollars; for example, the increased efficiency cuts warehouse costs by 20%

Don’t tease too much

To me, Time is the mother of all metrics. Focus and attention need time. However, any initiative in marketing and advertising if teased too much in terms of bringing it to the audience, may not yield the potential impact.

I love relating a lot of things to Jenga, because it is both a constructive and fun game. Leaving you with a question- What other games you can think of when you think of marketing and consumer journey?

Ankoor Dasguupta

Ankoor, President’s Select Member of Leaders Excellence [MLE] at Harvard Square, is a prominent figure in the industry, serves as a mentor, advisor, and speaker at the Indian Institute of Film Training & Digital Marketing (IFTDM). Holding a significant role on the Advisory Board of the Marketing Department at ISBR Business School, Ankoor is also on the Advisory Board of Global Mathematics & Mathematics Olympiad Graded Assessment Test with Competition. Ankoor is also an empanelled Speaker at SpeakIn which also runs the Indian Speaker Bureau.

Extending beyond academia; Ankoor has been honoured with the "CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE 2024" award by Passion Vista and recognized as the "MAN OF EXCELLENCE, 2024" by the prestigious Indian Achievers' Award. Additionally, he received the "LEADER 2.0 AWARD, 2023" from adgully and was named a "DIGITAL KAIZEN LEADER by DigiAdCon 2024”, Ankoor’s contributions to the field of marketing are widely acclaimed, marking him as an inspiring thought leader in his domain. Ankoor is also a member of IMA India’s CMO Forum.

Ankoor is a key member of the esteemed International CMO Council, member of MarketingKind, and also a GLG Council Member. Ankoor keeps delivering lectures at top Business Schools and colleges at University of Delhi. As an industry expert, Ankoor has also been a member of the interview panel at MICA for their PGP Group Exercise & Personal Interview PI process for PGDM-C/PGDM selection for two consecutive years.

Recognized by DMA Asia as a marketing Ace, Ankoor is now also a LinkedIn Top Voice, advocate of social impact, driven by kaizen, Ankoor believes in the power of Energy and Energize

Ankoor is practicing his PCC (Level 2) coaching from the gold standard International Coaching Federation [ICF]. Ankoor is a people's person and has worked across functions in marketing and advertising with a pedigree of 24 years and ongoing exciting journey. Trained from Dale Carnegie in Mentoring to Develop Talent, Ankoor is a marketing practitioner, a coach, a knowledge manager, a team builder, a thought-leader, an avid writer with close to 100 published articles / interviews and is a Thought Leader, Ankoor wears the hat of a CMO as well. Ankoor's leisure pursuits are reading, effective listening and percussion.