I am writing this post  a few days before  Prayag’s 10th anniversary. On Sept 1, two days from now, Prayag turns 10.  When I stop to savour the moment, a multitude of emotions descend upon me – quiet pride at the milestones we have reached- clients and assignments won, new verticals entered into, new markets, new offices and lines of business, especially the most recent one- the launch of ParentEdge; happiness and a smile when I think of the Prayag team- we have made our share of mistakes but the people we have now are quite special; and a tinge of regret at some of the lost opportunities.

Net, net, as we like to say, it has been a great ten years without doubt. It has been liberating, enriching and taught me about how to look at a cup as half full rather than half empty.

So many people have made these ten years possible-  family, clients, prospects, employees- current and past, partners and well wishers. Here is hoping that they extend the same support as we continue on our journey, and that we can reciprocate along the way.

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Prayag won another award recently – the Summit international award for some work we did for Cisco, India for their human network calling India campaign. Over the last 2 years, we have made a conscious effort to showcase some of our good work and the result is there to see. Not only are we thrilled, but so are our customers and well wishers. Winning does that to all of us. Which brings me to a subject which is not discussed often enough- category marketing.

Many, many years ago, Jennifer Beck, a Gartner analyst who specializes in marketing, spoke to me about this, and since then, I have understood better and better, the importance of defining a category and learning to dominate it.

When you dominate a category, you become more visible, you can aspire for a leadership position, and you are deemed a winner.

The trick is of course to define the category correctly- if you do it too narrowly then there is not much space to dominate, and the dangers of doing it too wide are only too clear.

From an IT services stand point, examples of successful category definition range from the whole idea of offshoring, which was probably an industry changing category definition. More recently, we have seen outsourced testing, remote infrastructure management etc, security management etc which are niches that have an identity of their own, market drivers, and a growing eco system.

Category marketing is a neat marketing tool especially for emerging companies- it is a great platform for thought leadership and low budget marketing.

It will be really interesting to hear examples from other industries, or other companies on the application of this idea.

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This is something I am totally convinced about (pun unintended). In all my years at Prayag, and even if I recall my years as a rookie consultant way back when I started my career, I have learnt that it is important to be confident of your point of view and also be able to convince the client on why you think this recommendaed approach will benefit them. This is not easy of course. For one, it requires you to be well versed in your subject matter, both from conceptual and practical stand points.

Second, you must be able to influence without being pushy or impatient. This is pretty tough and in fact, I have seen even seasoned campaigners falter. Day in and day out, we come across different kinds of clients- some who listen willingly, but rarely carry through, others who argue and debate, but once convinced, they work together to implement the recommendation. There would be a whole spectrum of possibilities in between.

Thus, one thing I have learnt is that to be a good consultant you need to not only be an expert in your area, but also be adaptable, persistent, committed to your own ideas and hone your ability to influence outcomes.

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A recent book by Jessie Paul, CMO, Wipro Technologies, titled No Money Marketing appears to have sparked off a lively debate on whether a barnd can really be built without expending too much money.

Like everyone else, I took was curious, and took a look at the book and its premise to see if there was something new by way of ideas.

I concluded that the title is really a clever marketing gambit! It clearly grabs your attention and persuades you to read further.  But the book really focuses on contemporary ways to build a brand and focuses on social media as well as personal branding as a tool.

At Prayag, over the last several years, we have conveyed two points to our clients:

1. Today, it is possible, even if you do not have deep pockets, to build a brand, if you start early, and in a sustained and systematic manner, add programs to the marketing mix. In fact, we have a model that maps the recommended marketing footprint across the life of a company.

2. The second not so obvious but equally important insight is that, today, it is no longer sufficient if you throw money behind marketing. Take PR for example. Some years ago, it was possible to pay a hefty retainer to an agency and ensure you got the “right” publicity. However, today, with the internet and web .0 especially bringing about a disintermediation of PR, you may be on the backfoot if there is a dissonance between the propagated “paid” messages and the reality. Also, to build a brand, you have to invest time and effort to establish a point of view, or keep in touch with your key stakeholders.

Thus, it is not so much about no money marketing, in my view, but it is no longer just about money and marketing.

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