“You can’t cross the chasm without marketing” | Ambi Parameswaran | Marketing Veteran | Season 2, Episode 1

0:00 Introduction & Setting the Stage

• Host and guest introductions
• Podcast context and event background

1:55 Distinguished Alumni & Early Influences

• IIT Madras alumni in marketing
• Notable peers and their career paths

3:12 Ambi's Career Journey

• Entry into advertising
• Early career decisions and placements
• Transition between advertising and marketing
• Turning around FCB Ulka

8:26 Favorite Campaigns & Brand Stories

• Tata Indica, Tata Indigo, Sanur, Sunfeast, Sundrop
• B2B campaigns (TCS, Tata Salt, ZTV)

10:00 Defining Marketing, Branding, and Advertising

• Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler's definitions
• The role of branding in marketing

12:10 Customer-Centricity in Marketing

• Understanding and satisfying customer needs
• Product vs. customer focus

13:30 Product vs. Marketing Debate

• Tech companies and the "build it and they will come" myth
• Apple, Tesla, and the power of non-traditional marketing

15:00 Performance Marketing & Its Evolution

• Direct marketing origins
• Dell's performance marketing example
• The balance of brand and performance marketing

17:24 Do Great Products Need Marketing?

• The adoption curve
• The role of marketing in product success
• PR and influencer marketing (ChatGPT example)

19:37 B2B vs. B2C Marketing

• Emotional vs. rational buying
• The myth of rational B2B decisions
• The role of trust and brand in B2B

23:00 Marketing Deep Tech vs. Consumer Products

• Indica vs. Sanur: rational and emotional selling
• The Indica V2 turnaround story
• Lessons from Tata Motors' journey

28:00 Indian Brands, National Pride, and Market Challenges

• "Be Indian, Buy Indian" in advertising
• Challenges for Indian entrepreneurs
• Value proposition and market entry strategies

32:00 Healthcare, Diffusion of Innovation, and Social Impact

• Medical devices and adoption in India
• The "diffusion of innovation" model
• Social campaigns and their impact

36:00 Brand Building for Institutions

• IIT/IIM brand perceptions
• How institutional legacies are built
• Student choices and crowd mentality

41:00 Ambi's Book: 'Marketing Mixology'

• Book inspiration and content
• The process of writing and teaching

44:00 Podcasting and Knowledge Sharing

• Ambi's podcast projects
• The value of case studies and real-world examples

46:00 IIT Madras Brand Building Project

• The "Ask IIM" initiative
• Changing perceptions over time

50:00 AI's Impact on Marketing

• AI in content creation and research
• Human creativity vs. AI-generated content
• The future of marketing roles

1:04:00 Closing Thoughts & Farewell

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Indian Institution of Technology Madras- Ambi did his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering (1972-1977) at IITM.

He did his MBA [PGDM] in Marketing & Finance (1977-1979) at Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (Honour Roll Graduate)

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Marketing & Advertising Industry:

• Subhash - FCB Ulka colleague who offered Ambi his first advertising job
• Jonathan Harris - Colleague with the quote about rational vs. emotional purchases
• Amitabh Kant - Creator of "Incredible India" campaign
• Arvind Rangaswami - IIT Madras/IIM Calcutta batchmate who encouraged book publishing

Business Leaders:

• Ratan Tata - Chairman who personally championed the Indica project and received Detroit Auto Journalist Association's lifetime achievement award
• Rajiv Dube - Tata Motors client who requested inclusion in Ambi's case study books
• Bhaskar Bhatt - Former CEO of Titan, IIT Madras alumnus with marketing background
• Anand Kripalu - CEO of EPL, former Mondelēz International and DIAGEO CEO, IIT Madras alumnus

Academics & Thought Leaders:

• Peter Drucker - Management consultant quoted on organization's purpose
• Philip Kotler - Marketing expert who said "branding is marketing"
• MS Swaminathan - Agricultural scientist who brought hybrid seeds to India
• Everett Rogers - Researcher who developed diffusion of innovation theory

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Advertising Agencies:

• FCB Ulka - Ambi's primary agency for 26-27 years
• Rediffusion - First agency where Ambi did summer internship
• JWT (J. Walter Thompson) - Another agency recruiting from IIMs

Automotive:

• Tata Motors - Client for 15 years, Indica and Indigo campaigns
• Maruti Suzuki - Competitor to Tata Indica
• Hyundai - Car manufacturer mentioned as Indica competitor
• Fiat - Car company present during Indica launch
• BMW - Example of international auto company with Bangalore operations
• Mercedes - Luxury car manufacturer
• Boeing - Aerospace company mentioned in talent competition context
• Ather - Electric vehicle startup, example of IIT Madras building culture

FMCG & Consumer Brands:

• Unilever - Global FMCG company, recruited from IIMs
• Lux - Global soap brand that Santoor eventually overtook
• Santoor - Soap brand that grew from one-fifth of Lux's size to market leader
• Sundrop - Cooking oil brand handled by Ambi's agency
• Sunfeast - Cookie business based in Bangalore
• Tata Salt - Consumer brand in Tata portfolio

Technology & Services:

• TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) - B2B brand, IPO and corporate campaigns
• Wipro - IT services company mentioned as another brand
• Dell - Example of early performance marketing with trackable phone numbers
• IBM - Classic B2B brand with strong trust equity ("Never got fired for buying IBM")
• SAP - Enterprise software with similar brand trust
• Apple - Example of non-traditional marketing through distinctive design and showrooms
• Tesla - Example of marketing through design, showrooms, and PR rather than traditional advertising

Media & Entertainment:

• Zee TV - Television channel handled by the agency

Banking & Financial Services:

• ICICI Bank - Mentioned in the brand portfolio
• Citibank - Company that shortlisted Ambi during campus placements

Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare:

• Thermax - Industrial solutions company
• Digene - Antacid brand
• Brufen - Pain relief medication

"Marketing Mixology: Four Essential Skills for Marketing Success" - Ambi’s 12th and latest book covering consumer understanding, brand building, negotiation, and communication

“Nawabs Nudes Noodles: India Through 50 Years of Advertising” - A journey through five decades of India’s advertising landscape, exploring its impact on society and culture

"The Last Brand Standing" - Six-episode series about brand battles, hosted on IBM platform with Neeraj Gupta

"The Sponge Podcast" - 27-episode series based on his leadership book, co-hosted with Amit (IBM Podcast founder)