Connecting with your consumer is the key to effective marketing

Speaking at the International Advertising Association's (IAA) education conference entitled "Effective Marketing Planning: It about the Essentials," Prakash Nedungadi, Marketing Director at Procter and Gamble Company, argued that the understanding of the needs, wants and desires of a company's consumer is one of the critical points for the success of any ad campaign or product launch.

"Effective Marketing Planning is about articulating the way that an organisation can best leverage its resources and time to achieve extraordinary goals related to consumers and customers" said Nedungadi. "Simple, clear objectives, on the one hand, and solid insights of the consumer on the other along with a deep understanding of the business environment is key to setting out maximum 3-4 key strategies which the organization can execute with excellence. In the end, it's only execution that the consumer sees and experiences!"

The one-day conference, which took place at Knowledge Village Conference Center, Dubai, aimed to engage, stimulate and inspire the marketing community in the Middle East by bringing the most cutting-edge trends in marketing strategy and execution to the forefront of the industry's awareness.

"The idea of the 'Effective Marketing Planning' seminar is to focus on certain principles that are key elements for improving a marketing plan's design and execution," said Nedungadi.

"We are providing a forum for all marketing and communications professionals: for the less experienced, it offers 'new-knowledge;' for the more experienced, it encourages innovative strategizing and planning in order to meet one's sales goals. It promises to be a very effective session for all."

During his session, which was attended by more than 100 regional marketing professionals, Nedungadi focused on how to create a winning marketing plan by setting specific objectives, how to lay the plan out in keeping with a pre-determined strategy and how to execute the process in the best manner.

"A successful marketing plan should be brief, led by a maximum of 2-3 clear objectives. It must always start and end with the consumer in mind, and it should also enable and energize all the individuals in the organization to execute it in the best possible way," Nedungadi added.

During the coming two months, the IAA will organize a number of educational sessions addressing advertising and communications issues such as brand strategy, positioning and challenges faced by advertizers and marketers. The seminars will offer a robust academic atmosphere in which to learn and discuss ideas.

"To successfully differentiate from each other, companies in the same category often pursue different types of innovation and technology. This, in turn, puts pressure on marketing teams to generate different types of selling propositions, depending on the innovation chosen," said Dr. Lance de Masi, President of IAA UAE Chapter.

"IAA's educational conferences will help attendees to become better equipped for guiding their companies toward a greater competitive advantage - by helping them get answers to some of the most pressing questions in the market, and by providing effective tools for implementing their knowledge."