Treading softly

INTERVIEW: Shirish Kanitkar

'Traditional advertising is expensive and dispensable'

Jopasana Software & Services Pvt Ltd, a Pune-based company, was formed in 1989 as a product company serving the process industry in the domestic market. It has since been providing software solutions and specialised services to the engineering and hi-tech industry. It was the recipient of the industrial merit award instituted by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce & Industries. Shirish Kanitkar, GM (Marketing), shares its future plans. What are the peculiarities of SMEs as far as branding and marketing is concerned?

Many SMEs are service-oriented organisations in the context of IT. Branding would play a limited role in merely establishing the identity of the organisation. Marketing can play a significant part only if specific positioning in the areas of operation are contemplated. Market research is essentially addressed through allied opportunities that arise from talking with customers, prosepcts and the network.

Do SMEs do serious marketing / branding effort?

Not to a great extent. It is felt that available funds are better directed in places where a one-one correlation is established between funds spent and business accrued which is difficult to establish for SMEs.

What role do 'below the line' initiatives such as promotions, events, PR etc play as far SME branding is concerned?

They do bring about visibility but choices have to be made to ensure that specific impact is achieved to justify any spend on such effort. Geographical coverage of the business is an important consideration when considering the effectiveness of such initiatives.

What is the role of communication here? Does traditional advertising help?

Doubtful. Again traditional advertising is far more expensive and can be replaced with knowledge coverage that is more insightful for the target industry and business that one operates in.

Is there any institutional help available for SME marketing? Advice? Funding?

NASSCOM as an industry representative body does provide help to some extent in areas of marketing. But very little help is currently available for SMEs for product ventures. I think there is a significant network of industry experts, institutions, forums around Pune as a city for advice on both technology as well as business issues. Funding continues to remain a bottleneck for SMEs that are product based and most certainly an issue for those that provide only services.

How do contacts and word of mouth help?

For an SME, it makes a lot sense.

Is it correct to say that SMEs that have technology capability are successful without marketing / branding?

Up to a point. Beyond a particular size, networking, which is really the only way in which branding or marketing happens in an SME, alone may be insufficient.

Do close ties with industry giants help?

Yes, it automatically improves your standing in the industry, your visiblity improves considerably and you are automatically looked at in a different league. You automatically attract industry specific attention not all of which though is necessarily useful for business. The other advantage of ties with industry giants is that you are reach to prospective customers improves many fold.

Are industry bodies such as CII, Assocham, Ficci taking interest?

Yes, all the bodies are quite active and some of them have specific cells to target specific areas of interest for SMEs.

"Below-the-line initiatives do add to the visibility but one should look at the geographical coverage of the business first"
Shirish Kanitkar, G M (Marketing) Jopasana Software & Services Pvt Ltd