NEW DELHI: In an insightful discussion, experts challenged the present marketing trends for market share and growth by hammering in the point that present day marketing gurus should go back to grassroots marketing.

Companies with Indian marketing ethos are making a big mark was the unanimous call given by the likes of Coca-Cola India president and CEO Sanjiv Gupta, Rasna Ltd CMD Piruz Khambatta and Equus Red Cell CEO Suhel Seth at a session on 'How much does Marketing help in the fight for market share and growth' at the fifth Marketing Summit, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here yesterday.

Gupta stressed that marketing was all about common sense approach. He was of the view that a successful marketing strategy was about comprehending the consumer insight, coupled with a genuine consumer need and unique product.

The Coca-Cola India chief, who has fought many a corporate battle, notably with rival Pepsi India, challenged the present marketing paradigm, and said, "If you get the insight right, there will be a universal market and not just a rural or urban market."

He was referring to the successful coke campaign of "Thanda matlab Coca-Cola," which had become highly successful, both in the urban and rural areas. Pointing out that the myth --- biggest brand expands the market --- is nothing more than that, Gupta said that when the `thanda' campaign was conceived, Coke was behind Pepsi in terms of market share. "Coca-Cola has overtaken Pepsi in terms of market share since then," he added.

The Coca-Cola India CEO further said that it was not advisable to follow the brand leader. "Always find ways to differentiate your product and see how you can establish your brand in a unique way," he advocated.

Citing the Coke model, which helped the company emerge as a leader in the soft drinks industry in India, he said that Coke focused on customer service imperatives to drive penetration.

Questioning another marketing myth that successful new product development takes a long time, Gupta contested the claim by saying that if one is able to put a multi-functional team working together, "one can beat the time." He said that Coke had successfully launched new products - Georgia coffee through Mac Donald outlets, which was the first all over the world.

Seth, of course, had to be different and he started of by criticizing the present day marketing trends.

"Marketing has become more (of a) gimmick and less value," the multi-faceted ad man said, pointing out that present day marketing lacked careful insight and sound fundamental marketing planning.

According to Seth, marketing was all about "creating customers at a profit, or else it will minimize and not maximize share value." Pointing out that present day marketing trends lacked sensitivities of the society, he said that marketing was also about 'sensitivity' and more importantly about 'sensitizing'.

The way forward for marketing to become successful was to handle the twin parameters of market share and market profit judiciously. Promotion for the sake of promotion is self-defeating as customer loyalty was a misnomer. "Customers are benefit loyal", he commented.

Marketing was also about enduring success. "It is not about immediate gains. It is analysing, scanning and monitoring competition," Seth added, adding, it was the "time to look at marketing more seriously and move from the border of hunch marketing

Earlier, Khambatta set the ball rolling by questioning the constant bombardment of advertisements in television, celebrity endorsements, promotions and the believability factor of ads, in the present day scenario.

Khambatta said that the need of the hour was to go back to the grass roots of marketing and asked the marketing gurus to look at the Indian case studies, instead of studying the West. "It is high time to look at India (market) differently," he said.

He advocated grassroots marketing as companies with Indian marketing ethos are making a mark on the big stage.

Times Group, ED, Ravi Dhariwal initiated the discussion by asserting that marketing is the engine, which drives the real objective - the objective of profitable growth.