I, initially, thought of posting this article on a new blog that I have been planning to start for quite a while now i.e. ‘lifeatiimr’; however, while organizing the various thoughts that I was planning to pen down, I felt it is better that I post it here only.
Let us start with a question. What do you think can be a good reason for you to join a particular company/organization? A lot of organizations that I come across nowadays claim that they are very different from other companies and the argument that they have to support this claim goes like ‘We have a really diverse workforce. We have a drummer and a writer working in the same team’. While a lot of people may like and appreciate this, I always wonder why it should be such a great Employee Value Proposition at all. I don’t think diverse workforce can be a great reason for me to join a company. After all I don’t join an organization so as to get a chance of being in the company of a music enthusiast or an upcoming writer. I would rather join an interest group if at all I wish to inculcate any of these talents. With due regards to the respective talents, the most compelling reason for a person to join a particular company should rather be getting an opportunity to work on a project of his/her area of interest wherein he/she can make a meaningful contribution and enhance some of his/her professional and personal skills in the process.
While it is true that having a diverse workforce enhances creativity and leads to interesting discussions at times, it should not be the prime reason for joining a particular organization nor should it be the prime EVP from the organization’s point of view. The most important reason should always be the nature of work opportunity and a clear description of associated roles and responsibilities. Why I say so is because a lot of my friends often tell me that they feel like useless in their current roles at their respective organizations. And most of these organizations are renowned MNCs. So the point is, while things like diverse workforce, creative outlook and other fun activities are important, work is the most important thing that one should focus on while selecting a particular organization. The satisfaction derived out of having made a meaningful contribution at your work is immense and that's what matters the most in a longer run.
Moving on, let us talk about the marketing strategy of Tata Motors’ much talked car ‘Nano’. I often wonder whether it’s the marketing strategy that is lacking or is it the product that has some problem. Well to me the problem seems to be located at the marketing front. Attempt after attempt the promotion just seem to be going wrong. For example, the latest marketing campaign wherein they have associated Tata Nano with the movie ‘Student of the year’ and have invited the students across campuses to participate in a series of competitions.
As per the information on web, the Nano Student of the Year will be awarded with a Rs. 3-lakh scholarship, the first runner-up will get a Tata Nano and the second runner-up will receive a Macbook Pro. Now the whole concept seems completely at fault. First of all ‘Student of the year’ is a glam packed movie featuring a school so posh that such a school might not even exist in real in the entire country; and where the students on the very first day of their joining come in some of most luxurious cars available out there. Now attaching what was meant to be a common man’s car to such a film seems a little odd at the very thought of it. Secondly, why would you give a Tata Nano to the first runner up and not to the winner of the competition while the whole reason behind the competition is to promote the car?
Look at the promotional campaign of the recent season of KBC. ‘Gyan hi aapko aapka hak dilata hai’! Simple and clear positioning! I think KBC is one of the best positioned products that everyone can identify with especially the common man. In my opinion the marketing team of Tata Nano should have associated themselves with the current season of KBC rather than a glamorous movie like ‘Student of the year’. Giving away a Tata Nano instead of Rs. 200,000/- cash prize or may be a Tata Nano + Rs. 800,000/- instead of Rs.1,000,000/- would have been a good way of marketing the car to the right customer segment through a right channel.
In the end, just came across this nicely written article on 'Pagalguy.com' - 'Swapnil Dharmsktu, only female student at IIM Kashipur is 'most wanted' during group assignments for 'other' view point [http://www.pagalguy.com/news/swapnil-dharmsktu-only-female-student-iim-kashipur-most-wanted-during-group-assignments-other-view-point-a-29367]'. The poor gender ratio at most of the Indian BSchools is saddening so to say the least. In an era where more and more women are joining and leading the corporate workforce, lack of healthy gender ratio limits the overall learning experience to a great extent. Hope the situation will improve in the coming years!
Don’t quite agree with the above opinions? Well then leave a comment and let us discuss it further …
4 comments:
Very informative based out of 'reality' behind the big MNCs. In reference to NANO I guess there 'positioning' was right when they had entered into Indian market viz. "Common Man Car" i.e. they were targeting the 2-wheelers users to have their 'budgeted' car rather than competing for other luxurious brands of cars available. Though in last few months even i can sense some confused marketing ideas from 'Tata' for e.g. as mentioned above by you.
Manish
Hi Tanuj
Just as you bemoan the laok of gender diversity in higher education institution, most people also value the diverse work-force in the office space!
Maybe the fact that these organizations let you be who you are is a good enough EVP for some of us.
@Mandy I could see this argument coming while writing the post itself :) So thank you for bringing it up. But if you read the post again, I have already written that I agree it is important for the companies to have a diverse workforce.
But my point is that it should not be the prime Employee Value Proposition when you try to attract employees. The nature of work and the roles and responsibilities attached with the position are more important because there is no point in joining a company because of the so called 'happening' or 'rosy image' of its and later on repenting that you don't really have anything significant to contribute at your workplace ...
Thanks for your grateful informations, this blogs will be really help for Students scholarship .
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