CMO Talk – Balaji Viswanath on Rapid Changes in Consumer Trends and the Future of Digital Marketing in India
CMOs are an inspiring lot. At Strategic Marketing Services, we are showcasing some of the best in the business through our CMO Talk series. Michael Leander, world renowned digital marketing speaker and our CMO, has facilitated conversations with his counterparts at the recently concluded DMAi 2014, New Delhi. In this interview with Balaji Viswanath, Director – Digital Marketing at American Express, they explore the nooks and corners of rapidly changing consumer trends in India, and how that is helping in consolidating and structuring digital marketing here.
Consumer trends and the evolving digital marketing space in India
Balaji is a veteran digital marketing specialist. In his conversation with Michael, he underlines the need for personalized attention to prospects while adopting digital marketing practices. He is a keen believer of nurturing and a systematic approach towards marketing. With the bulk of his experience in the US; where the digital marketing sector is well developed, he has now shifted focus to India, where opportunities are massive. Data plays a key role in the process and he says that data influx is steadily building up here which is the key determining factor for changing consumer trends. This is a great break for marketers who can now focus on creating valuable communications and engaging their prospects at the right time of the buying cycle.
Watch the video to learn about how trends are shaping up in the Indian marketing sector
He explains the many advantages of digital marketing here. One that caught our attention is the ability to make ‘course correction’. Simply put, digital marketers can tweak, change, remove or re-post whatever they have already posted several dozen times when they find flaws or want to change their approach. This practice can be extremely costly if executed with traditional marketing tools such as print.
He also emphasizes the need to create good content that connects with the audience. This content, coupled with consumer data can generate extremely beneficial results.
Participant description
Balaji Viswanath is a strategic marketing and general management executive with 13 years of experience in the Financial Services, and the Internet and Wireless spaces. He has a proven track record of delivering transformational strategy and results in areas including Digital Strategy, Product & Portfolio Management, Customer Acquisition & Loyalty Marketing, Brand & Product Marketing and Partner Management. With the bulk of his work experience in the US, he started off with a telecom company and subsequently worked with a major financial services company. He is currently the director of digital marketing at American Express.
Michael Leander is an acclaimed international marketing speaker. Covering a range of topics related to direct marketing, digital marketing, marketing automation, customer loyalty marketing management, customer experience design, social media marketing and CRM, he has delivered great experiences to audiences in nearly 40 countries, earning him the reputation of being a “great marketing speaker and marketing trainer” (source: http://www.michaelleander.me/).
