Published in Indian Express on 14th June,2011:
http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/op-ed/train-journey-is-the-best-case-study/283952.html
I believe that a journey in the sleeper class of Indian railways should be made mandatory for all management students. A journey in Indian railways makes one realise the importance and the use of different marketing concepts in lucid terms. Here is my account of a recent journey from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar in sleeper class and how it shaped my opinion on the often used marketing concepts of Targeting, Differentiation and Positioning.
The most frequent visitors in the sleeper class in summer are the lassi vendors. One may wonder that how can a simple lassiwala shed light on the esoteric marketing concepts which are taught only by marketing gurus. Though at first glance, all lassi vendors may look similar, their selling propositions are often very different.Here are a few points of differentiation on which the vendors position their products: Thanda Lassi (Chilled Lassi), Tazza Lassi (fresh Lassi), Meethi Lassi (Sweet Lassi), Chach (Salty Lassi), etc. Some vendors who may not position their lassi on quality platform, position it on the basis of low price — Dus pe do (2 lassi for 10 rupees). Similarly, chaiwalas (tea vendors) come with different positioning statements — Garam Chai (Hot tea), Adrakh ki Chai (Tea with Adrakh), lemon tea, etc. I was astonished to see a chai wala using the concept of packaging to allure potential customers. While most IRCTC vendors offer tea in opaque plastic cups, I saw a vendor offering tea in a transparent cup so that the customers can see for themselves how thick the tea is (i.e. it has milk and not water). And he was repeating the same chant again and again: khud dekhiye aur pi jiye (See for yourself the quality of tea, and then drink). Even samosas come in different forms and are positioned differently: Onion Samosa, Bada samosa (Big Samosa), Garam Samosa, Dus pe Char samosa, etc.
Forget the vendors, even the various poor guys imploring for money from the passengers are a case study in themselves. Though at first glance they all may appear to be from a few broad categories: children, eunuchs, old men, emaciated women, disabled, pious individuals, among each of those broad categories , there is a hell lot of difference. It seems that they have understood the psyche of the donor (customer in marketing parlance). Since the donating capacity of a passenger on a sleeper coach is less and he can’t continue paying to everyone, these poor guys try to adapt as innovative and different approach as possible. Let’s come to the innocent children first. The children mostly don’t beg directly. The first group targets the finicky kind of literate youth who are ready to dole out some cash for having a clean surrounding whereas the second group of children targets the achievement oriented adults who appreciate good deeds.
As our nation debates over the quality of professors in IIMs and the requirement of more top management schools to produce quality MBAs, we tend to ignore such simple management skills which are practised by those considered as the bottom of the pyramid.
As huge dollars are being spent on management research and developing case studies to ingrain practical knowledge into MBA students, I believe that observing and analysing such simple things in our day-to-day life in India can provide the best of insights.An analysis of mundane Indian life is the best case study.
