RK Swamy BBDO launches Guide to Market Planning 2009

RK Swamy BBDO has launched the RK Swamy BBDO Guide to Market Planning, which aims to give readers a bird's eye view of the Indian market. The Guide covers 515 districts covering all towns and villages therein, using data from 18 different sources to arrive at a composite index across categories.

A company statement says the aim was to make the Guide a “one-stop shop for information through which marketers can enhance their focus and improve the effectiveness of their activities.”

The Guide has applications across various categories. The Market Intensity Index (MII) and Market Potential Value (MPV) are the two main indices that measure market potential in per capita terms and in aggregate terms respectively. MII is all about quality of markets and MPV is about quantity. The two together give a direction to the marketers on where to focus their efforts.

Talking about the key takeaways for marketers, Gowri Arun, who is one of the principal authors of the Guide from RK Swamy BBDO, says, “When looking at market expansion, the Guide can help in finetuning the cities that can be included in the marketing plan. It can help identify the cities which offer potential from a launch perspective, hence acting like a ready reference tool. Market research can then, further, finetune the cities that need to be included in the marketing plan.”

She added, “Secondly, as a marketer, you might be doing well in terms of sales but the Guide can help benchmark whether your sales performance is matching up to the potential available in the market place. Also, it can help answer whether marketers are realising the sales potential of the city in question. It can also help in setting up logical, reasonable sales targets.”

Arun further added, “There is a big shift in the aspiration levels in small towns and rural areas. This has created a new wave of consumerism comparable to that in metros. Market planners have to widen their search for more opportunity in small towns and growing rural areas. The Guide helps them in their quest for newer and greener areas. If you were to look at new emerging markets; Take the example of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, or even the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh, These are huge markets, with affluent consumers living there. They may not consume the product just because the product is not available, but the potential is still there.  With media having penetrated deep in the country, the aspiration levels in these smaller cities has shifted to resemble urban standards. That’s the opportunity for premium marketers to tap into, by getting an early mover advantage.”

Parnika Mehta, national analytics manager, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd., said, “We've used the MPV data, in conjunction with our internal data, for allocation of resources like equipment, visibility, manpower etc. as well as in planning distribution structures for a market. We found the Guide highly relevant. While we have internal data points, the Guide helps to build a zero based approach to market planning. It has brought significant efficiencies to us.”
 

(Corrigendum: The reference to 2009 in the headline is incorrect, the error is regretted.)