Marketing Evangelist,
Author & Keynote Speaker.

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Mindful Marketing
workshops to enable strategic thinking

Rajesh’s mastermind sessions can help your team unlock critical customer insights for business growth.

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Mindful
Marketing
Cartoons

‘Mindful Marketing’ is a series of pocket cartoons that apply the lens of humour and sarcasm to amplify the prevalent (mis)practices that hamper organizations in their marketing, branding and other initiatives.

I began this endeavour in early 2022 in collaboration with Arun Ramkumar, a cartoonist and brand designer. These cartoons are loved by the business community and widely shared in social media across the world.

Highly rated Keynote Speaker
and Marketing Strategist.

Rajesh Srinivasan is a Modern Marketing Strategist, 2x Author and a Tedx Speaker. His mission is to Turn Organizations into Centres of Marketing Excellence.

A sought-after keynote speaker, Rajesh has delivered more than 150 speeches, workshops and mastermind sessions in the last five years and positively impacted more than 4500+ industry leaders.

As a Marketing strategy consultant, Rajesh works with the CEOs and business heads of start-ups and fast-growing companies and supports them in their go-to-market, brand positioning and growth strategy. He helps organizations take crucial decisions in innovation, new product development, creative, content development and media strategy.

Rajesh has delivered keynote sessions at the business conclaves like World Marketing Congress & The Economic Times Marketing Leaders’ Summit. He has been appointed as one of the Jury Board members for the Economic Times – Most Promising Tech Marketers’ Award – 2020 & 21.

Featured on: Business Today, The Week, India Today, and Business Standard.

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Hear from my clients

“Rajesh's keynote session at the Global Marketing Congress was so insightful, I have never thought about being Media-Centric and it has given me a lot of food for thoughts and ideas to plan my marketing plan. Thank you Rajesh for sharing your energy and expertise with us”

Claire Boscq-ScottGlobal Customer Service Guru, Author of the book – Thriving by caring.

“I firmly believe Rajesh Srinivasan’s strategic orientation towards
marketing will add great value to the companies.”

Rajeev KumraDean & Professor - Marketing, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (Noida Campus)

“Rajesh’s speaking session was very well received by our team with a lot of relevant insights . His level of knowledge and articulation was mind blowing.”

SridharRegional Manager, ITC
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How Different Types of Analytics Can Help You Succeed

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I am a strong believer in concepts and principles.

I firmly believe that before we learn to use tools, it’s critical to have a strong conceptual understanding.

This understanding allows us to put the tools to the best possible use, regardless of the type of tools involved.

Let’s consider data analytics as an example.

We have a lot of tools to carry out analysis.

The foundational purposes of analytics can be classified into four types.

Simply understanding these four basic purposes will help us realize the context behind why we engage in analysis.

However, you don’t need to be a statistics whiz or an analytics guru to accomplish this.

By grasping the basics, you can hit the ground running and collaborate effectively with your analytics team.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves and dive into the four types of analytics that every one of us should be familiar with.

1. Descriptive analytics

First up, we have descriptive analytics, which is like a historian who looks at the past to describe what has happened.

It helps answer questions like “what happened,” “how did it happen,” and “why did it happen.”

For example, a retail store might use descriptive analytics to analyze their sales patterns over the past year to plan their inventory and promotions for the upcoming year.

2. Predictive analytics

Next, we have predictive analytics, which is like a weather forecaster who uses past data to predict future outcomes.

It helps answer questions like – “what will happen,” “how will it happen,” and “why will it happen.”

For instance, a manufacturing company might use predictive analytics to predict future demand for their products based on past sales data and customer behavior.

3. Prescriptive analytics

Then there’s prescriptive analytics, which is like a doctor who uses data and analysis to recommend a course of action.

It helps answer questions like – “what should be done,” “how should it be done,” and “why should it be done.”

For example, a logistics company might use prescriptive analytics to optimize their delivery routes and reduce costs by analyzing data on delivery times, traffic patterns, and fuel costs.

4. Diagnostic analytics

Finally, we have diagnostic analytics, which is like a detective who uses data and analysis to identify the root cause of a problem.

It helps answer questions like “what is the problem,” “how did it happen,” and “why did it happen.”

A restaurant, for instance, might use diagnostic analytics to analyze customer reviews, menu items, and staff performance to understand why their sales have been decreasing and take corrective actions accordingly.

So, there you have it!

Imagine donning the hats of a historian, weather forecaster, doctor, and detective to enhance decision-making and solve problems more effectively using analytics.

These roles represent distinct mental models in your toolbox, and you can employ them based on the situation at hand.

The next time you collaborate with an analytics team or encounter a problem, consider which type of analytics could prove most valuable, and ask the appropriate questions.

You’ll be surprised by how much you can accomplish!

The Driving Force Behind Brand Collaborations

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While I was working in real estate, one day, after I reached home, my wife Priya asked me if I had seen those new ads on the road about the new department store opening in our area.

I replied, ‘No, I only watched the ads for a new real estate project launch.’

Promptly, she responded, ‘You only see real estate ads. Nothing else seems to grab your attention,’ and she complained.

This situation led me to ponder the contrast between marketers and customers in their thinking patterns.

Marketers tend to be vertical thinkers, focusing primarily on their respective categories. They often overlook the fact that customers are horizontal thinkers, who merge multiple categories in their considerations.

For example, when purchasing a car, individuals extensively contemplate how it fits into their overall lifestyle, which might encompass their home as well.

This phenomenon is commonly referred to as a consumption constellation.

Let’s delve into this concept more deeply:

A ‘consumption constellation‘ describes the intricate and multifaceted manner in which people perceive and make purchasing decisions across various product categories.

Imagine a night sky filled with stars, each one representing a different product or service. Just as stars form constellations that create a bigger picture in the sky, people’s purchasing decisions connect various products to form their own unique ‘constellations’ of consumption.

Just as a constellation is more than individual stars, a person’s consumption constellation involves considering how different products fit together in their lifestyle, forming a cohesive and interconnected whole.

In a nutshell, we do not just buy furniture; we buy a lifestyle that fits into our overall home.

How consumption constellation drives brand collaborations

In the world of luxury goods, the concept of a consumption constellation often drives collaboration between premium brands in different categories to tap into the holistic lifestyle choices of their consumers.

An illustrative example of this concept comes from the partnership between Louis Vuitton and Singapore Airlines.

The collaboration involved customizing the travel experience for Singapore Airlines’ premium passengers. Exclusive amenity kits designed by

Louis Vuitton were introduced for First Class and Suites passengers.

These kits incorporated the essence of both brands, encapsulating luxury fashion and travel essentials. The partnership also extended to limited-edition co-branded items, such as luggage tags, that travelers could acquire as cherished mementos.

The collaboration resonated with consumers who value luxurious experiences that transcend traditional boundaries.

Travelers who appreciated the opulence of Louis Vuitton products found a parallel in Singapore Airlines’ dedication to providing top-tier services. This cross-promotion emphasized that a luxury lifestyle is a constellation of refined choices that extend into various aspects of life, including travel.

The key takeaway is that by combining the realms of fashion and travel, the collaboration provided a cohesive experience for consumers. It reinforced the idea that luxury extends to every facet of their lifestyle.

In my opinion, a brand doesn’t operate in a vacuum; it is a part of customers’ entire life experience.

If we understand the context behind the usage of the brand, we can create better experiences through brand collaborations.

Here’s a challenge for you – can you create a hypothetical brand collaboration based on the consumption constellation idea? You could even do it with your brand if the concept aligns with it.

The best hypothesis will stand to win my second book – Growth Nuggets.

Why People Favor Brands Over Commodities

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Most entrepreneurs and marketers inherently recognize the significance of establishing strong brands to connect with consumers.

But it’s critical to know why people really attracted towards brands.

The preference for brands over commodities and private labels exists due to psychological reasons rather than logic thinking.

These psychological aspects of humans keep brands like Dettol, Lifebuoy, Titan, and Amul relevant in a world abundant with similar options across various categories.

For instance, within stores like Reliance Retail, Dmart, Amazon and Bigbasket, a multitude of private label brands, backed by the retailers’ distribution prowess, coexist.

Despite this, my year-long study involving households of relatives and friends revealed that nearly 80% of their purchases still lean towards well-established brands that have invested heavily in brand building.

[[[ A quick tip to do your own research: You can conduct this simple research on your own: In most Indian families, there’s a trend of purchasing household items at the start of each month.

Here’s what you can do: Observe the items that your family members order and note the brands they choose. When you receive these items, analyze the percentage of products that belong to well-established brands with significant investments in brand building, and compare it to the percentage of private-label brands.

This approach will provide insights into whether your family’s preferences lean more towards established brands or private-label options. It’s a practical way to gauge the prevalence of brand choices in everyday consumer decisions.]]]

Despite the plethora of choices available from private-label brands, people frequently demonstrate a preference for familiar brands.

This prompted me to explore the reasons behind this inclination towards recognized brands over generic alternatives.

From a consumer perspective, two primary factors contribute to the preference for brands over commodities and private labels:

1.Fulfilling Meaning-Seeking Nature:

Humans are inherently driven by the pursuit of meaning.

Strong brands transcend the realm of mere products by weaving narratives, values, and associations that deeply resonate with personal and cultural facets of individuals.

This concept ultimately relates to the psychological notion of ‘self-identity.’ This term encompasses an individual’s collection of beliefs, perceptions, values, and their societal roles.

In the context of preferring brands over generic options, individuals often gravitate toward brands that harmonize with their self-concept.

They actively seek out brands that mirror their values, aspirations, and the image they aim to project to the world.

Brands, in this context, act as catalysts for reinforcing or elevating one’s self-identity.

A poignant illustration is that of a father who derives a sense of fulfillment from aiding his child’s acceptance into a prestigious business school.

This endeavor stems from his intrinsic drive to bestow meaning upon his role by ensuring his child’s admission to a top-tier institution.

This concept of ‘self-identity’ – the intricate nature of self-identity and its impact on human behavior, has been extensively studied and discussed in psychology and behavioral science.

Their work underscores the idea that individuals seek coherence between their self-concept and their external choices, including brand preferences.

2. Brands as Cognitive Shortcuts:

In the face of an overwhelming array of options, brands serve as cognitive shortcuts.

This phenomenon aligns seamlessly with the ‘availability heuristic,’ a cognitive bias that compels people to rely on readily accessible information when making decisions.

Basically, when cluttered with too many options, our mind looks for a shortcut to take a quick decision.

Familiar brands have a great advantage here.

Their familiarity through repeated exposure via advertising, recommendations, and personal experiences helps people overcome cognitive load.

That’s why when confronted with numerous choices and limited time or information for meticulous evaluation, individuals instinctively turn to recognizable brands.

These brands evoke a sense of trust and reliability due to their heightened accessibility within memory.

Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and his collaborator Amos Tversky extensively explored cognitive biases and heuristics, contributing substantially to the understanding of human decision-making processes.

The concept of brands acting as cognitive shortcuts finds its foundation in their research.

Biggies rely heavily on brand-building and advertising.

Consequently, companies like Unilever, P&G, and Nestle invest substantially to preserve the relevance and distinctive identity of their brands such as Dove, Surf Excel, Pampers, Tide, Maggie, and Nescafe.

These brands employ advertising as a strategic tool to infuse significance into what might otherwise be perceived as commodities like soaps, detergents, and coffee.

Moreover, the significance of remaining visible and relevant translates into an application of the availability heuristic.

By maintaining a constant presence, these brands help consumers effortlessly navigate their choices, effectively utilizing their mental shortcuts to opt for familiar brands.

In a nutshell, the preference for established brands over generic alternatives is rooted in human psychology, driven by the desire for meaning and the utilization of cognitive shortcuts for decision-making.

Finally, in my opinion, the idea of ‘brand building’ will remain relevant as long as we humans continue to seek meaning in everything we do and are driven by identity.