I remember my MBA days when I thought I had made a very smart decision to not take up any marketing courses. I felt as if it was all jargon-wrapped-common-sense. Why sit through classes(& worse exams) for something you can pick up by just keeping the eyes and ears open.
And for a long time I thought I had made a very sane choice. Eight years on, with some experience behind me, I still believe marketing cant be taught in classrooms. But I have definitely learnt to respect the power it has. Most start-ups are selling CVs or the product or the process or the technology. But the one who succeeds is the one who learns to sell the umbrella brand under the guise of all above.
The 3G rollout is a classic case. The sarkari co’s do have the first mover advantage, they have been spending money in telling people about 3G services too (have seen ads of MTNL Jadoo in Gwalior !) but they have failed to create the hype about 3G – that am sure the Vodafone ZooZoos & Airtel endorsers would !
Update: The new Airtel ad(har ek friend zaroori hota hai !) has surely shown how advertising can be a powerful tool in building a superior brand.