Author: S Ramachander
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 280
ISBN/UPC (if available): 076199646X
Description
In today’s exceedingly complex and fast changing market place, businesses have to constantly find innovative solutions to both survive and prosper. Equally important, innovations need to be applied to every aspect of the value cycle.
This delightfully written book is designed to help managers become more thoughtful, creative and intuitive in their thinking. It shows how to apply innovative thinking to all aspects of the value chain, from insightful discovery to designing and developing a product to deliver it to the consumer. The author improves upon the value chain metaphor to bring in the concept of a cycle of continuous change. As this cycle repeats itself, it becomes an ascending spiral of increasing value to the customer.
With the help of vivid examples, S Ramachander argues that while there is enormous scope for new product development in India, building a brand or a successful business requires resourcefulness, creativity and, above all, a flexible approach along with large doses of patience. He presents an array of techniques and tools for creative problem solving and introduces several new frameworks which have all been tested in real life situations. In particular, he develops the notion of the value spiral and the concept of Meta marketing, both which will help practising managers to:
Understand customers and develop perceptive mental models;
Link insights to business goals; and
Create innovative strategies along the value chain to achieve these goals.
Immensely practical and down-to-earth, this refreshing book presents unusual methods of learning and thing which will open new pathways for the practising manager. It will be invaluable to students and professionals involved in sales or marketing management, product or brand management and both general and strategic management.
REVIEWS
This book is designed to help managers become more thoughtful, creative and intuitive in their thinking. It shows how to apply innovative thinking to all aspects of the value chain, from insightful discovery to designing and developing a product to delivering it to the consumer.
-The Economic Times
The author has provided a checklist of questions and exercises. It will help marketing managers in understanding customers, linking insights to business goals and creating innovative strategies for achieving business goals.
-Business India
Ramachander’s book covers almost all aspects of marketing management. It answers many of the questions that practitioners and academics struggle with. It is a book that should be compulsory reading for CEOs, marketing practitioners, teachers and students, The book abounds in examples, has exercises for the interested reader, and is a do-it book.
-Business Standard
Contents
FOREWORD BY C K PRAHALAD
PREFACE
Meta Marketing: Beyond the 4 Ps
Value: An Introduction
Customer Value as a Spiral
Defining the Customer’s Perceived Value
Building a User-Usage Interface Matix
Encouraging Creative Discovery
The Search for New Value
Creativity Techniques
A Behavioural Model of the Market
Modeling the Market Structure
Insights that Led to Successful Innovation
Sources of Unconventional Learning
Delivering Value through Branding
Delivering Value through Reputation and Relationship
Designing the Value in Creatively
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX