MarkMantra October Issue Call for Articles

MarkMantra is the brain-child of IIFT, encompassing various dimensions of marketing and exploring horizons of this integral business function. To bring out the best in the marketing domain from the trivial to the bizarre things that really matter which is aimed at enlightening the marketers is the onus of the team. We have a legacy of producing one of the best marketing magazines across all B-Schools. Trend analysis and innovation in the market are two prime focus areas of the magazine. These, we think, will make you ponder upon how a company proactively or reactively markets its offerings. Customer value is of paramount importance to every marketer and we as IIFTians strive to provide maximum value proposition to our customers, that is, you.

MarkMantra is contemplating the publication of its October issue for the first time ever. Read on to find out the theme this time:

Women today wield enormous power in terms of influencing the buying decisions in their households.Today a woman is not just a woman she is also a mother, wife, manager, team leader, motivator, entrepreneur as she juggles multiple roles she demands more value from service providers for the price she pays. Companies have also realised this fact and are making an effort to reach out to them by launching products which are tailored to suit their sensibilities (ex: Canon EOS-M). Also we have seen a trend to involve women in a variety of initiatives like the Nike women's marathon, Pears Junior's "Kya Kool hai Mum" etc. All these steps point to the fact that women are one segment that marketeers just cannot afford to ignore. And in times of slowdown and falling sales, it makes sense to target the queen who calls the shots !!

This issue is an attempt to gauge the impact of women on buying decisions and on the psyche of a marketeer. The Theme is thus, "Marketing to Women".

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We invite articles on the following topics:

1. The impact of women on the sale of men's products:

When it comes to home and beauty care aids, women are know to be the decision makers. However, an interesting facet of this influence also extends to men's products. A good number of products such as automobiles, apparel and even paints (i.e. the choice of colours) are now being heavily influenced by women. Considering these "external" factors, how do marketers communicate the appeal for such products in the current scenario?

1st prize: Rs. 1000 with certificate

2nd Prize: Rs. 500 with certificate

2. Understanding the psychology of women: How and why is it different?

When a woman chooses a particular product for her family or even for herself, the thought process has been proven by neurologists to be an extremely complex one. Factors such as efficacy, safety and price play an equally important role in the selection process of a woman. All this, coupled with the exposure to media and its influence on the masses, makes analyzing this selection process a formidable task. So how does the thought process really differ from that of men? And what goes into the mind of a woman when she's selecting a cereal for her family or a skin care lotion for herself?

1st prize: Rs. 1000 with certificate

2nd Prize: Rs. 500 with certificate

3. Print Ad Making Competition: Fairness Cream

Design a print ad for a new brand of women's fairness cream for the market. Think of your own value proposition, logo, slogan etc. for the new brand.

1st prize: Rs. 500 with certificate

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Please note that the articles needs to be general overall and not merely focus on only one campaign.

Rules:
1. Submissions may be individual or in a team of two (max)
2. The essentials of an article are:
• Data, facts, stats (if any)
• Conceptual clarity
• Research and analysis
• Takeaways/learnings
• Applicability
• Examples

Format: doc format, word limit 1000-1200 words(approx.), Garamond, size 10, line spacing 1.1, justified.
Deadline: 23 September, 2012, 11:59:59pm

All the entries have to be sent at iift.markmantra@gmail.com
For references to previous articles, please refer to the August edition and previous editions of MarkMantra on MBASkool.

http://www.mbaskool.com/colleges/magazines/753-iift-markmantra.html

Note: We strictly condemn plagiarism of any kind. Please avoid direct copy-paste without acknowledging the sources.