MAXIM, the Marketing Association of XIMB organized their annual business conclave ‘Mercatique’

Bhubaneswar: MAXIM, the Marketing Association of XIMB organized their annual business conclave ‘Mercatique’ on 4th August 2019. The theme of the discussion was “Enhancing Customer Engagement through Experiential Marketing “. The conclave aimed to throw light on consumer-driven marketing strategies and the subsequent enhancements in customer engagement.
Mr.Imran Qadri, Head- Marketing and PR ( India ), Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Ms Darshana Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Capital Health Insurance, and Mr Chandrahas Panigrahi, Chief Marketing Officer and Consumer Business Head, Acer, were the esteemed speakers of the occasion. Professor Sandip Anand, Professor of Marketing, XIMB, served as the moderator for the discussion.
Starting a new tradition while keeping in mind the sustainability of today’s efforts for a greener tomorrow, the dignitaries watered saplings to inaugurate the event. Professor Sandip Anand started the session by briefly elucidating on the topic.
The first speaker, Mr Imran Qadri, talked about the concept of experiential marketing for different segments and the tools and techniques to be used for existing customers. He quoted that “Existing customers have to be engaged through community-driven marketing “. Taking Harley-Davidson India’s marketing practices as an example, he spoke about the role of micro-influencers as well as the usage of existing resources for improving the employee and consumer correlations.
The next speaker, Ms Darshana Shah talked about consumer engagement marketing in the health sector, and how customers can “buy and engage, not buy and forget”. She further added how consumers of this era wish to be empowered and act as co-creators, hence if we think of experiential marketing we ought to be relevant to what the consumer is consuming. She stated how Aditya Birla Health Insurance was more about ‘assurance than insurance’, and concluded the talk after citing examples from the recent marketing drives of her organization and the success of the same by mass participation of customers.
Mr Chandrahas Panigrahi was the third and the final speaker for the event. His talk focussed on engaging potential consumers, and the role of experiential marketing in creating a good memory which is crucial for amplifying satisfaction and loyalty. He further elucidated on the finer aspects of offline and online experiential marketing and how both aid in giving an experience to the consumer, not just a mere product.
The panel session was followed by an interactive question and answer section, where students posed inquisitive and insightful questions. This was followed by the launch of MaxEdge, the annual magazine of MAXIM. The eminent speakers felicitated the winners of ‘Pitch Please’, an annual event which is organized by MAXIM to identify the budding entrepreneurs with avant-garde ideas. Mr Gaurav Singh, the student coordinator of MAXIM delivered the vote of thanks to all the dignitaries and concluded the event.