The Idea

Come gather 'round people
…..And admit that the waters
Around you have grown….
You better start swimming
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'

Bob Dylan's classic anthem of change bodes well with the sea change happening across the world of marketing. Digital revolution is transforming businesses and importantly our lives forever.

In the good ol' days, marketing was all about drive, a coffee-like stimulant, pushed down the throat of the consumer with scientific precision. Enamored by the strong power of such stimulants, the marketers relegated the consumer as an after thought, to be bothered about only while selling the product.

Technology empowered him like never before and the consumer was back with a vengeance. He demanded transparency. No more fooling around. He wants everything, including marketing to be real and human. In a connected world, he was the real king to control the fate of brands. Marketers have no choice to listen to what he says. After all, the markets themselves are conversations.
These are interesting times for marketers, as we are redefining the raison d'etre of a marketer.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to ponder over the future of marketing over a coffee, amidst an energetic bunch of marketing students?

Welcome to Coffee, Conversations and Marketing 2010.