Lessons in Marketing - Mukul Deoras - VP & GM Colgate Palmolive

The students of IIM Lucknow were treated to a thrilling talk by Mr Mukul Deoras – VP & GM Colgate – Palmolive South Asia Region. The top honcho of the USD 15 billion giant was not just insightful about marketing concepts but also affable to queries by inquisitive students. Mr Deoras primarily touched upon topics such as product development, pricing, promotion, distribution channels and removing bottle necks in the supply chain. The central theme was how to establish urban luxury goods in the rural segment and tap the demand that lies at the bottom of the pyramid. Frequently quoting the book “The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid” by Dr C K Prahalad, Mr Deoras focussed a lot on rural marketing channels and the tremendous marketing potential that exists among the rural poor.

The highlight of the session was Mr Deoras’s vivid explanation of the LUP – Low Units of Production business model. Mr Deoras provided adequate examples of brands such as Nirma that worked extensively not through the modus of high working capital but through carefully planning and executing high product turnovers to ensure high profit. He also talked about various marketing strategies that can be used to attract the uninitiated rural consumers. He extolled the virtues of initiatives such as Arvind eye hospital and quoted similar examples from across the globe.

The students of the college responded enthusiastically to the queries put up by Mr Deoras and frequently quizzed him on matters pertaining to subjects such as promotion, branding, packaging etc. It was indeed an event one could learn from. Concluding the talk Mr Deoras commended the students for their response and wished them luck for their future endeavours. The talk was organised as a part of Prodigies – The Leadership Series by the Industry Interaction Cell IIM Lucknow. The talk was in continuation of the institute’s endeavour to expose students to a variety of exciting job opportunities and providing them the necessary exposure to leadership roles.