{"id":11235,"date":"2019-05-27T14:49:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T08:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbf.digital\/new\/?p=11235"},"modified":"2019-05-27T15:07:37","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T09:07:37","slug":"bangladesh-brand-forum-seminar-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbf.digital\/new\/bangladesh-brand-forum-seminar-2019","title":{"rendered":"BANGLADESH BRAND FORUM SEMINAR 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Yamin Rahman<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A shifting focus from production to consumerism has made human connectivity a crucial element in the present world of branding and marketing. In this era of digitalization, the convention of physical connection has declined at a significant rate which makes bridging human connection more challenging than ever. Providing sustainable persuasion for achieving excellence in marketing requires proper human connection to be established. It is a must for marketeers in a digital, connected world to bridge connection and stay updated with the clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a view to shedding light on the substantive issues of Marketing and practical ways to integrate consumers into marketers\u2019 plan, Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF) organized the 8th edition of its flagship initiative BBF Seminar. The event, presented by Beximco and powered by American International University of Bangladesh (AIUB), in association with Dhaka Bank Limited was held on 27th April, 2019 at the Grand Ballroom of Le Meridien Dhaka.\u00a0 The day also marked the 12th anniversary of Bangladesh Brand Forum\u2019s inception. Around 300 corporate professionals were present in the seminar. The daylong seminar was followed by a grand celebration of the 12 years\u2019 celebration of Bangladesh Brand Forum.<\/span><\/p>\n

The theme for BBF Seminar 2019 was \u201cCreating Human Connection in the Age of Digital\u201d. A total of 23 speakers shared insights through 3 Keynote Sessions, 5 Panel Discussions, an Insight Session and a Breakout Session at the seminar.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WELCOME NOTE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The seminar was inaugurated by Mr. Shariful Islam, Founder and Managing Director of Bangladesh Brand Forum, who invited the honorable guests to the 8th iteration of the seminar. He started by emphasizing on the importance of human connection \u2013 \u201cWe look at the digital platform solution, not necessarily from the viewpoint of solving people\u2019s problems and that\u2019s where we miss out. In the Age of Digital, it is all about human connection.\u201d\u00a0 He added that the growth or profit should not be the main focus of the companies. Drawing a connection between company behavior & individual behavior, he mentioned that individuals shouldn\u2019t also be driven merely by money or profit; rather \u2018self-journey\u2019 & \u2018company-journey\u2019 need to be merged for a fruitful outcome. He also urged everyone to start viewing things differently, to disrupt their own thought process when required in order to ensure a sound environment for all. He concluded his speech by introducing the curator of the seminar, Asif Iqbal to the audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Asif Iqbal, Deputy Managing Director (FMCG), Meghna Group of Industries, started by stating Bangladesh Brand Forum as a platform to create some good things for the valued clients & customers. He also pointed out the BBF Seminar\u2019s purpose as to preach learning that benefits marketing & corporate professionals in Bangladesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

KEYNOTE SESSIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

PREM N. SHAMDASANI ON SUSTAINABLE MARKET LEADERSHIP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The very first keynote speaker of the seminar was Prem N. Shamdasani Ph.D., Associate Professor, Marketing, Academic Director (Executive MBA), National University of Singapore, who is alternatively known as Dr. Love. Apart from teaching graduates and EMBA courses, he is very much active in executive development & training and has worked with globally renowned companies like Caterpillar, J&J, L’Or\u00e9al, Gucci, McDonalds, Samsung, Micromax, Nokia, Sony, IBM, Microsoft, GSK, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Barclays, KPMG, Suntory, Nestle and many others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Prem started explaining Sustainable Marketing Leadership by tracing back to his research work as he mentioned that companies growing about 10 or 15 times a year are still losing money. Uber\u2019s valuation is $100 billion but they\u2019re making slow progress. It took Amazon 20 years to start making money. Back in 2000, Samsung was seen as a cheap Korean substitute for Japanese brands like \u2013 Sony, Panasonic and nobody wanted to pay a premium for Samsung back then. It used to be a second choice brand in Malaysia. It only had the highest ranking as a brand in South Korea and it accounted for 22% of South Korea\u2019s GDP at that time. But nobody even paid a premium for Samsung outside South Korea 20 years ago. Samsung hardly bothered about creating a brand image or brand value as it was only concerned about selling cheaper compared to its Japanese competitors. In this context, Dr. Love asked some questions \u2013 \u201cWhere does \u2018branding\u2019 come in?\u201d, \u201cWhat are the strategies building brand leadership?\u201d, \u201cHow would brand leadership lead us to sustainable & profitable growth?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prem stressed that, for sustainable & profitable growth, two challenges should be met by any enterprise: Regaining Market Share and Regaining Brand Leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n

He raised an important question \u2013 \u201cHow do we, as a company pursue strategies to achieve sustainable market leadership?\u201d He opted for a 3-prong solution \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

Market Share Leadership:<\/strong> The strategies that need to be adopted in terms of Market Share are \u2013 Cost Leadership, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Outsourcing and Channel Partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brand Leadership:<\/strong> Strategies for building brand leadership refers to Product & Business Model Innovation, Design Leadership, Dominant Platform, Customer-centricity and Quality User Experience<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer Intimacy:<\/strong> Customer intimacy refers to the stickiness, the ability to change mindset to see customers as collaborators and to co-create with the customers. Some aspects for generating effective customer intimacy are \u2013 Emotional Branding, Brand Community, Customer Service & Care and Experiential Marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BRIAN COLLINS ON DESIGNING LEADERSHIP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Collins, CCO & Co-Founder of COLLINS and Ex-Chairman & CCO of Brand & Innovation, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, was the 2nd keynote speaker of the day. He is an American designer and educator whose work has been covered by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal. In the recent survey of creative leaders, COLLINS was declared one of 50 places people are keen to work for along with Nike, Disney, Tesla & NASA. Brian was the first graphic designer invited to speak at the World Economic Forum. Also, Fast Company named Brian American Master of design & he was honored with the Luminary Award at Nokia Bell Labs in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

To begin with, Brian praised Dr Love\u2019s ideas on Brand Leadership & Customer Intimacy. Brian showed image of his house and his neighborhoods\u2019 back in 1950s, which he visualized as something ambushed by the future! Brian focused attention on a specially designed chair, which he also viewed as something from the future. He mentioned about Benjamin Thompson\u2019s store in the middle of the Harvard Square and the thing that grabbed Brian\u2019s attention the most this time was the chair he termed as \u2018coconut chair\u2019 because of its coconut like shape. Later on, Brian bought that chair which appeared to be futuristic to him. He found a connection of the chair to a sci-fi TV show named \u2013 \u2018Lost in Space,\u2019 as he saw a similar chair in that show. This led Brian to think that \u201cDesigners create the future.\u201d Such a thought triggered him to become a designer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Brian views creating design as doing business. Big corporations are buying design firms in droves. IBM invests $100 million to expand its design business. Brian used the term \u2013 \u201cDe$ign\u201d to show the necessity of involving design with money, which would require expertise. Being experimental along with having expertise is necessary in order to merge discipline with passion. In Brian\u2019s words \u2013 \u201cExperimentation is the engine of all progress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, Brian termed Steve Job\u2019s ideas and designs as \u201cinsanely great.\u201d But in San Francisco, the concept of minimum viable product took control. This minimum viable product concept became problematic. Pinterest, Google, Logitech, Uber led Apple\u2019s \u201cinsanely great\u201d ideas to be replaced by minimum viable product concept, making less room for creative designing ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian traced back to the creator of that \u201cfuturistic\u201d chair and found a creative couple behind its creation, who defined a designer as a good host anticipating the will of the guests. Brian stressed on the importance of brand advertising, as he said \u2013 \u201cEverything a brand touches is actually an experience.\u201d Advertising requires a clear understanding of the consumers\u2019 needs. For instance, Brian talked about lip balms in the US and how only design modification of lip balms attracted a broad range of customers to use those.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not \u201crationality,\u201d \u201cefficiency\u201d or \u201ccontrol\u201d that makes a brand stand out but it is all about \u201ccuriosity,\u201d \u201cintegration\u201d & \u201cserendipity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THOMAS BARTA ON HOW MARKETERS AS LEADERS CAN BE INFLUENTIAL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas Barta, Author of No.1 Marketing Leadership Book – \u201cThe 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader\u201d, Dean, McKinsey Leadership Program & Columnist for Forbes Marketing Week was the last keynote speaker of BBF Seminar 2019. Thomas has conducted the world\u2019s largest study involving 68000+ assessments. He has also spoken to thousands of leaders at events for organizations like Amazon, Adobe, Google, Oracle etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas started with the example of Ken Kutaragi, former Chairman and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, who convinced SONY to get into business in the gaming industry and made gaming successful. Kutaragi invented PlayStation and became the change maker in the gaming industry. This is why Thomas said \u2013 \u201cGreat marketers are great change leaders.\u201d However, it is not easy to become both at once because of the \u2018skills gap\u2019, \u2018trust gap\u2019 & \u2018power gap\u2019 that marketers face. Thomas stated that in most cases people in the company only care about the company\u2019s success & about getting the work done; they hardly care about a marketer\u2019s individual success. He discussed about a research analysis where it has been found that Change Leadership Skills contribute 55% to make a marketer successful. The first step towards Changing Leadership Skills should be to \u201cTackle Big Issues\u201d. Thomas talked about prepaid phones meeting customer needs & how this approach is also beneficial to the company needs. In between customer needs & company needs lies a \u2018value creation zone\u2019 that enables marketers to acquire power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketers should mind their language; they can talk about things like profit but not about market segmentation. As a marketer, one has to learn to \u201cwalk the halls\u201d & leave the office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas spoke about Kleenex kitchen towel\u2019s brand manager, who destroyed millions of company members during his 3 years\u2019 reign by maintaining a high cost brand with no innovation. Job descriptions can become problematic at times, as that manager\u2019s job description said him to grow the business. Job descriptions won\u2019t have the answer to job success!<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas had a last tip for the emerging marketers \u2013 \u201cHit the head & the heart,\u201d which refers to telling people stories that touch them. He quoted Napoleon \u2013 \u201cA leader is a dealer in hope.\u201d He identified the biggest power of marketers to be the ability to \u2018inspire\u2019 people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas concluded his speech with his favorite quote by George Adair \u2013 \u201cAll you ever wanted is on the other side of fear!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PANEL DISCUSSIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR BRANDS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first panel discussion was held on the topic \u2013 \u201cDriving Digital Transformation for Brands.\u201d The moderator of the panel discussion was Zakia Zerin, Head of Digital Marketing eCommerce & Customer Engagement, Nestl\u00e9 Bangladesh Ltd. Members of the panel discussion were \u2013 Solaiman Alam, Head of Digital, Grameenphone Ltd.; Nazmul Karim, Executive Vice President, Prime Bank Ltd. and Tanzeen Ferdous, Marketing Director (Home Care, Foods, & Refreshment), Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. The discussion started with the question that the moderator posed \u2013 \u201cWhat is digital revolution & why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the fact that everyone in the panel suggested some different ideas on how digital transformation needs to be driven for brands, all of the discussants agreed on placing \u2018customer experience\u2019 at the core of this digital transformation. Digital transformation ensures transparency & therefore it needs to be relevant. Customers are no longer attracted by Advertisements, rather they do care about what they are being served with. The data generated in digital interactions will only become fruitful when they are captured, processed & used to make meaningful decisions. Despite having technology, the most challenging part for brands remains generating \u2018creativity\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DATA – CREATIVITY – PRIVACY – VALUE CREATION \u2013 WHERE IS THE SWEET SPOT?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The second panel discussion was on \u2013 \u201cData – Creativity – Privacy – Value Creation \u2013 Where is the Sweet Spot?\u201d The discussants of the panel were \u2013 Adnan Imtiaz Halim, CEO & Co-Founder, Sheba.zyz; Lutfi Chowdhury, Regional Head, ESKIMI South Asia; Shourav Islam, CEO & Founder, Unifox Digital Media.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

All of the discussants stressed on the significance of value creation & none of them talked about a specific sweet spot, rather they identified the sweet spot to be somewhere in between the four parameters \u2013 data, creativity, privacy & value creation. It is largely important for consumer brands to analyze consumer behavior & search for patterns. Data that adds value should be prioritized while making decisions. Making decisions during value creation need to be structured with creativity where \u2018privacy\u2019 remains as the barrier to creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SHORT TERM – LONG TERM DEBATE IN THE ERA OF NOW MOMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The third panel discussion was entitled as \u2013 \u201cShort Term-Long Term Debate in the era of NOW MOMENT.\u201d The session was moderated by Khandoker Mahmudur Rahman Ph.D., Associate Professor & Director \u2013 BBA Program, United International University. The discussants were \u2013 Chandan Polekar, Country Head, Godrej Consumer Products Limited; Mizanur Rashid, CCO, bKash Ltd. and Harsh Chhaparia, Partner, McKinsey & Company.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Mizanur Rashid stressed on the two major points for start-up or online retail companies\u2019 success \u2013 GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) & Number of active customers. He identified the short term & long-term objectives as to continuously create base for customers, keeping in mind that funds are limited. On the other hand, Chandan Polekar mentioned short term aspect as how do people perceive a company\u2019s role & the monetary aspects. He identified the long-term aspects as the experiences provided to the existing employees and the words of employee who\u2019ve left the company. Harsh emphasized on making substantial resource allocation. In short, the panel defined short term strategies focusing on immediate sales & long term strategies emphasizing more on growth prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR POSITIONING\/PURPOSE \u2013 DOES IT MATTER?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The 4th panel discussion was held on \u2013 \u201cWhat Do You Stand for Positioning\/Purpose \u2013 Does it Matter?\u201d Nazim Farhan Choudhury, Managing Director, Adcomm Ltd. moderated the session where the discussants were \u2013 Ashraf Bin Taj, President, Marketing Society of Bangladesh; Shahriar Amin, Head of Marketing, Beximco Communications Ltd. and Syed Tanzim Rezwan, Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser (Bangladesh) Ltd.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The discussants primarily focused on the fact that brands need to stand out in order to understand & satisfy the more involved customers. The core of Branding remains unchanged with the flow of time. People, Practical Propositions & Portability are the 3 Ps in terms of positioning in marketing. Moreover, brands need to sell the need of consumers with a sense of responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHY BRANDS MUST LEAD THE SUSTAINABILITY BATTLE?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The very last panel discussion was on \u2013 \u201cWhy Brands Must Lead the Sustainability Battle?\u201d which was moderated by Prof. Syed Saad Andaleeb, Ph.D., Former Vice Chancellor, BRAC University. The discussants of the panel were \u2013 Prem N. Shamdasani Ph.D., Associate Professor, Marketing, Academic Director (Executive MBA), National University of Singapore and Yasir Azman, CMO & Deputy CEO, Grameenphone Ltd.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Andaleeb initiated the discussion by saying that sustainable brands represent multi-layered & contemplated \u201cthinking\u201d, and this \u201cthinking\u201d can be inspired by the quote \u2013 \u201cWatch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your worlds for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Love focused on how CSR has become an integral part of sustainability. He drew the example of strategy of L\u2019oreal as a brand to illustrate the significance of CSR.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yasir Azman proposed 3 keys or 3Ps for sustainable business \u2013 Financial risk & opportunity or Profit, Societal aspects or People and Environmental aspect or Planet. Maintaining confidentiality of the customers is another key that he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

To put an end to the session, Professor Andaleeb raised a question \u2013 \u201cCompanies for People or People for Companies?\u201d He introduced his \u20187P\u2019 formula to attain sustainability in business \u2013 Purpose, Progress, People, Policies, Partnerships, Pennies & Passion.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INSIGHT SESSION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

STRATEGY TO BEAT THE ODDS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Harsh Chhaparia, Partner, McKinsey & Company, conducted an insight session \u2013 \u201cStrategy to Beat the Odds.\u201d Harsh started with how most organizations are frustrated with forming \u2018strategies\u2019. He mentioned that one key yardstick of a company\u2019s performance is \u2018economic profit\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Three things determine the performance of a company \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n