An overview of the market

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) recently organised ‘Mercadeo’, the institute’s first ever marketing fest on campus.

The fest, based on the theme ‘Imagine…Initiate…Inspire…’, witnessed participation from a large number of students from across various Indian business schools.

Inaugurating the event was G K Suresh, GM-Foods Division, ITC India, who spoke about several aspects regarding innovation in marketing.

The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion on ‘How to predict success or failure in marketing’, moderated by Y L R Moorthi, Professor of IIM-B. Moorthi initiated the discussion by asking each of the panellists about what defines success in their respective fields, which then graduated into the even more interesting discussion regarding the importance of consumer insights, value proposition and brand management.

The events at ‘Mercadeo’ were inspired by real issues faced by marketers and tested multiple facets of marketing. ‘Marcumen’, a live case study competition, tested the ability of participants to apply marketing concepts to practical situations.

Two online events, ‘Ad Venture’, an advertisement making competition, and an online simulation game, saw more than 200 participants battling it out for the top spot. The flagship event, ‘Supreme Marketer’, was a quest for the best individual marketer.

This was decided after gruelling rounds that lasted for two days. ‘B-Bazaar’ saw teams deploying creative ideas to earn maximum revenue at their stalls by simulating a marketplace environment. There were also several on-the-spot events like ‘Inquizitive’, the marketing quiz and ‘Off the Cuff’ and ‘Mark your way’.

“We were pleasantly surprised with the overwhelming response, participation and encouragement we received for the very first edition of IIM-B’s marketing fest. It can only get bigger and better in the years to come,” said Ayesha Abuthahir, the head of the organising team.