Marketing Glossary

Marketing audit

 A systematic examination of a business’s marketing environment, objectives, strategies, and activities with a view to identifying key  strategic issues, threats and opportunities.

Marketing concept

The marketing concept is about matching a business’ capabilities with customer wants.

Marketing intelligence

The composite of all data and ideas available within an organisation that assists in decision-making.

Marketing plan

A detailed statement (usually prepared annually) of how a company's marketing mix will be used to achieve its market objectives. A marketing plan is usually prepared following a marketing audit.

Maturity stage

The stage during which a product's sales curve peaks and starts to decline, and profits continue to decline.

Company Profile

Infosys back on the growth curve

IT bellwether Infosys is back with a bang. After slipping to the number four position in terms of corporate earnings last quarter, the company has finally made a desperate move to do what it does best- be a market leader. The acquisition of Swiss multinational Lodestone comes at a time when many feel that Europe is the pandora’s box of the global economy.

We at Ishan have put the issue on the table for dissection and these are our conclusions-

1. Continental Europe is going through a bad patch and stock prices are at a low level. So it makes sense to buy a stake in the companies of Europe on present date.

2. The transition from Infosys Technologies to Infosys has to be a continuous story than a one time event and taking this ahead it has to enter into not only new markets but also new business verticals like public services, health services and cloud computing.

3. The client list has got to keep rolling. Lodestone had a good number of clients almost 200 spread across Germany, France and Austria. With so many shock waves hitting the global economy at random, depending on the same clients is foolishness.

4. Infosys was sitting pretty with a cash reserve of Rupees Twenty Thousand crore. Even after this deal which shall cost Infosys, Rupees One Thousand nine hundred thirty two crore , they will still have a lot of cash which can be used for expansion of the business empire.

Business News

Ferrari becomes the world's most powerful brand

Italian supercar maker Ferrari, has been declared as the world's most powerful brand by Brand Finance due the company's status and related qualitative parameters such as brand affection and loyalty that give Ferrari tremendous opportunity to generate revenue

Brand Finance, a leading independent brand valuation consultancy has published its annual study that reveals the top brands worldwide on the basis of revenue a brand can generate and how strong its customer/fan base is. And interestingly Ferrari has topped the chart this year.

Understandably, Ferrari does not have the financial strength of the overall revenues of large multinationals. But according to the study, considering the Italian supercar maker’s other financial metrics, such as net margins, average revenue per customer, and advertising and marketing spend, as well as qualitative parameters, such as brand affection and loyalty gives Ferrari tremendous opportunity to generate revenue. And it is this potential that has placed Ferrari as the world’s most powerful brand.

“It is always a pleasure to top any list and still more so when the competition includes some of the world’s most famous companies. This achievement proves that even in very tough economic times, Italy can still offer the world businesses of excellence,” commented Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo. “Behind this acknowledgement are exceptional products made by equally exceptional men and women. They made it possible and for that I thank them.” 

To get a deeper insight into the report it would be worth mentioning that the Brand Finance study measures a brand on three dimensions, namely, Inputs, Strength and Output.