A Whirl Of Insights During My Summers At Pidilite – Shashank Saurav, SCMHRD Pune

The requiem of summers is something that latches on an informed MBA aspirant. Hence, summers is a linchpin of every MBA aspirant. So after the tribulations of the Summer Placement process, when I finally got into Pidlite I could count every second that had gotten into getting me there. Looking back on those two momentous months, I could flash through the whole journey in a wave of nostalgia.

When I finally arrived at the headquarters of Pidlite it seemed a dream come true for me. The initial few days transpired into induction wherein all the summer interns were briefed about the organisation. We came to know the vastness of Pidilite’s offerings and its wide International presence. All the interns were briefed by the respective Presidents of each Business division and the Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Vivek Sharma. Mr Vivek Sharma also walked us through the iconic Fevicol advertising campaigns that have stayed us since our childhood days and how each time , they come up with something fresh while building a firm brand salience in the minds of the consumers. Later in the week we were asked to do a field visit with territory sales in charge for the on ground understanding of the market.

My Summer Internship Project involved doing a market research to find the feasibility of two new adhesive products which were specifically designed for furniture carpenters and I was expected to design the detailed communication and promotion strategy for their Market launch.

It was a core marketing project wherein I went to almost 150 stores in two months and interacted with 600 carpenters across Jaipur and Delhi. The most satisfying part of the experience was exploring the largest furniture market in Asia – Delhi’s Kriti Nagar across its landscape and Jaipur’s various furniture clusters. The samples of my product had arrived from Turkey and as part of the project, I had to conduct application trials at the furniture units and reap insights from the carpenters to implement the same in the Indian Market.

Based on my secondary research on similar adhesives in foreign markets, I recommended many packaging and composition changes in the product. I also conducted a product improvement survey to recommend the various fine changes that would enhance the user experience. I also ended up suggesting an altogether different variant of the product (which made use of a pen dryer than a spray drying agent which was part of the intended product) which made it more customer friendly. I also extended the scope of my Project and estimated the Market Potential of the two products after interacting with all the stakeholders (Carpenters, Whole sellers and Fevicol Dealers) and conducted a Price Point Analysis to estimate the Price sensitivity of the two products. I also designed Concept cards and Application Modules of the two products to ensure that my target segments had a better understanding of the usage of the Product.

Throughout the project, I ensured that I capture the videos and images of various applications trials done by me and that I maintained a constant stream of communication with my mentors through Weekly Status Reports. I ensured that he had a firm idea of my work even when he never pressed me hard for it .

Towards the end, they helped me immensely in designing the flow and content of the Final Presentation. The most satisfying part of the journey was when during the dry run of the Presentation, my mentor told me that my hardwork was evident from the presentation itself. In the Final Review, the VP of Fevicol told me that I had showed good leadership skills in handling such a critical Project which made the journey seem all the more rewarding.

Every inch of hard work seemed worthy when Pidilite offered me a Pre Placement Offer (PPO) based on my work and an opportunity to be part of their flagship Young Leadership Program (YLP).  In the process I realized that its one’s undying perseverance and a constant pursuit for solving crucial user problems that shapes up a marketer’s journey.