June 04, 2018 marked as a beginning to a novel chapter in my life when I started MBA at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. As soon as I stepped out for a stroll after settling in the campus, I was mesmerized by the natural bounty Lavale hilltop campus held in store for the resident associates. It’s nothing less than a sin to be inside classes attending lectures with such a picturesque view around. But one fine rainy morning, I had my first group PPT as an internal evaluation for marketing management class.
The case given to our group was on Patanjali Ayurved, we took it up as a challenge and presented it with full conviction. However, the preparation was more important as it is the journey which matters more. We were a team of six and I was scheduled to present its marketing mix in the middle slot. Our presentation had started on a slow note with some information overload in the brand analysis and competitor profile presented by the speaker before me. I was vouching for the batch mates’ attention to my content, so I decided to move away from the podium and present my slides in a more interactive manner. I had my notes and script prepared well in advance but had to adapt to keep the listeners intact.
I did my part in just under 10 minutes and talked about the 4P’s of marketing for Patanjali with some information, stats and a bit of humour as well. As soon as I ended my part, I was expecting a plethora of queries from the best of the inquisitive minds paying heed to my slides. But to my surprise, it was a round of applause before any questions could come in from our competitive friends. Our professor also seemed satisfied with the content as well since it was the very first internal evaluation in a core subject.
The tone had been set right and we were able to tackle most of the tough-worded Q&A from our 60 other marketing counterparts. It gave us an exposure to how grilling it could get with people expecting you to respond more like company stakeholders. Eventually, with no time constraint and greater audience traction, it had turned out to be a simulation of an actual press conference. With such a renowned brand, it was tricky to be concise, politically correct and factually aligned, but our team persisted with that challenge. As a group, and more importantly the beginner group with some dose of “Beginner’s Luck”, we had survived (thrived in some opinions) the internal evaluation. It has been a decent take off to many more such presentations and pitches. This pursuit well begun is half done.
It would surely remain as a fond memory in my mind and as per my set of beliefs; my best is yet to come. I’d like to conclude with a few lines of mine:
Today I am living in present, thriving and yearning for my ascent,
to mend the weaknesses I possess, to have a stronger access,
to the resources which by now are scarce,
But to make sure they amplify as future appears,
I don't exaggerate past glories,
Neither do I believe in prompting fantasy stories,
I am restless... As my best is yet to come,
I succumbed to temptation and turned numb,
I am restless... Because my best is yet to come..!!
I may apparently fall or fail now,
But in my mind I make a vow, To awake, arise, act when and how,
I would not be exhausted until I m exalted,
I live in present to realise my ascent,
Though I am restless… Because my best is yet to come..!!
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
ABG – A world of opportunities rightly offers a wide range of options to chose from but If given an opportunity, I’d like to work for Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL). It is India’s numero-uno Fashion Lifestyle entity and ABFRL’s umbrella boasts of the best fashion brands under Madura Fashion & Lifestyle and Pantaloons. ABG’s sustainable business practices, constant innovation & trends, market exposure and infinite learning opportunities drive me to work for these brands. An internship with ABFRL would enable me to leverage my learning at SIBM, Pune and contribute my two cents to the brand-value.
Geetesh Makkar,
Marketing, SIBM Pune