The farmer in the picture above is from the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. I met his friends and him in June 2011, as part of a new farm input launch that I essayed for a major corporation.
I demonstrated my product to the farmers, recorded the proceedings on video and by way of still images, published a PDF, and asked my corporate client to publish and to use the communication throughout their distribution network, using the Internet.
I was first trained to do this kind of work in 1972. I must depend on my feeble memory for records of what happened and of what we did. Training was a massive exercise in logistics. It was hard to visit more than 2 villages a day on a sustained basis. Getting farmers together required entertainment and hospitality, much of which was consumed by volatile village children! Surface post took about as long as it does now; urgent long-distance calls had to be booked at least an hour in advance. Juniors such as I had inflated roles in bridging multiple steps in organizational ladders.
What has changed, and what endures? Here is my list:
1. Customers have more choices now. They are more demanding as well.
2. Marketing has become cheaper and quicker.
3. Not everyone adopts new technology at the same pace. You can take advantage of this, or become its victim!
4. You cannot smell or touch on the Internet-as yet. These two senses can be leveraged by 'brick-and-mortar' types.
5. Supervisors are nearly out. This applies to many staff functions and positions as well.
Marketing tends to be a controversial function because many professionals without formal and updated knowledge of the matter (such as I!) claim to be authorities. Most owners undervalue branding as it is so intangible. However, we can all agree that the Internet has changed Marketing substantially. There are new avenues for small and medium enterprises to build sustainable competitive advantage.
I would like to know your experiences and views on the matter.
I demonstrated my product to the farmers, recorded the proceedings on video and by way of still images, published a PDF, and asked my corporate client to publish and to use the communication throughout their distribution network, using the Internet.
I was first trained to do this kind of work in 1972. I must depend on my feeble memory for records of what happened and of what we did. Training was a massive exercise in logistics. It was hard to visit more than 2 villages a day on a sustained basis. Getting farmers together required entertainment and hospitality, much of which was consumed by volatile village children! Surface post took about as long as it does now; urgent long-distance calls had to be booked at least an hour in advance. Juniors such as I had inflated roles in bridging multiple steps in organizational ladders.
What has changed, and what endures? Here is my list:
1. Customers have more choices now. They are more demanding as well.
2. Marketing has become cheaper and quicker.
3. Not everyone adopts new technology at the same pace. You can take advantage of this, or become its victim!
4. You cannot smell or touch on the Internet-as yet. These two senses can be leveraged by 'brick-and-mortar' types.
5. Supervisors are nearly out. This applies to many staff functions and positions as well.
Marketing tends to be a controversial function because many professionals without formal and updated knowledge of the matter (such as I!) claim to be authorities. Most owners undervalue branding as it is so intangible. However, we can all agree that the Internet has changed Marketing substantially. There are new avenues for small and medium enterprises to build sustainable competitive advantage.
I would like to know your experiences and views on the matter.
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