Pandemic has put digitisation and virtualisation in sixth gear: Shailendra Katyal

Dispelling the predictions, marketing is alive and kicking where new tools have come up but fundamentals remain the same-brands will have to find the conflicts they want to resolve and be consistent and authentic, says Shailendra Katyal, CEO of Lenovo India. Advising brand leaders, Katyal said, “There are still a lot of stories to be told to the consumers. Brands will have to choose the conflict they want to resolve. Polarization is set to increase. Brands can help choose sides. Brands can be either side of the fence or become a bridge". 

Katyal was speaking on “New Marketing Practices In Post Pandemic World” during the e4m conclave 2021 which was held virtually on December 13. Lenovo India’s revenue in FY20  jumped by 27% at Rs 9,108 crores riding on the pandemic demand. In the second quarter of 2022, the Chinese computer maker had registered almost similar growth. Digital platforms are like black boxes, feels Katyal.

“There was a lot of noise around digital precision marketing. However, numbers may not tell the story. Digital was supposed to be most trustworthy on content. That also changed quickly over the last two years with the emergence of privacy and other issues,” says the CEO of the tech major. He noted, “Even traditional marketing is clearly measurable. Marketers know what is working, what is not. Pandemic has put the digitisation and virtualisation in sixth gear. Device proliferation is increasing as people are spending a lot of time online”, Katyal said.

He also predicted that with the rollout of 5G, 6G, and Metaverse, our virtual avatars will attend the meetings. “This is what Facebook is testing for the last few months. “Bill Gates has been talking about virtual avatars in all his meetings over the past few months. Things will change drastically in the next 5-10 years,” says the Lenovo leader. 

Challenges of marketing

Katyal elaborates, “Huge information flow makes marketing difficult. Every two years, the digital information gets doubled. Brands have to really work hard to get the attention of customers. Besides, there is a shift from permanency to transiency. Young people want to live in the moment, not long term. They want to travel and indulge in leisure activities. Brands should focus on building experiences for young people, physical or virtual. You should know your customer well, you should tell your story well.”

The market is a lot more fragmented now than before. Marketers will have to be at the top of their game, notes Katyal. “RIP to Lazy marketing. Brands and creative agencies have to learn something every day. Ad campaigns are not just the artwork anymore. Now, arts, science and technology are all needed to create disruptive technology,” says Katyal.

Businesses and consumers are rapidly evolving their relationship with technology which is creating new opportunities for Lenovo.