‘Understanding people’s needs important’:

Marketeers contribute much to emerging brands

Charumini de Silva

Looking at what happened in the latter part of 2008 due to the global economic meltdown, marketeers have contributed significantly to have brands emerging even though there was a negative impact on the market. As marketeers they should understand a person’s needs, said Marketing Head, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, Amal Gajamange.

Here are his down-to-earth views

Q: What inspired you to select marketing as your career?

A: I started my career in the computer field because my father wanted me to become an IT professional, but I was not quite happy in that field although I did well in the computer field, but it was not my dream career. After I became more independent I joined an advertising firm because I am very creative and I had the ability of creating innovative designs.

With the intention of becoming a professional marketeer, I realized that I need to obtain professional qualifications to continue in the field of marketing and I was successful in that too. By the time I did marketing it was not a popular profession. I found marketing to be very innovative and exciting and that made me to be in the field of marketing for more than 15 years and I enjoy my career thoroughly.

Q: Being a frontliner of the company, what are the challenges you face in the field of marketing?

A: I am currently employed at Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, which is not a very marketing oriented business, but as the leader in the private hospitals we are trying to maintain the number one position among other private hospitals by providing a differentiated service by looking into the evolving customer needs.

It is important to maintain this rank among other hospitals and offer a different service.

To provide a unique service beyond the customers’ expectations, as marketeers, we should always recognize the trends at the early stages so that you will have an advantage among competitors.

Likewise, we need to improve the quality and comfort of the services because the customer who enters a private hospital expects the hospital staff to look after him well. To meet these challenges our team is dedicated to provide more convenience as all our customers are very important since convenience plays a key role in providing the maximum comfort to all customers.

Q: What is the impact of the current economic crisis on your organization?

A: It had a minimum impact as we provide health-related services, which is essential for people. People are more cautious when it comes to spending under the current economic conditions, but when it comes to health they choose the best hospital service provider. Although other industries were thoroughly affected due to the global economic downturn, it had a minimum impact on the hospital industry as many viruses had spread around the world and in the country.

Q: In many companies we often see that marketeers are not represented at boardroom meetings. What is your view?

A: Depending on the type of business, which a person is engaged in, the representations at board meetings differ. Nawaloka Hospitals PLC is a family oriented business organization and we do not have many board meetings like in other companies. In our organization marketeers are represented in the boardroom and I beg to differ as it is not applicable to our company. It is important for marketeers to be present at boardroom meetings where decisions are made and unlike a person who is related in another division such as finance, a marketeer could easily grasp and understand the customers.

Q: What are the advertising strategies that you employ in your organization?

A: In the advertising sector, the first thing which comes to most people’s minds is the cost of an advertisement, but I am a strong believer in communication to keep the brand in one’s mind for a long time and the company’s advertising has to be very cost effective as well. We promote a health service - it is a private entity and the customer has to bear the cost. In a hospital there are a lot of things for people to read and understand unlike buying a product that is advertised in the print or electric media.

We have adopted many PR driven campaigns for the purpose with reading material to promote our services and we also welcome our customers’ views and opinions to provide an improved service. The quality, creativity and way of delivering the message to the public has to be different.

Q: What are the challenges you see when it comes to global branding?

A: Though we have not gone for global branding, we are engaged in medical tourism. There is a big demand for our services especially from foreigners because they get an excellent service at a lower price in our hospitals compared to overseas hospitals. Though we have not promoted our brand, many foreigners patronize our hospital particularly because the service we provide them is exceptional and I feel this is more important.

Q: What do you think about local marketeers?

A: Looking at what happened in the latter part of 2008 due to the global economic meltdown, I think that marketeers have contributed significantly to have brands emerging even though there was a negative impact on the market. As marketeers they should understand a person’s needs.

There has to be a good relationship between the top management and the minor staff so that it would be easy to address people at all levels. Marketeers should improve their vision of looking into matters from its grass-root level so as to understand the market demand, while recognizing the evolving consumers’ requirements.