Novel marketing strategies in post conflict scenario

S. Shivany

Senior Lecturer, Marketing Department, Management Studies and Commerce Faculty,Jaffna University.

War is a demoralizing factor, leaving its scratch on society, physical structures, legal systems, and almost every aspect of a country’s social, political and economic fabric.

For reconstruction to be effective, it requires a careful and concerted approach that draws on domestic resources, international donor assistance and private sector resources, and marketing approaches.

Countries emerging from conflict typically face multiple challenges in rebuilding homes, schools, factories, banks, communications networks and other key infrastructure. Therefore at the post conflict marketing environment the challenge is to develop a holistic methodology that will help the country mend their post-conflict wounds and move towards a path of long-term sustainable development in marketing and trade.

The conflict between the armed forces of the Government and the LTTE began in 1983.

It is characterized in part by its relative isolation from the rest of the country.

Most of the fighting and war-related destruction has occurred in the eight contested districts of the North and East.

The lack of proper transport and storage facilities and the imposition of double taxing and loading and unloading charges at the check points were all discouraging factors for a good marketing environment.

The people were restricted for willing to engage in trade despite the prevailing conflict conditions. This restriction and the increased taxation is a significant impediment to economic activity during conflict. In the post-war period free of risk and inducement for industry development enable and encourage marketing to match their solutions to consumers in the conflict affected areas. In the conflict environment marketers sold their products through a series of several intermediary traders, primarily along their social lines within their village or region.

Because they feel more secure having commercial relationships within their own communities, farmers and traders were not communicating directly regarding market demands and producer supplies.

Nature of post-conflict marketing environment

In the post-war era, local firms are facing stiff competition from foreign brands. In order to compete successfully they need to develop new marketing strategies on consumer’s perspectives.

At the time of war consumers were more conscious on the product accessibility, and didn’t consider the other aspects in the brands. But in the post-conflict marketing environment they expect good value for money which they spend on the product.

Marketing is a business philosophy, which emphasizes that satisfying customer needs and wants is the key to an organization’s profits and growth. It gained acceptance in the industry in developing countries, because marketing management and its evolution was based on the experience of post war shortages, and the strategies need to be created more effectively in the changing situation, because the marketing strategies are made for the changes in the environment.

One of the causes for change in the marketing is political environment. Conflicts in the environment changes political stability and discourage trade and marketing activities and consumers consider their life as a first concern. Therefore available goods and services are consumed for their mortal and their bargaining power is low.

During the conflict situation, marketing strategies were not needed to capture the customers, but the post war environment is different. Marketers develop their market towards the post conflict area to gain market shares.

Local marketers face new challenges from new entrances and compete with the substitutes and the consumer bargaining power is also high and consumers are free of fear and they prepare to choose and consider every aspect of products and services and compare them with each and every products and services.

Developing infrastructure will create opportunities for the international market. Therefore local marketers need to develop good brands to compete in the international market, because enhancing global linkages means that economic inter connections between war economies and the industrialized world can be extremely diverse and complex.

The challenge for policy makers and practitioners working on and in conflict-affected countries is to ensure that these interconnections have a positive lasting impact and contribute to addressing some of the most urgent marketing priorities.

Conceptualizing marketing concept is essential for the sustainability of business in the post-war marketing environment.

Each post-conflict situation is unique, making it hard to generalize notions of best practice. Therefore it is essential to develop post war marketing strategies for the conflict affected areas in Sri Lanka.

With the end of the war, there are more opportunities for industrial development in North and East. Local and foreign investors prefer to invest in the conflict affected North and East because of the future market potentials.

Those new industrial developments will create more market opportunities for local marketers as well as foreign marketers.

Marketing strategy in the post conflict environment

If marketers want to reach their goals, they need to develop a plan or “road map” how to get there. Marketing strategy begins with changing environment. It is important that companies find the right combination of marketing mix when developing their strategies.

As it is known that the marketing combination of marketing is the four Ps that stand for product, price, place and promotion.

Leading organizations have to go with the flow and slowly adapt to the new situation, whereas challenging companies should use their ability to change fast and so strengthen their position in the market. To keep or gain the market share, in a changing environment, like in crisis or conflict conditions, companies must adapt their marketing strategies. Every company that has competitors must have a strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to create a competitive advantage. A marketing strategy is a plan for how the organization will use its strengths and capabilities to match the needs and wants of the market. To reach a successful strategy all focus should lie on the industry dynamics, characteristics and the environment where the company operates from.

The marketing strategy is supposed to develop effective responses to changing market environments by defining market segments and developing and positioning product offerings for those target markets.

The marketing firm operates within a complex and dynamic external environment. It is the task of the marketing-orientated company to link the resources of the organization to the requirements of customers.

This is done within the framework of opportunities and threats present in the external environment.

Change is an unequivocal fact of life and organizations have to adapt. Sometimes change occurs very slowly - indeed, almost imperceptibly. The ability of companies to understand and react to environmental forces is of vital importance to marketing success.

Post conflict marketing environment is exclusive and provides opportunities for marketers to sell their products and services to potential customers who have returned to their habitual lifestyles.

The customers in the post conflict environment try to rebuild, and redevelop their buying patterns. Because of the experiences gained in the conflict environment, consumers have become more knowledgeable, less naive, and less easily influenced.

In addition they have more choices in the market. Marketers who attempt to penetrate their market into the post conflict marketing environment and the local producers in the market need to develop proper strategies which will match the unique needs of the consumers in the post conflict markets.

[email protected]