133 -Ambi Parameswaran on Marketing Mixology: Four Essential Ingredients for Marketing Success

Ambi Parameswaran discusses the four essential ingredients for marketing success, comparing it to mixology. Marketing success is like mixology, requiring a careful blend of essential ingredients.Branding isn’t reserved for companies with massive ad budgets. As Ambi Parameswaran says: “Whether you like it or not, you are a brand.”A Bhopal spice maker thought branding was “too expensive.” The fix? • Pick the name customers already use for you • Put it boldly on packaging (no extra cost) • Focus on your top-selling product • Test with local posters before expandingBalaji Wafers started the same way — one cinema in Gujarat, expanding town by town.For a kid toy startup, the playbook changed. They sold B2B kits to schools while targeting mothers online through “mom bloggers.” Their pivot to B2C delivered faster returns.B2B players like Thermax learned that branding matters even for industrial boilers. Independent research revealed customers rated them nearly as high as L&T.Non-negotiables before launch: • Know your customer vividly • Define your brand’s job • Set guardrails to avoid trend-chasing chaosAI now plays a key role — Nestlé even mandates AI in brand presentations. But overpersonalization can backfire, as Tesco’s infamous pregnancy-targeting case proved.The myths that branding is expensive, complicated, or slow to pay off are just that — myths. Done right, it starts delivering from day one.Ambi Parameswaran is a brand coach and founder, brand-building.com, a brand advisory. Ambi has spent his forty-year career in corporate India working across diverse sectors, such as pharmaceuticals/consumer products (Boots Company), media (UDI Yellow Pages) and advertising (Rediffusion). He spent over twenty-five years with FCB Ulka Advertising, helping transform a struggling ad agency into one of the top five marketing communications groups. Ambi is a guest faculty at IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad, MICA and an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at SPJIMR Mumbai.Jagged with Jasravee is facilitated by Jasravee Kaur Chandra. Jasravee has over 20 years experience as a Strategic Brand Builder, Communications Leader and Entrepreneur. Please visit Jasravee at https://jasravee.com/Connect with Jasravee on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasravee/ Email Jasravee at [email protected]