It is a truism and a much accepted philosophy that places the marketing concept as the soul of the organisation’s vision and mission.
The acceptance of the preeminence of the consumer...what he buys,
why he buys it, when how etc. has largely come to determine the way an organisation functions and allocates resources.

This is the core founding principle behind this much loved journal - Strategic Marketing. But we have surmised a higher and more basic latent need from the marketing fraternity - a need to be updated and upgraded in the knowledge chain.

This issue of Strategic Marketing focuses on Services Marketing. Someone once likened the etherealness of this art to the marketing of air. “Trying”, he said “to package, price, distribute and charge a premium for something that you can’t package, see, feel or transport.”

We have some excellent pieces like “Truths about Internet Advertising” by Sandeep Krishnamurthy, “Creating a Powerful Service Brand” by Jagdeep Kapoor and “The Experience Factor” by Sharad Prasad.

And outside of these case studies, articles, debates and perspectives that we bring to you, we have broadened the definiton of our role to include upgrading through sharing of wisdom and experience. And that is credo that defines the Strategic Marketing Forum (SMF).

We have a synopsis of the latest SMF that was organised last month, where four experts from the services sector brainstorm the various aspects associated with marketing of services.

On that note, let me leave you to enjoy the smorgasbord of concepts, ideas and thoughts that is there before you in this issue of Strategic Marketing.

Happy Reading!
BHASKAR DAS
bhaskar.das@timesgroup.com .