Tech services majors go for big-bang marketing

By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 20 March 2008, 02:30 IST
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Bangalore: Indian IT services companies, who were hitherto shy of high-decibel marketing, are now talking of multi-million dollar spends to get a larger slice of the global IT outsourcing pie, reports The Economic Times. This trend is playing out largely in the U.S. geography that easily contributes over 50 percent of the business of large companies. Analysts feel, that IT ad campaigns of Indian firms have started even mimicking consumer-style branding. And perhaps these campaigns may more intensify with the recession element in the U.S. There are a few factors that have been driving this trend. One, Indian IT services companies are vying for mega deals. Two, they are also looking at greater exposure to meaty deals. Three, they want to step up the ante on the consulting business and be seen as a strategic partner of clients. Satyam Computer's vice-president (marketing) Sameer Bagga says: "Our campaigns are focused on positioning the company as a business transformational partner." So, it could be road-shows and thought leadership programs to hosting high-profile clients at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. It is quite possible that Satyam, which has bagged a high-profile contract from FIFA, may look at football celebrities to endorse its brand. But Cognizant does it differently, "Our approach to marketing/branding has been highly targeted, using a consultative and relationship-driven approach, rather than a mass branding/marketing approach," says a company spokesperson. Instead of just getting business, IT companies are now conscious about what kind of business they are getting. Basically, IT companies are looking at enlarging their consulting business and moving away from me-too offerings. TCS, which is seen as most aggressive in this space, launched its global campaign 'Experience Certainty' at a budget of nearly $10 million across its principal geographies. Says Wipro president (finance solutions) Girish S Paranjpe, "Three years back, we did a survey and found out that Wipro brand was very low on awareness but high on favorability. What it meant was those who knew us were happy with our offering but few people were aware of us. Much of our global marketing is, therefore, driven by boosting awareness."

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