PepsiCo

Mr. D Shivakumar - Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo | India Region

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• published: 24 Jan 2014
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Shivakumar : As strong believers of experiential learning, the students of PGDM (GM) at XLRI, host the Leadership Series, a platform for students to interact with industrial stalwarts. This event attained a stardom status on 18th Jan 2014, thanks to the enchanting presence of Mr. Shivakumar, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, India Region. Drawing from his diverse experience, Mr. Shivakumar, referred as 'Shiv' shared valuable insights about Brands and their Evolution. Taking the students back to the days when barter system was prevalent, Mr. Shivakumar depicted the birth of "BRANDS". Defining Brand as a "time saving device", he said "At the best a customer remembers 7 brands of a product". He also mentioned that every company fights to retain its brand in the "Top-of-the-mind awareness category". Through his engaging and witty speech, Mr. Shivakumar enlightened the students that Brand essentially answers two questions. "Who am I?" -- What it contains and "What do I promise?" -- Benefits of the brand. He said good brands deliver the answers to these questions in the back and front of the pack respectively. Emphasizing the importance of insights, Mr. Shivakumar urged the students of PGDM (GM) to cash on the customer data for appropriate decisions. Sharing his work experience with renowned companies such as HUL, Philips and Nokia, Mr. Shivakumar brought to forefront the sensitivity of brand extension. He said "If you add a variant you should delete one". He further elaborated that numerous variants would only confuse the consumer beyond his/her wits. Talking about successful brands Mr. Shivakumar noted that "Great brands have great simplicity". He also emphasized that consumers always associate with the core values of a brand and hence brands should not stretch beyond its core. Referring to India as a hyper-competitive market, Mr. Shivakumar said brands must maintain consistency yet evolve to stay fresh. The tremendous level of dedication with which Mr. Shivakumar spoke on brands definitely did leave a lasting impression in the minds of the students of XLRI.