“Gone are the days when a General Motors did what a Ford did and a Ford did what General Motors did." C K Prahlad, Management Guru

The above quote succinctly conveys that continuous innovation and evolution is the key for all brands to survive and succeed in today’s dynamic marketplace. Indian consumers are a motley mix of diverse income levels, demography, preferences and reach, and these dimensions  change at a scorching pace due to the increasing levels of integration with the global economy.

This heterogeneity poses an exciting challenge to the marketers who are constantly engaged in crafting strategies that best fit their target consumers.

The marketing landscape is replete with such cases:

• Nokia, Cadburys - MNCs who moved from being premium to mass then to rural.
• FMCG behemoth HUL adopting 30 power brand and Umbrella brand strategy, marketing to the Bottom of Pyramid and others.
• "Indianisation" of foreign brands such as McDonalds, MTV, Coke and Pepsi.

It is this pertinent and inclusive theme – BRAND (R)EVOLUTION that is the theme for the ISB’s flagship Marketing event, IKSHAA 2009.

BRAND (R)EVOLUTION is about the transformation a brand undergoes as it adapts to an ever-changing consumer and the new Indian market. The theme will cover the following:

1. Evolution of Brands: Formulating brand strategies in line with changing consumer needs and trends.
2. Bending Global Brands: Re-shaping global brands and marketing strategies for the Indian market and consumer.