Armenia needs to create its own marketing school
01.11.2011,
23:40
This interview is with Artyom Petrosyan, head of marketing and monitoring department of Muran company, the official representative of Nissan brand in Armenia, who shares his vision about marketing development prospects in Armenia.
As the main information sponsor of "Phillip Kotler in Armenia: 11/11/11" program, ARKA news agency is conducting a series of interviews as part of this project in cooperation with the Armenian Association of Marketing and SPRIN Group PR company. This interview is with Artyom Petrosyan, head of marketing and monitoring department of Muran company, the official representative of Nissan brand in Armenia, who shares his vision about marketing development prospects in Armenia.
ARKA – Mr. Petrosyan, how advanced marketing is in Armenia and do companies in your sector use marketing opportunities to promote their products?
Artyom Petrosyan - No economic sector can do today without marketing. However, we should not forget that marketing started to develop in our country only 20 years ago, and given the fact that real economic activity in the country began only in 1995-96 it has a 15 year history. Of course, marketing is developing and improving with each passing year becoming more efficient.
ARKA - In your opinion, what is behind the increasing quality and efficiency of marketing in Armenia?
Artyom Petrosyan - Primarily it is due to young personnel, educated abroad, where marketing is one of the important areas of economic activities, who use their knowledge and experience in Armenia. Although our economy, by definition is market, but market economy mechanisms do not operate here fully and therefore many of these mechanisms are simply fictitious and are used only formally, or are not used at all. So, it is difficult to speak about "advanced" marketing in Armenia in the truest sense of the word, because we do not have classical marketing.
On the other hand, there is a positive thing as well. The point is that the so-called classic marketing ceased to be as effective as it used to be, therefore, there is no sense in creating a classical marketing system in Armenia. Now marketing is largely based on modern technologies, which are well present and developed in Armenia. We have the opportunity to use online telecommunications capabilities of high-tech sector. In fact, all the means that currently are used abroad are fully available and accessible in our country too. In fact, the task of marketing is to follow the dictate of the time and get quickly adapted in order to be a step ahead in using high-tech, Internet and social networks.
ARKA - How effectively Armenian companies are using Internet to promote their products?
Artyom Petrosyan - Traditional methods of marketing, in fact, are moving to another level to perform other function. Of course, television commercials and radio ads are unlikely to disappear in the near future as well as print and outdoor advertising. They will remain, but will bear a different functional load. But the real live marketing, which can be called "marketing of a new generation" is based on real communication. Originally there was a product that we imagined, then when it was ready we tried to hear the opinions of potential buyers. Now producers first listen to the demands of customers and then offer the appropriate product. That is, the emphasis has shifted in the opposite direction. In the past marketers promoted their products, now they study the market to create new products.
So, I think there are many different possibilities in Armenia for the use of modern tools, including social networks for marketing, especially that Armenians are actively present in social networks. As for the websites, they have lost their relevance as the face of a company and are used now as a means of promoting products, where you can actually communicate with the client and sell your product.
ARKA - How active companies are using these websites?
Artyom Petrosyan - The best companies are trying to use their own websites to entice customers, provide a set of services, get their feedback and respond to suggestions or criticisms of clients. However, not all companies actively use it. For example, the car segment is very specific, localized in terms of consumer behavior, because so far, regardless of how many car brands are on the market, the car never ceases to be a luxury item. This is more pronounced in our country than in Europe or America. It is because of this subjectivity that traditional marketing ploys actually do not work here.
The most important thing for the car market is the correspondence between the purchasing power and the price of the car. In Armenia this link is almost broken. About 80% of car owners get them without considering their purchasing power. For example, if a person buys a Mercedes car, then he should have a corresponding social status, as is customary in Europe. However, this is not the case in Armenia. Such a violation of the correspondence between the behavior of buyers and marketing promotion of a particular car makes use of conventional marketing tools very difficult.
ARKA - How effectively western marketing culture is being promoted here?
Artyom Petrosyan - We are trying to adapt the advertising and marketing moves to the demands of the Armenian market, and in this case it is very important to have feedback with the client, which allows to attract clients without having to moving away from centralized marketing course. We use these traditional elements of marketing - surveys, studies, although often people simply do not have the time or inclination to answer our questions. This seriously distorts the results of surveys. It is therefore important to find people where they are comfortable, for example, in social networks where they are sincere and themselves initiate communication. We are trying to make active use of these mechanisms.
ARKA - Marketing guru Philip Kotler is arriving in Armenia in November. What do you expect from his visit?
Artyom Petrosyan - Of course, it is will be a great event for anyone who is involved in this field. By and large, there is no person in marketing who has not heard or read about his ideas in textbooks. As the market develops the initial classic marketing – the 1.0 version - ceased to be effective. However, Kotler does not stand still, he is developing and generating new ideas.
Naturally, the opportunity to see and hear him and to understand the whole atmosphere of how his ideas are born, how they operate and how people work is a big incentive for improvement.
We should try to use this new spirit of the times that reaches us indirectly, to obtain it directly from the person who represents the modern marketing. From this point of view, the experts who can accept his ideas and taking into account the specific objective of the local market use them, will get a great chance to influence the marketing and economic environment in Armenia. This is a very serious positive impetus that will give a new tool. And how it will be used will depend specifically on each of us and our ability to apply these ideas in practice. Communication with Phillip Kotler is a great opportunity, but implementation will depend on us.
ARKA - What do you think Armenian marketers lack?
A. Petrosyan – In the first stage we did not have enough education and experience. Today, in terms of equipment we have everything. But above all, there is not enough playing field, because of limitations of the Armenian market, which is very small due to objective reasons - the country is small, the sphere of production and their output - limited, and many of the main areas of marketing can not develop here. While on the other hand, the limited market forces marketers to work more efficiently.
It is also necessary that the marketing community unite, but not in the form of associations or other associations, but as a bank of ideas that could be specifically used as a real experience. We need to consolidate and create marketing ideas, share experiences, which can be useful not only for the specific marketer here and now, but will be purely Armenian experience, taking into account local peculiarities. We should create a kind of an Armenian school of marketing, which would promote the Armenian mentality, especially the experience and ideas. With these tools, we can become a regional center to promote and offer our ideas on a different level, and it will be not just a marketing image of the school, but will also affect the image of the country. -0-
ARKA – Mr. Petrosyan, how advanced marketing is in Armenia and do companies in your sector use marketing opportunities to promote their products?
Artyom Petrosyan - No economic sector can do today without marketing. However, we should not forget that marketing started to develop in our country only 20 years ago, and given the fact that real economic activity in the country began only in 1995-96 it has a 15 year history. Of course, marketing is developing and improving with each passing year becoming more efficient.
ARKA - In your opinion, what is behind the increasing quality and efficiency of marketing in Armenia?
Artyom Petrosyan - Primarily it is due to young personnel, educated abroad, where marketing is one of the important areas of economic activities, who use their knowledge and experience in Armenia. Although our economy, by definition is market, but market economy mechanisms do not operate here fully and therefore many of these mechanisms are simply fictitious and are used only formally, or are not used at all. So, it is difficult to speak about "advanced" marketing in Armenia in the truest sense of the word, because we do not have classical marketing.
On the other hand, there is a positive thing as well. The point is that the so-called classic marketing ceased to be as effective as it used to be, therefore, there is no sense in creating a classical marketing system in Armenia. Now marketing is largely based on modern technologies, which are well present and developed in Armenia. We have the opportunity to use online telecommunications capabilities of high-tech sector. In fact, all the means that currently are used abroad are fully available and accessible in our country too. In fact, the task of marketing is to follow the dictate of the time and get quickly adapted in order to be a step ahead in using high-tech, Internet and social networks.
ARKA - How effectively Armenian companies are using Internet to promote their products?
Artyom Petrosyan - Traditional methods of marketing, in fact, are moving to another level to perform other function. Of course, television commercials and radio ads are unlikely to disappear in the near future as well as print and outdoor advertising. They will remain, but will bear a different functional load. But the real live marketing, which can be called "marketing of a new generation" is based on real communication. Originally there was a product that we imagined, then when it was ready we tried to hear the opinions of potential buyers. Now producers first listen to the demands of customers and then offer the appropriate product. That is, the emphasis has shifted in the opposite direction. In the past marketers promoted their products, now they study the market to create new products.
So, I think there are many different possibilities in Armenia for the use of modern tools, including social networks for marketing, especially that Armenians are actively present in social networks. As for the websites, they have lost their relevance as the face of a company and are used now as a means of promoting products, where you can actually communicate with the client and sell your product.
ARKA - How active companies are using these websites?
Artyom Petrosyan - The best companies are trying to use their own websites to entice customers, provide a set of services, get their feedback and respond to suggestions or criticisms of clients. However, not all companies actively use it. For example, the car segment is very specific, localized in terms of consumer behavior, because so far, regardless of how many car brands are on the market, the car never ceases to be a luxury item. This is more pronounced in our country than in Europe or America. It is because of this subjectivity that traditional marketing ploys actually do not work here.
The most important thing for the car market is the correspondence between the purchasing power and the price of the car. In Armenia this link is almost broken. About 80% of car owners get them without considering their purchasing power. For example, if a person buys a Mercedes car, then he should have a corresponding social status, as is customary in Europe. However, this is not the case in Armenia. Such a violation of the correspondence between the behavior of buyers and marketing promotion of a particular car makes use of conventional marketing tools very difficult.
ARKA - How effectively western marketing culture is being promoted here?
Artyom Petrosyan - We are trying to adapt the advertising and marketing moves to the demands of the Armenian market, and in this case it is very important to have feedback with the client, which allows to attract clients without having to moving away from centralized marketing course. We use these traditional elements of marketing - surveys, studies, although often people simply do not have the time or inclination to answer our questions. This seriously distorts the results of surveys. It is therefore important to find people where they are comfortable, for example, in social networks where they are sincere and themselves initiate communication. We are trying to make active use of these mechanisms.
ARKA - Marketing guru Philip Kotler is arriving in Armenia in November. What do you expect from his visit?
Artyom Petrosyan - Of course, it is will be a great event for anyone who is involved in this field. By and large, there is no person in marketing who has not heard or read about his ideas in textbooks. As the market develops the initial classic marketing – the 1.0 version - ceased to be effective. However, Kotler does not stand still, he is developing and generating new ideas.
Naturally, the opportunity to see and hear him and to understand the whole atmosphere of how his ideas are born, how they operate and how people work is a big incentive for improvement.
We should try to use this new spirit of the times that reaches us indirectly, to obtain it directly from the person who represents the modern marketing. From this point of view, the experts who can accept his ideas and taking into account the specific objective of the local market use them, will get a great chance to influence the marketing and economic environment in Armenia. This is a very serious positive impetus that will give a new tool. And how it will be used will depend specifically on each of us and our ability to apply these ideas in practice. Communication with Phillip Kotler is a great opportunity, but implementation will depend on us.
ARKA - What do you think Armenian marketers lack?
A. Petrosyan – In the first stage we did not have enough education and experience. Today, in terms of equipment we have everything. But above all, there is not enough playing field, because of limitations of the Armenian market, which is very small due to objective reasons - the country is small, the sphere of production and their output - limited, and many of the main areas of marketing can not develop here. While on the other hand, the limited market forces marketers to work more efficiently.
It is also necessary that the marketing community unite, but not in the form of associations or other associations, but as a bank of ideas that could be specifically used as a real experience. We need to consolidate and create marketing ideas, share experiences, which can be useful not only for the specific marketer here and now, but will be purely Armenian experience, taking into account local peculiarities. We should create a kind of an Armenian school of marketing, which would promote the Armenian mentality, especially the experience and ideas. With these tools, we can become a regional center to promote and offer our ideas on a different level, and it will be not just a marketing image of the school, but will also affect the image of the country. -0-
