Marketing of ideas often requires persuasion, but when we are targeting a mass audience, we need to follow a model similar to that of an FMCG company. Awareness of the idea would be followed by trial, which would be succeeded by repeat purchase of the idea and then we'd need to look into depth of repeat purchase.
AIDS can plague a nation, its happiness and growth and so the problem needs to be addressed in a systematic manner. The first stage i.e. Awareness is the most important stage. Not all those who are aware would try. So it is more important to make people aware. And awareness is not about giving "Gyan". Why would somebody come to me to learn more about AIDS if I am just preaching. I am not preaching, I am marketing. Marketing what ? An idea, that can help your life, the society and the nation.
So at IIM Lucknow, we have collaborated with Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (UPSACS) to spread awareness of the disease. We'll be doing this at the INDEX 2009 fair near Lucknow University by conducting games that would indirectly spread AIDS awareness. INDEX ( Information through Disguised Experimentation) is an effort aimed at tapping into the sub-conscious of the consumer. Businesses try to do this using conventional marketing tools, but at a high cost in terms of money, time and the inevitable biases that creep in. INDEX is IIM Lucknow's endeavour to provide to the industry quality market research from desensitized data.
I would be organizing the games with members from UPSACS at INDEX 09. We'd be taking AIDS ahead of posters and Gyan. Be there to see.
Also check out :- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/IIM-L-fair-to-make-people-aware-of-AIDS/546446/
