Demystifying Trade Marketing Role in Indian Consumer Durable Industry -A Modest Exploration

Abstract

Today's business environment has taken the form of warfare with brands eyeing to gain both mind share and wallet share of the consumers. In this context brand marketing, product marketing, advertising and communications, digital marketing, consumer marketing, retail marketing, service marketing, international marketing etc. have developed into a subject in itself. These different areas of marketing have gained immense importance amongst industry professionals, students, researchers and academicians. About three decades back, the business need across the globe gave birth to another domain of marketing; having the nomenclature of 'trade marketing', which primarily aimed at marketing through channels who actually make the product available to the consumers. This discipline borrowed concepts from the different and established marketing domains to support sales function. Today it is a complete vertical in itself with all big brands having a trade marketing function. Over the years this branch of marketing has not only become popular but also emerged as the lifeline to many sales organizations. However, the role of trade marketing is still not clear amongst many as different industries have interpreted it differently. The present study focus on consumer durable (electronics) industry and makes a modest effort to make the role as clear as possible using experiential and observation method as its base. The paper concludes with the changes in the role of trade marketing over the years with the latest practices adopted by the consumer durable industry (electronics) leaders in India.