Winning In Chaos: Just do, learn and do

A deep-rooted consumer centricity, regardless of the environment, works in a

chaos

COMING in as I did from the more mature FMCG category into an explosively-growing
telecom category, I was struck in my first few months by many fundamental differences –– the
enormous compression of planning cycles, the value of speed, the challenge of addressing the
diversity of consumers through a single brand, the dramatic changes in the profile of new
consumers coming into the category even as many young consumers continually discover new
ways of interacting with the cell phone –– a recipe in short for what seemed like unmitigated
‘chaos’. Many categories and markets –– retail, media, insurance amongst others ––display very
similar ‘chaos’ characteristics today. What does it take to win in this environment?
There are two crucial factors that I believe work in managing, navigating and indeed winning
in a chaos environment.
The first is the need to have a deep-rooted consumer centricity, regardless of the environment.
Many fastgrowing organisations often spend more time discussing structures, processes,
efficiencies and governance given the need to manage rapid scaling but have fewer real
observations and conversations about the consumer and how the business can make a difference
to his life. Every conversation about the consumer is an energising one replete with infinite
possibilities of delivering real value. My friend, Rajesh Jain, talks about the mobile device as a
way that fills up ‘here and empty moments’. Sitting in a car on the way to the airport with
nothing to do, how many times have we reached out for the phone to fill that empty moment? Or
take the example of a farmer in Bihar––what can we do to provide him that little dose of magical
entertainment or indeed information on something that improves his productivity––a ‘here’
moment! Thinking of the category in this way can release so much passion, energy, hope and so
many possibilities.
The second factor is perhaps more unique to a chaos environment and took me some time to
adjust to.
In a more mature environment, the cycle followed is what I call Plan-Do-Learn-Plan cycle.
There is time to plan more elaborately. Innovation planning horizons are longer and can extend
for 2 to 4 years. Eliminating mistakes, minimising risk and deriving efficiencies is crucial.
Ensuring consistency and being able to juice investments be they in innovation or marketing and
brand, is critical for creating sustained differentiation in the market place.
In a chaos environment on the other hand, the cycle collapses somewhat and is more
compressed into what I call the Do-Learn-Do cycle.
Innovation planning horizons are compressed due to shifting consumer behaviour as well as
competitive forces and can be as low as three months. Often, you find that consumers innovate
faster and discover new uses for the category, ahead of the manufacturer. The concept of a
‘missed call’ is a very good example of an innovation that the consumer discovered in order to
save costs. To win in this environment, it is important to have an innovation culture that is open,
non-judgmental and allows for quick prototyping and experimentation. Creating a platform for a
modular and open innovation architecture can make the difference between winning and losing.
Allowing, for example, content providers, application service providers and indeed anyone with
an idea to come in and plug and play into the open innovation platform is a strong solution.
Or take rural India. With telecom penetration set to rise from 23% odd to over 35% in the next
12-15 months, what is the most optimal way to get there in terms of distribution. This is
particularly relevant in the light of the fact that the category unlike FMCG cannot use the
wholesale channel. Experimenting with the right sales force structure, the right margin model, a
relevant distribution model that is cost effective, scalable and yet profitable for channel partners
is what will help win in rural India. The solution is not often evident and needs experimentation.
More importantly, it needs the ability to make course corrections during the journey––another
example of Do-Learn-Do.
Another challenge in a chaos environment is managing the brand. In an environment where
there is only one brand but an enormous diversity of consumer segments and a rapidly changing
profile of consumers, how do you keep the brand consistent and relevant for everyone? There is a
staggering difference between the millions of new consumers coming into telephony for the first
time, the gadget-savvy, experimenting teenager and the professional who demands and expects
service. Being relevant to all these consumers is critical to win. Being consistent and coherent as
a brand is equally critical.
In sum, a chaos environment is no different from any other when it comes to the need for
obsessive consumer centricity. The key difference lies in coping with and learning from the
inherent ambiguity that comes from a do-learn-do approach.

G o p a l Vi t t a l
Director, Marketing & Communication, Bharti Airtel