Marketing Guru Dr.Philip Kotler to interact with corporates and students during his visit to india in March, 2012

When there is rough weather on the high seas, sensible sailors do not sit idle. They get everything ready for a blue-skies scenario.

Caught in a slowdown, and clueless when it will end, some top honchos of India Inc., are going to take a tip or two next month from Dr Philip Kotler, the US-based marketing guru, on how to sail through difficult times. A two-day Conference is being organised by Apollo Hospitals at Hyderabad wherein Dr.Kotler, the US Based Marketing Guru will interact with Corporates and students.

He will have a special session with students on trends in marketing during his two-day stay in India on March 5 and 6, 2012. Top executives from companies such as Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Munich, LIC and TVS are expected to turn up to listen to him.

The 81-year-old S.C. Johnson and Son Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management is visiting India after four years.

The indefatigable guru seems to have protested when Apollo Hospitals (which is sponsoring the event) prepared a modest itinerary for him. “”He wanted to involve himself more during his two-day stay, forcing us to pack the programme with interactions with students and CEOs, and exclusive sessions for some corporates and media,”” Ms Sangitha Reddy, Executive Director of Apollo Hospitals, said.

Dr Kotler has written several books, including one that deals with Marketing 3.0. He proposes that the new model for marketing should treat customers not as mere customers but as the complex, multi-dimensional human beings they are.

“”Corporates must create products, services and corporate cultures that inspire, include and reflect their customers’ values,”” he proposes in the model. He will speak on business challenges and opportunities, how to search for powerful new ideas and improving branding power.

Addressing a press conference at Hyderabad to announce the training sessions with Dr Kotler, Ms.Sangita Reddy said the proceeds of the conference would go to SACHi (Save a Child’s Heart initiative), a fund started by Apollo Hospitals to help under-privileged children in the country who require cardiac interventions.