Exclusive | All businesses are caught in the global jalebi web: Author Sengupta

Back in the 80’s a creative hot shop called the Shining was set up in Paris which invited differently skilled Europeans to join the practices of Performing Biz Identity, Industrial Design, Branding, and Retailing. Marketing veteran Shombit Sengupta was the man behind this out-of-the-box idea which offers these mentioned services in Bangalore as well via Shining Consulting.

Besides being a versatile marketing professional, Sengupta is a well-known author too. He has authored four books till date; one in French called 48 Heures Pour Quiter la France and three in English titled The Art of the Brand, Jalebi Management and Strategic Pokes. The latter two books are part of the Jalebi Trilogy together with the upcoming book called Corrugated Slices, published by Sage in April 2014. He is a weekly columnist in Indian Express and Financial Express since the last 5 years.

Adgully caught up with Shombit Sengupta to get some deeper insights about his recent book and his view on the evolving marketing industry of today.

When asked what made him write this book, he said, “When I first compared management to a jalebi, people reacted with an interesting array of observations, just about everybody was intrigued enough to say something. A chord was struck! In that rippling, emanating sound, my book, Jalebi Management, all stakeholders can enjoy a bite attracted good sales, or so my publisher says. Some readers, and even those who heard off or saw the book’s title, were captivated with the idea of equating a jalebi’s characteristics to business activities. Others were tickled, supercilious or excited that it gelled with their mental framework, an idea they innately felt but never articulated. Such reactions were indeed very thrilling for me. They activated me to set about exploring the googly in the jalebi.”

Interestingly, the opposite character of the jalebi, its unpredictable twists and turns that give it a dicey connotation is Strategic Pokes, the Business Jalebi. Like the jalebi’s connotation of being not so straight, you may have to take many indirect detours to come to your selling point in business. “My first book in the Jalebi trilogy was about how Indian industry can compete globally by creating seamless interconnections, like a jalebi, among different business aspects to enjoy delicious and profitable bites. This second book examines the pitfalls you invariably face in conducting business and how to extricate yourself from negativity,” Sengupta added.

Sengupta is today an international management consultant to top management on uniquely distinctive and disruptive business strategy with execution excellence. He has provided lasting value to his customers and customers of customers he has been consulting with for 36 years across 5 continents.

Expressing his view on the overall marketing industry, he stated, “Indian brands have always got low recognition and sell at a lower price vis-a-vis global successful brands in India. In foreign countries Indian brands do not perform at all. The manufacturing sector is the most critical for tomorrow’s India, but it is mired in the jalebi’s twirl. Catering to a highly demand led market, Indian business houses have little initiative to transform. They need to inject substance that is perceptible in the demand led market to stand out and to encash premium earnings. In fact we are still far from creating new demand for the greenfield market; nor is the disruptive impact of digital technology being exploited for driving business in global markets.”

According to Sengupta, very inventive western developed countries, creator of breakthrough, benefit-led solutions, have suffered recessionary trends since 2008. “This economic crisis will continue to aggravate until they bring back the manufacturing and service base they’d shifted to the East. Japan started the trend of outstanding execution excellence in the digital paradigm in end-user interface, but exorbitant cost of living is putting the country in a tight economic situation. Korea, followed by China, is driving similar digital superiority through price competitiveness”, he said.

“How long they will drive their leadership in the west is questionable and that’s because developed countries have realized they have no choice so they are now beginning to bring manufacturing back to their countries. Everyone’s caught in the global jalebi web. Only those who rid themselves of the jalebi’s unstructured interweave and provide exceptionally beneficial end-user interface with competitive pricing will ride the global market,” he adds.

As told by Sengupta, his recent book, Strategic Pokes is about de-schooling the conventional and inspiring the unorthodox. It is a smorgasbord of ideas covering business strategies in product development, manufacturing, marketing, and retailing and why soft skill training is essential for India’s IT, retail and manufacturing industries. The examples from the US, Europe, Japan, S Korea, China give a macro perspective, a bird’s eye view of global business, and the worm’s eye view of operating a business as well.  At the end of the day though, the jalebi is sweet, just the way business benefits should be for the seller and the buyer.

Sengupta has lectured at various management and social forums, and conducted growth strategy workshops across the globe. Sengupta’s differentiation is in using unconventional ways to understand the consumer's subconscious mind for bringing breakthrough, uncommon insights into business.