The Blame Game: Part 2

Interactions with senior guys from certain computer hardware manufacturing companies can be quite amusing at times. There's always a feeling of deja vu with their answers. There are times when you can literally lip-sync with them and predict what's coming up next. They leave no stone unturned trying to convince you why their products are the best, but when you ask them about the lack of availability of some of their 'brilliant' products here, a well-rehearsed, suited-for-all-seasons statement promptly springs at you stating that it is our price-sensitive and system integrator driven market that needs to be blamed. And then a question like - "how do you intend to change it?" is met with a thoughtful silence. I had mentioned about my exploits with this fraternity in one of my earlier editorials. But they seem to be eternal ones.

The statements about the buyer's ignorance and his blind faith in the system integrator have some truth, but the reasons for the latter's rise to power are conveniently ignored. The hardware manufacturers are as much to be blamed as the buyer. The manufacturers spend a bomb promoting their products in the reseller channel but barring a couple of brands, I don't see any of them making an attempt to reach out directly to the consumers. So when you don't try to communicate with your potential buyers, how exactly do you expect them to know about your existence? Hence, they have to bank on someone they think has the knowledge of the subject.

Yes, we (along with other tech publications) are here to provide information and opinions on various products, but not everybody in the world is of the enthusiast type; in fact, majority of them aren't. And nor does everyone visit technology websites or read tech magazines as religiously as they read newspapers or watch TV. Hence, it is necessary to reach out to them via various media. And it may not be as futile an exercise as some may think, especially given the success stories of Intel and HP campaigns in the past. The brand recall of those two brands has been way higher in their respective segments than any of their competitors. I am sure you must have come across hundreds of people oblivious to what goes inside a PC, but one thing they wanted for sure was an Intel Pentium inside. And the sales figures of these two companies over the past few years recite a similar story.

It is pleasing to see some of the laptop and peripheral brands spend a bit on mainstream advertising these days and I would love to see some of the main PC hardware manufacturers following suit. Everyone's talking about India being on the brink of adopting the 'Retail' culture, but I don't see that happening anytime soon until this tightfisted mentality changes.

The rule then would be pretty straightforward - you have to reach out to your target audience directly if you target acceptance. Else be happy with the multi-tier channel system where the sales are driven by the wrong people and parameters, and keep sulking about deflating profit margins and the nature of the market. After all, the blame game is the easiest one to play, but at the end of it, nobody wins.