Mysuru: “Kirana shops or unorganised shopkeepers posses the best marketing skills in the world, so spend time with some of them. They don’t use AI, data or laptops, but have the best brain skill and understand what the community requires,” said Rajeev Krishnan, Vice-President of Target Corporation, US.

Delivering the keynote address during 6th International Conference on “Marketing in the AI Era: Reshaping Global Marketing” organised by SDM-IMD at its auditorium here recently, Rajeev Krishnan emphasised on the importance of thinking beyond conventional frameworks and challenged the audience to think differently. While artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered significant attention as a solution to many modern challenges, he said AI is not the answer to everything. Equally problematic, he noted, is a lack of understanding of one’s community, which can hinder meaningful progress.

He pointed out the transformative potential of integrating key aspects of culture — such as food, religion and language — into innovative solutions. However, this requires a willingness to open one’s mind and embrace new perspectives. He urged the audience not to confine their view to community-level analysis but to adopt a broader perspective, treating the country as an interconnected organisation.

Highlighting the remarkable capabilities of traditional shopkeepers, such as kirana store owners, he described them as some of the best marketers in the world. Without relying on AI, data analytics, or advanced technology, these small-scale entrepreneurs demonstrate exceptional understanding of their customers’ needs, leveraging their intuition and interpersonal skills.

He encouraged the audience to learn from these shopkeepers’ hands-on experiences. To gain a deeper understanding of grassroots practices, he urged the students to visit the smallest cities and observe local businesses first-hand. By immersing themselves in these environments, students can gain valuable insights into practical problem-solving and community-driven innovation.

He also spoke about the importance of every company having a DNA that tells its story and marketing has to always take into perspective the differences and a deep understanding of the consumer that is critical for success.

In his inaugural remarks, Dr. (Lt. Col.) S.N. Prasad talked about the pros and cons                                              of AI in marketing quoting several examples.

Dr. Keerthan Raj, Conference Chairperson briefed about the conference and welcomed the gathering. The conference provided a platform for the presentation of very interesting research papers on ‘AI in Marketing’ by participants from all over the country.

There was a panel discussion with eminent panellists from corporate and academic groups — Capt. Vaibhav Goutam Suresh, Deputy Director, School for Aviation & Aerospace Management, Rajesh Gotur, Mphasis, Gajanana Kamath, Amazon India and Nalini Palaniswamy, Prestige Institute of Management — sharing their thoughts and perspectives.

Valedictory was attended by Jyothika Nayak,  senior strategist with SAP, Robert Bosch India.