What Marketers Can Learn From Lord Ganesh

2022-08-29 00:00:00
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Ganesh is a big phenomenon in India. People observe a 10-day-long celebration to worship the God of Wisdom and Prosperity. People from Asia feel very attached to him and relate to him deeply.

This adorable deity has so many qualities that can inspire marketers to improve their work. Here are a few of his most inspiring qualities:

Listen A Lot

Ganesh is a good listener. He understands the problem and responds to the problem accordingly. Once Lord Shiva and Parvati asked their two sons to circle the world three times. The one completing the race first would be declared the winner. Kartik darted at once to finish the race while Ganesh stayed there for a while and thought outside the box. The point of the race was to circle the world and not necessarily the earth. Because he listened to the rule carefully he could think differently. He completed three circles around his parents as in Indian culture 'parents' are considered the world.

Marketers too need to listen to the prospects and customers carefully. You never know when you will hear something important that can change the game completely.

Wisdom

Ganesh knew many skills but what sets him apart is his wisdom. His big head signifies that. He represents grasping more knowledge to have a better understanding of life. With every campaign, marketers are accumulating more and more data. The game of marketing is less about collecting data and more about deciphering the insights from the data. Unless marketers understand the essence of the market their campaign won't be effective.

Humility

Despite insurmountable power and wealth, Ganesh always remained grounded. He always respected species with less power with respect. His vehicle was 'mooshak', which is a tiny mouse.

Marketers must always remain humble. They should never think that they have cracked the code and understood the market. They should always strive to understand their customer deeper. Only with this attitude their customers can feel connected with marketers and come together as a community or cult.

Frugality

According to the old scriptures, Rishi Vyasa agreed to dictate Mahabharata to Lord Ganesh on one condition. He would dictate without a pause and Ganesh has to pen it without stopping. While Rishi Vyasa was narrating the Mahabharata the pen (feather during those days) broke, however, Ganesh couldn't stop writing. He had to do something with the things available around him. Otherwise, he would miss out on the dictation. He quickly broke his tusk and used it as a pen to write without a stop.

Marketers would always be operating under a limited budget. They have to be frugal in their approach. They have to design and execute campaigns creatively to have high ROI.

Being Responsible

Ganesh held his duty above everything. When he was guarding Mother Parvati, he didn't allow Lord Shiva to go pass through him. He didn't succumb to the ultimatum given by Lord Shiva. Ganesh sacrificed his head for the duty but didn't let Lord Shiva go.

Marketers too need to feel responsible about the campaigns they are conducting. It is understandable that the results are not under marketers' control but unless they feel responsible they won't learn from the success and failure of the campaign.

Conclusion

There are so many other things to learn from Ganesh too. He was passionate about his work and had a great sense of purpose. He always remained focused on the big picture and motivated others. All these are great qualities for marketers.

Let's commit to imbibing these qualities and improving our work ethics on the occasion of this Ganesh Chaturthi.

Mandar Thosar
Mandar Thosar
Marketing Consultant and Data Scientist
Mandar is a Growth consultant for SMBs. He helps SMBs achieve their business goals using growth hacking, inbound strategy, and digital marketing best practices. He works closely with the marketing teams to develop strategies, initiatives, programs, and tools to drive brand awareness, business development, and revenue opportunities.

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