Beyond the Boardroom: Making Marketing Matter for Every Sri Lankan Entrepreneur
View(s):Marketing is one of the most important subjects in today’s world. Whether it’s for a business or an individual, marketing helps build success. For small and medium businesses, its value cannot be ignored. According to Edgar (2023), marketing is crucial for SMEs, as it helps define their value proposition, connect with the right customers, and build brand recognition. With effective strategies, marketing can transform ideas into successful businesses and support long-term growth. As per international studies on the SME sector, marketing is one of the top five critical factors influencing small business growth. According to Forbes magazine, eight out of ten businesses failed within the first 18 months, mainly due to a misunderstanding of the customer. This highlights the importance of marketing knowledge and customer insight for SME survival and development. In Sri Lanka, we have engaged with studies on the SME sector and found out that the subject of marketing has not reached to general public due to many reasons. It is clear that many people in the SME sector have little or no understanding of marketing — some don’t even have a proper brand name for their business .And also some segment of people considered Marketing as a luxury subject which is only communicated in English.
Anyway, around 70% of Sri Lankans in the SME sector can only communicate in either Sinhala and Tamil. I take special pride in my own contributions to making marketing more accessible — authoring Sri Lanka’s first Sinhala storytelling-based marketing book ‘Marketing Sinhalen’ in 2019, and producing 23 video episodes featuring local characters such as ‘Appuhamy Mudalali’ and ‘Isanka’ to connect with grassroots-level entrepreneurs. These efforts reflect our commitment to taking marketing to the SME sector – which comprises 52% of GDP and 48% of national employment.We must continue to integrate marketing into the heart of small business development, especially in Sinhala and Tamil – the languages of the majority of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs. I’m deeply grateful to my former student, Ms. Premilar Kathirkamar, for adapting my book into Tamil, and to Professor Shivany Shanmugathas of the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce, University of Jaffna, for his outstanding support in making the official launch at the University of Jaffna a memorable milestone.
In alignment with this vision to popularize the subject of Marketing Sri Lanka declares Marketing Day in the year 2022. it was decided to dedicate the 27th of May as Marketing Day in Sri Lanka.This is the day that the “father of Modern Marketing”, Professor Phlip kotler, celebrates his birthday. I had the privilege to propose this idea, which is both a tribute to his global impact and a quiet reflection of Sri Lanka’s core value of gratitude. The Vice Chancellor of The Open University of Sri Lanka, Senior Professor P.M.C Thilakerathne, unwavering support enabled us to declare this as Marketing Day in alignment with the inaugural ICOME conference.
The event was made possible thanks to the exceptional leadership and coordination of Mr. Denzel Indrajith Perera and the collective efforts of the Department of Marketing ,Faculty of Management Studies at OUSL and marketing departments across national universities. Professor Kotler himself, in his 2022 address, highlighted Sri Lanka as the first country to officially recognise his birthday as a National Marketing Day – a powerful gesture that elevated our nation’s identity and global presence. And also, it should be remembered that during my sabbatical as a professional in Canadore, Canada, I had the opportunity to write to Professor Philip Kotler, sharing a piece I had written reflecting on his book Marketing 3.0, co-authored with Hermawan Kartajaya and Iwan Setiawan. In that article, I linked the book’s themes to Hinniappuhamy (co-founder of Maliban biscuit) , highlighting the value of indigenous marketing. Professor Kotler expressed genuine appreciation for this perspective, and since then, we have engaged in several insightful dialogues on the subject. One meaningful outcome of this connection was the initiative to name a Sri Lankan Marketing Day—an effort that has since become a notable success, which reflects a strong spirit of collaboration within the academic marketing community and highlights the potential for united efforts in advancing the discipline across the country.
Building on past experiences, this time also Marketing Day was organised with all success. This time event can be considered not merely ceremonial. It was a bridge between academia and industry, where all witnessed the power of marketing in action, through stories of innovation, resilience, and success. Many industry experts have showcased their success stories at the event. Professor Kotler has given his speech on his 94th birthday, emphasising upcoming challenges and opportunities in modern marketing .The Event was organised by the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka , Koler Impact and Marketing Departments of National and International universities in Sri Lanka .The Event was held at the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM) with the participation of many experts in academia and industry . The event was attended by several distinguished guests, including the Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka, Senior Professor P.M.C. Thilakarathne, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe. Also in attendance were Mr. S.A.D. Senanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Management at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Notable participants included Professor Dushan Jayawickrama, Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura; Professor Dinesh Samarasinghe, Dean of the Faculty of Business at the University of Moratuwa; and Professor Sandamali Galdolage, Head of the Department at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Professor Shivany Shanmugathas, Professor in the Marketing Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce, University of Jaffna.
Also present was Dr. Ishara Lakmali, Head of the Department of Marketing at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Mr. Denzel Perera of Kotler Impact contributed significantly to the event’s success. Joining online were all Deans, Heads, and academic staff members from national and international universities. The event also featured a distinguished panel of industry professionals representing leading companies in Sri Lanka. Esteemed colleagues from the Faculty of Management Studies at both OUSL and PIM added further value to the discussions. We must also take a moment to remember the late Professor Uditha Liyanage — a true pillar of Sri Lankan marketing thought leadership. His groundbreaking work on profiling Sri Lankan consumers laid a strong foundation for understanding the unique dynamics of our local market. In that same spirit, the recent contribution by the PIM team — Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, Ravi Bamunusinghe, Yash Naik, and Janaki Bamunusinghe — through their publication ‘The Contemporary Sri Lankan Consumer’ brings valuable new perspectives on our evolving consumer behaviour. It is vital that we continue to foster and encourage more discussions around such efforts that reflect the
Sri Lankan flavour in marketing.
Concussion
There is a need for Sri Lankans to get together and build the country for better tomorrow .In that context, for the SME sector, we need to have different strategies to have a competitive advantage.The subject of Marketing is something which we need to promote among the masses and try to build some creative local and international brands with different value propositions.
(The writer is a Professor in Management Studies Open University of Sri Lanka and You can reach Professor Abeysekera
on nalinabeysekera@gmail.com )
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