Kapil Minocha  (min@holtecnet.com)

Very recently, I attended a meeting organised by EcoN Industries at Trichy. EcoN is a two-year-old company producing concrete blocks, ferrocement channels and other CEEF [Cost-Effective Environment Friendly] materials. It was born out of an experiment that the Swiss Agency of Development and Co-operation [SDC] decided to conduct in its Building Material Program [BMP]. It is unique both in its setting and way of working. Located at Pettavathalai on the banks of Cauvery river, the site is full of concrete blocks, channels and coconut trees that provide natural shade for curing of building elements. Having modest manpower and production capacity, emphasis is still laid on various kinds of quality control, testing procedures, productivity enhancement techniques and cost control exercises coupled with new marketing strategies to increase its profitability.

The meet was planned for architects in and around Trichy and was a well planned and conscious exercise. It had participation not only from architects, but also from flat promoters’ associations, local building centre managers, builders’ association. Additionally, people linked with health and cleanliness of Trichy also participated.

Dr. Govindaraju, Managing Partner of EcoN and Secretary of local NGO 'SEVAI', inaugurated the meet and made the first presentation. He lauded the attitude of collectors and municipal authorities in Trichy that had made possible the use of CEEF materials in Trichy for institutions and public infrastructure buildings. They had also been innovatively used for children and elder-friendly toilets. This happened despite these materials [like hollow blocks, ferrocement channels and door & window frames] not being in PWD and CPWD schedule of materials.

Next, Mr. K Jaisim, an architect from Bangalore, renowned for radical cost-effective designs for a diverse range of clients, highlighted the importance of light and air in shelter design which must be harnessed in a tropical country like ours. He motivated people belonging to middle and higher income groups to adopt CEEF designs and concepts in favour of expensive ‘building cosmetics’ and to learn from our past structures.

Next in the line-up for the day, was a presentation made by me on "Marketing And Promotion Of CEEF Products And Technologies". The presentation was in three sections: Buyer Behaviour, Pull Phenomenon and Relationship with CEEF Products.

Section one covered the basic details of buyer behaviour such as the buying process, who plays what role in a buying process and its various elements. The chart presented here categorises the buying behaviour into four categories and the examples mentioned in the boxes would help to elaborate on these different behaviours.

For instance, let us consider the Box One and Four. Complex buying behaviour has significant differences in brands and the involvement of the buyer is highly evident from the elaborate consultations that people are likely to seek before buying a cellphone or a car. On the other hand, the purchase of cement or salt is likely to be dictated by habitual behaviour with a considerably low buyer involvement. Needless to say, complex buying behaviour is witnessed for high cost items which denote some kind of personal tastes affordability and choice.

The second section of presentation : the difference between the ‘push’ and the ‘pull’ phenomenon covered various ways and means to create push and pull. For those of you who are not aware of push and pull, here are the definitions:

PUSH : Push involves marketing activities directed at channel intermediaries to motivate them and make them influence the end-user to purchase the product e.g. for cement, industrial goods, medical drugs, etc. The various ways to create Market push are mentioned below:

PULL: Pull involves marketing activities directed at end-users to motivate them to ask intermediaries for the product e.g. soft drinks, toothpaste, biscuits, branded shirts, etc. Similarly various ways to create Market pull are:

Finally, the role of marketing in relation to CEEF building products was discussed. The section essentially covered difficulties in marketing in rural areas and one needs to keep some important laws in mind while approaching an arduous and a daunting task of entering rural marketing areas. The difficulties in marketing in rural areas can be summarised below and by no means is this list exhaustive.

After lunch, the meet continued with a very interesting interactive session. Local architects, builders and people associated with the construction industry had their doubts clarified and some of them even provided valuable suggestions. Dr. Manivasan, Collector of Trichy, gave a valedictory address to end the meet and promised more opportunities for CEEF materials in Trichy district under his jurisdiction; a bold step forward and a big boost to campaigners of these innovative, cost effective and sustainable building materials and technologies. Dr. Manivasan announced his decision to work towards these concepts and to show his commitment, has promised to get a canteen built adjacent to the Collectorate Office as a demonstration building using CEEF materials and technologies. q

The author is a Management Consultant to HOLTEC