In conversation with Shephali Bhatt and Deepak R. Patra, Sunila shares what interests her in marketing, her mantra for success, and what lies behind the glamorous world of wine
Sunila Duggal
Head – Marketing, Sula Vineyards
It is nothing less than a carnival – thrilling and exhilarating with an array of celebrity guests, uber cool music, fantabulous Greek-style open-air amphitheater, and flea market shopping. And all of it spiced up with freshly made eclectic food flanked by an exhaustive range of local and imported wines. This is exactly what the party-goers get to enjoy at the ‘Sulafest’ organised by Indian wine maker Sula. But then, if you are thinking that it’s just another fun party in town, think twice. It’s not one of those without any purpose. The motto behind such a wine festival is to bring the consumer and the wine maker closer in a consumer-friendly way, keeping the long term goal of brand creation in mind. And so far, Sulafest has successfully delivered the best for the Nashik-based wine maker, Sula Vineyards. When Sharell Cook, noted India guide of About.com wrote that Sula Vineyards in Nasik was India’s “most popular and most accessible winery,” she was simply mirroring the fact that the Vineyards has now become one of the major tourist must-see attractions. Take that for super-marketing! Much of the credit goes to the unassuming and modest Sunila Duggal, Marketing Head, Sula Vineyards.
An enterprising team leader, Sunila is one marketing personnel who exudes the glamour and sensibility of her job profile. The lady who continues to read a lot of fiction in order to know which wines are favourite among prolific writers, is a hit amongst her team members who admire her for her leadership style, which is a mélange of domination, understanding and participation. And that’s what has helped her in streamlining the company’s marketing department making the processes smoother than they were earlier. In her short stint of two years in Sula, she has also introduced the company into social media. She still remembers, “I sat with my CEO and drew a sketch of areas where our presence will benefit us. And now we are into social media in a big way.”
She is certainly one of those people who love to live every bit of the glamorous profile of her work. “I agree that being the Marketing Head of India’s leading wine company, the work is very exciting and glamorous. However, a lot of hard work is put in by my team and me,” she says. Sunila adds that in this industry, everyday is a new day. Despite being in the industry for the past two years, she feels there’s still much to learn – “I am constantly learning something new about my company, my product and the market. And that is the most exciting part of my job.” But then, considering the facts that wine consumption is still at a very nascent stage in India and the industry is under many rules and regulations, sustaining a wine brand in this country is as difficult as establishing a new one. This, she feels, makes one think out-of-the-box to be present and be accepted by the people. “It’s not only about going for conventional advertising and marketing, it is about being different. Moreover, there is no fixed mantra,” she adds.
An enterprising team leader, Sunila is one marketing personnel who exudes the glamour and sensibility of her job profile. The lady who continues to read a lot of fiction in order to know which wines are favourite among prolific writers, is a hit amongst her team members who admire her for her leadership style, which is a mélange of domination, understanding and participation. And that’s what has helped her in streamlining the company’s marketing department making the processes smoother than they were earlier. In her short stint of two years in Sula, she has also introduced the company into social media. She still remembers, “I sat with my CEO and drew a sketch of areas where our presence will benefit us. And now we are into social media in a big way.”
She is certainly one of those people who love to live every bit of the glamorous profile of her work. “I agree that being the Marketing Head of India’s leading wine company, the work is very exciting and glamorous. However, a lot of hard work is put in by my team and me,” she says. Sunila adds that in this industry, everyday is a new day. Despite being in the industry for the past two years, she feels there’s still much to learn – “I am constantly learning something new about my company, my product and the market. And that is the most exciting part of my job.” But then, considering the facts that wine consumption is still at a very nascent stage in India and the industry is under many rules and regulations, sustaining a wine brand in this country is as difficult as establishing a new one. This, she feels, makes one think out-of-the-box to be present and be accepted by the people. “It’s not only about going for conventional advertising and marketing, it is about being different. Moreover, there is no fixed mantra,” she adds.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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