Marketing guru Prof. Kotler’s expertise to rebrand Sri Lanka

Plans underway to meet President, senior ministers, academics and business leaders during June visit supported by Daily FT as an official print partner

By Uditha Jayasinghe

Renowned marketing guru Prof. Philip Kotler will be visiting Sri Lanka in June for a three-day visit that will incorporate a range of activities, including a possible meeting with the President and key stakeholders of policy making to rebrand Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) Immediate Past President Rohan Somawansa announcing details of the visit told a media gathering that a series of side events have been planned on the sidelines of Prof. Kotler’s first-ever visit to Sri Lanka and that he might be to meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and senior ministers of the Government.

In addition, plans are also underway to hold a special session for parliamentarians, university professors, business leaders and economic attaches of G20 embassies in Sri Lanka. There will also be a charity dinner with Prof. Kotler’s participation.

“SLIM has been working for the past six years to bring down Prof. Kotler to Sri Lanka,” he said, recalling how the first overture was made when SLIM representatives participated in a seminar that Prof. Kotler was addressing in Indonesia.

“The change came when we met him two years ago in Malaysia and suggested a visit to Sri Lanka. After he heard about the dawn of peace in Sri Lanka and the new opportunities opening up, he agreed to visit Sri Lanka. We would like to take this opportunity to make the most of his presence and are working to arrange a meeting with the President and top ministers to find ways to rebrand Sri Lanka and take it to the rest of the world.”

Kotler Impact Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fahim Kibria remarked that the organisation was interested in a long-term relationship with SLIM and by extension Sri Lanka. Prof. Kotler’s books are to be translated into Sinhala with Sri Lankan case studies and used in marketing classes.

“In addition Prof. Kotler is coming to Sri Lanka with a unique portfolio of the latest marketing trends titled ‘Values Driven Market’ that evaluates the challenges of dealing with Generation G as well as Marketing 3.0.”

A short recorded statement from Prof. Kotler was played at the press conference, where he expressed his enthusiasm about coming to Sri Lanka from 5 June and engaging with marketers to equip them with solutions to the challenges facing Sri Lanka. Other media partners include Sunday Times, Derana TV, Lite FM, Grants PR, Sign Tech, Response Marketing  and Blaze Media.