SLIM ‘Gamata Marketing’ project: A glance from the past

Monday, 9 February 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries with a very vast and rich cultural diversity. The culture is itself very unique and thereby contributes to the Sri Lankan identity. This uniqueness is often reflected by the use of art, architecture, sculpture and even food.

Many components too are involved in promoting our culture and as such craftsmanship has a major demand. Yet, with the technological revolutions the age old traditions have slowly started to fade away. Bearing this fact in mind, Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) along with the University of Moratuwa (UOM) succeeded in their efforts to uplift the traditional craft industries of Sri Lanka during the earlier seasons of the ‘Gamata Marketing’ project. SLIM ‘Gamata Marketing’ is a project that aims to identify and uplift unseen entrepreneurs in rural areas and emphasise the importance of marketing towards enhancing their living standards and upgrading the local livelihood. As such, the concepts of marketing could be taken to grass-root level and be used by small and medium sized entrepreneurs in order to enhance the existing or find new market market for their products. This would help them achieve sustainable growth and most importantly uplift the traditional craft industries that are slowly fading away. Back in 2012, the SLIM ‘Gamata Marketing’ project took-off with a concentration on the traditional cane industry of Sri Lanka. For this mission, they selected Radawadunne, a village that has earned a name for the craft, popularly known as Veveldeniya. The industry was facing virtual extinction due to a number of reasons including a lack of interest among buyers for age old designs resulting in decreased sales. Realising these pitfalls, SLIM and UOM jointly introduced the craftsmen to a range of new designs and products that went beyond the conventional and monotonous furniture designs which the customers have been used to seeing. In 2013, taking a new dimension, the project focused on the bamboo industry. For this purpose, a survey was done by the UOM and SLIM on craftsmen in Yatiyanthota and Kuruwita. The main issue among craftsmen was that they were exposed to only a limited range of conventional designs.

Along with this, lack of creativity and the availability of cheaper alternative products were the main barriers that these craftsmen faced in the long run. Therefore, through the ‘Gamata Marketing’ project SLIM and UOM aimed to convert the industry to a more profitable entity by applying novel designs, marketing knowledge and problem solving methodologies. For the third year in succession, this SLIM Gamata Marketing project will be driven by Suranjith Swaris and his dynamic team who will put in their maximum to provide this project to a new dimension. This year, SLIM is collaborating with the Department of Marketing of University of Ruhuna and aims to make a change in the business of the fishing communities in the Matara district. Speaking about this project Swaris said: “The business environment is rapidly changing since the life styles of the consumer have changed. Therefore, in order to survive in this changing environment fishermen should be able to cope up with new trends, especially by coming up with innovative ideas and produce features which are required to add some value of the customer. Hence, this time we decided to weave this concept around the fishing industry and uplift the industry in Matara.” With a range of new items lined up in the schedule, SLIM ‘Gamata Marketing’ 2015 is in the process of stepping forth for a new revolution. SLIM treats the project as a key CSR activity and is keen to get the support of numerous sponsors to make the project a success.