S. Vishnu Sharma
Stella Maris College was the cynosure of all eyes when MINT 2025 was organized on its premises.
Department of Commerce (Shift I) of Stella Maris College conducted the event.
MINT 2025 (Marketing Innovations and New Technologies for Digital Future) discussed lot of important topics. Eminent personalities took part in the event.
Principal of Stella Maris College
Dr. Sr. Stella Mary, FMM, Principal, Stella Maris College (Autonomous) commenced the international conference by highlighting the importance of hosting “MINT’25” with The Department of Commerce – Shift I.
An overview of the international conference was provided by Dr. Victoria Henry, Assistant Professor and Head Department of Commerce – Shift I of Stella Maris College.
It highlighted the Department’s 40th academic year and the role of AI driven decision-making in marketing.
Inauguration
Ms. Guedes Ribeiro Odete Maria Chief Finance Officer, Lactalis, India inaugurated the international conference at the campus of Stella Maris College (Autonomous).
Marketing World
Ms. Odete stated that it is important to create awareness about the shifts and disruptions occurring in the marketing world due to technological shift, she said speaking at the event at Stella Maris College.
We live in an era where technological advancements and shifting consumer behavior makes it imperative to decode consumer insights through the lens of data, she said.
She emphasized how data analytics and AI guide businesses in strategic decision-making, along with the use of predictive analytics by companies like Netflix, Spotify, Coca-Cola, Tesla and Amazon.
Plenary session
The first plenary session was conducted by Mr. Saji Abraham, Director, Operations, Schouten Europe on Neuro-Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in the digital age.
It also, explored the evolution of consumer behaviour by highlighting the shift from traditional to digital consumption, driven by information overload, rise of personalization through AI and Data Analytics and the demand for instant gratification, say sources from Stella Maris College.
Mr. Abraham emphasized the need to connect with current lifestyles, citing Dairy Milk and Mahindra as examples.
He explained that neuro-marketing works through visual appeal, emotional triggers, social proof and leveraging FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
“A key takeaway was: ‘What your mind doesn’t know, your eyes can’t see.’”
The report concludes by noting that AI and human creativity should coexist.
Second plenary session
The second plenary session was conducted by Dr. Chackochen Mathai, Founder and CEO of Franchising Rightway.
Key takeaways from this session included: Six elements of building a brand including Brand identity, strong online presence, content marketing strategy, audience engagement, measurement and optimisation and social media presence, say sources from Stella Maris College.
To define your brand identity, you need to develop a unique value proposition, create a brand positioning statement and establish a brand voice, he said.
You can build a strong online presence by choosing the right social media platforms, creating consistent branding and developing a content strategy, he said.
To measure and optimize brand performance, businesses must track key
performance indicators, analyze results and adapt to industry trends, he said.
This was followed by a Paper Presentation by 13 teams consists of students and faculty covered a wide range of subthemes including digital consumer behavior in emerging markets, interactive customer experiences and marketing ethics in the digital age.
Panel discussion
Mr. Yogesh S, Group Head of HR, Enterprises Business at Tech Mahindra, commenced the panel discussion on the topic “Technology Shifts: The Convergence of Talent, Finance and Marketing in a Connected World.”
The panelists were:
Mr. Dibyajyoti Datta, General Manager, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
Mr P Ramachandra Rao, General Manager – Finance, KCP Ltd.
Mrs Amudha Kannan, Director – Digital Technology Service IDP Education – Digital Campus Chennai)
Mr. Dinesh Baluraj, Founder and CEO, Yali Aerospace
The panel discussion was about integration of technology, finance and marketing, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with it, say sources from Stella Maris College.
It also, highlighted the importance of adapting to new technologies, investing in oneself and understanding the cost function in order to achieve company goals.
The discussion also covered the topics on cloud computing, AI, and digital transformation.
Additionally, the panelists emphasised the need for a structured budget allocation based on the revenue and product line and concluded on the role of marketing in sales, brand awareness and connecting people through various mediums such as drones and Chat GPT.
Valedictory
Dr. Alexander Rukshan, Senior Lecturer in Information technology, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Vavuniya, Vavuniya Sri Lanka delivered the valedictory address through a virtual platform.
He emphasized the importance of transforming challenges into opportunities, particularly in the future of marketing in a digital era.
A key takeaway was the evolution of marketing strategies, highlighting the modern 4 P’s of Marketing – Personalization, Promotion, Pipeline and Predictability.
Among these, personalization was particularly emphasized, as it aligns with consumer expectations and the growing demand for tailored experiences, he said.
The discussion underlined the need for businesses to adapt to these shifts to remain competitive in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
Sessions
The sessions were presided over by Dr. P. R. Ramakrishnan, Professor and Research Superviser at VISTAS (Deemed University).
He provided valuable insights and constructive feedback to all participants.
The awards for the winner and runner of the best research paper were announced and prizes and certificates were issued to the presenters, say sources from Stella Maris College.
Participation
MINT’25 witnessed around 200 participants and was a platform for students, researchers to explore innovative marketing strategies, exchange their views, ideas, knowledge and case studies, say sources from Stella Maris College.
Aim
The objective of this event was to increase awareness about the shifts and disruptions occurring in the marketing world due to technological advancements and on how one needs to prepare oneself to thrive in the future.
The Department of Commerce – Shift I of Stella Maris College looks forward to organize more of such events which not only promote intellectual growth but also strengthen industry-academia collaboration.
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