Celebrity management now part of the curriculum for PG diploma course in integrated marketing and communication

Updated on: Saturday, August 10, 2013

It is not often that a B-school student breaks into a song during a presentation. But when you are trying to impress Anu Malik, jargon like "incentivise" probably isn't enough. On Wednesday, a conference room at the K J Somaiya insitute of management studies and research saw students pitch ideas to the music composer on ways to market himself online. Suggestions from these five-minute presentations included real-time song requests, voice blogs and capitalizing on Malik's famous impromptu couplets.

"I am a brand but the brand needs to be nurtured through talent management," said Malik, who was there to address a session on celebrity management. "There are two lines now," he continued. "Online and offline. To connect to the youth, I must reach out to them through both," added Malik.

Celebrity management, a subject that focuses on managing various aspects of a celebrity's positioning, is now part of the curriculum for the 60 students pursuing their post-graduate diploma course in integrated marketing and communication. "Celebrities impact consumer behaviour in a big way," said Satish Ailawadi, director of the institute. "Students must get familiar with it and understand that the profile of the celebrity and their audience has to match," he added.

It is through "niche" components that management institutes hope to differentiate themselves. "It is important to add value by offering smaller components that make the students industry-ready," said Ailawadi. "The narrow focus and the fact that we have people from the industry talk to us, helps," said Shruti Nair, one of the students.

So, at this session on celeb management, where Malik referred to himself in third person, students learnt various anecdotes such as: he composed the tune for an 11-page-long song in Border in seven and a half minutes. This, a student felt, could make for a great connect with the audience online.

Celebrity management now part of the curriculum for PG diploma course in integrated marketing and communication

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