Marketing a political leader

A cursory reading of the four Kotlerian criteria reveals not just the weakness of the marketing guru's arguments but the hazards of linking corporate standards of judgement to politics and politicians

Philip Kotler is to marketing professionals what Peter Drucker was to management gurus. That is why his decision to bestow an award in his name to Narendra Modi can best be described as odd. So odd, in fact, that it prompted media houses to investigate. The Wire came up with a carefully-researched piece linking the award to a Saudi government-owned petrochemical group with a unit in Gujarat that is hoping to expand its presence in India. And it turned out, two of the jury members, ad industry veteran Walter Vieira and Gautam Mahajan, did not take part in