Kotler puts youth at centre of attention

Left, Philip Kotler, a global marketing expert, speaks at a discussion on the sidelines of World Marketing Summit (WMS) in the capital on Friday. From left to right, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, education secretary; Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister; and Md Humayun Kabir, senior secretary for health, attend the closing ceremony of the summit in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: World Marketing Summit

Philip Kotler, known as the guru of marketing, has called upon the young minds of Bangladesh to lay out the dream of a country they want to see 15 years down the line.
“Every country has a dream. The USA has also a dream and it is the dream of freedom, human rights and welfare, which is known as the American dream.”
“The youth should sketch Bangladesh's dream of a country they want to see after 10 to 15 years,” said Kotler.
Kotler spoke at a panel discussion on “Reducing the gap between reality and expectation of an emerging country” on the sidelines of the World Marketing Summit at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. The event came to a close yesterday.
He urged the marketers and the government to initiate a contest in schools, colleges and universities across the country, aiming to focus on how the young minds want to see the country after a certain period of time.
“The initiative will help the county get a right direction,” he added.
Kotler, founder of WMS and a professor of International Marketing at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in the USA, said Bangladesh faces a number of challenges such as traffic jam, higher population, poverty and adverse impacts of climate change.
He said the country's major cities are witnessing severe traffic jam due to a lack of public transportation. “So, the people dream of using cars to avoid the transportation problem.”
Kotler said Bangladesh should focus on the use of electricity-run vehicles instead of the traditional ones that run on petrol or gas, as it will help the country protect environment.
The marketing guru said the country has a strong Diasporas around the world. He urged the government and the marketers to use the non-resident Bangladeshis to brand the country.
On family planning, he said the marketers should use the social marketing concept to raise awareness on the negative side of giving birth to a large number of kids.
“Women are no longer considered baby-making machines. They should be treated as human beings and given them the real value.”