Over the last 20 years, revenue at the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has grown from $2 billion to $41 billion. With that growth, the multinational, Mumbai-based conglomerate – with a slate of product offerings running from non-ferrous metals, agri-business, mining and cement to financial services, fashion, and telecoms – has adjusted the way it goes to market in 40 countries.
For ABG's marketers, the question, "What next?" is a constant reminder of the consequences of success. More and more, division by division, its markets increasingly were becoming more demand-driven and less supply-led. The challenge no longer was to simply move...