It was hyped as Asia’s largest
college festival. During those days, IIT Bombay becomes the place where the
World wants to be for the best four days of their lives. And finally, as a
first year MBA student of Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay, I
got a chance to witness this extravaganza. Reached campus on the morning of 20th
December in the middle of a semester break because it was time for Mood Indigo
2013!
The built up to the main event had
been amazing with a lot of shows prior to the event, gatherings in different
cities across India, strong promotion on social media and a buzz around the
campus all of which raised the expectations from the festival. And indeed, Mood
I, as we call it, did not disappoint. It was 4 days of non-stop entertainment
where every corner of the 550 acres IITB campus was buzzing with activity. Be
it the announced competitions, the on-the-spot fun events, extempore
competitions, interactive sessions, workshops, entertainment events or media
events, the enthusiasm of the crowd was there to be seen. Just when the energy
levels were at their peak, there would be a fresh shot of adrenaline for the
evening concerts. And after an intensity filled concert, late night shows would
be a perfect way to chill while appreciating some classy acts. That followed by
some fun sessions around a campfire which went on till the wee hours of the
morning would ensure that no one sleeps during the 4 days of Mood I.
The events during the festival were
classified into 3 categories and a different team managing each category. The “Competitions”
category would have all the announced competitions grouped together where
colleges would nominate teams and a contingent leader from each college
contingent would co-ordinate participation from his/her college. This category
covered almost every competition ever seen in a college festival, you name it
and it was there! A hard fought battle of supremacy where each contingent put
in their best men and women and weeks of tireless practices to bring glory to
their college! The “Informals” category was about all the on-the-spot
competitions, media events and sponsor events. Events like “pit stop
challenge”, “She’s got the look” and many quizzes and races gave participants
an opportunity to rare experiences.
The “Horizons” was the category of
events where Mood Indigo threw all its star power at the crowd. Interactive
sessions with the likes of Amir Khan, humour shows featuring the best of theater artists and performers from worldwide set to accomplish 1 task –
Entertain! These events drew crowds from the other end of the globe and were
expectedly, the most watched! The concerts featured the best performers with
Euphoria on one evening and Mohit Chauhan on another. There was Mike Portnoy
doing his magic with the drums too. There was of course, much more than went
around the campus day and night everyday and every night!
So what is it that makes Mood
Indigo such a success story? Asia’s largest college festival, and undoubtedly
the best for such a long time. Is there something that the organizers manage to
get right every time or are there any inherent advantages that Mood I enjoys?
Let’s try and analyze this 4 days extravaganza from the lens of a management
student.
Let’s first look at the most
fundamental analysis of Mood I – The 4P
analysis:-
Product: - The fundamental of marketing is to have a quality product
which can be sold. Every college has its own cultural festival. So what is it about
Mood Indigo as a festival that sets it apart? I believe it is the quality of
competitions. To attract colleges, you need good competitions and Mood I
manages a perfect mix of traditional competitions and a lot of innovative
competitions which challenges the youth of the country to come and test their
limits.
Price: - A good product would not sell if it isn’t priced
appropriately is an uncompromising rule in marketing. All the competitions in
Mood I are without any entry fee. Participants are provided accommodation for 4
days on campus at a minimal charge. All a participating college needs to do is
to get on campus, participate with all their might and enjoy the event. The
returns are alluring too! Winners not only get a healthy monetary reward but
more importantly some opportunities they can grab are enviable. For example direct
entries into Miss India audition finals!!
Place: - Mumbaaaiii! The financial and fun capital of India. Easy
to attract sponsors and easy to attract participants and performers from all
over the globe. To top it up, there is the brand name that IIT Bombay enjoys as
the most prestigious college in the country. And with that comes all the
facilities and facilitating power that the organizers use to the very best! An
inherent advantage that makes the job of the organizers a tad easy.
Promotion: - Say the word “Mood Indigo” to a young graduate
from a respectable college in India and you will know the brand image this
festival enjoys! The promotion starts months in advance with a classy website
and a lot of social media activity. Just the way they launch the name of the
rock band which will perform for the event generates anticipation! You will
have a countdown on Twitter and facebook, and the name announcement online will
coincide with physical banners being put on all over the campus. All at one
time! Besides, Mood I also does shows in cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Pune etc.
months in advance as a built up to the main event. There are also shows done on
campus like the Bawanraas concert in October this year along with Avenues and
School of Management, IIT Bombay. Partnering with print, TV and radio media
provides visibility of the best kind on a regular basis. Good promotion is what
sells a product and Mood I puts its might into promoting the event extensively
in the most impeccable manner possible! No wonder it attracts participation
from over 3000 colleges and a footfall of over 1,04,000 people!
Let us now do a quick SWOT analysis of the festival to see
what we do well and what is it that can be done better.
A close observation will yield some
of the major strengths and weaknesses of Mood Indigo while a small thought will
show some opportunities waiting to be capitalized. A little bit of effort and
better involvement of the entire student community of IIT Bombay can help the
organizers overcome the weaknesses listed above and make the festival more
complete. Mood Indigo has many flagship events but there is an opportunity to
create that one event which goes beyond global boundaries and is the most
anticipated event of the year. Something like robowars in the field of
robotics. Since the event attracts 1000s of people, crowd management becomes an
important part and should be outsourced to agencies meant for specialized crowd
management. Festivals like these often attract controversies and Mood I needs a
good PR team to avoid and manage controversies if any.
All in all, there are some
fundamental managerial advantages that Mood Indigo enjoys which make it Asia’s
largest college festival and these need to be developed on a constant basis to
ensure that the tag isn’t lost anytime soon.
