Lanka Monitoring commences online delivery
Hot on the heels of the reports that UN had pushed Sri Lanka its
Competitiveness Index follows the news that Lanka Monitoring, a
specialised monitoring company is set to provide competitor news and
advertising over the Internet.
Internet based
The service sends out scanned clippings of the latest competitor news
and ads within 48 hours of appearing in over 45 local newspapers,
magazines, and tabloids.
Since it is internet based, the information is accessible by any
number of authorised persons, unlike before, when the physical cutting
limited access is just one at a time.
Competitor information is vital for marketers of rival brands to
design products with higher acceptability to consumers. The UN had
considered the online submission of customs declaration forms pioneered
by e-Services Lanka as a key indicator of Sri Lanka's competitiveness.
Lanka Monitoring has already begun monitoring five industry sectors -
banking, leasing, insurance, mobile services and automotives.
Monitoring
Dilrukshi Samaranayaka, Head of Monitoring at Lanka Monitoring said
that monitoring of these sectors commenced two years ago at the request
of certain clients in these sectors. `We are now opening our service to
all players in these sectors', she said.
Plans are underway to increase sectors monitored depending on the
demand. Placidus Gomez, General Manager, Lanka Monitoring said that in a
dynamic market, information of competitor activity is essential for
effective decision making.
Imagine devising a new marketing package for a product or brand only
to realise that it is not as good as the competitors' offers. To me at
least, it's obvious that other sectors, particularly FMCGs, Electronics,
Computers, Education and Healthcare will find this service equally
helpful, he said.
Current information about what new features are present in competitor
propositions is essential to prepare a more attractive offer. Since this
information is available through Lanka Monitoring within 48 hours of
publishing, it's my belief that marketers will find this service very
useful, he said.
Relevant news
The clipping service monitors 32 newspapers, 10 magazines and 5
tabloids published in the three languages per month. They include all
the popular national daily and national publications, assuring that
important news is not missed.
Samaranayaka, who is a Library Science Diploma Holder felt
confidently said that brand information of the sectors she monitors is
almost 100 per cent accurate.
The tricky bit is in seeking our news that's relevant to the industry
or sector- for instance an increase in port charges will affect
companies who import or export - so for the automotive sector this is
vital news. Lanka Monitoring also provides this service, she said. |