Launch of 'Essentials of Modern Marketing' Sri Lanka edition celebrates local brands

Sri Lanka becomes first nation in Kotler EOMM series to have book dedicated solely to local brands Over 20 local brands featured as successful case studies in EOMM Sri Lanka edition Indonesia welcomes investment opportunities, projected to become one of top five global economies by 2045 Kotler Awards and new Business School to launch soon, offering qualifications and recognition for students and professionals Sinhala and Tamil editions of EOMM expected to be launched by Jan. 2026 Citing IMF's declaration of Sri Lanka as fastest to recover, Kotler Impact National Representative for Sri Lanka and Maldives Denzil Perera says nation has the resilience to take its brands global First copies of EOMM presented to 22 featured brands as token of appreciation

- BY SAFNA MALIK

THE first-ever Sri Lanka edition of 'Essentials of Modern Marketing' by Prof. Philip Kotler was officially launched in cooperation with Kotler Impact Inc. and Deyo Consultancy and Advisory on 22 August at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo.

The release of Essentials of Modern Marketing (EOMM) marks a significant milestone for the local marketing industry, as it's the first time Sri Lanka has been included in Kotler's series of country specific editions. This honour highlights the importance of the Sri Lankan market and its brand building successes.

In his address, Open University of Sri Lanka Professor of Management Studies Prof. Nalin Abeysekara spoke about the country's over reliance on traditional exports like tea, coconut, and garments. He discussed that the global market is shifting towards a 'creative economy' which includes industries like music, film, and publishing.

Prof. Abeysekara explained that while Sri Lanka has immense creative potential, it has failed to recognise and promote its rising stars as brands. He took an example of a notable viral hit 'Why this Kolaveri' from India, pointing that its success continues to be celebrated and studied on a global scale. In contrast, he expressed his view that despite a local song reaching hundreds of millions of views online, it never achieved a similar level of viral status because the country failed to fully influence its brand potential. He emphasised that Sri Lanka must learn to embrace and promote its own success stories on a global stage.

Commenting on the book he said over 20 Sri Lankan brand case studies are featured in the EOMM. He emphasised that the country must go beyond a basic analysis of these cases to truly understand them. He called the book launch a 'very historical event' and a crucial step for Sri Lanka to learn and apply global best practices to lift its creative economy and future opportunities like tourism.