Its a "BAD" world

Brands that Most Indians Cant do without

2010-06-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

We all live in a branded world and brands over a period of time have become an integral part of our lives. There are several brands trying different things to grab our attention and also a share of our wallet.

India being such a large country with its beauty in diversity has several local, national and international brands. Some dominant regional brand satraps that rule the roost locally and even in some cases nationally are Nirma, Ghadi, Chik, Chandrika etc. In addition to this there are few Multinationals (Indian , foreign) whose plethora of brands touch Indians in one way or the other , but not necessarily a singular brand. Prominent amongst those are Tata (Nano, Tea, Indica, Swach, Steel etc) Hindustan Unilever (Lux, Dove, Breeze, Axe, Lakme, Liril, Sunsilk, Ponds) Procter and Gamble (Pantene, Head and Shoulders, Pampers, Whisper) Star TV ( Star Mazaa, Star Plus) , BCCL (Times of India, Economic Times, Navbharat times etc) amongst others and there are a very few brands that you could actually say have become deeply ingrained in the Indian psyche and have become second nature to us Indians.

This thought set me thinking about brands that touch the majority of Indians in one way or the other so much so that they have become second nature to us.

India being such a large country with its beauty in diversity, there are In addition to the above However there are a few brands that come to mind that most Indians don’t seem to do without. The brands listed below do not necessarily comprise of the complete list and the reader is welcome to help make this a comprehensive list. Also the brands listed are not necessarily a ranking of India’s top brands in chronological order.

Say Cheese: The frothing white toothpaste brand “Colgate” that most Indians Kiss Good morning to is a brand that most Indians have known for ages, so much so that a few years back the name itself was synonymous with the category. Other well known toothpastes giving strong competition to Colgate would be Pepsodent and Close-up along with our humble Neem datoon that even today most rural folk in India use to shine their dentures

Who is the Fairest of them all?: Indians are well known for their obsession for Gori Chamdhi, and this obsession has resulted in the launch of a slew of brands promising to make all Indian women a shade fairer that will result in more marriage proposals, more career opportunities and so on. (I am yet to come across any individual who can vouch for this though). “Fair and Lovely” rules the roost in this category, and finds a place in most Indian Households and is part of the daily beauty regime of most Indian Women. Another interesting thing about “Fair and lovely” is that though it was launched as fairness cream for women, men also started realizing its “Perceived benefits” and became large consumers of it. A result of this is launch of more fairness creams exclusively for men like Fair and Handsome, Garnier Men etc.

The Great Indian Medicine Cabinet: One of a few Advertisements that I distinctly remember from my childhood goes something like this – Ting Tong ... Door opens, “Zukam bad gaya na, kyon gaya tha bahar” “Happy Birthday Mummy”. Any Guesses for what brand this is? This along with the extremely hummable jingle _____ ki Goli lo khichkhich durr karo” or the Haan Bahi hann are deeply other pieces of communication deeply etched in my mind. They all belong to one of my most trusted brand – Vicks. Even today in most households, Vicks (primarily the Vaporub) finds a prominent place in our Medicine Cabinets and is a trusted brand by Indians for all cough and Cold Ailments. Other brands that you are most likely to find in the “Indian Medicine cabinet” are Crocin, D’cold, Strepsils, Dettol, Dispirin, Digene, Band-Aid, (Waterproof ones) Soframycin, Zandu Balm each one an unique brand in itself trusted by Indians to cure one minor ailment or the other.

Godrej Storwel: Every Indian Home has one, either inherited from ones parents or received as dowry. In the Indian context the ‘Godrej Storwel’ is not a mere piece of furniture, where one keeps his entire wardrobe. It is a place for keeping all precious valuables, belongings, like jewellery, property papers, money etc along with priceless memories like wedding and photo albums etc. Also symbolically when a Mother in law hands over the keys of it to her new daughter, it is a sign of her being given the responsibilities and possession of the family wealth.

Utterly Butterly Delicious: No matter how diverse our cuisines, Amul Butter has always found a place on our dining tables, and has been consumed by all young and old Indians. Not to mention the Amul Girl who has always melted our hearts and brought a smile on our face with her wit and humour. Amul Butter is truly “The Taste Of India”

2 minutes : A testimony to the fact that all Indians have loved Maggi is evident in the current packaging of Maggi, which depicts stories revolving around this cult brand. So you have stories revolving around “Anda walla Maggi” to “Birthday Surpise Maggi” and many more interesting stories.

Connecting Indians: A few years back no one would have thought that a single hand held device would completely take over our lives. The truth is a mobile phone has become second nature to us and most Indians own a mobile phone and the preferred brand is Nokia, though the company has lately come under pressure from our Chinese counterparts that are being aggressively marketed. Nokia had initially also launched specific “Made in India” phones with features like a torch, Regional languages, radio etc. Along with the penetration of mobile phones right to the interiors of India, Service providers like Airtel, Reliance, BSNL, Idea keeps India connected to each other.

Other brands that I feel touches Most Indians lives would include Hero Honda, Lux, Chavi Matchboxes, Cycle Agarbattis, K serials , Airtel,

The above list is in no way a comprehensive list and there may be brands that have been inadvertently left out. Please feel free to contribute to this list and make it an exhaustive one J

Sights and Signs of India

2010-03-29T01:34:00.000-07:00

A departmental Store in Chennai :

A bar doing its bit of CSR :). "liquor ruining Country Family and life"

Calm and Quiet in Gods own backyard :)

The "ManMothi" Brand Experience

2008-04-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

In our day to day interactions with our clients, we lay a lot of emphasis on creating a brand and creating an unique brand experience that will give the brand an distinct edge over its competitors and an proposition that cannot be easily replicated. This when done professionally and interestingly will result in the brand emerging victorious in the long run.
Think Kingfisher Airlines vis a vis Indian Airlines and you know who is the King of Good times here!
A few days back on a lazy Sunday, as I strolled into my neighborhood Kirana store, a sudden thought occurred to me. “Does this guy understand consumer and brand experience and even if he does know about it what are the different things he does to deliver the same? I thought it would be quite an interesting exercise to do a complete brand audit of this enterprise and other local enterprises that I regularly come in contact with like the Dhobiwala, Cablewala, etc and see how brand equip Each of these guys really were.
So I decided to check it out for myself. First on the radar was our Kirana store – “Manmothi Trading Centre”. I thought it would be It is safe to assume that he has had no interactions whatsoever with brand pundits or communication gurus who would have advised him on the nuances of branding. All that exists with regards to branding and customer experience is the handiwork of the proprietor himself.

I have known Manmothi stores for about a year and a half and have developed a rapport with the owner and the other staff at the shop. I have seen the store open 365 days a year 6.00 a.m to 11.00 p.m serving customers. During one of my interactions with the owner I came to know that before the advent of Big bazaar’ and ‘Subhiksha, ‘Manmothi’ ‘was one amongst the 3 mom and pop stores in the area that I stay. They were happy fiercely competing with each other and each store had their own set of loyal customers. Life wasn’t exactly easy but competition understandably wasn’t fierce considering the limited financial resources each of its competitors had access to. But things changed for Manmothi, once “Subhiksha, and Spencers retail decided to be amongst its neighbors.
To begin the brand audit I began with the name. The name “Manmothi stores” though not exactly a case study in naming follows the typical rule in naming prevalent amongst such kirana stores. They are usually named after their ancestors, their children, the family name or the family deity or the goods and goddesses the Kiranawala owes his allegiance to. So we have Bharat stores (maybe this ones patriotic), Kumar traders, Anshu shopping, Rajesh stores amongst others. The logotype is also nothing to write about and is set in some plain type in white on a green background.
This store is what we term in retail terminology a ‘D’ shaped store. There is a small passage where he stores all food grains and pulses. Agarbattis, water cans, buckets, brooms and other household items compete with the pulses, each item trying to vie for the customers’ attention. At the end of the passage there is large wooden plank that doubles as a barrier and a transaction table where money and goods exchange hands.
As a source of extra revenue, our man has allowed FMGC behemoths to have an paid display right at the transaction counter where the first point of contact of the customer actually happens. The owner very diligently is particular about dismantling a display once the agreed period of display is over. I was quite surprised to see him one early morning, dismantling a display of Shampoo bottles, instead of tending to early morning joggers who came to his store to buy a packet or some biscuits or chips (Talk about a healthy lifestyle).
The store at any time is manned by 3-4 young capable lads, each tending to customers in a clockwork precision. Another aspect that I noticed was the ability of these lads to always serve the customers with a smile no matter who he/she is, or even no matter even if the customer has come to the store for a box of matchboxes.
Moreover all of them address their loyal customers by their first names or Bhai/ Bhabhijee or beta in case the customer is a small kid as a mark of respect and every sale begins with exchange of pleasantries and inquiring about the well being of the other family members of the customer. They are all well versed about the requirements and needs of each of their customer and are always ready to offer advice on the best brand to buy even in mundane categories like pickle.( Priya ka aachar le lo bhabhi, aap kabhi bhee doosra achar nahin lenge). It’s a different story that he may be singing the virtues of another brand of pickle the next time you visit him. They are also quick to promote the latest promotion or freebies that the customer could avail of and in most cases they do a damn good job of selling the promotion.
He also offers home delivery and mostly the service is very prompt and served with a smile. The delivery boy perpetually is wearing a smile and is always equipped with the exact amount of change. For e.g. say the grocery bill amounts to Rupees 65, Chotu (that’s what I prefer to call him) would have a change of 35 rupees on him, lest the customer dole out a100 rupee note to him. This I believe is a result of his understanding that the customer in most cases will never have the exact change at home at his disposal and that he would dole out the next closest denomination of money i.e. 100 hundred rupees in this case.
The store also has at most times all the goodies that one can probably think off right from Safety pins to Kitchen knifes you will find them all at the store. Like all other kirana stores though the display is very haphazard and every inch of space (including above your head is taken by different wares). Even if some product is unavailable he without bringing it to your notice sends across his helper to the other store and sources it for you.
If I were to pass his enterprise through a proprietary Brand Experience tool  , he would score high on understanding the customer and his needs, (say an 8 out of 10), would do not too well on the product display and ambience front, in terms of convenience (home delivery) and availability of different products he would also get a good score on that front! Over all a satisfactory customer experience!
All that he needs is some brand consultancy!
And once that happens, All the Subhiksha’s, More’s, Spencers will have to watch out!
For “MANMOTHI WOULD HAVE ARRIVED”!

(A new mammoth Big Bazaar has recently opened shop and going by the serpentine queues at the check out counter, looks like Manmothi’s troubles are far from over. Buts that’s a story for another day)

BRAND-ished

2008-03-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Coca cola, Harley Davidson, Levis , McDonalds and many more. Each of these are iconic brands that we all have heard off. In the same vein I sometimes wonder whether each one of us be a brand? I believe that whatever holds true for iconic brands, the same holds true for each one of us. We are all brands in our own rights.
So what composes the Brand YOU?
Contrary to what the great learned Shakespeare said with regards to a name your name and surname does hold a lot of weight in forming favorable perceptions in peoples mind. To me it is like the formation of the first impression- a visual imagery of the person in your mind when you first hear the name long before you have met the person. To illustrate this further draw a mental picture of 2 individuals named Champa and the other picture of Monica.
Research shows ( Have you not heard this a zillion times) that people with a high IQ visualize 2 different personas when presented with the above exercise. Champa would be visualized to be more like a village belle and Monica from the swanky upmarket metro.
To use the analogy of Branding, your looks, the clothes (brands) you wear, your hairstyle, the are the visual components that define the brand you.
The way you speak, the etiquettes (or the lack of them), and generally your behavior, nature ideals and believes comprise the intangible components of brand You!
Then there are Brand ambassadors who vouch for you. Mostly these are your parents, Close and not so close friends (the latter category are largely witness or at the receiving end of your dark side)
The perfume you wear or the way you smell would define the sensorial brand YOU.
Likewise the car you drive, the company of friends you have your education, even yoyr religion and every minor and major things about you and your life contribute to defining the brand You!
Go Ahead! Make and Live your Brand

• All names and characters used in the article are purely fictitious and indicative. Any resemblance to any brand dead or alive is purely coincidental

Invoking the Gods!

2008-01-31T20:39:00.000-08:00

Last week as I was waiting to board my bus to the holy town of shirdi a peculiar sight caught my eye. I saw ceramic tiles of gods of all hues and sizes and religions (do gods have one?) on the compound wall at the bus stop. At first instance I thought that some noble soul was trying to foster feelings of secularism amongst us and other human beings but it soon dawned upon me that somebody had decided to invoke the gods to solve a public menace. No I aint referring to the menace of communalism but one of Public spitting and Urination.
Indians are well known for their affinity to spit and urinate anywhere and its not an uncommon sight on roads to see one relieving oneself, (sometimes triggering a Chain reaction amongst other men) or someone spitting right next to the spot you were standing a second ago!
The Gods too have seemed to bless this idea and it seems to have worked as during the hour that I was waiting for the bus to arrive not a single Tom or Harry decided to take a leak or Spit. A few did venture towards the wall but the sights of gods miraculously instilled in them the virtues of patience and holding onto things a little longer!
Where no request or pleading signs (DO NOT SPIT Here! Violator will be prosecuted) seem to have worked, the gods seem to have worked wonders!
Long Live Our GODS!