CENSORED

Disclaimer: the under mentioned script is a fictitious work. Viewer discretion is advised. Management hardcores are advised not to read…lest they bust an artery!




Mighty audacity on my part—
“ BRAND-a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of both of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them form those of competitors.”
The sacrosanct word from the so-called bible of marketing by Philip Kotler.Not being irreverent about the great man by any chance. But to whoever is interested the article I write now is inspired by the incompleteness of this definition and more so by a thought that has been in my mind for quite sometime…. why do we need to study Kotler or any such book…. to become cookie cuts? . After all the roadside pheriwala didn’t attend Harvard…nor did Dhirubhai.Kotler hasn’t perfected the art of converting nuances into definition. But then so haven’t half the other population who faithfully “walk the walk”.

What is a brand?

As per definition it’s the “goods or services” ---some clarification here please…. anything can be a brand and everything can be branded within the concept of time and space. a city is a brand and so is a state.Jaipur-the pink city and New York- the Big Apple spring to mind. By positioning itself as “God’s own country”, Kerela manages to draw numerous tourists. It’s new plank “god’s E-state” appeals to the genre of computer literates. A person is a brand which is evident from the different facets of identity being communicated-Warren Buffet is synonymous with Berkshire Hathaway and the world of risky investments…Bill Gates the guru of technology, Sonia Gandhi the new face of Congress and stability, Aung San Sui Ki with freedom ,and MF Hussein with controversy.
Even Michelangelo and Van Gough are brands. However as Kolter says the branding paradigm can be extended to an organization, a service, events, educational institutes, retail outlets, and even cartoon characters. Similarly successful commodities can become brands if we follow the basic tenets of branding.

Offering of astronhg brand is HIGH QUALITY. Be it a product or service or a combination of both
A brand must have strong aspirational connotations. Like people go for brands like Levi, Nike, Ray Ban, and Coke for their individual merits as well because they represent youthfulness, modernity and individuality.
Strong brand must command premium over other competition.
A strong brand should be able to elicit trust within its customer base. The best example being the TATA steel which despite market volatility has never been dethroned form its position of king in steels.
A strong brand must have a “halo effect”. This is seen in brand leaders that have numerous positive qualities. They override beyond product or service. Takes a lot of work to create this kind of good will in the market…TATA synonymous with trust, pioneering effects, fairplay.also associating a brand with a social and philanthropic cause gives a brand a feel good quality. (Interesting in respect are the aggressive marketing tactics of ITC…which happens to be a tobacco company. right from the change of name to launch of its Wills Sportswear and the sponsoring of a number of charity and sports related events)

To conclude ill leave you with a question is there anything in this article that you didn’t know before? Yes my friend and you haven’t even read kotler yet…management is firstly and lastly experience and awareness…not a jargon juggernaut. I admit I have a long long way to go before I could take the bull by the horns. But at least I have made a start…keeping all my options open and my mind clear of all preconceived notions…
Nothing like a healthy does of creative thinking to titillate your intellectual capacities…