BRANDING: THE FUTURE

 BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

For having a healthy Brand Bhavishya (Brand future) you need to focus on nine Vishya (issues) or the nine pins to bowl the consumer over by building brands in the minds and hearts of consumers. There are many who feel that the future of branding is bleak. It is not so. It is very bright if you know how to do it right.

These nine vishya would make your Brand Bhavishya bright and bowl the consumer over making her love your Brand.

Pin 1. Brand Dhyaan ( Brand Attention) the first pine is Dhyan Do Dhyan Lo (pay at attention to get attention). In today competitive world the most sought after element is the consumer. Dhyaan ( Attention ) In such a cluttered environment the future of your brand depends on this vishya- Are you paying adequate attention to your consumers? Taj Jet Air ways cabdury Lux are great brands who pay attention to the consumer. In order to continue to be great attention is a must even attention is a must even for great brands. Therefore Dhyan Do Dhyaan to because Dhyan Bhat Gaya toh sales ghat gaya. if you lose attention you lose sales).

Pin 2. Brand maidaan ( Brand Arena)
Many times the brand competes in the wrong maidaan (fields) in the future will be very important to identify and define your fields. If you are a cricketer and are playing on the Football fields, it is unlikely that you will win the cricket match. When there is a growing trend of coffee parlours like Basrista and coffee café day a tea brand needs to define its own arena rather than be caught in the wrong fields. Similarly if the trend of ice tea like Nestea Lipton is growing the cold coffee brands needs to define it own maidaan and not get caught on the wrong foot not because the product is bad but the arena is inappropriate.

Pin 3. Brand Kaan (Ear to listen)
Marketers will have to have their ears to the ground constantly not in an ad hoc manner. For this to happen you need a Brand Kaan to understand consumers needs changing needs latent needs created needs as well as non needs Real value vaccumiser was a non needs and failed.
Krack cream caters to a latent needs which had manifested itself very well Brand Kaan (a ear to listen), Requires patience and open mindedness Exploring the possibilities of unexplored needs requires a special ear with an eye to the future.

Pin 4. Brand Anjaan se Jaan, Pehchan (unaware to aware to recognition) the world will be divided between winner brands and champion brands. This will totally depend on your brand’s awareness and recognition and recall level. My Brand Mantra is Beware of the Unaware.’ If consumers are unawareanoput your brand you are a loser from the beginning. To be a champion brand in the future you need to move from Brand Anjaan to Jaan Pehchaan (from unaware to aware and recognition). Fevicol is a champion brand through awareness and recognition. Many other adhesives have tired gaining share but did not Succeed. Sony is a champion brand and constantly keeps increasing its recognition and awareness. In the future how ever good your product or service is without awareness the consumer will not consider it because she will ask if it is so good how come I have not heard about it?.

Pin 5. Brand Gyaan (Brand knowledge)
If the consumer does not have brand Knowledge the changes of the Brand Succeeding over the long run are extremely low. Let me caution you here it is not product knowledge that he needs to be educated about, it is brand knowledge that he should be educated about. The consumers needs to knows what where when who why and how of the brand what are its features and benefits when should it be used and when not who should be allowed to use it why and most important how. It will not be sufficient to put a leaflet in the pack and hope that the consumer reads it. The consumer would have to be educated proactively.

Pin 6. Brand Abhyaan (Brand Campaign)
Brand campaign is not only about advertising or promotion, but a complete experience. It is not just some lip service but an actual; focused Brand Abhyaan to make consumers taste feel and fully experience the brand thought there is a start made in some categories like test drivers of cars much more needs to be done which must be understood before during and after purchase.

Pin 7. Brand Shaan, Maan Sanmaan (image Prestige self-respect)
Branding will have to deliver much more than just the tangibles. One of the most important intangibles that a consumer would need while buying and using the brand would be brand Shaan Maan Sanmaan (image, Prestige, Self Respect. At the end of the day it is important that the brand enhances the prestige image and self respect of the consumer irrespective of what product or service category it comes from.

Pin 8. Brand Jaan (Brand Alive)
It is very obvious that if you are not alive you are dead. But where does a brand Live? In the minds and hearts of consumers Brand Jaan (Brand Alive) is going to be vital in the future of branding because there is a tendency of successful brands to slacken and relax and be arrogant and therefore appear dead to the new consumer. A brand must be alive to changing conditions and new circumstance- it means continuous breathing even a lapse of a few minutes could mean death. But if handled well it could be immortal.

Pin 9. Brand Daan (Corporate Social Responsibility)
The last vishya for a healthy Brand Bhavishya is Brand Daan (Corporate Social Responsibility). In the future brands are going to be loved and accepted by consumers if they fulfill their Corporate social Responsibility. In the future Brands are going to be loved and accepted by consumers if they fulfill their corporate social Responsibility. It could be taking care of the environment or helping a child education or anything else that is socially relevant.
Present your brand well to the consumer, get past the competition and build a sound future for your brand. You just need to use the 9 vishyas for a healthy brand Bhavishya.

Copyright © 2005, All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor – Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
No part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document.
The author is Jagdeep Kapoor, Brand Guru and Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy.
Tel: (022) 28477700/7701 (022) 28470214/15 Fax:022 28477699
E-mail : jkapoor@samsika.com