Random Reads: Uniquily Indian
We have often seen women crying their heart out watching those tear jerking movies. We have also heard women discussing soaps and feeling sad about the state of bahu in K series… or even a bad India Pakistan match. All this tells us only one thing about Indians, we are very emotional people.
We are expressive and are not afraid to let our emotions be known. Screaming on the streets, friends laughing loudly or even any celebration, we show our emotions openly and fearlessly.
Infact India is the only country where generations ago we had defined emotions and have categorised them based usage and moment, known as rasas… and since they are nine, navrasas: hasya, raudra, karuna, shringar, adbhut, vibhatsa, shant, veera and bhay.
Things around us have changed. Today we are living in a very competitive market. Having said that, we are even exposed to myriad of choices and experiences, flooded with options that are increasing everyday. And with emergence of organized retail, this is bound to continue to grow in every category store brands will become a viable option.
Also are the rising concerns about the commoditization of many categories. Even in new emerging categories, which are either technology-driven or more complex in structure like mobile telephony and financial services, product differentiation is negligible or if created, gets copied within months.
In the future if a brand is not perceived as different from others in the marketplace, it may lead to its extinction. Hence it becomes imperative for brands to revisit, re-invent and re-interpret its uniqueness and selling proposition.
While, product innovations, first in the category or owning an attribute or the category may create 'preference' and a strong differentiator. But underlying each of these is a rational product story. However, brands get built through emotions as a differentiator, especially in India.
Some of the well known Indian brands like Haldiram, Balsara, Modi, TATA, Godrej and Mahindra etc. are brands are family name driven, have strong emotional connect with the consumers. They have bought the emotions of trust, reliability and peace of mind. Clearly these brands have been able to go beyond the product differentiation and USP.
This is because branding is about creating stories around products and thus making them engaging and endearing to the consumer. The moral of a brand story is the message. Hidden within story telling are emotions, imbibed in brands, values and attitudes that act as a weapon of differentiation.
Let's look at some other iconic Indian brand examples.
Asian Paints means paint, but also means a feeling of apnapan (Hindi): a feeling of belonging and happiness that makes it differentiated in the market space.
Bru is about taste, the taste of filter coffee, but is equally also about the 'authenticity' and 'warmth' of emotions shared between the members drinking the coffee.
Fevicol owns the attribute of 'strong bond', but what make it different are also the emotions and feelings of 'earthy Indianness and simplicity.'
Vodafone/ Hutch is not just a telecom service category but the feeling of simplicity, charm and style that the stories of the brand have imbued it with over the last 10 years.
Titan is just not a world-class, good-looking quartz watch but carries with it the emotions of gifting love, affection, imbued in the brand by the countless stories the brand has told consumers over the last 15 years!
In today's world of media clutter with over 500 channels and over 15,000 print titles; emotions can be stirred by how the brand talks to the consumer.
There may not be enough Indian brand examples for this but this could be instructive -- especially as the form communicates more than the content at an emotional level.
Clearly, brand stories and how they are told do more than communicate and engage the viewer; they create a ‘myth’ around the brand and create a space in the consumers' hearts.
We are expressive and are not afraid to let our emotions be known. Screaming on the streets, friends laughing loudly or even any celebration, we show our emotions openly and fearlessly.
Infact India is the only country where generations ago we had defined emotions and have categorised them based usage and moment, known as rasas… and since they are nine, navrasas: hasya, raudra, karuna, shringar, adbhut, vibhatsa, shant, veera and bhay.
Things around us have changed. Today we are living in a very competitive market. Having said that, we are even exposed to myriad of choices and experiences, flooded with options that are increasing everyday. And with emergence of organized retail, this is bound to continue to grow in every category store brands will become a viable option.
Also are the rising concerns about the commoditization of many categories. Even in new emerging categories, which are either technology-driven or more complex in structure like mobile telephony and financial services, product differentiation is negligible or if created, gets copied within months.
In the future if a brand is not perceived as different from others in the marketplace, it may lead to its extinction. Hence it becomes imperative for brands to revisit, re-invent and re-interpret its uniqueness and selling proposition.
While, product innovations, first in the category or owning an attribute or the category may create 'preference' and a strong differentiator. But underlying each of these is a rational product story. However, brands get built through emotions as a differentiator, especially in India.
Some of the well known Indian brands like Haldiram, Balsara, Modi, TATA, Godrej and Mahindra etc. are brands are family name driven, have strong emotional connect with the consumers. They have bought the emotions of trust, reliability and peace of mind. Clearly these brands have been able to go beyond the product differentiation and USP.
This is because branding is about creating stories around products and thus making them engaging and endearing to the consumer. The moral of a brand story is the message. Hidden within story telling are emotions, imbibed in brands, values and attitudes that act as a weapon of differentiation.
Let's look at some other iconic Indian brand examples.
Asian Paints means paint, but also means a feeling of apnapan (Hindi): a feeling of belonging and happiness that makes it differentiated in the market space.
Bru is about taste, the taste of filter coffee, but is equally also about the 'authenticity' and 'warmth' of emotions shared between the members drinking the coffee.
Fevicol owns the attribute of 'strong bond', but what make it different are also the emotions and feelings of 'earthy Indianness and simplicity.'
Vodafone/ Hutch is not just a telecom service category but the feeling of simplicity, charm and style that the stories of the brand have imbued it with over the last 10 years.
Titan is just not a world-class, good-looking quartz watch but carries with it the emotions of gifting love, affection, imbued in the brand by the countless stories the brand has told consumers over the last 15 years!
In today's world of media clutter with over 500 channels and over 15,000 print titles; emotions can be stirred by how the brand talks to the consumer.
There may not be enough Indian brand examples for this but this could be instructive -- especially as the form communicates more than the content at an emotional level.
Clearly, brand stories and how they are told do more than communicate and engage the viewer; they create a ‘myth’ around the brand and create a space in the consumers' hearts.
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