5 Don't s of Branding

A few practices which I believe kill the whole spirit of Branding....


1.Copy – Don’t cheat.. don’t look into your partner’s copy.. write on your own.. these are few words which constantly ring in a classroom full of students writing a test. We adhere to these rules during our school days.. but tend to forget them when the real test of life comes forth. Whenever you are working towards creating a brand of your own you are writing a test where the questions are the same, you know the answers, you have the solution….. but still some tend to copy their competitors branding strategy. It is the biggest mistake that one can make.

With all parameters same.. it is the brand and what it stands for that makes the difference. All of us have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth but is our overall look, personality and thoughts that define our identity our value. Similarly a brand should always be unique. Copying or “getting inspired” is not the right approach to branding.

There are no shortcuts when you prepare to create an identity for your company. And your product / service / organization has the right to have a unique identity

2.Quantify – What is the percentage increase in revenue? Whats the ROI.. Why isn’t there a hike in sales? These are few questions which unknowingly people associate with a branding activity. These are ideal questions to be associated with a sales / marketing activity. A purely brand building activity is aimed at increasing the awareness among your TG about your brand, your USP.

A branding activity increases your brand value… brand evaluation. Today the mathematical rule where
SP = CP + Profit is slightly modified to SP = CP + Profit + Brand value

Branding helps in increasing the value of your product. It creates a perception among the people about your product. The effectiveness of branding is measured in long term. It is based on customer preference of the brand, the amount the consumer is willing to pay for the product produced under your brand name and the awareness among the consumers about the brand and its product.

3.Dilution - Never ever dilute your brand. Through your brand you create a perception about your company, about your product and what you stand for and what the consumers can expect from you. Dilution leads to confusion and confusing a customer is not such a good idea specially when there are substitutes available at their disposable. There are several reasons why a consumer associates himself to a brand.. it may be because of the quality, emotional attachment, tradition, satisfaction etc. Dilution leads to a conflict of perception.

Suppose you are trained to believe a company X deals with animal food how would you perceive instant noodles for kids produced by the same company??

Another question is diversion into various verticals. How do we convey the message to the consumers? The ideal way is to sub brand the product or the vertical in case it is very different from the existing product / service range. Sub branding and promoting the sub brand creates a fresh image in the minds of the consumer and they form an opinion afresh rather than being biased by their previous apprehensions

4.Force – "This the industry norm or the market practice". This is not a good enough reason for you to practice branding or follow the branding practices

If you don’t believe in a practice or what you are doing for your branding don’t do it. Never force yourself into an activity which has been tried and tested by others. It can be as a back up plan but the ideal scenario would be to come up with your own plan. Chalk out your own strategy.

Your brand is something which you create on your own then why rely on others plan of action to promote it or grow it. Create your own path. For that matter if you are not convinced that you need to brand your product or your company please do not do it. You will not appreciate the practice and it will forever seem like a burden to you. You will never be able to innovate and neither will it be effective.

Branding should be a task full of conviction. Until and unless you believe in your brand why should anyone else.

5.Compromise – You start a business to earn money.. no second thoughts on that. But should revenue drive your brand? No. It should be the other way round. The brand should drive the revenue. This is ideal for future course of action.

Suppose you ve created a product for the niche audience. Due to lack of revenue you compromise on your brand and take it to the masses. Then neither are you able to tap the mass audience properly as they would already have created an opinion that you are expensive and that they are paying more and nor are you able to tap the niche market as the brand image has changed.

As pointed out earlier SP = CP + Profit + Brand Value

Your revenue will automatically increase when your brand value increases. Brand value increases in the long term. Gradually the investment on branding reduces but returns increase and subsequently your profits and your revenues.

At no point should you ever compromise on the essence of your brand. It beats the whole purpose. A brand is much more than a logo. It is the personality of the company, the principles it stands for, the promises it makes to its clients / consumers and above all defines the whole purpose of the company’s existence.



Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Simply Fundamental

Stop !!!
Go no further if you are looking out for intellectual stuff which will help you gain nirvana…. Or some tips to make you a millionaire.


Funda # 1- Pehle peth puja, phir kaam duja

Watch out for the next petrol pump. This is the To Do agenda once your bike goes into reserve or the needle goes below the red mark.

We always fill up the tank before starting any journey so that the car does not stop in the middle of the way or you might have to stop on the way at a petrol pump, what if there s no petrol pump on the way.

We care so much about our vehicle…. Why not our health ?? Why don’t we prepare ourselves each morning for the long journey we are going to traverse each day.

Breakfast is the most sacrificed meal….

Late for a meeting… skip breakfast
Woke up late….skip breakfast

Will grab something on the way ….skip breakfast

Breakfast literally means breaking a fast. A fast of more than 6 hours.

Just like your car needs refueling after a long drive the body needs it too. People generally have heavy dinner but that is exactly where things go wrong. Just like petrol remains in the tank during the night the food also remains in the tummy tank. Night time is for rest….rest even for the tummy.

A healthy wholesome breakfast prepares you for the day ahead. Your body has got the fuel. You will get a good kick start. The chances of stopping in between for fuel are less.

I do not encourage untimely meals just because you had a good breakfast but considering the work schedules, commutes and many other hassles of the day sometimes the ideal scenario of having timely meals does not happen. But in the morning you can definitely have a good breakfast. Even a bowl of cornflakes is better than empty stomach.

Another reason why people skip breakfast is dieting. Well the internet and most of the dieticians will confirm the fact that breakfast can never cause increase in the waist line.

Next time while taking your car to the fuel station spare a thought for your wheels ( legs ) your tank ( stomach ) your chassis ( body ) your engine ( heart ) and your controls ( Brains ) and using your steering wheel ( hands ) direct yourself to a healthy diet… the least which you can do is a healthy breakfast.


Funda # 2 - Paani paani re

From food I come to water

Water water everywhere.. not a drop to drink…..or rather we never reach out for a glass of water to drink

I hope we never face a scenario where there’s no water to drink. The thought itself scares me. Thirst can only be quenched by water. No amount of cola or any other beverage can quench your thirst.

It is the most abundant consumer good and also the most misused one.

There a leaking pipes on the road side…running water from taps…lakes and ponds have become dumping grounds ..( grounds !! don’t know what to say..dumping water surface :) )

I was waiting for the signal to go green. Beside the roadside there was a chaat stall. The hawker was using the same bucket of water to wash all the plates.. it looked disgusting.. from disgusting the sight transformed to pitiful, sad..shocking.. when I saw a small kid was trying to drink water from the same bucket…the signal went green but I was stuck at that signal.

Everytime I drink a glass of water I thank God for it.

But should saving water be restricted only to drinking water. Water has so many other uses. How would you feel if you had to take a bath in black murky water….. or you had to wash your favorite white shirt blue jeans with muddy brown water.. or how would it feel if instead of a sea shell in the beach the waves bring to shore empty bottles and banana skin.

Even without realizing we use water most of the time for almost all our activities and we also manage to waste water in all our activities.

We keep a strict tag on money.. and time too because time is money.. but why not water.. water is life.. without life money wont matter.

I was watching 127 Hours ( the movie ) the other day. It clearly shows the desperation you reach without water.






Funda # 3 - Red Light Red Light what do you say? I say Stop, right away

From the thought provoking site at the traffic signal I came across my next funda.

Never break traffic signals.

Its dangerous.. the road might seem empty .. still you never know when a speeding bus can come and hit you. Sometimes you end up becoming a nuisance causing delay and chaos not only for yourself but also for others
Traffic signals are there to maintain discipline in the roads for the convenience of all the riders.
Late for a meeting.. don’t think jumping a red signal will help, late for a movie….if it’s a flop bollywood movie you can always catch it on any of the numerous channel, miss the train…don’t worry.. they are always late :)

Traffic signals can be bended for emergency services like ambulance, fire brigade etc… else I don’t think anything is a matter of life or death and if it is….why did nt you start early in the first place..

We are careful in maintaining speed limits, signals and other rules while driving abroad.. why should our behavior be different in India. Why is an empty road, with no policeman so tempting that you simply cannot resist jumping the signal….and if you get caught why do the green notes come out to pay bribe rather than the fine??

Even in life there s a stop signal sometimes.. it is the time for you to look around.. see whats happening around you.. understand the worth of life and time. It is the time to retrospect and make amendments to have a fruitful present and a happy future.


Signing off for now..
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Brand Chatter

A very popular game.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “ Aag” … “Bhagooo” or “Super flop”

With each word we tend to associate something or the other based on our personal experience, education or what we see all around. This nature of human brain is tapped to create a brand.

There are many kinds of branding – Product branding, Corporate branding, Internal branding, External Branding, etc. But here I am going to discuss different styles of branding

In journalism an ideal report should answer the H and 5Ws . We are going to classify the styles in a similar fashion.

1. How Branding - Behavioral or habitual branding – Most common example would be “Xerox”. How many times have you gone to a shop and said “Need to take a Xerox of this document” We have become habituated to address the product with the brand name even though the machine used may be of a different company. First to market companies have a major advantage in creating such a behavioral pattern where the product becomes synonymous with the brand.

2. What Branding - Purpose Branding – When you think of Raymonds, Arrows a formal feeling automatically comes to your mind. The branding is done in such a way that when you ask yourself the question “what?” the answer will automatically be “formals” I have classified this as What Branding or in other words Purpose Branding where through different activities the brand image is created such that whenever the purpose of the product drives the consumer towards the product

3. Why Branding - End use Branding – Sugar Free Gold for a fit body, XYZ oil for low cholesterol, Fevicol for “Majboot jod” All these brand focus on why the consumers should go for their product. This style of branding works wonders because whenever someone requires a product it is usually to serve a purpose. In that case they have the answer to the question “Why?” With this style of branding the consumer is be able to instantly relate the product with his requirement.

4. When Branding - Seasonal Branding – The classic example for this technique would be Dairy Milk. During festivals it tries to create an image of being an excellent idea for gifts and during normal days a substitute for sweet dish. In this technique of branding the time when the product should be ideally consumed is given more importance.

5. Who Branding - Target Branding – This is one of the most common techniques for branding. The brand calls out the target consumers. Johnson and Johnson is for babies, Diamonds are for the newly weds or for loved ones, Health drinks for growing kids, Virgin mobile for teenagers. The brands speak for themselves on who they can cater to. When the consumer thinks of purchasing the product he thinks of the brand which can not only cater to his requirement but also is suitable for him and suits his personality / identity.

6. Where Branding - Visual Branding – Now this is the most extensively used branding technique. You are all over the place. Something like a McD or Café Coffee Day. Its like imbibed into your system. Wherever you see.. there it is. There s no escaping. You are bound to try the products at least once. And yes you can’t forget the brand. Based on your experience you will have a good impression or bad impression but you will definitely remember the brand and have an opinion about it.

This brings us to another interesting topic – Are nt these marketing techniques?

Well marketing and branding go hand in hand. You cant separate one from the other. It is impossible and impractical to say that I will brand my product in a particular way and market it in another way. It like saying that the pot of gold is in the east and heading towards west. Marketing is aimed towards making sale. Branding is aimed towards creating an image.. creating a recall value for the particular company’s product among many others. Marketing strategies are based on the brand positioning. Hence Branding acts as a curtain raiser for marketing. But at no instance can both be separated. Any marketing activity will also contribute towards brand building and vice versa.

To wind up..it is safe to say.. a branding activity or a brand is successful when it has created an image or presence such that it is the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the product/service it stands for.

Signing off for now..
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Even the Tortoise Can Win

Whenever my Dad narrated the story of the Tortoise and the Hare I always wondered why did the hare go to sleep. I dont think now a days anyone would go to sleep before reaching the finish line. At least I made up my mind not to.

But now I wonder what if the tortoise had some brains. Instead of just walking slowly what if he looked around and found some short cuts.

Lets imagine the scenario..

The Hare and Tortoise are on the starting line. Both looking fresh. The hare looking confident and even the tortoise.. though he knows he is slow he has the confidence that he can win the race. The whistle blows.. the hare starts off with a sprint... the tortoise follows behind slowly. As he is walking he comes across a pair of slippers lying on the ground. He looks ahead and sees that the hare has already disappeared.
" I should wear these slippers, my feet might hurt less and may be i ll go faster" thought the tortoise. He wore the slippers and lo behold suddenly he was flying. He was overjoyed he started flying towards the finishing point.

In the meantime the hare was out of breath but he had his supporters who were constantly providing him water, encouraging him and cheering him. He looked behind and smiled. There was no sign of the tortoise.

Well during his flight the tortoise saw some ripe fruits on a tree. He stopped to eat a few and picked some for his supporters who were waiting for him to pass by with anxious eyes. As their hopes were sinking, suddenly fruits started falling from the sky. As they looked up they saw the tortoise.. they were overjoyed and started cheering with renewed energy.

The rabit's supporters saw what had happened ... they were disappointed with the rabbit as he had brought them nothing.. they left him and joined the tortoise gang. The rabbit saw the tortoise flying and started running in a desperate attempt to win the race. But in vain..

The tortoise not only won the race, he was not tired also.. he had good food.. he kept his supporters also happy whereas the rabbit was out of breath, lost all his energy and his supporters too.

All because the tortoise had kept his eye open and grabbed upon an opportunity to increase his pace.

Now it could also be that the rabbit saw the slippers.. so then he would not only be fast but also smart. Then I dont think there was anything stopping him from winning unless he went off to sleep.

There can be a lot of permutation and combination regarding the winners.. but ulitmately I feel the one who is persistent, hard working along with smart working wins the race.
One should always keep an eye open for opportunities which help in reaching the target. It might look insignificant or may not make a huge difference but you never know the benefits which you might reap from it.

Also as you walk the path towards success there would be many people, family, friends employees, team members, there to support you to show you the way.. to wipe your sweat.. to say a sweet word .. to encourage you. One should never forget them. they are people who expect nothing in return and will appreciate even the least that you do for them.

On this note I would like to thank my Dad for narrating this and many more such stories to me.... simple as they seem.. some of the most complicated lessons of life are hidden among them.

Signing off for now
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

De Ghoomake!!

I love cricket !!

Its actually quite interesting. There is a lot of strategy involved so much to plan..so much to think. When to pull in the slips, where to place the fielders, off side field setting .... how to mix the bowling attacks, which balls to defend which ones to hit outside the boundary... wonder why people say its a silly game.

Lets see it from a different perspective. I have a company and my team in out there in the field .. fielding and trying to bowl over clients ( the batsmen ). As a captain I would like to be all around the field co ordinating my players but thats not possible. I need to concentrate on my position and guide both the bowler and the fielders. My first attack would be pace bowlers. They are my marketing executives who throw in my company information at a very fast speed. The whole aim being to spread the word about our presence really fast. If a prospective client is caught during one of his weak moments ie when he requires our services then he s bowled straight away. Good Job !!!

Now in the first few over bowling power play is mandatory and ideal too. This is the time when the team should be close to the batsmen so that any volley of questions in any direction may be answered and in case he plans to take a run a quick movement could get him run out.  Also the bowler should be backed by his team mates to take care of the 1s and 2s while he is pitching.

Next comes the spin attack. In most cases it is the set batsmen who faces the spin attack. Now the field is spread. The backend needs to be strong in the operations part. Client interaction is being handled by the top executives of the marketing team. The operations team or the backend takes czare of the outfield. When the batsman hits a long shot which goes deep into the operation part they should be there to take the catch or it might go for a six which as I interpret would go into the hands of my competitor right now watching the game from the stands. Spin attack is backed by proper groundwork on the batsman. It cannot be fast paced. It needs to to be slightly slow and at the end spin right into the wicket or at least an lbw.

Now in case my team has to bat. Which is the case when I get a referral ir win the toss and can opt to bat first. Before going to bat a proper understanding of the bowlers is required. How to tackle each bowler. Ideally even the client opens with a pace attack. It includes direct questions.. difficult task.. hard talks on price. My batting line up ie my Marketing team needs to be really strong. Once they ve passed the pace attack comes the spin attack. In case of clients they love googlys and always have a fielder at silly point to catch hold of our silly mistakes.

Be it a game or your work.. preparation is the key to success. Hard work combined with smart work, strategies combined with proper implementation can never go wrong. Over confidence or taking the opposite team lightly is the biggest blunder that one can make. Mistakes happen but it does not mean that its the end. If Tendulkar would have given up the day he got out for duck he would not be where he is right now. Perseverance, confidence in oneself and teamwork.. you may not be able to lead a team but your contribution is still vital.. otherwise you would nt be in the team.

Cricket  will be just a game..a silly game.. if we want it to be.  A 100 mtrs sprint is just a bunch of people running towards a line... But even this simple event teaches us the importance of preparation, participation and above all finishing the task which we started.



Sony
http://www.adwize.in

A Book is Always Judged by its Cover

Yes.. Its True !!

Do you really think everyone has the time to look deeper and understand each and every person they meet! Philosophically  " Never judge a book by its cover " sounds like the right thing to do. But even the publishers of this and many such beautiful lines know that a book is always judged by its cover else why would they take time to print a fancy cover for each book. We might as well have files containing white A4 sheets with the script.

In personal life people might take time to understand a person, know each other and give someone a second chance even after a not so impressive first impression.... even that happens very rarely. In professional life things are different. I don't think anyone would go the extra mile to understand each company, try and test each product or service. Honestly speaking there's no time and definitely no money to spend for trial and error specially when it comes to taking services from a start up.
Start ups are like books from an unknown author. If the cover looks interesting one might consider reading the summary if not the whole book. Avid book lovers who read each and every book that comes in their hand might give it a shot provided it reaches their hands and the topic suits their taste.

Now lets see some of the instances of first interaction with a prospective client

1. Cold call - This is like a book without a cover displaying its content page that too in small fonts. The monotony and illegible fonts itself sets off the mood of the reader. The approach can be modified to include some color to attract the attention first and format the content in such a way that the reader can relate to it. There are many tips on the internet for cold calling so being the lazy person that I am.. am not going to repeat the same here. But remember not all may suit your purpose.You cannot put the same cover on all the books.

2. Your website - Now you've put up your book on the stands for everyone to see. Mind you there are other books too. You have to do something to make yours stand out. It is a mistake which many start ups make. They do not lay emphasis on creating a proper website. Due to monetary constraints if professional help cannot be engaged, at least the free templates available should be used properly to serve the purpose.The ROI ( Investment here is time ) will definitely be more than expected. Proper content with proper alignment should be good enough for a start.

3. Personal Interaction - The book is delivered in the hands of the prospective reader. This is the most effective way of getting the book read. It can be completely spoiled if the cover is dirty..Gosh!! Trash !! The least you can do is to spend 5 mins to look presentable, carry a pleasant smile and be comfortable. One big mistake which people generally make is to put on a fake appearance, portray a fake personality. A fake cover wears off very quickly and it leaves an impression of being cheated which is worse than a bad impression. So always be your best self.

4. Referral - This is one case where irrespective of the cover the reader is sure to read the book or at least buy the book because its got a good review or someone has recommended it. But don't stretch your luck too far or don't make the mistake of taking it for granted. An individual may be biased by someone's opinion but will always take a decision based on his personal experience. If the cover of the book is not to his liking it may remain in the shelf for a very long time till he has nothing more to do than check it out once... which may take ages. So when you get the opportunity make the best of it.

All said and done if the book lacks content nothing....not even the most attractive cover will be able to keep it away from the trash can and in case it is an ebook....the recycle bin :)


Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Sipahi ki Jalebi

Unlike the title this post is not at all about a jalebi recipe or Sipahi.

Sipahi ki Jalebi was my first encounter with a branded product. The product being Jalebi and the Brand being Sipahi. As a child it used to be my favorite sweet dish and I dont know why but Jalebi from anywhere else would not taste the same or for that matter tasty... It had to be Sipahi ki Jalebi.
Now Sipahi was not the name of the shop. It was the owner's name. The guy who started his sweet shop at the junction of the Sector 2 market. Thinking of it now.. I dont even remember the shop's name.. hmm did it have one?? Not sure.

Days have gone by.. when I visited Ranchi after 3 years the rickety structure of the sweet shop was replaced by a concrete hall with glass shelves and counters. Sipahi was no longer sitting behind a small table. I bought Jalebis from there and to my disappointment it had lost its taste and I lost my craving for Sipahi ki Jalebi. And by the looks of the shop... even though infrastructurally it had progressed.. there was no increase in customers as there were none when I visited the shop and I would hardly see anyone inside while passing.

When I last visitied Ranchi the sweet shop had become a general store and Sipahi ji was sitting behind the counter catering to grocery lists. 

Sipahi ki Jalebi was a famous product and Sipahi was a famous brand. I am stating brand because people hardly knew Sipahi personally they knew him because of his Jalebis and vice versa. Customer loyalty was high as he was personally involved in customer engagement by making sure that he could strike up a personal conversation with each one of them witout making them realize the time they had to keep waiting for the hot Jalebis.

Analysing the case..

Product - Jalebi
Brand - Sipahi
Brand Recall - Sipahi ji

This is a typical mistake which unknowingly happens in case of start ups especially in partnership and proprietory firms. The company is known for its proprietor or partners and not for the company itself which is also an entity with a separate identity of its own.
The Brand created should be based on the company or the product, independent of its founders. Founders should act as the face of the company....providing amicable features, communication a human interface. Clients should be comfortable working with the company rather than an individual in the company. This enables a long term relationship despite personal and personnel issues in the company.
(For companies having considerable employee strength it is comparitively easy to put forth the company first. But even in such cases it is found that some of the clients stay in the company only for the interaction with a particular personnel.)

The founders should be known for their company and not vice versa. In the intial stages it is difficult as there are very few team members and you tend to do all the work. But a conscious effort should be made to promote the company so that the transition of the client and their trust towards another member of your team becomes easy.

Fallout among the partners is one considered of the major reasons for start ups to collapse rather than lack of business. In such cases the above mentioned point comes to rescue. The goodwill with the clients is maintained and the interested partys can continue operations as usual.
Creating a brand for the company should be more important than creating a brand for yourself. Creating a brand for oneself is important in case of self employement but when you think of business it should always be scalable.. never dependent on a single individual's brand value. The company credibility should be based on its product/ service.

To wrap it up Entreprenuers whould make sure that their baby ( company ) should be able to walk without their support. They should hold its hand and teach them how to walk... and then should be able to let it walk, explore and grow all on its own.