In the 20 years after liberalization, we are noticing an emerging trend in the establishment of history museums throughout India. Here, we will discuss our observations, explorations, and understanding of both, the contemporary context of India and our specific negotiation of this context in the making of history museums.

Postcolonial India, as with every other colony in the 40s and 50s, embarked on a journey of self-discovery. New identities were forged, newer missions were planned, and even newer voices were heard. Some radical, some ethnic, some religious, some conservative, some liberal, some secular, some regional, some idealistic. The early leaders of Independent India founded the country on a socialist political ideal. And in an attempt to unify a vastly diverse subcontinent were staunchly secular and nationalistic. As a result, the emerging voices of regional, religious, local subjects were subsumed in the meta-narrative of the secular nation.

We grew up in a different generation of Independent India which was surprisingly still grappling with its identity after 35 years of independence. The economic liberalization (in India in the late 90s) put the country on a different path, opening it up to the world in trade & commerce, and brought a wave of globalization. So came travel, exposure, knowledge and interestingly, though slowly, brought out the latent need of going back to the roots.

Since all the old government institutions in India like Museums, Educational institutes and even the Archaeological Survey of India were established by the British, our view of our history has been through the eyes of the colonial powers. The story of our civilization has been preserved largely through a tradition of oral histories. Very little of our history is documented in any other form. Most of it being destroyed/renewed by waves of invasions and amalgamations which have resulted in the melting pot of cultures and identities that India is today.

It is now, in post-liberalization India, where more than 50% of its 1.3 billion people are below the age of 25, that we are seeing an emerging need for new narratives through which young India is trying to re-discover and define its identity. There is a renewal of interest in local histories and an effort to preserve area specific cultural identities. This is leading to a rediscovery of museums as a mode of communicating these aspirations and interests.

As we are in a mode of assimilation and cannot discount anyone’s contribution to the making of who we are today, the museum now has the challenging task of not only communicating a common history but histories with shifting perspectives.

We, marketers, are consumers too. So, we can appreciate just how much consumers are bombarded with brands, every minute of every day. It seems that everything around them was created by a brand. All of the products and services that they avail were made possible by brands. Even the device that you’re reading this article on is branded!

But there are always some brands that we hold dearer than others. Speak to your grandparents and they will talk passionately of the hair oil or soap or milk brands they have been using for decades; but maybe not so much of the mobile phone brand they use. And it is not that the mobile phone brand has offered a bad product. So why would this happen?

Research suggests that people don’t buy brands just because they like them or they work well. People build relationships with a set of brands so as to benefit from the meaning they and their products add to their lives. These meanings could be more functional and utilitarian, or even psychosocial and emotional.

According to a recent study undertaken by Havas Media, 75% of the Indians believe that brands should play a role in improving our quality of life and wellbeing (with the Asia Pacific average being 69% and the globally average 67%). The same study also reveals that such meaningful brands can on average gain 46% more Share of Wallet than the less meaningful ones.

So what is this meaning that we are talking about? What role could brands play in the lives of their consumers?

Traditionally, brands were supposed to help buyers identify and differentiate the products of one seller from those of others. Furthermore, they used to be an assurance of a certain level of quality and consistency. But today, brands are not limited to the products they offer.

Strong brands are often a strong reflection of their consumers’ values and belief systems- and by extension, their Culture.

A few years ago Nike built a decent skateboarding shoe that was certainly as well-made as an Etnies skateboarding shoe. Yet the hardcore skater wouldn’t be caught dead in Nikes. Why? Because, in the rebel world of skaters, Nike stood for “The Man”. The Etnies founder is a famous skater who lives and breathes skater culture. Nike doesn’t come from that world. Nike didn’t embody the beliefs of skater culture. And a pair of Nikes would have sent a conflicting message to the skater’s friends—if he dared wear them to the skate park. Nike had the wrong meaning—a few years ago.

Then Nike launched a new line of skater shoes, called Nike SB essentially Nike’s renewed attempt to break into the skate market. But this time they somehow got it right. They hired the right people with the right street cred and deep understanding of skater culture. They plucked these people from the “legit” skater brands and put them to work creating an internal culture that aligned with their audience, and they created a series of shoes that finally undermined the “corporate” image and quietly grew the Nike SB brand.

Then, they launched their 6.0 line of shoes designed for the multi-action sports audience (skate, snow, surf). Some shoes were issued in small, limited editions, and this put Nike over the top. As of today, Nike offers the hottest shoes in the skate and action sports category. They didn’t pull this off with a classic TV and print campaign. They started from within, built a legitimate skater culture, built the right shoes, built the right team of riders, sold only to the small core shops, and built a culture that core skaters wanted to belong to. And it worked!

Let’s take a case closer home. Some 70 years ago in a small town in Gujarat, unfair and manipulative practices followed by the local trade cartel prompted the farmers to get rid of the middlemen and form their own co-operative which would have procurement, processing, and marketing under their control. This co-operative, the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd. began with just two village dairy co-operative societies and 247 liters of milk and is today better known as Amul.

The brand has empowered millions of farmers across India and safeguarded their dignity. At the same time, it consistently provided wholesome nutrition to all classes of the society at the most affordable prices. It paved the way for White Revolution way back in the 70s, which not only spurred the rural economy but also made India the largest producer of milk globally. Amul is also credited with a Guinness world record for the longest-running ad campaign of the world for its Utterly Butterly girl portraying day-to-day issues of India since 1967. In 1977, the Amul story was showcased through a Hindi movie titled Manthan. The movie, again demonstrated the power of collaboration as the movie was financed by a contribution of Rs. 2 by 5 lakh farmers. There is little doubt that Amul IS truly, ‘The taste of India’.

More and more brands need to invest in creating seamless experiences to connect with their audiences on a deeper level. And this is not only because of the definite returns it yields in terms of loyalty and advocacy, it is also because their customers expect no less. In an era when 60% of content created by brands is just clutter- having little or no impact on the business results or the lives of people- it is imperative that brands see their role in the lives of their customers as more than just trademarks.

For more on this, write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” Herman Melville

Commercial businesses implement competitive benchmarking exercises in a bid to measure business performance vis-à-vis market competitors. This practice usually defines a set of metrics as the evaluation criterion and seeks to make comparisons. Brands are also sometimes fond of referring to competitive strategy that has proven successful. The danger is when this goes beyond benchmarking and turns, almost unnoticed, into imitating that strategy. This is dangerous because what works in one organization, will almost certainly, not work in another. The situations and circumstances of each organization are different and, most importantly, their essence and core values are completely different. We have said often how we believe that the branding, and indeed organizational, strategies would be much more relevant if they are built on the inherent positive valence.

Let’s take a look at some instances wherein an excessive focus on imitating competition failed.

1. Vanilla Coke

Vanilla ice cream remains a favorite inter-generational choice of frozen dessert for millions of Indian consumers. The trend persists and this flavor holds its own even in the highly diversified desserts market in India where major brands bring new flavors and formats every year. Coca-Cola worked on a vanilla flavor for its mass-market products and launched Vanilla Coke. However, the project floundered and the product was withdrawn from the market. Consumers did not know quite what to make of the product. The vanilla flavored drink tried hard to be both a much-loved cola, and an equally much-loved ice-cream but ended up being a wannabe ice-cream float. The Indian consumer did not seem amenable to choosing a pale imitation when any number of originals were available.

2. Maruti Versa

Maruti Suzuki’s launch of the Versa, a family van, promised much but stopped short when it mattered. The product sought to extend the bloodline of the Maruti Omni van by encroaching into the territory of a true international icon, the Volkswagen Type 2 (or the Transporter). The product was visibly larger than the Omni and, in a nod to the perceived aspirational value, was priced at close to the sedans of the day.

The boxy shape of the Versa and a high (perceived) price point failed to meet the expectations of consumers. The lines of the vehicle were less than perfect and this added to the negative market reaction. Maruti’s rivals were offering impressive vehicle designs and wider options to consumers at similar price points. This ‘multi-purpose vehicle’, which was not quite a VW, rapidly lost ground in the Indian market.

3. Blackberry Storm

Blackberry was a major consumer telecommunications hardware manufacturer in the first decade of this century. Research in Motion, the firm that made the Blackberry devices, was famous for its high-quality consumer products and its failsafe software security protocols. Following the launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007, Blackberry attempted to launch the Blackberry Storm as a phone that was just as smart. However, as InfoWeek opined, “BlackBerry’s inability to react effectively to market changes, specifically the first iPhone and AT&T’s deal with Apple, doomed the famed smartphone maker.” Imperfect software and other developmental flaws showed up starkly when compared to Apple’s challenger. Blackberry’s famed market share eroded, and sales declined as the markets and customers eagerly switched to Apple’s first iPhone device. Clearly, Blackberry’s defensive play against Apple had failed and this proved to be a harbinger for the Canadian device maker’s eventual downfall.

4. Maggi Dal Atta Noodles

Maggi is THE staple brand in the Indian market for instant noodles. The brand’s range of products has generally been well-received, but the Dal Atta variant failed in the Indian market. Nestlé, the manufacturer of Maggi noodles, wanted to offer a ‘healthy’ quick snack to try and cash into a visible shift in the Indian consumers’ mindset to healthy snacking options. This presented a perception challenge for the brand as well as the Indian consumer. A brand that had more or less created the product category of fun foods that were meant for instant consumption, not deep reflection, was now trying to associate itself with a movement driven by good sense and reason. Perhaps not surprisingly, the product failed the taste test with the Indian consumers and registered very low uptake in major Indian cities.

5. TATA Nano

The Nano envisioned as an uber-affordable small car, targeted the Indian middle-class buyers. TATA designed the project to take on Maruti Suzuki’s domination in the large-volume, small car segment in a huge market like India. While driven by an extremely high innovation element, the product seemed to want to be everything that Maruti’s iconic 800 was, except smaller and cheaper. Tata Motor’s seemed to be targeting a seemingly vast Indian middle-class that may have aspired to buy the Maruti 800 but could not afford it. However, the Nano failed the expectations of the targeted consumer segment. Its engine proved less than optimized to client expectations, and the vehicle acquired an unfortunate image of being unsafe on Indian roads. In addition, the “cheap car” stigma and the less-than-inspired visual styling of the TATA Nano seriously damaged the market prospects of the automobile. In a very real sense, the Nano was always less than what it tried to be.

The above chronicles narrate a tale of Entropy arising from being swept up in the chaos of the marketplace and excessively referencing competitors. In the end, it’s always better to believe in your Positive Valence- what makes you, your company, and your brand unique. For sure there will be less competition while doing that!

For more on this, write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

You’ve only got finite energy. And what you accomplish with it depends on where you channelize it. Spend it only on battling Entropy- the ever-increasing chaos, disturbance, and uncertainty in life, and it only saps you of time, money, and resources. Use it to create experiences of enduring value, and you flourish.

The same is true of Brands as well. Just like people, Brands are engulfed by tremendous Entropy, which according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, always increases over time.

Brands that spend energy battling Entropy are always edgy about growth numbers- year-on-year, month-on-month, week-on-week, and day-on-day. They are in a perpetual frenzy for more clicks, likes, hashtags, and shares. They suppress their gut and intuition, and continuously seek refuge in third-party validation. Changing trends and business environments make them anxious. A myopic Culture of impatience and instant gratification permeates within their organization and it is perpetuated by their people, processes, practices, and products. They easily succumb to the continuous barrage of competitive impulses and drain tremendous amounts of time, money and effort by waging ad wars, price wars, and data wars with the competition…

According to a CII-KPMG 2017 Report, India will spend ~ INR 255 Billion on Digital Advertising alone by 2020. Just to stay ahead in the online retail race, a leading brand reportedly lost INR 14 crore per day in FY16!

…In the infinite game of business, they eventually tap out having lost the will or the resources required to keep going.

And then there are Brands that focus their energy on adding so much value to the lives of their Customers, that it elevates their existence, unlocks their potential, and empowers them to thrive. These Brands are firmly built, not merely on demand-supply gaps and fragile competitive advantages, but on their Positive Valence- the authentic, inherent, and positively inspiring strengths that are fundamental to their professional DNA. They embody real human Values and represent a Culture that their Customers proudly imbibe. They serve a larger, more impelling Purpose by fulfilling the Fundamental Needs of their Customers. They collaborate to enhance life instead of competing and adding to Entropy- they invest in creating instead of spending Crores in correcting. They command the deepest level of trust and the highest order of loyalty. They deliver a strong Triple Bottom Line of people, planet, and profits. Above all, they bring a lasting sense of fulfillment to all their stakeholders.

As Marketers and Brand Custodians, you can do a lot more and achieve far greater, provided you focus your energy on creating value instead of battling Entropy. It all starts with pressing pause and distancing yourself from Entropy. It requires you to shift your focus from the uncontrollable variables outside to the enduring constants within; It requires you to relook and redefine your brand thoroughly from the inside-out. It is what inspires Apple to challenge status quo and GE to make the World work better. It enables Lego to inspire and develop builders of tomorrow and Disneyland to create happiness for its visitors. It makes Amul be the Taste of India and Lijjat Papad be the symbol of women’s strength.

It is this paradigm shift in thinking and approach that Lokusdesign is committed to drive among Brands. Are you game?

For more on this, write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.