Month: January 2011

Creating a Brand, Is Like Raising a Child

NOTE: Published in the advertising and marketing trade journal ADGULLY here – Creating a Brand, Is Like Raising a Child – and reproduced below:

There is a huge misconception in the marketplace, with the word “brand”. What does it mean, how is it different from a product, does it have a monetary value, can it be measured, where does the brand live, can I feel it, touch it, know it; is a soap a brand, are shampoos brands and on and on it goes. And of course each product line in large companies having its own “Brand Manager”, complicates this. If we are fundamentally unclear about what a “brand” is, what happens to the “brand” manager and more so what is his or her role? 

Continue reading “Creating a Brand, Is Like Raising a Child”

Blame: A Self Kept Burden

The outside world is deceptive in its orientation. It makes you feel, that there is something happening ‘out there’ beyond and without your reach. This deception is caused when we break our unity consciousness with all things and look through the prism of duality. Thus things begin to appear separate, people look different, forces seem to work in favour or against, alignments and agendas crop up. At the root of separation lies the idea of “us and them” or “me and them”.

But unity consciousness is telling us that everything is happening in perfect harmony and the universe is throbbing in the perfect way each moment. Continue reading “Blame: A Self Kept Burden”

The Thin Line with Lobbying

Recently lobbying has gained a whole load of currency (no pun intended) in the Indian market, with Ms. Radia in the news for probably perceived incorrect reasons. Lobbying has been defined in many ways and has a huge history. The common definition of lobbying is that it seeks to influence decisions made by governments or legislators for specific interest groups or institutions or groups of people. In fact in many countries, lobbying is not such a “bad” term as sometimes referred to in India and in some it is even the fundamental right of every citizen. For example the ability of individuals, groups, and corporations to lobby the government is protected by the right to petition in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Lobbyists actually use time spent with legislators to explain the goals of the organizations they represent and the obstacles elected officials face when dealing with issues, to clients. At its fundamental level lobbying is just another way of communicating your point of view, to people who could make a difference.

Continue reading “The Thin Line with Lobbying”