Mumbai: Where "Survival is the Art of Living"/Published articles Adage.com/2 Dec, 08

A Street-Level Look at the people, culture and temperament of Mumbai, India's Sprawling City of 13 Million Shaken by Last Week's Terror Attacks
Indifferent sadness." "Impotent love." "No whining. Accept hardships and keep going." "The show must go on." These were but some of the comments from consumers during a study by JWT India on the character of Mumbai just a few months ago. In the aftermath of recent events, the value of Mumbai-ites' resilience became a subject of debate. Many felt what one of the respondents said: "Riots, bomb blasts, floods. ... The city bounces back by forgetting and that, I personally feel, is a bad thing. The city should come to a grinding halt. That is when there will be considerable thought given to what led to these adversities and real steps will be taken to prevent these from happening."

So, according to the study, what makes Mumbai what it is?

*First, day-to-day life is a struggle

"Mumbai is a draining city in a physical sense; one requires tremendous amounts of energy to get through the rigors of every day life in Mumbai."

"Traffic is chaotic, most people have to spend five to six hours commuting. Mumbai's productivity is reduced by half due to traffic related delays."

*Yet, it's a city of opportunity

"Setting goals and achieving them is what people come here for and they focus on that." "Strugglers here continue to have their dreams despite their failures; especially in fields like media, films."

"Mumbai has a culture of intense competition. The number and scale of opportunities available are immense."

*Be competitive and you'll reap rewards

"Survival calls for competitiveness as well as preoccupation with own matters; hence being self-absorbed and indifferent is natural to the seasoned survivor in Mumbai."

"People do not mind being right or wrong as long as they get ahead in life and achieve what they want."

"Mumbai has no sympathy for the newcomer. He or she has to be ready to compete and work hard, suffer and endure to get going in this city."

"Don't resist the hectic pace, go with the flow, the current will carry you forward."

*Therefore, there is no time to dwell on the difficulties

"If your car is bumped, then you abuse that person and move on. You do not get into terrible rage like in some other cities. They do not want to get trapped in such situations ... it is smarter to move on."

"If you are traveling in a train, there will be so many times that you will be trampled, jostled ... but you have to pick yourself up and move on. That is the attitude that surviving in this city calls for ... forget and move on."

"Despite the frustrations, you do not find a lot of violence. If people are stuck in traffic jams for a long time. You might find a lot of horn honking but not physical violence."

*Mumbai is often trapped in situations that it cannot control.

Terrorist activities are situations which Mumbai cannot control. Politician's actions also trap Mumbai in a way."

*Indifferent sadness and impotent love

"Mumbai only feels sad. Imagine a person hit by a train. People here will feel sad, but there is not enough action as a result of the sadness because people do not either have the time or the inclination. They leave it at feeling sad. They will tide over the guilt of not doing anything by thinking that 'I at least felt sad ... so what if I could not do anything about it.'"

*People do not speak out

"The average person in Mumbai is not inclined to speak his mind out on controversial issues; the fear of repercussions as well as the 'mind your own business' attitude act as deterrents."

"They cannot afford to spend time on such issues. People generally refrain from making political statements openly. They want to avoid trouble, not get trapped in situations."

*There is no 'Voice of the City'"

"Power is in the wrong hands. The sentiments of the political power does not necessarily reflect the views and sentiments of the larger Mumbai public."

"Though Bollywood people are representing Mumbai, they are not doing anything personally for Mumbai."

"Though there are personalities in Mumbai who appear in TV interviews, all these people have no power ... nobody listens to them ... they only cater to the elite class. ... People who are really affected, they do not have any voice. Whatever leaders that they have are those who try to take advantage of the situation."

"The social fabric of the city is quite complex. The class divide is quite stark. So you do not have people responding to or uniting on larger city issues that do not directly affect them."

"You will have a group talking about pedestrian spaces being misused and another group talking about the attack on open spaces in the city. But you will never find people coming together as one group and talking about larger issues like terrorism that threaten the city."

*Mumbai does not have a vision of its future

"Mumbai lives in the present and does not think too much about the future. If they thought more about the future, then there will not be too much of dirt, filth lying around."

"Those here do not have the time to plan for two, three years down the road. They do not think of planning for the future, think of larger causes like environment, etc."

*"Survival is the art of living in Mumbai. "In Mumbai, it is difficult to survive and also easy to survive ... you just have to be a little street smart."("Art of Living" refers to one of the biggest offerings in the new age "spirituality for wellness" domain in India.)

Now, even the definition of street smart has changed. For the people who will just honk and move on, for the people who just want to carry on with their goals, for the people who just want to live and let live, being street smart now means dodging bullets.

~ ~ ~ This article quotes entirely from "A Tale of Four Cities," a proprietary JWT India Brand Chakras Study that set out to uncover the forces that make the character of each of its four metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; and understand how citizens relate to their cities. The qualitative study involved Depth Interviews with journalists, radio jockeys, psychiatrists, advertising professionals, HR consultants and Focus Group Discussions amongst citizens of each city, a mix of men and women, young adults and older, long term residents and recent settlers. Mythili Chandrasekar, executive planning director at JWT India, steered the study.
See original article at http://adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=132935

I Also Want to Write About Barack Obama!/Article in adage.com/14.11.08

Lessons Learned in Learning Lessons From the Most Spherical Campaign Around

The marketing fraternity gets excited when there are lessons to learn, especially when these lessons come from outside the corporate world. So of course, when someone like Barack Obama becomes president, we can pick up many new instructions in management and marketing, mainly from the marketing gurus who love to rush and write about them in the papers. The faster you can figure out the lessons, the better. Now don't get me wrong, they are really good articles. It's just that being somewhat connected to marketing, and also an occasional writer of articles ... I also want to write about Barack Obama.

The first step in Writing About Barack Obama is figuring out whether you have five, seven or 10 lessons. Then you discern who these lessons could be for. CEOs, marketers, organizations and brands have already been targeted.

I'm a planner by trade so my first thought was to reach out to my ilk. But Umair Haque, who wrote "Obama's Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators" for Harvard Business Publishing, beat me there. Sample: "Obama's campaign took a scalpel to strategy -- because they realized that strategy, too often, kills a deeply lived sense of purpose, destroys credibility and corrupts meaning." So "Six Lessons Strategic Planners Can Learn From Barack Obama" was out. As was "Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators."

Also, you need some new concept words to make your lesson unique. You know, like "blue ocean," "flat world," "long tail." According to Mr. Haque, "Obama's organization was less tall or flat than spherical." That's right, spherical. And his organization was "self-organizing." Gosh, I need something like that for my article too.

In this regard, Al Ries' "What Marketers Can Learn from Obama's Campaign," published on this website, was not very helpful. He says Mr. Obama teaches us "simplicity, consistency, relevance." No new concept words there, just good old horse sense. And not at all what I'm looking for. In fact, Mr. Obama does not really teach us any new lessons; he has simply applied the lessons Mr. Ries taught us long ago, but we never learned. (He also says something sarcastic about chief marketing officers who keep changing jobs and slogans, but never mind that for now.) As Mr. Ries points out, we learn from Mr. Obama that we shouldn't change our slogans often; our slogan itself should be about change. And as they all point out, it's not about small changes. We have to change the world itself.

Then there was John Quelch's "How Better Marketing Elected Barack Obama," also for Harvard Business Publishing. The lessons from here include: Be charismatic, be a great public speaker, convert empathy into tangible support (read: money) reach out to all, have consistent messaging, combine functional with emotional benefits, use new media, outsmart the competition, fight the ground war brilliantly and have an excellent marketing and campaign team.

Phew ... if only.

Even still, that leaves me with many brands for which I have no world-changing ideas, no compelling biographies, no funds and, worst of all, no concept words. It also leaves me without a title for my article.

I suppose it could have been "Three Lessons the Advertising Industry Can Learn From Obama." (Just three should do, because some feel the advertising industry takes a long time to learn its lessons.) But apparently Mr. Obama put his money where the ad industry's mouth is now -- in digital! (In this regard, there are anything from 23 to 52 lessons.) He has taught us lessons in logo design, website design, messaging, twittering, mobile alerts. He has schooled us in how to build social networks and e-mail lists, to distribute widgets and to bring in the under-30s. And most of all, a key lesson in domain names. It's not barackobama.com but my.barackobama.com. That's right. Co-create, put the customer in the center of the universe. (See, he has only done what the advertising industry has been saying for five years now.)

And of course the ultimate lesson is his central message: "I can't change anything, only we can." Actually, no. The ultimate lesson is getting that "we" get to pay for his campaign.

Aha! An aha moment. A lesson. If the competition runs expensive TV ads, and your client does not have the money, raise funds from your consumers -- through the internet! That's co-creation. That's the 21st-century organization. That's spherical, surely.

See, we don't want to just run a great campaign with our client's money. We want to change the world ... by launching My.consumerspayforads.com. Ahhhh. There's the title: "One Lesson on Marketing Budgets From Barack Obama." And for all you disbelievers in advertising out there, who think we can't pull this off, there is of course only one message. "Yes we can."

Original article at http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=132545

Giving Fairness Creams a Fair Shake/Post in Adage.com - Global Idea Network/28.10.08

How the Messaging Surrounding the Controversial Product Has Evolved

Women's fairness creams -- which work to lighten skin color -- is a large product category in India and has from time to time attracted the attention of feminists as being a regressive offering that perpetuates fair skin as an yardstick of beauty, a symptom of our "colonial hangover." Over the years, the promise of these creams has moved from you can find a husband if you are fair to the idea that a lighter skin tone will get you a job. Progressively, ads have shown women having the upper hand in choosing partners, and the jobs they can get have moved from air hostesses (traditionally a "modern" profession according to the large Indian middle class) to cricket commentators, reflecting a more recent male bastion that the Indian woman has stormed! Meanwhile, realizing that a fair (pun unintended!) percentage of users were men, the market has seen the launch of new brands of fairness creams for men, like Fair & Handsome. Lowe's latest ad for Unilever's Fair & Lovely, the largest brand in the women's fairness creams category, has moved the needle further. The story revolves around a man who is pushed to extreme measures to get his bulging waistline into shape because of the effect the woman has on him, with the tagline "The power of beauty." Surely, a telling comment on the changing status of women in Indian society. From "I'm worried about whether the man will accept me" to "See what an effect I have on the man." You really have come a long way, baby!

Original post here
http://http//adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=132070

Indian Women to Get Tools to Break Glass Ceiling/Post in Adage.com - Global Idea Network/15.10.08

New Program Trains Unskilled Indian Women in Trades

From breaking the glass ceiling in boardrooms to using micro-finance at the grassroots and driving rural entrepreneurship, from working night shifts in BPOs to teaching foreign children online from home, from biking in the Himalayas to being employed by banks to recover loans from defaulters, Indian women are breaking into so many male bastions -- even as the better-off spend more and more on looking more beautiful and showing more skin! Here is a small news item in The Hindu dated Oct. 13 that made me salute the gender, one more time. Take a look. They are now being trained by the Building Association of India in electrical work, painting, carpentry, plumbing. Said M.K. Sundaram, chairman of the Builders Association of India: "The women have been deprived of the opportunity to effectively contribute to the industry. As they are unskilled, they get low wages. This initiative of providing training in painting, plumbing, electrical and carpentry work for women unskilled laborers will help them earn more. It will also contribute well to the construction industry." May the idea spread. This is not just a positive step forward from women carrying heavy loads in construction sites. Maybe our problems with the slippery tribe of male household maintenance jobbers will come to an end!
Original post here
http://http//adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=131743

Bollywood's Oscar Submission: A Film With a Message/Post in adage.com - Global Idea Network/30.09.08

Bollywood has the largest film output in the world, making at least twice as many films as Hollywood does in a year. And that's only the Hindi-language films -- there are at least five other thriving vernacular-language film industries in India. So you can imagine how difficult it is to choose just one entry for the Oscars! First, the arguments: Was it really the best? Were politics involved? Did the right movie's team lobby well enough? ... And when we don't win: Are we really not good enough, is it racism, is it lack of marketing, or is it that "they just don't get it"? But this year, all Indians will be proud of the entry "Taare Zameen Par" ("Every Child Is Special"). The choice reflects two trends: the rise of "message movies" and the rise of the film star as activist. In this movie, actor Aamir Khan -- known to do fewer films than others because he chooses his themes with care and also known for supporting causes offscreen -- pulls off an outstanding directorial debut. "TZP" (we like to abbreviate our movie names) is the story of a dyslexic child and how a sensitive teacher transforms him and opens the eyes of the parents. At a time when Indian parents are increasingly "pushing" their children to higher academic and all-around performance, the film makes more than one statement. The last time Mr. Khan was at the Academy Awards, in 2002, his movie "Lagaan" lost to "No Man's Land." His "Rang De Basanti" didn't make it to the shortlist in 2007. Now, India crosses a billion fingers and waits with bated breath, hoping the phrase "third time lucky" is true!

Original post here
http://adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=131359

Equanimity and enlightenment: can brands play a deeper role?/Published articles, Financial Express 7

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, August 5th, 2008
Chakra Watch 7: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.
Sahasara or the Crown Chakra is about enlightenment, wholesomeness, positive transformation, inner peace, enthusiasm and fulfillment. The seat of psychological maturity, it is said to develop when we face difficult choices in our personal lives and external challenges. The Brand Chakras framework calls this life space “Surrender to Spirituality: Mental and Intuitive Intelligence”. It does not require as was thought in earlier days, renunciation of the world. Rather it is about being aware of a higher force at work, balancing worldly pursuits and spiritual thinking, remaining grounded, and even healing and transforming others around us.

Strong crown chakra people have a clear idea of who they are and what they want to do, have no illusions about life, like to do things flawlessly, stay peaceful in any situation, and are in general, satisfied with their present life. Their strategies in life include acknowledging an inner voice, cultivating humility, disciplined living, an ability to tone down expectations and a willingness to put others before self. As a result they seek or experience a higher quality of living and being.

The classic crown chakra archetype is the guru, while the negative archetype within the same space is the egotist – excessive crown chakra can manifest as egotism, superiority, overly intellectual, intolerance of the spiritually immature, self denial or superstitiousness.

Traditionally religious and ritualistic, India of course became the spiritual fountainhead in many ways to the materialistic West. While in India we now have magazine cover headlines that say “Tango with God” and ads like the recent one of Tata Sky ad that takes a light hearted dig at spiritual channels and people who watch them. Advertising, in general has used spirituality in a lighter vein, or to strike an emotional chord - like the Reliance mobile ad in which the young lady connects with her grandmother by calling her so that she can hear the temple bell. The third type can be found more in serials and films - the fake guru or purohit, who every now and then, makes newspaper headline too. The endless scenes of prayer in our soaps, and the villains’ disregard for rituals underlines the Indian concept of “good people are religious and bad people are not”.

The larger point in India today is of course that spirituality has actually merged with day-to-day physical and mental health, and a search for achievement and realising potential as against a search for divine truth. The focus is on a greater sense of what we are capable of and a search or realization of what our individual higher purpose might be – and this is indeed a Spirituality Chakra focus.


Brands – or products and services - wanting to offer Sahasara payoffs can explore payoffs like: helps me to face life with equanimity; helps me to reach the divine; helps me achieve my potential; helps me to get my inspiration from within; helps me to resist pleasure. Brands that offer enlightenment, self realisation, actualisation, perfection, inner peace and infinfite enthusiasm, emotional healing and positive transformation will fall into this space.


The best examples of Spitiruality Chakra offerings would be books – from Deepak Chopra to Neale Donald Walsch to Rhonda Bryne, even Stephen Covey and Jonh Maxwell in their own ways. And a hundred others in between. Life skill courses, religious channels and magazines, and of course mythological serials and movies, all offer Sahasara payoffs. Holiday brands and spas too offer shades of equanimity, relaxation and peace, though not enlightenment.

The implication that emerges is: as brands proliferate should we be asking deeper questions of our brands to help differentiate? Each of us could ask of our brands questions like: Is there anything about the brand that seeks to connect with our soul? Does the brand have a spiritual quotient? Any possibility of a nobler association? Can associating with this brand bring about any transformation in our lives? Does the brand believe it has a larger mission beyond its apparent functionality or the more traditional “emotional benefit”? Given that stress is increasing in a hundred ways, can brands help to face life with equanimity? Given that all Indians are seeking to raise the bar on achievement, one way or the other, can brands help us to achieve our potential? Inspire from within? Help bring about transformation in the world around us?
Given that India is at heart a highly spiritual nation, have brands explored this space enough?

10 reasons why brand building is the hottest business in the subcontinent/Published article in Campaign UK, July 4, 2008, Insider's View/India

There are many reasons why it is so exciting to be in the business of brand building in India today. I’ll give you ten.

Because Lalu Prasad Yadav, the rustic Hindi-speaking minister, the butt of jokes on his nine children and rural background, engineers the financial turnaround of the Indian Railways which was going bankrupt and takes it to a massive surplus.

Because, in cricket, the Indian Premier League is rewriting marketing. Drawing inspiration from global football formats, the IPL is creating world sporting history by taking Twenty20 cricket in India to dizzying new cost structures, sending media dynamics into a spin; bringing sports authorities, businessmen and Bollywood together; and transforming the fan base - that is used to cheering the country to cheering for clubs – or better still, cheering for performance.

Because new consumer groups are emerging every day – from the global Indian to the working woman; the health and fitness conscious to the new mother and child combination; the IT executive to the socially reponsible citizen.

Because anything and everything, anybody and everybody is a brand – film stars and gurus to politicians and socialites. And they are each doing an excellent job of shaping their identities, planning their activities and planting their messages - teaching brand builders a lesson or two.

Because of the unboxing, as it were, of the world of products and services. For example, health is now not just health and hospitals, but health and spirituality, health and tourism, health and psychology, health and music, health and beauty, health and dance, health and sports.

Because advertising and branded messages are becoming ubiquitous – even the tiny 2-inches-by-2-inches paper packet with holy temple ash is branded – by an educational institute, among others.

Because Lead India, a direct marketing programme based on citizen governance, for India’s leading daily The Times of India, wins a Cannes Grand Prix.

Because a lot of advertising declares that it is “Good to be bad”. Revenge, selfishness, coveting, lying are now all ok! So are manipulative children, cheeky bold brides, naughty old ladies and unabashedly sexy wives.

Because the contrasts continue. Indians are the third largest group on Orkut, though fewer than 4% of Indians are online. Tha Tatas buy Corus – the largest Indian takeover of a foreign company, while Ranbaxy, the biggest Indian pharmaceutical success story, sells out to a Japanese brand – just like that. India builds the world’s first $2500 car. And Indians are waiting to buy Swiss watches worth $250,000.

And because the biggest brand getting built is Brand India. From snake charmers and holy men, to chicken curry and software engineers, to confidence, optimism, hard work and ambition.

Inspire me, make me wise/Published articles, Financial Express 6

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, July 2, 2008
Chakra Watch6: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.

The Ajana or third eye chakra is higher up in the great Indian spiral, in the territory of active intelligence, wisdom, will power, and the ability to direct. Articulated as the Transcendence Chakra, this is in fact a much sought after payoff in India today.

India is moving away from the original meaning of transcendence – intense peace and tranquility, feelings of detachment, and strong emotions of tolerance and non-competitive co-existence. Today, there is a clear adaptation of spirituality for day-to-day living – a coping mechanism to manage stress rather than a true seeking of the divine. And more - from the merely neutral to the positive - a desire for mental evolution, in a way that inspires superior performance in the work arena, and takes you closer to achieving your potential. This has been both initially fuelled and further enhanced by spiritual leaders reaching out with more user friendly religion, as it were. This has been a big shift for India.


The roots of Transcendence people come from self awareness of a very high degree, an aptitude for spirituality, some life transforming experience. Ajana people have a maturity that belies their age, use the ability to be a witness to their own lives, have a keen knowledge of their own emotions, the ability to act in a measured manner, follow high standards of physical and mental discipline, and effectively use spirituality in day-to-day living. As a result, they seek equanimity, stress free living, look forward to being of moral guidance to others, are good with perspectives and therefore problem solving abilities, and have a higher intuition that guides their actions. Perfection, abstract thinking, will power, discernment, striking a balance among various facets of life characterize the Transcendence consumer.

Active intelligence in India today therefore needs to be seen as demonstrated by people who have clearly left the survival stage far behind, climbed through power, and now wish to use it all to shape a higher order contribution, give back to society and guide others. Successful and well established businessmen for example, who have run the race, are showing the urge to create something new and different, raise the bar, transform and inspire. People with strong personal vision are reaching out to others, from positions of power and leadership. Excellence in problem solving, right perspectives, intuitive leadership, and high quality living that
does not necessarily rest on tranquility but starts on a path to pioneering and visionary work.

Another proof of communication that appeals to our Transcendence Chakra is the surfeit of column spaces like “God in Gucci” and the fact that Sunday papers and magazines are now full of articles urging you to live in the now, let go of past baggage, find spirituality in all activities - cooking, gardening or running a company. Books like The Secret, and the entire body of self-help books which urge us to develop the power to invite luck into our lives, offer this payoff.

Payoffs for brands in this chakra include : inspires me; appeals to my love of perfection; helps me understand deeper aspects of life; makes me believe obstacles are stepping stones; reflects my strong will power; reflects my leadership qualities; recognizes that I am a discerning person; encourages me to do things that have not been done before; gives me mental calmness; helps me make my own decisions; helps me realize God.

The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs, a Brand Chakras study with technology workers, revealed that they sought personal evolution and knowledge advancement even through technology gadgets. The study revealed that technology is no longer just about convenience and greater efficiency, its influence on the average individual is more profound and life defining. Technology brands could be a powerful agent of mental evolution and therefore offer Transcendence Chakra benefits.

“Cause brands” and “purpose brands” that seek to rise above the day-to-day and find a larger wave to ride, seeking to influence, change, and transform, operate in this space. The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras study on the global Indian revealed that brands that stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes, brands that aim to transform economies, societies, and the way individual lives
are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs, or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and
achievement.
In fact, when asked what they want from relationships, global Indians clearly sought “inspiration” and “encouragement to do things that have not been done before” from every relationship – be it spouse, parent, employer, or friend.

Interestingly, consumer groups held up Abdul Kalam, and Manmohan Singh as examples of good Transcendence Chakra people, whereas Sage Viswamitra they said was excessive transcendence, because pride of wisdom and anger crept in!

Unlocking Mind: Climbing the ladder of technology benefits/Published articles/ The Economic Times, June 10, 2008

Clearly a section of Indian consumers are reveling in the new-found enjoyment of technology products – be it personal computing, internet, telecom services, mobiles or other visual gadgets. “Technology is encouraging me to live life king size; it is making the experience of living more pleasurable” said a young technology worker in a depth interview recently. With more and more Indians working in technology-creating companies, how will our relationship with technology change and what do brands have to do to translate technology benefits to emotional payoffs? What is it that drives early adopters, what creates the urge to learn and experiment and how does learning new techie tricks make you feel?

“The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs”, a recent JWT Brand Chakras study revealed that the tech coin has two sides. There is efficiency and indulgence, refuge and escape, conformism and showmanship, child-like delight and intellectual growth. But the dominating themes are Power and Pleasure. As a young BPO worker put it, “Technology helps to influence others in my friends’ circles, with the latest gizmos, I have the knowledge of technology that they do not have. This gives me a kind of power and helps me dominate.”

At a social level, there is an obvious celebration of the financial capacity to buy, “Technology is making my life more efficient, but that is more of a bonus; the main benefit is the social benefits. I now have to keep up the impression that I have the latest with me”. The theme of “makes me feel more intelligent than others around me” also dominates. At a personal level, a tech savvy amateur photographer declares, “My friend bought a new digital camera and he does not know how to use it; I just took it and showed him how to use all the features and I was able to create a positive impression before my friends”. At a business level it goes as far as, “Earlier customers used to bargain for discounts. But now though my product quality is still the same the gadgets that I flaunt in my office increases my clout in dealings” !


In work life, technology can facilitate democracy or meritocracy, foster conformism or creativity. It can be a performance leveler: “I have never stood first anywhere, in my second year of engineering, I dropped two subjects. But now I feel very powerful with these gadgets, I feel more positive about myself”. Or a performance booster: “I want technology to boost my spirit to enable me to go beyond the limits while competing with co-workers.”

How you use technology depends on your orientation. You could be looking to satisfy your need to belong or your need to be individualistic. At the very least, technology helps you celebrate life, but as you go up the ladder, it becomes a tool for intellectual evolution. The Brand Chakras study identified five types of technology mindsets. The Doer: keen on upgrading quality of everyday life, with a thirst for ease and efficiency in day-to-day life, wants technology to maximize life and help balance different spheres. The Connector: strong urge to nurture relationships and stay anchored. The Indulger: fundamental need for fun and entertainment to cope with day-to-day pressures. The Discriminator: pressured to establish, redeem, conquer, catch up or breakaway to create a distinct identity and distance himself from the rest. The Explorer: instinctive thirst for excitement through new experiences and keen to constantly add new facets to his life.

People who work in tech environments are particularly confident that their abilities will help them to make a mark wherever they go. They feel their tech knowledge gives them the confidence to face any new situation, reduces risk, increases experimentation, helps go beyond the immediate brief, takes them closer to perfection, and of course brings out creativity. As an animation specialist said, “With technology, now whatever I imagine, I can turn that into animation. It is easy to translate thoughts, plans into real form and this encourages me to think of new things, imagine freely”. Reflecting a deep desire for maximum utilization of inner resources and a sense of continuous improvement they say, “ Using technology , I would like to achieve something that has not been done in the past. I want technology to help me in my innovative thinking. I want technology to help me translate my innovative thoughts into real products. Technology can overcome the gap between my thinking and reality. I want to do things that have not been done before.”


Clearly, technology will no longer be just about convenience and greater efficiency. Its influence on the new techie Indian will get more profound and life defining. Technology is increasingly being seen as the most powerful agent of mental evolution. The power and worth of any technology will increasingly be evaluated in terms of its ability to unlock and express the power of the mind and the intellect. So while we all start by being Doers and Connectors, we’ll aim to climb the ladder and go on to being Discriminators and Explorers.

The Art of Creative Expression/Published articles, Financial Express 5

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, June 10, 2008Chakra Watch 5. Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.

Writers, artists, musicians, activists, journalists, film makers with a message, and anyone in the business of Creativity… communication is vital to their being. They know their gift, have to honour it and must speak out their truth and stand up for what they believe in, even at the risk of being different, or standing apart. They are the Throat Chakra or Vishuddha people.

Throat Chakra people are said to have a greater sense of personal vision than the average person. Highly self aware, they have a through knowledge of themselves and believe in optimum use of personal faculties. Strong willed, clear thinkers with exceptional communication skills, and a strong sense of purpose, they have the urge to reach out to others and be heard. They have the ability to inspire others, and aspire for positions of power. Speaking the truth means a lot to them and they shun dishonesty and gossip. Artistic, they like to develop their own distinctive style, and like to try out new ideas. They are generally believed to be very trustworthy and meticuolous planners and appreciate others’ creativity.

Excessive throat chakra people could be blunt, with a lack of control of expression and a tendency to oppose others views all the time and an inability to listen. On the other hand, weak throat chakra people will have trouble expressing their views. Non participative and introverted, they are representative of the silent child archetype. Another manifestation of this chakra are the excessive “intellectuals” who can’t combine intellect with the spark of creativity.

Brands that stand for higher creativity, the search for truth, clear thinking, accuracy and
perceptiveness and artistic expression are Vishuddha brands. Think media brands. Think brands that speak up and take on causes. Think brands that are built on higher truths and creative expression.

Brand creators can ask the following questions of their brands. How does the brand help consumers to express themselves? Sunsilk’s Gang of Girls, TOI Lead India, HSBC’s yourpointofview.com are examples here. Is the brand honest in its expression, does it reveal a truth and perspective of life that has integrity? Why should the world listen? Does your brand make a difference to the world by expressing its truth? The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is another example. Tata Tea speaks up for good governance, Femina speaks up for women’s empowerment. In fact, brands that “give you the confidence to speak your mind” is a strong women’s benefit these days. Citizen journalism too is a reflection of the growing need to speak up. Many telecom and mobile brands operate in this space, encouraging expression and communication. The rediffmail ad that ads a layer of purposiveness to e-mail communication is an example too, of a brand using its throat chakra differently.

Think Barkha Dutt and others like her – the journalists who don’t just report news, but stretch and strive to unearth truths, influence events and public opinion, and even create news! Think Al Gore, and the very title he is known for “An inconvenient truth.” Think of the great speech makers of history and how much the exact expressions of their truths have influenced us. Think lawyers, radio jockeys, even cricket commentators. Think the cousin or friend with whom it is impossible to win an argument!

In a different way, comedians would combine throat chakra with pleasure chakra, the seat of laughter. A message movie like MunnaBhai combines throat with heart chakra, the seat of universal love. While so many of Indian women’s film falls bang into throat chakra space – be it Astitva, Chandni, Water and the like, because they in fact deal with topics hitherto swept under the carpet and seek to release suppressed emotions.


Consumers who lack strong throat chakra qualities seek to be extroverted, aim to be the center of conversations, want to say the right thing at the right time, like the idea of being able to speak fearlessly, and change the way the world perceives them by saying what they mean, and meaning what they say. Those who are already inclined to expressiveness even more appreciate brands that reflect their own search for creativity and boldness of speech.

Key brand payoffs that operate in this chakra are:
Makes me speak only the truth and nothing else; helps me convey my views without any fear; helps me to say the right things at the right time; brings out my creativity and innovative ideas; makes me feel more intelligent than others around me.

The most recent examples would of course be cricketers – those with balanced throat charkas who speak calmly reflecting honesty and integrity versus those whose tongues run away ahead of them, constantly inviting trouble and engaging in verbal duels! Not to mention politicians with a penchant for putting their foot in their mouths!

Where has all the love gone?/Published articles, Financial Express 4

Article in The Brand Wagon, Financial Express, May6 2008

Chakra Watch 4: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.
News reports of more and more elderly people living alone or checking into old age homes. Reports of marriages breaking down more frequently and faster. Reports of heightened rudeness in urban life. More intolerance in relationships all around. Reports of children committing suicide because of parental pressure. While everyone is saying “I want to be accepted as I am, for what I am” there is increasing unwillingness to accept others as they are. There is not too much place for compassion in the workplace, with competence and competition getting celebrated. With selfishness, restlessness and aggression becoming virtues, nobody really believes that the meek will inherit the world any more…not even in India. And certainly not in the cricket field. To turn the other Gandhian cheek nowadays is considered foolish. Except in an occasional Munnabhai. India’s Heart Chakra is definitely weakening.

Heart Chakra or Anahata people have by nature, a selfless state of mind. More open to sharing and caring, more given to empathy and sympathy, careful not to hurt, generous and kind, they bring peace and calm to those around them. Harmonious relationships are very important to them. To them life is not a competition, certainly not at the cost of relationships. They are more able to give and more gracious and forgiving than normal. Look around and spot the person in your office who people tend to go to, to share their problems and ask for a shoulder to cry on; the person who goes out of his or her way to take up other people’s causes. Spot the person who has more patience with other people’s weaknesses, is the best team player, stays back to help others, and generally seems to have a lot of faith in the human race. Spot the person who is best at understanding other people’s problems, and the best at being genuinely happy at other people’s successes, and you’ld have spotted a strong Heart Chakra person. If in a roomful of boisterous 15 year olds, you find one whose heart is breaking for the pigeon caught in the balcony not knowing how to fly back out through the bars, then you know you have a spotted person with a good Heart Chakra.

Anahata brands bring harmony, calmness, generosity, grace, cooperation, unconditional love. Anahata brands offer payoffs like : helps me to maintain good relationships with others; helps me to accept others as they are; reflects my calm and peaceful nature; reflects my helpful nature; makes me face unfriendly situations with politeness ; brings out the kindness and compassion in me; makes others come to me for solace; reflects my sentimental nature.

The innocent charm of the Hutch ads, the heart tug of the Airtel grandfather playing chess, the reassurance of many finance and insurance brands , the ads that show sons and daughters taking care of their ageing parents, or the boys in the Surf and Lifebouy ads, appeal to the Heart Chakra needs in all of us. As does the spirit behind “Hum Hain Na” – be it the movie or the ads.


The most significant aspect of India’s changing Heart Chakra is our changing attitudes to the relationships in our lives. The key point is that the focus is on what we want from our relationships rather than what we are willing to give. The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras study on the global Indian showed that young Indians chasing power and fame put career ahead of family, and manage the situation by getting the family to buy into his vision for himself and explaining that they will all benefit from his success. Even friends and networking is important because “you never know when they will come in useful”. Friend or spouse, the expectation is inspiration and support in the hunt for fame and glory, over compassion and solace. Mother India, a Brand Chakras study on mothers and children revealed that even mother’s love is not selfless any more. For all her effort, the mother wants her child to reach a position of power and influence – and tell the world that he got there because of her. While she may justify it as “I am saying all this for you only” , clearly she is judging her own success as a mother through the worldly success of her child. A study on Chakra Payoffs from matrimony revealed the dominance of Survival and Power Chakra payoffs in what young marriage prospects seek : security and stability Survivla Chakra payoffs; courage, optimism, control- Power Chakra payoffs. Interestingly, men tended to seek peace, companionship and emotional support more than women, while women focused a lot on freedom and money. As a talk show panel said the other night, money is sexier than even sex.

All consumer conversations around the payoff “helps me maintain good relationships with others” shows a strong “matlabi” tendency. Even food brands that earlier said “so tasty that you’ll want to share” now prefer to say “so tasty that you want it all for yourself”.

Perhaps the only anti-trend is the increasing value of social responsibility – but is even that genuine compassion or just one more way to get attention, build influence, and acquire a halo? Or an unconscious “prayaschit” for lack of genuine kindness and compassion in our day-to-day relationships?

Of the Solar Plexus and Fire in the Belly: Published article, The Financial Express 3

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, April 8, 2008
Of the Solar Plexus and Fire in the Belly: the Desire to Influence and the Drive for Power Is Driving the Indian Consumer Today

Chakra Watch 3: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality – these are the seven basic life themes, based on the seven major chakras in the human body, that drive all human behaviour.
Easily the most dominant mood of the day, India today is enjoying a heady sense of a possibility of dominating others, and a growing realisation of its superiority. Emerging from the power-deprived scenario of its pre-independence days, armed with a large young population, India discovers opportunism, materialism and a high degree of ambition. Developing and putting to use its agile, active and resilient mind, India is learning showmanship and projection of leadership skills. After years of believing in destiny, Indians are beginning to believe that there is scope to shape one’s own destiny. Brand India seen through Manipura, the solar plexus or Third Chakra Payoffs is a true reflection of what the country makes Indians feel today.
Centered in the solar plexus – the seat of power, ego, authority, self control and discipline, Manipura or Power Chakra brands reflect and/or enhance courage, self-esteem, persistence, leadership, good will and right actions, and aim to compensate for a lack of self-confidence and empowerment.
Power Chakra people are said to be clear principled, have control over their thoughts, have unending positive energy, are goal oriented, and have a great desire to influence others. They have typically attained a certain degree of safety and security in their life. They can be diplomatic, active or passive as the situation demands. Sentiments like "there is no place for pity" and "life is a race" are strong Power Chakra sentiments. Absence of power, on the other hand could lead to a lack of control over circumstances, an inability to assert, dependence on others’ acknowledgement, and an inability to congratulate oneself… "I don’t think I’ve achieved anything much".
The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras ™ study on the global Indian(young Indians interacting with the world daily as part of their work, who have lived abroad and returned) revealed a combination of Power Chakra, Creative Expression Chakra (throat) and Transcendence Chakra (third eye). Some typical power statements went like these: "I need personal professional growth because people should know me like they know Mukesh Ambani." "My work symbolizes my influence over others, I can see that my opinion counts and that I make a difference here" "My work reflects my highly competitive spirit, but often I'm competing with my own benchmarks..." "Power. You have people beneath you… people whom you can control…who will listen to what you say… I enjoy power… that is it."
Driven by positive self image, and high confidence in their own skills and talent, the young global Indian shows a pronounced eagerness to seize the initiative in any situation; a restless urge to be proactive in shaping his own destiny; a gleeful realization that the "Indian" badge is a significant advantage on the world stage and an impatience to encash this to the maximum; and an inclination to acquire larger than life status through career and money. In fact, a clear desire to play God, if not today, some day soon.
In a different way, the small town and lower SEC desire to become IAS officers and police officers that focus group discussions often throw up, is a clear indication of their search for power, as they see these professionals as symbols of great local power and influence. The police officer as hero is a dominant theme in tamil cinema, and news reports say that the IAS cadre is indeed attracting more candidates from small towns than the metros.
On the home front, the Brand Chakras ™ study Mother India showed that the seat of mother’s love too was moving to the solar plexus. Mothers showed a high degree of ambition on the social and materialistic planes. There is clearly heightened eagerness, laced with impatience, to be able to ride the crest of the "mother’s pride" emotion. They are today willing to assume responsibility for children seizing the opportunities in life, and are pushing their own limits as individuals in order to play an enabling role in children’s lives. Probably this explains why we tend to see more mothers behind the winning young idols in reality shows, than fathers.
Key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Manipura people and their needs include payoffs like: reflects my clear principles, makes me look at life with a lot of courage, helps me achieve my goals, symbolizes or helps me build my influence over others, helps me to be decisive and clear, reflects my sense of ruthless ambition, helps me to be in control, helps me feel good about my achievements, and reflects my highly competitive spirit.
Examples would include apparel brands and accessories that reek of high corporate status, car brands that talk of horse power, corporate wars, political battles, the matriarch of many hindi movies including the foster mother in Jodha Akbar, and of course Tulsi and Parvathy – arriving after 18 years in an Arjuna-like chariot, or attacking the villains with Durga-like trisuls.
But the best example would be the business and news media brands of today, wanting to not just report news but actually create news, shape and lead public opinion if not policy itself.

In Pursuit of Pleasure: laughter challenges, six-pack abs and exotic holidays/Published article, The Financial Express 2

Article in Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, Mar 4, 08

Chakra Watch 2: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality – these are the seven basic life themes, based on the seven major charkas in the human body, that drive all human behaviour
From a culture that was more preoccupied with the past and the future, and a background where denial of pleasure was considered noteworthy, India today is fully living in the “now”. Increasingly, Indians are reflecting an intense urge to milk maximum happiness from each living moment. At their own levels and in their own way, people in different sections of society are finding ways to live life more fully than ever before. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, might as well enjoy today” is a common refrain. And when asked to share good moments in focus group discussions, people often come up with smaller, “made-my-day” kind of joys than big, life changing moments.
Pleasure Chakra people are generally people who have had fairly privileged upbringings and wish to live life without feeling bogged down. Impulsive, excitable, they are in constant search for higher levels of materialistic living, curious living and rich experiences. There is a tendency to shrug off accountability and disregard commitments. The inability to control cravings and putting one’s own feelings ahead of others are some of the “imbalanced” traits of Swaddisthana or Pleasure Chakra people. They take pride in themselves and what they have and like to enjoy their belongings. Manipulation, selfishness, jealousy, greed, flaunting wealth have all come out of the closet and in fact there is a celebration of the seven deadly sins, as it were. Light hearted advertisements now reflect a “it’s fun to be bad” attitude.
The other big themes in this chakra are laughter, anxiety about attractiveness, sexuality, and luxurious living. And so is “physical creativity” or creativity of a lower order—say, beautiful homes as against higher order creativity like painting, sculpting, writing which would be Throat Chakra activities since they involve, in their own way, a larger search for truth. Little day-to-day acts of creativity, from candle making to puppetry are Pleasure Chakra activities.
Sexuality, the need for appreciation, the need to feel attractive and develop a magnetic personality are also Pleasure Chakra needs. Aneroxia, and the need for surgical intervention to look beautiful, imply an excess of Pleasure Chakra, while disinterest in sex would imply deficiency and an inability to derive pleasure. Clearly, seven-day beauty miracles, six-week skin solutions, Viagra, perfumes and deos that have the whole female population following you, six-pack abs and beauty diets cater to Pleasure Chakra needs! Romantic love is a Pleasure Chakra need as against universal love and sympathy which are Heart or Love Chakra qualities.
Swaddisthana brands therefore cater to anxiety about attractiveness and the need for escape. They add positivism, magnetism, and joy to living, and partner in the pursuit of pleasure. So key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Swaddisthana people and their needs include payoffs like: creates the desire to try new things, makes me feel attractive, reduces my anxiety about attractiveness, brings me appreciation, fills me with vitality and joy, makes me laugh, helps me make people do what I want, permits me to be manipulative and devious, makes me happy with myself so that I don’t have to be jealous of others, brings me sexual pleasure, reflects my passionate nature, helps me enjoy life at every opportunity, and encourages me to experiment and try new activities.
All beauty brands, perfumes and deos, many apparel brands, FM radio, laughter shows, confectionery brands, ice creams and some foods which offer lip smacking taste (and not nourishment) would all be using Pleasure Chakra promises. Walls ice creams, Cadbury’s Temptations, juicy soft drinks come to mind. As also “I am worth it”—the feeling that I deserve to be happy. Breakaway weekends, exotic holidays, the desire to try everything from new foods to white water rafting are Pleasure Chakra activities.
Films like Devdas and love stories fall here, as would Jab We Met, and the whole genre of all those sweet, light hearted Hollywood romantic comedies. While a “message comedy” like Munnabhai would end up as a combination of pleasure (humour) with a combination of transcendence (third eye) because off its higher order point of view, with shades of Heart or Love Chakra qualities that it advises.
In a random population sample Brand Chakras™ survey of Indians in general, women showed a higher level of pleasure seeking, willingness to be devious, seeking appreciation, and jealousy at others happiness. Younger people recorded higher pleasure scores, as did people in Delhi and Mumbai. However Delhi-ites and Mumbaikars also showed a higher need to do a lot more in life before they can be happy with themselves, and would go to any extent to get their way.
Pleasure scores went up with income. Lower income people were predictably lower on pleasure and felt less deserving of being happy. Interestingly, people with income above a certain point felt more need to be jealous, devious, and more demanding of themselves before they can be happy. After all, figuring out whose plane is bigger and whose party was more extravagant, finding unique exotic holiday destinations every time, and searching for high end brands that cost the earth can be taxing!

Indian Concepts in Health and Wellness: Published articles, The Economic Times 7

Article in The Economic Times, Feb 12, 08

Ayushmaan Bhavah used to be our original blessing for long life. A full life where you go through all life stages––student, bachelorhood, family/household man, societal & community do-gooder and then sagely detachment––was the basic and most ubiquitous desire and blessing. Embedded in this core definition of long life/healthy life was the concept of immortality. Youthfulness was a subtext.

If you think of Hindu mythology, two broad health archetypes come to mind. The first is around wellness that comes from discipline, not giving in to cravings and excessive desires. Intrinsic to this is not only disciplined food habits but also right behaviour. In fact, according to Hindu psychology, diet influences character and behaviour. Lifestyle, exercise, diet and faith blended together. If this was the sage archetype, then a different health archetype would be the mythological warrior, who would need to eat more heartily for the purpose of war.

For the real heroes, body building and physical strength was accompanied by focus and concentration in war methods as well as ultra powers acquired through prayer and penance. Perhaps Arjuna could be held up as this combination of great looks, great physical strength and a great focused mind as well as a symbol of spiritual inquiry. For women, of course, health was best demonstrated in the ability to bear many children with ease, and little else. Perhaps that’s why it has taken so many centuries for Indian women to start putting their own health on their priority list (but that’s another article for another day).

Getting back to food and behaviour, Hinduism recognises three broad categories called the gunas. Some foods leave us feeling tired and sluggish––the tamasic effect. Other foods leave us feeling agitated or over-stimulated––the rajasic effect. The third category belongs to foods that leave us feeling calm, alert and refreshed––the sattvic diet.

People with sattvic essence are said to be learned, pure, courageous, skillful, resolute, free from anxiety, endowed with sharp memory, having a serious intellect and engaging in virtuous acts. Sattvic foods are light (as opposed to heavy) in nature, easy to digest, mildly cooling, refreshing and not disturbing to the mind.
Whole, fresh, in-season and local foods, organic foods, fresh dairy and vegetables fall under this category. Also, the food should be fresh and freshly prepared. Leftovers are decidedly tamasic, as is meat. Salty, spicy food, onion, garlic and the like have a rajasic effect, which fuels desire. Rajasic people are active, passionate, excitable––selfishness, greed and restlessness included.

Coming to today. Through the ’90s health in India was about tackling illness. Science and allopathy rose. Today, ironically after the west discovered Yoga and alternative healing, health started getting redefined in India too –– ‘wellness’ is a new word and today tagged along with the word ‘health’ all the time.

Four trends emerge. One, spirituality as Prozac: religion got adapted as a relevant coping mechanism for today rather than the ‘before life-after life’ focus it had earlier. Two, physical and mental well-being as a composite is today becoming the order of the day. And modern medicine is trying to incorporate alternative treatments to offer a holistic way. We are beginning to hear of surgeons who are also into reiki or pranic healing; and physicians in leading hospitals incorporating aromatherapy into their recommended treatment.

Three, healthy habits are practiced alongside unhealthy habits! So, on the on hand, we don’t mind food stored overnight in the refrigerator (tamasic), but on the other hand it’s nice to say; “Oh, I just have a fruit for breakfast” or “I’ve started buying only organic (sattvic) vegetables.” Strangely, the magazines are full of advise on sattvic foods, but in our work sphere we are celebrating the rajasic spirit required for aggressive action and success.

Lastly, health & wellness today is not so much for long life but to realise and unleash your full potential––physical, mental and spiritual well-being; to help you cope with, or better still prevent, stress and illnesses and for youthfulness, beauty and vitality. So, today’s ultimate health icon would be a combination of a beautiful fit body, high potential mind power for large scale achievements, as well as spiritual strength to face the good and the bad with equanimity. This icon then combines the sage and the warrior... we could say, the return of Arjuna, as a corporate sage-cum-warrior who fights in the Kurukshetra of global business, runs branded marathons and attends Art of Living classes! “Global takeover bhavah”!

Chakra Watch 1: What do mothers, action movies and energy drinks have in common?/ Published Articles, The Financial Express 1

Article in The Financial Express, Feb 5, 08

Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.


Seeing India through the seven chakras

Whether it is the student who is stressing about admissions. Or teenage girls with typical vulnerabilities of their age who are trying to reconcile the gap between what they actually are and the bold media portrayals of women today. Or lower SEC mothers who are pinning their every hope on their children to bring them better futures. Or the thousands of Indians striving to learn English so that they are not left behind. Large numbers of Indians are on self-preservation mode, looking for security, stability, grounding – these are the Muladhara, or Survival Chakra people.

These are the people who were particularly restricted in the past and had diminished self-images but have caught attention by their determined effort to redefine goals, raise the level of persistent efforts and have managed to raise their lifestyles and self-esteem despite inadequacies. Witness the endless stories on the rise of Indian women, the rise of small town people and the rise of the lower SEC. Rags to riches, sudden fame and wealth through hard won contests and revival or comeback stories capture public imagination.

People in this chakra are – naturally – deeply worried about the future. They are of two types – the Anxious Survivor and the Buoyant Survivor. While some remain anxious, get bogged down, and feel an inability to get out of circumstances, others are buoyant and lively with more faith in their abilities, and drive themselves to come out of adversities unscathed. Most consumers in this chakra are conscious of their strengths and weaknesses, tend to set manageable goals and hope that persistent effort in place of brilliance will see them through. Anxious Survivors choose stagnancy over risk, and find security in maintaining the status quo. They need the cushion of certainty and predictability, even if it is limiting. Buoyant Survivors, on the other hand, are determined to climb out of their current situation and are in search for positions of power and influence, almost with a vengeance. These are people who feel more pressured to keep pace with change and are not willing to accept things as they are. The “do tharah ke log” that the famous Bunty aur Babli dialogue described so evocatively.


A recent JWT Brand Chakras™ study, Mother India showed that many mothers are in survival mode, but the fact that they want their children to reach high positions of power and influence and make them famous, shows that they are wanting to move up to the Power Chakra. These are mothers who feel their husbands are unlikely to improve their lives any further, and pressured by fast upgrading neighbours and relatives, are pinning their hopes on their children to lift them from a life of oblivion and transform their fortunes. Children by nature are said to be in survival, as in the early years we are still learning our way around the world.

Muladhara brands can cater to these emotional needs with brand benefits and promises that enhance the will to live, offer energy, fearlessness, stability, freedom from drudgery, bring abundance and physical strength, and support the urge to survive. Brands offering physical strength and love of outdoors operate in this space.

Thumbs Up and Mountain Dew would be examples here, as well as health food drinks, energy foods, immunity and health protection or illness prevention brands. Insurance is mostly a survival benefit, with its promise of security and stability in case of misfortune. The diffident girl of the earlier fairness cream commercials, and some of the teary, self effacing characters in the soaps who never speak up and are forever victims of circumstance are excellent examples of Anxious Survivors or a deficient Survival Chakra. On the other hand, the WWF characters with their extremely well developed bodies and driven by aggression are examples of excessive Survival Chakra.

Action movies too operate in this space, in a totally different way. Malamaal Weekly, Gangster, Provoked, even Chak De for example appeal to our survival intincts, (as against Guru which clearly celebrates the journey of an individual from the Survival Chakra to the Power Chakra).

Therefore, key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Muladhara people and their needs include payoffs like: fills me with a will to win, reflects my spirit of persistence, helps me to face difficult situations, makes me feel energetic and dynamic, and makes me feel safe and secure.

The interesting thing of course is that even the rich and famous – CEOs or cricketers, not to mention the Parvathis and Tulsis of our serials or our politicians or corporations struggling in the market or facing hostile takeovers - fight survival battles, even if it is at a totally different level and of a totally different kind!

Retail Trends: What's in store?/Published Articles India Today

A version of this appeared in the "Simply Chennai" supplement of India Today, dated Jan 21, 08.

In his book “It Happened In India”, iconic Rajah of Retail Kishore Biyani says that in his quest of how to take modern retailing to the next level he found his answer on Ranganathan Street outside Saravana Stores. This was in 2000, after he had started Pantaloon but before he had started Big Bazaar. It was at Saravana that the idea of Big Bazaar was born. Saravana disproved the myth that everything from groceries and utensils to silks and jewelry, could not be sold under one roof, with fast food close at hand. He saw in Saravana a symbol of the real public of India and their capacity to consume. Apparently, everyone who joined Kishore Biyani’s company at that time had to seek homage at Saravana, spending days there with a pencil and book in hand. Shops like these are meant to be crowded, and thrive on what the book says is the “butt and brush effect “ and “organized chaos”. Saravana proved the wonderful consumer philosophy that Indians love to shop as a family, and that it is a social occasion and an outing; and the simple business philosophy of low margin - high turnover. And I know it works when my son tells me that one of his friends got a Nike football at Saravana for half the price that another friend paid for the same ball in a sports shop. In fact, whenever he senses that I’m going to refuse a request for an item, he quickly tells me what price it is available for, at Saravana! Coming out of Saravana and looking at T Nagar, it is easy to believe that it could have India’s highest retail turnover in one locality. Diwali sees more than 8 million shoppers which is more than double of the much publicized Dubai Shopping Festival. Called “The Golden Furlong” this stretch claims to employ as many as 25,000 people.

On the other end of the spectrum, my friends Indu and Malini fall into the “Let’s do coffee at Amethyst” category. Indu says she never buys anything there, but goes to watch Malini buy. This is the place to take colleagues visiting from Mumbai, to show them how posh we are! It’s all about spending time and socialising, ambience and experience turn shopping into a concept, an art form. You actually don’t go to shop at all, but will casually pick up something beautiful and expensive that you just couldn’t resist.

And in between these two ends of the spectrum fall the rest of us.
The Subhiksha Shubhas who know exactly what’s available where, and when, at the best mix of price and quality, and turn shopping into a highly knowledgable act of smartness. Whether it is Sowcarpet or Purasawalkam or the famous Egmore pavement or that small coffee powder grinding shop in Mandavali, they will tell you what’s best in which Nalli, and which rice is best for diabetics and where to buy it.
Then come the Convenience Kalpanas who make do, as I do, in and around Mylapore, where I live: Luz, Tank, Tulsi, Shilpi, Fab India, Kalpadruma, Contemporary Arts, Nilgiris – and of course peeled small onions from Surya and adirasam from Grand Sweets.
And finally, there are the “mall rat” boys and girls: Inox afternoons, whole groups getting together for a birthday bash or spend a whole evening picking up “some junk jewelry and a wallet and stuff”. Young engineering students say they spend Rs 1500 to 2000 a month at malls, checking out the latest… it is a “cool place to hang out and stuff”, meet people and find everything in one place… “clothes, shoes…and stuff”! While Prabha, a young IT professional on holiday in Chennai from New York cherishes the infinite colours here compared to the endless solids and stripes there, the customization and alterations that shops are willing to do and the door delivery of movie tickets. However she feels salesmanship could do with a lot of improvement with more willingness to show and ability to participate with the customer in the decision.

Retailing to women leads trends

In fact, if you think about it, retailing to women has seen more new trends than retailing to men. What sarees, jewelry, accessories, handicrafts, home furniture/ furnishing, home building shops and even groceries have done to the retail scene in Chennai, men’s apparel, sports goods, electronics and even mobile phones have not. The reinvention and trends in sarees in Chennaia actually captures and is representative of the recent trends in retail itself.

Recent trends

* Mixing of western images and Indian formats –the Cindrella pavadai and its aftermath, leading right up to the cell phone pocket in the saree!
* The mixing of north Indian habits and design elements – zardosi, resham and jaal in Canjeevaram, as well as the arrival of North Indian colours, embroidery and designs and this is in men’s wear as well– witness the tamil groom at a reception these days not to mention the now ubiquitous mehendi ceremony with its dress codes. Extend this to food retailing – olives and salad dressings and theplas and rasam powder rubbing shoulders on the same shelves.
* The expanded idea of the saree shop - on the one hand, elaborate accessories and even cosmetics in saree shops, and on the other hand, sarees in art shops. This is best exemplified by what Landmark has become today, going way beyond books.
* Shop design almost as an art form –led originally by Shilpi and Sundari, the mushrooming of women entrepreneurs with a high sense of aesthetics, crafting lovely experiences in sarees, apparel, accessories, jewelry and handicrafts. Shops like Home Center take display to a new level as do some kitchen and bathroom shops and tile displays.
* Speciality shops - like Health and Glow in beauty products. Just parathas, just idlis, just blouses, just bangles, just curtains!
* "Jodi pattu" following unisex salons.
* Consumer participation and innovation – the Jyothika wedding saree.
* Artists as brand ambassadors – Sudha Raghunathan and Sobhana on hoardings.

What next?

Well, I’m not a futurist, but here’s a shot at it. More malls – “other cities have more’ is a constant refrain. Hyper and super markets trying to provide customers with the much touted 3 V’s - Value, Variety and Volume. More discount stores. Personal loans and insurance sellers accosting us in supermarkets. In-shop “Meet the expert” programmes. Speciality shops – music, sports, books - as community spaces. Greater emphasis on store design. More private labels. More designer wear too. More instances of convergence of retail and lifestyle spaces. Men’s products drawing from the lessons of retailing to women and crafting experiences in apparel, accessories, electronics, phones and the like. Slow and steady increase of online ordering. More retailers chasing us with loyalty cards. Customer analytics through use of technology and data capture. Consequently, telecalls for follow ups, feedback and repeat purchase or reminders on the lines of bank telecallers. Pockets of unorganized retailing getting together to become organized.Public private partnership of government retailing.

“Customers demand low prices for basic goods, but pay premiums for products that matter more to them personally. Consequently, those best positioned to grow and succeed will be huge mega retailers on one end of the spectrum and targeted retailers on the other, while undifferentiated companies, lost in the middle, risk fading into irrelevance” says a study from the IBM Institute for Business Value.

Crystal ball gazing further: will we see the packaging of T Nagar a la the Dubai Shopping Festival may be, not to mention our very own Music Season? What would be nice though is the much-awaited multi tier parking lot near Panagal Park; and more imitations of designer items at low prices!
As a blogger in Mouthshut says at the end of a review of Big Bazaar: “As a retailer, their objective is to eat deeper into your wallet. As a consumer, we should be able to protect ourselves from over spending and stay within limits. Money saved is money earned. Hope above information helps you.”

All I want right now is those divine Contemporary Arts blouses to be available at Saravana prices! For everything else, as they say in advertising, there’s Mastercard!

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