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!

See the original article here http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/content_mail.php?option=com_content&name=print&id=3491

Debate on "Is Brand Racism the new barrier for Indian MNCs?"/Published articles: The Economic Times 6

Article in The Economic Times, 19 December, 07

Barriers are not without, they are within

Firstly, the world has now acknowledged that anyone from anywhere can come along and restructure an entire industry – if he but sets his mind to it. The world of ideas is now democratic, open-sourced and multi cultural. As Simon Anholt says: “Fifteen years ago, who would have believed that we Europeans could be happily consuming Chinese Tsingtao beer or Malaysian Proton cars? That one of the hottest-selling perfumes in Paris would be Urvashi, manufactured in India by a company that previously specialized in hydraulic brake fluid?” If there was Brand Racism, Indian tractors would not have been cleaning debris after Hurricane Katrina. Worldwide, customers are beginning to buy the best value propositions irrespective of where they come from, and shareholders will vote for the best deals, irrespective of who is behind them. Surely Indian companies will not be raising the kind of money they do in the LSE, NYSE or NASDAQ, if there was Brand Racism. If an Indian company doesn’t make the cut it is probably because it didn’t offer the best deal; or couldn’t craft the best combination of people, technology, price, service, and infrastructure. Across industries, Indian MNCs are successfully acquiring companies, setting up greenfield projects, getting into joint ventures, recruiting talent across boundaries, and building global supply chains. There are companies which have more than 50% of their revenue coming from outside India and these are not exports, but operations in several countries around the world.

Secondly, it’s not about how the world looks at you, it’s about how you look at the world. So the barriers are not without, they are within. What’s standing in the way is: faster absorption of global trends and technologies, faster products to market, sharper understanding of value propositions, rising above low cost to innovate, understanding that God is in execution, understanding the importance of messaging and marketing, quick understanding of new cultures and mindsets, global managerial talent, a global corporate mindset and thinking of the world as one market. Not Brand Racism.

See it here http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Debate/Brand_racism_is_a_new_barrier_for_Indian_MNCs/articleshow/msid-2635775,curpg-1.cms