India was late to the EV party, as it began its journey of electric mobility only in the past decade. It seems like it wasn’t a policy priority either for the Indian government, with our Roads and Transportation Minister, Nitin Gadkari once even quipping on a television news discussion, “What’s the hurry?” This, when the… Continue reading India’s EV Foray Running Out of Steam
There are times in every brand or company’s life, when it ages, or its audience ages, or the brand’s performance seems jaded and stuck in a rut. The reasons could be many. From the product’s features not keeping pace, to the market having outgrown the product, to stiff competition in the marketplace. We have all… Continue reading Spotting Brands with Revival Power
China has begun the New Year, 2023, by reopening its economy and freeing its people from the harsh Covid-19 lockdown conditions they had been under for the past couple of years. It had to happen sooner rather than later, I thought. Either the world’s second largest economy would cave in, forcing the government to abandon… Continue reading The Locked-Down Giant Awaketh
We should have seen it coming. The economic slowdown, after a couple of terribly volatile years, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the first year of the Covid pandemic prompted strict lockdowns in many countries adversely impacting the services part of the economy, manufacturing chugged along, even if a little slowly. Thanks to that, international… Continue reading How Advertising Agencies and Brands Should Negotiate 2023
They say a week is a long time in politics, but what a tumultuous month or so it has been for Britain and the world. It was political upheaval and changes prompted by some very irresponsible economics. If one includes the leadership changes that went before this most recent one, Britain begins to resemble Italy.… Continue reading Britain’s Time of Reckoning
With so many summits and conferences going on this month in the Global South, and many of them in Asia, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on India’s place in Asia. Also, how Asia and the rest of the world think of India and our position in Asia. We like to… Continue reading India @ the Heart of Asia
In the days when loud, full-on advertising and a host of other media content are beamed at you 24x7, including on social media, a media-shy brand sounds like an anachronism. Even more so, when it is a successful brand, highly regarded by customers worldwide and by discerning media channels. In fact, how many such brands… Continue reading Should Successful, Media-Shy Brands Advertise or Not?
It’s been a while since I wrote about advertising and brand communications on my blog, even if I have been sharing my thoughts and ideas on brands here. I mean, it’s been a while since I wrote about our business and the industry in India, and it’s not only because I have been out of… Continue reading Whatever Happened to the ‘Life’ in Slice of Life Advertising?
From the time the Covid-19 pandemic broke at the start of 2020, people have been speculating about whether working from home will be the new normal. Even at the time of SARS in the late 1990s, there wasn’t such a fuss about how and where people worked from. Everyone just assumed that after the epidemic… Continue reading Returning to the Office and Why It Makes Sense
Many months ago, I had written a blog post as well as a SlideShare presentation on Indian companies and brands in the global arena. In it, I had shared my thoughts on how many Indian companies had gone global in operations, but hadn’t done enough to build global brands yet. I had also shared my… Continue reading Tea Wellness as Part of Brand India
Peripatetic Perch 