It has often struck me as strange that the much-vaunted French luxury industry, a growing and sizeable part of the French economy, doesn’t include automobiles, especially passenger vehicles. Given their penchant for design, their understanding of exclusivity and luxury and their engineering prowess especially in aviation and high-speed rail, it is rather strange that they… Continue reading Why Do Cars Get the Cold Shoulder in French Luxury?
Category: Brands
Why is America So Lousy at Luxury?
The world’s largest economy and super-power par none. Bastion of laissez faire capitalism, where millions are made and lost each day. And a country that has taught the world all about brands and the art and science of building them. But why is America so terrible at building luxury brands? A Californian White Wine; Image:… Continue reading Why is America So Lousy at Luxury?
Peter Drucker and Today’s World of Work
While reading an article by Theodore Levitt titled Marketing Myopia, I came across a reference to Peter Drucker’s Principles of Management and Concept of a Corporation and I thought I must read them. Principles of Management was not available on Amazon India, but there was Practice of Management, also by him. Concept of a Corporation… Continue reading Peter Drucker and Today’s World of Work
How Brands Can Propel Business Strategy Forward
In my last blog post on brands, I had written about brands having the ability to affect and influence companies’ operations at the corporate level, not merely at the marketing level. That is, if brands are used to determine and guide a company’s direction. If used strategically and imaginatively well, brands might even help reinstate… Continue reading How Brands Can Propel Business Strategy Forward
Protected: Looking Ahead to 2022
Building, Managing and Measuring Brands
In one of my recent blog posts, I said I would like to read David Aaker and Kevin Lane Keller and I am glad to say that I have just finished reading Aaker’s Building Strong Brands that I ordered from Amazon. A lot of it was familiar territory to a seasoned advertising professional like me,… Continue reading Building, Managing and Measuring Brands
The Return of The Prodigal
In recent days, the Indian media has been full of news and views about Air India finally being sold to the Tatas. Divestment done. People have also been opining about how this reflects the government’s seriousness about privatization and reforms. My reaction was: If only it had been allowed a couple of decades earlier, when… Continue reading The Return of The Prodigal
Between Equity and Valuations, What Brands Represent
We all talk of brand equity, especially in the advertising and brand communications industry. The Economic Times in India even has an advertising and marketing supplement called Brand Equity. What exactly do we mean, when we speak of brand equity? The term has come to encompass many aspects of a brand’s growth, from brand awareness… Continue reading Between Equity and Valuations, What Brands Represent
Of Writing and Writing Instruments
The act of transcribing one’s thoughts on a page or any surface dates back millennia and is inextricably linked with our being human and needing to communicate. Whether expressed as ideograms or drawings, like the Lascaux cave drawings in the Dordogne region of France, this form of communication developed even before languages and scripts were… Continue reading Of Writing and Writing Instruments
Setting the Record Straight on Moment Marketing
For the past few years, I have noticed a new craze in marketing circles in India called moment marketing. I have even seen posts shared on LinkedIn about great moment marketing activities and how marketers were smart enough to cash in on opportunities. I also discovered recently that LinkedIn has a page devoted to #momentmarketing.… Continue reading Setting the Record Straight on Moment Marketing










