Possible Reversals Ahead for India Inc

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that corporate India has had a good run for the past few years. Ever since the generous tax cuts given by the government in 2019, in order to boost investment, that is. We have yet to see the investment commensurate with such tax breaks, but that their earnings have… Continue reading Possible Reversals Ahead for India Inc

Twitter’s Blues Not Just Its Own

I must admit at the outset that I am new to social media, having been raised on a diet of traditional media as staples during my entire long career in advertising in India. That said, I have learnt a few things about the digital medium during a few freelance writing assignments from old Ogilvy colleagues… Continue reading Twitter’s Blues Not Just Its Own

How Can Brands Grow Without Growing Old?

Sometime in 2019, I had written a blog post about brands ageing well and in it I had lamented the fact that every brand wants to chase millennials and Gen Z, whether it makes sense for the brand or not. Therefore, every brand also wants to always be young, hip, cool and trendy, whether it… Continue reading How Can Brands Grow Without Growing Old?

Can the Indian Economy Weather the Storms?

As the Covid pandemic wanes, one would expect most economies to recover faster. However, something called base effect prevents us from seeing better rates of growth. And so it is, with our economy in India. After the massive contraction in FY21, the first year of the pandemic, the economy staged an impressive recovery in the… Continue reading Can the Indian Economy Weather the Storms?

How Cultural Heritage Can Build a Brand

It is not that unusual or uncommon to find brands using a particular aspect or dimension of a country’s cultural heritage to build their brand image. Think of Scotch Whiskies or wines and there are many that leverage a nation’s culture to build their brand or an entire product category. I have shared my thoughts… Continue reading How Cultural Heritage Can Build a Brand

What Makes a Well-integrated Corporate Brand

In today’s corporate world, well-diversified companies with interests in several businesses abound. It is part and parcel of most companies’ growth strategies. Yet, we also find cases of companies shedding non-core assets every decade or so, in order to improve their financial performance, but equally to focus on their core competencies. In fact, both sets… Continue reading What Makes a Well-integrated Corporate Brand

Reimagining the Media Landscape After the Pandemic

As with everything to do with the pandemic, there is a pre- and a post-. And so it might be, with the advertising and media landscape, though how much of it is enduring, we still can’t tell. At the start of the Covid pandemic in, well, … it seems like it’s been with us so… Continue reading Reimagining the Media Landscape After the Pandemic

Brands and Competitive Advantage

Recently, I wrote on my blog that I had ordered a copy of Michael E Porter’s book, Competitive Advantage along with Peter Drucker’s Practice of Management. I have written about the first, though not as a book review because it wouldn’t have been fair to Drucker. As far as Michael Porter’s book is concerned, I… Continue reading Brands and Competitive Advantage

Why Do Cars Get the Cold Shoulder in French Luxury?

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?

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?