What a delightful surprise, to read an author and discover that you have been speaking the language that he spent years studying, throughout your career. That was how I felt, having finished reading Roland Barthes’ Mythologies. In what is probably his best-known work, Roland Barthes takes a microscope to popular cultural phenomena and analyses -… Continue reading Of Language, Myths, and Roland Barthes
When one is thinking about brands, it is our favourite products or services that come to mind. Sometimes, a few companies. Rarely does one think of a person. And when one thinks of people, and I mean the well-known ones, we don’t necessarily think “brands”. It would be rather odd, if we did. But is… Continue reading Person Brands: The Importance of Being Ernest or, Scott
Sharing an article that I just wrote for LinkedIn on brand purpose, since there is so much discussion around it these days. I came across a 1970 article by Milton Friedman in The New York Times that spurred me to put my thoughts down on the subject and refute some of his theories or arguments.… Continue reading Why Brand Purpose Must be Aligned with Business Purpose
Millennials will go on to become the largest population cohort in the US this year. They’ve been bringing marketers and advertisers waves of excitement and anticipation, as the largest consumer group. They’ve also been bringing them nightmares. Everyone is busy studying this group of youngsters aged anywhere from 16 to 34 who comprise such a… Continue reading Making Sense of the Millennial Myth
It's finally time for me to write a post that is more closely related to my work. And I am conscious while writing this post, that I am something of an anachronism in today’s world of advertising and brand communications, where every brand is trying to woo the millennial. Having spent more than twenty years… Continue reading How Ageing Brands Can Stay Relevant
The ignominious exit of Carlos Ghosn from Nissan Motors is making international headlines at the moment, but I would like to focus on something a little different in this piece and then examine the fate of Mr Ghosn in that context. We are all facing the effects of technological disruption in our lives and in… Continue reading Here Today, Ghosn Tomorrow
Peripatetic Perch 