Periyar – The Great One – on Brahminism and Social Reform

As we await the results of the state assembly elections on May 2, 2021, Tamil Nadu in particular would be one to watch for various reasons. One would be to see if and how the BJP improves its score card in the state, even if in alliance with the AIADMK. The other would be to… Continue reading Periyar – The Great One – on Brahminism and Social Reform

Indian Economy Caught Between a Raging Pandemic and Politics

Just a few months ago, India was being lauded for how well it had handled the Covid-19 pandemic and how the severe lockdowns that were imposed in 2020 actually worked. Never mind that they were cruel on the lives of millions of migrant workers and their livelihoods. Still, the fact that the government quickly scrambled… Continue reading Indian Economy Caught Between a Raging Pandemic and Politics

Building a Corporate Brand Requires a Change in Mindset

As someone who has worked in the advertising industry in India for decades, I am always surprised by how few companies think of themselves as brands. Not just in India, but across the world. The few who do, think of it in terms of slapping on a corporate logo at the end of a brand… Continue reading Building a Corporate Brand Requires a Change in Mindset

Of Organization Cultures and Brands

In recent years stakeholder capitalism has been the subject of much discussion among companies and in media. However, as I have written before, the idea was first introduced by Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum way back in the ‘70s. Still, it seems its time may have finally come, as a result of the… Continue reading Of Organization Cultures and Brands

Cold War Ghostly Presences

Since I haven’t been earning an income in years and am going broke, I have to be careful about buying books. Such a pity really, since I tend to devour them. Yours truly decided to read books that yours truly had gifted father on his birthday last year, instead. The master of spy fiction, John… Continue reading Cold War Ghostly Presences

Writings on The Wall #18: Travelling Solo

While most of the world is still under strict travel restrictions thanks to Covid-19 and travel will take a while to revive, here are my thoughts on travelling solo. As a woman, it's not something I would myself try or even recommend in India. But having travelled alone on leisure overseas, I have to say… Continue reading Writings on The Wall #18: Travelling Solo

Indian Brands in the Global Arena

It has been around three decades since Indian companies started going global. First, was the Aditya Birla Group, followed by the Tata Group, Mahindra, Godrej, Airtel, Reliance and many more. What does their internationalization tell us about their brands globally, and have they even begun thinking of themselves as multinational brands? The one strange feature… Continue reading Indian Brands in the Global Arena

Women in Work Never Had It Worse

Each year, when International Women’s Day comes around, we can expect to see a lot of articles, reports and social media shares on women. Indeed, I too have something that I have written for the occasion this year. We will usually see a lot of pious statements about gender diversity in organisations, plenty of platitudes… Continue reading Women in Work Never Had It Worse

Brands Need Long-term Vision and Care

In addition to my last blog post in which I had shared five of my presentations on the building blocks of brand development, I thought it might make sense to explore other aspects of brand-building as well. I have been thinking about these subjects for many years, while observing developments in the advertising and marketing… Continue reading Brands Need Long-term Vision and Care

Will the World Ever Rediscover Its Innovative Spirit?

I don’t know how many of us realize that we have already lived through a fifth of this century, mired in crises of one type or another. It all began with 9/11 in America which led to a series of ill-conceived wars in Asia. Then, we had the Great Recession from 2007-8 onwards from which… Continue reading Will the World Ever Rediscover Its Innovative Spirit?