By XYZ
It is high time for us to not just don brands but, understand them as well. Most of us, at some point or the other, get attracted to the products of the Diors, the Louis Vuittons, the Tommy Hilfigers, the Ralph Laurens, etc. Moreover we try to own as many as we can, sometimes, even at the helpless discomfort of our parents. They are often found ?cursing themselves at their foolish act of bringing us to this world. The small demons in us see, read and dream about the BMWs, the Porsches and the Aston Martins. Poor parents, how poor they must be feeling at their inability ?to fulfill ?Our Most Desired List Of Branded Products?.
How ?the ?Brands’ ?Brainchild ?Works
It would be interesting to observe how many of us have ever paused our longings for expensive branded stuff. ?Do we ever give a serious thought about how these brands were built and the toil and perseverance of those behind their creation. The creators are undoubtedly, not callous or mindless consumers themselves. They know the power of branding and the value that brands bring with them. They understand the difference between the commonplace products and those with distinctive and differentiating qualities. Having understood this difference these, highly intelligent and innovative people set out to create their own brands. This enables them to ?reap and enjoy the never ending financial, material and social power that invariably comes along.
The All-Inclusive Nature of Brands
A ‘Brand’ is a distinctive feature that distinguishes an entity from others although they all satisfy the same need. Brands can be built around products, services, people and even animals. For instance, Paul, the Octopus, became internationally famous for having acquired the expertise to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football team?s matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Its uniqueness lay in the correct prediction of the winning team using its feeding behaviour unlike other animals that failed to do so. It is indeed, remarkable that one animal has been more successful than the others (including humans) which makes it quite a distinctive skill !
The ?Trend-Setters ?are ?the ?Brand ?Bearers
Look at all the big names around, be it ?Amitabh Bachchan, ?Angelina Jolie, ?Chanda Kochhar or Indira Nooyi. They make us wonder why they command a premium spot in their respective fields. Undeniably, they have developed their very own individual brands by acquiring that X-tra edge over others. Furthermore, even those who have better academic qualifications failed to do so in the same fields owing to this factor. Such ‘Living Brands’ took those extra steps which made people think of them exclusively as representing their respective fields. They brought value to the movie producers and the organisations that they were attached to.
Unbox, ?Unlearn, ?Unthink and Amaze
Here’s a piece of advice to all those out there who aspire to break new grounds with their brands. Irrespective of the field you choose for yourself- be it medicine, engineering, finance, law, journalism, theatre, music, interior designing etc. , try to develop a unique and original way which sets you apart from the others. If you plan to set up a small factory or an enterprise, that is even better! Innovate, design, develop and create something novel.
Take a cue from Baba Ramdev and how he successfully built his brand ?Patanjali? which is giving sleepless nights to the FMCG giants whose market shares it has eaten. This swadeshi brand is expected to generate a revenue of Rs. 5000 Cr in FY 16 as a result of its global sensation.?Tom Peters, founder, Fast Company, 1997, aptly sums up the essence of creative ventures in his following lines.
“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
Featured Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnsonwatchco/32907642314/ via ?flickr.com
