Brands....What Brands ????

This is the first blog I am publishing from my new laptop I bought just Yesterday. I take the opportunity to write about my favorite topic ’BRANDS’ on my new laptop or as these days better known as Notebook. Although I am still pretty naïve to write about BRANDS;I think I will do it. If Brand Management was a religion then Al Ryes and Jack Trout would definitely have been God. Both have an amazing clarity of thought when it comes to brands.
It took me about an hour to write this article not only because of the fact that I am just an amateur at brands, but also because the static touch pad of a laptop is pretty difficult to get used to after using a mouse for 11 years, but it will happen soon. I still remember the first time I tried to double click on a mouse. It seemed damn difficult but it is just like the blink of an eye now. Also forgive some formatting mistakes in the article because it is a branded laptop and I could not afford a complete MS Office original CD.I am writing using a software called MS Works which came along with the package. Actually to be frank I could have easily afforded to buy the MS Office cd for 3500 bucks but the fact is that we live in a country where buying authentic software is not very popular and I simply could not digest the fact that I am paying Rs.3500 for MS word which is easily available everywhere and for which no one pays. So I decided I will install a pirated version soon, and till then use the software MS Works. It seems pretty pathetic ,but it seems I can at least write and share my thoughts.
The Notebook is a new Sony VAIO FJ270.This is the costliest investment I have made on a computer ever. Not because that the configuration is mind boggling or something. It is good no doubt or in fact amazing just like most of my choices….. Forgive my boasting here but there are certain incidents that make me believe so. It’s a 1.86 Giga Hertz Intel Centrino processor with 1GB RAM and 100 GB Hard disc. Its got an integrated Motion Camera and an inbuilt Microphone. Both of them have amazing clarity.
But I guess the price I paid still seems too much to me. The reason is that I have never bought a branded computer and a branded original software. And the paradox is that I want to be a brand manager, who will make other people believe that paying a premium for a brand is indeed worth it. I am not changing my stance here on what I have believed for most of my life and I am also not being a hypocrite. Its just that I always knew that a branded product gives me one very important thing “Promise of value”. It is then the responsibility of the product to fulfill the promise. If it fails then both the product and the brand fail. And money spent on building the brand and the entire brand building will look like a useless exercise.So the product is equally important and it is only the quality that can sustain a brand.

“Brands are exactly like human beings. If you engage them, they blossom, if you ignore them they shrivel, they get hurt easily, and once they fall down it is very difficult to bring them up again”

In today’s world when getting into the minds of the customer is very important, brand is an asset of marketing I feel no company can or ideally should not ignore. They may have a detailed report of their product and depending on the feasibility they may decide not to invest money on their brand, but my point is that it should at least be considered as a important factor and it should be at least thought about.

What is your favorite brand ? is a question that keeps on popping up among friends, family etc.
In fact the real motivation of me writing about brands today was triggered by the same question which Divya asked me today. I answered Provogue , Nike, and many more. But then I realized there are 2 ways of answering this question. One is just saying what brand you like to possess and the other way is by going back and looking at the fact that which product has been branded the best. Most brand managers think in this way. It is not wrong to think that way. But I want to be a brand manager and if I ever do, then I would like to answer this question the first way. The reason being that at the end of the day the consumer makes the choice and it is very important to think their way. Most of these consumers have an image in their mind about a brand and a feel good factor. You have to acknowledge it and respect it to be a successful. Brand manager. You have to know what the consumer thinks about the brand and not what you think, only then can you make successful decisions about your brand and that too with extreme confidence.


Another important and the most basic question about brands that keeps on coming is,
What is a brand after all ?
I think a product has a physical attachment with the customer, but a brand has a emotional attachment with the consumer, and a good brand has a stronger emotional attachment with the consumer. This is fine but what astonishes me is the fact that some people have limited the brand concept to just products and services. And surprisingly, they know a particular brand is a good brand, but they do not know why ?
Let me explain.
If you ask me which is my favorite brand, I will say ‘Superman’. Many people would be surprised because of my choice, those who are not surprised will be when I tell them why.
If I ask those not so surprised people, why Superman could be my favorite brand, many would say because it is one of the highest selling comics, some would say because it was a very successful movies. This is what the problem is. Ok my choice is Superman because it has a strong emotional attachment and that’s because Superman is every child’s fantasy to fly. Can there be a stronger emotion attached ? The answer is No.
When this is realized by most Indian Brand managers , India will not only start producing brands which are strong, but they will be globally recognized and will be competitive than the Nikes and the Sonys….

Time to end this article as all the purposes are over. I am well versed with the new static pad, I am feeling comfortable with MS Works, the cheap replacement for MS Office and I think I have answered the question of what my favorite brand is and why. Thank you Divya for triggering the thought.

30tH April Dhimrock ….on the bed ...at my house….