Time is the usual fall guy. There has been an enduring myth that brand building took years and decades. Then, along came upstart tech-fueled startup brands seeking brand equity and impact in a matter of days. This time-shift is being conveniently blamed for the recent entropy in brand building. But, is ‘time’ the genuine reason […]
As we navigate through a different normal, physical distance has brought the world emotionally closer. It has rewritten all known norms of socialising. But what do these changing norms mean for a country like India that has never been big on personal space? Think about how close we stand to each other in any queue, […]
Earlier in 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the world saying, “COVID-19 could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights”. With the gloom and doom in the past year, his words seem less like a warning and more like a prediction. The impact of the pandemic has largely […]
There is a distinct patriotic buzz in the air, as the countdown to the 75th anniversary of India’s independence from its colonial rulers begins. Local governments are distributing free flags to fly from every household. Bollywood celebrities are sending out best wishes on Instagram. Most marketers have prepared special Independence Day promotional materials. Even politicians […]
EdTech has been creating a profound impact at all levels of education across the world and in India. The online education market in India was valued at INR 39 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach INR 360.3 billion by 2024, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth (CAGR) of ~43.85% during the 2019-2024 period. […]
Over the last three months, many column centimetres have been invested on articles from industry experts on brand purpose. They can largely be aggregated into three perspectives. Firstly, in an age of distraction and low attention, a strong purpose gets consumers to engage with your brand meaningfully. Obviously, these people are ‘for the motion’. I […]
Caveat Lector: This is not a post on marketing, brand, advertising or media. Finally, it’s 2021, the beginning of a new year. It is also that time of the year that heralds the associated pressure of new resolutions. This even more so after all the lockdown learnings that humanity has had over the last nine […]
By now, most of us know that we are just minor actors in the giant social media circus. Our limbic brain, much against the dictates of our cerebellum, voluntarily participates in this digital merry-go-round, yearning to lay claim on our own two seconds of fame. From here, it is just a hop and skip away […]
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘normal’ as ‘Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.’ But nothing about the word feels usual or expected anymore. After a year of living through a pandemic, these abnormal times have started to feel like normal times. And the constant chatter about moving towards a new normal has […]
To stereotype or not to stereotype, that’s the question. (Apologies to Shakespeare!) Every story confronts a dilemma. At some point of the narrative, it has to decide on whether to advocate or challenge the stereotype. A good book may take several pages to build the story to arrive at this fork and resolve it. But […]