Wednesday, July 29, 2009

brand GANDHI

When we think of a product, we tend to think of a brand and subconsciously our mind gets involved in the brand projected towards the product. To ascertain my thought in the generalized situation ,I am sure; if asked about soap or chocolate probable response would be either Lux or Dove (if asked to a lady) etc, for soap and may be Cadbury for chocolate. Similarly if we need to think of mobile phone in India it’s definitely Nokia which strikes in our mind instantly. Brand gives familiar identity of the product.
As a mater of fact, brand is intangible product which simulates in the mind of a customer before it really gets sold. It is like mind over matters, akin to the Indian politics , where we are put to simulated situation before it converts to reality and the projections are so meticulously and lucratively branded making election feel like a product and people exercise their franchise with lot of enthusiasm as if to realize benefit of the product immediately after election .

The recent result of the Lok Sabha Election 2009 is the greatest testimony to illustrate my argument. Like Zoozoos to Vodafone, its Gandhis to Congress. Brand matters, however,brand building is also an aspect for the brand to come as winner and if we go back to history of Indian politics we have only few prominent charismatic personality in our mind. Prominent among them are Netaji Subash Bose, Gandhiji and the Nehru family which dominated post independence Indian politics. Further, it’s the family lineage that works wonder as in case of Rahul Gandhi win over the psyche of the population. The brand Gandhi was predominant across all ages, castes, and above all among different political parties which joined the bandwagon. It was a sheer victory of brand in the minds of the beneficiaries i.e. constituent domiciles, the people of India, at large. Congress party, just like any company, campaigned the ambisously planned product called Rahul as a youth leader; someone who is willing to understand the generation next of India. The strategy was well above the agenda which the congress party had put forward during the campaign and the result is a clear mandate by the people of the nation. From a brand prospective it is certitude win of priceless brand at the cost of the product i.e Congress party (confusing)

Although it is debatable, “Is Brand Congress usurped by Brand Gandhi?” However, going by the results whether it is Rahul and Sonia or Varun and Menka they all won from their respective constituencies. Irrespective of a winning or the loosing party, brand Gandhi was victories in all politically correct grounds. Moreover, it is nobody’s fault- but as a nation we always look for an idol, a demi–God to follow or worship at every moment which turned out to be unprecedented one. Also if we consider other than Congress they all lack brilliance in the brand value to influence enormous geographical area or the ambassador of deliverable identity even though they all had an agenda well recited and well documented. It was indeed the success of brand and the constant phenomenon called ‘change’.