The Yin & Yang of Brand Strategy

 In a world filled with effusive adjectives; here's a sobering thought - the perfect brand strategy does not exist.

During my years in advertising, as a CMO and more recently as a marketing consultant; I have created, presented and commented on countless brand strategies.

One thing I have learned is that its impossible to find a strategy you completely agree with. 

This is especially true when the decision makers are diverse groups with different levels of understanding and objectives or where the environment has a level of ambiguity/subjectivity; as often happens in branding decisions among groups.

Infact I used to comment that show me any strategy (however good it is); there is always some fault one can find in it. 

As a matter of fact; a bit of discomfort may sometimes be a sign that the strategy is not cookie cutter/familiar and is differentiated!

Hence to make decision making practical; I would typically  use my own interpretation of the 'Yin & Yang' symbol in philosophy ( with due apologies to the followers of chinese philosophy)

While the actual interpretation of 'Yin & Yang' maybe different ; my interpretation in the context of decision making  is that in every strategy even if you agree with it ; there would always be something that you (or the group) does not agree with (Yang). And conversely there can always be a strategy that you/your group wholeheartedly disagrees with that may have something you like/agree with ( Yin)

So before evaluating any strategy ; it maybe a good idea to be philosophical of how to arrive at a decision and look for a strategy that may not necessarily be perfect; but what you mostly agree with (Yang)

I have found this helps condition the mind to be more open to ideas and practical when deciding on them.

Try it and let me know if it works for you.

What's your Brands Sound Signature?

Here's another insight from my audiophile journey that can be applied to Brand Marketing.

Its not a musical logo ( MOGO); but something that defines how we look at overall Marketing efforts - the Brand Sound Signature.

In music ; every set up has a 'sound signature'. In simplified terms ; this signature is a combination of three frequencies ranging between 20 Hz and 20 KHz (that human hearing can perceive)

1. High Notes ( approx 2KHz to 20 KHz) - sometimes known as treble ; these are notes are those which are most perceptible and direct. Too little treble in this region can lead to a muffled and veiled sound, while too much can produce a harsh or grating/fatiguing  tone
2. Mids ( approx 250Kz to 2 KHz) - sometimes known as center  frequencies- where maximum warmth and dialogue of the sound appears. This frequency range is often the busiest part of the mix, with many of the most important components competing for space - we can generalize and think of it as the “core" of a sound. Too little midrange can lead to an empty-sounding signature. Too much midrange emphasis can lead to a cluttered and "boxy" signature. Cup your hand and speak into it - the change you hear in your voice is the result of midrange resonance, an effect that is commonly referred to as a boxy sound.
3. Bass ( approx 250Hz and below) - these are the low notes add 'body' to the sound. Recall the 'thump' of bass? These frequencies ( especially at the lower end) are so low that their qualities are frequently felt by our ears more than they're really heard. Too much bass can make sound fat and undefined, while too little bass can lead to a weak sound that lacks proverbial oomph.

Sound signatures are a combination of these three notes. 

For example sound with too much treble is 'bright' while that with too much bass is 'dark' .

Based on the combination, the brand signature can be W shaped( all high), V shaped ( high bass , high treble, low mids etc), balanced etc etc. Here are some examples. There are many more

But how does sound signature connect to marketing? 

Just like your music set-up has a sound signature; your brand can also have a sound signature. Applying the sound signature metaphor to marketing 

• Highs/Treble  is like performance marketing. Most perceptible and direct with immediate results. However if you only do too much of this; it may lead to customers being fatigued with your brand
• Bass is like brand marketing. More 'felt' then heard. But an integral part of adding body to your marketing efforts. Building emotional connect and hence awareness and consideration.
• Mids are like product marketing - the bridge between purely functional sales generation/treble and the emotional connect of brand marketing/bass. Helping move the brand from consideration to action

You may decide to have a combination of two or three of the above. In different weightages. You may even decide to have only one ( at your own peril ; ofcourse) . That's what defines your brands signature.

So the next time you plan your brands marketing campaigns; do spend some time on evaluating what kind of Brand Sound Signature you are generating.

It's what the your consumer will hear.

Disclaimer : For sake of simplicity have reduced frequency types to 3. There are many more nuances that you can read about here

'Consumerise' institutional research reports. Enter the Heroverse

The Challenge 

 Equity research reports provide an analysts perspective on the economy , sector or stock. Theese reports are a wealth of information and much sought after by investors ( HNI and institutional). These reports how suffer from two challenges 

1. They consist of reams and reams of information tightly packed with charts/graphs. They minimum run into double digit pages 

2. Due to their popularity and as a source of marketing; everyone seems to be generating tonnes of research reports - retail brokers, institutional brokers, wealth management firms, AMCs etc etc As a result there is little differentiation in terms of how these reports are presented 

 Ambit Asset Management decided to do things differently. 

The Brief 

 Ambit Asset Management runs various PMS & AIF portfolios targeted to HNIs. As part of the marketing , they decided to create research reports of the various stocks . 

The Marketing Solution 

Rather than present these stock reports as individual reports; we decided to present them as a universe of stocks . After all Ambit Asset Management was a portfolio of stocks; then why not a portfolio of stock reports. 

The name arrived at for this portfolio came from an amalgamation of the fact that these were a universe of 'hero' stocks in the Ambit Asset Management portfolio : AMBIT HEROVERSE 

The creative idea was to treat each stck as 'superhero'. Taking cues from superhero comics; the stock was presented as one. The superhero images were AI generated for uniqueness, scability and cost optimisation 

Rather than a boring pdf; a flipbook in comic format was created laying out all the information in a unique and easy to read format Have a look at various reports in flip book form .

Entero Healthcare Solutions

Icemake Refrigeration Ltd

Thejo Engineering Ltd

 Learning from consumer marketing, the Ambit Heroverse approach to equity research reports presents a new way of marketing of institutional research reports.

 

WE DIDN'T START THE F.I.R.E

F.I.R.E in financial services is an acronym for Financially Independent Retire Early As a concept it has always existed - in Financial Advisor credentials decks, on financial planners websites, on financial services brands calculators. However it has not been marketed in a meaningful way to the average person Thats what Finnovate has set out to do. Using the emerging need for early retirement and the insight that people dont want to stop working by compulsion but by choice; Finnovate urges people to 'GET FIRED' or better still 'FIRE THEMSELVES' Here's the campaign

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE; THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME

The NIFTY in 2012 was less than 6000. The NIFTY in 2024 just crossed 26000. In 2012; 90% of traders lost money in the stock markets. Infact I had written an ad on the same as part of a larger investor education campaign Here's the ad

SEBI just released some data on traders this week.

As can be seen; while the market has gone up over 4 times in the past 12 years and equity penetration has increase manifold; retail traders still lose money. That too in bullish markets. Something for equity marketers to think about

CONTEXT. CONTENT. CELEBRITY....... and COMMUNICATION

If advertising can seamlessly be seen as content it makes the brand message powerful. And if this is done in the correct context using the right celebrity; then sone pe suhaaga

Ganesh Grains is a well known brand for atta, maida, suji , besan etc in the West Bengal market. However when it comes to spices; it is a challenger taking on the well entrenched competition like ITC( Sunrise), Catch, Tata etc

It's campaign for spices hence needed to punch above it's weight.

This started from the brand strategy. There are two main criterion for selection of spices( masala's) - freshness & purity. Ganesh decided to focus on the 'purity' proposition as it had a propreitery colour sorter technology that helps sift out the differentiate pure vs impure/imperfect whole spices at the grinding stage itself so that you get the purest spices.

Hence the functional proposition of colour sorter technology for purest spices

But how do we make this proposition contextual content?

Don't you sift a good apple/mango from a bad one based on its colour? Don't you see the colour of a rose to figure whether it is fit for gifting or not? Sure ; fragrance too matters; but your first level of selection is based on looks/colour. 

We hence came up with the creative thought of " Rang Diye Jaye Chenna" - rang se (purity) pehchano

Then came the creative leap of presenting this context as content using a celebrity.

Byomkesh Bakshi is an Indian-Bengali fictional detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Referring to himself as a "truth-seeker" ; Bakshi  with his sidekick Ajit) is known for his proficiency with observation, logical reasoning, and forensic science which he uses to solve complicated cases, usually murders. The role in recent years has been most successfully essayed by Anirban Bhattacharya . This has helped him achieve almost cult status in the West Bengal diaspora.

The idea hence came up to create a series of advepisodes ( my term:)) showing Byomkesh solving different crimes using the indelible proof of 'colour' as the proof of purity - a fake vs real Red Diamond , blood vs tomato sauce at a crime scene or even colour draining from a persons face that marks him as the culprit. When asked how ; he answers - 'rang hi hai purity ki pehchaan'

The campaign started with teasers for an upcoming film starring Anirban to create intrigue. It then morphed into a multi media launch consisting of TV ads, social media, outdoor and onground. The campaign has just been launched in end August 2024 and will run through the Durga Puja season as well

Credits

Ganesh Grains : Mr Manish Mimani, Angshuman Ghosh

Agency : Blue Stockings

Look beyond the NIFTY 50

 For someone entering the equity markets; the NIFTY 50 is the bellweather index to invest in. Thats because it consists of blue chip large caps comprising India's largest stocks.

However; there is another index which is the true Bharat Ka Index. An index that captures the true essence of the Indian stock market with over 90% of its market cap covered( vs 51% of the NIFTY), an index that comprises all 21 sectors ( NIFTY 50 covers only 14)  and combines all the stocks of Nifty 50 Index, Nifty Next 50 Index, Nifty Midcap 150 Index, and Nifty Small Cap 250 Index. Globally too indexes like the S&P 500, S&P China 500, Stoxx Europe 500 are a bellweather of the stock market. And what's more ; the NIFTY 500 has outperformed the NIFTY 50 in terms of returns ( 15.6 vs 14.1% CAGR or 36x vs 26x ) as well as lesser volatility ( see details here)

So if you want to participate in the growth story of the Indian stock markets but don't know what stocks to buy but still want to invest; you should look beyond the NIFTY 50 and invest in the NIFTY 500. What's more there exist cost effective Index Funds that help you do this efficiantly

This is the focus of an investor education campaign by Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund. As an equity investing expert, MOAMC 's investor education efforts too go beyond generic messaging on SIPs etc to more specific messaging on how investors can make the most of the stock markets.

The creative idea has been to use the metaphor of another bellweather of the stock markets - the bull.

Have a look at the campaign below which is a combination of TV, print , digital and on ground messaging. 

Campaign conceptualised by The Sweet Spot and executed inhouse by the MOAMC Marketing team

TV

PRINT AD

DIGITAL