The Bhasmasura curse that plagues big brands
Reading Time: 3 minutesbig brands inadvertently set insurgent brands up for success that’s the Bhasmasura curse
Honey, who shrunk my share?
Reading Time: 3 minutesLarge, mature, category leader brands lose share like an iceberg melts. This happens because consumers move forward, while brands regress.
Sampling unlocks willingness to buy
Reading Time: 3 minutesMy hair mascara story: sampling, even forced trials break consumer resistance which over time converts to more usage, even loyalty
Your track record becomes your alpha
Reading Time: 3 minutesbuild a portfolio of career wins and learnings – that becomes your personal brand alpha and accelerates your career
Leading with brand alpha is also good business
Reading Time: 5 minuteswe lead with what lags and ignore what we should lead with
Brand generates alpha for a business
Reading Time: 3 minutesBrand alpha is not a distant shiny theoretical concept. It generates cold hard cash.
As a rule, Indians bend the rules
Reading Time: 3 minutesKirana stores used Jugaad to build categories in India. As we organise retail more and more, who’s bending the rules now?
Brand managers are not set up for success
Reading Time: 5 minutesYoung brand managers are thrown into the deep end. MBA education is too theoretical and managers don’t have time to teach. That’s why they need mental models.
It’s not just about the money
Reading Time: 6 minutesIt’s about fuzzy costs, and goodness. Stories, empathy, and self awareness hold the keys that unlock the mystery of fuzziness
Desire is good, desire is bad – The paradox of desire
Reading Time: 6 minutesThere would be no marketing, or even capitalism without desire. Trigger warning: I delve into the Hindu scriptures to understand the paradox of desire.