By Manosh R Sengupta

 

1. A Brand, as is commonly referred to, is not a product, nor a service and definitely not a corporation. It is, in fact, a life form… more importantly, a human life form, endowed with a soul (values); a spirit (emotions); a mind (think) and a body (behavior). Together, these faculties create its personality (image). 

 

A brand’s life’s purpose is measured by the strength of its relationships and the value it creates for them. 

 

2. Like a new born child the brand needs nurturing, nourishing and parenting: instilled with a set of values; nurturing its emotions; guiding its personality as it matures and mentoring its relationships. 

 

3. A brand’s position in society (human life) is defined by the value it creates within the human ecology of live, work, play… much like our own lives. 

 

4. A Brand is the result of an intercourse (intellectual and emotional) between 2 partners - Agency (brand-mother) & Client (brand-father). The labour-pain phase is a testing time for both parents. 

 

5. The sensitivity of the brand-father towards the prospective mother, greatly impacts the healthy formation of the baby in her womb. The attitude of the partners towards each other determines the future of their child. Both partners need to introspect on the purpose of their relationship… their union… 

 

Is the relationship between the Client and the Agency that of a mistress (one-night stands: oppotunistic - billing / cheap vendor) or a long-term partner (life-time commitment: a trusted strategic partner with an equal share of accountability and ownership). 

 

 

6. The key question: 

 

Will the parents vie or shy from associating with this new born. 

 

7. For, when the child is conceived of love, the parenting roles are fulfilled not as a task or responsibilty but with eagerness and enthusiasm. In a metaphorical way, they are: 

8. For parents, their child is the ONE asset that is irreplaceable. The brand is no different. All other assets of an Organization are replaceable… not the brand. Take away the name ‘Coca Cola’ and the whole enterprise transforms into just another bottling unit.

 

 

 

Note: Brand valuation figures can differ, depending on the the source of study. E.g. – 2011 reports on the most valuable brands, pegged Coca Cola 72 (# 1) and 74 bln $ (# 6) by Interbrand and BRANDZ, respectively. Similarly, for Apple: 33 bln $ (# 8) and 153 bln $ (# 1). The point however is not the differences bewtenn the various reports but the importance of this value from a financial perspective.

 

9. Ask a parent about their MOST valuable asset and the answer will be ‘our children’. It should be the same for a brand, vis-à-vis the Organization. As a thumb-rule, the value of a brand should be a minimum of 40% of an enterprise value – anything less, means the brand is under-leveraged. To underscore the point, if Apple sold its business but retained the brand, the buyer would have to pay just 65% of its total enterprise value (based on Millward Brown’s BRANDZ valuation of 183 bln $ and Stock Analysis on Net EV of 525 bln $). Some example of brand value as % of their enterprise value: Google = 61%; IBM = 43%; McDonald’s = 76%; Coca Cola = 39%; Microsoft = 34%. 

 

10. Yet, we parents have to learn to let go of our children, remembering the words of Khalil Gibran, “Your children are not your children… and though they are with you they do not belong to you.” 

 

For the more contemporary minded, musically inclined, remember CSNY’s… 

“…And feed them on your dreams 

The one they picked, the one you’ll know by…” 

 

Organizations may enjoy legal rights over the trademark but its emotional ownership lies with the various stake-holders, especially the customers. Digital Social Media has redfined the territorial aspects of brand authority. 

 

11. And last but not the least, the experience of giving birth to one’s child - labour pains - is that of a spiritual-orgasm. 

It’s nothing short of a miracle when a woman willingly undergoes intense physical pain just for the reward of sublime joy, at the birth of her child. In a metaphorical sense, I connect to this phenomenon through my work. Having parented a few brands (notably Idea Cellular), I can vouch for this.

 

- The writer is a Brand-parent, Nurture & Mentor of iconic brands such as Idea Cellular, Kingfisher Beer, Wipro Acer, Reliance Mobile, Dulux and many more.

website: www.brandattitude.org email: [email protected]