by Tina Mehta at 9:32 am 1 June 2010
Filed under: Home Page
Our proposed brand for the Unique Identification Authority of India programme was selected as one of five finalist submissions. Read more…
by Tina Mehta at 9:28 am 1 June 2010
Filed under: Branding, Identity, Nation Branding
Our proposed brand for the Unique Identification Authority of India programme was selected as one of five finalist submissions http://uidai.gov.in/
An ambitious endeavour from the Government of India, the programme will issue a number to 1.2 billion people – some of whom will be systematically integrated into society for the very first time.
Run by one of India’s most admired businessmen, Nandan Nilekani (former CEO of Infosys), this could very well be the first of a fresh type of government initiative in India – one that is more transparent, accountable, inclusive and effective.
Functionally, the card brings people inside the system. But symbolically, it brings Indians closer together. We created a visual expression that is bold, simple and meaningful by playing on the concept of the index finger dot – a mark of democracy. The visual expression binds the individual to the larger system but equally, celebrates each person’s uniqueness – the collective colour and vibrancy that makes up India’s amazing diversity.
Our congratulations to the winners – whom we look forward to race again at the next new, bold initiative.
by Tina Mehta at 6:00 am 3 August 2009
Filed under: Branding
Brands used to be a guarantee of good quality. A product that did what it said on the tin laid a foundation of trust between consumers and a product. The likes of Disney, Coke and Sony built their reputation on consistently delivering quality products. ‘Sophisticated’ marketing, advertising and tag lines followed much later.
Things have changed. Some companies abuse the trust people put in their brands. Often, they spend more time and money on promotion than they do on developing a better product/service. Their marketing department over-promises and their products/services under-deliver. The trust between consumers and brands has suffered as a result. AIG, not so long after near financial collapse, claims ‘the strength to be there’. All too often, brands have been reduced to shiny sales mechanisms. Seduction has replaced substance.
It’s time to revisit the basics of brand building. Forget the sales brochure, toss out the 60-second spot. Remember that customer relationships are built on producing better products/services than the competition. This means faster innovation, better service, nicer ingredients, stronger materials, superior craftsmanship. Spending another million on an even better animation film will do much more for the Disney brand than a new ad. This is textbook stuff – yet it sounds surprising in a world of consumers that have grown wary of ‘new-and-improved’.
Ask your marketing team to start telling the truth and work harder on making that truth worth telling. Consumers don’t expect your brand to be single handedly the most innovative, have the highest quality and provide the best service. Apple products are infamous for caving in. But Apple doesn’t sell durability. Apple concentrates on simplicity.
Do the same: choose one thing to get right and put everyhing behind living up to that promise. Customers will buy into your brand for delivering that one thing. And they’ll start talking/blogging/recommending. After a while, they’ll start trusting you. That’s what we mean when we talk about brand building.