We all need good associations

After Godrej and Samsung, food and beverages major Pepsico India is rethinking its association with Indian Premier League after allegation of wrongdoings, money laundering and corruption were labled against the league. Earlier Godrej and Consumer durables major Samsung revealed that they are waiting for the outcome of the probe against IPL and will find it suitable to opt out id the league is found to be guilty. From this incident what we all can infer that brands act mostly as human beings. We always want to be associated with good things, good people and good environment, so does a brand. To build a brand image and maintain it over a period of time is very essential for any brand. So they always go for positive influential brand association, it may be brand ambassador, brand elements or brand communicator. Something that can hamper the brand's equity isn't entertained. GSK opt out from endorsing Sania Mirza after the tennis player entangled into controversies recently. IPL is still a big brand to be associated with and i am sure few more brands will join in tandem to raise it. I swear Cricket is a religion in India

Product recall-double edged sword

I constantly feel, product recall from the market can be really hazardous for any company. Because it leaves an impression on customers that you are not leaving up to the expectation of customers or not withstanding on your brand promise. Toyota, Nokia, Maruti all were involved in such product recall in recent times creating lot of chaos in the market as well as consumer minds. Do the product recall decision helps brands to gain more faith or erodes the brand equity, that is a big question. The way Nokia recalled its faulty BL5c battery from the market and exchanged them with new ones was tremendous. The way they communicated to the customers and resolved the issue was commendable. So gaining more brand equity was never in question. But I feel Toyota and Maruti missed the plot somewhere that tinted their brand image, which was eventually shown in declining price of their shares. Brands are like friends that is what i feel. If a good friend does some mistake we tend to forgive him and accept him wholeheartedly, same happens with brands also. We ignore some hiccups if we are loyal to the brand. But if the case is just opposite then definitely the brand loses much ground. So i hope those customers are loyal to Toyota will still appreciate the decision of product recall as it was intended for their safety concerns. A good friend always thinks good for his friends. Let me know what you feel about this.

Finding the Right Green

When it comes to shining a spotlight on specific sustainability issues, count on NGOs and consumer groups to target the most respected and trusted brands in the world. Overnight issues will make front pages and leaders will be pressed to make changes. The list of recent targets reads like a Who's Who of branding: Home Depot (sustainable harvested wood), Nike (child labor practices), McDonalds (Styrofoam clamshells and now obesity), and Coke (sugar and packaging). What does this all mean for your business? Simply stated, if you don't manage your business with respect to environmental and social sustainability, your business will not be sustained!

But the converse is true, too: A strong commitment to environmental sustainability in product design and manufacturing can yield significant opportunities to grow your business, to innovate, and to build brand equity. All you have to do is get the word out...right?

As with any other major business endeavor, easier said than done. Many a responsible company has run into trouble with these very same sustainability minded NGOs and consumer groups thanks to a poorly planned and crafted marketing message. Protect your company from these common pitfalls and start taking advantage of new opportunities by heeding my Five Simple Rules of Green Marketing:

1. Know your customer. If you want to sell a greener product to consumers, you first need to make sure that the consumer is aware of and concerned about the issues that your product attempts to address. Whirlpool is just one company that learned this lesson the hard way. Even after winning a $30 million "golden Carrot" prize for being first to market with a CFC-free fridge, they discovered that consumers wouldn't pay the premium because they didn't know what CFCs were - and there were no other value-added benefits.

2. Empower consumers. Make sure that consumers feel, by themselves or in concert with all the other users of your product, that they can make a difference. This is called "empowerment" and it's the main reason why consumers buy greener products. This powerful principle underlies so many campaigns laden with tips.

3. Be transparent. Consumers must believe in the legitimacy of your product and the specific claims you are making. Caution: There's a lot of skepticism out there that is fueled by the raft of spurious claims made in the "go-go" era of green marketing that occurred during the late 80s-early90s - one brand of household cleaner claimed to have been "environmentally friendly since 1884"!

4. Reassure the buyer. Consumers need to believe that your product performs the job it's supposed to do. They won't forego product quality in the name of the environment. (Besides, products that don't work well will likely wind up in the trash bin, and that's not very kind to the environment.)

5. Consider your pricing. If you're charging more for your product - and many environmentally preferable products cost more due to economies of scale and use of higher-quality ingredients - make sure that consumers can afford the premium and feel it's worth it. Many consumers, of course, cannot afford premiums for any type of product these days, much less greener ones, so keep this in mind as you develop your target audience and product specifications.

Source:Jacquelyn Ottman

It's storm but it will pass

Can IPL sustain the blow and emerge out with flying colours is a common question that is troubling legions of cricket fans not only in India but also around the world. A chaos existing from last few days is gripping the whole nation over the future of one of the most successful sports league in world which is evaluated to be $4.13 in 2010. But when i look at the issue, i find more positives than negatives in this league. Let put aside all the allegations and controversies and think on our feet, the benefits of IPl. The foremost thing which comes into my mind is the development of infrastructure for sports in our country. Better Stadiums, sitting facilities, playing conditions have improved. New avenues have been staged e.g. Dharamsala and Barbati. Domestic players are getting a chance to play cricket at top level which is very necessary when India is looking forward to be the cricketing superpower. Think of the Brands involved with IPL and the job opportunities it is creating-i will say it is enormous. So i strongly feel IPL is a brand to reckon and it will grow bigger and better with time only. That is what the new interim chief of IPL Mr Chirayu Amin said when asked about the future of IPL. He quoted " it will be bigger, better and transparent next year." BCCI played a big game again when they appointed Chirayu Amin , owner of "Alembic" a pharma giant in India as interim chief of Indian Premier League which is battling allegations of money laundering, benami holdings in franchisees and tax evasions hanky-panky.

It's all about you, I will tell you why !

I do not know what new year brings exactly and why people get so excited to celebrate it, but one thing i am quite sure that we promise ourselves too much on that day and really start up new things with great enthusiasm. Who does not make New Year Resolution and i am no exception. Wait! Here i should mention what my dad said me once on this NY resolution," Its like a birth day,goes with one day."

Why i am saying this? We all agree that wisdom can come from anyone. While discussing about "resolution" with one of my friend i got a very true essence. She told that to take resolution you don't have to wait till new year. If you feel like doing something which is good for you and society then why to wait till new year, why not today? I took a pause and thought. Yes who is stopping us, everyday is a new beginning for us. Nice thought.

But i don't buy one concept of her. That's what motivated me to write this. She told she would like to change herself ( if she finds something wrong in her ). It's all about you and the way you look at yourself. I may sound chauvinistic but i will tell you why ! You have to love and respect yourself as you are. And most of the time we are ignorant about our hindrances. So bury it. Add positive qualities and attitudes to life. That's the way we should be.