Advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar, best known for his television commercials is the founder and main director of Genesis Film Productions deliberated on brand building and how brands eventually transform into human beings.
Prahlad is one of the prominent names in India when it comes to Advertising. He established Genesis Films Productions in the year 1977. Additionally, he is also the co-founder of Reef Watch Marine Conservation, which aims at creating marine-life awareness. Prahlad’s Pepsi Television Advertisements created a brand stir back in the nineties of the last century. His collaboration with several notable Bollywood movies like ‘Ok Jaanu’ (2017), ‘David’ (2013) and others inspired a lot of youngsters.
“Whenever you have to choose anything from toothpaste to car or any other commodity to survive, you will only buy the brands that you remember. Why do you buy them? You buy them because, in some manner, they have touched you in a humane way. This is why when a company launches a brand, it is crucial to write the Bible of the brand. Women understand this better than men because they give birth. And, it is women who connect more with their children as long as the family stays together. And how is it done? It is done by storytelling” is what Prahlad Kakkar had to say to enthral the learners the conclave.
Kakkar believes that building up a brand is similar to raising a child. He adds, “In today’s time, you put the kids in front of cartoon channels. What will be the value system that they imbibe from it? In fact, we should spend the time with them telling them what their names mean. It is very crucial to spend the first formative years of the child or the brand in communicating what the name stands for!”
He also beautifully emphasised how the brand values work within its name. He says, “When you name a brand, you have to particularly build the brand on the meaning of that particular name.” That being said, Kakkar left the media enthusiasts amazed sharing an astounding story of Abhimanyu and explained the whole concept of brand naming and brand building.
He added, “If a child is named Abhimanyu, then the child grows with the significance behind the name. Abhimanyu was a great combatant and his stories and character substantially encourage the child, who is also called Abhimanyu, to grow up with the same brand value! Similarly, when you write the Bible for your brand, it is of utmost importance to find out the meaning of your brand.” He also added, “The Bible has to be written in a humane term. One has to be critical to evaluate the brand’s parlance and what the brand stands for and what it says to its people? Is it honesty, courage or compassion? The brand should remain within what it promises to deliver. Otherwise, it becomes an act of mistrust.”
He believes that a brand has to tell a story or a name; as a story communicates and that is what connects people. He says, “If you can’t engage with your customers with a story, which has to have values, like Abhimanyu or Durga, then the brand shall be called debilitated. So, whenever you write the Bible of your brand value, write what it stands for in human terms.”
He also suggested that along with the prolonged career of the brand, it is crucial to evolve within time. He especially nurtured the point and said, “After 40 years of your brand, the consumers, who used to buy you brand, are not the same now. Consumers keep on changing!” He also encouraged the learners to have knowledge about who their consumers are.
He added, “You are the youngsters of the country and you should know that 70 per cent of our consumers are below the age of 30! So, you have to constantly keep your content young to walk parallel to your consumers. You might have to change your dress code, your linguistics, but your values should never change.”
Kakkar also talked about how one could build a brand amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The advertising guru added, “A brand should mark priorities of the consumers. And, in times like this, food is the only one! So, at times like this, your brand should give out a hand to its consumers and assure them that the brand shall feed them and the brand shall be with them no matter what.”
Kakkar drew focus on the dilapidated, invisible, unmentionable communities during Covid-19, and how certain brands such as Britannia are building up NGOs to reach out to them. He also talked about the sex workers of Kamathipura in Mumbai, and their adversities.
He said, “The NGOs reached out to the sex workers of Kamathipura, and asked the sex workers about their condition! They said they are starving! There is no work! Around 1,500 families needed food! Food was then delivered to them by a local NGO.” He also talked about the transgender community, the HIV-positive community, who are completely disregarded like the migrant workers. He added, “Neither God nor the Government nor NGOs! Nobody cares about them!”
Kakkar also talked about two eras, pre-Covid-19 era and post-Covid-19 era. He also mentioned that pre-Covid-19 era is now utterly irrelevant. The post-COVID-19 era is what shall remain. He also added, “If you are post-Covid-19, you are relevant and useful even as human being or brand but if you are pre-Covid-19, you are talking rubbish! So, the behaviour has to change. If it doesn’t, then it shall be a downfall.”
He also added, “The way you all will change, the brand should change exactly the same way, in this new world! Because, your brand is nothing, but a reflection of your value system! And your value system has changed Post-Covid-19 drastically.”
Kakkar also believes that it is crucial to take the lead at these tough times. Kakkar emphasised on why and how a brand should take the lead and help those who are not favoured by God during this post-Covid-19 period. He said, “Your consumers will vision you in the place of a hero or a villain right now!” He also took the instance of Britannia reaching out to sex workers, transgender community and evaluated, “That’s how the impression is being built on by these brands, as they reach out to them, who are not in the radar.”
Kakkar also suggested, “Everyone who is above 40 years has to go back to school and learn a new language. If you are not tech-savvy, then you are of no importance. Rather, the drop-out hacker would be more valuable.”
Speaking about false brand values, he added, “It cannot be anything that is lasting! Because you cannot con people constantly, you can only con them once! So, whatever untrue words you get to tell, eventually diminish you and kill your brand.”
He also talked about the Government being a grand tool and how it gets away with lies, Kakkar said, “See, you must understand, upon what policies this country functions. A politician will be corrupted, but it is a matter of degree.” Kakkar also stated, “The politicians can divert everyone, but they can’t divert the young educated people. So, the selection of the political parties will be based upon performance and not promises!”
Lastly, when Kakkar commented on the Government failing to push the nation’s economy, he said, “When the next election comes up, the only people who shall remember the bad times are the young educated people. The moment you reduce the illiteracy in any country or state, they bring in a Government of their own choice.” Kakkar also referred to the Kerala Government saying, “If the govt would not have been there by the choice of their own people, it wouldn’t have tackled Covid-19 like they are doing now.”
He concluded, “To start a brand, write the Bible. Once you build the Bible, it is very easy to build the brand further. Quest for the north, and you will find your way home! No matter what, stick to your own ethics and conscience. Every human being who is very successful has a very clear North.”
The author, Shatakshi Ganguly is associated with Adamas University Media School
