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The challenge for Indian brand managers remains the Great Connect. How many brands can really connect with the consumer and remain relevant in today's world?

In a cluttered market place, how would your brand call out to the consumer?

BRANDS today dominate the urban landscape like never before. There is no getting away from them. Corporate logos dot every civic space, from schools, universities and playgrounds to hospitals and art galleries.

The world today is at a time in history when brands go beyond being business platforms to becoming symbols of our times, says Mr Krishna Mohan, President of Ogilvy & Mather. And as consumers, an increasing proportion of our lives is mediated by brands — the cars we drive, the clothes we wear and so on.

With the opening up of the Indian economy, today's market place is truly global. The challenge for Indian companies is having to compete in a global environment. And many of them are already feeling the heat.

Take the case of the ready-made garment sector. Though many domestic companies have the expertise and skills to compete globally, there are hardly any Indian brands worth its salt, says an industry watcher. International brands such as Armani, Arrow, Dockers, Gap and Banana Republic, which are made in India, China and other South-East Asian countries, dominate the market.

Increasing clutter in the market place and changing consumer dynamics have thrown up a new challenge for marketers — to connect with the consumer.

Look at what people said about computers and televisions. In 1977, Kenneth Olson, the founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, said, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." About the televion, Darryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, said in 1946: "People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."

But today's reality has left these perceptions far, far behind. And marketers realise that the television and the Internet have come to play an important part in people's lives.

Technology has changed how people live, at least in the urban areas. For the middle and upper middle class segments, it has changed the way people access information and buy products and services. Marketers who connect with their brands identify how they would fulfil needs and desires.

A good example of this would be the sachet shampoo from personal care companies. The small pack reached the base of the purchase pyramid, actually making sure that more people used shampoo to wash their hair, thereby driving an entire category. This, says an industry source, came from a deep understanding of the consumer.

Further, the macro-level at which a brand operates has to be understood.

The challenge for Indian brand managers remains the Great Connect. How many Indian brands can really connect with the consumer and remain relevant in today's world?

Take a look at the top pan-Indian brands and how they have evolved: Taj, Tata, Bata, Ambassador, Maruti, Bajaj, Godrej, Mahindra, to name a few. What then is the secret of a brand like Royal Enfield, which has its followers despite the entry of so many new players in the field? Is it cult status? According to industry sources, in most cases, it is talking less and listening more. It's about giving more value, rather than taking more money. It's about being involved and passionate about the customer, rather than waiting for the customer to get involved with you.

Take a look at the multitude of products that come into the market every day. In this clutter, is there an USP? Not really, says an advertising agency source. Today, it is all about better communication and powerful ideas.

At the third edition of the CII Brand Summit, the spotlight will be on a concept called `Brand Darwinism.' Darwinism is about survival of the fittest. Brand Darwinism is about the survival of brands through evolution in tune with the changing consumer; it's about how brands can adapt to change and evolve to grow.

The focus of the Third Edition of the Brand Summit is to understand these far-reaching changes and devise strategies to re-orient brand management to the new environment.

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