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G. Naga Sridhar

Hyderabad, Feb. 4 After capturing the imagination of youth across the country for his unique philosophy in the ‘Munnabhai’ sequel, Gandhiji is now showing the way to corporates in brand building.

Building a brand of Gandhi’s India would indeed augur well for Indian multinational companies while a judicious and respectful reference to the Mahatma in individual brand promotion can promise wonderful results, according to some industry experts who attended the CII Brand Summit 2008 here recently.

The power of the Gandhi factor in corporate branding was quite evident with at least two high-profile speakers making clear reference to the ‘Gandhi brand’ and its efficacy in sending the right messages.

“Gandhiji’s philosophy can attract many people and a judicious and product-specific use can make a big difference to brand promotion,” Mr Sunil Kumar Alagh, Chairman, SKA Advisors Pvt Ltd told Business Line.

Interestingly, some foreign brands are already bullish about the Mahatma’s power in attracting attention. “An Italian company, Telecom Italia, has made a promo which shows an address of Gandhi’s being seen ‘live’ across the world through huge LCD screens, internet and mobile phones, portraying Gandhi as the most effective communicator,” he said.

“Though exact names could not be given, Gandhi does figure prominently in the boardroom discussions of some major advertising agencies in India and abroad as a concept,” he added.

For Mr R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director of Tata Sons Ltd, Gandhi himself is a brand. What his name conveys is a non-violent philosophy, honesty and a sincerity of purpose which should be there in brand promotion.

“However, caution needs to be exercised as we cannot have (for example) ‘Gandhiji meat shops’ etc.,” he said.

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