The legacy brand is one that stands the test of time, generations of use, generations of utility, and has a rather intrinsic relationship with consumers, never mind their age. A Cadbury Dairy Milk would figure in this list as well ... on this count.

To stand the test of time, a brand needs to maintain an impeccable line of quality. The brand needs to have had no major incidents of any kind that could scar its image, must be reasonably ubiquitous in its utility, must be solution-oriented and not image-oriented alone (a biscuit versus Swarovski crystals), must be a basic item and not a fad that comes and goes (like a Covo chocolate spread or the Tazo), must be wholesome in its goodness appeal, and preferably taste-driven.

The marketer plays a distinct role in building a legacy brand. But the bulk of it is done by the consumer. The marketer plays his role ensuring consistency of product appeal, and a consistent ‘wellness of the consumer’ in mind forever. All strategies need to be geared to building such brands on a complete ‘Eastern format’ as I call it. The ‘Eastern format’ is the brand-building format that asks “What can I give the consumer?” forever. The Western format is contra in that it asks “What can I get back from the consumer ... and how fast!” The advertising and brand manager have a joint responsibility to ensure that consistency and reliability are used as cornerstones of both product and advertising delivery.

If you were to isolate trends to watch out for in the retail market in the years ahead, what would they be?

- Pankaja Desikan, Chennai

Pankaja, this reply comes easily, as I have been evangelising in this quarter quite a bit.