James Bond is the ultimate brand. Never mind who portrays the character, be it a Roger Moore or a Timothy Dalton or the current Daniel Craig, James Bond is an event, an experience and a brand all rolled into one. The brand Bond is so big in size and numbers that cannot be estimated.

James Bond is an iconic brand in India. Not only James Bond, but the device “007” and, of course, Bond music from the title scores. And more. The brand is a powerful one that gets passed on to successive generations of Indians through the successive sets of contemporary Bond films. With every change of the James Bond persona, there is a heightened degree of interest and indeed expectation from the next Bond man.

And then there are the Bond girls.

James Bond in many ways is the ultimate Bollywood masala that was dished out much before Bollywood itself discovered its masala fare. Therefore, James Bond clicks big in India.

Bond is big in India for of one more reason. Remember, India is the largest English-speaking nation in the world as of now. In sheer numbers, we have the largest numbers of people speaking the language in the world within any one political boundary. The English Bond, therefore, has big potential here. Hollywood, therefore, bows its head in respect and releases the film out here first.

Add to this the fact that the film gets dubbed into several Indian languages. This penetrates the rural areas just as much as any Bhojpuri film penetrates the cow belt. There is a dichotomy in the James Bond commerce scenario in the country. It works this way. The retail net worth of James Bond brand is the collective awareness score that the brand creates among millions of viewers world-wide. The retail net worth of the Bond brand does not, however, get translated into sales value in India. Remember, there is a disconnect here. The viewers of Bond films are the masses. The buyers of these premium brands are niches. There is a mismatch. The retail net worth does not get monetised in India.

The coffee industry is going through challenging times as of now. What are the key challenges that emerge ? And, how does one overcome them?

- Madhu Mampilly, Delhi

Madhu, the key challenge at hand is the lack of consumer interest in parts of North India. Tea is a dual consumption beverage in 91 per cent of Indian homes. Coffee is a dual consumption beverage in only 34 per cent of homes in the country. This is challenge number one.