Narendra Modi is undeniably a big brand today. Now, the latest offering is Modi toys and Modi key chains and more. How does this really work?

Nagendra, euphoria is a mania. There are really several stages in a consumer’s involvement with brands. The first is one where there is a very skin-deep interest. This interest stage then morphs into a phase of active desire to partake of the brand. This desire stage then morphs into a stage where the consumer gets involved deeply with the brand and cannot do without it. And then follows ecstasy. This final stage is where consumers really want to have a piece of the brand with them always. Even a physical piece of a persona brand. This is a phase where mania replaces rationality.

The current phase of brand involvement with Modi, where you have Modi accessories being sold, taken home and flaunted is one where Modi has become a brand mania with those who find themselves buying into the accessory that is a Modi. It is a conscious brand identification process. In many ways, it is even a potent way of association. The item could be a saffron neck-tag, a doll, a sticker, a flag, anything you put on before going to a Modi rally.

The dangerous part of such ecstasy is the fact that the cycle does not stop at the top point of mania. After mania comes reality. And after this comes disillusionment. The problem is that once you get involved with a brand so deep and passionate, your expectations from it can even become irrational and unreasonable. If and when the brand is not able to deliver to such high expectations, disillusionment sets in. This is a phase for Modi to watch out for, and the hope in his camp will be that Modi does not peak too early. If you peak too early, the possibility of the next phase stepping in early exists as well.

Brands are born, they flourish, then they peak and then they burn out. Modi the brand is today somewhere close to the “flourish and peak” stage.

This is really a kind of idolisation at play. We in India worship millions of gods, and we tend to idolise every single one. The thought of a god is not enough for us. The personification of the god in terms of a physical picture, an idol, and a symbol like a shivalingam or a trishul is equally important. The same process plays out here in terms of human brands such as Modi.

With all the turmoil that hit Tehelka and Tarun Tejpal, is brand Tehelka dead?

Raman, I do not believe Brand Tehelka is dead.

There are really two entities here. One is the sheer brand that is Tehelka, and the other is the dispensation at Tehelka that has drawn flak. What is really on the stretcher is Tehelka the magazine that has attracted all this flak and controversy under the current management. The controversy is diametrically opposed to what the magazine stands for. The brand Tehelka, however, will still remain a point of value. If someone were to buy the brand, and if the magazine were to be re-launched under a new management, I do believe the brand can survive and maybe even thrive.

Brands are really resilient entities. Brands survive and overcome a fair bit of turbulence. And guess what? Consumers are reasonably forgiving. Readers are as well. There will be a long period of distrust all around. In fact, this Tehelka controversy will raise the hackles of readers of every publication around as well. When one cricketer is hauled up for match-fixing, every cricketer is really under viewer and consumer scrutiny. In a way, the equity of all cricketers takes a jolt. While some get jolted more, others get jolted less, and that is a function of the credibility hierarchy they occupy in consumer minds. The analogy is apt here as well. Remember, when Coke got hauled up in the pesticide controversy in Kerala, every cola, Thums Up, Pepsi and more, got affected. Sadly, controversies such as these do not only jolt the specific publication, but the category at large as well.

Harish Bijoor is a business strategy specialist and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in

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