A few nights ago, an irrepressible Rafael Nadal vanquished Novak Djokovic to win his second US Open title. Nadal’s relentless pounding from the back of the court, his remarkable athleticism, and his will to never give up on lost causes all conspired to offer the top-ranked Serbian more than he could handle that day. In annexing his 13th Grand Slam title, Nadal surely has cemented his place among one of the all-time tennis greats.

But while there is a lot to admire in Nadal’s game from a sporting perspective, it might be even more fascinating to delve into what interesting parallels his playing style and career evoke in the realm of branding. As the branding world sifts through reams of pointless data, in the quest for elusive inspiration Nadal’s ferocious strokes might unleash winners on that front as well. Because when we dissect the craft of a champion, we begin to understand what it takes to truly stand apart in any sphere.

The benefit of super-specialisation

Few people who have ever picked up a tennis racket have come anywhere close to Nadal’s mastery of clay court tennis. Being the ‘king of clay’ ensured a steady stream of French Open titles under his belt, from a very young age. This early consistent start also set the foundation for an overall Grand Slam scorecard, which is now assuming ominous proportions. It is worthwhile noting that Nadal had already chalked up four French Open titles before he won his first major title on another surface - the grass of Wimbledon in 2008. This super specialisation on clay set him on course for greater things.

Brands frequently find themselves in a position of great strength in one particular domain. It might be a technological advantage, or a fierce loyalty within a specific audience segment, or even a premium image perception. The temptation usually, then, is to expand the scope of the offering by quickly leveraging the strong foundation already laid down. But this can water down the entire initiative. Biding one’s time, even as those fundamental associations get further strengthened, is a more prudent manner of approaching things.

Mercedes and Jaguar both have had sterling credentials in the passenger car segments, from sedans to limousines. Yet quite revealingly, both waited a long time before getting into the SUV category. Even in the case of Apple, it was only after years of setting new standards in the personal computing experience that it ventured further into other fields, like music and telephony.

Interestingly, like Nadal, whenever brands decide to expand their participation in the market care should also be taken that their credentials are extended synergistically. In the sense of a sporting metaphor - to different courts in the same sport for a while, rather than instantly embarking on a whole new ball game.

The act of redefining a category

A few decades ago, tennis was essentially a game of dual identities. One was either an aggressive serve and volleyer or a defensive baseliner. But over the last few years, the role and persona of the baseliner has been reinterpreted – from a player essentially thriving on the mistakes or the gambles of others to someone who is taking the game to his opponent, using the very citadel of the baseline, to launch blistering attacks. Rafael Nadal has been one of the very prominent players at the helm of this shift in perception.

In fact, perception is a central building block of the branding process. Categories are often mired in a certain kind of ‘collective perception’. This can both serve as a safe haven or as a restrictive environment. Needless to say, those brands which have the temerity to look at this situation differently succeed in carving out memorable positions.

Axe deodorants began to make waves in the Indian market after it pioneered the move away from ‘fighting body odour’ to ‘becoming more attractive to the opposite sex’. Its campaign essentially changed the conversation on deodorants in our country, and opened up a whole new world of possibilities. And while many others have tried to follow in the wake of that idea Axe’s endeavours will perhaps uniquely remain ‘scent’sational.

The Tao of conducting a rivalry

And finally it is impossible to speak of Nadal without mentioning his famous rivals, especially Roger Federer. What is truly laudable about their rivalry is the manner in which it has been conducted. In stark contrast with the acrimonious times of McEnroe, Connors, Nastase and the like who literally went to war with their opponents, both on and off the court, the Federer-Nadal rivalry has unravelled on extremely civil terms. Nadal has always publicly said that Federer is the greatest player of all time, and that respect has been mutually reciprocated. In fact, their fiercest battles have been typified with extremely gracious post match conferences and speeches.

It is important that the marketing world takes a cue from this. Battles in the marketplace are not life-threatening ones, and it would be pleasant to see some good grace returning to competitive branding activities. Even as we speak, the country's two major toothpaste brands are locked in an infantile war over whose product performs better. Such skirmishes rarely do much for actual consumer preference. Appreciating and learning from the strengths of one’s rival is a far more long term strategy-in the crowded marketplace or elsewhere. Machiavelli did make an interesting point when he said, ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies’ even closer.’ These are just three branding relevant parallels drawn from the glittering career of Rafael Nadal. There are several more which can be extrapolated. Even these three, are by no means ‘absolute branding truths’ but endeavours to get the mind to develop diversity and flexibility when it comes to contemplating brand challenges. As Nadal would surely concur, it is only when the body and mind become more flexible, that the greatest triumphs seem to be within our grasp.

Vinay Kanchan is a creative thinking trainer and an independent brand consultant.

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