Five steps to build a brand

Nestle launched Maggi in 1983 in India and “Bas, Do Minutes” became an anthem for hungry kids and singles. Bright packaging, chunky taste and “ Oh! I am eating foreign food immediately put Maggi on the hot and happening bandwagon. 

But after MSG and later lead was found in Uttar Pradesh and in labs, Nestle had not understood the gravity of the situation. It took almost a month for Nestle to be vocal about it, be on social media and tell people the science behind the lead and MSG found. Its CEO Paul Bulcke came to India, gave media briefings and yet the sheen was lost. Nestle India had to recall roughly 400 millions packets, which was just the beginning of its woes. Not to mention the drop in revenue, shares and the brand Maggi had lost a huge market share. 

What could have been done? Here are the five steps that any brand should be aware of. 

Lead from the front: A noted TV journalist had said Nestle CEO Paul Bulcke had an Indian media interaction that was badly done. He did not sound as a prepared leader and neither did he emphasise on the strength of the organisation. Remember, any brand is successful because it has developed loyalists. Those are your army. They stand by you, fight on social media and spread positive part of your story. Make sure to lead from the front to create and carry the brand. Leading financial advisor Vaibhav Patel says that he puts his client money in mutual funds after looking at the fund manager’s name. 

Invest your time, it’s your name: M G Parameswaran, brand strategist shared a story recently. In 1981, he had presented some advertising copy layouts to the then Thermax chairman R D Aga. Aga asked Parameswaran to leave rough copies of layouts on his table. About 10 days later, to his surprise, Parameswaran received neatly written six advertisement copies from the MD’s office. Aga had himself written them, but was it credited to his Oxford background. No, It was because Thermax was his brand and if you don’t care about your brand, who will? 

P R is not your solution: Most corporates, and nowadays even small-scale businesses, hire a PR agency for publicity. Think about it again if there is a problem in the workplace. No amount of PR stunt can camouflage a stink from main hole by covering it from decorative paper pieces. An Uber employee Susan Fowler faced sexual advances from a colleague. Despite many women colleagues reporting it, the company did not act. Later outrage over the issue saw the exit of CEO Travis Kalanick, but by then a lot of financial damage was done. Uber launched a big time PR campaign and yet the dirt had hit the fan. If basics are not in place, people see through a phony and paid PR.

Get an emotional attachment: Hyundai has just released a new advertisement for Santro. It’s a brilliant emotional connect between a common man, an army officer and common phenomenon of “I can do desh ki duty.” As an ordinary citizen too. The advertisement reached 30 million views in three days. Becoming viral and touching people’s heart, Hyundai has played a great symphony of patriotism with brand positioning emotionally. 

Keep customers in view: Era of technology has brought information to fingertips, literally. Which means that one has to react with the same speed if things go south. Keep a check on channels.

Building a brand takes a lot of work and patience. Just be true to it and march ahead.

The writer is a strategic advisor and premium educator with Harvard Business Publishing