Tihar brand seeks IIMA prof’s help for new product image

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) has long been a favourite of the country’s top industrial houses which have benefited from the knowledge and expertise of its students and faculty alike.

Now it’s time for one of India’s biggest jails, Tihar prison in Delhi, to use some of that expertise to market its products more effectively and give them a better brand image.

The products, which are manufactured by around 800 inmates at the prison’s in-house factory, are sold under brand name, TJ’s.

Impressed by the factory outlet and the variety of products made at the jail, Prof Dheeraj Sharma, associate professor at IIMA, decided to work for a better marketing strategy for the goods made at the prison.

From November, Sharma and his team will conduct studies for better marketing and branding of the jail’s products. Talking to DNA, Sharma said that one aim of their effort will be not only to get better value for things currently sold under brand ‘TJ’s’ - the prisoners’ brand - but also encourage inmates to give their best while manufacturing the goods.

“When I met Neeraj Kumar, the director general of Tihar prison, we agreed that the jail is a correctional facility and hence a place for prisoners to give back to society. When we refurbish the brand image of the products manufactured by the prisoners, it will also lead to improvement in their conduct and performance,” Sharma said. He added that his work for the jail was not an IIMA initiative but something he had taken up voluntarily.

He further said that he had not taken any consultancy for the project.