Comment

The world is changing. But brands might just have stumbled upon a new survival code in their evolutionary process. And like all secret codes that need to be unlocked, the quest for answers might begin in the past — between the 14th and the 17th centuries to be precise.

This era was perhaps one of the most fertile periods in human history. The Renaissance movement of in this period left an indelible imprint on human thinking and endeavour. It was a glorious time in Europe where creative thinking literally saw a rebirth. But what really elevated this movement was the quality of its leaders — icons, heroes, superstars in the truest sense of the word.In fact we know them today as ‘renaissance men’.

Men like Michelangelo, Galileo, Donatello and perhaps the greatest of them all, Leonardo Da Vinci. The man was a painter, sculptor, engineer, mathematician, musician, writer, the list goes on. He was a multi-faceted individual.

Today, when brands hang on to ‘that one unique thing’ with a frenzied passion, often basing their interactions with consumers on this premise, it is perhaps time to introspect. Could this approach be endowing brands with a slightly boring singular perspective?Some interesting trends perhaps corroborate this point of view:

Clutter me bad
Modern consumers are downright uneasy with empty pauses in their lives. More often than not, they want to engage in more than one thing. Even in meetings, where undivided attention was once sacred, people are seen engaged in other conversations outside the room.People are increasingly comfortable carrying work home and bringing their home or play to work. Singular focus on just about anything seems to be diminishing.

Our national pastime, cricket, has witnessed this metamorphosis as well. Now the viewer is not just satisfied with histrionics on the field but is actively seeking entertainment outside the boundary line as well. Call it the 20-20 effect, but anything less, seems to directly reflect in poor TRPs. The coming generation is conditioning itself to ‘ask for more’
Stretching the star

For all their resplendent talent, popularity of Pete Sampras and Zinedine Zidane suffered at the hands of (perhaps) lesser gifted peers. Andre Agassi (whose image now might see an interesting downturn) and David Beckham cashed in on the perception that there were more glamourous facets to their personality than mere sporting prowess. In a nutshell, they were men who had a life beyond their jobs and that’s where their appeal lay.

Evolution of Big B is another interesting example. From the raging angry young man to the suave quiz host, India has embraced this transformation. It seems that icons that have an in-built flexibility and versatility are the ones which are more engaging. So ads capturing celebrities in their off-the-job versions might just be on the anvil.

The great Indian spirit
Indians, as people, perhaps are genetically coded to deal with multiple messages. From the joint family mentality to savouring bhel puri, life is more entertaining when different ingredients seem to be thrown in the mix. Even looking back at mythology, Indians are enamoured by the immensely diverse roles assumed by Lord Krishna.

Bollywood movies, always a great indicator of what goes down well, have long known this. Hence it is really difficult to pinpoint one reason for the success of some of our all-time blockbusters, perhaps best embodied by Sholay. Our heroes are expected to turn ballerinas from boxers in the blink of an eye.

It is said nothing is ‘immutable’ in this universe. Perhaps it is now time for even brands to abandon the one ‘unique selling proposition’ and infuse diverse layers and dimensions. These might also serve to engage the consumer at different levels and at different timesand we all know that multiple conversational opportunities is never a bad thing.

The writer is an independent strategic and ideation consultant and has authored the book —The Madness Starts at 9.