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Does the Taj symbolise Brand India ? Well, if you look at all the attributes of a brand, then the Taj is really a marketing manifestation. You can’t think of any other icon that could represent, and reposition, a multi-faceted India. Indeed, the story of India is incomplete without the agony and ecstasy of the Taj.

Take myth, one of the key attributes of a brand. The story of Emperor Shah Jahan’s love for Mumtaz, anecdotes about toil and craftmanship, and history’s diverse takes on the 17th century mausoleum have all reinforced the idea of a living fantasy. After all, myth and beauty create brand mystique by adding a halo to a product. Just imagine positioning the Taj as India’s stepping stone to modernity? What better way to rethink India, where ugly infrastructure is burying urban myth and beauty?

Take brand differentiation. How does the Taj stand apart and how does it differentiate India? Since comparisons with China embellish any debate, let’s find out what the Great Wall symbolises. Strength and security, you would say. While one is architectural ecstasy, the other is architectural monstrosity. The Taj is about love, empathy, patience, thought, grandeur and elegance — attributes that win friends and breach walls and borders.

Take brand strength. Just what is India’s global advantage? Is it code or ode? Actually, both. What underlies India’s software prowess is design, the ability to architect a system with code. If so, Bangalore is not the epitome of India’s competitiveness; it’s the Taj. As a metaphor for across-the-spectrum, high-end design, the Taj has no rival. It’s a reflection of Middle India’s skill and Modern India’s aspiration; it’s about past glory and future conquest. A classic way to bridge the economic gulf within the country as well!

Take brand relevance. How relevant is the Taj today? It has quietly disappeared from Bollywood’s Swiss, Mauritian, and Manhattan storylines. Despite studying in a flat world, kids know more about Borneo’s giant Raflesia flower than the Taj. Among holiday hotspots, Goa tops Taj in thrills and frills. And in terms of recall, Mayawati has a quicker Taj connect than Mumtaz.

Try doing a sample poll of GenX kids in your neighbourhood about their own seven wonders of the world, and here’s what the fabulous list will resemble:
1.PlayStation3
2.Mr Bean
3.Blog
4.Veganism
5.Paris Hilton
6.Shin-Chan
7.Man U.

Well, if you conduct a quick poll among your hassled colleagues, here’s what they’ll fill the Top 7 list with:
1. Dabbawalla
2.Cubicle
3.Club membership
4.Increment
5.Shrink
6.Office spouse
7.Sign-on bonus.

Yes, the lists differ from audience to audience, reflecting their immediate needs, concerns, and pet obsessions. Which brings us to the key question: What is the wonder of wonders? Actually, it’s none of the seven. The wonder of wonders is you and me, one billion-plus Indians who are not contributing enough to a global poll to make Taj one of the world’s seven wonders. In fact, the Taj still needs a big chunk of votes to make it to the list. (Also Read: Taj might not be a wonder after all)

Even if the Taj is crowded out of the superlist, we need to ask ourselves: Does the Taj really score high on perception? Are we even aware that the Taj symbolises India? Perhaps we believe, and smugly so, that nothing can faze the immortal Taj. Yes, it will outlive polls, perceptions, and pollution. And, of course, if the Taj is unpollable, why vote?

A teenager, who has never seen the Taj nor intends to, has an interesting take: “There’s nothing colourful about the monument. It’s too simple. I can’t believe it can be mystical. Plus, Agra is so unclean. I don’t see any wow factor in the Taj.” Another teenager, who has visited the Taj once, has this to say: “I can’t figure out the beauty in the mess that surrounds it. It’s just a marble monument. Is the Taj really magical?

More than India, the Taj needs marketing like never before. Not even folklore can create an image makeover for a monument that has been ravaged, neglected, outpolled. That’s the tragedy of a 359-year-old brand that, unfortunately, has had only one marketer in its history: Shah Jahan. And that’s where India’s most romantic story ends.

Email: vinaykamat@dnaindia.net