From: mindecos@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mindecos@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bala Pillai
Sent: Tuesday, 12 July 2005 11:02 AM
To: MPowerBusinessExcellenceClub@yahoogroups.com; 'KV Jaishankar'
Cc: HRInnovators@yahoogroups.co.in; sangkancil@lists.malaysia.net; malaysiaindians@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mindecos] Re: Advertising agencies - what say group

Dear Jaishankar and all,

What might be the best brand in India this last century?

Might Mahatma Gandhi be a likely contender?

If Gandhi is one, what might the prime reason be? Congruence between
container and content?

Container = brand; perception of brand
Content = that which the container contains
Congruence = how narrow or how wide the gap between what the container
presents the content as, and what the content actually is. (The gap between
form and substance; the gap between the cover of the book and the book
itself)

Another question: all else being equal, where would there be a greater need
for advertising? In (a) communities/countries that abhor new ideas [1] or
(b) communities/countries that thrive on new ideas and riding the stallion
of uncertainty

[1] Eg with everyday reactive (as contrasted with thoughtful) statements
like "Oh, that won't work here", "Is it proven here?", "Who else has bought
it here?". And abhorrence of new ideas is deftly disguised by relabeling
anti-new-ideas as "we are conservative" without grasping that it is
tantamount to squishing every bud before if forms, defacing every flower
before it opens and killing every baby before it is born. All because of
some uncertainty. And gross linguistic-retardedness.

cheers../bala
Bala Pillai  bala@apic.net
Sydney, Australia
Knowledge Economy Brands-in-the-making (since 1995)
Knowledge Management + Social Networks + Citizen Journalism + Complementary
Currency

Some people make the world happen, more watch the world happen, most wonder
what happened.

Message: 24
   Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 05:31:02 -0700 (PDT)
   From: KV Jaishankar
Subject: Advertising agencies - what say group

hi friends

Once advertising was indisputably acknowledged to be
the highest form of marketing.

Today the concept of "branding" has moved far beyond
communicating product differences and building
"image." In order to improve brand performance,
marketing experts need to consider product re-design,
overhauling the supply chain, reducing costs,
introducing loyalty rewards for customers and many
other variables.

Yes, advertising still has an important role to play,
but it is not the driver of branded businesses that it
once was.

So, if clients don't need traditional advertising, do
they need traditional advertising agencies? Ad
agencies have, after all, developed in order to fulfil
their core purpose - making ads.

Does this mean that they are unsuited to providing the
broader branding advice that today's clients need?

Regards

Private Reply to Bala Pillai (new win)