Can ‘overbranding’ kill a brand?
Kiran Khalap, May 3rd, 2010
I don’t know what is happening in your markets, but here, in India, ‘brand’ and ‘branding’ have become the new diseases of the uninitiated in marketing (I must admit that the so-called initiated are to blame too!).
The first symptom of this viral infection is blurred vision: it causes the afflicted person to mistake a brand name for a brand.
The blurred vision then spreads to the brain, causing fogginess on the one hand and extreme obstinacy on the other. This marketing head now insists that every single product or activity or service offering have a new brand name.
There is a bank here in India (Syndicate Bank) that has over thirty different sub-brand names for its loan products! Some are in English, some in Sanksrit, some in Hindi; some have a prefix (Synd), others don’t.
When I saw this, I asked myself: what does this achieve? Does this strengthen brand recall or weaken it?
Does it reduce the now-truncated brand name to a pedestrian prefix…and by implication, reduce a rich concept called the brand to the same prefix?
On the HSBC Bank site on the other hand, there are three sub-brands but the brand name is always HSBC.
There are other symptoms of this viral infection…but more on them later.
For the moment, let me know if ‘overbranding’ can indeed kill a brand…and your suggestions on how not to spread the infection:-)
May 31st, 2010 at 4:45 pm
We understand that experts like you are trying to establish themselves as global brand consultants. However it surprises me that you often resort to making fun of indian brands and their blurred vision thinking. Mr. Khalap, do you even bother to check that although HSBC might be a sophisticated brand but millions of us still bank with smaller not so “brand literate” Indian banks like Syndicate bank. It doesnt matter to us if they have 30 or 50 different sub brands but we still still trust to bank with them.
Guru’s like you try to sell India the ’slumdog millionaire way’ making mockery out of Indian scenarios. Infact to be precise you yourselves have tried to overbrand your consultancy with stuff like Chlorophyll, Chlog, Ideanitity and god knows what not. Just by registering trademarks for coined words doesnt make you brand experts. Dont you think you are OVERCOMPLICATING brand consultancy itself. Get a life Khalap.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Thanks Adarsh, I like your spirit. I am happy that you bank with Syndicate Bank and feel so strongly as to write this comment!
I seem to have given you the impression that I am ‘anti-Indian-brands”.
It is not a factual observation: I have criticized strategies of multinational brands Coke and Unilever…but have done it with the backing of facts.
On the other hand I have admired Indian brands like Parachute and Thums Up…backed by facts!
Are we complicating brand consultancy itself? Not sure: we have only one brand name: chlorophyll. The rest are names of processes and products: we do not use them independently; we need Intellectual Property rights for our products.
All the best…and keep writing!
June 10th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Adarsh,
The question here is not weather a business CAN do business without proper branding.
BUT.. with proper branding a business can FLOURISH and SURVIVE in cut throat competition and in a recession.
Compare Syndicate Bank with HDFC and ICICI. Syndicate bank is way too old but is not even half of what these new banks are.
Compare Syndicate bank with Bank of Baroda. Though both are private banks BOB stands in better position only because of its branding.
Branding is not end of the world!
There are a lot factors that come into play while making a buying decision and branding impact THOSE decisions because they influence PERCEIVED value of a product.
If the going gets tough it’s a sharper brand that keeps going..
You know? Dettol was the only luxury soap which had NO impact on sales during recession, know why? Because it has a unique BRAND.
Sure, TATA is selling cars and people are buying it. But Maruti sells way more number of cars then TATA because? They are unique to making cars. Just think Maruti Truck, Maruti Salt, Maruti Bulb. Sounds funny and confusing.
Today HDFC bank is known for its home loans. Bank Of Baroda is popular for education loans. That is their identity and people know these banks for what they stand for.
And branding, which may sound like a western concept to you is a universal truth. You just need to look around.
Most successful companies and people have their identity which they stand up to and THAT is what makes them successful over other average guys who try to be all rounders.
In politics, Congress govt has an identity different from BJP
Raj Thackerey is popular, why? Because he has a unique proposition. Laalu has a unique way of putting things.
Compare them with Mulayam singh? What is he known for ? Nothing! Nada Zilch!
In bollywood heroes do different type of films but their MOST successful movies are the ones which display their identity.
For SRK-
Kuch kuch hota hai, KKKG, Mai hu na HITS — compare with Dil se (flop)
For sunny deol
Gadar, Ghatak, Ghayal —— Compare with pyar koi khel nahi.
People who stand upto a unique identity survive in movies. See, Uday Chopra and several others don’t get successful but remain average. Because they dont have an Ideantity.
Mr Khalap has made a very good point here. I think Indian companies SHOULD now start focus on streamlining their products and give a SHARP message to the customers for what they do.
Only THEN customers will distinguish them from others.
And if a message cannot be SHARP and steep people will get confused and rather choose a better option.
PS:
There is nothing wrong with Slumdog! What was shown in the movie was reality. GROW up guys, it was just a movie
When an Indian Director makes movie that shows atrocities in India we don’t say anything. But just because media created a hype we are accusing slumdog?
In bollywood movies
we always show westerners and their culture as if they have no values. What abt that?
Stop echo-ing what TV Says,
We do, that just shows how we ECHO what some newspapers TV channels fill in our minds.
PSS:
Until we accept our mistakes and problems we can never eradicate them.
Identification of the problem is first step, then only we can solve it!
Just my two cents…
June 13th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Thanks Apoorva…lots of insightful observations here, from a huge variety of sources…you must be a very ardent student of branding and social trends!
June 16th, 2010 at 9:07 am
hello sir,
yep.. im learning and you are one of my sources for inspiration.
Btw,
Can you please offer email subscription on your blog? You can offer that using http://www.feedburner.com (it’s free ofc)
i would like to subscribe to the posts.
thanks
June 29th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Thanks Apoorva, indeed loads of insights. Branding indeed works.
But today what we see is over complication of this term.
Some more cents:
Tata may not sell many cars but they were surprisingly the only first ones to realize a common man’s dream of an affordable family city car despite all odds.
Tata is not a compartmentalized brand. The word TATA on anything creates an instant feeling of Trust. Brand Extension does work for Tata as it is not limited to any one category anymore. It is an evolved brand.
Bollywood: Aamir Khan. He is not stereo typed in any particular role. keeps on experimenting…keeps on succeeding most of the times. Not uniquely positioned at all in terms of the roles he has played but one of the most respected & commercially successful actors.
Banks: Why do you want all banks to be modern, tech savvy, chic, sophisticated? The biggest debacles in world economy was led by these so called sophisticated omniscient investment banks the world over. Well I am sure a clear segment of people would still prefer to bank with the ‘dependable old uncle’ banks. They feel their money is safe with them than your new age banks. They dont ‘feel alienated’, ‘overwhelmed by technology’, or ‘made to learn new processes’ when they walk into these banks. Here life is still simple, people are known by their names, warmth is still felt, humanity survives. It feels like banks for simple human beings not for financial wizards.
What i have to say finally is:
-Branding is not rocket science
-There are no rules of branding or sacrosanct models to follow. It is ever so changing by the nano second
-Sometimes in contemporizing & glamourizing brands we often sacrifice the true desi soul
PS: On slumdog…Agreed it was just a movie. But it does not reflect true India nor our culture in entirety. Clearly if we were to “brand India”, this is not the signal we would want to emit. And what do you do when someone tries to screw your brand image…you definitely do not go gaga over it.
Finally, No offence to Khalap Sir. The very fact that we are debating on this blog means something, doesnt it?
To each his own
July 7th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Adarsh,
Nothing is over complicated here.
When we talk about branding we are talking about how we can improve the business and its communication. If a company is not reviving itself it would be difficult to stay in competition.
“Tata may not sell many cars but they were surprisingly the only first ones to realize a common man’s dream of an affordable family city car despite all odds.”
Adarsh, like i said branding is one aspect of business. People decide on many factors and branding is one of them and IMPORTANT one!
Yes, Tata is one of the respected companies but respect is one thing and products and market are another! Ask 10 people around you Maruti Vs TATA which is better, i am sure you’d know the answer before asking.
- Tata is more respectful, but when i am investing my money i will buy something that gives me good ROI. That’s how buyer’s think!
Aamir khan
You see the clarity of promotions in his movies? That’s branding! You can tell clearly before going to watch the movie what the movie is about. His promotions are aggresive and he has INDEED built an identity of perfectionist.
There is a CRAP principle that works everywhere. Contrast, repetition, alignment and
Slumdog millionare,
people know what India is and what Slumdog showed was one aspect of it. It was not FAR from reality and it was better than many other bollywood movies which are full of stars who are in bollywood because their forefathers. I am sure if slumdog was made in India like many other slum movies no objections would have been raised.
There is no point in accusing that movie. It was in fact written by an Indian. It was not FAR from reality. And it DID Portray THE NEW picture of India. The developed one.
Banks?
You gotta be kidding me! Don’t you know the situation of Govt Banks in India? The employees there just don’t want to work. They accuse customers and don’t want to answer any questions. And i am talking this from personal experience.
I have went to not one but 10 govt banks asking for a loan and the answer i got from them was “we are busy come after 10 days” Or “we don’t give loan”
They did not explained the procedure or anything else. When you ask them questions, they make weird faces like children who are asked to drink milk and that they don’t like it. Questions are irritating for them. Do u think that’s a good way doing business?
Today i keep a minimum balance of 10,000 in HDFC bank rather than opening an account in any **** govt bank and save hours of frustration and time!
Zameen aasman ka farak hai Govt aur Private banks mai. But hey, you notice? how Bank of Baroda has improved on that ground and is now doing better than many other private Banks!
Btw your comments on banking system sounds like you are biased towards them. (btw are you one of the stakeholders of the govt banks discussed here, by any chance?
)
“If you hide the dust under the carpet, that does not really clean your house”. So be truthful and open to feedback and suggestions. That’s how you can groom yourself and your business.
And that’s the core essence of branding, IMHO
” -Branding is not rocket science”
(yes it is an art and not an exact science)
“There are no rules of branding or sacrosanct models to follow. It is ever so changing by the nano second”
Ofc that is exactly why you need to consult to branding specialists. If it was exact mathematics anyone could do it.
(Branding is an art, just like music. It changes like every song and rules can be broken.There is a famous quote used in most art books “KNOW THE RULES BEFORE YOU BREAK THEM” But without knowing where one can end up sounding like a Donkey)
“-Sometimes in contemporizing & glamourizing brands we often sacrifice the true desi soul ”
(It is not about sacrificing desi soul. In fact, what we are today is not what our culture taught us or freedom fighters thought about. What do you mean by Desi? Is it about making things complicated OR bad customer service and Or is it about taking bribe in govt establishment. Or are you talking about those CRAPPY websites and advertisements by govt authorities. If that is Desi, then it is not desi but it is desi bull shit.
There is a fine line between desi and desi crap.
There is no harm in learning new and good things from others, that’s how our culture and everything in this world has evolved. that’s what we teach our children but never implement it ourselves.
True desi soul is about living a simple and uncomplicated life. It is about working hard (not like your govt babu officers in banks who does 10% of the work and take thrice the salary) True desi soul lies in talking politely NOT like Govt bank phone banking officers who talk rudely.
Let us leave the bad things that exist in our society which are NOT really part of our true culture and desi-ism.
True desi soul is about accepting different cultures and learn good things from them. That’s what Mahatma Gandhi advocates in his writings and many other ancient Indian leaders.
Chanakya who is probably one of the finest desi guru has explained things in his books which come close to branding. And today’s your so called Desi Baabu officers are FAR from it.
PS:
Like i said… accepting our shortcomings is the first step to overcome them.
One should have a free mind if want a good change.