"Patanjali's sauce for success was the enigmatic personality of Baba Ramdev": Anisha Motwani

Motwani, independent marketing and digital consultant and author of 'Storm the Norm', shared brand-building mantras at the 10th edition of the Brand Owners' Summit, which hosted several interactive sessions by eminent brand marketers.

The 10th edition of the Brand Owners' Summit (BOS) - Stories of Brands Made for India, a platform to share lessons and brand-building mantras by brand creators and experts, was organised at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Gurgaon, on August 24, 2016.

The day-long event, organised by afaqs!, and presented by India TV, hosted sessions from eminent personalities which included authors, marketing heads, and brand builders at their candid best.

Top brands such as Maruti Suzuki, the DS Group, and Luminous Power Technologies shared their success stories at the event. The summit offered the opportunity to observe, interact, learn, and seek direction from some of the most respected brand owners, who convened on a single platform to share, analyse, and celebrate the success 'stories of brands made for India'.

Giving the example of Patanjali at the first session of the event, Anisha Motwani, author of 'Storm the Norm', shared her insights on why consumers have fallen in love with Baba Ramdev's brand Patanjali. To the question 'Is Patanjali the brand or Baba Ramdev?', Motwani said, "Baba Ramdev doesn't own any share in Patanjali, but his presence overpowers the brand."

Motwani highlighted the nine points that make a brand successful which are as follows: a compelling purpose that will generate momentum for the business, an honest brand promise that further strengthens the purpose, a well-defined target audience, a unique identity, consistent communication, easy accessibility and affordability to increase the reach of the brand, employee involvement, authentic brand personality, and customer loyalty.

According to Motwani, promoting yoga for almost a decade helped Baba Ramdev build credibility; hence, when Patanjali was created, people trusted the brand just as they trusted him. "Bringing 'Bharat' to the urban Indian paved the way for Patanjali to enter every urban household," she said.

Asserting the fact that stormers are not men of pen and paper, they are men of intuition, Motwani concluded that Patanjali’s sauce for success was Baba Ramdev and how people associated the brand with him. According to her, he (Baba Ramdev) is an interesting concoction, and has a persona which is so unique, different, and wrapped around himself that there will never be another one like him.

Sharing Maruti's Success Story

For Sanjeev Handa, vice-president and head of marketing, Maruti Suzuki, there is no secret sauce for success, but some simple ingredients. He classified Maruti Suzuki's reason for success as the simple ingredients of bringing the right product at the right time, and at the right price, creating a distinct market presence, maintaining a robust service network, and forging strong partnerships with suppliers.

Handa also talked about the other crucial areas upon which Maruti Suzuki focussed heavily. The first was establishing endearing relationships with their customers, as well as within the company. The second was being obsessed with quality and affirming that this obsession spread across all the departments of the company. And, the last and the third area of focus was the company's propensity to always be one step ahead than its competitors.

"Believing in self, doing new things before anyone else does, and acknowledging the fact that one has to change to keep up with the expectations of the customers are the essential ingredients needed to evolve with the changing times," said Handa.

Illuminating Lives

Reiterating the importance of keeping up with the changing times, Sachin Bhalla of Luminous Power Technologies, shared the journey of Luminous, which started off as a brand that advertised by painting on walls and trucks, to one that has today, appointed cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador. "Bringing Tendulkar helped us grow really fast, and build credibility," said Bhalla.

According to him, Luminous, as a brand, has successfully grown over the years. "This has been possible by upgrading our products based on consumers' feedback, creating superior products, and providing fast and reliable services. Luminous has delivered its brand promise," he said.

"The brand is undergoing a transformation while keeping the same level of trust and quality it is known for," Bhalla said, before signing off.