The pandemic introduced a sea of changes and the world of brand and marketing has not been immune to it. To throw light on it and chart new ways, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with The Telegraph, recently hosted the ICC Brand Conclave: Brand Builders & Motivators, an enlightening series of discussions with industry leaders. Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar was in attendance as a keynote speaker, along with a host of other inspirational personalities, with international guests present as well.
“Post-pandemic, the entire concept of consumer behaviour and marketing has changed. Now the focus is more online and even hybrid with a lot of online brands opting for physical modes as well because they have realised that only online will not help them survive. So, we wanted to call industry leaders to speak on the role of the consumer, how to attract them, the role of media, to take on the challenge of an omnichannel presence, keeping a balance of both offline and online and the new style of marketing and branding. Because all these years, whatever we have heard, might not work. It’s like a new syllabus so you might have to know the new ways,” said Namit Bajoria, chairman, ICC National Expert Committee on Retail and Marketing, on the motivation behind the event.
(L-R) Rita Bhimani, Prahlad Kakkar,Vandana Ramakrishna and Anindya Ghosh on stage for the panel discussion
Rohit Surana, co-chair, ICC National Expert Committee on Retail and Marketing, invited Kakkar on stage with a glittering introduction highlighting his long and illustrious career. “We are the youngest country in the world and we are going to remain the youngest country in the world for another 40-50 years and the average age of the citizens of our country now and also in the future is going to be below 35. And they have been born into technology and the idea of the Net and network and an inherent suspicion for the establishment…. And if you want to engage with them, they have the attention span or, rightly so, the patience of a fruit fly, which is actually three seconds. If you do not engage with them in three seconds, you have lost them,” said Kakkar.
“You have to tell stories about yourself, which are relatively true, but stories they are. They are the journey, the excitement, the failures… no success story in the world stands on its own today. If we scare our children of failure, they can never be entrepreneurs. They are already jobseekers,” he added.
Rita Bhimani, founder and CEO, Ritam Communications, chaired the panel that comprised speakers Anindya Ghosh, founding partner, Sam & Andy; Vandana Ramakrishna, COO, Madison Media Ace; Prahlad Kakkar; and Michel Boutin, director, Design and Sales, Australian Fashion Group. The speakers discussed ‘disruption’ and in particular, ‘brand strategies through disruptive innovation.’ The invigorating discussion saw them talk of their own experiences as well as the current offline-online ecosystem.
Pictures: B. Halder
