Page 105 - BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2015

TOP 50 MOST VALUABLE INDIAN BRANDS 2015
Roughly one year ago, a little Hindi ilm called Queen brought us face to face with a phenomenon that deines today’s contemporary urban Indian woman. The main character’s journey of self-discovery, her desire for personal fulillment and courage to challenge traditional society, has important implications for brands.
The ilm tells the story of a young, naïve girl who travels to Europe alone after being jilted at the altar and, in the process, transforms into an independent, self- suicient woman. However, the most remarkable thing present in this journey, interestingly, is a critical absence: Queen has no king. Not even a prince. Only a knave, and a pale one at that.
You may ask why this is important.
Well, examine the context: in a country ostensibly entering a golden era, discussions of how skewed this nation
is against women (societally, culturally, politically and even economically) are commonplace. The national capital has unoicially been declared unsafe for women. Gender ratios in education and employment are ridiculously lopsided. And yet, within this everyday quagmire, the modern Indian woman has – quietly, imperceptibly, but exhilaratingly – decided to reclaim hegemony on the one thing that matters most to her: herself. Queen depicts this in a simple and clear way – and becomes one of the most important ilms in recent Indian cinema.
Increasingly, women are traveling to be with themselves, where the physical journeyisbothanoutwardmanifestation of and an aid to an inward journey. Women are just picking up their bags, laptops and cameras and embarking
to destinations with varying degrees of exotica and quaintness, all the way from Dharamshala to Cambodia. There are only two conditions – there should be no boredom, and there should be
no companion.
This is not a result of wanderlust, per se. The need for exploration and adventure here trumps the need to simply travel. For the geographical journey itself, ultimately, is secondary – the real journey lies within. This is a relatively new trend and while
in its infancy when it comes to its pop culture depiction, it is already apparent that there are three major aspects that deine this new trend:
1. There’s no need for a man in the journey of self-discovery
Who needs a man to go anywhere? In fact, who needs anyone? More than the destination, the key aspect here is the company of oneself. Interestingly, the objectives behind the solitary coninement that prisons impose
and the solitary expeditions we go
on are similar: to use the time and focus that solitude brings to explore the self. Having the support (or the distraction) of a man not only hampers the process, but brings in another contender to share the credit for your growth.
2. It’snotoutwardrebellion,just gentle negotiation for respect and self-identity
Gaining independence, conidence
or self-awareness is rarely about big, grandiose moments for all the world to see. However, that doesn’t mean it is not signiicant. In reality, the narratives of such transformations are comprised of small, intimate moments, but they mean the world to the people who matter most – ourselves.
3. There’snoinstantpersonality overhaul, just a gradual assertion of the self
By the end of Queen it is undeniable that the protagonist Rani has changed. However, it is not a drastic personality overhaul – she remains the same person she was in scene one. Her characteristics, idiosyncrasies and quirks do not undergo any major transformations. After all, going on such journeys only to change as
a person would be defeating the purpose. The idea is to become what you are, inhabit what is more-or-less your current personality, only more fully. Over time, Rani too comes into full bloom, gaining conidence and maturity and an ability to handle everybody – her parents, her ex-iancé and his parents – without fear or
lustering. And what makes it all special is that she does all of that without becoming a diferent person – just
a more conident, assured version
of herself.
MARKETING IMPLICATIONS
The implications for the travel industry are broad: be it travel companies, security apps or even information-providing travel apps. Mainstream, non-travel brands
too are exploring this phenomenon.
We saw glimpses of this in the Levi’s “Go Forth” campaign about empowering young people. Examples of these journeys appear in commercials from brands like Maggi, Vodafone, Nikon and Woodland shoes. And there’s the ad for Titan watches where a young woman, unperturbed by her boyfriend ditching her, sets out on a girl trip with her mom.
Going forward, a great shift in focus is required from brands. Until now, brands talking to women have focused on
the external relationships, and external gratiications: becoming a better daughter, wife, mother or housewife. Perhaps now it’s time that brands started focusing on the most integral, internal relationship she has – with herself.
The ultimate gratiication conventionally is the happy outcome that results from building strong external relationships. Queen is almost a study in the opposite – how an unfortunate outcome of an external relationship led to a far stronger internal relationship – and it depicts how strongly this nonconventional thought connects with the modern urban Indian woman.
Clearly, self-discovery (and traveling
to attain it), is becoming increasingly passionate topics for women. Today, any brand that talks to women must not ignore the process or the importance of self-discovery (and possibly a journey as its physical manifestation). Like they say, sometimes you have to go far to come closer to yourself.
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