We are like that only

Review by Sria Majumdar

Penguin Books India| Paperback Edition, Price Rs. 399 approx.

I have seen the book in bookstores many times, and passed by the stand, making a note to buy it the next time. The next time came only when the professor in my Consumer Behaviour class recommended it as one of the best books to understand the Indian consumer. I decided the time had come, and picked up the 2007 edition of the book from the library. I mention the year specifically because half of the book deals with numbers and statistics, and that kind of a book loses its relevance in 4 years. But not this one. Read on to know more about one of the most interesting books I have read off late.

Summary

The book stems from the single idea that MNCs and most marketers do not understand India. To them it is the country which promised a consumption explosion, only to deal a blow to all the financial projections and expected sales volumes of companies. Rama Bijapurkar, one of India’s most respected thought leaders on market strategy and consumer behaviour, talks about how a multi layered schizophrenic India needs a multi-pronged customized strategy- not a direct transfer of the global best practice. Winning in India, she says, requires companies to accept that all emerging markets are not the way developed markets were in their infancy, and in India’s case- one should forget about thresholds of income above which consumption ‘takes off’. The question that MNCs should ask is not ‘When will this market be ready for my “global” strategy?’ but ‘What is the right strategy to unlock the potential of this market?’

Organization

The book is wonderfully organized, with beautiful writing style interspersed with numbers to lead authenticity to all the arguments. From the mixed messages consumer India sends out to marketers, to understanding the diversity in demography, psychography and social cultures- the book discusses the purchasing power of India, why consumer India cannot be neglected, how to predict and read change in India and understanding the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’. The book explains apparent contradictions in consumer behaviour such as rising incomes leading to downgrading to cheaper FMCG products, and poor monsoons leading to reduced sales of toilet soaps but increased motorcycle sales in rural India.

Verdict

The book has a foreword by C.K. Prahlad and an afterword by Narayana Murthy. Do I still need to give it a verdict? Rama Bijapurkar has a way with words that makes all the heavy information ridden text an interesting and even gripping read. If you are interested in history, economics, culture, philosophy or marketing, you will appreciate how the book tries to decode the inscrutable Indians.

Bottom-line

Must Buy! Grab the latest edition, and read it at leisure. I guarantee that it will worth your time, and definitely better than that consumer behaviour book you are reading. Be it understanding the SEC classifications, or the myriad behavioural issues of Indian consumers; in Narayan Murthy’s words ‘It is highly recommended for students who need credible insights and data to understand and prepare themselves for the creative market called India’. Bibliophile or not, don’t miss out on the book!

The Origin of Brands

Review by Sria Majumdar

Harper Collins| Paperback Edition, Price Rs. 300 approx.

The name of Al & Laura Ries is enough to get a book on the best seller list for days together. That coupled with a name like ‘The Origin of Brands’, and you have got the attention of every marketer-bibliophile combination on the planet. Known as legendary marketing strategists, Al & Laura Ries have many books to their acclaim - The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding (1998), The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding (2000), The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR (2002) and The Origin of Brands (2004). The dynamic duo consults for the top corporations around the world from Microsoft to Ford to Disney and Frito-Lay. Their books, including this one, are famous because they are revolutionary in their ideas and simple in the concepts.

Summary

What Charles Darwin was for evolutionary biologists, Al & Laura Ries are for branding specialists. The Origin of Brands draws from Darwinism and the similarity to the ‘Origin of Species’ is breath taking. The book takes the reader through the whole process of brand creation as well as sustaining the brand. Developing new ideas, the importance of being first, building new categories, competitive positioning, public relations as a weapon, brand protection and knowing when to exit a brand- the book discusses each process in excruciating detail. It has a healthy blend of examples and theory in every discussion to substantiate the authors’ point of view.

Organization
The book starts with the analogy to the great tree of life. Just like species diverged to give rise to other species, categories evolve and give rise to new categories over time. Replete with numerous examples, the book focuses on 5 key ideas- divide and conquer, survival of the firstest, survival of the secondest, the power of pruning and creating a category. Ries emphasizes that the ladder to success for a brand and business is divergence; not convergence. While most marketers tend to access the size of the market before entering a product category, the question Ries asks is ‘What was the size of the cola market before Coca Cola entered?’ The topics are listed in a sequential manner, and the Rieses explore every aspect of brand building through this wonderful book.

Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5.

The book is sheer reading pleasure. It gets you hooked on because of the analogy to evolution and it manages to keep the interest alive right till the very end. The aptly named chapters, (‘Bad Ideas Never Die’ is my favourite!) and the easy to read language, makes a branding specialist enjoy the book. Unlike many other management books, this book is thrilling enough to make you finish it in one sitting. Some of the concepts discussed are certainly debatable, (and there are examples which contradict the theories propounded by the Rieses), but that’s the joy behind reading the book. It makes for perfect discussion at a marketing club gathering!

Bottom-line

Must Buy! The book is easily available in bookstores or online stores. Priced at Rs.300, the book makes sense for every branding specialist who wants to understand the world of brands and logos.

How to drive your competition crazy Create Disruption For Fun And Profit; Guy Kawasaki

Review by Priyanka Pandit and Sria Majumdar

Hyperion Books | Hardcover Edition, Price Rs.1100 approx.

Sitting down to write my last BookMark, I feel more than confident that this column would continue shining bright, bringing to you the gist of the books every Marketing enthusiast must read. The biggest reason behind this confidence is Sria, an extreme bibliophile counting “Marketing” as one of her passions, who shall be taking over the column full-time from next month. For this special “occasion”, we decided to review one of the ten bestsellers by the marketing brains behind Apple’s early successes, Guy Kawasaki.

Known for the enthusiasm he professes, be it in writing, public speaking, marketing or consulting, Guy Kawasaki has served as the chief evangelist at Apple and is the co-founder of the RSS aggregator Alltop.com and Garage Technology Ventures. His books, including this one, are famous because they are filled with how-to-do-it steps along with real life examples which validate his thoughts.

Summary

The book draws from Guy Kawasaki’s experience in marketing the Macintosh back in the 1980s when people could not think beyond IBM and MS DOS. In order to disrupt the market, customers were turned into evangelists. According to Guy, clear and shrewd thinking, guts, hard work and a willingness to think out of the box are essential to drive the competition nuts and take on Goliaths. The book begins by asking fundamental questions about the nature of business and products and services. ‘Knowing Thyself’ is the key to understanding customers and competition. Like Sam Walton, Guy is also an advocate of following the competitor religiously, playing fair and grabbing a niche market share. He also advises competition and cannibalization but strongly believes a nemesis is essential to drive innovation.

Organization
The structure of the book speaks volumes about the thought process of the author. Guy Kawasaki asks marketers to first explore within before knowing the customer or understanding the enemy. The next section talks about focusing on the customer, concentrating on the decisive point of the product/service and finally converting the customers into evangelists. The focus on the customer is re-emphasied in his section on building brand loyalty. Guy advises the reader to use ‘molehills’ well, and leverage them to gain the differentiating advantage. Packaging deserves a special mention in the book, replete with examples of companies which have turned this P into a selling point. He ends on the note that in order to succeed, one must ignore conventions and grab opportunities with both hands.

Verdict
3/5. Although it seems like common sense at times, it is a sheer reading pleasure for a marketing enthusiast. The theory is replete with numerous interesting examples and the easy flow of language keeps the reader tuned in. The methodical approach and clear guidelines make the book useful for a student as well as for a marketer looking out for ways to rejuvenate his product.
Bottom-line

The book is easily available in bookstores or online stores. Priced at Rs.1100, the book does burn a hole in the pocket for a student. However, it is definitely worth the visit to a nearby library.

We hope you readers continue to send in your suggestions for books you would like to have reviewed, as well as for any special inputs on how we can improve this column. Keep Reading!