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Brands are dissonance reducers. When a customer buys a brand
that has been trusted by many for ages and remains relevant to them
for time to come, it reduces the dissonance one goes through if
he/she tries a new brand for the first time. Trusted brands give
customer a sense of satisfaction, reassurance and confidence in their purchase.
Building and sustaining a brand or a group of brands is not as
easy today as it was during the pre-liberalization period. The era of
pre-liberalization was marked by a Nehruvian mindset which
proved to be detrimental for economic and social growth. Licensing,
stringent regulations, red tape, less choice and poor quality were the order of
the day back then. The bargaining power of the suppliers was high
and consumers were left with less choice. Consumers bought
brands like the Ambassador and the Fiat, not because these products
were great in quality, but because they were left with no choice until Maruti
came and changed the game with its small family car, Maruti
800. How far is Hindustan Motor's, Ambassador relevant to
the changing dynamics of the automobile market is
worth questioning and examining.
Brand India was once perceived as a nation of snake charmers
and bullock carts by many who lived across the shore. Today, brand
India has achieved a dual image in the minds of foreigners and many of
us living here. One, the modern India characterized by sprawling IT
and ITES companies, techies, multiplexes, shopping
malls, acquisitions (Land Rover and Jaguar by the Tatas, Arcelor by Mittal),
Tata Nano, et al. The other, the grim
India, characterized by slums, corruption, drought and political expediency. |
