Mr. Parameswaran:A business is built on the strength of its brands. Take out the brands, what is left?

[pb_blockquote component_description=”Blockquote”]Leadership is the ability to provide guidance, motivation, support for a team to fly higher than they ever imagined possible[/pb_blockquote]

1. Could you please describe ‘Brand-Building’?
I am keen on helping companies, big and small, understand the process of Brand Building. So this platform is nothing but a calling card for a group of us who are engaged in helping clients fine tune their branding strategies.

2. Could you please highlight on your journey from IIT Madras to leading the ‘Brand-building’?
I started my career in Rediffusion Advertising right from IIM Calcutta. I have spent more than 40 years on marketing advertising and branding. Around 30 years in advertising, with Rediffusion for three years and then a long 26 years in FCB Ulka. I also spent ten years in marketing in OTC, Consumer Products, Pharma and Yellow Pages. I was fortunate to keep learning new skills as my career progressed.

3. According to you, what is leadership?
Leadership is the ability to provide guidance, motivation, support for a team to fly higher than they ever imagined possible.

4. What is branding?
A brand is nothing but a name that tells a story.

5. What is the difference between leading a business and leading the brand?
Both are similar except for the case when you have multiple brands under a corporation. In reality each brand manager is also a business manager.

6. You have designed & developed many brands in your carrier. You must have had great time working on each of them. Could you please mention 3 brands that you really enjoyed working on? And why?
I worked on Santoor from around 1994 till almost 2016. Today Santoor is the second largest soap brand that has numerous offering. I think I played a small role in its success. Tata Motors was another client I worked with closely from 1998 to 2014. An amazing amount of learning and building brands like Tata Indica and Tata Indigo. Other memorable clients one worked on include Zee TV, Abbott, ITC etc.

7. What is brand strategy and how to design the same?
Brand strategy starts with the basics of marketing. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. In this I feel positioning is critical to get right. Brand strategy comes out of a well thought our positioning strategy.

8. Is it important to consider the brand-way for business? Yes/No Why?
A business is built on the strength of its brands. Take out the brands, what is left?

9. What are the secret ingredients to be a successful brand?
Customer Focus.

10. What is your message to startups about branding their business?
Try and understand the pain points of your potential customers. Craft your product or service offering to take care of this. Develop a strong positioning for your brand and then stick with it for sufficient period.

[pb_blockquote component_description=”Blockquote”]Brand strategy comes out of a well thought our positioning strategy[/pb_blockquote]