In Indian cinema, TV, stand-up comedy, you notice the rise of performers who not only are from small-town India but actively use reference material from life back there to great success. Interestingly, their audience is often the relatively well-heeled elites of India, living in the larger metros. The ‘people like us’ (PLUs) as they are...

A classic ad for Chivas Regal, using brutal humour to suggest you might lack the pedigree for the brand. Have you ever wondered why ‘aspirational’ advertising and brand building works? Seems too obvious to even ponder over the question, right? Here’s an interesting #culture lense. Much of human culture is shaped by the elite. (Hence the use...

#Insights – why? #innovation – why not? Both are connected with culture. Insight is about understanding culture, innovation is about challenging what thus far has been a norm.

If you have to brand a fruit juice that is commonly available, you might think you are stuck with a commodity. The only hope is to get the taste, price and distribution right and accept a commodified, fragmented market with no real consumer preference for a brand. Except when you see how two brands have...

My household help for the last 12 years leaves for her annual vacation to her village every year, arranging a standby help for me. On returning, every time, she gets into a fight with her substitute, berating her for shoddy work, continuing to grumble for a few days after return. It would upset and baffle...

Our whole being responds to images we actually see or just imagine in our mind’s eyes. To experience this, think a word like beach, elephant, ghost… holding each word for a few seconds and see what images flashed in your mind and the fleeting accompanying emotions. When brands build powerful associations with desirable images, we...

  The youth are often panned for being self and selfie obsessed. In an insight workshop, the students of The Delhi School of Communication unearthed some interesting insights around this. At its core is their disillusion with relationships and the inherent absence of authenticity. While the selfie is their façade for participating in this charade...

Did you know that for a long time, pineapple juice was simply thrown away! It was seen as a waste by-product while canning the fruit. Till someone figured it might have some value. An interesting example of the importance of questioning established perspectives and practices. Making something a holy grail, just because ‘that’s how it...

In a recent insight workshop with a brand team, the question of the power of movies and brands to change culture came up. We often come across movies, ads and brands that surprise us when they happen. Consider Lust Stories and #Tinder for example. Did they reflect existing culture or are they changing it? The answer,...