Marketing Lessons for BJP

In India, #NarendraModi's party (#BJP) suffered a major setback in recent polls in the state of Bihar. Ironically, the same state had given his party a big lead in national elections last year. ..

Here are some marketing lessons to learn from the Bihar Verdict (originally sent by my friend on Whatsapp)

1) First and foremost, never overstretch a brand. This is the core of branding. Modi brand might be good. But even that has limitation. Lux cannot be Lifebuoy

2) Making just noise does not help any more. People want to see content. Excess advertising only helps a bad product sink faster. In Bihar without local leadership, the product was bad. Sushil Modi was not seen as clean but corrupt.

3) Always develop leaders. Hire people better than yourself. Modi should have hired someone better than himself. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Vasundhara Raje, Raman Singh are proof of this principle.

4) Victory will step in only when there is a team to receive it. Individual performance alone will be always be found wanting. Cricket teams like South Africa and Sri Lanka have been stunning performers despite lacking individual stars.

5) Focus on 'self' rather than competition. A brand should communicate what it stands for and not on what the opposition / competitor is doing wrong. The customer is not a moron. Modi's campaign has been about the incompetence of the 'other'. Delhi and Bihar have replied loud and clear with their verdict. Have you seen 'Apple' ever comparing itself to anything but itself.

6) Stick to one's positioning through thick and thin. Don't change 'what you stand for, based on the 'situation'. Tactical moves don't pay. Strategic positioning works better and earns loyalty. If you are against 'communalism' say it clearly. Keeping things ambiguous will always hurt. We are hearing and seeing it loud and clear.

7) Be willing to yield and have the heart to 'give'. Show respect to 'allies' and colleagues. Don't consider others vulnerable and yourself invincible. Make others also win. The Shiv Sena is a case in point. Having them in the team is more dangerous. Enemy within is more dangerous than the enemy outside. So either show the respect they deserve or stay away.

8) Build discipline and 'culture' in the team. Allowing loose canons to fester is like having bombs in your own backyard. If there is an accident, you are going to score a 'self goal'. One may think it is a smart tactical move to allow these fringe elements to take centre stage but a visionary knows, it won't work in the long term. And our leaders keep repeating this.

9) And here is the most important one.  Don't be arrogant about success. Past performance may or may not repeat itself. 'Overconfidence' kills a brand because the world keeps changing and our situation keeps getting irrelevant. Look at how Nokia and Kodak both super brands lost it when they took a nap.

(c) Nitin Kirloskar