Branding in India

India is altogether a different country when it comes to business practices and consumer perception.
I recently have attended Global Management Development Program at my college. The topic for the discussion was “Invisible Brands”. Professor Stanley Moss (CEO of Medinge Group) came from USA and spoke on this topic with respect to the new mindset of big brands.
After Global financial meltdown and US Sub prime crisis, the consumer mindset about perceiving brands is changing very fast. A big brand like Coca cola spends an extensive amount on advertisement and promotion to maintain its brand value. But, now consumer is becoming cautious about their every activity towards society. Professor Stanley gave an example of Peragonia, a US based clothing company has adopted socio-centric business practices in its operations. And, company doesn’t spend a single penny on advertising. Then also it is considered a strong brand in USA.
I want to summarize my learning in following points:-
1. After Global Financial Meltdown, view points of consumer has been changing towards the brands which are over branding themselves. They are considered as negative brands.
2. Brand is a promise which a company makes to its customers.
3. For a new venture branding is not good idea unless it has done a thorough Market Intelligence Analysis.
4. A good brand is not the one which does a heavy spending on advertising, but the one which is perceived by the consumers positively.
5. ‘Simplicity’ is the best way to become a silent a strong brand