The recent fixation with the ‘end of the world theory’, propounded due to a Mayan calendar that ends in 2012 has piqued interest across a host of other related concepts, in the public consciousness. It has sparked debates about the eventual decline of civilisation. Insurance policies have been bought in panic. Reality shows have begun to seem more tolerable. Insane year-end parties were planned. Essentially good sense seemed to have taken long leave, of all those involved in these events.
But this ‘prediction’ does also spark interesting thoughts, about the well-being of other unique modern-day civilisations. For what is the branding world, if not an attempt to bring people together along similar cerebral geographies?
It has often been said that the prospect of annihilation has a wonderfully clarifying and creative effect on modifying existing paradigms. Therefore dwelling on the parallels which emerge from this chaotic conundrum might just help brand managers to help their own ‘pockets of culture’ endure the test of time.
Preparing a time plan for obsolescence
While normally Homo sapiens have problems contemplating termination (as any insurance marketer could concur), pondering about such a fate for a brand might just be an extremely worthwhile exercise.
Many times brand managers are enamoured by the success of the present. A future where the brand does not exist seems incomprehensible. But from sail ship companies which scoffed at steam ships to pager manufacturers who were unable to see that cell phones would make them redundant, marketing history is laden with examples of strong positions being completely obliterated. Consciously envisaging scenarios in which this eventuality might occur enables teams to prepare much better. And this just might help corporate think-tanks build a Noah’s Ark equivalent for their brands.
Envisioning the next transformation
A recurrent theme in Indian spiritual thinking is the concept of transformation. In a sense this thought stream cites ‘there is no such thing as an end, the end only marks the beginning of something new’. This is a concept corroborated by the law of conservation of energy in thermodynamics, which extols that energy can never be created or destroyed, it merely takes on other forms.
In a strange way, this also rings true in the marketplace. While one brand declines, it is certain that another is rising to take its place. The universal nature of human needs does imply that they persist, even if an ‘evolution of product’ is experienced, in the manner in which the market satisfies them.
Hence looking for new avatars for the brand to be reborn in is an extremely potent mindset to develop. It ensures that the company keeps addressing the same audience, even if it changes to customise its offering to their needs. Cricket illustrates this wonderfully. When test cricket began to lose share among the younger lot, the one-day version surfaced; as attention spans became even shorter, the 20-20 edition was pioneered. By being amenable to change, the sport has ensured that it has never been stumped for an audience.
It is almost amusing to note, how some people readily made conclusions about the finality of the Mayan prediction. They reached this position without ever questioning how that ‘date’ came to be. Perhaps it was a simple case of the calendar writer refusing to work further, till his conveyance bills were cleared. But on a much more serious note, there is a need to develop a questioning attitude on all such fronts.
While experts have undoubted credentials, in terms of being a repository of knowledge on what worked in the past, the future is a whole different ball game. Developing a sceptical perspective about any ‘gloom and doom’ news coming one’s way is certainly a starting point when addressing any such emergency. For hidden behind this seeming crisis, there just might lurk the software to decode the most lucrative opportunity.
To conclude, every culture seems to have its own version of the apocalypse. But by introducing that concept in branding conversations, one just might prepare one’s brand for a much stronger and more secure future. Near death experiences have always been considered great for the human spirit. Perhaps it is now time for brands to follow suit …
(Vinay Kanchan is a creative thinking trainer and an independent brand consultant)