BY RUCHI AHUJA / February 10 2017

To give myself some fresh breeze, I oft-times discuss fashion, trends, brands and colors with my unplenty-20, super bright colleagues. It is mighty educating to know how teens and young adults process brands. Here’s what they do. They fill themselves with every little detail about the ones they sport – From the founders of these brands to the lives they live and how! And, not to miss, these very many details are influential factors in the ‘trying’ decision.

It’s the STORY behind the label.

And, the way stories build and maneuver brands is only evolving as an essential marketing tool – a weapon, if I may say. Our websites now move with a background score that stealthily projects a story, our news is less information and definitely more stories! In the highly connected and data-linked media forms, each story goes a long way – and, let’s face it, we all have a massive appetite for story feeds in every form they come in.

Personally, as a writer, stories have been a fodder to me and as a branding communications creator – stories are the ‘real’ work. Right now, we are a like a summation of stories (as against what seems truer – its not DATA, darling!).

Story-telling goes as far back to the caves. Kids have always reveled in it. You know your history if you remember the stories. Even the religion, you follow. So, why this sudden emphasis when it’s not even remotely new?

The answer lies in the rise of the social media living, and the current marketing trend – Human to Human (#H2H). The concept of B2B or B2C or B2X is fast dissolving. A story – after all, can only be told by a human, to a human!

When you want to sell me something, tell me what I can fathom without effort, ‘coz here I am dealing with a thousand clickables a day, mostly, randomly! A story, however, might be interesting. Make it refreshing though and a spoon of compassion would work just fine!

Besides, ‘Human to Human’ sounds pretty tantalizing, doesn’t it?

BY RUCHI AHUJA    /    JANUARY 25 2017

It’s in the air! You can conveniently be unaware about what time of the year it is and yet get it right a week prior! It is when you see kids of all sizes sifting through the cars stuck in Delhi’s traffic queues knocking your panes, to sell the paper tricolor. Oh, didn’t we just start with January and the Republic Day is already upon us – it makes you check the date on your phone in spite of working on multiple #RepublicDay specific branding communications. Irony!

There is a far greater irony, though. With an exception of the goose-bumpy pride, you might feel while watching (if you bother, that is) the flawless rhythmic parade by men in olives; a primary concern to the majority of us remains whether 26th of January falls on a weekday or do we miss a chutti?! ‘Course, it matters. Who doesn’t like a chutti and the ever so ‘bigger’ sales that come with it?

However, oddly enough this year it did not occur to me, for two reasons – a. I have been a little pensive lately and, b. my niece started actively attending school (her well-articulated questions can pull daggers to your belief systems and understanding about understanding). Do you also feel that compared to the Independence Day, the precise significance of this national holiday is not very well grasped by most folks? How many of us can truly tell the two days apart in terms of their importance in our lives?

What must a Republic day mean to Gen Alpha, or for that matter to a Millennial?

Revering the Republic Day might have a greater attribute of time-relevance today, esp. for the young minds. Born into a free world yet unable to breathe freedom in a wholesome measure has left most rational citizens in a hiatus of sorts. Like a just-out-of-college-colleague mentioned to me that she finds it outrageous that what she would wear to work should be governed by how she might be commuting to work. There’s more and more non-adherence and this-is-who-I-am attitude is pretty fundamental to the changing avatar of India. The current generation has nothing left of the ‘ruled upon’ traces the previous generations, sub-consciously lived with. In fact, the best use-case to grasp this definitive shift in mindset and approach is that of our very own PM #Modi. As the first PM born in Independent India, in fact, in a Republic Indian state (Born on 17 September 1950), he certainly shows the grit and dogma-free approach in getting things rolling. The making of a true republic seems more like a WIP now, more than ever.

The way we stand up or at least voice up for what’s right and what ought to be is far more pronounced not only in the parlance of social media but also in the mental framework of the youth. They have an opinion, one that is not founded on prejudices. The gender bias, the socio-economic divide, religion-based split and various other infinitesimal parameters that disintegrate the very fabric of our co-existence are out rightly resented. To be a badass is the mandate and isn’t that super cool?

Just the way we cherish our birthdays with fervor every passing year, we, the youth have to HAVE TO treasure this day with more reverence. It represents our emergence more than any other day! It is what made ‘us’-> ‘We, The People of India’ and made our country a ‘SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC’ Republic! Our Constitution lent the adjectives to the exact kind of freedom we deserved. It’s all up there in the Preamble – let’s wish upon a falling star tonight that we must see those words take a real visible shape in our day. And more importantly, let’s be the change we want to see.

Happy 68th Republic Day (Chutti), fellas!

SPOILER ALERT! There is a special floater at the #RepublicDayParade this time! Guess what, the I&B ministry’s floater will be demonstrating the Benefits of Demonetization and Digital India. Hail #Modi!

BY RUCHI AHUJA   /   BRAND IDENTITYSunday would not have been as eventful except for that one name which commands opinion from every Indian epiglottis worth a vibration…. Ramdev – The deliverer of masses and the wrath gatherer of everyone who doesn’t swear by his magic.

He announced his plans to make Patanjali Jeans. Everyone gawked. Understandably. The blue of jeans and the glaring saffron the Baba adorns don’t make a pleasing combination. Pepe can’t tango with Patanjali. But hey, haven’t we stomached crossovers from (now) smaller brands than the enterprise that Patanjali is? Case in point – The good old Dettol’s venture into dishwashing.

What doesn’t seem to go out the window is how most otherwise sensible folks get irked over the grand stretch that India’s biggest success story is displaying. I have been at a loss to figure what most of my friends hate – his popularity, his guts, the mass appeal or the cheapness of the products? To each his own; Patanjali is a must-do case study for anybody who needs to so much as even think business.

Coming back to the jeans… why am I not surprised? I was when he announced the noodles. Until it became amply apparent to me – this is purely substitution model of business. How about a normalizing nutritional value of Desi Guavas to that of Washington Apples? With billion unwavering ears at your disposal, the Guavas are gone!

I rest the case and want to witness the Great Indian Denim see some blue of the sky – Seething auburn would be awkward, even for the diehard followers, I guess. It would be so much more exciting to see if this creates a Colgate in the Denim industry! Disruptive that Saffron has been.

Will I try one? Not until it matches my shade card.