May 2013, it was Monday evening. The cold weather in Zurich had already made me a little uncomfortable during my business trip. Was feeling a little homesick and sipping a cup of hot coffee on the street of Zurich. The street was full of stores and for me, it was all international brands. In midst of all the stores, I saw a very common name BATA. The name itself made me feel comfortable and I walked into the store to feel at home. I know it is weird to say this.
Years later, along with my friends had visited a local mall in Mumbai and the discussion of the origin of BATA made us take a bet. My friend was very confident that I would lose.
Came home and was surprised to see BATA coupons on the center table of my living room. On asking my mother in law proudly said that she is a BATA shareholder.
Decided to go in-depth with the Company which had caught my attention since 2013.
Mr Tomáš Bat’a faced financial difficulties and decided to use canvas in place of leather to make shoes, which became very popular with consumers. They kept building shoes from the Czech Republic to the world and grew rapidly in the next 50 years. By 1931, Bata came to India and established its first shoemaking factory in an area nearby Kolkata, now known as Batanagar.
Everyone has their own stories of the product to narrate however I have some sweet
memories associated as the BATA has always
been there with me.
BATA has been a household name in India and has been catering to various lifestyles be it lower middle income to ultra-luxury footwear range. It plays a significant role right from school life to Old age with footwear designed for all genres.
Voltas is known for Air conditioners today however growing up I have seen Voltas Opal Refrigerator part of our household for many years and it stood tall and supported the household for 15years plus and in my memory, I have not seen a single technician repairing the refrigerator during its stay with us.
I was proud to be part of the Voltas group during my career and working there made me appreciate the TATA culture and the way employees are looked after.
All these years, apart from BATA and Voltas, many other brands have been part of nurturing and making my life easy to work around and take care of myself and others. These brands are a combination of both local and international customizing their products keeping in view the local need and flavor.
Developing brand passion is all about creating a journey of engagement with your customer. It’s a relationship built over time as Customers' thoughts and feelings about a brand are positively reinforced.
Amul India has been a brand name that every one of us relishes to the core. Amul India has been a recognized brand for employment generation and all of us love the way the brand has paved its way into the Indian household. There are many local milk brands and all of them enjoy their customer base. Amul hoarding is something everyone is curious and interested to look at every change that happens.
The swiftness with which the brands have responded has made them sustainable over some time. There are challenges which the brand undergoes during this transition. The out of box thinking and the employee's support in executing initiatives have made the brands change with ease and determination.
Marketing evangelists do nurture the brand with a lot of care and love. This nurturing does take a lot of patience and perseverance.
Remember my discussion with a product manager, I remember her telling me Business is all about making quick decisions. These decisions are always taken with calculated risks.
Brands speak a volume of the company they represent. It is not only the Marketing initiatives, however, but the values, mission, and vision of the Company are also weaved into the Brand so that they connect with the end customer to convey the Organisation ethos.
My belief in BATA, Voltas, or Amul for that matter is personal experiences however the underlying belief that these are the companies that not only take care of their brand but also brand ambassadors i.e. their employees at every level of the Organisation.
The company brand names may differ but these brands do play a meaningful role in shaping up the lives of many.
We all have stories to share, so do have earlier generation’s stories to share …
Do you have any such emotional connect with favourite brand of yours…do share in the comment box below…We would love to hear from you.