Culture, Consumers & the New Rules of Brand Building | Amitabh Pande

Duration: 4:33 927 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

In the rapidly evolving landscape of modern brand building, consumers are increasingly seeking brands that offer deep meaning and authentic value systems beyond mere commercial transactions. Today's audience wants to understand a brand's role in their lives and how it helps resolve personal conflicts, looking for clear values rather than just products. Furthermore, there is a significant shift where consumers desire control over the narrative, preferring to use brands as tools to tell their own stories rather than having the brand dictate the conversation. This dynamic has moved beyond traditional demographic or psychographic segmentation, requiring brands to empower users to engage with them on personal terms. Trust and authenticity have become paramount in an era dominated by artificial intelligence and information overload, leading consumers to favor brands with genuine roots and history. When deciding which cultural movements to participate in, Amitabh Pande emphasizes that a brand cannot simply own culture but must authentically play within it by staying true to its core identity. For instance, while a Scotch whiskey brand like Johnny Walker naturally fits into international music cultures, it would be incongruous for the same brand to suddenly engage with a specific local cultural scene without a genuine connection. The key lies in identifying which parts of culture resonate with the brand's inherent nature and engaging authentically in those spaces rather than forcing a fit. Regarding media strategy, the approach has become more scientific and data-driven, focusing on understanding the specific consumer journey across various digital touchpoints. Since much of the consumer experience now happens online, brands can plan effectively by analyzing how different platforms serve distinct needs; for example, the intent behind watching content on connected TV differs significantly from scrolling through social media reels or viewing videos on YouTube. By mapping these varying consumer needs to each specific platform, brands can tailor their presence appropriately at every stage of the journey without resorting to complex rocket science, simply by understanding where and how their audience interacts with them. On a personal note, Amitabh shares his favorite beverage choice as Don Julio tequila, which he enjoys making into a Paloma cocktail for Friday evenings after work. This preference highlights his appreciation for quality spirits that offer a moment of relaxation and enjoyment outside of the professional realm. The conversation concludes with an invitation to try this drink together, reflecting the friendly and engaging nature of the discussion on how brands can build meaningful connections with their audiences through authenticity and understanding.

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Hello everyone. Today we have Amitabh Pandey with us. Thank you so much Amitabh for taking out time and speaking to us today in the open air. So Amitabh, my very first question to you is that, you know, what are consumers really looking forward to from the brand today? Because a lot is changing these days and so are consumers' needs and their aspirations. So I would like to know your thoughts on that. >> Sure. I think so much is changing so fast. I think it's getting harder to build brands today. But I think three real three big themes stand out for me. I think one, consumers are increasingly looking for brands with deep meaning systems. What do you mean to me in my life? What is the role you play in my life? How are you helping me resolve my conflicts? >> Sure. >> Um what are your values and beyond just selling and consumption? What are your values? Who do you really stand What do you really stand for? So brands with deep meaning systems. The second thing I would say is consumers want to be more in control of the brands rather than brands controlling the narrative. >> Yeah. >> Uh it's a segmentation of one. No longer demographic segmentation or psychographic, whatever you have it. >> Yeah. >> So consumers want to be in control of the brands and use [music] the brands to tell their story and how therefore how can brands enable that? So consumers in control. >> [music] >> Uh the third one I'll say is consumers are looking for brands with authority and and roots. >> Okay. >> Uh because in the world of AI, the world of over information, it's increasingly consumers find it hard to trust. Uh so authenticity comes from your roots [music] and they're increasingly looking from uh for brands with roots. >> All right. So you know, culture is evolving really quickly these days. My question to you is that basically how do you decide that which cultural movement do you want to, you know, dive into? Which one do you want to participate in? So how do you decide that? >> Yeah. Uh it's it's a good one. It's a great question because you can get it very wrong. Uh the answer lies in according to me is not thinking culture out because culture a brand can't own culture. Uh but a brand can play in culture and the only way it can play authentically in culture if the brand is being true to itself. So, deeply knowing who you are and what culture you can authentically be a part of that's I think the way to go. So, go brand out who you are as a brand, which parts of the culture resonate and connect with you and then play in that. So, for example, Johnny Walker as a brand, Scotch whiskey international plays in music international music culture. That works. But if I say suddenly Johnny Walker the brand is going to be part of the bet Sabha music suddenly like that culture is both cultures are happening. But which brand do you play in is to be true to your brand. So, go brand out into culture not culture [music] out. >> So, without you know, consumers are everywhere. Say it OTT, retail, of course content creation now that there's a whole buzz around that. So, I want to understand that how your media mix really looks like. >> I think [music] this one is a relatively easy one because I think so much of the consumer journey is now digital and anything that's digital that's measured. So, anything measured is then you can plan. So, I think there's a fair amount of science behind [music] this and the answer lies in knowing your consumer journey. Different companies do the same, not rocket science now anymore. It's essentially saying what is the journey that your consumer is following linked to your category and your brand and what is the role that the different touch points play. So, what is the consumer need when he's watching a CTV connected TV versus when he's watching Netflix when versus when he's watching a YouTube video versus when he's scrolling reels. And each of those needs of the consumer are different. So, you just plot what how you need to show up in [music] each of those touch points differently. >> Okay. >> Basically. >> Okay, that was about moreover about business. I want to understand that you know, other than the business and of course you've spent so so such a long time in the industry now. So, once you want to switch off maybe you know, so which particular brand do you enjoy the most if you can pick from yours? >> So, my current favorite brand I have I'm a repertoire drinker. So, I have whiskey, I have tequila, I have vodka, I have gin. But my current go to brand is Don Julio tequila and a mean Paloma that I make at home or you can get a nice Paloma at a bar as well. That's my go to drink on a Friday evening once I'm done with work. >> Perfect, perfect. How about once we get over with that let's try that? >> Yes, absolutely. I'll be happy to. >> Okay, perfect. Thank you so much Amitabh. It was lovely talking to you. >> Thank you so much. Thank you for [music] having me. Thank you.