The power of a name and the need for change

I maintain another blog called FULL TANK. Being a professional in the field of marketing communications and an avid observer of the process of branding, I've always felt that choosing a good name is extremely crucial. Laura Ries has changed the name of the her blog. And these are her thoughts on the change.

I appreciate the candid confessions. It triggered a thought about one of my blogs mentioned above. To begin with, my blog was just another blog. It was a record of my thoughts on very many things. Cricket, Motorcycles, Beauty, Mumbai, India, etc. I observed that I was writing more about two-wheelers. Not just quantitatively but also qualitatively. So I decided to narrow my focus for the blog on two-wheelers and record my thoughts on other things by creating other blogs like FORK (on brands and businesses), Profss Drums (on education, policy-making and governance), etc.

Over the months, I've changed the name of my first blog many a time depending on my mood. Firstly I named it Indusbeats, then Slumberic Memoirs Of an MBA, later disstraction, and then thrillon2wheels, and finally settling for Full Tank. My impatience and a thirst for something more interesting every now and then also played a part in changing names so frequently.

Just when I felt fairly convinced that I had chosen an apt name Full Tank for my blog on two-wheelers, this article by Laura Ries gives me other thoughts. What does Full Tank mean? What does it connote/signify? Many things. Passion for motorcycling, cruisers, perhaps big bikes, etc. Importantly it also signifies the object that holds fuel (petrol, to be more specific) in a motorcycle/ two-wheeler. So what happens if tomorrow the world changes and most of the two-wheelers are battery-powered? Will there be a Full Tank? Will the name make sense? I know for the moment the name's just good. But tomorrow...

So? I'm not gonna change the name yet again :) though I did feel the temptation when I was reading the article. My only point here is to discuss the importance of the process of naming and the power a name (or a brand name) possesses.

What's your brand name?

Smokin' Joe's Might Smoke It All!

Smokin Joe's is India's homegrown Pizza brand. And seems to be doing well. Says 'Fresh Pizzas'. Seemingly a me-too brand (following in the footsteps of Dominos), it differentiates because it offers good pizzas but at a lower price than the brand it's following.

Having tasted success, this Joe seems to have grand plans. Like? Smokin Lees! What? Yes, a brand positioned to offer Home-delivered Chinese food. There are quite a few question marks here.

1. Has Smokin' Joe's exhausted all the possibilities of growing the Pizza brand? I don't think so. So if growth opportunities exist, why shift focus from a growing the brand to launching another brand?
2. Has Smokin' Joe's studied the Pizza brands worldwide, especially the biggies like Pizza Hut and Dominos? Why didn't these two brands extend themselves into any other food category? Don't they have more understanding and wherewithal to undertake an initiative like that?
   
3. What does Smokin' Joe's stand for? How does Smokin' Lee's does justice the established brand? When the brands are meant for two different categories of food (and also, when the promises 'seem' different), why is there such a similarity in names?

Smokin' Joe's might end up undo a lot of good work that's gone behind the first brand. Firstly, it shouldn't have taken a chance to shift its focus from the Pizza category. Secondly, even it were to expand in other territories like Chinese Food, the name and the positioning deserved more thought.

Look at the name Smokin' Joe's and the way it is rendered as part of the logo. It reminds you of the wild wild west where the cowboys come from. The word 'smokin' makes you envision the gun-totting cowboys. Now considering this, how does it compare with Smokin' Lee's? What's Lee gotta do with 'smokin'? 'Lee' sure does remind you of China but definitely not the cowboys. The brand manager at Smokin' Joe's must have thought that the common element 'Smokin' might help the new brand establish itself easily. I am not sure of that, but definitely if brand-naming follows any logic (even if not pure logic but perception-driven logic), then this is a clear case of 'anti-logic'. Even if brand-naming isn't about logic, it definitely must not be so obviously 'anti-logical'.

Smokin' Joe's is Fresh Pizzas. Smokin' Lee's is Home Delivered Chinese Food. Do the two sound/mean similar things. May be. May be not. Yes there could be an overlap but the two do seem different things. Then why use 'Smokin' as a common word (or theme). My word, the two brands should've been entirely different with different promises. A brand focussing entirely on Home Delivered Chinese Food is a new happening in the market but Smokin' Lee's might not help to exploit the potential.

Sumo tries becoming svelte, or is it?

If the third one is Tata Sumo, what about the first two... Make a guess.

When Tata makes automobiles, especially consumer utility vehicles or passenger cars, it fights a lot of perceptions. Why? Because of the ubiquitous and lumbering Tata Trucks we've been seeing on Indian Highways since time immemorial. To top that, when Tata launches consumer utility vehicles, it plays with brand names, launches variants, shuffles the brand names based on internally discussed logical plans; the brand managers really work hard. Just that they might not care much for perceptions of consumers who buy their brands or products.

Tata Sumo was launched, it did well in the initial years and then got clubbed when Toyota Qualis entered the market. Wasn't surprising that the majority of the buyers of Sumo were the taxi fraternity. But the brand managers wouldn't give in. The initial success of Sumo perhaps wasn't forgotten.

Since taxi fraternity was going in for Sumo and perhaps the marketing/brand managers didn't really like the fact, they launched a cheaper UV - using the Sumo platform and shape - called Tata Spacio. The idea would've been that drivers would adopt Spacio leaving Sumo for extensions upwards. Show a Tata Spacio to anyone right now and ask that person which vehicle is that. 95 out of 100 would say, "Tata Sumo!"

Extend upwards, they did. They launched Sumo Victa - again using the original Sumo platform and shape. The ad hinted at individualism and luxurious life-style; the parting line was Kuch log Sumo Victa chalate hain with a guy in erect-posture looking at you. Imagine! First name a utility vehicle Sumo (a vehicle with an expansive body, naturally to accommodate many passengers) and then show individualistic tendencies. Victa, from my memory, hasn't done great. Show a Victa to anyone right now and ask which vehicle is that, he or she would say, "Tata Sumo!"

Brand managers didn't give in. So again remembering the success of original Sumo, and the subsequent success of a rival product Mahindra Scorpio, the brand managers launched another vehicle (built on the same platform but with a cooler look) called Sumo Grande. This time, for family. I don't see too many Grandes on the road yet. Grande stands out distinctly from the original Sumo, Sumo Victa or Spacio. Then why is it called the Sumo? Killing your own baby, is it?

Brand Sumo has been messed around with, left, right and center. One needs to understand that Sumo, the brand (or any other brand), isn't owned by the company; it is owned by the people who consider it and buy it. Brand is a summation of their perceptions. It's mostly at the point of inception that the brand manager has complete control over pitching the brand as one thing and not the other. Thereafter, consumers have the right to accept it and reject it. And if the brand turns out successful in a particular way, no matter the brand managers desire or do, it might continue to be perceived in the way that made it successful.

If Grande is for family and Victa for individualistic guys, think what is Tata Safari for? You'll say Grande and Victa are UV's and Safari is an SUV. To elaborate more, you'd say Grande is a luxurious UV competing with the likes of Toyota Innova. Then why call it Sumo Grande? If Victa is for individualistic guys, why is it a UV? Isn't SUV more suited for individualistic tendencies? Loads of questions. Confusing. Jumbled. That's right. Courtesy, the branding strategies applied for Tata Sumo. Do you doubt then that the performance of the brand isn't really as desired.

I suspect brand managers could exercise greater control, especially beyond inception, over brands which failed in the first place. Assumption is that the brand failed because people couldn't quite accept it and therefore do not have too many perceptions about it.

Also, it's easy to bring a 'high-end' brand lower but mighty tough to push a 'lower-end' one higher. Tata needs to rethink about Sumo. Or rather simply leave it for the mass transit purposes. Do some chopping (easier said I know what with all the capex already incurred) and launch new brands to target different segments; that would be better. Perhaps better products would also do better!

Lessons from the streetside vendors

Street hawkers, fruits/vegetable vendors by the roadside - these are pretty common sights in India. I was riding with my wife this morning. At a bend, we noticed a couple of fruit vendors - one was selling lichees and the other, mangoes. We passed the bend and had gone further 20-25 meters when Arti tugged at my shirt and said, "The lichees look good. Let's buy some." We took a u-turn and bought some lichees. And then, as we were about to resume our ride, we bought mangoes as well.

Fruits are very often sold this way - one vendor selling one thing. The sight of one thing stocked in a huge quantity leaves quite an impact. Not only does is it visually attractive, but also makes one think that the fruits are of good quality, fresh, and perhaps, with good taste too. It whets one's appetite. If a good mood coincides with the sight, one ends up buying. Recall your own experiences and you'll notice that the same would occur less often if one vendor has stocked many types of fruits.

What's the import? Focus. Yes, focus on one thing, you'll most likely sell more.

Am a fruit lover. Therefore, to an extent this post is personal. But this small little commonplace occurrence by the street-side, I feel, includes a lesson.

Papa John's has better ingredients and the right message

Pizza wars are interesting to watch. It's hotting up here in India. More brands are getting launched

Have just come home after having a Red Hot Pepper Pizza at the newly opened Papa John's Pizza outlet here in Powai. Don't want to talk much about the experience, perhaps doesn't fall in the purview of this blog-post.

If you look at the message, it says "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." Pizza Hut for 'having pizza sitting in a restaurant', Domino's for 'home delivered pizzas'. It wouldn't make sense to be yet another Pizza brand for 'having pizza sitting in a restaurant'; there had to be something more to differentiate and clarify the positioning of Papa John's. So the brand focussed its message on 'ingredients' - one of the most important aspects of any recipe, especially pizzas. Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. That does it. Nicely positioned, nicely differentiated.

Since it was the opening day of the outlet I visited, it had many attractions to engage the children. That made me realize that the name is 'Papa John's'. Is it like a McDonald's for pizzas? Probably. McDonald's offers burgers and targets children. Papa John's is for Pizzas and targets children? Could be.

Papa John's, by the way, also delivers at home though they chose not to highlight it. Different from Domino's? Yes. Different from Pizza Hut? Yes - simply because of the message, because of the focus on 'ingredients'.

Let's see, how does this category of Pizzas evolve and diverge further in India. I'll keep a watch, I like pizzas.

Irony

Read a quote in one of the posts on 2wheelsindia.com. Mr. Pawan Munjal, CEO, Hero Honda Motors says, "We have focus on all the three segments and more and more on the premium, the youth and on the youngsters."

Amazing how conveniently we can use the word 'focus'. The news is, I repeat, that Hero Honda is going to focus on all the three segments! All the best.

Celebrity brand – Mr. Perfection, Aamir Khan

Watching Taare Zameen Par was an experience par excellence. What was the movie about? A little child’s struggle to grapple with dyslexia and as a consequence, with his problems at home and school. The child’s in deep trouble when his new art teacher comes in and helps him achieve the unthinkable; of course, by making him explore his unusual abilities in a suitable manner.

That’s been Aamir Khan’s success mantra through out his career. There have been diversions every now and then, but more or less he has achieved success with one formula – depict achievement of victory in adverse circumstances. Adverse circumstances often in a very specific context, often unforeseen, often compelling enough for a drastic and definitive measure.

Let’s go back to some of his earlier successful movies:

Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin – fighting all resistance to win the love of a woman who’s a big star

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar – victory in a cycle race for which he prepares and participates in a very short time in lieu of his injured brother

Dil – fighting against parents to win his lady-love. QSQT was on similar lines, in which he wins but ends his life when he knows that his beloved was killed

Hum Hain Raahi Pyar Ke – overcoming a crisis in business for which he incidentally assumes responsibility after the death of his sister and brother-in-law

Rangeela – winning his lady love even when pitched against a superstar

Ishq – fighting all the status and wealth barriers to win his lady love

Ghulam – struggling as an aspiring boxer but wins a fight against an infamous but stronger boxer who also happens to be a goon and killer of his brother

Sarfarosh – solving an intricate problem of terrorism and the people who abet terrorism

Dil Chahta Hai – struggling to understand ‘love’ and his friend’s feelings but eventually fighting to save his love just before she’s about to get married and also winning back his friend

Lagaan – fighting to win an important cricket challenge thrown by the British rulers of the region and in turn saving a village from back-breaking taxes

Rang De Basanti – purposeless all life but determined and therefore, succeeds in avenging the death of a dear friend, an Air-force pilot, who dies in a dubious situation which arises out of the corrupt dealings of country’s top politicians

Aamir’s made some rather forgettable movies too. He’s made some pure comedy movies, some off-beat movies et al. But he is one of the very few actors in Indian cinema who’ve recognized and exploited (in a very positive and constructive way) a particular theme or pattern in movies and delivered smashing performances.

That’s the power of focus. Of course, if you’ve watched these movies, you know what I’m talking about. Aamir Khan can be viewed as a brand. He’s a perfectionist (in other words, specialist) and he uses it in a particular way – reflected through his choice of movies (victory in unforeseen, compelling and adverse circumstances) and his role (that of a hard-working, determined victor) in those movies. And that brings him success. Perhaps, he knows it!