The new brands

NEW DELHI: Raw, home-grown Self-mademen with small-town bearings are the new role models. From suaveShah Rukh Khan to avant garde Chandrachud Singh to small-town Virendra Sehwag— the swiftly-changing Mayur suitings ad tells the story of the changingprofile of the Indian market, and with it, its brand ambassadors.Today, Najafgarh has become more important than Malabar Hills.‘‘It isn’t only sophistication that works now, achievement andaspiration also play a big role in advertising,’’ says ad man andfilmmaker Prahlad Kakkar. ‘‘And that’s where brand ambassadorslike Virendra Sehwag and Dhanraj Pillai come in. Sehwag is just right for Mayursuitings. He stands for a small town guy achieving huge fame. And somehow, theman on the street can identify with him and believe that he actually wears Mayursuiting.’’ Aspirations, are changing and creators aregiving way to inheritors. ‘‘People,’’ says marketingguru Suhel Seth, ‘‘are coming to terms with the rags-to-riches storyand the self-made man is the new role model. Wealth today has less to do withpedigree and the language you speak and more to do with disposable incomes.’’ A brand has to reflect the values of its times.‘‘As the context, aspirations and social idiom change, thebrand’s ambassador has to change,’’ says ad woman Tara Sinha.‘‘The English-speaking, convent-educated consumer is almost dead.The buyer is more Hinglish.’’ It’s more aboutachievements and less about style, say experts. ‘‘In this respect,Dhanraj Pillai is powerful as a brand ambassador,’’ adds Kakkar.‘‘He has such a raw, home-grown appeal that even the mostsophisticated of brands can actually get away by adopting him as theirambassador. Like P T Usha, Pillai has to do with achievement which rises waybeyond style.’’The change is reflected in all spheres— English news channels are turning Hindi. Laloo has replaced Nehru as acharismatic leader. And Sehwag is more enigmatic than Pataudi.‘‘Brands are built on identification and empathy,’’ saysSeth.‘‘A middle-class family in Mumbai or Bangalore ismore likely to identify with a Narayana Murthy than a VijayMallya.’’ Another reason is the overexposure of oldericons. Says Sinha, ‘‘A high profile leads to a promiscuousrelationship — so many brands have the same ambassador. This not onlymakes the icon more prominent than the brand, it also confuses the buyer.’’