This one is for you Mr. Kevin Roberts….
Hi Kevin and hi all…..
I have mentioned in the earlier blogs that I am from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It might be difficult for a non Indian to find the city on the world map but this city gave a man who changed the map of the world. His values are role model for any leader in the world. He did not get Nobel Prize, because Nobel Prize did not deserve him. Our prize was too small in-front of what he has given us. From Einstein, Charles Chaplin to Obama is his fan and He is still alive on the Indian Currency, even more in Indian Hearts. His name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Kevin Roberts (CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi) has given a spectacular idea, where he takes future beyond brands and loyalty beyond reasons. He calls it “Lovemarks” http://www.lovemarks.com/
This article will provide you two things.
1. Milestones of Gandhi’s life
2. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi knew about “Lovemarks” and he created one,
lovemark -“GANDHI”
Both, Gandhi and Lovemarks, are great ideas and I will try to justify their greatness. This is something what I think. You can surely comment and post your thoughts about it.
1869 Born October 2nd in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. The youngest of three sons.
Father: Karamchand. Mother: Putlibai.
1883 Married as a child to Kasturbai (both 13 years old).
1888 Sailed for England to study law in London.
1891 Returned to India as lawyer. Began practice in Bombay and Rajkot.
The Lovemarks effect has seven steps as mentioned in the book... “The Lovemarks effect- winning in the consumer revolution”. To be very accurate about Lovemarks theory, I have directly taken the information about the Lovemarks from the book itself.
1. START WITH RESPECT
Businesses have analyzed and measured Respect for decades. But it keeps slipping through their fingers. The trouble is that consumers keep changing and the stakes keep going up. Respect has to be earned again and again, just as Love can only be given. Before you start out on the road to Lovemarks, you must have Respect.
He surely wanted to create respect in the eyes of all victims of color discrimination. He could only get it by putting their problems in-front of authority and fighting for their rights.
PERFORMANCE TRUST REPUTATION
All the three words feel like routine business expectations, until you wrap some personal emotion around
it, and focus on your brand.
SO, in 1899 he organized an Indian ambulance corps for the British in the Boer War. This shows his responsibility towards his fellow people. This created trust for him in their heart and reputation amongst the society.
1901 Sailed for India to bring over his family.1902 Returned to South Africa at the request of the Indian community.
YES, HE COMPLETED STEP ONE. WHEN PEOPLE WANT YOU TO BE WITH THEM THAT SURELY MEANS THEY RESPECT YOU AND THEY DO IT FROM THEIR HEART.
2. GET CLOSE TO CONSUMERS
A fundamental of Lovemarks from the beginning was that consumers own the brand. What does this mean? For a start, it requires every Lovemark business to be more interested in what consumers have to say to them, than what they want to say to their consumers. Sounds easy, but plays hard.
1904 Established the weekly journal Indian Opinion. Organized the community, Phoenix Farm, near Durban.
When you are out there in market, you can’t forget to use most affective media to get close.
1906 Organized the first small campaign for the Indian immigrants in Transvaal.
Create a consumer crusader:
1907 Campaigned against The Black Act.
1908 January: Sentenced to two months imprisonment in Johannesburg. (Gandhi’s first time in jail). Summoned to consult with General Smuts in Pretoria.
Get out of the office:
1909 July: Sailed for England to present Indians’ case in the Parliament.
The above incidents show that how he himself became crusader for his people. He wanted to take their voice out. He went out and connected strongly with people.
Share the pleasure and suck up the pain:
In 1913 he campaigned for the rights of mineworkers in Transvaal. (Share the pleasure)
November: Arrested, but released in December with expectations of a compromise. (suck up the pain)
1915 Began his struggle for Indian independence. Established Satyagraha Ashram, near Ahmedabad
The video link in given above in this post starts with the scene when he came to India for the first time. Check that out and you will know that how much people respected him and his ideas. He was totally high on Respect axes and moving strongly up in the love axis.
The last thing I found about “FIND WHERE YOU STAND” was: Go to lovemarks.com and put your brand through| The Lovemark Profiler. GO here and vote for lovemark “GANDHI”:
.1917 Moved the Ashram to new site on Sabarmati River (This ASHRAM is 5 mints away from my place). Launched the first Satyagraha campaign in British India for the rights of peasants on indigo plantations in Champaran. Refused to leave the area, arrested in Motihari, but the case is withdrawn.
UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF STORIES
Every brand has a story, and the best ones often come from consumers. Identify the key elements of a great story— character, setting, conflict, plot, style, and so on. This is an important way to begin to understand why some stories are more powerful than others
March: Satyagraha for the peasants in Kheda.
April: Organized nationwide hartal mourning celebration with fasting and prayer, suspension of all working activity for one day against the Rowlett Act. He fasted for three days in penitence for violent riots by Indian activists.
He was on the path to create the most amazing story. People were not just watching or listening the stories about him but they were involved in his story. Every Indian had a role to play and responsibility to fulfill in the story
START TELLING STORIES
1919 : He also became editor of two Indian weekly journals: the English edition of Young India and Navajivan in Gujarati.
He was trying to reach to people by telling stories of what he and his fellow members are doing through those weekly journals.
1920: Elected president of All India Home Rule League. A resolution for nationwide SATYAGRAH campaign was launched.
GET ICON
By this time his dressing, glasses and a support sticks were his visual icon. His weaving machine was another icon for his approach towards life. Anything and everything he did was unique and iconic in itself. GANDHI name itself was icon for leadership in India and it still is.
BECOME A DREAM MERCHANT
For all Indians the only dream was to get freedom from British Empire. Gandhi was the man who was working to get freedom. There were many other people who wanted the same but they could not do like Gandhi did. The main reason was the ideology. Gandhi wanted to prepare Indians to run a free nation and get freedom with peace not by violence where as other people fought with British and could not survive long.
Take a look at the video below and you will have more idea about it.
…….TO BE CONTINUED
Hey man -- I love your blog. You are tapping into the emotional power of people and ideas -- all from a uniquely Indian point of view.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up. We'll be watching you!
Your friends and colleagues from the States.
-brandsinger