CHAKRA WATCH

Maslow and the Indian Guru

2011-06-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

What is it about the Indian Guru that attracts multitudes? What really are the payoffs people seek, consciously or unconsciously, what role in life does the Guru play in an Indian’s life? A Brand Chakras* study on just this, done amongst disciples of various gurus revealed some interesting angles and insights.
In India, one does not go up stage by Maslow stage, only after each stage is satisfied. All stages can exist simultaneously, although in different proportions for different people in different stages in life – and this is not necessarily dependant only on how much money one has for day to day living, but on your inherent inclination and inborn characteristics. The study showed that a spiritual Guru actually helps in different ways across the hierarchy of needs.
The Guru as Survival Strategist: giving a sense of security and stability, reducing restlessness, encouraging persistence. “Spiritual gurus help more to deal with everyday life than to reach the beyond.” “You come back like a charged person. Now you are ready to face anything.” “He has given us the courage to face problems, difficult situations.”
The Guru as Problem Solver: “If I just close my eyes for a few minutes and tell Baba, now come on, try and give me the solution, try and give me the right light. Immediately I go back and something strikes up.” “He views problems in a different perspective. Whatever problems I put forward to him or discuss with him, he sees them in a different perspective and proves that every problem has got a solution.” “If there’s something to tackle…we just say, ok Guruji, you tell us what to do.”
The Guru as Temporary Escape: “The moment we see him, we forget everything. We live in such peace there, only after coming back everything comes back to our mind… our illness, our worries, our problems. As long as we are there we are at peace.” “I just say come on Baba. Let us sit and chat with each other so that I can disconnect myself from all these worries.”
The Guru as the Pleasure Principle: There are two aspects to this. One, proponent of “living in the now”: “He says live a natural life and enjoy nature. Enjoy the innocence, laughter of the child. Enjoy the birds. That’s something he talks about. And this is one aspect that influences me highly.” “He makes you feel, just relax and enjoy life.” The other, learning to depend less on material pleasures: “Spiritual powers overpower pleasures of life. There is no end to pleasure. Today no materialistic things allure me.” “At a younger age I thought earthly pleasures were more important, I thought making more money, was a pleasurable thing. Yes, I’ve achieved detachment from earthly pleasures after my association with my guru.”
The Guru as Performance Enabler: builder of confidence and self belief, giver of courage, empowerer of goals. “When I go to Baba in the morning, I feel I have shed off all my fears and insecurities and then I’m like a free bird to conduct my level best during the day.” “He empowers me in a way…Certain things that I cannot do, he makes me able enough to do”. “I never knew all the things I could do. I never used to think I could go on stage and talk. We have never been trained for all that…This is not something I believed I could do.” “We put limitations in our mind…but this becomes a limitless thing…you can do whatever.” “I do more and much more than a normal person would do. I do so much now.”
The Guru as Parent, giver of unconditional love: “He loves us, in spite of all our faults, in spite of the things he tells us to do and we don’t…we are not able to do…some people don’t even try. For me that is the greatest love.” “Guruji loves everyone. It’s unconditional love. It’s not like he loves you more or me more, his love is for everybody and its equal.” “It’s like a mother and child relationship” “I have felt that every relationship in life is a give and take. For him, its only give. ”
The Guru as Relationship Therapist: helps maintain relationships, accept people as they are, say the right thing at the right time, and face unfriendly situations politely. “Definitely, my attitude has changed. Within my relatives, I used to be a very arrogant person before becoming a Sai devotee… but now even they say that I have changed.” “He, by giving so much advice regarding behaviour of human beings, he gives us a different outlook in us by which we see other people totally differently.” “I used to expect a lot from a relationship…since I used to give in a 100% in my relationship, my expectations were very high, which now I have learnt to let go.” “Even when people behave in an erratic manner which is not acceptable to you, instead of getting upset, I sympathize and I try to guide them, counsel them, reform them. And that improves the relationship and my credibility also goes up.”
The Guru as proponent of Social Responsibility: brings out kindness and compassion. “I’ve been attracted to the service side… as it makes me feel good when I help someone out. The thing that I liked about this organization is that there isn’t much money involved… It’s more about personal involvement.” “In Puttaparthi… I was surprised to see, many of them… For example a scientist, a professor and a big organization’s head, who liked to serve in the canteen. ” “Sometimes we just live in our circle and what we can do for our children and what we can do for ourselves. He makes you get out of the comfort zone. Move out of your comfort zone and just go and do.” “There are other ways to help out. I want to do new things to help… It was there in me before, but it was in different style. Mostly in trying to show off to people, to make money or something like that. But now it’s mostly social work.”
And finally, the Guru as Catalyst of Self Actualisation: inner growth, learning that obstacles are stepping stones .“I have learnt to live with less expectations. Guruji says no expectations because expectations bring sorrow, no expectations bring joy. “ “I would rather be at peace with myself…connecting to god. There are times at night, when there are so many thought provoking things, now I’ve learnt to switch off.” “I feel that life is not only this…there’s something beyond.” “Life is about growth of your own self also.” “The stronger you become, the tougher lessons come in life. “Now I am trying to rise myself to a higher plane. ““Pleasure is inner happiness of mind, that is peace.”
Guru seekers are therefore in essence, solution seekers (Maslow’s safety – not necessarily physiological but mental and emotional), performance seekers (Maslow’s esteem), parent seekers (Maslow’s love and belonging) and inner peace seekers (Maslow’s self actualisation).

From reel to Real: India's changing relationship with Bollywood celebrities

2009-02-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Highlights from a JWT Brand Chakras study
The Indian film star is no longer only a hero of the silver screen; he is a beacon of inspiration
to his fans. Their on-screen portrayals are being given lesser importance and their off-screen
lives and personality have gained prominence, says the recent JWT Brand Chakras™ Study:
From Reel to Real Life.
The study reveals that film stars are no longer considered to be larger than life in terms of his
or her persona and lifestyle; they are now real individuals who have risen to extraordinary
heights. This shift in how celebrities are viewed is largely attributed to the availability of more
real time, wide spread knowledge of what the stars do off screen – be it television shows,
blogs, news controversies, or activism. While celebrities were once virtual prisoners of the
characters that they played on-screen, they are now seen as individuals whose personal traits
earn them as much admiration as their display of talent on-screen. His real attitudes and his
larger life story is where the opportunities for brands lie.
The study reveals: 1) a model of how consumers relate to celebrities, and therefore how
celebrity brands can be shaped; 2) the key payoffs that consumers derived from the three
celebrities studied (Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar); and 3) kinds of fan
relationships.
The Brand Chakras framework revealed that Shahrukh Khan operates mainly in Power and
Transcendence (leadership and vision) Chakras, while Hrithik Roshan was observed to be
operating in the Love and Creative Expression Chakras. Akshay Kumar, on the other hand,
was seen to be dominating in Survival and Pleasure Chakras.
The study also threw up three different types of fan relationships. The Entertainment Seeker:
the fan who derives nothing but entertainment from the film star - for him the celebrity is an
object of entertainment. The Fantasy Seeker: The film star serves as fodder for his fantasies;
he seeks the same looks and the material success. The Inspiration Seeker: for him, the film
star is a role model for what is possible in life, endorses a set of values and exemplifies the way
he should or wants to lead his life. Different fans would be deriving different benefits from
different celebrities.
The qualitative study undertaken by JWT was executed through Focus Group Discussions and
Depth Interviews in Delhi and Mumbai amongst fans of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and
Hrithik Roshan.

Mumbai: where "Survial is the Art of Living"/Published post in www.adage.com

2009-02-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

“Indifferent sadness”. “Impotent love”. “No whining. Accept hardships and keep going”. “The show must go on”. These were but some of the comments from consumers during a JWT India study* on the character of Mumbai city just a few months ago.
In the aftermath of recent events, the value of the Mumbai-ites’ resilience became a subject of debate. Many were saying what one of the respondents had said “Riots, bomb blasts, floods… The city bounces back by forgetting and that I personally feel is a bad thing. The city should come to a grinding halt. That is when there will be considerable thought given to what led to these adversities and real steps will be taken to prevent these from happening”.

So what makes Mumbai the way it is?

*Day to day life is a struggle
”Mumbai is a draining city in a physical sense; one requires tremendous amounts of energy to get through the rigors of every day life in Mumbai”.
“Traffic is chaotic, most people have to spend 5 to 6 hours commuting.
Mumbai’s productivity is reduced by half due to traffic related delays”.

*City of opportunity
“Setting goals and achieving them is what people come here for and they focus on that”.
“Strugglers here continue to have their dreams despite their failures; especially in fields like media, films”.
“Mumbai has a culture of intense competition. The number and scale of opportunities available are immense”.

*Be competitive, reap rewards
“Survival calls for competitiveness as well as preoccupation with own matters; hence being self absorbed and indifferent is natural to the seasoned survivor in Mumbai”.
“People do not mind being right or wrong as long as they get ahead in life and achieve what they want”.
“Mumbai has no sympathy for the newcomer; he or she has to be ready to compete and work hard, suffer and endure to get going in this city”.
“Don’t resist the hectic pace, go with the flow, the current will carry you forward’.

*Therefore, there is no time to dwell on the difficulties
“If your car is bumped, then you abuse that person and move on. You do not get into terrible rage like in some other cities. They do not want to get trapped in such situations…it is smarter to move on.”
“If you are traveling in a train, there will be so many times that you will be trampled, jostled… but you have to pick yourself up and move on. That is the attitude that surviving in this city calls for…forget and move on “.
“Despite the frustrations, you do not find a lot of violence. If people are stuck in traffic jams for a long time. You might find a lot of horn honking but not physical violence.”
*Mumbai is often trapped in situations that it cannot control. “Terrorist activities are situations which Mumbai cannot control. Politician’s actions also trap Mumbai in a way”.

*Indifferent sadness and impotent love: helplessness and powerlessness
“Mumbai only feels sad; imagine a person hit by a train; people here will feel sad but there is not enough action as a result of the sadness because people do not either have the time or the inclination; they leave it at feeling sad; they will tide over the guilt of not doing anything by thinking that ‘I at least felt sad…so what if I could not do anything about it’”.

*People do not speak out
“The average person in Mumbai is not inclined to speak his mind out on controversial issues; the fear of repercussions as well as the ‘Mind your own business’ attitude act as deterrents.”
“They cannot afford to spend time on such issues. People generally refrain from making political statements openly. They want to avoid trouble, not get trapped in situations”.

*There is no “Voice of the City”
“Power is in the wrong hands. The sentiments of the political power does not necessarily reflect the views and sentiments of the larger Mumbai public”.
“Though Bollywood people are representing Mumbai, they are not doing anything personally for Mumbai”
“Though there are personalities in Mumbai, who appear in TV interviews, all these people have no power… nobody listens to them… they only cater to the elite class… people who are really affected, they do not have any voice. Whatever leaders that they have are those who try to take advantage of the situation”
“The social fabric of the city is quite complex. The class divide is quite stark. So you do not have people responding to or uniting on larger city issues that do not directly affect them”
“You will have a group talking about pedestrian spaces being misused and another group talking about the attack on open spaces in the city. But you will never find people coming together as one group and talking about larger issues like terrorism that threaten the city.”

*Mumbai does not have a vision of its future
“Mumbai lives in the present and does not think too much about the future. If they thought more about the future, then there will not be too much of dirt, filth lying around”.
“Those here do not have the time to plan for two, three years down the road. They do not think of planning for the future, think of larger causes like environment etc”

*Survival is the “Art of Living” (Art of Living refers to one of the biggest offerings in the new age “spirituality for wellness” domain in India.)

“Survival is the art of living in Mumbai… In Mumbai, it is difficult to survive and also easy to survive… you just have to be a little street smart”.
Now, even the definition of street smart has changed. For the people who will just honk and move on, for the people who just want to carry on with their goals, for the people who just want to live and let live, being street smart now means dodging bullets.

This article quotes entirely from "A Tale of Four Cities": A proprietary JWT India Brand ChakrasTM Study that set out to uncover the forces that make the character of each of its four metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; and understand how citizens relate to their cities. The qualitative study involved Depth Interviews with journalists, radio jockeys, psychiatrists, advertising professionals, HR consultants and Focus Group Discussions amongst citizens of each city, a mix of men and women, young adults and older, long term residents and recent settlers.

Chakra Watch 7/ Equanimity and enlightenment: can brands play a deeper role?

2008-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

This first appeared as an article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Expresss, August 5th, 2008

Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.
Sahasara or the Crown Chakra is about enlightenment, wholesomeness, positive transformation, inner peace, enthusiasm and fulfillment. The seat of psychological maturity, it is said to develop when we face difficult choices in our personal lives and external challenges. The Brand Chakras framework calls this life space “Surrender to Spirituality: Mental and Intuitive Intelligence”. It does not require as was thought in earlier days, renunciation of the world. Rather it is about being aware of a higher force at work, balancing worldly pursuits and spiritual thinking, remaining grounded, and even healing and transforming others around us.

Strong crown chakra people have a clear idea of who they are and what they want to do, have no illusions about life, like to do things flawlessly, stay peaceful in any situation, and are in general, satisfied with their present life. Their strategies in life include acknowledging an inner voice, cultivating humility, disciplined living, an ability to tone down expectations and a willingness to put others before self. As a result they seek or experience a higher quality of living and being.

The classic crown chakra archetype is the guru, while the negative archetype within the same space is the egotist – excessive crown chakra can manifest as egotism, superiority, overly intellectual, intolerance of the spiritually immature, self denial or superstitiousness.

Traditionally religious and ritualistic, India of course became the spiritual fountainhead in many ways to the materialistic West. While in India we now have magazine cover headlines that say “Tango with God” and ads like the recent one of Tata Sky ad that takes a light hearted dig at spiritual channels and people who watch them. Advertising, in general has used spirituality in a lighter vein, or to strike an emotional chord - like the Reliance mobile ad in which the young lady connects with her grandmother by calling her so that she can hear the temple bell. The third type can be found more in serials and films - the fake guru or purohit, who every now and then, makes newspaper headline too. The endless scenes of prayer in our soaps, and the villains’ disregard for rituals underlines the Indian concept of “good people are religious and bad people are not”.

The larger point in India today is of course that spirituality has actually merged with day-to-day physical and mental health, and a search for achievement and realising potential as against a search for divine truth. The focus is on a greater sense of what we are capable of and a search or realization of what our individual higher purpose might be – and this is indeed a Spirituality Chakra focus.

Brands – or products and services - wanting to offer Sahasara payoffs can explore payoffs like: helps me to face life with equanimity; helps me to reach the divine; helps me achieve my potential; helps me to get my inspiration from within; helps me to resist pleasure. Brands that offer enlightenment, self realisation, actualisation, perfection, inner peace and infinfite enthusiasm, emotional healing and positive transformation will fall into this space.

The best examples of Spitiruality Chakra offerings would be books – from Deepak Chopra to Neale Donald Walsch to Rhonda Bryne, even Stephen Covey and Jonh Maxwell in their own ways. And a hundred others in between. Life skill courses, religious channels and magazines, and of course mythological serials and movies, all offer Sahasara payoffs. Holiday brands and spas too offer shades of equanimity, relaxation and peace, though not enlightenment.

The implication that emerges is: as brands proliferate should we be asking deeper questions of our brands to help differentiate? Each of us could ask of our brands questions like: Is there anything about the brand that seeks to connect with our soul? Does the brand have a spiritual quotient? Any possibility of a nobler association? Can associating with this brand bring about any transformation in our lives? Does the brand believe it has a larger mission beyond its apparent functionality or the more traditional “emotional benefit”? Given that stress is increasing in a hundred ways, can brands help to face life with equanimity? Given that all Indians are seeking to raise the bar on achievement, one way or the other, can brands help us to achieve our potential? Inspire from within? Help bring about transformation in the world around us?
Given that India is at heart a highly spiritual nation, have brands explored this space enough?

Chakra Watch 6: Inspire me, make me wise

2008-07-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

This first appeared as an article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, July 2, 08

The Ajana or third eye chakra is higher up in the great Indian spiral, in the territory of active intelligence, wisdom, will power, and the ability to direct. Articulated as the Transcendence Chakra, this is in fact a much sought after payoff in India today.

India is moving away from the original meaning of transcendence – intense peace and tranquility, feelings of detachment, and strong emotions of tolerance and non-competitive co-existence. Today, there is a clear adaptation of spirituality for day-to-day living – a coping mechanism to manage stress rather than a true seeking of the divine. And more - from the merely neutral to the positive - a desire for mental evolution, in a way that inspires superior performance in the work arena, and takes you closer to achieving your potential. This has been both initially fuelled and further enhanced by spiritual leaders reaching out with more user friendly religion, as it were. This has been a big shift for India.

The roots of Transcendence people come from self awareness of a very high degree, an aptitude for spirituality, some life transforming experience. Ajana people have a maturity that belies their age, use the ability to be a witness to their own lives, have a keen knowledge of their own emotions, the ability to act in a measured manner, follow high standards of physical and mental discipline, and effectively use spirituality in day-to-day living. As a result, they seek equanimity, stress free living, look forward to being of moral guidance to others, are good with perspectives and therefore problem solving abilities, and have a higher intuition that guides their actions. Perfection, abstract thinking, will power, discernment, striking a balance among various facets of life characterize the Transcendence consumer.

Active intelligence in India today therefore needs to be seen as demonstrated by people who have clearly left the survival stage far behind, climbed through power, and now wish to use it all to shape a higher order contribution, give back to society and guide others. Successful and well established businessmen for example, who have run the race, are showing the urge to create something new and different, raise the bar, transform and inspire. People with strong personal vision are reaching out to others, from positions of power and leadership. Excellence in problem solving, right perspectives, intuitive leadership, and high quality living that does not necessarily rest on tranquility but starts on a path to pioneering and visionary work.

Another proof of communication that appeals to our Transcendence Chakra is the surfeit of column spaces like “God in Gucci” and the fact that Sunday papers and magazines are now full of articles urging you to live in the now, let go of past baggage, find spirituality in all activities - cooking, gardening or running a company. Books like The Secret, and the entire body of self-help books which urge us to develop the power to invite luck into our lives, offer this payoff.

Payoffs for brands in this chakra include : inspires me; appeals to my love of perfection; helps me understand deeper aspects of life; makes me believe obstacles are stepping stones; reflects my strong will power; reflects my leadership qualities; recognizes that I am a discerning person; encourages me to do things that have not been done before; gives me mental calmness; helps me make my own decisions; helps me realize God.

The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs, a Brand Chakras study with technology workers, revealed that they sought personal evolution and knowledge advancement even through technology gadgets. The study revealed that technology is no longer just about convenience and greater efficiency, its influence on the average individual is more profound and life defining. Technology brands could be a powerful agent of mental evolution and therefore offer Transcendence Chakra benefits.

“Cause brands” and “purpose brands” that seek to rise above the day-to-day and find a larger wave to ride, seeking to influence, change, and transform, operate in this space. The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras study on the global Indian revealed that brands that stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes, brands that aim to transform economies, societies, and the way individual lives are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs, or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and achievement.
In fact, when asked what they want from relationships, global Indians clearly sought “inspiration” and “encouragement to do things that have not been done before” from every relationship – be it spouse, parent, employer, or friend.

Interestingly, consumer groups held up Abdul Kalam, and Manmohan Singh as examples of good Transcendence Chakra people, whereas Sage Viswamitra they said was excessive transcendence, because pride of wisdom and anger crept in!

The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs in Consumer Life

2008-06-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Efficiency and indulgence, refuge and escape, conformism and showmanship, child-like delight and intellectual growth, the payoffs from technology in personal life are dichotomous says the latest Brand Chakras™ study. In work life, technology can facilitate democracy or meritocracy, be a performance leveler or a performance discriminator, foster conformism or creativity. Technology can be functional and symbolic, in the temporary and immediate or in the permanent and the long term. It can help social anchoring or enhance social clout.

It all depends on your orientation. You could be looking to satisfy your need to belong or your need to be individualistic. At the very least, technology helps you celebrate life, but as you go up the ladder, it becomes a life-evolving tool. The study identified five types of technology mindsets.
The Doer: keen on upgrading quality of everyday life, with a thirst for ease and efficiency in day-to-day life, wants technology to maximize life and help balance different spheres.
The Connector: strong urge to nurture relationships and stay anchored.
The Indulger: fundamental need for fun and entertainment to cope with day-to-day pressures
The Discriminator: pressured to establish, redeem, conquer, catch up or breakaway to create a distinct identity and distance himself from the rest.
The Explorer: instinctive thirst for excitement through new experiences and keen to constantly add new facets to his life.

Technology is no longer just about convenience and greater efficiency, its influence on the average individual is more profound and life defining. Technology is now the most powerful agent of mental evolution. The power and worth of any technology will increasingly be evaluated in terms of its ability to unlock and express the power of the mind and the intellect.

The study was done through indepth discussions in Mumbai and Chennai with 25 – 35 year old early adopters, working in technology companies, and attempted to answer the question “what are the deeper payoffs that consumers seek and are getting from technology in their lives - both personal life and work life?” The study found that technology largely catered to Pleasure and Power chakra needs in our lives. And identified almost 20 payoffs that technology brands could use to connect with consumers.

The findings are particularly relevant for brands in the personal technology domain like personal computers, internet, connectivity, telecom, mobiles and visual imaging gadgets.

Unlocking Minds: Climbing the ladder of technology benefits

2008-06-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

This first appeared as an article in The Economic Times, June 10, 2008

Clearly a section of Indian consumers are reveling in the new-found enjoyment of technology products – be it personal computing, internet, telecom services, mobiles or other visual gadgets. “Technology is encouraging me to live life king size; it is making the experience of living more pleasurable” said a young technology worker in a depth interview recently. With more and more Indians working in technology-creating companies, how will our relationship with technology change and what do brands have to do to translate technology benefits to emotional payoffs? What is it that drives early adopters, what creates the urge to learn and experiment and how does learning new techie tricks make you feel?

“The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs”, a recent JWT Brand Chakras study revealed that the tech coin has two sides. There is efficiency and indulgence, refuge and escape, conformism and showmanship, child-like delight and intellectual growth. But the dominating themes are Power and Pleasure. As a young BPO worker put it, “Technology helps to influence others in my friends’ circles, with the latest gizmos, I have the knowledge of technology that they do not have. This gives me a kind of power and helps me dominate.”

At a social level, there is an obvious celebration of the financial capacity to buy, “Technology is making my life more efficient, but that is more of a bonus; the main benefit is the social benefits. I now have to keep up the impression that I have the latest with me”. The theme of “makes me feel more intelligent than others around me” also dominates. At a personal level, a tech savvy amateur photographer declares, “My friend bought a new digital camera and he does not know how to use it; I just took it and showed him how to use all the features and I was able to create a positive impression before my friends”. At a business level it goes as far as, “Earlier customers used to bargain for discounts. But now though my product quality is still the same the gadgets that I flaunt in my office increases my clout in dealings” !

In work life, technology can facilitate democracy or meritocracy, foster conformism or creativity. It can be a performance leveler: “I have never stood first anywhere, in my second year of engineering, I dropped two subjects. But now I feel very powerful with these gadgets, I feel more positive about myself”. Or a performance booster: “I want technology to boost my spirit to enable me to go beyond the limits while competing with co-workers.”

How you use technology depends on your orientation. You could be looking to satisfy your need to belong or your need to be individualistic. At the very least, technology helps you celebrate life, but as you go up the ladder, it becomes a tool for intellectual evolution. The Brand Chakras study identified five types of technology mindsets. The Doer: keen on upgrading quality of everyday life, with a thirst for ease and efficiency in day-to-day life, wants technology to maximize life and help balance different spheres. The Connector: strong urge to nurture relationships and stay anchored. The Indulger: fundamental need for fun and entertainment to cope with day-to-day pressures. The Discriminator: pressured to establish, redeem, conquer, catch up or breakaway to create a distinct identity and distance himself from the rest. The Explorer: instinctive thirst for excitement through new experiences and keen to constantly add new facets to his life.

People who work in tech environments are particularly confident that their abilities will help them to make a mark wherever they go. They feel their tech knowledge gives them the confidence to face any new situation, reduces risk, increases experimentation, helps go beyond the immediate brief, takes them closer to perfection, and of course brings out creativity. As an animation specialist said, “With technology, now whatever I imagine, I can turn that into animation. It is easy to translate thoughts, plans into real form and this encourages me to think of new things, imagine freely”. Reflecting a deep desire for maximum utilization of inner resources and a sense of continuous improvement they say, “ Using technology , I would like to achieve something that has not been done in the past. I want technology to help me in my innovative thinking. I want technology to help me translate my innovative thoughts into real products. Technology can overcome the gap between my thinking and reality. I want to do things that have not been done before.”

Clearly, technology will no longer be just about convenience and greater efficiency. Its influence on the new techie Indian will get more profound and life defining. Technology is increasingly being seen as the most powerful agent of mental evolution. The power and worth of any technology will increasingly be evaluated in terms of its ability to unlock and express the power of the mind and the intellect. So while we all start by being Doers and Connectors, we’ll aim to climb the ladder and go on to being Discriminators and Explorers.

Chakra Watch 5: The Art of Creative Expression

2008-06-11T09:14:00.001-07:00

Writers, artists, musicians, activists, journalists, film makers with a message, and anyone in the business of Creativity… communication is vital to their being. They know their gift, have to honour it and must speak out their truth and stand up for what they believe in, even at the risk of being different, or standing apart. They are the Throat Chakra or Vishuddha people.

Throat Chakra people are said to have a greater sense of personal vision than the average person. Highly self aware, they have a through knowledge of themselves and believe in optimum use of personal faculties. Strong willed, clear thinkers with exceptional communication skills, and a strong sense of purpose, they have the urge to reach out to others and be heard. They have the ability to inspire others, and aspire for positions of power. Speaking the truth means a lot to them and they shun dishonesty and gossip. Artistic, they like to develop their own distinctive style, and like to try out new ideas. They are generally believed to be very trustworthy and meticuolous planners and appreciate others’ creativity.

Excessive throat chakra people could be blunt, with a lack of control of expression and a tendency to oppose others views all the time and an inability to listen. On the other hand, weak throat chakra people will have trouble expressing their views. Non participative and introverted, they are representative of the silent child archetype. Another manifestation of this chakra are the excessive “intellectuals” who can’t combine intellect with the spark of creativity.

Brands that stand for higher creativity, the search for truth, clear thinking, accuracy and
perceptiveness and artistic expression are Vishuddha brands. Think media brands. Think brands that speak up and take on causes. Think brands that are built on higher truths and creative expression.

Brand creators can ask the following questions of their brands. How does the brand help consumers to express themselves? Sunsilk’s Gang of Girls, TOI Lead India, HSBC’s yourpointofview.com are examples here. Is the brand honest in its expression, does it reveal a truth and perspective of life that has integrity? Why should the world listen? Does your brand make a difference to the world by expressing its truth? The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is another example. Tata Tea speaks up for good governance, Femina speaks up for women’s empowerment. In fact, brands that “give you the confidence to speak your mind” is a strong women’s benefit these days. Citizen journalism too is a reflection of the growing need to speak up. Many telecom and mobile brands operate in this space, encouraging expression and communication. The rediffmail ad that ads a layer of purposiveness to e-mail communication is an example too, of a brand using its throat chakra differently.

Think Barkha Dutt and others like her – the journalists who don’t just report news, but stretch and strive to unearth truths, influence events and public opinion, and even create news! Think Al Gore, and the very title he is known for “An inconvenient truth.” Think of the great speech makers of history and how much the exact expressions of their truths have influenced us. Think lawyers, radio jockeys, even cricket commentators. Think the cousin or friend with whom it is impossible to win an argument!

In a different way, comedians would combine throat chakra with pleasure chakra, the seat of laughter. A message movie like MunnaBhai combines throat with heart chakra, the seat of universal love. While so many of Indian women’s film falls bang into throat chakra space – be it Astitva, Chandni, Water and the like, because they in fact deal with topics hitherto swept under the carpet and seek to release suppressed emotions.

Consumers who lack strong throat chakra qualities seek to be extroverted, aim to be the center of conversations, want to say the right thing at the right time, like the idea of being able to speak fearlessly, and change the way the world perceives them by saying what they mean, and meaning what they say. Those who are already inclined to expressiveness even more appreciate brands that reflect their own search for creativity and boldness of speech.

Key brand payoffs that operate in this chakra are:
Makes me speak only the truth and nothing else; helps me convey my views without any fear; helps me to say the right things at the right time; brings out my creativity and innovative ideas; makes me feel more intelligent than others around me.

The most recent examples would of course be cricketers – those with balanced throat charkas who speak calmly reflecting honesty and integrity versus those whose tongues run away ahead of them, constantly inviting trouble and engaging in verbal duels! Not to mention politicians with a penchant for putting their foot in their mouths!

This post first appeared as an article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, June 10, 2008

Chakra Watch 4/ Where has all the love gone?

2008-05-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Chakra Watch 4: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality – these are the seven basic life themes, based on the seven major chakras in the human body, that drive all human behaviour.
News reports of more and more elderly people living alone or checking into old age homes. Reports of marriages breaking down more frequently and faster. Reports of heightened rudeness in urban life. More intolerance in relationships all around. Reports of children committing suicide because of parental pressure. While everyone is saying "I want to be accepted as I am, for what I am" there is increasing unwillingness to accept others as they are. There is not too much place for compassion in the workplace, with competence and competition getting celebrated. With selfishness, restlessness and aggression becoming virtues, nobody really believes that the meek will inherit the world any more…not even in India. And certainly not in the cricket field. To turn the other Gandhian cheek nowadays is considered foolish. Except in an occasional Munnabhai. India’s Heart Chakra is definitely weakening.
Heart Chakra or Anahata people have by nature, a selfless state of mind. More open to sharing and caring, more given to empathy and sympathy, careful not to hurt, generous and kind, they bring peace and calm to those around them. Harmonious relationships are very important to them. To them life is not a competition, certainly not at the cost of relationships. They are more able to give and more gracious and forgiving than normal. Look around and spot the person in your office who people tend to go to, to share their problems and ask for a shoulder to cry on; the person who goes out of his or her way to take up other people’s causes. Spot the person who has more patience with other people’s weaknesses, is the best team player, stays back to help others, and generally seems to have a lot of faith in the human race. Spot the person who is best at understanding other people’s problems, and the best at being genuinely happy at other people’s successes, and you’ld have spotted a strong Heart Chakra person. If in a roomful of boisterous 15 year olds, you find one whose heart is breaking for the pigeon caught in the balcony not knowing how to fly back out through the bars, then you know you have a spotted person with a good Heart Chakra.
Anahata brands bring harmony, calmness, generosity, grace, cooperation, unconditional love. Anahata brands offer payoffs like : helps me to maintain good relationships with others; helps me to accept others as they are; reflects my calm and peaceful nature; reflects my helpful nature; makes me face unfriendly situations with politeness ; brings out the kindness and compassion in me; makes others come to me for solace; reflects my sentimental nature.
The innocent charm of the Hutch ads, the heart tug of the Airtel grandfather playing chess, the reassurance of many finance and insurance brands , the ads that show sons and daughters taking care of their ageing parents, or the boys in the Surf and Lifebouy ads, appeal to the Heart Chakra needs in all of us. As does the spirit behind "Hum Hain Na" – be it the movie or the ads.
The most significant aspect of India’s changing Heart Chakra is our changing attitudes to the relationships in our lives. The key point is that the focus is on what we want from our relationships rather than what we are willing to give. The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras study on the global Indian showed that young Indians chasing power and fame put career ahead of family, and manage the situation by getting the family to buy into his vision for himself and explaining that they will all benefit from his success. Even friends and networking is important because "you never know when they will come in useful". Friend or spouse, the expectation is inspiration and support in the hunt for fame and glory, over compassion and solace. Mother India, a Brand Chakras study on mothers and children revealed that even mother’s love is not selfless any more. For all her effort, the mother wants her child to reach a position of power and influence – and tell the world that he got there because of her. While she may justify it as "I am saying all this for you only" , clearly she is judging her own success as a mother through the worldly success of her child. A study on Chakra Payoffs from matrimony revealed the dominance of Survival and Power Chakra payoffs in what young marriage prospects seek : security and stability Survivla Chakra payoffs; courage, optimism, control- Power Chakra payoffs. Interestingly, men tended to seek peace, companionship and emotional support more than women, while women focused a lot on freedom and money. As a talk show panel said the other night, money is sexier than even sex.
All consumer conversations around the payoff "helps me maintain good relationships with others" shows a strong "matlabi"(selfish) tendency. Even food brands that earlier said "so tasty that you’ll want to share" now prefer to say "so tasty that you want it all for yourself".
Perhaps the only anti-trend is the increasing value of social responsibility – but is even that genuine compassion or just one more way to get attention, build influence, and acquire a halo? Or an unconscious "prayaschit" (compensation for forgiveness) for lack of genuine kindness and compassion in our day-to-day relationships?
This post first appeared in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, May6, 2008

Chakra Watch 3/Of the Solar Plexus and Fire in the Belly: the Desire to Influence and the Drive for Power Is Driving the Indian Consumer Today

2008-04-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

Of the Solar Plexus and Fire in the Belly: the Desire to Influence and the Drive for Power Is Driving the Indian Consumer Today

Chakra Watch 3: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality – these are the seven basic life themes, based on the seven major chakras in the human body, that drive all human behaviour.
Easily the most dominant mood of the day, India today is enjoying a heady sense of a possibility of dominating others, and a growing realisation of its superiority. Emerging from the power-deprived scenario of its pre-independence days, armed with a large young population, India discovers opportunism, materialism and a high degree of ambition. Developing and putting to use its agile, active and resilient mind, India is learning showmanship and projection of leadership skills. After years of believing in destiny, Indians are beginning to believe that there is scope to shape one’s own destiny. Brand India seen through Manipura, the solar plexus or Third Chakra Payoffs is a true reflection of what the country makes Indians feel today.
Centered in the solar plexus – the seat of power, ego, authority, self control and discipline, Manipura or Power Chakra brands reflect and/or enhance courage, self-esteem, persistence, leadership, good will and right actions, and aim to compensate for a lack of self-confidence and empowerment.
Power Chakra people are said to be clear principled, have control over their thoughts, have unending positive energy, are goal oriented, and have a great desire to influence others. They have typically attained a certain degree of safety and security in their life. They can be diplomatic, active or passive as the situation demands. Sentiments like "there is no place for pity" and "life is a race" are strong Power Chakra sentiments. Absence of power, on the other hand could lead to a lack of control over circumstances, an inability to assert, dependence on others’ acknowledgement, and an inability to congratulate oneself… "I don’t think I’ve achieved anything much".
The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras ™ study on the global Indian(young Indians interacting with the world daily as part of their work, who have lived abroad and returned) revealed a combination of Power Chakra, Creative Expression Chakra (throat) and Transcendence Chakra (third eye). Some typical power statements went like these: "I need personal professional growth because people should know me like they know Mukesh Ambani." "My work symbolizes my influence over others, I can see that my opinion counts and that I make a difference here" "My work reflects my highly competitive spirit, but often I'm competing with my own benchmarks..." "Power. You have people beneath you… people whom you can control…who will listen to what you say… I enjoy power… that is it."
Driven by positive self image, and high confidence in their own skills and talent, the young global Indian shows a pronounced eagerness to seize the initiative in any situation; a restless urge to be proactive in shaping his own destiny; a gleeful realization that the "Indian" badge is a significant advantage on the world stage and an impatience to encash this to the maximum; and an inclination to acquire larger than life status through career and money. In fact, a clear desire to play God, if not today, some day soon.
In a different way, the small town and lower SEC desire to become IAS officers and police officers that focus group discussions often throw up, is a clear indication of their search for power, as they see these professionals as symbols of great local power and influence. The police officer as hero is a dominant theme in tamil cinema, and news reports say that the IAS cadre is indeed attracting more candidates from small towns than the metros.
On the home front, the Brand Chakras ™ study Mother India showed that the seat of mother’s love too was moving to the solar plexus. Mothers showed a high degree of ambition on the social and materialistic planes. There is clearly heightened eagerness, laced with impatience, to be able to ride the crest of the "mother’s pride" emotion. They are today willing to assume responsibility for children seizing the opportunities in life, and are pushing their own limits as individuals in order to play an enabling role in children’s lives. Probably this explains why we tend to see more mothers behind the winning young idols in reality shows, than fathers.
Key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Manipura people and their needs include payoffs like: reflects my clear principles, makes me look at life with a lot of courage, helps me achieve my goals, symbolizes or helps me build my influence over others, helps me to be decisive and clear, reflects my sense of ruthless ambition, helps me to be in control, helps me feel good about my achievements, and reflects my highly competitive spirit.
Examples would include apparel brands and accessories that reek of high corporate status, car brands that talk of horse power, corporate wars, political battles, the matriarch of many hindi movies including the foster mother in Jodha Akbar, and of course Tulsi and Parvathy – arriving after 18 years in an Arjuna-like chariot, or attacking the villains with Durga-like trisuls.
But the best example would be the business and news media brands of today, wanting to not just report news but actually create news, shape and lead public opinion if not policy itself.

This post first appeared as an article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, April 8, 2008

Chakra Watch 2/ In Pursuit of Pleasure: Laughter challenges, six-pack abs and exotic holidays

2008-03-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

Chakra Watch 2: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality – these are the seven basic life themes, based on the seven major charkas in the human body, that drive all human behaviour
From a culture that was more preoccupied with the past and the future, and a background where denial of pleasure was considered noteworthy, India today is fully living in the “now”. Increasingly, Indians are reflecting an intense urge to milk maximum happiness from each living moment. At their own levels and in their own way, people in different sections of society are finding ways to live life more fully than ever before. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, might as well enjoy today” is a common refrain. And when asked to share good moments in focus group discussions, people often come up with smaller, “made-my-day” kind of joys than big, life changing moments.
Pleasure Chakra people are generally people who have had fairly privileged upbringings and wish to live life without feeling bogged down. Impulsive, excitable, they are in constant search for higher levels of materialistic living, curious living and rich experiences. There is a tendency to shrug off accountability and disregard commitments. The inability to control cravings and putting one’s own feelings ahead of others are some of the “imbalanced” traits of Swaddisthana or Pleasure Chakra people. They take pride in themselves and what they have and like to enjoy their belongings. Manipulation, selfishness, jealousy, greed, flaunting wealth have all come out of the closet and in fact there is a celebration of the seven deadly sins, as it were. Light hearted advertisements now reflect a “it’s fun to be bad” attitude.
The other big themes in this chakra are laughter, anxiety about attractiveness, sexuality, and luxurious living. And so is “physical creativity” or creativity of a lower order—say, beautiful homes as against higher order creativity like painting, sculpting, writing which would be Throat Chakra activities since they involve, in their own way, a larger search for truth. Little day-to-day acts of creativity, from candle making to puppetry are Pleasure Chakra activities.
Sexuality, the need for appreciation, the need to feel attractive and develop a magnetic personality are also Pleasure Chakra needs. Aneroxia, and the need for surgical intervention to look beautiful, imply an excess of Pleasure Chakra, while disinterest in sex would imply deficiency and an inability to derive pleasure. Clearly, seven-day beauty miracles, six-week skin solutions, Viagra, perfumes and deos that have the whole female population following you, six-pack abs and beauty diets cater to Pleasure Chakra needs! Romantic love is a Pleasure Chakra need as against universal love and sympathy which are Heart or Love Chakra qualities.
Swaddisthana brands therefore cater to anxiety about attractiveness and the need for escape. They add positivism, magnetism, and joy to living, and partner in the pursuit of pleasure. So key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Swaddisthana people and their needs include payoffs like: creates the desire to try new things, makes me feel attractive, reduces my anxiety about attractiveness, brings me appreciation, fills me with vitality and joy, makes me laugh, helps me make people do what I want, permits me to be manipulative and devious, makes me happy with myself so that I don’t have to be jealous of others, brings me sexual pleasure, reflects my passionate nature, helps me enjoy life at every opportunity, and encourages me to experiment and try new activities.
All beauty brands, perfumes and deos, many apparel brands, FM radio, laughter shows, confectionery brands, ice creams and some foods which offer lip smacking taste (and not nourishment) would all be using Pleasure Chakra promises. Walls ice creams, Cadbury’s Temptations, juicy soft drinks come to mind. As also “I am worth it”—the feeling that I deserve to be happy. Breakaway weekends, exotic holidays, the desire to try everything from new foods to white water rafting are Pleasure Chakra activities.
Films like Devdas and love stories fall here, as would Jab We Met, and the whole genre of all those sweet, light hearted Hollywood romantic comedies. While a “message comedy” like Munnabhai would end up as a combination of pleasure (humour) with a combination of transcendence (third eye) because off its higher order point of view, with shades of Heart or Love Chakra qualities that it advises.
In a random population sample Brand Chakras™ survey of Indians in general, women showed a higher level of pleasure seeking, willingness to be devious, seeking appreciation, and jealousy at others happiness. Younger people recorded higher pleasure scores, as did people in Delhi and Mumbai. However Delhi-ites and Mumbaikars also showed a higher need to do a lot more in life before they can be happy with themselves, and would go to any extent to get their way.
Pleasure scores went up with income. Lower income people were predictably lower on pleasure and felt less deserving of being happy. Interestingly, people with income above a certain point felt more need to be jealous, devious, and more demanding of themselves before they can be happy. After all, figuring out whose plane is bigger and whose party was more extravagant, finding unique exotic holiday destinations every time, and searching for high end brands that cost the earth can be taxing!

This post first appeared as an article in brand wagon, The Financial express, Mar 4, 08

Chakra Watch1: What do mothers, action movies and energy drinks have in common?

2008-02-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Whether it is the student who is stressing about admissions. Or teenage girls with typical vulnerabilities of their age who are trying to reconcile the gap between what they actually are and the bold media portrayals of women today. Or lower SEC mothers who are pinning their every hope on their children to bring them better futures. Or the thousands of Indians striving to learn English so that they are not left behind. Large numbers of Indians are on self-preservation mode, looking for security, stability, grounding – these are the Muladhara, or Survival Chakra people.

These are the people who were particularly restricted in the past and had diminished self-images but have caught attention by their determined effort to redefine goals, raise the level of persistent efforts and have managed to raise their lifestyles and self-esteem despite inadequacies. Witness the endless stories on the rise of Indian women, the rise of small town people and the rise of the lower SEC. Rags to riches, sudden fame and wealth through hard won contests and revival or comeback stories capture public imagination.

People in this chakra are – naturally – deeply worried about the future. They are of two types – the Anxious Survivor and the Buoyant Survivor. While some remain anxious, get bogged down, and feel an inability to get out of circumstances, others are buoyant and lively with more faith in their abilities, and drive themselves to come out of adversities unscathed. Most consumers in this chakra are conscious of their strengths and weaknesses, tend to set manageable goals and hope that persistent effort in place of brilliance will see them through. Anxious Survivors choose stagnancy over risk, and find security in maintaining the status quo. They need the cushion of certainty and predictability, even if it is limiting. Buoyant Survivors, on the other hand, are determined to climb out of their current situation and are in search for positions of power and influence, almost with a vengeance. These are people who feel more pressured to keep pace with change and are not willing to accept things as they are. The “do tharah ke log” that the famous Bunty aur Babli dialogue described so evocatively.

A recent JWT Brand Chakras™ study, Mother India showed that many mothers are in survival mode, but the fact that they want their children to reach high positions of power and influence and make them famous, shows that they are wanting to move up to the Power Chakra. These are mothers who feel their husbands are unlikely to improve their lives any further, and pressured by fast upgrading neighbours and relatives, are pinning their hopes on their children to lift them from a life of oblivion and transform their fortunes. Children by nature are said to be in survival, as in the early years we are still learning our way around the world.

Muladhara brands can cater to these emotional needs with brand benefits and promises that enhance the will to live, offer energy, fearlessness, stability, freedom from drudgery, bring abundance and physical strength, and support the urge to survive. Brands offering physical strength and love of outdoors operate in this space.

Thumbs Up and Mountain Dew would be examples here, as well as health food drinks, energy foods, immunity and health protection or illness prevention brands. Insurance is mostly a survival benefit, with its promise of security and stability in case of misfortune. The diffident girl of the earlier fairness cream commercials, and some of the teary, self effacing characters in the soaps who never speak up and are forever victims of circumstance are excellent examples of Anxious Survivors or a deficient Survival Chakra. On the other hand, the WWF characters with their extremely well developed bodies and driven by aggression are examples of excessive Survival Chakra.

Action movies too operate in this space, in a totally different way. Malamaal Weekly, Gangster, Provoked, even Chak De for example appeal to our survival intincts, (as against Guru which clearly celebrates the journey of an individual from the Survival Chakra to the Power Chakra).

Therefore, key brand payoffs that appeal to and arise out of Muladhara people and their needs include payoffs like: fills me with a will to win, reflects my spirit of persistence, helps me to face difficult situations, makes me feel energetic and dynamic, and makes me feel safe and secure.

The interesting thing of course is that even the rich and famous – CEOs or cricketers, not to mention the Parvathis and Tulsis of our serials or our politicians or corporations struggling in the market or facing hostile takeovers - fight survival battles, even if it is at a totally different level and of a totally different kind!

This post first appeared as an article in The Financial Express, Feb 5, 08

Games Mothers Play: what the "Mother India "study tells us about a mother's strategies

2007-11-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Shine... and make me shine

(This appeared as an article in The Sunday Express, Nov 18, 07)

Enabling and empowering, coach and companion, event manager and project manager, motherhood has moved beyond protection, nurturance, compassion and selflessness. The child is now a project and a mission, and industriousness, determination, passion and planning are the dominant traits. The seat of motherhood is moving from the heart to the solar plexus, and children today are not just a responsibility but also an opportunity.

Whether she is conscious of it or not, whether she admits it or not, one of the fundamental shifts in motherhood in India in recent times is the fact that children have become a key way by which mothers judge themselves. While earlier it may have been her relationship with her in-laws, her cooking and housekeeping abilities, or the support she lent her husband by looking after the home and freeing him to focus on his work, the climax of her own life is now linked to the peaking of the child’s glory. While earlier her message to her child may have been “be good, be safe”, today it is “shine and make me shine”. This could be academic or in any area of talent that she and her child have together chosen to build. The children too are taking the roti- kapada-makaan for granted and are looking to the mother to give them the head start they need in life and ensure that they remain focused. “Though I will be happy if my son praises my cooking, I will have greater happiness if he gets good marks in his exams… my greater responsibility is to take care of my son’s studies than cooking” says the mother. “If my future turns out to be bright, then my mother will get great happiness...she will get respect in society she will be able to walk around with her head held high,” echoes the child.

And now that she is putting her heart and soul into shaping their destinies, she is demanding credit for the success and acknowledgement for her efforts. “Right from the time my child was born, I have only brought him up. I have devoted my entire life for my child’s growth. I have melted my life into that of my child. I have moulded my child according to what I wanted, hence the child’s future has become this way. 90% of the child’s future achievement is mine,” says the mother. “The full credit of my sister going to UK for her higher studies goes to Mom… she has been running up and down organizing all papers, doing everything herself. If a child gets 100% marks, then 40-70% will be the result of the mother’s efforts” echoes the child.

Children are conscious of the contribution that their mothers make in their current lives by donning the roles of organizer, guide, enforcer, and friend. While there may be the usual squabbles over food, outings and social activities, and the usual temptations of friends, play and television, children do indeed look to their mothers to give them courage, inspiration, help them set and achieve their goals and fill them with a will to win. Mother is both cushion and launch pad, giving new meaning to the famous line “mere paas maa hai”! “For my son to be an IAS officer, both myself and my son will have to put in the efforts. It will happen only if I am after him with all my support. Other wise he will go here and there to enjoy. I will have to ensure that he remains focused through out and is not distracted from this aim,” says the mother. “Because of her mother’s love, she says no… she does not want us to get spoilt, she does not always allow us to do what we want” echoes the child. Though, “itna tenson nahin lene ka” is also something they’d like to say to the mothers, children in fact seem to be defining success in terms of living up to the mother’s expectations.

Changing mother-child relationship: from passive supporter to active visionary and manager
From children as duty to children as a way of realizing her own potential.
From wanting her child to do well to wanting her child to be famous and reach a position of grand power and influence.
From living for the moment to constantly thinking of and shaping the future.
From leaving it to her husband to plan the child’s future to taking it into her own hands and playing a central role.
From just being happy if her child does well to wanting public acknowledgment for her role in it.
From unsureness of what awaits her in her old age to a clear staking of claims to the fruits of success.

Games mothers play: In the effort to best utilize this opportunity she seems to have three key strategies.

One, co-opting the child, creating a shared dream through smart smelling of own dreams for the child or accepting the child’s own desires or reaching a consensus. “I am saying all this for you only”. Of course. But underneath that is “You better do well and make me feel my efforts were worth it.” “What has not been possible for us, children have to achieve, then our names will be well-known…everyone will say look at this person, what her child has done. Children should bring us respect and honor. Though we know that we should not be having hopes in our children, in reality we cannot help having these hopes” says the mother. “After all her effort, if I don’t do well, my mother will say I’m a waste,” echoes the child.

Two, inculcate a deep sense of obligation in the child in order to be able to legitimize future demand for sustenance. “On becoming bigger, children definitely realize how much hard work the mother has put in, how much care mothers have taken in their matters. They will have the realization that they should also in return care for their mothers as much,” says the mother. “She has struggled hard for us and she wants the returns,” echoes the child.

Three, making the child believe that she – and only she - can help him achieve this. If only he listens to her, everything will be all right! In this, whether she will admit it or not, she is distancing the father from this co-creation of destiny. “Like during the exam days, I teach my daughter. I stay up late in the night, may be around 12, to teach her so that we can cover as much as we can. At that time, my husband will be sleeping. Then I get up early in the morning so that my daughter can revise her portions. My husband will still be sleeping at that time. It is the mother who worries that the child is exerting very much for the exam and hence the child must be having healthy food. Husband does not think about these things,” says the mother. “Study is mainly mother’s responsibility. Dad is already having many tensions on the work front” echoes the child. “Fathers say how much ever the child has studied, that is enough. They ask us not to put too much pressure on our children. If fathers have switched on the TV, they will not even switch it off because it is a distraction. They will ask why we are after the children the whole day,” says the mother. “I can enjoy more with my father, not with my mother. My mother thinks more of what is really good for us and is less inclined to agree to various things,” echoes the child. Children seem to feel that mothers do not feel the pressure to win their love by indulging them blindly. Mothers have greater knowledge of their reality and are in a better position to take decisions, and are able to retain their sense of balance better when it comes to judging the merits of their various demands. Mothers exhibit tempered aggression that is a constructive tool in chiseling their future lives. It is a resilient bond with the mother, which can absorb bursts of short-term bitterness. Highly strict or eagerly anxious to indulge, the relationship with fathers is not so multi-textured. Mothers, on the other hand seemingly position fathers as the ultimate authority but the subtle marking of destiny creation as her territory cannot be missed!

Like all behaviourial trends, the mother’s changing worldview is also being driven by some key factors in the environment: the impression that there is a goldmine of opportunities waiting, that merit and hard work can bring glory, that her children belong to a generation that is intellectually sharper and emotionally more mature, and that it is a big bad world out there. She is afraid. Afraid that her children will miss out on the future if she does not take it into her hands – today.

And in doing so, she has redefined mother’s love to mean “tough love” and a steeling of the heart.

This means: an intimate tracking of the child’s activities; retaining control while appearing to be democratic; having adult-like conversations; using emotional elasticity – sometimes accommodative/ sometimes strict, sometimes liberal/ sometimes conservative; cultivating the ability to express love as much by denying as by indulging; as well as balancing immediate happiness with long-term welfare. “Mother is both friend and enemy,” says the mother. “Mother is like popcorn, soft from inside and hard from outside,” echoes the child!

And finally, ensuring the child’s spiritual initiation and pleading with the larger divine force to work in favour of her child – but letting her child know that it is her prayers that is going to do the trick! “We are not always with our children. We cannot go everywhere with them. This is about having indirect presence, influence even when we are not there. Like during exam times, we hope that through our prayers, we can ensure that they never get nervous…that they are able to remember what they have studied,” says the mother. “It’s all because of my mother’s prayers,” echoes the child!
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Employee engagement: What "The Power and the Glory" study tells us

2007-11-16T08:51:00.001-08:00

Harness the power of karma yogis
(A version of this appeared as an article in The Economic Times, Nov 16, 07)

Beauty packages for diwali, karva chauth on office terraces, weaving in sports and games into work lives and presence on Second Life… increasingly, employee is consumer and employee delight is part of talent recruitment, training and retention. But is it making any real difference? Are organisations missing the woods for the trees in the search for employee engagement?

A Towers Perrin study in 18 countries (including India), among 90,000 workers reports that only one in five employees were engaged. The study defines engagement as the degree to which workers connect to the company emotionally, are aware of what they need to do to add value, and are willing to take that action. Higher engagement led not only to retention but also increased profits. And, most importantly it was senior managers that drove employee engagement, (not just feel-good HR activities). India, incidentally, emerged the third most engaged country, next to Mexico and Brazil!

So what exactly do leading edge employees in India want? The Power and the Glory, a recent JWT Brand Chakras study on the global Indian, revealed the complete centrality of work is worship. But these new age karma yogis are clear: work is worship, but only at the altar of power, fame and money.

Four very clear desires and demands emerged.

One: Work is an avenue of creativity and innovation, therefore organisational backing of ideas is imperative. This needs to be seen in the light of: a) growing unwillingness to work for others and need to get credit for one’s own work and not give it to the company; and b) a disdain for large organizations even though they work in them, and a belief that individuals and the wisdom of the crowds is faster on the innovation curve.

Two: Work must help to “build my name larger than the organisation”. Careers should provide adequate scope for personal evolution and growth, even while offering monetary rewards. And must, sooner rather than later, bestow a larger-than-life status, leading to social and professional influence and clout.

Three: Work must lead to opportunities to be part of the Indian badge on the world stage. Work is part of their celebration of living, and a keen desire for enriching experiences. So they expect continuous broadening of horizons, skill enhancement, early positions of power and responsibility, and opportunities to ride the crest of technological advances – so that they can evolve a larger world view. Through work, they “want a name for boosting the country’s economy” and satisfy the thirst to play a role in the global impact India is going to have; create jobs, wealth and technology.

Four: Eventually, enriching spiritual and emotional experiences – so that they can “give back”, positively influence others’ destinies and be put on a pedestal. They feel a certain responsibility to make India a better place. Twenty eight year olds are already talking of “going back to my village and doing sericulture”. Or “I’m earning two lakhs a month as a surgeon, so I give free medicines on Sundays at home. My patients say I’m God. I tell them no, but they can put me next to him.”

On his part, his personal strategies are in three large areas. One: invest intellect and energy in work, seize the initiative in any situation, be open minded and adventurous with respect to exploring career opportunities - not letting geographical boundaries or cultural differences come in the way. Two: get spouse and family to buy into his vision of his career; spell out the rewards at stake for them – compensation for not making them the fulcrum of his life. “My wife must actively help and support the search for glory. She is second to career, and she knows it and it is to her advantage, because my success will brings her also greater social respect’. Equally, working women want husbands to “be a source of inspiration” in their own similar quest. Three: cultivate the power of networking by shrewd choice of friends and contacts because “ you never know when they’ll come in handy”.

Underlying all this, are two fundamental shifts in corporate life.

The first is a reduction of distance to the leadership. Psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar, in his book The Indians, cites the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness) study as confirming that “what younger managers in India most dearly wish for is a reduction in the power distance between the leader and the led”. He goes on to draw a curious parallel in the transition of father-son relationships in middle class family life – from the formality and restraint of the authoritative joint family patriarch who struggles to express his love for his children to the more involved playmate of today, available to both sons and daughters.

The second is a greater demand on the leadership for inspiration, collaboration, communication, and nurturing. Again, Sudhir Kakar points out the basic Indian tendency to idealize the leader, avoid realistic evaluations and ignore his weaknesses. But not any more. Young global Indians too are revising their expectations of their leaders. The JWT Brand Chakras study showed that younger people like to use their talent to have a hold on their leaders, while older managers say dealing with younger people is one of their key challenges.

Will Indian senior management move quickly to harness the power of the new age karma yogi? Or absorbed in their own worship, expect mehendi, kickboxing and film screenings to do the trick?

MOTHER INDIA: FROM CHILDREN AS RESPONSIBILITY TO CHILDREN AS OPPORTUNITY

2007-11-09T04:18:00.001-08:00

Highlights from a Brand Chakras study
on Mothers and Children:
The insight mining exercise was done in eight centers -
Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trichur
and covered SEC A, B mothers with children between 8 and 16
through group discussions, and depth interviews with pairs of mothers and their children.

The Indian Mother-and-Child is now a team with a shared vision, with mothers actively believing they can shape their children’s destiny for mutual benefit,Enabling and empowering, coach and companion, event manager and project manager, motherhood has moved beyond protection, nurturance, compassion and selflessness. The child is now a project and a mission, and industriousness, determination, passion and planning are the dominant traits. The children too are taking the roti- kapada-makaan for granted and are looking to the mother to give them the headstart they need in life and ensure that they remain focused.

Other shifts include: from living for the moment to constantly shaping the future; from child’s success to shared glory; and a clear staking of claims on the eligibility for the fruits of success.

Emotional elasticity, reasonable adult-like conversations, retaining locus of control while appearing to be democratic, love that includes toughness and a steeling of the heart, are some of the mother’s strategies.

Children in return are conscious of the contribution that their mothers make in their current lives by donning the roles of organizer, guide, enforcer, and friend. While there may be the usual squabbles over food, outings and social activities, children do indeed look to their mothers to give them courage, inspiration, help them set and achieve their goals and fill them with a will to win. Mother is both cushion and launch pad… giving new meaning to the famous line “mere paas maa hai”!

They seem to be defining success in terms of living up to the mother’s expectations.Though, “itna tenson nahin lene ka” is also something they’d like to say to the mothers!

All mothers showed a strong inclination to Power chakra qualities, but three types of mothers emerged.
The Lifeline Seeker: she has given up hopes of the husband improving their lives and is totally dependant on the child to rise to glorious levels and rescue her; looking for insurance and security, she will do everything she can to help them in this journey, but is clearly establishing her rights to the fruits of this labour.
The Coronation Seeker: she is hoping her child’s achievements will bring her out of a life of oblivion and bestow on her a halo for greater social conquest… the child is an opportunity to make an overwhelming statement about herself.
The Independence Seeker: her striving to excel in the mother role is geared to fostering independence and self-reliance in her child, so that she will have the freedom and space for her own pursuits; motherhood enhances her efficiency and gives her exposure that helps her discover unexplored facets of herself.

The implication for brands is that:
*brands need not necessarily choose between mother or child as target but could talk to the duo;
*must reflect the new sets of motherhood values and attitudes;
*need to find a role in the shared vision and future that they are chasing;
*salute the mother, Maa thujhe salaam for a new set of reasons;
*connect with the philosophy of effort and determination that she is trying to instill;
*focus on the 15 Chakra payoffs that children chose from the battery of 60 fundamental payoffs; *draw from the mothers’ behaviour codes across the seven chakras that the study has identified.

Children want from Mothers:

While the study focused on mothers, it has revealed three types of fathers too – according to the mothers!
The Genuine Partner: who tries to play a synergistic role willingly taking up activities which are beyond the mother’s competence;
The Conveniently Detached: who is taking it easy, capitalizing on the mother’s high involvement and taking up the provider stance to negate criticism of his lack of involvement; and
The Cynically Detached: who disagrees with the approach, perceives the mother as crossing the line and fostering too much dependance, and feels children need a more hands-off approach.

THE POWER AND THE GLORY

2007-11-09T04:04:00.000-08:00

Highlights from a Brand Chakras study on Global Indians

For the global Indian, work is clearly worship - at the altar of fame and money - and a stepping stone to playing God, some day soon.

This study found that the global Indian today is largely driven by:* Manipura: the drive for power (solar plexus);* Vishuddha: the voice of creative expression - in search of truth and higher creativity (throat);* Ajna: desire for transcendence - active intelligence (third eye).
The insight mining exercise was done among men and women between 25 and 45 years of age, in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, who are frequently interacting with the world. They included people who have returned to India after stints abroad, as well as Indians currently living abroad. The study also draws from media monitoring and blogging.

• Work is worship*Career is at the heart of life. * Work is an avenue for creativity and innovation * Independence, reduction of distance to the leadership and organizational backing of ideas are important values that companies must offer * There is a driving desire to have the power to take decisions and have people reporting to you * One must build one’s name to be bigger than the company one belongs to * There is growing unwillingness to work for others and need to get credit for one’s own work and not give it to the company * Younger men like the idea of having a hold on their leaders through being a specialist/expert * Dealing with younger, more talented people is one of the challenges for the older people.

• Globalness*It is important to work for an international company * Ambitions must go beyond India. * Through work, they “want a name for boosting the country’s economy”. There is thirst to play a role in the global impact India is going to have; create jobs, wealth and technology * They feel a certain responsibility to make India a better place.• Relationships*All other areas of life stem from success at work and must contribute to the search for glory. * Family respect depends on career success * Wife must actively help and support the search for glory * Men feel wife is second to career, and she knows it and it is to her advantage, because his success brings her greater social respect * Friends and networks are important because “they come in handy”, “you never know who you will need, when” * Friends must help you with your ideas * Women want their spouses to be a source of inspiration.

• Money* Money is a natural consequence of success at work * Money leads to better lifestyle, which again reflects success at work, and feeds back to climbing the social ladder, which is seen as an important part of work life rather than separate * Heightened personal confidence, ability to take risks, broadening of views and fearless expression of views, social and legal insulation, are some of the other payoffs of money * Relaxation is important but also a waste of time, the time is better spent making more money * Money is better spent, leveraged and shown-off in India rather than outside the country.

• Social give-back*Extreme expertise at work and money allows one to transcend to social give-back, which actually makes you feel you are playing god. This benevolence too is a reflection of, and route to, glory.

• Spiritual liberation* It’s the cushion of affluence that will allow and facilitate even spiritual liberation* Experiences * The value of life is now estimated in terms of the quality of experiences one has, and work is central to this too * Work itself is among the possible enriching experiences * Work leads to money, and money makes many new experiences possible – leisure experiences, tech experiences, entrepreneurial adventures as well as (supposedly) noble activities.

• Technology* Increasing familiarity with technology and the fact that more numbers of people are actually involved in creating technology, means that technology products need to talk a different language – and this is not necessarily a marketing language * These workers take great pride in the ability of individuals and like minded groups to create revolutions; there is some disdain for large organizations even as they work in them * They see through organizations and “manufactured” claims very quickly * They demand proof, higher degree of relevance and demonstration of experiences.

• Masculinity* Above all, the global Indian spirit is in fact driving the Indian male’s rediscovery of his masculinity, which was somewhat under question in the light of growing woman power, growing child power, and too much media talk on the feminine side of him.

• Implication for brands
1) Compliment, partner and further the newfound rediscovery of a high level of self worth.
2) Give him a role to play in shaping the brand’s success rather than be passive receivers of brand messages, co-custodian rather than consumer.
3) Stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes – brands that aim to transform economies, societies and the way individual lives are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and achievement.
4) Draw from the 16 hot payoffs that most resonate with this leading edge target group.

Brands - with messages, products, services, activities and associations - should help to: look at life with courage, symbolise their influence over others, partner their goal oriented nature, reflect and reward their highly competitive spirit, make them feel more intelligent than others, bring out their creativity and innovative ideas, encourage them to do things that have not been done before, inspire them with wisdom for a higher level of leadership.

WHAT'S YOUR BRAND'S CHAKRA READING?

2007-11-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

First appeared as an article in exchange4media, July 07

HOW INDIA CAN GIVE THE WORLD THE MOST HOLISTIC WAY TO REALIZE A BRAND'S FULL POTENTIAL: DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM A 2,000-YEAR-OLD SYSTEM.

Move over, need states, archetype researches, equity studies. Move over Jung, Haylen, Kapferer! Here comes Patanjali.It has been around for 2,000 years. It's in Chinese medicine. In Tibetan Buddhism. In the Jewish Kabbalah. Even in Sufism. And it's used in modern-day pranic healing. But it's first mentioned in the Upanishads, laid out by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

The chakra theory. It is psychology that is based on physiology and encompasses spirituality.
The seven basic energy centers in our bodies, the chakras—the base of the spine, the abdomen, the solar plexus, the heart, up to the throat, the third eye, the crown—correlate not only to levels of consciousness but also to archetypes and personality dimensions that shape everything from our fundamental values and beliefs to fears, desires, motivations, habits and day-to-day behavior. From the physical and the emotional, through the social and the creative, right up to the universal.

Seven overriding themes: survival; pleasure; power; love; creativity; transcendence; surrender.

Seven orientations to the self: self-preservation; self-gratification; self-definition; self-acceptance; self-expression; self-reflection; self-knowledge.

Seven rights that preoccupy us: the right to be here; the right to feel and want; the right to act; the right to love and be loved; the right to speak and be heard; the right to see; the right to know.

The simple theory is that even though every person experiences all of these energy centers to some degree, certain chakras will tend to be more dominant for some than for others. So a more artistic person may have the fourth chakra emphasized, an intellectual or innovator and visionary may have the fifth chakra emphasized, a power-seeker may have the third chakra dominant, and so on.

Since the chakras are about understanding yourself, your strengths, your problems, finding balances and solutions, and realizing your potential, and since we have always looked at brands as people, why not use the chakra system to look at brands?

After all, with every brand struggling in different ways, and old rules getting rewritten every other day, marketers are, more than ever before, looking for new tools to approach brands.Besides, India has always followed Western ways of thinking on brands. At a time when the Indian way is finding its voice in all spheres, it's time the advertising, market research and brand management fraternity dug into Indian philosophy and psychology, and tapped into uniquely Indian approaches to holistic brand health.

So, what is your brand's dominating chakra?Is it a Muladhara brand? Does it enhance the will to live, offer energy, fearlessness, stability, freedom from drudgery, bring abundance and physical strength, and support the urge to survive? Or is it a Swaddisthana, catering to anxiety about attractiveness, need for escape, adding positivism, magnetism, joy of living, and partnering in the pursuit of pleasure? A Manipura? Does it reflect courage, self-esteem, persistence, leadership, goodwill and right actions, or is it compensating for a lack of self-confidence and empowerment? Perhaps it's an Anahata brand, bringing harmony, calmness, generosity, grace, cooperation, unconditional love. Or is your brand all about higher creativity, the embodiment of Vishuddha, the search for truth, clear thinking, accuracy and perceptiveness and artistic expression? Or, if it's higher up in the great Indian spiral, it could be Ajna, in the territory of active intelligence, wisdom, willpower, the ability to direct. Or is it Sahasara, enlightenment, wholeness, positive transformation, inner peace, enthusiasm and fulfillment?

But beyond that, can we build our brands’ essences by defining its every chakra, its total chakra profile? What does your brand's heart say? Its throat, its third eye? What is your brand’s idea of pleasure and sexuality? What is its view of spirituality? Given the rumblings today that brands need not stand for just one thing, but perhaps can be multi faceted… given that the Indian way has always advised balance, the chakra system can actually allow brand teams to delve deeper and define the brand much more holistically, going on to help design brand conversations at different levels. Since chakras are about “aura” and “energy” and so are brands, is there something to learn there?What is your brand's chakra reading according to your core users or your lapsed users? Is it what you want it to be? What about your target group? What are their driving life themes? Which chakra are they in? Are they balanced or deficient or excessive? How can you correct your brand's chakras—which dimension should you strengthen or lighten—to answer your target group's needs best and play a better role in their lives? Are there life themes that your brand is not satisfying and therefore new product and portfolio opportunities?

Unlike conventional tools, which are largely diagnostic, the chakra system is analytical and prescriptive, and can enable brands to chart out actionable paths. It's a system that could potentially offer a far more cohesive, integrated solution, so that marketers will not have to look at different and disparate pieces of research—leaving us with a lot of information, sometimes in silos, which we often cannot fuse and use.A single system of analysis that can be applied to target types, need states, brand essence, holistic brand profiling, even societal trends. A system of analysis we could use to map India as a whole. Are power definitions and pleasure points and love expressions changing? Going further, how does the pursuit of pleasure in India compare with the pursuit of pleasure in China? If you are in eight countries, how does the chakra reading of your target group and brand vary from market to market? How do brands in different categories operate in a particular chakra? How do people in different chakra states connect with brands?

So fundamental. So Indian. So universal. So all-encompassing.Like only an Indian idea can be.