Opinion Unlearning to learn

BANGLADESH: Researching the classic Reckitt and Colman product Robin Blue in Bangladesh,we conceptually prepared consumer interaction stimuli that had something called rebirth or rejuvenation of clothes that the product enabled. We ran the research in Dhaka,Chittagong and a few provinces. Four days passed,I was amazed that consumers were silent on this particular subject,nothing interesting was emerging. Then one of the women respondents took me aside and advised me to stop talking about rebirth. Muslims consider it an insult to their religion,she said. Simultaneously,the consumer recruiting agent got information that some people,hearing about rebirth discussions,were considering action against us for anti-religion marketing. I was shocked and seriously wounded mentally. I apologised saying it was out of the question that we’d disturb religious sentiments,and packed up. After spending time to understand their social milieu and how to connect the brand without touching religion,I returned with the concept of “Purity.” The connect was immediate. Purity,a crucial factor in Islamic thought,linked people to quality and efficacy.

JAPAN: Twenty-years ago,the Japanese largely drank their traditional Sake,but would covet sophisticated Western alcohol. The crisis for Western brands was imitation from Taiwan and China,so authenticity for differentiation was important. Remy Martin,the French liquor company,appointed me to expand a category called armagnac in Japan before its global penetration. The brand name was Cles des Ducs,meaning Key of the Duke. I carried all kinds of French sophistication as stimuli to bounce with consumers in Japan. After three weeks in Tokyo,Osaka,Hiroshima among other cities,nothing exceptional was coming out. I wanted to connect culturally so requested Remy Martin personnel in Japan to arrange visits to Japanese homes,a difficult task,but they somehow managed. In unstructured discussions,it turned out that Key of the Duke was the handicap. A key in Japanese culture represents a closed mindset and life,particularly for the pleasure of alcohol. They understand cognac as being from Napolean’s period,but armagnac? The greenish brown bottle had no glamour,it merely hid the expensive golden alcohol. Was this fake cognac? I understood that this brand cannot work here.

Returning to Paris,I shared with the client the deficiencies in the brand’s name,bottle colour and authenticity. Howcan I ask the client to change such an old authentic brand? However,the client allowed me to dive deep into these three subjects. My historical research proved that armagnac was the oldest brandy in France,dating back to 1411 in the Middle Ages whereas cognac was officially born in the 17th century. It clarified that armagnac’s genesis was in France and monks gave this agricultural alcohol to poor people for therapeutic purposes. We first addressed the look,making the bottle transparent and giving it a hammered texture to represent a Middle Ages temple. The brand’s typography treatment followed those times. Spending time in liquor cellars I thought to leave the cellar door open in the packaging design to connote the Duke is inviting people,rather than closing the cellar door with his Key. When I returned to Japan with this story,consumers started to talk from day one. This is the way Remy Martin re-launched the brand in Japan and was able to take it global.

In the course of my business journey,I had to unlearn many things I picked up in my initial consulting career. From prepared corporate intellectual blah blah on market hypothesis,how to interact with and direct consumers or create the trend,I had to radically reverse preset ideas. From my experience,the more I initially interact with people from across the world with an exploratory mind frame and act stupid,the more valuable insight I gain because people are so genuine,they open their mind and discuss a variety of things. I have translated these practical primary insights from people into business success for my global clients.

So I understood,“Marketing is story telling of a selling proposition which has differentiating extra benefit.” This story cannot be created in the boardroom nor be predetermined. It has to capture the real essence of human society. My learning from the field is that no matter what business education you have from renowned universities or grey-haired experience you possess from running mega-companies,it’s the practical social reality that will give you the insights you need to connect your brand to people.

Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him atwww.shiningconsulting.com