By Our Staff
Our offices will be closed on Monday, May 1, on account of Maharashtra Day and it being a public holiday with many/ most offices closed. We’ll be back on Tuesday, May 2 with our scheduled updates and newsletters.
See you then!
Tag: Maharashtra
-
This was a tricky question to answer as a slightly skewed response could see him getting trolled by the twitteratti. But, as always, the response is candid. Sans much ado, Das Ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on… Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: In the recent Maha-mess, more than the mainstream media, a small, unknown website called Katta News scooped accurate news via Twitter. Source of worry for the biggies?
This was a tricky question to answer as a slightly skewed response could see him getting trolled by the twitteratti. But, as always, the response is candid. Sans much ado, Das Ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. In the entire Maharashtra political mess, it wasn’t the mainstream media (MSM) that scored with all the scoops, but a small unknown website called Katta News, delivering accurate news via Twitter. Do you think should MSM should worry about small players like these or perhaps embrace them and acquire them?
A. It’s not about should or should not. Small is usually more agile than the big but not necessarily because of size but more due to less baggage of past, courage to experiment and fail. But success need to be sustained. So nothing can be said with finality about what is ought to be done. Big organisations have big pockets and big ambitions. But corporate history is replete with examples of all kinds of conclusions suiting all kinds of heuristics. I am personally against any generalisation (including this one) to give a verdict. As a meta point, I can say that all decision must have a relevant strategic intent and outcome that is in sync with the organisational ambition.
-
NewsStand: And this is how the front-pages of newspapers displayed the Maharashtra & Haryana Assembly results
Our favourite feature – NewsStand – back Tracking the front-pages with the Maharashra and Haryana Assembly results. Do check the Page 1s.
-
So what should do the new BJP-led government do to uplift Brand Maharashtra. A quick list by Avik Chattopadhyay 4 must-dos to revive Brand Maharashtra
By Avik Chattopadhyay
To me, the ‘Brand Maharashtra’ needs to be revived doing four specific things.1. Maharashtra as a melting pot: Building an atmosphere of ‘inclusiveness’ is the first step. The state still needs to be the place where dreams are fulfilled and lives are made for an Indian from any part of the country. This has to be the core ethos of the ‘Marathi Manoos’, one who welcomes all with industriousness to his/ her home to build a prosperous Maharashtra
2. Maharashtra as a Bridge: The state has few pockets of prosperity and development and the contrasts between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ are too wide and stark which need to be reduced consciously by building more pockets of development
3. Maharashtra as a Technology Hotspot: Both in manufacturing and agriculture, these two key economic activities need to be both harnessed as well as connected using technology. This needs to be both communicated as well as implemented at the ground level.
4. Maharashtra as One Flag: This is the last but possibly most significant thing to be done, as a rallying point for all those who live, add to and take from the state. A communication pivot and an identity that connects with all – beyond religion, colour, caste and place of origin.
Avik Chattopadhyay is a leading marketing and brand consultant. He was engaged in a rebranding exercise of West Bengal. This article first appeared in the ‘dna of brands’ section of dna.
-
It's Maharashtra & Gujarat Day today. We speak to select mediapersons and brand advisors on how the two high profile states are perceived So which scores higher – Brand Guj or Maha?
By Shubhangi Mehta
Maharashtra and Gujarat can be regarded as two of the most prosperous states of India. Where Maharashtra outshines in the industrial aspect and Bollywood Bling, Gujarat, the state of our father of nation, Mahatama Gandhi, is a state which has bounced back despite major natural calamity like the 2001 earthquake.
- Manish Bhatt
In terms of promoting the state, Gujarat’s campaigns featuring the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan are all over the media whereas we haven’t seen any such promotions from Maharashtra. The reason for this is the capital of Maharashtra – Mumbai – which is by itself is a matter of publicity for the state. Iconic names like Sachin Tendulkar, Lata Mangeshkar all belong to Maharashtra and there is also Bollywood.
Says Manish Bhatt, Founder Director at Scarecrow Communications Ltd: “I think Gujarat is being branded well because its government has a strong political view and agenda. The spirit of Gujarat is like a phoenix, they have a never say die attitude. Where as Maharashtra lacks a strong political drive towards branding the state with no consistent political rule hence they lack uniformity in the political agenda”.
- Lloyd Mathias
Lloyd Mathias, well-known marketer and until recently with Tata Tele, reasons: “It’s a recent trend that we are seeing states promoting themselves by focusing on campaigns. Gujarat has managed the total branding really well whereas Maharashtra has been left behind, not only in terms of brand building but also because it needs a 360-degree development approach. In my opinion, bureaucrats must try and use the public money in developing the state and using these state days as an excuse to launch their development programmes.”
Gujarat has over 50 million people (5 per cent of India’s population) and contributes 21 per cent of exports and 13 per cent of India’s industrial production. The state has the distinction of achieving the highest GDP over 11 per cent in the country. In Maharashtra, Mumbai became the gateway to India in many ways. Today, it is the business capital and the entertainment capital of the country.
- Bharat Kapadia
According to veteran mediaperson Bharat Kapadia both Maharashtra and Gujarat progressed remarkably well though in recent times, Gujarat is “doing wonders in terms of progress due to the consistent and visionary leadership”. “The quality of leadership in Maharashtra has not been stable for quite sometime. Maharashtra does have a rich heritage but it’s losing edge due to unstable political system, bad infrastructure and so on. In my opinion there isn’t any limit to growth, but it requires great vision which the leaders in Gujarat are showing,” he adds.
Though the terror attacks in Mumbai and the portrayal of the city in films like Slumdog Millionaire may have stained the image of Maharashtra, but the region and its people are known since the old days for their strength and valour. While the famous Salt March started in Gujarat, it may be argued that the culmination of the Freedom Movement occurred in Mumbai with the naval revolt (or the Bombay Mutiny), which, many say, was what got the British to finally decide to leave India.
- Sudarshan Banerjee
Says Sudarshan Banerjee, Head, Mudra Ahmedabad and Director, NBD, DDB Mudra: “When we speak about brand building, Maharashtra has in the past, done campaigns promoting the state and so has Gujarat. Though in recent times, Maharashtra is low key on such activities. The reason for this can be that Maharashtra is a state which does not need to talk so much about itself, people anyway come here. Gujarat, on the other hand, has promoted itself so well in the recent past that not only tourism but also the number of investors investing here has increased. And the future only promises growth for the two states.”
It is obvious that both the states are economically extremely important for the country. But whereas the Gujarat government is taking a stand and developing it by leaps and bounds, a similar effort and vision is needed for Maharashtra as well.