By Jagdeep Kapoor
24 Brand Mantras was written by Jagdeep Kapoor, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, a leading strategic marketing consultancy. Jagdeep is a prolific writer and has authored several bestsellers including 18 Brand Astras and 9 Brand Shaastras. There are over 1,602 articles published in newspapers such as The Economic Times, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Afternoon, Business Today, etc. This book was first published back in 2001 and the second edition in 2009. The book I am reviewing is about the second edition, which contains three topics where he talks about 24 different mantras.
This book is for marketers out there providing them with guidelines to grow and become an efficient brand manager. It is aimed at helping marketers build a brand, launch it and create a successful brand. In the latest edition, he has included interesting brand marketing examples. The author talks about how brands should have an easy name to establish easy recall for consumers. It has helped brands like Honda, Lux, Zee, 9xM build themselves over some time and a part of the credit goes to the name. I strongly agree with his words even brands with big names such as Joseph Cyril Bamford are known as JCB and Louis Vuitton is known as LV. He talks about how using common sense is very important while building a brand. Brands tend to research before launch but fail to apply common sense and create a disaster. He always talks about how segmentation and accordingly sampling the target groups are necessary for a brand’s success. Communication is essential for a marketer because you will then fail as a marketer if you fail to understand the needs of the consumers. One has to be clear in communicating. It helps the brand connect with its consumers. Advertising according to him should be done specific to its target audience with the right proportion and you must be visible and seeking attention is very crucial. The author also highlights the reputation and importance of maintaining that reputation because one mistake can make a brand disappear overnight. Consumers needs come first because if it’s not for them then for whom? The author also talks about an issue where the brands get confused about where they should place themselves in the price category. My favorite part of the book is where the author talks about the important mantras of the heart. A brand should always be humble, should always network, and build relationships, respecting one’s retailers. Positioning the brand is essential, treating it like a human gives a brand a personality. The author also mentions how servicing the first step to a great brand is. A brand should always keep its target audience in its mind. Right product selling to the wrong audience is the usual mistake made by brands. Being prejudge can be disastrous to a brand. Marketers usually do not see this but it can harm the brand. The author ends the book by talking about how brands should respect local consumers and should always be honest.
The author has given many examples to understand each chapter. This is a must read book for brands and marketers.
Here We Go Again 