Built by Anurag Lala

One thing I’ve learned while observing consumer behavior is that people don’t always buy products they can easily evaluate. In fact, some of the most successful businesses are built around products and services where customers may never fully know whether they made the “right” choice. These are called credence goods . Unlike ordinary products, credence goods are difficult — sometimes impossible — for consumers to evaluate even after purchase or consumption. The buyer has to rely heavily on trust, reputation, expertise, or credibility because they cannot accurately judge the quality themselves. And once you start noticing credence goods around you, you realize they are everywhere in daily life. Think about visiting a doctor. Most patients cannot independently verify whether the diagnosis is perfectly accurate or whether every prescribed test is necessary. They trust the doctor’s expertise. Similarly, when someone hires a financial advisor, a lawyer, or even a digital marketing consu...

I’ve often noticed that when people talk about brands, they get excited about what’s new — the next big launch, the trending product, the viral campaign. But in all that noise, one category quietly does the heavy lifting. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t chase attention. It simply delivers, consistently. That category is what we call a cash cow . In simple terms, a cash cow is a product or service that generates steady, reliable profits with relatively low investment. It operates in a mature market, has strong market share, and doesn’t require aggressive spending to sustain itself. It’s not flashy — but it’s dependable. And in many cases, it is the financial backbone of the entire brand. Let me put this into perspective with something closer to home. Think about Amul Butter . It’s not trying to reinvent itself every year. There are no drastic changes in packaging or positioning. Yet, it sells — every single day, across urban and rural India. The demand is stable, the margins are healt...

For decades, brand management was about control . Control over messaging. Control over perception. Control over how a brand “shows up” in the market. That era is officially over. Today, brands don’t live in boardrooms or brand guideline PDFs. They live in algorithms, conversations, comment sections, AI outputs, and community screens . And the biggest shift in modern brand management is this: Brands are no longer managed. They are co-created. The Rise of AI-Shaped Brand Perception A consumer today might first “meet” your brand through: A ChatGPT response A Google AI Overview A Midjourney-generated visual A Reddit thread A WhatsApp forward None of these are fully under your control. AI systems are now interpreting, summarizing, and retelling your brand story based on: Online content Reviews Social conversations Website copy Public sentiment This has given rise to a new reality in brand management: If AI doesn’t understand your brand clearl...

Your personal brand already exists. The only question is— are you shaping it, or is the internet doing it for you? In the digital age, your name is no longer just an identity. It is a search result, a first impression, and often a deciding factor in opportunities—jobs, collaborations, speaking invites, clients, and credibility. Building a personal brand today is not about being famous. It is about being clear, consistent, and trusted . Let’s break down how you can intentionally create your personal brand in a world driven by algorithms, attention, and authenticity. 1. Start With Clarity, Not Content Most people make the mistake of starting with posting. The right place to start is positioning . Ask yourself: What do I want to be known for? Who do I want to help or influence? What problems can I genuinely solve? Your personal brand should sit at the intersection of: Your skills Your experiences Your interests Clarity comes before visibility. Without it, ...

When I first heard the news of Piyush Pandey’s passing , I felt a strange silence inside me — the kind that comes when you realize an era has truly ended. For me, and for so many marketers, he wasn’t just a creative genius; he was the soul of Indian advertising . Over the years, I’ve studied hundreds of campaigns, from global brands to local startups. But every time I think of what made Indian advertising truly Indian , one name stands out — Piyush Pandey . His work wasn’t about flashy visuals or celebrity endorsements. It was about people, emotions, and everyday life. It was about us . The Storyteller Who Spoke India’s Language Piyush Pandey’s magic lay in his ability to find stories in the simplest corners of life — the chai stall, the crowded bus, the festival laughter, the mother’s scolding. He didn’t just sell products; he celebrated people. Think about Fevicol’s “Bus Ad” — a bunch of villagers crammed together, yet no one falls off. Simple, humorous, unforgettable. That’s In...

Being a Brand Manager today is not just about shaping a creative campaign or defining a tagline. It’s about balancing creativity, consumer insights and data-driven decisions . To build, grow, and protect a brand in the digital-first world, you need to be comfortable with a mix of research, analytics, content, and collaboration tools. If you’re looking to break into brand management—or sharpen your skills—here’s a breakdown of tools you should know. 1. Market & Consumer Research Tools A brand lives or dies by how well it understands its audience. Research tools help decode customer needs, preferences, and behaviors. NielsenIQ – Retail and FMCG insights for understanding market share and sales. Qualtrics / SurveyMonkey – Run surveys to measure brand sentiment and customer satisfaction. Google Trends – Identify trending topics and consumer interests in real time. Brandwatch / Talkwalker – Social listening platforms that track mentions, conversations, and competitor ...

As someone who has closely observed businesses and marketing strategies, I’ve noticed a recurring mistake that even big brands fall into—spreading themselves too thin across too many verticals. On paper, diversification sounds exciting. A company that starts with one successful product or service often thinks, “Why not extend into other areas and capture more markets?” But in reality, this can lead to brand dilution , and I’ve seen it happen more often than most companies would like to admit. When I think about brand dilution, the first thing that comes to mind is confusion . A brand builds its equity on a certain promise—quality, affordability, luxury, innovation, or trust. The moment it starts venturing into unrelated or excessive categories, that promise gets blurry. For example, if a luxury fashion brand suddenly launches a line of budget smartphones, customers are left wondering: Is this still the premium brand I admired, or just another mass-market player? Another issue is reso...