Are startup founders altering the way brands are built?

Startups have emerged as one of the key spenders in the advertising expenditure (AdEx) second only to big players such as FMCG and auto. (Representational image via Unsplash)

Startup marketers have been often blamed for employing “earn and burn” strategy over long-term brand building when it comes to advertising.

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover raises concerns among marketers

Elon Musk, who earlier this year had dropped the plan to acquire Twitter citing a high number of fake accounts on the platform, had said that advertisers would not be able reach the customers they intended if Twitter was flooded with bogus accounts. According to Musk’s statements earlier this year, 10% of the platform’s daily active users who see ads are inauthentic accounts (Representative Image via Unsplash)

General Motors suspended its paid advertising on Twitter after Musk’s takeover, saying that the platform will change now and that it wants to understand the direction Twitter will take.

How an Indian Independence-era company is changing the sexual pleasure products category

‘Pleasure products are just for women’ is a myth. We have seen good movement in our pleasure products for men, says Vishal Vyas, AVP marketing, TTK Healthcare. (Representational image via Unsplash)

Maker of Skore condoms, TTK Healthcare aims to give the sexual wellness and pleasure category a big boost with e-superstore, Love Depot. It is also banking on women to revolutionise the category.

How CasinoKart is making the Indian poker goods industry AtmaNirbhar

"Since our inception in 2015, we have been constantly working towards making the Indian gaming goods ecosystem 'Atmanirbhar' and we will continue to expand our offerings based on consumer feedback." Says Aditya Sardana, CEO - CasinoKart

CasinoKart is witnessing a growth burst thanks to casinos in the country that are looking at using only India-made products.

Does a country need to rebrand to stay relevant in modern times?

The idea behind branding has far surpassed its traditional uses and is now being used for everything. Even cities, regions and countries. Places such as countries typically have the same characteristics as any regular product or service. However, rebranding a country is a much more difficult thing to do as there are many limitations and restrictions that hinder the path. The big goal behind rebranding a country is to create awareness and curiosity about that country for investors, potential tourists, migrated workers and residents.(Representative image via Unsplash)

Rebranding of countries happens for many reasons. Culture, politics and emotional sentiments stand as the major factors.

Simply Speaking: Brand Gestalt – going beyond positioning

In many ways, a brand is an illusion. It exists in our unconscious and in our feelings. But that - by itself - is powerful. These connections in the mind add real value to the products and to our lives. Wearing a fake Rolex will give us less pleasure than wearing the real thing. Take the Nike swoosh off a sneaker and it loses its magic. Why? Because value gets created in the mind. It must have emotional value to you. In this way, brands can add real value, beyond their physical product attributes. It is not water, it is Evian! (Representational image via Unsplash)

Gestalt refers to how the brain prefers to seek out the whole of something, rather than the individual parts. Brand Gestalt represents the whole of the brand – it’s the complete picture.