Earlier this month, I was invited on a panel in
Mumbai which pontificated on the strategic value of corporate brands.
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In his welcome address, Kiran spoke of how
Chlorophyll had innovated consistently to stay ahead of the game. He believed
that this had powered Chlorophyll's ability to influence the course of several
businesses over the last decade and a half.
In my opening remarks, I chose to contradict
that statement. Not so much because Chlorophyll had not made a difference to
the brands that they had shaped or recast, but because these fifteen years has
meant much more than innovation to all the folks who had experienced
Chlorophyll over that time.
This was more than represented in the way the
evening was designed. To my mind, the highlight of the event was the
recognition of each of the individuals who had made up the last fifteen years.
It included ex Chlorophyllians and even vendors. In fact, it was touching that
one of the first people to be felicitated was their travel agent!! In this day
of the online travel portal and it's charms, this is a true reflection of how
much Chlorophyll values the individual. And anybody who knows anything about
our profession will know how crucial that role is for the well being of the
hapless consultant, who competes only with pilots for air-miles covered.
This is a demanding profession. It requires both
courage and endurance to just stay the course, leave alone produce outstanding
work, week after marathon week. And it is the value of the people (on both
sides) that make or break its impact on businesses.
I dare say my own career has been shaped by the
personal generosity of the some of the finest thinkers in the game. Ironically,
it wasn't their intellectual capabilities or outstanding skills that defined
them, but rather their willingness to patiently value and nurture the next generation
of professionals.
In one TED talk, the legendary Harvard
professor, Michael Sandel speaks about how we have degenerated from being a
market economy to a "market society". In an environment where almost
anything can be bought, he laments that the "marketization of everything
sharpens the sting of inequality and its consequences on society as a
whole". It is in this backdrop that the leadership at Chlorophyll needs to
be framed.
Chlorophyll is almost as old as the Indian
branding advisory business itself. And over the last fifteen years these two
gentlemen have been exemplary ambassadors for the profession in many ways. But
for my money, above everything else, they have shown us that decency and
dignity can be very powerful drivers of reputation, in a world that is easy
prey to short changing and short cuts.
6 comments:
Thank you Ramesh! The similarity between chlorophyll (lower case c as a homage to our belief that we might be unequal as professionals, but will always be equal as human beings!) and Equitor goes deeper than our shaved heads:-) You are an inspiration too!
Thank you Ramesh! The similarity between chlorophyll (lower case c as a homage to our belief that we might be unequal as professionals, but will always be equal as human beings!) and Equitor goes deeper than our shaved heads:-) You are an inspiration too!
Although I was keen to attend the celebration, I missed the same as I got caught into a traffic jam at Lower Parel. However my office colleagues and my daughter attended the program. I have known Anand and Kiran for many years. I am not capable of commenting on their professional expertise as they are masters in the game. However i must say that brands have to learn how brands can be built with Humility. Chlorophyll is one such brand. It is just not about the product but the promoters and the people behind the product whose humility rubs on the brand and the emotional connect it establishes.
My best wishes for many decades of success.
B S Nagesh
"Well Done" to the agency.
Very well articulated, Ramesh. While I haven't had the opportunity to engage with Chlorophyll, I am familiar with some of their work through friends of mine. Truly commendable.
Really worth emulating they are, true role models :D
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