What according to you makes a brand `hot’?
Anything is hot when people are looking at it, talking about it, wanting to buy it and own it or experience it. So a brand would be hot when all or any of those criteria are met. Sales is only one of the metrics. Today the more important measure is the conversations around the brand. It is the one that is most talked about that is most hot. When you are most talked about you have definitely got the right product and the right people to promote the product and hence you are being talked about.
A `hot’ brand within a few hours can become `not so hot’, a case in point being Nestle’s Maggi. What are your tips for brand owners to help them keep their brand hot?
You want to remain hot, be true to your brand DNA and in turn you will be servicing your core target audience. Once your TG is serviced you will have their loyalty and feedback which will help you better your services and products and thus remain at the top. So being true to the people who consume your brand and to your own roots helps you be relevant.
In case when a hot brand is mired in a controversy, what is your suggestion for brand owners to cope with such a situation- lie low or take the bull by its horns?
Whenever a brand is in a controversy, it is best to be honest. If you have made a mistake admit it. To err is human after all. And if you have not done anything wrong then too you should be honest and catch the bull by its horns. Like in most walks of life, it pays to be honest after all. Public sympathizes with those who show them their vulnerable side.
What makes Bangalore a unique brand?
Bangalore is a HOT brand as it is all of the above. The TG is the youth of India. Bangalore caters to their every need from the climate to the pubs to the work culture to the start up scene. As long as the ecosystem of the city allows the youth to express their views and creates an atmosphere for them to thrive in, Bangalore will remain a HOT brand.
Profile: Rajiv Mehta, CEO at Arvind Fashion Brands Ltd , Arvind Sportlifestyle Ltd (The Lalbhai Group Companies)
Rajiv Mehta is a foodie at heart, an engineer by profession and a retailer by passion. He has a chemical engineering degree from ICT in Mumbai and MS at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for three years at BOC in New Jersey where he was responsible for driving research, design and development, before the academic bug hit once more – resulting in an MBA from the prestigious INSEAD University in Singapore. Upon graduating, Rajiv was identified by the global sportlifestyle brand PUMA to head their Indian operations at the young age of 27. He until last year was the Managing Director of PUMA South Asia.
Rajiv is an adventure sports enthusiast and is a P2 level certified pilot for paragliding. Water sports, particularly white water rafting, bungee jumping and skydiving are amongst his adventure sports passions.
