Delhi: As part of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, his image will soon be painted on Air India aircrafts. Many experts see this as a fitting tribute, truly appropriate as an amplification of his glorious role in our history. From the lens of Experiential Branding, however, such a move is grossly incorrect, even bordering on disrespectful, for a global icon.
Let me start, most simplistically, on why the Air India aircraft is an avoidable medium, from the filter of serving non-vegetarian food and alcohol. Whether we agree or not, the Great Man was an avowed vegan, meat and liquor definingly inconsistent with his revered worldview, on the foundation of ‘Ahimsa’. The airline business, in international sectors, cannot adhere to such principles for business imperatives, given category codes and basic customer expectations. It is well known that the Birla empire did not enter the hospitality or aviation business for this very reason, notwithstanding the many possibilities. As Marshall Mcluhan had stated many decades ago, the medium is indeed the message and however literal it may seem, the Dreamliner must deliver indulgences sharply disagreeable to the Mahatma’s values, thus making the two an experiential mismatch.
The second and more pragmatic reason why this is a very bad idea is the business stature of Air India, reeling in losses and surviving on sheer entitlement. Our greatest human brand cannot be riding on a disastrous corporate brand, a poor ambassador of New India in every possible dimension. In terms of operational efficiency and overall performance, not comparable to most competent global peers. Unlike say the IT majors as well as manufacturing or multi-dimensional stalwarts, where the story of India comes to life in a compelling and sustainable fashion, a deserving embodiment of the nation envisaged by the founding fathers. Thus, experientially once again, this is a poor fit, the greatest citizen of the land incompatible with a mediocre citizen of the air.
Instead of mere graphic imagery, what the great Mahatma’s legacy truly deserves is its intelligent dissemination across the world, in an actionable and scalable format, aided by the digital evolution. It is well and truly a no-brainer that the entire planet earnestly needs that dosage of calm, no more credible spokesperson of this approach than Gandhiji. This becomes a great opportunity for Brand India to enhance its ‘Soft Power’ on the world at large, an emotional influence that has an overwhelming influence in other geographies. Thus, creating a position in the global map, which can complement our impressive credentials as a ‘Hard Power’, 70 years after freedom.
11/12/18 Shivaji Dasgupta/Best Media Info
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Let me start, most simplistically, on why the Air India aircraft is an avoidable medium, from the filter of serving non-vegetarian food and alcohol. Whether we agree or not, the Great Man was an avowed vegan, meat and liquor definingly inconsistent with his revered worldview, on the foundation of ‘Ahimsa’. The airline business, in international sectors, cannot adhere to such principles for business imperatives, given category codes and basic customer expectations. It is well known that the Birla empire did not enter the hospitality or aviation business for this very reason, notwithstanding the many possibilities. As Marshall Mcluhan had stated many decades ago, the medium is indeed the message and however literal it may seem, the Dreamliner must deliver indulgences sharply disagreeable to the Mahatma’s values, thus making the two an experiential mismatch.
The second and more pragmatic reason why this is a very bad idea is the business stature of Air India, reeling in losses and surviving on sheer entitlement. Our greatest human brand cannot be riding on a disastrous corporate brand, a poor ambassador of New India in every possible dimension. In terms of operational efficiency and overall performance, not comparable to most competent global peers. Unlike say the IT majors as well as manufacturing or multi-dimensional stalwarts, where the story of India comes to life in a compelling and sustainable fashion, a deserving embodiment of the nation envisaged by the founding fathers. Thus, experientially once again, this is a poor fit, the greatest citizen of the land incompatible with a mediocre citizen of the air.
Instead of mere graphic imagery, what the great Mahatma’s legacy truly deserves is its intelligent dissemination across the world, in an actionable and scalable format, aided by the digital evolution. It is well and truly a no-brainer that the entire planet earnestly needs that dosage of calm, no more credible spokesperson of this approach than Gandhiji. This becomes a great opportunity for Brand India to enhance its ‘Soft Power’ on the world at large, an emotional influence that has an overwhelming influence in other geographies. Thus, creating a position in the global map, which can complement our impressive credentials as a ‘Hard Power’, 70 years after freedom.
11/12/18 Shivaji Dasgupta/Best Media Info
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