TOP BRAND 2016- what makes a winning entry!

An Article by Sunil Gupta, PAS Awards Jury Member and CEO-Igniva Consulting Pvt Ltd.

Having been a member of the jury for specifically this Award in 2016, I can vouch for the fact that there was seemed to be some confusion as to what was meant by “Top Brand” as compared to “Campaign of the Year” and even “TVC of the Year”.

Many of the entries in fact simply duplicated the content in the Entry Form for the three categories, and in the process did themselves a huge disservice because as jury members we did not feel there was sufficient reason given to even include some of the entries into our shortlist for the eventual Award.

So I thought that it would be worthwhile defining what we were looking for in the entry for “Top Brand”.

If you look at my first blog on “Strategy/Plan/Tactics/Objectives”, you will understand that the communication that is developed for the Brand is the culmination of a well thought out strategic process, and though of course it is a critical component of the Brand’s interface with customers in the market, the actual communication itself cannot be the sole determinant of adjudging the “Top Brand”. As an example, a certain entry only provided their thematic TVC as the sole example of the Brand’s marketing engagement. Surely the TVC was not the only marketing effort by this Brand!

Thus, what we look for in this category is an understanding of what makes the Brand tick, why the Brand exists, and what deeper role it plays (and played) in the lives of customers and of society, and how, in the previous year, did it live up to these reasons for being.

A good way to articulate this (or ascertain that you are on the right track) is to revisit the “Corporate Mission Statement” and use that as a compass for keeping your entry on the right course. So once you have this as your guiding light for this entry, you will find it much easier to ascertain what marketing (not just communication) initiatives were implemented to achieve the Corporate Mission by the Brand in question.

Next, what the jury would like to see is the whole spectrum of these initiatives being brought to light (and life) so that it is better able to judge the gravity of the Brand’s objective/s (how much were they in sync with the Corporate Mission), and the endeavour (Strategy/Plan/Execution) to achieve it.

Remember, a Brand is much more than just a “product or service”. A successful Brand is a socio-economic force multiplier and hence its role in the overall prosperity of the country cannot be understated.

That is what the jury is looking for: a forceful, compelling exposition of how the Brand thought through and achieved the above.

Sunil Gupta
CEO-Igniva Consulting Pvt Ltd
www.ignivaconsulting.com