Books that made a Splash
The dynamic world of Advertising and Marketing can have a far-reaching effect on brands and society. Simply put, the influence of brands is undeniable. In a world of big budget ad campaigns, there is still a remembrance of the little boy in the Dhara Cooking Oil advertisement, the Cadbury Dairy Milk girl, and the Onida Devil, just to name a few. You can influence a generation of men and women with the right kind of marketing and branding, steering their feelings and influencing their lives. It’s magical. But the theories continue to evolve as per changing trends, and there is little doubt that marketing, advertising, or branding cannot be pinned down to any one formula. There is no set formula to success here. Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico Published in July, 2021 ABOUT THE AUTHOR An accomplished Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Harsh Mariwala is the founder and Chairman of Marico, a leading Indian FMCG company, which operates in 25 countries. Having begun his career with Bombay Oil Industries, a family-controlled business, he went on to establish multiple successful ventures in addition to Marico. These include the likes of Kaya Limited - a chain of skin care clinics, and Ascent Foundation - a peer-learning platform for entrepreneurs. AUTHOR SPEAK Every person comes to a stage in life when they try to identify what should be their life’s purpose. I went through a similar phase when I had to choose how I can make a difference through my life. When you’re young, you want to create a business, make money and so on. It is only later in life when you start thinking in terms of the value that can be added to others. That was the purpose of writing this book. ABOUT THE BOOK The Making of Marico chronicles Mariwala’s journey from running his family-owned business, Bombay Oil Industries, to building a company that has become a household name in India and beyond. In the book, Mariwala shares his experience of overcoming challenges and taking risks to achieve success in a highly competitive industry. The book provides valuable insights into his leadership style and business strategies. The Ambuja Story: How a Group of Ordinary Men Created an Extraordinary Company Published in December, 2021 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Business magnate and philanthropist, Narotam Sekhsaria, is the Chairman of Ambuja Cements Ltd., ACC Limited, and Ambuja Cements Foundation. He also manages the philanthropic arm, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation. Having started his career at his family’s cotton trading business, he subsequently embarked on what was an uncharted territory for him to set up Ambuja Cements in the early 1980s. Sekhsaria continues to be the non-executive chairman of the companies. AUTHOR SPEAK It was on my agenda to write a book based on my experience of setting up Ambuja Cement, and my journey as an entrepreneur for quite some time. Due to my busy schedule, I kept it on the backburner for many years. Then my daughter Padmini took the initiative of providing all the support and finding someone to work with me, and that someone was Radhakrishnan Nair, who took care of the rest. I kept talking to him, while he recorded and made notes, which eventually led to this book. ABOUT THE BOOK The book is a compelling account of one of the most successful cement companies in the country, including the professional and personal costs of achieving that success, narrated in the founder’s own words. For a cement company, it’s a unique case study that broke stereotypes such as ‘cement production can’t be an eco-friendly activity’, ‘good cement can’t be economical,’ among others. Open House Published in January, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Piyush Pandey is the first Indian to be made the Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy. The advertising veteran is credited with shaping the Indian advertising industry with a distinct desi influence. Having joined O&M as an account executive in 1982, he created his first ad for Sunlight soap. He has come a long way since then, winning accolades, over 400 of them from all over the world. AUTHOR SPEAK It had already been six years since my previous book ‘Pandeymonium’ was published, Many people had started asking me when I am writing my next. That was when my partner-cum-curator in this project, Anant Rangaswami came up with this idea. He had noted that after my speech at student institutes and various other forums, several audience members keep waiting in queues to ask me more questions. For that matter, even at airports people want to ask me questions about their new business, etc. So he suggested, “Why don’t we do a Twitter session, #AskPiyush, and let people come up with questions?” He proposed that we could then put the answers together, rather than answering each one of them individually. ABOUT THE BOOK Open House is a window into the workings of the ad guru’s mind. In his signature straight talking style, Pandey takes the readers on a journey into his craft and experiences. He answers the questions posed to him by people over the decades on advertising and everything under the sun- even his moustache- with nuggets of practical wisdom and deep insights. Honest, irreverent, and informative, Open House is a roller-coaster ride with Piyush Pandey. Business of Sports: The Winning Formula For Success Published in June, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR A marketing professional equipped with over 25 years of experience in the business of Media, Entertainment, and Sports Management, Vinit Karnik is a GroupM veteran who joined the agency nearly 17 years ago. Armed with a robust understanding of Indian sports and its emerging leagues ecosystem, he penned India’s first-ever Sports Academic book. AUTHOR SPEAK I have been a part of the sporting ecosystem in the country for a while now, and during that time I have been to many marketing schools and sports management schools to talk to students. I have always believed that you need to impart your knowledge beyond your workplace and create the next generation of professionals who will eventually come into the industry and work, and take the industry to the next level. ABOUT THE BOOK This book launched by International Institute of Sports & Management (IISM) is being called India’s first-ever book on Sports Marketing, and focuses on the business side of sports and the various verticals of the industry. It gives a much-needed Indian context to the growing sports industry, even as it guides one in the application of marketing concepts to sports products and services. Don’t Forget 2004- Advertising Secrets of an Impossible Election Victory Published in January, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jayshree Sundar’s two decades-plus career in advertising spanned across sectors and zones in India. She worked with a number of blue chip clients during her 17-year stint at Lintas, before joining Leo Burnett and serving as President (North) for four years. A gold medalist from the University of Mumbai, and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, she now teaches marketing courses at business schools all over India. AUTHOR SPEAK I felt that this story needed to be told. It is probably one of India’s biggest case studies in the branding, advertising, and marketing world. It was the coming-of-age of political brands in India where both the parties, BJP and Congress had noteworthy agencies working on their campaigns. More than that, I felt that this was a story that needed to go out to a much wider platform than just get consumed as a case study by marketing or MBA students, and people in the industry. It was a significant chapter in the history of India’s political branding. ABOUT THE BOOK An insider’s account of the marketing and advertising campaign executed for the Congress party, bringing it back to power in May 2004 against all odds. The book deals with how Leo Burnett won the competitive pitch for the election campaign, competing against seven other agencies, and then pulled off a humongous pan-India campaign. Nearly 2 decades later, Jayshree Sundar, who was instrumental in scripting this victory, unveils the chain of events that took place. Brands to Stands Published in April, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Subramanyeswar, a.k.a. Subbu has spent two-and-a-half decades in advertising and marketing, having worked at Wipro, Publicis, Rediffusion Y&R, and Saatchi & Saatchi in the markets of India, US, and the UK. He has anchored businesses like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Colgate, Citibank, General Mills, Samsung etc. AUTHOR SPEAK Writing is something that I have always enjoyed. I have written many articles, but this is the first book that I have penned. One of the good things about the MullenLowe Lintas Group is that the creativity that goes into brand building is always based on sound strategic thinking. But that thinking never got captured, and that is the reason why I have included all the strategic thinking that went behind those great creations in this book. ABOUT THE BOOK The book showcases how some of India’s top brands have positively impacted the way society at large thinks and behaves with their purpose-led brand-building philosophy. It has learnings from brands such as Tata Tea, Surf Excel, Havells, Axis Bank, Swiggy, Lifebuoy, Bajaj Avenger, etc., and captures marketing wisdom, insights, and anecdotes from their respective brand custodians as well as industry experts. All The World’s A Stage: A Personal Branding Story Published in October, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR A brand coach and the founder of brand-building.com, Ambi Parameswaran in his forty-year long career has worked across diverse sectors such as pharmaceuticals, consumer products, media, and advertising (Rediffusion). He has spent over 25 years with FCB Ulka Advertising, and over the last six years, turning independent, he served as a brand mentor to new businesses. Throughout his career, he has worked on iconic brands such as Tata, Wipro, Zee, TCS, Amul, Tropicana, Pepsico, LIC, Santoor, Sundrop, Abbott, J&J, and ITC, to name a few. AUTHOR SPEAK When the lockdown started, I was approached by IIT Madras Alumni Association to do some webinars. So I did a series of three webinars- one on branding, the second on institutional and B2B branding, and the third on personal branding. I had never spoken about personal branding before, so it was a unique and interesting thing for me. The response was great, and almost 600-700 people attended the webinars, and later I got several requests from people to deliver the same talk at various forums. ABOUT THE BOOK In his book, ‘All The World’s A Stage: A Personal Branding Story,’ Ambi Parameswaran makes a strong case for personal branding while offering a concrete roadmap towards brand building aimed to give one a strategic advantage. He does this by defining a personal brand, crafting a presence, developing a unique voice, building a network, using social media creatively, and more. Sellebrities Published in March, 2023 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Sandeep Goyal, the Founder and Chairman of the Mogae Group is a media entrepreneur and author. In 2021, he took charge as Managing Director of independent agencies Rediffusion and Everest. Dr. Goyal began his journey in advertising in 1986, and has since then been a part of the advertising, media, and digital industry for over 37 years. AUTHOR SPEAK This is my ninth book. The first one was ‘The Dum Dum Bullet’, on the business of advertising, which came out in 2004. The next one I co-authored with my daughter, Carol, in 2013. The rest of the seven books have come out in the last seven years or so. ABOUT THE BOOK Released in March 2023, Dr. Sandeep Goyal’s latest book, Sellebrities, is a detailed and comprehensive look at celebrity brand endorsements in India across the board, covering multiple dimensions and facets of it. It also looks at how these endorsements aid brand building by giving the brand a strategic advantage. Made In Future: A Story of Marketing, Media, and Content for Our Times Published in May, 2022 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Kumar is the Founder at Entropia, a next-generation marketing services company, now part of Accenture. Earlier, he used to serve as President, Asia World Markets at IPG Mediabrands. In 2019, the International Advertising Association (IAA) recognised him as one of the five Digital marketing thought leaders globally. AUTHOR SPEAK Over the last two decades, the disruption brought about by data and technology has created a massive chasm between the available marketing strategy and what actually works in the marketplace. That’s because while the media, content, and people’s expectations have all changed substantively, the templates, framework, and principles on which marketing strategies are made today continue to be the ’80s, ’90s vintage. A lot of our marketing textbooks were written in the ‘50s and the ‘60s. So the whole premise of the book (that’s why it’s called Made In Future) is that we need to reconceive the approach on the white sheet. We cannot be bandaging the past into the future. ABOUT THE BOOK The book seeks to recast marketing from a white sheet, with an incisive view of how vast changes in media, content, influences, and people’s expectations have come together to write a new story of marketing. Challenging a lot of the accepted wisdom of the past, it serves as a bridge between old-school, and new-age marketing. Quantum Marketing : Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers Published in February, 2021 ABOUT THE AUTHOR A globally recognised marketer, Raja Rajamannar started off as a marketing trainee and worked his way up through different companies, industries, and geographies around the world before becoming the global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Mastercard. He was named ‘Global Marketer of the Year’ by the World Federation of Advertisers, and ‘Forbes Top 5 World’s Most Influential CMOs.’ Rajamannar also serves as President of the World Federation of Advertisers. AUTHOR SPEAK The origin story of Quantum Marketing is both complicated and also very simple. Let’s start with the complicated bit. I joined Mastercard back in 2013, taking the reins of the iconic Priceless platform, focusing on pushing our brand and business forward. At a time when the average CMO tenure is just a few years, we’ve boldly delivered extensive five-year marketing strategies that require a hefty dose of self-reflection as well as intensive research into industry trends, changing consumer habits, technological advances, and more. This process has helped me realise that there is a real need to articulate the future of marketing in a way that can help marketers adapt, survive and thrive. The simple answer is that I’ve always wanted to write a book. Being grounded by the pandemic gave me the opportunity to make this dream a reality. ABOUT THE BOOK As technology has continually evolved in the last several decades, marketing also had to change with it, evolving through four significant stages that build on the strategies and tools of the previous era. In this book, Raja Rajamannar shares the forward-thinking ways in which all businesses must rethink their marketing landscape to remain relevant and successful.
Marketing professionals in the Digital era might need to forget what they had learnt in business schools and re-learn the basics. The good news is that there is help in this regard. Some of the most reputed industry professionals have penned down the secrets to success. We are looking at the most engaging, interesting, and educating Advertising and Marketing books that were released between 2021 and early 2023. Here is a list.
Founder & Chairman of Marico
I always had people coming up to me at various events, asking me whether I can capture my learnings in a book. So one of the triggers for penning down my thoughts came from the several lectures I gave at events. When I stepped down from my role as the Managing Director, I had time on my hands and felt that I should capture my learnings, my mistakes, and my professional journey for the benefit of other entrepreneurs and professionals I have worked with.
I am not a theoretical person, I would call this a practical person’s guide to brand building, as to how one can differentiate oneself in the marketplace, how to create the right strategy to win, how to select the portfolio, all that is covered in it. It’s not a theory on brand building or marketing per se, but it could add a lot of value to all brand stakeholders in terms of developing a business or scaling it up, building the organisation’s talent, culture, innovation, risk-taking, etc.
The book talks about my failures and realities in life through anecdotes. There are different aspects that one can take away depending on what they are interested in learning. And depending on who you are and what you do, you may also find that you resonate with a particular chapter.
To whether there’ll be any more books from my end – the answer is no. I don’t think I’m going to write any more. Hence I have deliberately covered most of my life in this one book. I went back in time and relived the good and some not-so-good, frustrating memories while penning this. But I am glad that I waited for this long and didn’t give up, although at one stage I have to admit that it was an exasperating experience. I’m happy with the way the book has turned out, as well as with the reception that it has received from all quarters. 70,000 copies sold so far, and more importantly, we have got very good feedback and a lot of love coming our way.
Chairman, Ambuja Cements and Foundation
The idea was that the future generation of entrepreneurs should be able to learn something from my experiences. When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I did not know anything about cement. But I recruited people who knew about the business and empowered them to make decisions. I told them that if the decisions went wrong, I am here as a leader to take responsibility.
Ravi’s advertising and marketing strategy provided the solution to a problem that had bothered me from the time I embarked on the project — why would anybody be stupid enough to buy cement from a new and unknown company run by someone who has no experience with the product? It was he who told me that ‘leadership is in the mind.’ You may have only one small plant, but you have to start putting processes that will take you to a leadership position. That left a deep mark on me.
The book has received tremendous response from everyone - my former colleagues, fellow industrialists, students, aspiring entrepreneurs, management schools, etc. It also received the ‘Tata Literature Live Best Business Book of the Year 2022 Award’. We received lots of positive feedback from readers who felt motivated after reading the book. And yes, I am working on a few ideas for my next book, which I hope will come to fruition very soon.
Ad Guru & Chairman of Global Creative, Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy
So that’s what we did. We got a whole lot of questions, which we put into buckets based on the types of questions asked. Then we compiled them into chapters and tried to answer people’s questions to the best of my ability, in my style of ‘people speak,’ as I don’t prefer business speak. That is what the book is all about.
We even answered some silly questions, like those on my moustache. I thought, ‘Let’s have some fun’ and answered back in the same spirit!
In the process, the book covers a whole lot of things that I have learned, and how I learned them. There are examples of the past, examples of the industry, of my thought process. That’s why I called the book, ‘Open House,’ inspired from an old folklore called ‘Chhajju Da Chaubara’, which is a house without doors and windows. Probably in future I’ll write about many such ‘chaubaras’ with friends, family and other professionals from whom I’ve learnt.
I was pleasantly surprised when Kalinga Literature Festival gave it the ‘Best Business Book’ award. It has also been received well by people, that’s what I really wanted and that’s what is most important.
Head - Sports, Esports and Live Entertainment, GroupM South Asia
In that journey, I realised that there’s a huge gap between what they are learning and what the required skill sets actually are from a workplace point-of-view. So, the gap between academics and practising existed. It was always at the back of my mind as to what we can do about it.
From a data standpoint, the relation of core marketing principles with sports was already in place when the publisher (IIHM) came on board. As I am not a writer per se, and that’s not my core, they retained the narrative while making changes to the manner in which the book was written.
What you should also know is that it’s a three-part series. This is the first part, which is technical, academic, and theory-heavy from a sports marketing standpoint, dealing with the hard-core business of sports. The next one, which I’m currently working on, is based on the work that has happened in India over the last 10 to 15 years in this space. Basically, how the theory translated into reality. The third one will be based on the next 10 to 15 years.
The feedback that I’ve received is that it’s not only the student community that is reading it, but also a lot of current industry practitioners, federations like AIFF & BCCCI for example, and broadcasters like Viacom & Star who are invested in sports. So, while it started off with the lens of a guiding force for students, the way it has panned out is that there are all these stakeholders who can potentially benefit from the book.
Ex President- North, Leo Burnett
The story came out more than 17 years later, but while it may feel like a long time, there were only three Lok Sabha elections that happened in the interim - 2009, 2014, and 2019.
The Congress party was then the underdog. Nobody gave them a chance, and yet they came out and formed the government. So, history can teach you a lot of lessons, and as we know it is with brands, fashion, and a lot of things, life is very cyclical.
Ultimately, we are all in this game for the consumer, because you want to click with them. Just like it is for any brand, be it a soap, a car, or a washing machine, it’s all about getting the consumer to go and put their money on you. You want to influence the mind of the consumer. In this case, on the day of voting you want them to go and vote for you. So it details out like a fantastic case study, where all the right ingredients went on to click with the consumer.
Coming to the book, I thought I should write the whole thing like a story, like a conversation that took place between people, which was mainly our team members and the client, and that too in a simple, conversational language. I did not put in a lot of bar charts, pie charts, diagrams, and management jargons. I could have made it a typical marketing case study, but that was not my intention, it needed to unfold like a story.
Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group & Chief Strategy Officer - APAC, MullenLowe Group
Subbu has won 142 awards at India Effies, APAC Effies, Global Effies, Asian Marketing Effectiveness, WARC among others
This book is for the practitioners of marketing, the academic world, and basically, anybody who loves and wants to build a brand and practice brand marketing in a new age. This is considering that we keep talking about how brands today need to have a higher-order purpose, which is what the future world of brand marketing is going to be all about. However, the purpose must be aligned with the brand’s thinking. If I don’t see my category in it, then I call it a bolt-on purpose. Question yourself, am I doing it because I believe in it or am I doing it because it is good PR for me? When you take a stand, it should look authentic to your brand.
Let me also add the fact that we are living in a different kind of socio-political environment. However, I wholeheartedly wish that Indian brands would stand by their stance, and I look forward to that day. I believe that when you stick your neck out for a belief, you will definitely do business. Sure there will be some people who will not like you, but there will be an equal number of people who will like you for what you are. When brands acquire cultural authority beyond the brand authority, then you have that sanction. People will give you that sanction.
Will there be another book after this? I think it’s not going to end with this. I don’t know when, or how soon, but I can definitely say yes.
Brand strategist & Former Executive Director and CEO at DraftFCB Ulka
That is what got me thinking that there is potential, and maybe I should write a book on this topic. So it got expanded into a book, and it was all written primarily during the lockdown period.
In the book, I’ve discussed various areas of personal branding, the myths, the challenges, etc. The book revolves around a group of friends who meet for their college reunion, and start discussing branding and personal branding. One of them is not a big believer, and the story unfolds on how he gets convinced about the importance of personal branding. So, it is written from that point of view.
This is my 11th book, and the idea was not to repeat the same style again and again. So, I thought I should try a different narrative and see if it works. So the whole book is written in a story format.
I discussed the idea with my literary agent, Anish Chandy. He said why don’t you write a few chapters and see how it looks. So I wrote and sent it to him. He got interested and so did the publisher. It was an experiment to try something different from the usual ‘gyan’ giving approach. I’ve avoided that here. The response has been quite encouraging.
MD, Rediffusion
We analyse every celebrity against 64 different attributes. Then we have a hundred data points, which we multiply by sex, age, socio-economic classification, town, class, and other parameters. You end up with nearly 800 data points on every celebrity, and that’s a very exhaustive study. Last time the sample had 60,000 respondents, which is one of the largest studies ever done in the country.
The book ‘Sellebrities’ is born out of that study. The knowledge and the science behind using celebrity endorsers is what the book is all about.
Plus, it has studies on power couples and individuals. For example, when Dhoni was retiring, we did a study on his brand, and also a study on Virat Kohli - how his brand went up and down. There is a full chapter on Amitabh Bachchan and the future of his brand, now that he is 80 years old. Then I have two never-before-written-about chapters on celebrity chefs.
Lastly, I also covered the CEO as a celebrity. The prime case study I’ve taken for this is Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the Founder, and CEO of MDH, better known as the ‘MDH masala guy.’ So, we have covered a variety of subjects and scope. It also covers which brands should be using which kind of celebrities and when. I’ve taken a lot of those dimensions to figure out where the usage of the celebrity is most appropriate. It is a compilation of all that, with a lot of illustrations and graphs. This is actually Page 3 converted into academics.
Founder, Entropia
It’s based on my own experiences, interactions, and work with a lot of global and local blue-chip companies. There is a lot of conceptual depth and storytelling that make the book engaging. There are tons of anecdotes, examples, and stories. Ultimately, marketing is about the living experience. So, I’ve kept going back to people’s lives, the lifestyle they lead, the way they think, what they expect from brands, and so on. So, it never goes too far from what people really care about.
The book is designed around the flow of marketing. Starting with the nature of the new marketplace and competition, it goes into the nature of the target prospect and the customer journey, and finally the influence, experience, creativity, measurement, and other aspects. It’s in a natural flow of how marketing thinking happens. I would like to believe that it would be rare to find a concept that is important for the times we live in that is not covered in the book.
The book essentially serves as a bridge between old-school marketing and the new, where I’ve tried to create a legacy-free view of things. The right things from the past have been brought in and mixed with the right things from the future in a new reference frame. That is why I believe that the overall industry reaction has been fantastic - from unicorn founders and CMOs to traditional companies & marketing departments, because it helps them migrate from their own thinking, to integrate the old with the new.
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and President, Healthcare Business, Mastercard
As marketing becomes increasingly tech-driven, agencies have to equip themselves with those same capabilities and broaden what they do, whether through hiring, up-skilling, or acquisition.
For marketers, I’d say they should speak the language of business. That means understanding the business model, the drivers of the business, and the impact of their efforts. When CEOs and CFOs are asking marketers for the ROI of their marketing investment, they need to be able to adeptly explain their contributions to the bottom line. Today, too many marketers are like deer in a headlight when this comes up.
Four target groups I had in mind who could benefit from this manuscript: practicing marketers, C-suite executives, educators who teach marketing, and students of marketing.
It was a privilege to be able to write the book, and bringing it out into the world has been equally gratifying. Quantum Marketing has become a WSJ best-seller, and is now published in nine languages. Most thrilling for me – the book is now taught at more than 300 universities around the world.
Now that I’ve experienced the pains and pleasures of writing a book, I can honestly say that the hardest part was just getting started. So at some point, I would like to write more.
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