Podium welcomes Minal D’Rozario, Co-Founder & Director, Ideosphere Consulting. Minal has diverse corporate experience with core skills in leadership development, strategic planning for new markets and divisions and/or turning around key client accounts. Today, she discusses the importance of balance for being a successful brand.
‘Everything needs balance, Neelkanth. The masculine needs the feminine. The energy requires the mass. So think!’
‘Yes a duality that is one of the many perspectives of the universe – the masculine and the feminine. The Asuras and the Suryavanshis represent the masculine. The Devas and the Chandravanshis speak for the feminine. The names change, but the life forces they embody remain the same. They will always exist, neither can ever be destroyed. Otherwise the universe will implode.’
These two pieces from Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy got me thinking about its implications on our current day organization and dynamic structures, on brands and brand strategies. What can we learn from these pieces of history or mythology as we put it or how can the science behind them help us in our very complex, competent digitally connected world of today?
Venus vs. Mars
The masculine way of life is “Life by Laws”, it is very clear. Laws are unchangeable and they must be followed rigidly. There is no room for ambiguity. Life is predictable; because all have to do what has been ordained.
The feminine way of life, on the other hand, is “Life by Probabilities”. There is no absolute, no black or white. People don’t act as per some preordained law, but based on probabilities of different outcomes perceived at that point-of-time. The moment the probabilities change, their loyalties do as well. Change is the only constant.
What is the right way?
In the context of today’s digital world, the feminine way of life may be the obvious choice with technology, consumer realities, behaviors and preferences changing by the minute. The ability to anticipate changing gaps, and filling the right gap at the right time enables you to remain relevant, preferred, and profitable. This helps you create an ecosystem aligned with a specific vision.
But if it were so simple, then every business would be a success story. What is missed out, and also needs to be remembered here, is that to be able to cope with this rapid and often unstructured change, a disciplined and focused organization is required. You have to understand the grammar to be able to break it.
The Perfect Mix
In the modern day organization structure, it is sincerely believed, that like in real life, a delicate balance between masculine and feminine needs to be maintained. And only those organizations that are able to move above the pull and push of these two ways will emerge as true winners in the long run. This is particularly also an insight for various startups. For example Ola Cabs and Urban Ladder, now established brands, may be a perceptually masculine brands (rigid in their approach) but have managed to create a connect with their audience in times of highs and lows.
Or Pantene and Fair & Lovely are feminine brands to the core, but that does not mean the organization behind them is feminine. The companies behind these brands – HUL and P&G are very masculine organizations run by processes and structures including innovation and CRM. They have been successful because of the balance in duality they were able to achieve.
In today’s fast paced life, a consumer has infinite choice but no time or energy to waste on deciphering things. Customers nowadays want very clear-cut and precise communication of what is on offer and what is in it for them. Thus, in this context the duality of the organization needs to be dropped out of the message communicated to the intended target audience. A clear image of either the masculine or feminine nature of the brand needs to be communicated, with the other one kept silent by intent.
Everything needs balance, no doubt about it, but the choice of tilting towards the left, right or center, based on needs, will determine your quantum of success.
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