The kind of stir PM's foreign trips create and the impact they leave is something that has not been witnessed before
There is something unique in Narendra Modi, even his enemies will admit that. The kind of stir his foreign trips create and the impact they leave is something that has not been witnessed before. His style, his oratory skills, the way he takes pride in his country and countrymen is commendable; at least we have not experienced something like this for so long from our leaders. Under his leadership we now feel that we have a special and a respectable place on the world map and a sense of security is inculcated in every Indian. Even his opponents are now having difficulty in finding adjectives to define his personality and every time they open a controversy, he converts them into an opportunity.
Has Modi’s recent five nation marathon visit and the address to US congress once again underlined his proven statesmanship? Undoubtedly yes. The amount of appreciation he has received both in India and the world over is overwhelming. He has been able to gather support from various nations for India’s permanent seat in the UN Security Council and in the Nuclear Suppliers Group. It may be a wrong thing to say that there were no diplomatic moves and actions before this government, but what has changed is the strategic moves, speed and most importantly the amount of respect he has created for himself as a world leader and for India. His undisputed leadership and respect amongst his party men and within the country has given him an extra edge to focus on building brand India. The change is quite visible. Whether it’s about investing in India or it’s about giving support to our nation, we no longer have to plead or request, his body language commands it. With his style he has communicated to the world that India can’t be ignored, and if you are doing that, then it’s a big business loss for you. His body language, either ahead or at par with world leaders and his charismatic personality and legendary oratory skills makes him one of the most sought after individual brands of the 21st century.
It may be significant or not that how many standing ovations he received while addressing the US Congress, but truly we can be proud of the fact that we have a leader who can stand in front of the most powerful people of the world and engage them in a 45 minute long speech which was extempore. I felt as if his address is like a sweet revenge he took from the USA which denied a visa to him for almost a decade. This Brand Modi is all about converting every challenge into an opportunity. Americans would have never imagined that the one they denied entry in their country for 10 long years, will be giving autographs to the US Congressmen.
Has Modi as a brand become larger than life? Or his opponents are too weak to counter his strategy? In both the scenarios it’s a win win situation for brand Modi.
So what is it that makes Brand Modi a super brand? What are those qualities which makes him different from others? Let’s look at few marketing facts to understand this super powerful brand.
Consistency:
Modi is one of the very few consistent leaders of our time. While everyone from his party colleagues to his opponents became a part of various controversies, he consistently stood by one agenda which is development. He not only stood by it, but he advocated the same at every given opportunity. The government’s pet programs such as Make in India, Digital India, Startup India, all aim at achieving the
target of becoming a developed nation. He often talks about dreams and development of 1.25 billion people of our nation and that is how he is making everybody walk by his side.
Communication:
Communication has been one of the most important aspects of Brand Modi. Leave aside his legendary oratory skills; the way he communicates is a case study for the future leaders to follow. Whether through his ‘Mann ki baat’ in radio, his daily tweets or his facebook interactions, Modi doesn’t leave an opportunity to communicate with the world. From sending birthday wishes to festival wishes or just a simple update about his meetings, he communicates it all. It was mentioned by someone once that even before his guests left 7RCR, the pictures and outcome of the meeting were posted by the PMO on the facebook page. Communication is the essence of any brand, and what you communicate and at what pace, makes all the difference. Brand Modi’s communication strategy and its implementation will be a bench mark for all the present and future leaders across the world.
Attitude:
Attitude is very important and Brand Modi carries it with full grace. His body language and communication style clearly reinstate his leadership. The respect he commands from his party men and his colleagues is unquestionable and undisputed. Modi’s charisma is visible in the way he talks, the way he walks and the way he dresses up. The way he has coined Make in India, Clean India, Digital India and Startup India, has not happened in last 60 years in our country.
He not only designed these campaigns, he also implemented them with the same vigour. Brand Modi doesn’t leave a single opportunity to convey the message, he wants to highlight.
Growth of any Individual brand comes with a lot of responsibilities. Brand Modi too has a challenging road ahead, to live up to the high expectations set up by him. The expectation that his aura, leadership skills and marketing acumen combined with selfless hard work will achieve the target of creating a most powerful brand – Brand India.
(Serial entrepreneur PKD Nambiar, MD, Flags Communications, is renowned as a startup and turnaround specialist and also as a sharp communications strategist for the SME sector, while also being a consultant to more than 35 business houses in the industry.)
