November 23, 2020 13:38

XIMB’s Communiqué discusses ways to tell a powerful brand story

Build a brand that not only sells but also adds value, says Reliance Jio Vice-President Nilesh Mahajan

Illuminatix, the media and PR Cell of XIM, Bhubaneswar, hosted its Annual Media Conclave Communiqué on November 22. This year, the theme is ‘Brand Storytelling,’ to establish relevancy and discuss the many brands that sustained through the uncertainties of the pandemic by the innovative art of storytelling.

Value addition

The first speaker, Nilesh Mahajan,Vice-President, Reliance Jio, spoke to the students about the story of Jio as a brand, from its inception to the consumer insights that were crucial to building the brand. Capturing the essence of Communiqué ’20 perfectly, Mahajan discussed about building a brand that not only sells but also adds value to customers’ lives by catering to their needs in the present while addressing the prospective ones.

 

 

 

The second speaker Prashant Aneja, Senior Brand Manager at Flipkart, analysed the different aspects of brand storytelling that shaped consumers. Aneja also identified ways to gauge the pulse of the consumer through brand storytelling by walking the audience through some iconic brand campaigns.

Branding as a function of research and insight

As the third speaker, Shahbaaz Mohammed, Senior Brand Manager at Zydus Wellness Ltd, initiated the discussion by engaging the audience with the various elements of branding such as head lifters, functional benefit versus emotional insight, and narrative fallacy. He also emphasised branding as a function of not only creativity but also concrete research and insight. From brand seeding to viral content marketing, Mohammed took us on a journey through brand storytelling with visits between yesteryear ads that had touched hearts.

 

 

 

The fourth speaker Bodh Deb, Vice-President and Branch Head at AutumnGREY, Mumbai, shared the significance possessed by the moment in brand storytelling, regardless of moment frozen in time or a fluid one. He also focused on the point about brand stories needing to mirror the society and deliver purpose instead of relying on mere drama for consumer engagement. He stressed that real-life stories were the muse that served as the crux of brand storytelling with superior impact.

The compelling discussions were interspersed with interactive Q&A sessions with the panel speakers, who provided thought-provoking answers to equally intriguing questions posed by the students. The winners of the national level competitions held as a run-up for Communiqué were also felicitated with certificates and prizes within the conclave. The event was concluded by a heartfelt vote of thanks delivered by Amrit Anand Mohapatra, the student coordinator of IlluminatiX.