You may have heard of products which aren’t branded, but have you heard of days which are the same? There are certain calendar days which are branded in a certain way such that the market profits out of it. We now have days like Junk Food day, Donut Day, Ice-cream Day, Horror Movie Day and many more. We do not really know how a day came to be known as ‘Father’s Day’ or ‘Friendship Day,’ do we? Valentine’s Day, for instance, was observed as a day of feast in honor of the martyred St. Valentine. He was alleged for conducting secret marriages after Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men in third century Rome. Such legends disappear with the passing away of their times. However, today more than 150 million cards are sold annually on Valentine’s Day, which is universally accepted as the day for celebrating love.
The proverbial phrase "No News is Good News" originated with King James I of England back in the early 17th century when he allegedly said that, "No news is better than evil news."
In today’s time, 11th September is observed across the globe as the day of "No News is Good News" with the motive of shutting aside all communication channels. Every year, a day in one’s life is spent without any interaction on the internet, the morning paper or even WhatsApp for that matter. It basically stands to shun out any medium through which news can travel! Considering the everyday obsession with social media this can be easily implemented and widely accepted as well. But can the market forces let us be?
For a regular individual with the daily 9 to 5, a day passed whiling away with a book in bed or cooking his favorite dish sounds relaxing. The first thing that any does on going to office, is to switch on the computer. Automatically you find yourself staring at the Google homepage with a news information, often being tweaked into the doodle as well! Leaving office aside, when any individual wakes up from bed, the first thing he/she gazes at, whether working or non-working is their cellphone.
The idea of staying away from news, however relaxing, is unproductive to thrive in a capitalist world, even for a single day. This may be the primary reason why 11th Septembers, “No News is Good News” is not really observed. Perhaps in the industry, no news is not good news after all. When brands are trying to capitalize on every news, it is too much to ask for such a relaxing day!
How is it that we do not observe the day in the way it is meant to, like we celebrate all other occasions made global sensations like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day? It is because these days are moot points of reaping profits while “No News is Good News” doesn’t want us to look at the communication channels itself.
Are we addicted to news? Perhaps the world wants us to be. How else would our eyes wander on branded content if mass communication channels ceased to exist?
BBC has campaigned against ‘fake news’ and Facebook has fought against the clickbait culture. In a way, these big barons of business are critiquing their own selves. You may have seen pieces of communication in your newsfeed or even in your WhatsApp messenger starting off with “You will NEVER believe….” These may be shared by friends or promoted by advertisers on your Facebook news feed.
There are teasers everywhere on social media having headlines that are ‘click bait.’ This means that people would be lured to click without giving much information about what kind of content is included in the body. Such posts bait in the clicks. The higher the rate of being clicked and read, higher the chances that they will show up in your Facebook news feed. What happens is, these news nuggets or content pieces, unworthy of attention drown out posts from friends and pages that you might be following. Facebook as a responsible brand is encouraging people to report abuse such posts and is campaigning against it. This makes it clear that Facebook values its consumers and makes them a priority. Why is that other brands don’t follow such similar practices?
Capital is not simply financial capital; it also refers to cultural capital. It is the trust of the people you can gain through the brand promise you deliver. Last year on November 10th in Argentina, McDonald’s and Burger King both put their competitive natures aside for a noble cause. McDonald’s observed Mc Happy Day as a charitable one, donating all profits made in the day to help children fight cancer. What was astounding was that Burger King pushed away profit making motives for the day, not selling their much-demanded Whopper burger. They indirectly advertised, pushing customers to go to McDonald’s to help them increase their profits for charity. Calling it a ‘A Day Without Whopper,’ BK advertised effectively against their immediate competitive nature.
Coca Cola also advertised literally against their own products in 2013, claiming to be one of the reasons behind America’s high rates of obesity.
Perhaps a smart way of supporting and branding 11th September as “No News is Good News” without losing out much yet enhancing the brand image, will be to simply advertise heavily a week prior about the bliss of a day when nothing bothers you and tries to get your attention, not even brand communication. Maybe yoga camps or reading circles can be arranged by that brand where no advertisement of the brand is displayed, and the brand just does a good deed without trying to bombard you with any information whatsoever. This way, the brand can really stand out and add a relaxing day off in people’s lives.
References
Partner
With 15+ years of spatial design experience, Sveta leads the team that helps extend brands to three-dimensional spaces. She has the ability to visualise intangible attributes such as brand positioning and translate them to materials, finishes and furniture in every space. Her belief is simple – ‘every detail in retail design has to reflect the brand.’ Over the years she has worked with some of the biggest brands in the hospitality and retail industry. At ABND, she is pivotal in projects that require branded interior design, retail design, way-finding and signage systems. Sveta is as defined and disciplined in dance as she is in her work!
March 1, 2018
The pioneer of liberal education in India, Pune based FLAME University is creating waves in liberating young minds. Over the years, the institution has built a reputation for itself that is significant enough to reckon with. Built on the methodology of psychologist Howard Gardner’s ‘multiple intelligence,’ there is a renewed focus on interdisciplinary learning. A vast array of options lies for students as there are over 250 unique major-minor combinations to choose from here. While you can major in subjects like Economics, Psychology, International Studies, Environmental Studies and Journalism, you can also graduate in Dance, Music, Theatre and Design. At FLAME, you could also do a BSc in Applied Mathematics and BBA degrees in Finance, Marketing, Communications Management, HRM, Operations and Entrepreneurship.
At a time when private players are still not trusted in the field of higher education, FLAME University is still a clear preference for young minds, owing to its unique approach. The string of collaborations it has made makes it an institution of excellence which stands out. Renowned foreign universities including Nuffield College, York University of Canada, and Wellesley College, Babson Collaborative and other institutes of repute have tied up with FLAME University.
At ABND, FLAME University was given a rejuvenated identity. Several competing institutions offered Liberal Education as part of the curriculum as well. In an attempt to set themselves apart from the clutter, FLAME University needed to rebrand themselves by giving Liberal Education a new way of expression we proposed for them – ‘Diversity of the Mind.’ To know more on how this reputed institute was envisioned anew and given a dynamic visual identity. To know more Click Here
Founder-Partner
Kunal says, “I’ve no specific talent, I’m merely inquisitive.” While his past experiences include product design, retail branding, packaging and design for manufacturing his true passion lies in branding and strategy. He’s the go-to person whenever the crafting needs finesse or the creation needs a fresh perspective. A certain sixth sense guides him in business and branding, honing the skill through experience. Kunal is also a guest lecturer and visiting faculty at a college in Mumbai, teaching branding to young bright minds.
February 27, 2018
Coming into view, the emerging logistics company, Grab, have recently received heavy government investment backing from Small Industries Development Bank of India’s wholly owned subsidiary, SIDBI Venture Capital Limited. Pratish Sanghvi, the co-founder of Grab, said that this funding of $1.5million is detrimental to their growth as the company is currently working on a crowdsourcing distribution model. SIDBI has joined a list of their big investors including Aramex, Zomato, Sixth Sense Ventures and Oliphans Capital. In spite of the hyperlocal delivery space being overcrowded, Grab was a prominent player for SIDBI to consider because of its sector-agnostic approach and its high chances of being EBITDA positive.
Providing hyperlocal and intracity logistics services to businesses including restaurants, food tech platforms, pharmacies and banks, Grab was once only doing food deliveries, being known as Grab-A- Grub. ABND had worked on the brand’s identity when they wanted to expand from being a food delivery startup to an all-encompassing hyperlocal logistics company. Changing from Grab-A- Grub to Grab, their rebranding made for a more sharper and agile brand. To know more Click Here
February 22, 2018
Thursdays at ABND just got chocolaty! Each of us brought our favourite chocolate to office. There was a huge goblet brimming over with chocolates of all kinds, apart from our favourite ones too. In a game of passing the parcel, the rubik’s cube filling in for the parcel in the last moment, the chocolates were exchanged amongst the chocoholics! What you got to pick in the lottery became your chocolate.The twist in the story came with the fact that the last person to pick her own chocolate in the lottery, got a chance to win the entire Goblet of Chocolates! Poornima won the Goblet. Following that we quirked it up by trading some of our chocolates with the Goblet Queen. It was a fun trade off. There were some toothaches after, but it was a happy sugar rush.
February 19, 2018
After back to back workshops and presentations through the weeks, the team felt like taking a break under the sun. Around the coffee table, there were some games and some lively chatter. While we had started the day all pumped up with a presentation for brand identity that went down well with the client, we ended the day on a light note at a coffee shop. From acting out the weirdest of movie names like ‘Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola’ and ‘Chameli ki shaadi’, we had great fun breaking down apparently simple ones too, when playing dumb charade. All of us had a crazy good time guessing interesting symbols and rhyming words when dissecting and decoding the films. We, at ABND, love our breaks as much as we enjoy the action!
Associate-Strategy
An experimenter at heart, Nikita’s experiences in interior design, sculpture design, advertising and branding has made her flexible to new ideas and new spaces. Nikita is a certified scuba diver. She has her own website, showcasing beautiful illustrations and paintings. Her art speaks of her love for animals and her admiration for the creatures of the sea. She loves to travel around the world and brainstorm on challenges.
Associate-Strategy
Stringing up the world with words, Sumanjari is driven by creativity, but with a purpose. Munching at her table always, she can (over)think but not on an empty stomach. She loves her coffee bittersweet and her strategies well researched. Academically inclined, she has written research papers on a wide range of topics from religion and music to branding to euthanasia. Sumanjari values spending time with her students, lecturing at a college by the weekends apart from her engagement at ABND.
Head-Creative
With a strong influence in the Applied Arts, our happy-go-lucky green haired creative lead has been a constant in team ABND right from its founding years. She is always humming a tune or two and livening up the pulse of the workspace. Ekta’s optimism and openness to new ideas fuels her creative best. Quirking it up in her attire, food and art, Ekta’s innovative at heart. She has a childish impulse of surprising others. Her love for bikes and nature deserves a special mention!
Founder-Partner
Priyanka Sachdev Shahra is a design thinker and serial entrepreneur. Her passions lie in bringing meaningful projects to life. Priyanka’s experience with entrepreneurship begun in 2010, when she cofounded ABND with Kunal Vora. Always having strongly felt for what’s environmentally and socially sustainable, she set up One With Earth in 2014 as a vehicle to support such projects. She has also been involved in an interesting venture which is a first of its kind in Singapore, an online swapping platform called Swapaholic. Priyanka manages the Singapore office of ABND.
Associate-Creative
A woman of less words and more action, this designer on the dot likes to keep it short and sweet. Having mastered in design in college, Poornima is driven by discipline and style. Zumba is a favourite pastime and she is also passionate for the cause of saving stray animals. Simplicity is what defines her spirit, whether she is designing or talking.
Associate-Creative
Debugging and resolving errors, Hitesh is the techie in the house responsible for digital and web strategies. A smooth operator, he is persistent in problem-solving. He is very passionate about solving the Rubik’s cube and we can see him at it often. We can tell that at school he must have been immersed in his science projects, which led him further to study information technology. In sports too it’s always the technique which fascinates him. The music in his ears is always loud enough for the entire office to hear!
Associate-Creative
With several years of experience in Interior Design, Deepu is the go to guy for detailing each space to the T. He lives Mies Van Der Rohe’s quote “god is in the detail”. His experience helps the team visualize design concepts from a detailed point of view, mapping it on to real spaces. A quiet and simple soul, we can always see Deepu working at his desk with complete concentration. A workaholic at heart, he is also a cricket buff and a harmonium player. He likes sticking to a rule book but won’t mind swinging to a catchy rhythm when he’s off work.
Administrator
Organized and to the point, our administrator likes keeping the house in order. Florie also has varied talents in cooking, sewing and embroidering. Diligence drives us as a team and so does it drive the person who holds the pack together. Florie is fond of country music and likes reading murder mysteries.