A few weeks back my wife made a relatively healthy chocolate spread at home for our son. He rejected it. The next day she took the same spread and filled it in jar of Nutella. He loved it. We’ve done similar things with ketchup, cereal and chocolate bars, most of the times it has been successful. This holds true especially in cases where the homemade version was the first to be introduced.
We have a 4-year old and as parents we try our best to inculcate healthy eating habits. That does not mean we are strict about what he eats – occasional junk food is perfectly fine, in fact even necessary but the idea is that he should be aware about what is going in his body and he should be the one making that decision as he grows older.
I am sure there are many parents who have similar intentions like ours. However, brands that target kids are in a space where capitalization is not very effective. On the contrary, these brands make parenting very difficult.
Take for example McDonalds in India. They do a damn good job seducing innocent children with their colourful promotions, Ronald McDonald and those amazing toys. In return they feed children sugary, fried, salty, creamy junk! Nobody is stopping you from serving excessively salted fries, low-nutritional burgers or the absolutely horrendous colas, but at least give the parent a fighting chance! At least give them a few healthy options. You do this in the western countries, so why not in India? Why can’t I have the option of cucumber or carrot sticks instead of fries? I would look at Mc Donalds as a responsible brand if they offered milk as a choice instead of those sugary beverages. Their milkshakes do not qualify as an option as that is another sugar loaded drink coupled with melted ice-cream and very little milk. The standing question remains that why can’t a fast food brand take a larger stand and create a brand that is responsible towards our children?
Try watching any television show at anytime on a kid’s channel. While I have no statistical data, I am certain that majority of the ads during commercial breaks between programs are sugary, packaged, unhealthy junk foods and beverages (at times 100% of the ads are junk foods). A lot of these shows are great educational content for children, then why not the same responsibility towards what commercials you show children? Advertising makes unhealthy foods seem desirable for a child. A study conducted at the School of Psychology at University College Dublin concluded that for very young children, awareness of food brands increases greatly between ages three and four and is highest for unhealthy foods. Food-brand knowledge predicts what kids will ask for later. Why can’t a television channel take a stand and be responsible about the commercials that get aired, or at the least offer a time slot which is free of irresponsible product ads? – Just like we have primetime, could there be a responsible branding time?
I love going to supermarkets and large format retails. Not for grocery shopping as much as to research and study brands. Taking a child grocery shopping along with you is like stepping into a warzone. It’s a parent’s war against unhealthy brands. You may notice me walk-in with a shopping cart, but what I have really walked in with is an armoury full of excuses, defences and strategies to safeguard my child against colourful, sugary, packaged, fried, fattening evils.
It’s a well-known fact that retail design and planning is based on human psychology – aisles are designed to tempt, circulation is designed to make you buy unnecessary things while you get to the basics. Supermarkets are the ultimate battleground for parents; this is where advertising, branding, placement all comes together for one final showdown.
The first aisle I battle is the “Cereal” killer who is trying to slip in unnecessary sugar in the name of healthy cereal by showing my son a friendly cartoon tiger.
The second aisle is a showdown of me V/s the wolves dressed in sheep clothing – all those safe and organic looking fruit based snacks and beverages who are trying to sell my son the idea of replacing the fruits with them.
But the worse is the final round at the check-out billing aisle. The retailers know there is no escaping this because while you wait, you are prone to multiple impulse purchases. This is where a parent may run out of patience and ammunition and give in to their child’s demands. This is exactly where they place their best soldiers, the high on sugar candies, the friendly egg-shaped chocolate surprise, the colourful lollipops, the cheap made in china toys and the quick snack chocolate bars. This is the final showdown, and after we pass this our parenting skills are evaluated basis the percentage of junk food vs healthy food in our shopping carts (or how many times you disappointed your child with the stern “no” or the creative excuses).
For once, I would love to see a grocery billing aisle with fruits. Is it too much to ask for? Can supermarket brands at least offer me one responsible billing aisle which makes it easier for me?
Fat and sugar are inherently appealing to the human palate, so even with an equal amount of exposure to both healthy and unhealthy foods – the recall value of unhealthy food is much higher. It’s very easy to pin these things on “It’s all about good parenting” and saying “All the parents have to do is say No”. But it is not that simple. No parent would like to say NO to their child.
A lot of brands “catch them young”. Companies know that our relationship with brands is very emotional. They start laying the foundation for this relationship very early on making it difficult for parents to fight. You will find that every large junk food brand does a damn good job with their corporate social responsibility, or at least they showcase that brilliantly on their websites. Aerated drink brands will show how they have replaced regular cola with low calorie colas in schools, fast food brands will show how they are feeding under developed nations, packaged food brands will show how healthy they are by reducing serving size, the list keeps going one. But how many of these brands actually question their own product? How many of them wonder whether it should be directly or indirectly marketed to children? The world’s largest cola brand is developing new methods to ensure waterways remain clean and useful, but what good is it if millions of children globally are consuming beverages they are not supposed to?
I believe that with increasing awareness amongst consumers, brands should tread carefully, especially when it comes to children. The future is for brands that genuinely show responsibility, brands that “catch ‘em young” for meaningful products and more importantly brands that address the parents’ apprehensions before tempting their children. After all branding right also means branding responsible.
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.