Brand Musings

Over the years, the city I have made my home has grown on me. Having lived in bigger cities like Delhi and Bangalore, the idea of living in Cochin took time getting used to. But today when I think about it there are probably very few places that can boast of the benefits that Cochin has. A recent news article on the branding of Cochin’s current pet peeve, the Metro, came practically alongside an article that mentioned Cochin as Kerala’s choice for the Indian government’s smart cities project and the selection of an agency to develop the detailed project report. The two articles together got me thinking on the opportunities that Cochin had to project its unique character and position itself as an attractive destination for tourists and residents. What Cochin needs, I feel, is to brand itself. In today’s globalized world cities compete with each other to attract investment, tourism and people – trade, tourism and talent, so to speak – because cities prosper when its citizens prosper ...

That Apple has launched a new pair of iPhones yesterday is now old news. As far as the launch goes, I am of the opinion it was much less a launch of new phone models and more of a launch of the new iOS7. There are a number of articles in the media on the launch and a point that I have frequently come across is the disappointment that people have with the cost of the iPhone5C. Apple was widely expected to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone to win back the market share it lost to a slew of Korean and Chinese Android powered phones. There were many who thought that iPhone would now be as affordable as these phones. But the launch came with a bit of a rude shock for them. At US$550 for the 5C (that's around Rs. 35,000 here in India though the actual price in Indian stores hasn't been announced as yet), it is just 100 dollars cheaper than the other new phone, the premium 5S and in no way as cheap as many Android phones. I have read blogs and articles that have bemoaned why t...