In Pursuit of Dharma in Branding
Addressing some of the questions that came after my recent exploration on Thinnai Theory of Branding.
Last week, I wrote Thinnai Theory of Branding.
The post I shared on LinkedIn surrounding the article triggered a lot of insightful conversations.
I wanted to address some of the questions/comments that came by
1) “Most of the time thinnais were/are places to keep the public and the private apart. You would turn inward for spiritual experience may be test the wayfarers for confidence before you let them in. I see the analogy you have put forward only in a very superfluous level. Branding requires a different idea.”
Today, Branding is rarely considered dharmic. That which originally started with cows has now come to encompass the economic activities of, what Shashi Tharoor infamously called, the “Cattle Class”.
In an age where brands are turning into humans and humans are turning into brands, branding pundits can be seen rallying around social networks exhorting everyone with their clarion call: Publish or Perish!
Learn Writing. Broadcast your thoughts. Build your expertise. Broadcast those mental Models that underpin your thoughts. Expand your horizons. Write more.
And so the cycle goes on.
Today, there is a maddening rush to participate in the procrustean branding exercise which works by chopping off our human selves to fit a catchy brand title→ Writing Guy→ Digital Transformation Specialist → {Insert Your Favorite Catch Phrase}
Is it possible to discover our intimate space that holds multitudes amidst frenzied attempts of personal branding?
Why not treat brands as a space that I hold - carrying the gifts that I carry today and the gifts that I will discover tomorrow?
Until recently, this was not possible.
Not so long ago, brands occupied the centre of our lives.
Our lives revolved around them. We were so enamoured by their style, and elegance and we would do almost anything to rub off the magic of brands in our mundane lives. It helped that brands were few and they often carried an aura of exclusiveness. Several successful brands which were built in the twentieth century were tall monoliths, revered like demi-gods, by faithful followers.
Today, the internet has democratized the metaphysics of branding. It has desacralized branding. Sure, there are a few vintage brands with a lot of nostalgia value. Anyone, anything can acquire a few minutes of internet fame.
When TIME Magazine chose YOU as the Person of the year 2006, they weren’t simply flattering. They pointed out a seismic fact: Brands are no longer the centre of the universe.
YOU are
Brands that were as effulgent as the Sun is now one among several dwarf planets, dying for your attention, ever-ready to pamper you with their offering.
In such a context, why not treat brands as a space, as a context that I create every time I choose to log into the INTERnet?
That’s the promise of the Thinnai Theory of Branding which attempts to bring back dharma to the centre of branding.
Thinnai Theory of Branding proposes a different way to look at branding which doesn’t categorize you but liberates you to discover your highest potential.
That’s the promise.
2) The 3 (website/social/newsletter or more) channels/online expressions deliver maximum for existing ecosystem-connected individuals. Resonance is important but eventually, stickiness is going to face the consequences of distraction and fickleness. There is just too much shouting out there on social and there are folks who are subscribed to 30-40 newsletters when it comes to email.
With the Internet occupying infinite niches, the question of plenty always remains. At the end of the day, it is a question of discovering your niche and your 1000 true fans.
And that requires you to be clear about where you are.
I am convinced that I don’t want to be Simon Sinek, creating content that resonates with millions.
In fact, I see it as a burden.
I want to write for a small audience who values what I bring and it’s okay if others see whatever I m doing as cryptic. Given internet has opened infinite niches, my intent is to stick to my niche.
And that’s the promise of Thinnai Theory. Each of us, given how diverse we are, can build a unique thinnai space in which people would love to come back to spend some time there.
3)"This sounds similar to acting as a catalyst to build a `sangat` or `sangha` to turn the wheel of dharma.”
Yes, the idea of thinnai is to create a sangha with whom one can turn the wheel of dharma.
Are there any questions? Does it resonate?