the new hr

consumer
behaviour
Brands can gain by
between cultures are leading
understanding the
to crossovers—ideas, people,
content, and products are
interdependence of
jumping the hardened divides,
consumption and
and are being embraced across
culture in India.
India with enthusiasm.
The new national culture is one
big collage of several experiences
from various parts. Dosas, vada pav, momos,
salwar kameez, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Rajnikant, and
karwa chauth—scraps of culture that were hitherto
confined to the regions have now become a part
of the national culture. Adding spice are chicken
Chettinad pizza (Domino’s), Bollywood Sufi rock,
and denims with Indian embroidery. In this collage,
universal, international influences have been made
interesting, with a dash of Indian regional flavours.
It is time businesses tapped into this diversity for its
national appeal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dheeraj Sinha
is Chief Strategy
Officer, South &
South-East Asia,
Grey. He is also
the author of India
Reloaded - Inside
the Resurgent
Indian Consumer
Market and
Consumer India -
Inside the Indian
Mind and Wallet.
The myth of Maslow
Simply put, Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ states
that the poor should only be bothered about basic
functional needs, and it is only the rich who should
care for higher-order needs such as self-actualisation.
However, in India, the poor want purpose.
Baba Ramdev and his ventures are examples
of how India’s consumption narrative seamlessly
weaves together social, spiritual, and material
content. Baba Ramdev, a spiritual guru, preaches
yoga at public gatherings and on television shows
on religious channels such as Aastha (faith). He
also supports the Patanjali group of institutions,
which among other activities sells a host of health
and wellness products based on Ayurveda. On the
one hand, people receive spiritual knowledge from
him. On the other, they buy herbal anti-dandruff
shampoo from a chain of stores endorsed by him.
Patanjali Yogpeeth, the consumer goods company
owned by a trust founded by the spiritual guru, is
reported to achieve sales of R2,000 crore in 2015.
Baba Ramdev is an example of a spiritual brand
that has immense commercial value. He teaches us
how consumption is intertwined with spiritual and
cultural narratives.
Indeed, there are many examples of how
consumption has traditionally carried a larger
meaning for the masses as well as the elite or
the intellectual classes. The greatest example of
a mass product imbued with a highly evolved
meaning system is khadi, which embodies the
Gandhian principles of swadeshi and swaraj. Mahatma
Gandhi believed that boycotting international
products and promoting India-made goods was
a step towards attaining self-dependence. Khadi
products, especially handwoven cloth, combined
the functionality of fine cotton and this larger
purpose. In its conception, Gandhiji intended khadi
to be everybody’s brand. Khadi could have been
promoted merely as affordable clothing for hot
Indian summers, but without its larger symbolism,
it would not be the brand it is today.
Brands can gain by understanding the
interdependence of consumption and culture in
India. The functional and emotional aspects of
consumption here are not as delineated as western
marketing principles deem them to be; in fact,
consumption is a complex interplay of functional,
emotional, social, and cultural influences. What
is more, the principle applies across social strata.
Brands can play on the needs of the masses, for
a larger meaning. This is counter to conventional
marketing principles, which reserve emotional
benefits for the evolved and functional ones for
the masses.
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