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Writing, publishing, marketing – Bangalore Business LitFest authors analyse leadership and readership >
by Madanmohan Rao [September 11, 2024]
This weekend, the Bangalore Business Literature Festival (BBLF) will kick off its tenth edition at Catholic Club. As network partner for BBLF 2024, MXR.world is delighted to present its sixth preview article, with insights on the business of books, branding and festivals.
Other themes of BBLF 2024 include career planning, corporate governance, industry leadership, investigative research, urban habitat, ESG standards, and the startup ecosystem.
In this article, we share insights from three authors: Harish Bhat (former Brand Custodian, Tata Sons; bestselling author), Mohua Chinappa (Founder, The Mohua Show), and Benedict Paramanand (BBLF Co-founder; author of CK Prahalad: The Mind of the Futurist).
Business leaders and authors
It is often felt that more industry leaders should be writing books to share their precious learnings, but the pressure of work gets in the way. Cultivating effective writing habits can help here.
“For many years, I wrote every Sunday morning, without fail. I would sit at my computer and my endeavour was to write a thousand words each Sunday. It took me some time to cultivate this discipline of writing,” recalls Harish Bhat, bestselling author of a string of titles including Office Secrets: 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know.
This habit helped Bhat greatly, because on weekdays he would be completely absorbed with his day job at the Tata group. “Now, having retired from my full-time role a few months ago, I can write during the week as well,” he says.
Bhat’s journey as an author began with the genres of marketing and business history. “Both these domains have remained constantly active over the past several years. However, I have also branched out into experimenting with fiction, humour and poetry. The truth is, I love writing across domains, because I am a restless soul and seek variety in my own thinking and writing,” he jokes.
He sees a lot of scope to improve collaboration between academic and industry authors in India. “One good method to improve such collaboration would be for industry authors to team up with academics to co-author books on subjects of common interest. This would bring two rich and diverse perspectives into a single book,” he suggests.
Bhat has just published a book on the ideas of Jamsetji Tata, and the invaluable lessons that can be learnt from these ideas. “There are two subsequent books I am currently thinking about – one is in the domain of business history and the other is a book of fiction,” he says.
Bhat finds personal satisfaction when readers says that a book he has written has helped them in their lives. “I am always very gratified. My purpose as a writer is to add value to my readers – through new insights, inspiration and information. I hope to continue doing this to the best of my ability through the years ahead,” he says.
He posts often about his books on LinkedIn, his primary social media platform. “I use LinkedIn to help readers discover my books. Social media is such an important part of the reading landscape today,” Bhat observes.
Marketing and branding
Mohua Chinappa, Founder of The Mohua Show, agrees on the increasing role of digital media in branding and marketing.
“Digital platforms give unique ability in making strong data-driven decisions, delivering content discovery, and building reach. Digital insights help create agile strategies that are also cost-effective, leading to more effective engagement,” Chinappa says.
Influencer partnerships help accentuate brand development, increasing reach, and end-user engagement. “The fundamental principles of brand-building—consistency, authenticity, customer focus, differentiation, quality, and emotional connection—remain as relevant as ever in the digital world as well,” she affirms.
A number of new Indian brands are going global in recent years. “One thing which is fundamental to brand building is understanding of the market. This includes analysing cultural differences, market trends, and learning about competitive landscapes,” Chinappa explains.
“By leveraging India’s strengths—such as innovation and cost efficiency—while embracing global best practices, Indian brands can successfully make their mark on the international stage,” Chinappa advises.
She cites a number of recent examples of successful brands. “The core messaging of Mamaearth was around natural and toxin free products which really caught the attention of their consumers. They focused on strong digital brand-building coupled with sustainability,” she describes.
Kunal Shah’s Cred revolutionised the credit card payment experience by offering rewards and exclusive benefits for paying credit card bills on time. “Its user-friendly app design, cool rewards, and emphasis on a premium user experience created a nice niche in the market,” Chinappa explains.
Consumer electronic brand Boat has made a mark for itself with its stylish yet affordable designs in the field of headphones, speakers and smartwatches. “Its success is attributed to trendy designs, competitive pricing, and effective influencer marketing strategies,” she says.
Chinappa also flags a number of prevailing myths and misconceptions about branding. This includes the flawed assumption that a strong brand will solve all business problems. “While a strong brand will create a customer pull, the moment of trust will always be the product experience which will eventually lead to a net promoter customer,” she explains.
“Another myth is that branding and marketing are fungible. Wrong! Branding is about communicating with clarity about who you are and what you stand for, whereas marketing involves promoting and communicating that brand to your target audience,” she clarifies.
Another important misconception is that brand building is largely for consumer-focused companies. “Branding is also critical for B2B enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, and any corporation that wants to build a distinct identity, establish credibility, and promote relationships with its stakeholders,” Chinappa says.
She advises non-profits, NGOs and social enterprises to be strategic and focused on the uniqueness of their values, mission and goals. “Fostering a relationship with stakeholders and consistency in storytelling goes a long way in building a good brand recall,” she adds. Engagement with advocacy groups, think-tanks and thought leaders helps NGOs in establishing credibility.
Literature and festivals
A range of authors, publishers, academics, and business leaders will be featured again this year at the tenth edition of the Bangalore Business Literature Festival, co-founded by author-curator Benedict Paramanand.
His books over the years include CK Prahalad: The Mind of the Futurist; Sushil Mantri: Big Bets, Big Rewards; and SMASH! The Rise of Indian Badminton.
India is a country of festivals. Literature festivals are adding to the long list. “This trend began in the early 2000s, with the Jaipur Literature Festival going on to become the biggest in the world,” Paramanand observes.
Business literature in India started to blossom after liberalisation in the early 1990s and began to take off in the mid-2000s. “Popular Western management ideas are being contextualised to Indian conditions. New Indian success stories need to be told to raise the self-confidence of Indian managers and executives,” he suggests.
BBLF has emerged as an ideal platform to connect authors with the younger generation of entrepreneurs and executives. The first edition of BBLF was held in 2015 at Century Club, with other subsequent editions held at IIM Bangalore and WeWork Galaxy.
It is probably moreBBLF has hosted more than 250 business book authors and leaders over the last nine years. “Attendee numbers grew from 120 in 2015 to 800 in 2019. Post-pandemic, that number is slowly coming back – there were 400 attendees last year,” Paramanand recalls.
Unlike other festivals that were put on hold during the pandemic, BBLF continued right through with online editions. “We have had consistent academic support from IIM-B and ICFAI,” he adds. The festival has also been hosting the CK Prahalad Best Business Book Award since 2018.
BBLF helps readers and professionals get up to speed on key issues and trends, network with fellow literature lovers, discover new books and authors, and validate ideas for new books.
“This is, after all, a festival! Come and have fun while you learn, network, and immerse in the community. Readers also have a responsibility to spread good literature,” Paramanand signs off.
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