From 'masstige' to a multi-sports India: Unveiling a new paradigm for Brand Bharat

The afternoon session of CMOs’ Charcha - Kolkata Chapter 2024, organised by Adgully and held on June 14, saw a compelling discussion on ‘Crafting Compelling Brand Narratives Amid Massive Shifts in the Consumer Landscape’.

The session featured Prof (Dr) Mahul Brahma, Dean and Professor at NSHM Media and Design School, Kolkata, and Visiting Research Fellow at Bath Business School, UK, alongside Boria Majumdar, journalist-author and founder of RevSportz.

Boria Majumdar opened the session by questioning the evolving aspirations of the middle class towards luxury and whether the narrative around luxury brands has become more relevant or more porous. Mahul Brahma emphasized that the middle class drives luxury brands through the “masstige” category, where affordable luxury items like small purses and sunglasses are the best sellers.

“Historically that has been the case, and even now with the middle-class going stronger and stronger with the higher purchasing value. So it is the middle-class that is actually running the show for all the big brands. it is the masses that run luxury,” said Mahul Brahma.

To Boria Majumdar’s question as to whether he has seen a change in consumer behaviour or is it a continuous pattern, Mahul Brahma said that it still continues very strongly. There is no change at all.

Boria Majumdar pointed out that this will escalate with the middle class becoming more and more stronger with more spending power.

Mahul Brahma reckoned that there have been some changes in terms of the demographics of the consumer class.

“The things that mattered to Millennials or Baby Boomers have changed significantly for Gen Z and Alpha (born post-2010). For Baby Boomers, it was about the experience: going to a store, being served champagne, and engaging with someone telling stories. Now, Gen Z and Alpha buy Louis Vuitton on their mobile phones – it doesn’t matter to them. So, the perspective of luxury brands needs to change and incorporate technology and AI as integral parts of their storytelling. Engaging and capturing the attention of these people is of primary importance and must be the focus,” said Brahma.

Another aspect of Gen Z is the purpose, he pointed out, adding, “Now, Gen Z is concerned with whether a brand is pro-fighting climate change. Brands have made this an integral part of their story, focusing on diversity, avoiding leather, using substitutes, and sourcing materials responsibly. Brands have suddenly woken up to these concerns and are engaging with pro-green, pro-sustainable practices, showcasing this commitment to their consumers, which was never the case before.”

Boria Majumdar pointed to the domination of cricket overshadowing all other sports.

“National cricket is a brand narrative. However much you try to upset the apple cart brand narrative, you can’t, because in India you have put them on a pedestal and have started worshipping them. And nobody can change that. Should we challenge this paradigm and change consumer behaviour? That is the key challenge. Brand narratives and consumer behaviour can be changed provided your content is honest and truthful and your content has mettle,” added Majumdar.

In response to Boria Majumdar’s question about how the Indian consumer class is being treated globally, Mahul Brahma stated that India has been a significant market since the inception of luxury brands like Cartier.

“India has always been an important consumer. But with the rise of the middle class, luxury brands are taking note of India not only because of big-ticket purchases but also due to the sheer volume of buying. They are now customizing products for India for occasions like Diwali, which was once unimaginable. They are looking at Bharat with a very different perspective,” said Brahma.

Boria Majumdar cited the case of Neeraj Chopra being the brand ambassador of luxury brands. After winning the Tokyo Gold in the Olympic press conference a couple of BBC journos asked him a question, and he answered in Hindi. “And it was an incredible moment when India was speaking to the world: I don’t need to be speaking English to be a hero. I don’t need to cater to your standards,” said Majumdar.

According to Mahul Brahma, earlier there was an Asia strategy; now there is a Bharat strategy. “That is the beauty of it. That is how the narrative is changing,” Brahma said.

According to Boria Majumdar, if India is to become a multi-sports country, the common news headlines lamenting that India has 130 crore people but only one or five medals miss the real issue.

“Out of 130 Indians, 129.5 crore Indians don’t have even the basic facilities of sports. So, it is not the right headline at all. It is our job to put the real story out,” stressed Majumdar.

He cited the inspiring story of Hupi Majhi, a rugby player from a small Odisha village, who has made it big fighting many battles, to drive home the point abour how consumer behaviour can change through the right stories.