What can we learn from brand Narendra Modi?

What makes a brand? In what way does a brand appeal to the common people? Is it the posh, larger than life image that draws people? Or, is it the simplistic, person-next-door image that makes us feel comfortable with a person turning into a brand?

So, what tag would you give the brand Narendra Modi? Because, he’s certainly got a larger-than-life representation and yet there’s a next-door image that can easily be attached to him! Whatever your political preferences are, you can learn a lot from the Indian Prime Minister’s personal and political branding.

Mr. Narendra Modi – A powerful brand in himself!

When the BJP came to power in 2014, Brand Modi was the heart and soul of the party. The biggest catch was his skill as an orator, which still is one of the best across India. The very fact that Modi doesn’t need a piece of paper to guide him through his speeches goes a long way into garnering admiration. But that’s just one of many aspects that had fallen into place to make Brand Modi a success.

From being a right-wing politician to leading the biggest democracy in the world, the journey has been risky but calculative. Modi’s biggest trump has been the rise of startups at a time when unemployment was at an alarmingly high rate. It might not have cured us of the disease, but it’s paved the way for a different India. A new India. As per calculative mindset goes, his PR game is strong. Modi has strictly stayed away from interview and/or press conferences, so as not to lose the stranglehold that he has on the people, in case he does. Barring public speeches, he’s never addressed the general public, which, in a way, has helped his image.

The Indian PM makes the best use of his strengths

A vital weapon for his image is the fact that he plays to his strengths. Rarely ever does he go out of his way. This brings us to a compelling point that we can, indeed, learn from Narendra Modi’s political and personal branding. It is to always stick to your strengths, no matter what. Because, if you don’t, failure is just a mistake away.
Narendra Modi, despite his incredible orator skills, does have his negative moments but they are so less in number, that they don’t hurt his public image as such. When there was a nationwide anti-Congress vibe, his political views as an opposition to Congress, with vastly different ideals, served him a great deal. Moreover, his aura of a father sheltering all his kids under a single roof worked in a still-largely patriarchal Indian society as a charm.
So, what makes a brand? Is it the larger-than-life, posh image? Or, is it the next-door image? Well, if we look at Narendra Modi’s branding that made him a superstar in India, we can find that it’s a bit of both. A combination of conflicting appearances is what yielded Modi’s rise to the head of the country, and a lesson to learn for all of us.