Adding the cultural edge to brand strategy in India

Saji Abraham

By tapping into culture, brands can tap into consumers’ sense of identity and of belonging to a collective, so that is why it is necessary for global brands to align with local insights, customs and beliefs in order to create cultural advantage, says Fighting Fit’s Saji Abraham.

Culture is a richly loaded word and often straddles a plethora of meanings across audiences. At the outset, therefore, let us define what culture is and therefore what cultural advantage is. According to the Oxford Dictionary, culture is defined as the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society. This goes on to imply that the advantage one gains from being part of culture is greater relevance and affinity.

Being part of culture is also being able to access a memory system that has deep roots in the audience’s mind as that way of life has been...

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