The package arrived, was dutifully unwrapped and out popped a book
that seemed like Shah Rukh Khan’s biography. Yes, another one. Reviewers
can’t be choosers and so while I debated whether to go and watch the
DDLJ 1000th week version as prep, I absently flipped through the book.
Imagine my shock when I discovered this was a management textbook: a
treatise on Consumer Behaviour explored through the SRK phenomenon. And
I’ll tell you why the shock.
The subcontinent, we are all aware, is not exactly known for academic
innovation. To put it bluntly, if academia is not decades behind its
Western counterparts it is merely because we have dutifully paraphrased
every aspect of more robust university systems. There are grave lacunae
in available study material in many streams that require original
thinking or practical application like management, lit-crit, cultural or
film studies: fields in which a mere cut-paste of alien cultures and
their focus areas will not do.
I had given up hope of ever finding a textbook that guides us to
concepts we do not know or need to explore through cultural markers and
other accessible knowledge aspects we are experts at.
And who on our subcontinent is not an expert on the phenomenon himself, Shah Rukh Khan?
In
Power of a Common Man author and Management Studies
professor, Koral Dasgupta, attempts the unthinkable. Urbanely
juxtaposing well-known facts and facets from the superstar’s life graph,
she breaks down and deciphers consumer behaviour templates that have
contributed to the actor’s immense success. And through this
misdirection, manages to drive home the fundamentals of market behaviour
and consumer reasoning in a textbook both entertaining and unique. What
makes the book remarkable is the heroic effort right from the concept,
researching, analysis, extensive scope and the in-depth writing.
Peppered with quotes from industry leaders and gurus in cutting edge
domains of advertising, image and brand management, the book takes us on
a tour of the workings of the finest minds in advertising vis-Ã -vis
King Khan.
A work good enough to retain in our personal libraries ideally ought
to offer more than just one strand. Apart from being a record of the
career graph of SRK and his brand persona the book offers an
encapsulated history of Bollywood cinema; a voyeur’s view of the glitzy
world of ads; the hard-nosed business aspect of branding; close
re-readings of Khan’s movies; SRK as a manifestation of pop culture and,
of course, some solid extensive and painstaking researched data to make
this an enviable case study. It is commendable how thoroughly the
object of analysis has been dissected and disseminated.
SRK lends himself magnificently to such an exercise: “My motto is
early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!” One can
almost visualise the great actor dimpling as he delivers this in his
unique mix of arrogance and simplicity. Behind that boyish, almost
roguish, self-deprecative smile are the canniest business brains in
Bollywood firmament. Where he triumphs over compatriots is his immense
talent, the astute positioning in consonance with mainstreams cultural
values, a deep perhaps innate understanding of how brand perceptions
work, the capacity to reinvent himself to counter each surge of societal
change; and a rare respect for and understanding of business and
finance.
The author demystifies these qualities linking each to milestones that mark the incredible journey of Shah Rukh Khan from his
Fauji days to the omnipresent brand SRK.
Bringing in her own unique brand of scrutiny the author interestingly
points out in a chapter on Ad Analysis, Khan’s unique foray into
endorsing products traditionally considered women-oriented:
Lux,
Gitanjali Jewel and
Fair and Handsome. Regarding the
Lux ad
,
“HUL claimed that the ad not only challenged the existing communication
practices of a feminine brand but also became a trend-setter for a
brave initiative, perceptionally positioning the brand as a market
leader once again.” By boldly going where no man had gone before, SRK
extends his brand reach ensuring that his film and ad personas
wholesomely feed off each other.
As Dasgupta puts it: “The actor’s romance with the media through
brand endorsements, interviews, reports and controversies planned in
line with his PR, show an SRK which may or may not be him; yet his
strong presence and larger-than-life personality is capacitated to
influence, convince and sell!” Other stars have had meteoric careers
too, but in terms of business rarely went beyond maybe a couple of smart
investments. It is SRK who has been the master innovator, re-inventing
himself periodically to synch with the needs of his ginormous fan
following.
Dasgupta hones in on the three important pivots on which brand SRK
rests: homework, namely the tremendous effort put into preparation;
vision, namely the wisdom to pick and choose his projects accurately;
and finally leadership and team motivation by which he actively
delegates and elicits the best from each member of his core team. I
would perhaps add his indefatigable energy and enthusiasm. For building
an empire out of nothing but an image is truly heroic.
If I were to fault any aspect of the book, it would be the hope that
the language, material and format were not quite as pedagogic. Though
extremely well written, there is a certain subject specific dryness; as
if to remind the reader that this is earmarked as an academic textbook
and woe to any student who seeks to derive joy from the exercise. I
refer to the narrative skill in books like
Genome, Freakonomics or
The Tipping Point with a similarly academic agenda.
In the author’s defence, I guess the very act of defiantly picking SRK as a research topic is rebellious enough.
This is a book every business management student, brand or image
consultant and advertising professional should read word by word for it
embeds domain specific wisdom that is invaluable. Should others invest
in it? If you are a follower of contemporary film studies of the
subcontinent or yet another die-hard SRK fan, this is a must have!
Source:http://tns.thenews.com.pk/the-brand-called-shahrukh-khan/#.VKlfrMk72u4
