The Real Secret for Brand Growth Ft. Jateen Kore & Ravikant Banka on Brand Ki Baat – Mumbai Edition by NewsReach

NewsReach
brings you unfiltered stories from professionals shaping the world of branding
on Brand Ki Baat.

In
a world where brands are always looking for more attention, the true
differentiator is not longer about visibility, but about understanding and
conveying one’s true identity. Today, markets are more connected than ever, and
people are more informed and aware of what is going on. However, it is not
about creating more noise and following trends, but about understanding people
and the market, and creating stories based on honesty rather than imitation.

Welcome
to Crafting Bharat: Brand Ki Baat – Mumbai Edition, a podcast where we
talk about brands, businesses and the people who build them from the inside
out. In this engaging episode, host Kartik Chawla sits down with Ravikant
Banka , Founder of Eggfirst, and Jateen Kore, Founder of Lynqnext
Consulting Pvt.Ltd  for a
conversation about rural markets, storytelling in the age of shrinking
attention spans, and why brands must discover their “Identity” before they seek
growth.

This series is proudly brought to you by NewsReach, India’s leading PR-tech platform, with
Production Partner HT Smartcast; Gifting Partner Nanaji Natural and Beauty
Partner Lakme Academy. Tune in for stories, insights, and inspiration!

Episode Link: https://youtu.be/_Ap-V0tAttc?si=_t6PflAd0qST-bXR

Edited Excerpts

You
have worked on both sides, client and agency side. How has that helped you in
brand building?

Jateen
Kore: I have had the opportunity to work on both
sides of the table, as a client and as an agency professional, and that has
helped me understand the balance between conceptual thinking and execution. “I’m
probably one of those few professionals who’s worked on both sides of the table
so I bring in that perfect balance between understanding conceptualization and
execution.” That helps me think creatively as well as think about execution
and its impact on the business.

Why
did Eggfirst focus intensively on Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural markets?

Ravikant
Banka: About 12-13 years ago, we saw that rural India
was growing at a very fast pace. Brands wanted to get into rural India, but
they didn’t know the consumer. We spent a lot of time in rural India
understanding how they live their lives, what they aspire to, and how they make
different decisions compared to urban consumers. “The more we
understood the dreams and aspirations of those consumers, the more we
understood that we could create better value for brands.”

Consumers
in rural India need to be understood in a very different manner. That
understanding forms the basis for communication.

What
is one mistake brands make when they attempt to reach regional markets?

Ravikant
Banka: One of the major blunders is underestimating
the complexity of these markets. India is a highly heterogeneous market, and
serving beyond metropolitan cities demands far greater depth and effort in
distribution, communication, and messaging. “If you wish to target a large
mass of people beyond urban centers, it becomes a massive challenge… the entire
media landscape changes.”

What
should be the brand’s perspective on the consumer behavior in the current
digital and connected world?

Jateen
Kore: The consumers today have been influenced by
the global world, and yet their behaviors are also influenced by the nuances of
the local world. The opportunity for marketers is to identify the triggers that
bring communication closer to consumer behavior. Even though the consumers’
experience may be similar globally, the way consumers behave with the brand is
different.

How
do you balance creativity with speed in the market that we are in today, which
is so competitive?

Ravikant
Banka: Today, the market needs speed and creative
depth, and it is our responsibility as an agency to give that to them. “It is
imperative that brands protect their turf and grow against intense competition,
and therefore they need the right combination of speed and creativity.” While
technology and AI can aid in this process, creative thinking must come from
human insight and understanding.

This
discussion illustrates one of the great truths of brand building in the modern
world: it starts with understanding who you are. Whether it is understanding
rural consumers, adapting to changing attention spans, or coping with the
arrival of AI, it is all the same. You need to stay true, stay disciplined, and
stay connected to those you are serving.

In
a world where speed and change are everything, it is not sameness but
uniqueness that leaves a lasting impression. It is those brands that understand
who they are and express it with honesty and integrity.

Brought to you by NewsReach–India’s
leading PR-tech platform, with our production partner, HT Smartcast.