April 2022

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 25 apr 2022

Generating positive word-of-mouth (WOM) is one of the important component of brand influence. Nowadays, brands utilize influencer marketing strategies to get WOM. The study, 'How implicit self-theories and dual-brand personalities enhance word-of-mouth' [Authors: Arvind Sahay (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad), Sudipta Mandal (Indian Institute of Management Indore), Adrian Terron (Tata Group), Kavita Mahto (Tata Sons Ltd)], published in European Journal of Marketing, investigates how and why consumers' mindsets can influence their WOM intentions toward a brand and the consequent implications for a brand's personality. The research study finds that fixed (growth) mindset individuals exhibit greater WOM intentions than growth (fixed) mindset individuals for motives of 'impression management' ('learning and information acquisition'). Moreover, the study results also demonstrate that brands that exhibit dual personality dimensions simultaneously, one salient and the other non-salient at any instant, garner equivalent WOM intentions from both fixed and growth mindset individuals, contingent on the fit between the salient brand personality dimension and the dominant consumer mindset. Finally, using a real brand, it can be seen that WOM intentions actually translate into behavior'. Prof. Arvind Sahay says, 'In today's world, influencers, both offline and online world, influencers, both offline and online, help you to sell your brand. Many of these influencers will have different kinds of personalities. As a brand, if I can build personalities of the brand itself, that appeals more to different kinds of influencers, they will generate more word-of-mouth.' Prof. Sahay suggests, 'Brands which have a purpose, brands which empathise with their customers, brands who try to connect with their customers are going to do better.' Read on...

The Economic Times: Brands could have dual personalities in an influencer-led economy: Arvind Sahay, marketing professor, IIM-A
Authors: Chehneet Kaur, Prasad Sangameshwaran

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 22 apr 2022

Leaders are expected to have strong decision-making and showing of doubt is considered a weakness. They are supposed to have answers to all questions and a clear understanding of how they will lead into the future. Being unsure and insecure make them vulnerable. But, a team of academics and researchers, Prof. Manoj Joshi (Amity University and co-author of the books 'The VUCA Company' and 'VUCA in Start-ups'), Prof. Ashok Kumar (Amity University and co-author of the book 'VUCA in Start-ups') and Suhayl Abidi (Consultant and co-author of the books 'The VUCA Company' and 'VUCA in Start-ups') explain that even though decisiveness is key characteristic required in leaders in normal and stable times but due to uncertainty, unpredictability and possibility of multiple scenarios leading to success, a different set of mindset is needed among leaders to navigate the environment and sail their organizations into the successful future. According to them, 'Today, we can't predict what will work to achieve the organisation's goals or purpose. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. There is no fixed recipe and patterns emanating from hindsight. It is far more complex and intertwined. New problems, which have not been tackled before, require new paradigms. We need CEOs with different mindsets who encourage exploring the world around us. Leaders need to ask better questions, engage in deeper dialogues and look for fresher perspectives. Weak or distant signals are subtle clues to what's coming next. Some distant signals are audible only to you. Other signals may bypass you, but others may be listening. It is the innate quality of a leader, honing the strategic foresight, ready to counter the unexpected-unknown-unknown.' Prof. Bob Johansen, a futurist, writes in his book 'The New Leadership Literacies', 'In this emerging world, the best companies will be very clear about where they are going, but very flexible about how they get there. The future will reward clarity but punish certainty.' Research shows that an absence of doubt leads to flawed decision-making. In the new VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) world, having a bit of doubt with openness to change, being flexible and adaptive with changing scenarios is needed. Authors suggest, 'Uncertainty is here to stay. By visualising multiple futures and working back to the present, companies can prepare for any VUCA event. Doubt should not be seen as leading to pain and paralysis but a productive form of questioning and discovery.' Read on...

Businessworld: In VUCA - Doubt Is Good, Embrace It
Authors: Manoj Joshi, Suhayl Abidi, Ashok Kumar

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