I remember, last night, when I was asked by my mom, what I would be having for dinner, my answer was the same as it was three days back… Mom, I am going to Dominoes & wont be eating home…
Second incident which I recollect, the other day, I had been to a friends place. The first thing he asked was, Pepsi piyega ?
Thirdly, I overheard, a fortnight ago, while returning back in a local train, “Arey yaar, I wont be buying ‘my new collection’ from Ex Casuals (a local store).. Soon, there would be a monsoon sale in the mall & the prices would be rock bottom… Might be cheaper than these localites who dump our wardrobes with Thailand made Stuff. So I would rather wait & buy a branded pair of jeans from a Jack & Jones, and I don’t even mind paying that ‘extra’ bit for it. ”
I am sure, you would have guessed what I am trying to say by above three examples.
We have become so much dependent on a few MNCs, that we are moving away from the MAA Style Life.
Coming back to the examples,
When my mom asked, my tone was more obvious than informative.
The same goes with the friend whom I visited the other day. He substituted Pepsi, for all welcome drinks.
Also the third example says, how are we making a conscious effort of improving our lifestyle.
Our craving for various brands has also increased & many brands are replacing the normal day to day life products, without we realizing it! I remember few years back, Achaar was made only at home & the ladies of the home had the time of the year, putting efforts for a few days over the food item which would occupy half square inch of Dish Space throughout the year! Now, probably, household’s like only BEDEKAR’s Maa ka Achaar !
The above set of examples prove that, various Indian & International brands are taking over, over the Maa Style Life in more than one way !
Also they are all the more successful, because we have a craving for it, we feel like showing off a jack & Jones label on the Jeans; also they know that we don’t mind paying the ‘extra bit’ for that SHOW OFF.
Well, it is rightly said that the Indian economy is no longer shaped in a pyramid style. It is a Diamond Shaped model, wherein the middle class occupies maximum space. The number of people living in ‘middle class’ (read: cattle class- as tweeted by a well known Minister few months back) has gone up. This is a clear indication of our adoption of a better lifestyle, in a conscious way.
Also, one more reason for our increase in spent for such recurring expenditure is, the value of Capital Goods in increased daily. A common man cannot afford to buy a house for himself. He would rather wait for the bubble to burst & for the prices to fall back to its normal position. Most Indians have the habit of saving. Hence after the savings have been made, there exists an amount still in hand, & bingo: this, ‘in hand saving after saving ’ is reflected in the annual reports of these multinationals & various Indian Brands as SALES in a short period of time !
Hence, I feel, this is a vicious cycle, wherein the company wants to sell, the consumer wants to buy, the consumer wants to improve his lifestyle, the consumer has that extra buck & the consumer is in no position to spend on capital goods.
Hence, I would like to conclude by saying,
While the international marketer metaphorically listens to Maa- the wise, old Granny; Granny’s children & others in the family are already dancing to the tunes of the International Marketers by hogging on a double burst pizza, sipping a cola & wearing a J & J !
Hence, I feel, both complement each other.
