The theme of the summit is 'Connecting with the consumer in the changing brandscape.' The concept being, 'adapt to change and evolve to grow', the CII has coined a unique name for the concept, 'Brand Darwinism'!
The idea to host a brand summit on these lines was mooted way back in 1996 in Chennai, but the first summit took place only a year later, in 1997, followed by the next in 1999.
The focus of the first edition was `Need for brand management,' while in the second edition focussed on the impact of technology on branding and communication.
After a gap of five years, the 'Brand Summit' is coming back to Chennai, says N Murali, chairman, Steering Committee, CII Brand Summit 2005.
"In 1997, not many Indian brands were popular except, perhaps, Titan. But now India has the second largest number of brands in the world. India also has a market as big as all the European Union countries put together," says Murali.
So, there would be more Indian brands and more multinational companies participating in 2005.
"Many Indian brands have become global players too. So, it is the right time to have a third summit in India," Murali says. The 'Brand Summit' due to start on the February 17 will emphasise on Indian brands and Indian companies.
"The summit has over the years provided support to Indian businesses and entrepreneurs on brand thinking with its program identifying and addressing issues relevant to the marketing community. The cost of building a brand is an expensive process, so there is a need to share experiences to minimise costs," Murali explains.
L Ganesh, former chairman, CII southern region, said that Indian companies need to occupy a place in the mind of the customer to sustain global competition. "Strategic brand building initiatives which would complement a company's growth in the long run should be the top priority for any company irrespective of sector or size, manufacturing or services," he added.
Ganesh agrees that the time has also come to promote 'Brand India'. The CII has already conducted 'Made in India' shows in China, South Africa and several other countries.
The various sessions and discussions at the summit will focus on brand management in the changing consumer and business landscape, integration of brand and business strategy, enhancing consumer connect, and co-creating brands with customers.
Another interesting aspect of the Summit is the 'CII Brand of the Year' award. The response to this maiden initiative had been tremendous, according to Anita Gupta, member, steering committee CII Brand Summit, with over 150 nominations from over 90 companies.
It is mandatory for companies to represent over 70 per cent of the publicly traded stocks in the BSE to send their nominations for the award.
CNBC TV18, one of the media partners along with the Hindu group of publications, would telecast the CII brand of the year award function live on 17 February.
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