How can we transform a family owned business house into a modern corporate organization?
THE BIG QUESTION
Future Group
THE BIG QUESTION
KEY INSIGHT
BUSINESS IMPACT
How can we transform a family owned business house into a modern corporate organization, in its identity, in its space and in its projection to the world?
The shift in business model was also evolving from ‘trading & selling’ to ‘making & selling’.
The rebranding and culture exercise also resulted into various larger people and business initiatives.
The Context
A series of internal discussions and interviews with people across levels revealed
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A family owned business on the threshold of building modern corporate organization
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A loyal middle-class staff that were as culturally rooted as the founder
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Diligent, passionate team with limited ambition & short term vision
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Jugaad offices opening on a need basis in an organic, distributed + sprawling manner
The company was driven by deep trust and belief in the founder. The culture created a family like environment with an emotional attachment to even ‘extended family’ – partners as family even at the external stakeholder (contractor) level. While the company was doing many new things, its rooted-ness brought alive its philosophy of ‘Rewrite rules. Retain values’ in every aspect of their being. The idea was communicated by the hand imprint, which became a ritual for new offices as well.
As a business, the group was transforming from a fashion house to a retail company, evolving focus from share of consumer’s wardrobe to share of consumer’s shopping basket to share of consumer’s wallet. The shift in business model was also evolving from ‘trading & selling’ to ‘making & selling’.
The task therefore was not just to create a corporate brand identity for this company, it was to define an organization that can:
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Grow beyond a business house to a thought leader in the market and the country
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Be an organization that marries western management theories with Indian social and cultural sensibilities
Key Insight
Building on the changing business focus and its implication for India as a country, the key insight was anchored in the thought of consumption itself. Can we deliver on the idea that Consumption = Development, and build tomorrow's big business on it?
The hand imprint delivered something uniquely cultural and personal to the group, but it was time that their vision truly took flight – for themselves and for their consumers. This gave birth to the new metaphor of growth and prosperity. A metaphor that described India in the past glorious era, being the symbol of the organization and the dream it works towards.
Once, India was the ‘sone ki chidiya’.
A land and people held in awe.
For her prosperity.
For her intellect.
For her culture.
Today the world looks towards India again.
And it is in our hands.
To make the ‘sone ki chidiya’ soar again.
SONE KI CHIDIYA
The identity is the manifestation of the idea of the ‘sone ki chidiya’ or the era of the golden bird.
As India soars again, the identity communicates the youthful and spirited nature of Future Group: its zest for ideas, new thinking and for breaking new ground at a phenomenal pace.
A PARADIGM SHIFT
In an attempt to cause a culture shift and to redefine business, we decided to let the hand take flight and become a bird.
Identity to Culture
The idea of this new ‘Future Group’ was not just limited to an identity. In order for it to seep into the cultural fabric of the organization, the vision was detailed out using the Hofstede culture onion model. These values and beliefs were percolated in the organization through a series of:
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Video films launching the new organization brand using voice overs from iconic people (Bachchan, etc)
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Presentations and communication that evoke the spirit of the new organization and new nation being built
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Alignment workshops for all format/ brand heads
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New rituals - Republic & Independence Day pledge ceremony
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Signing of the Sone Ki Chidiya dream note
Environmental Graphics
The Impact
The rebranding and culture exercise also resulted into various larger people and business initiatives. Some of the key ones included:
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PEOPLE: Instituting Chief Belief Officer of FG who creates, upholds, articulates and disseminates nuances of company values, philosophies and culture through storytelling and familiar metaphors.
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SPACE: To design a centralized corporate office that reflects the values and philosophies of the company & make it an exciting + inspiring place for people to work.
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BUSINESS: Inception of new business/ brand ideas across new categories that challenge the status quo of various consumption sectors (2005-07). Some noteworthy examples include:
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Future Brands – a brand building consulting firm,
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Brand Factory – a first of its kind factory outlet store,
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eZone – an all-encompassing electronics store,
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ALL – first plus size clothing brand
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