Re-inventing Aima

GUEST COLUMN

When the All India Management Association (Aima) needed a new image, it drew on corporate rebranding techniques. The approach illustrates the principles of institutional branding.

Almost ready to celebrate its golden jubilee, extremely successful in achieving its core purpose over the years, yet little known and low key, Aima is trying to present a new face to the country. This professional managers' association, the apex body in the country, is attempting to rebrand itself.

Institutional branding: two principles

There is considerable experience in product and service branding, led by the fast-moving consumer goods companies and the explosion of television advertising: here the market is defined, the positioning is targeted, and, as Vance Packard titled his book, the Hidden Persuaders strive to occupy the mind of the target consumer.

However, institutional branding is different: the market is woolly and the positioning more general, although the principles are the same. Even nations seek to promote their individual personality, culture, history and values. But that is all right for the well-known nations.

What about Ireland, Botswana, Uruguay and the like? In some respects, Aima found itself in this position "" successful, but not well-known like the Confederation of Indian Industry or the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Two principles were adopted. First, that branding would work only when it projects and reinforces a changing reality "" it can be counter-productive if it is not rooted in fact. Therefore, a number of communication and internal behavioural changes would be required.

Second, a six-step plan would be adopted to provide the required rigour:

• Set up a representational working party
• Find out through quantitative and qualitative methods how Aima is currently perceived
• Consult opinion leaders to review strengths and weaknesses and compare them with the results of studies
• Create a central idea, a powerful simple idea on which the strategy is based
• Articulate the central idea visually
• Create a system to launch and sustain the programme on an ongoing basis.

Where are we?

Some 15 months ago, Aima undertook two studies to assess this: first, a strategy study done by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and second, a brand study by AC Nielsen.

The BCG Strategy Study confirmed the robustness of the Aima vision, that is: "to be a leader in the management development movement in India by facilitating individuals and organisations to realise their potential." However, the delivery of its product portfolios required to be improved. To achieve this, BCG proposed two guiding principles.

First, Aima is a national organisation and has over 50 independent local management associations (LMAs) as its partners; Aima would need to change the basis of their working together so that the LMAs would be far more involved in the national management movement. Second, the Aima brand would have to be enhanced by significant investment in core service and product offerings.

The AC Nielsen Brand Study confirmed some strong product offerings such as the National Management Convention, the advanced management programme and so on. However, some opportunities for improvement (OFIs), too, were thrown up, such as the Brand Salience and the Aima-LMA relationship. The brand study was conducted among Aima's stakeholders "" its members, the students of management and the management institutions.

When the Aima committee reviewed these findings, it decided that it did not merely seek a new logo or high-profile public relation campaigns; it wanted something enduring and sustainable. The model of the Brand Hexagon was adopted to guide the thinking of which ideas can help.

The hexagon touches Aima's six target points "" its products (their look and tactile feel); its events and activities (experiential); the impact; its membership (what kind of people participate in it?); its ideas (what does it stand for?); and finally, its connections (who does it network with?)

Once all six-touch points had been debated, a model of Brand Refreshment provided a road map for actions. It only required some disciplined thinking and excellent execution "" both these have been traditional strengths of the Aima secretariat.

Thus, the brand hexagon and the refreshment models provided the map and the compass. The institution now felt ready to undertake the journey of change. Comparing the brand renewal effort to automotive product development, the task was to design a new transmission (that is, bringing Aima-LMAs into closer working); increase the horsepower (modify the constitution); improve the fuel injection (financial support to LMAs); improve the ride quality (deliver more value-adding programmes); and modernise the external look (design a new logo). This was quite a major makeover "" it was like making a brand new car. Here is what happened. 

The outcomes

Clearly, the first outcome required was to bring Aima and LMAs closer. Such distances are rooted in a tradition of past relationships and the sense of independence. Remember that each LMA is separate, both constitutionally and financially. To weave 50-odd institutions together into a common charter posed similar challenges, though much smaller, to creating an European Union or a Saarc! Aima relied on intensive communication, providing LMAs enough time to consider the issues and some flexibility in approach.

The proposal was sent out to LMAs in September 2003, hosted on the website, discussed at a packed Chennai meeting in November 2003 and action began only in March 2004. Some important LMAs like Mumbai did not wish to be hurried. Others like Indore and Ahmedabad wanted some flexibility in the wording of the charter.

It also required considerable face-to-face contact, for which the senior office bearers visited a record of 25 LMAs during the course of the year. With some focused communication, consultation and sensitivity, almost every LMA signed the charter during the course of the year. This has been an excellent strike rate.

The second outcome was to modify the constitution of Aima. Traditionally, the Big Eight among the LMAs did not have a seat at the table in the National Council. They constituted about 80 per cent of the potential strength of a national movement; they were rich ideas banks and were capable of being the most effective allies in Aima's pursuit of spreading the management movement in the country.

Constitutional amendments are always detailed and challenging; after several complex meetings and consultations, the Aima constitutional amendment was approved in August 2004. This was an achievement of sorts because the previous change, not quite so major in nature, was done in the 1980s.

Now, the Council of Aima has the Big Eight (ex-officio) and another eight (by rotation): thus 16 LMA partners have a seat at the table, a huge step in redesigning how decisions would be taken and the management movement accelerated.

The third outcome was to implement an agreed system of financial support from Aima to the LMAs. This had to be done fairly, equitably, transparently and with accountability. These are not strong traits in non-commercial organisations, but Aima had to achieve these. A committee was set up, chaired by the senior vice-president and a number of conclaves were held to evolve an agreed policy, process and mutual accountability.

The result is that now an emerging or underdeveloped LMA can get financial support from Aima to achieve certain things within agreed targets. While the Aima-LMA charter and constitutional changes were enabling, financial support to allies to advance the management movement was a strategic move.

The fourth outcome was to pilot a high-profile value-adding and energising initiative to be jointly implemented by Aima and the LMAs. It would then become the model on which new and fresh ideas would be designed and delivered to the "customer". This role was fulfilled by the launch of a joint national initiative, called the SYMP (Shaping Young Minds Programme).

India has over 950 management institutions producing under 1 lakh MBAs/ PGDMs a year. That is a huge number, comparable to the US in quantity, though not in quality. Even places like Coimbatore and Meerut have about 10 management colleges apiece. These youngsters often learn management like a curriculum , without adequate learning through experience sharing, softer skills and attitude. This lacuna shows up as soon as they join the workplace when employers disapprove of their work ethic.

It was decided to reach out to 4,000 people below 30 in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Indore. Business and public iconic figures agreed to invest time and "bare their journeys and experiences" for the benefit and instruction of these young people "" Azim Premji, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Adi Godrej form the business world; Suresh Prabhu, Arun Shourie and Shanker Menon from public affairs; Ranjan Kapur, Arun Nanda and Piyush Pandey from the communications field; and so on.

It was a huge hit, well beyond initial expectations. The footprint was further enhanced when CNBC telecast a half-hour module of each of the four SYMPs at weekend prime time.

A fifth and last outcome worthy of mention is the design of a new logo. An active member company, R K Swamy BBDO, had designed a logo for Aima some 30 years ago when that doyen of Indian advertising, the late R K Swamy, was president. The same agency volunteered to redesign the logo to make it more impactful and modern. Both logos, when placed side by side make a clear point.

The new logo was alpha-tested for visibility, impact, messaging and contemporariness. The central idea on which Aima stands was captured in the words "building managerial excellence".

Conclusion

The biggest lesson is that in the running of a not-for-profit organisation, it is easier to agree that actions are needed than to agree on a specific set of actions! Aima has demonstrated how to build consensus and implement actions.

So what does all this add up to? Has the Aima brand changed dramatically? Certainly not: these things take time. Great brands are built painstakingly, they are nourished and nurtured caringly, they are refreshed carefully, and they are sustained for a very long time, generations not years. This is true of institutional brands just as much as product brands, only institutional brands are far more difficult to handle.

But the Aima example illustrates how institutional branding and refreshment are here to stay in corporate India. The 19th century English critic, John Ruskin, wrote of countries, "Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts "" the book of their deeds, the book of their words and book of their art." Ultimately, institutions, like nations, are judged by what they are and what they do, not by how they would like to be seen. And this forms the foundation of Aima's institutional rebranding effort.

(R Gopalakrishnan is executive director, Tata Sons and former president, Aima. His email is: gopal.gopalakrishnan@tata.com)