Wishing to be in the limelight is one thing. But wanting to be even the corpse in a funeral so everyone can look at them is stooping to a whole new bottom.

Take the case of business owners who want to be in the limelight, literally, by acting in their brand’s advertising. Megalomaniac moths who seem to revel under the lights of a film studio. And harming their brands in the process!

For God’s sake, what do they take us customers for? Do they seriously think we buy their brands for their charming faces and cherubic smile? 

Business owners need to realize customers buy a brand that fits their needs and fills their minds. Their brands need a face; an identity, yes. But not theirs. By giving their brands their faces, they run the risk of harming the brand when harm befalls on themselves. 

Once upon a time, there lived a man called Vijay Mallya. He ran a few successful businesses. And one day, he decided to splash his face over all his brand’s promotions. When he got into trouble, so did all his businesses. Even the ones that were doing well. His own face became his businesses’ bugbear. His own identity became a millstone around even his good brands’ necks.

Moral of the story: Brand needs a face called positioning. When you interject your face into it, the brand goes down when you go down!

Once upon another time, there was another brand called Saravana Bhavan. With branches all over Madras and in more than 20+ countries, it was serving more people than any other South Indian restaurant in the world. One fine day, its owner was caught in a scandal; was accused of kidnap; got arrested for murder; was incarcerated for a crime that’s better left unsaid.

What happened to Saravana Bhavan?

Nothing. The brand still is as strong as ever. It has since opened more branches. Spread more to other countries. And serving more South Indian delicacies than ever.

Why didn’t Saravana Bhavan get Vijay Mallya’ed?

Because the world didn’t know who the owner of Saravana Bhavan was. Till they saw the news. And even when they did, his face was just of another accused in another murder case. It did not reflect or mean the Saravana Bhavan that meant so dear to them. For brand Saravana Bhavan, it was business as usual. And it continues to thrive even today.

Moral of the story: Brand needs a face called positioning. When the owner promotes his brand agnostic of his face, it thrives and lives happily ever after!