Extreme love of Coffee & Other Stories

It was one of those experiences unfolding with a sense of disbelief: “Well, is this really happening...?” That’s the closest to describe the interview with Mr Harish Bhat, Chairman of Tata Global Beverages (TGB) Brand custodian of Tata Group and best-selling author with his latest novel released last month.  Here are the excerpts of the interview:

1.      “An extreme love of coffee” – after rather serious books such as Tata Log and The Curious Marketer – how was it to venture into the world of fiction ? Of course, there is a lot of coffee in this book, and that’s your world. Beyond that, how was the experience of writing a work of fiction ?

Answer : Writing fiction is such fun. I enjoyed writing “An extreme love of coffee” – this warm and enchanting story is all about coffee and magic, adventure and romance. It’s great fun writing a story that is entirely imaginary, and blending it with real types of Indian coffee. When I write fiction, I am like a free bird, because I can fly with the story in whichever direction I want to. That is different from writing a serious, well researched book like Tata Log, where I have to stick to facts.  But I also think reading fiction is even more fun that writing it. Which is why I hope many, many people will read this exciting story.

2.      Should readers know anything more about “An extreme love of coffee” before picking it up?

Yes, I can let all of you into a few secrets. There’s a ghost in this story, he is a coffee ghost. Maybe he is the first ever coffee ghost in the whole world. But he plays a very useful role in this adventure. I hope each of us meet a ghost like him, in our lives. There’s also lots of coffee in this story. If you love coffee, you will love this story – because every page has the aromas of coffee all over. You can smell the coffee, as you are reading the book. And if you are looking for love, or going somewhere nice with your lover, then this story is about that too. It’s a light story, you can read it over a weekend, or when you are travelling somewhere, or at bedtime. But it may actually be best to read it over a really nice cup of coffee !

3.      This question comes from the marketer in me. Tata is one of the oldest and most trusted brands in India. Tata has, through the ages, seen it all, and it keeps growing from strength to strength. As the custodian of this iconic brand, if you are to give a piece of advice to startups and marketing professionals like me, what do you think the basis tenets of branding should be?

Answer : A brand should be true to all its stakeholders. You have to provide products and services of excellent quality and value to all your consumers. You have to nurture your employees who are ambassadors of your brand. Most importantly, you have to give back to the community, and live in harmony with the society around you. Only then can a brand earn trust.  And when you eventually earn trust, then you have to work hard to retain it. This takes time, effort, focus and consistency – all of us who are marketers should know that there are no short-cuts to building an iconic brand. On behalf of the Tata brand, I would like to thank all our stakeholders who have reposed trust in Tata. We will do our very best to live up to your trust, always.

4.      The last decade has seen sweeping changes to the way we run our businesses, thanks to the evolution of new business platforms. Digital has become the new buzzword. Marketers too are busy hopping on to the digital bandwagon. Do you think digital is THE future, or are we focusing disproportionately on digital marketing spaces / opportunities ?

Answer : I do think digital is integral to the future. I see this future everyday when I speak to my young, college-going daughter. So much of her world is contained in digital spaces – the news she watches, the movies she relishes, the conversations she conducts with her family and friends, the fun facts she shares with us – all this happens on digital. I see this future everyday when I look at consumers shopping in India – we may eventually end up buying a product in a physical store, but in most cases we have already done our searches on digital, shortlisted what we want to buy on digital too. For marketers, there will always be a physical world and a digital world. How do you get your brand to live and flourish and do a synchronized dance in both these worlds, at the same time ? That’s the big opportunity of the future.

5.      The fears of another economic slowdown are becoming increasingly real. Industries and Organisations can seldom remain immune at times of such an epidemic. Do you think the strength of a brand could help an organization tide over such difficult times? If yes, how? And can innovative and “curious” branding strategies be relevant at such times?

Answer : Marketers should focus on creating demand for their products and services, notwithstanding the growth rate of the economy. Overall economic growth may be slowing down, but I know of several brands which continue to grow rapidly. Consumers always gravitate towards brands that they can trust, and this is particularly so during difficult periods. So a strong brand is always a big asset. We should search for product and consumer segments where demand is vibrant, and we should understand new consumer needs that arise during periods of slowdown. That’s how we can set our sights on sustained growth, and success, in a volatile world.

6.      This was actually the first question that came to my mind when I put your profile together. As a Director on the Board of several Tata Companies, as custodian of the Tata brand, and as best selling author, alongwith other facets on the personal front, such as the paradox of being a foodie and a fitness freak at the same time, how do you balance yourself and traverse through these different worlds ?

Answer : I enjoy what I do, and I do what I enjoy. That’s the best way to lead life, I think. I don’t search for some elusive, perfect balance. In fact, I don’t think the holy grail of perfect balance exists. My weekdays are largely devoted to my official work in the Tata Group and to my fitness routines, my weekends are mostly dedicated to my writing and my love of food. Mind you, this is not a firm weekday-weekend divide. Because if I get some exotic and good food on a weekday, then I will surely eat that too. And then I brew and drink good coffee every day, whether it be a weekday or weekend. Coffee helps a lot. That’s why my novel is called “An extreme love of coffee”.