Titan Shares vs. Tanishq Treasures: The Ultimate Spousal Showdown

When you've been married for over 20 years, you’re bound to become a certified "Argumentative Indian"—especially when it comes to buying Titan shares instead of Tanishq gold jewellery. The classic dilemma: do you invest in shiny stocks or wear even shinier necklaces?

We all know the Indian obsession with gold. I mean, with 21,000 tonnes of it stashed away, households have more gold than the World Bank! Indian’s obsession with gold is like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. Just as squirrels collect and stash away nuts to ensure they have enough for tough times, Indian households accumulate gold as a form of security and wealth. It reflects a deep-seated instinct for preservation and future planning, with gold being a cultural treasure just as nuts are vital for a squirrel’s survival.

Now, let’s be honest: even the most skilled chain snatcher would have a hard time lifting your Titan Demat shares. But for women, the joy of flaunting jewellery outweighs Titan's stellar stock performance ?(from Rs. 36 in Jan 2006 to Rs. 3236 in Jan 2024)—after all, you can’t wear a share certificate like a necklace!

But It’s not just about the investment; it’s about turning heads and sparking envy among neighbors. That admiration is the real treasure, making the glimmering gold feel even more valuable!

After two decades of bickering, we’ve finally reached a compromise: I buy Titan shares, and my wife buys Tanishq jewellery. It's a win-win! If everyone decided to just buy shares of Titan and ignored Tanishq’s beautiful jewellery, Titan’s revenues would plummet faster than a misjudged catch in the slips on a sunny day! The share price would tank faster than a tailender facing a Mitchell Starc yorker in the final overs of a T20 match. So, my wife happily contributes to Titan’s profits by buying those sparkly pieces—while I sit back and sip my coffee! she gets the bling, and I cherish the wealth effect!

As a loyal Titan shareholder and a proud Bangalorian, I’ve seen Titan’s roller coaster journey. Initially, Tanishq didn’t even want to sell jewellery to Indian women—what a faux pas! They aimed to woo European customers with 18-karat gold factory produced at Hosur plant. Talk about getting all the ?“7Ps” in marketing wrong!

Indian consumers have a strong preference for 22-karat gold, and while many local jewellers’ mislabel their offerings as 22-karat, Titan’s decision to market 18-karat gold was ill-suited to this demographic. No Indian ever calls ahead to schedule a jewellery store appointment! But Tanishq expected us to do so!

The Dickenson Road store (In Bangalore of course) looked so fancy, it could’ve been a set for a Bollywood movie—intimidatingly upscale and nothing like your typical jewellery shop! Honestly, it felt like they were de-marketing themselves by skipping wedding jewellery altogether. It’s like opening a bakery and only selling gluten-free cookies—what were they thinking?

But then, the Karatmeter arrived—like a superhero. Tanishq replaced the ancient math gymnastics of the local jeweller with a proper receipt. They came up with the wedding collection 'Rivaah'—because why settle for tradition (Rivaaz) or just wedding (Vivah) when you can have both? Branding genius!? It's like hitting a 'six' with wordplay—combining 'spin' and 'pace' to create 'Spacelight,' a smashing new term that bowls everyone over!

The golden harvest scheme wasn't a POD (point of differentiation), but, better late than never! Getting paid upfront by customers is always good business! For Titan, diamonds always outshone gold on their bottom line—literally! And with welcoming showrooms and no hard selling, Tanishq transformed into a go-to destination.

With franchising, you can grow faster, though control is as slippery as a bar of soap in a sauna—unlike company-owned outlets where you can keep an eye on every sneeze. Surprisingly, franchisee employee practices seem solid. Unlike IndiGo airlines, where the air hostesses called in ‘mass sick' for an Air India interview, Tanishq's staff have stayed as loyal as a well-set diamond even when Senco, Kalyan Jewellers, or Malabar Jewellers opened nearby.

Well, Tanishq's global adventure sounds like a comedy of errors turned golden! First, they tried selling jewellery to non-Indians in the US. But, after a false start, they finally got wise and aimed straight for the desi hearts abroad in UAE, Singapore included. It's like hitting a six after a bunch of missed catches!

Navigating controversy can be like trying to dance through a minefield! Few TVCs’ of Tanishq managed to stir up a storm that split opinions faster than a Bollywood plot twist, maybe they're onto something! After all, in the world of branding, being talked about is often better than being wallpaper.

Now that Titan's growth is taking a breather, I'm contemplating selling my shares. My wife is thrilled by the idea—her response? “With that money, let’s buy Tanishq jewellery!” Selling family silver to buy gold? I am caught between a googly and a yorker??