So, you have a product. And you want it to sell. You not only want it to sell but also want it be the top-of-mind for buyers of that product category.

What have you named it? How have you positioned it? How have you promoted it?

Is there anything unique about your product? Or unique about your presentation?

Have you even asked yourself these questions? If not, it is time to, now. And one of the first steps would be to read `One Land, One Billion Minds: Insights on branding in India' by Ramanujam Sridhar.

This book is a must read for anyone who is into the business of promoting products/services, be it the one offering the solution or the advertising agency. And, if you like the written word, then it can be for you too, for Sridhar has used a light, anecdotal style that will touch each and every heart.

Without being preachy, it highlights why some positionings work and some don't. It talks of how change could be important, but sometimes can work against the product as the best cannot be bested without alienating a major part of loyal patrons.

The book grapples with the questions of addressing the difficult-to-understand MTV generation, and the need to hold on to them.

Most importantly, it tries to define the typical Indian - an understanding of which is important for successful branding and selling to such a culturally diversified population.

What others have to say:
"I admire the lovely book. It is a very well brought out book, page after page, like an award-winning film, with every frame excellently done. I am a cost-conscious buyer, though I own a big personal library. I have a feeling that English books are priced far higher than the Tamil ones. But your book deserves its price tag.

My PR advisor, who is a Professor of Management and author himself, has borrowed the book for a reading. He says such books with an easy, elegant lay-out will impress the readers very much.
-Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti

I have been exposed to many of Sridhar's columns over time...they focus on today's issues, but expose the underlying principles with such simplicity that even I understand them. It's like a "third umpire" who explains why you score or miss in the game of media and understanding. - Dr. Bob Hoekstra, CEO, Philips Innovation Campus