Newsrooms across Indian media are passionately debating on a common topic these days.

The intention of the arguments bandied around seems to be sitting in judgement on whether the sheen is wearing off the brand ‘Modi’. It is being vociferously argued and creatively illustrated that neither is the said brand living up to the image it had projected a year ago nor is it delivering the promises it had made before its launch.

Let’s understand the making of brand ‘Modi’ first.

A state-level brand ‘Modi’ became a national and an international one almost overnight because of an absence of a healthy competition and due to a simmering disappointment with the existing alternative. The brand was perceived as better than the best not because his resume very carefully scrutinized but simply because he was better than the rest.

But just because the brand out-shined everyone else does not mean that it has some inherent magical powers. Any brand/project/plan/ scheme to work and deliver successfully needs time and combined efforts of all stakeholders.

A mere 70 odd weeks cannot improve (let alone rebuild) the state of a nation in solitude given its size. Even the God of Indian cricket took over a year to reach his 100th century, all the while without losing the support of all his worshippers.

A spate of reportings on half-truths and doubts renders more harm to any brand’s reputation than downright malignancies. Such items give enough opportunity to add in numerous negative sound bytes from empty nay-sayers to the rising nay- crescendo. A nay crescendo carries within itself great potential to propagate negative communication very efficiently.

If we have created the brand, it is now essential to support Modi not in words but in deeds as well as in spirit. Only then the brand will have a lasting legacy in the country.

All products and brands have their unique cycle of crest and trough that is imperative to its success. Larger than life expectations without letting the brand go through its journey is not conducive for its life span.

The keepers of the brand ‘Modi’ also need to understand that their twin tasks of the brand’s image management and keeping its reputation intact are now more crucial and imperative than it ever was. Being a new brand, Brand ‘Modi’ does not even have past glorious roots to hang on to either. The brand may seriously suffer in the long term in case a crisis develops anytime. How the brand managers manage the brand from here on will lay the path for eventual and lasting success of the brand.