Product and Marketing Strategies

Indians want to eat healthy and companies want to make healthier alternatives. But both customers and brands are often confused. Health food is a $30B market in India and we meet atleast 20 companies every week. My last post on Indians eating protein got a lot of attention. So here is a playbook for brands, entrepreneurs & startups making food as nutrition to consider. #1- Sell simplicity, not superiority. Protein is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Stop marketing it like it’s only for bodybuilders or fitness fanatics. The simpler your message, the broader your audience. #2- Educate, don’t exploit- Most Indians don’t know how much protein , carb or fibre they need, let alone where to get it. Be the brand that empowers with knowledge, not fear. Create tools, guides, or calculators that simplify nutrient requirements for different age groups, lifestyles, and budgets. Education creates trust, and trust builds loyalty. #3- Respect local wisdom- Stop chasing western trends and start celebrating Indian staples. Align your messaging with cultural relevance—it resonates deeper than imported fads. #4- Focus on affordability and accessibility- If your product costs more than an average meal, you’re solving a problem for the few, not the many. Create products that cater to the masses, especially rural and low-income communities. Affordability isn’t just ethical—it’s scalable. #5-Champion the underserved - Protein or carbs isn’t just for athletes or gym-goers. It’s crucial for children, pregnant women, and the elderly and they often are left out of the conversation. Tailor your products and campaigns to serve them, and you’ll stand out as a brand with purpose, not just profits. #6- Break the high-protein Halo - A “high-protein” claim shouldn’t be your only story. Focus on the overall quality of your product—minimal additives, real ingredients, and transparent labeling. If your protein bar has more sugar than a laddoo, you’re part of the problem, not the solution. #7- Decommoditize the narrative - Don’t just sell protein or fibre—sell the idea of a healthier India. Be the brand that shifts the conversation from “how much protein you eat” to “how balanced your diet is.” Make protein part of the bigger picture, not the entire story. #8-Make nutrient consumption a Public Good- Don’t just sell specific nutrient products; create ecosystems that make nutrient accessible and affordable for everyone. Collaborate with local governments to integrate protein-rich foods into public programs like midday meals and ration systems. You’ll build long-term demand while addressing a systemic health challenge." More notes continued in the comment section below.

₹223 Crore Dairy Playbook: How One IT Executive Turned Cows Into a Data-Driven Business India doesn’t have a dairy shortage. It has an efficiency problem. The traditional model is low-yield cattle, unstructured feeding, no data, and middlemen-heavy distribution. The new model is high-yield genetics, precision nutrition, real-time tracking, and direct-to-consumer delivery. This shift is powering a new-age dairy business. Built by Deepak Raj Tushir through Binsar Farms. From 50 cattle to a ₹223 Crore enterprise. This isn’t farming. This is Agri-Tech execution. ✅ THE NUMBERS 1. Herd size: 50 → 450+ high-yield cows 2. Daily milk output: 7,000–8,000 litres 3. Annual revenue: ₹223 Crore 4. Net margins: 5–6% 5. Cold chain speed: Milk chilled to 4°C within 2 hours Low margin. High discipline. Massive scale. This is how dairy actually makes money. ✅ From IT Job to Agri-SaaS Thinking This wasn’t a career switch. It was a systems upgrade. DNA testing for herd selection, data tracking for every cow, predictive health monitoring and feed optimisation through PMR. Every cow = a data point. Every litre = a measurable output. This is SaaS thinking applied to agriculture. ✅ Where the Real Money Is Made Milk is not the business. Control is. 1. 200-acre contract farming loop. 2. Guaranteed fodder supply 3. Predictable input costs 4. Consistent output quality Add to that A2 milk positioning, high-margin products: ghee, paneer, curd, lassi, and direct delivery within 12–24 hours. Remove middlemen. Capture margin. That’s the playbook. ✅ The New Dairy Stack What changed? Not the cow. The system around it. 1. Genetics → Higher yield per animal 2. Nutrition → Better milk solids 3. Monitoring → Lower disease loss 4. Cold chain → Zero wastage 5. Old dairy = volume game 6. New dairy = efficiency game ✅ The Reverse Brain Drain Signal This story is bigger than one company. It signals a shift from: - Urban professionals → entering agriculture - Tech mindset → applied to primary sectors - Farming → becoming structured, scalable, investable 120+ jobs created. Dozens of farmers integrated. Agriculture → from survival to income engine. ✅ The Hidden Moat Nobody Talks About It’s not branding. It’s not even A2 milk. The real moat is: Supply chain control, data-led herd management and feed security through contract farming. Because in dairy, if you control input + output, you control profit. ✅ Let me share the #Rajspectives 1. Dairy isn’t low-margin. Bad systems are. 2. Data is the new cattle breed advantage. 3. Vertical integration beats market dependency. 4. Cold chain is the difference between profit and loss. The future of farming is not rural. It’s intellectual. India’s next big startups won’t just come from apps. They’ll come from farms run like companies. Because when engineering meets agriculture, the output isn’t just milk. It’s a predictable, scalable cash flow. #india #agritech #dairy #business #strategy #sales

Set and forget is not a pricing strategy ! Price--> Design--> Build We know that's what everyone says, but thats an oversimplification of what the entire process should look like. The assumption your pricing was correct in the pre-design phase and doesn't need change is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous !! I have seen too many physical and software products change drastically between initial design to final delivery. Product owners will typically assume that pricing still holds. You have to change that philosophy. In the real world we need a lot more iteration in price: Step 1: Initial Price: This stage you quantify the value and set an initial target price. This is a combination of internal/external research, some value quantification and pricing knowledge. Step 2: Design: With that price info, the product team designs a product that hits product and profitability targets. This is also where you need to keep track of the product margins. Often product will go design a better product at the expense of higher cost, and margins suffer before launch. Step 3: Reprice: Now that we know the new design constraints that impact the profitability, this stage gives you the opportunity to reprice the product based on the design. If substantial value has been added, price should go up. Do not fall into the 'lets over deliver on value and keep price same' trap. Step 4: Build: Now with that new price info and product roadmap the product goes through the build stage. Step 5: Pre launch reprice : Now significant time may have passed since last price review. The market for the product, the economy etc may have changed. This stage can assist in making last changes before product goes out. Good time to also establish guardrails for price performance, discount strategy, or sales strategy. Step 6: Launch: Goes without saying the product is out in the real world. Great way to capture feedback. Also a stage where performance is measured against the price guardrails. Step 7: Reprice 3: Based on sales feedback, you start charting next steps. Selling too slow, you may need discount or reprice. Selling too fast, it may be overdelivering on price vs value. Pricing metric may need change. Fx may have changed. This is the price adjustment stage, should be annual or semi annual. You can incorporate these steps into new product introduction framework or annual or semi annual pricing strategy process, either ways it will help establish good pricing principles in the org. I know of many products that once designed were never repriced years into its life.. Surely things must have changed all those years... Think of Pricing as a lifecycle !! -------------------------- We are in #Pricingtribe.

The Secret of Luxury Hospitality Positioning 1/ Most hospitality brands think they're selling rooms. Hermès thinks they're selling dreams. Aman thinks they're selling transformation. The Ritz thinks they're selling legacy. Here's why 99% of hospitality brands will never understand true luxury positioning: 2/ The $600B hospitality industry has it backwards. They obsess over thread counts and marble bathrooms. But when a billionaire pays $2,000/night at Aman Tokyo, they're not buying a bed. They're buying 3 hours where the world can't find them. They're purchasing RELIEF. 3/ Hermès mastered this 187 years ago: Birkin bag cost breakdown: • Leather: $200 • Labor: $800 • The rest: POSITIONING You're not buying a bag. You're buying entry into a club your great-grandmother respected. Generational wealth buys IDENTITY, not amenities. 4/ The brands that "get it" understand 3 pillars: SCARCITY: Aman has 34 properties. They could have 340. They choose not to. LEGACY: Le Bristol Paris sells Hemingway's view, not just suites. IMMUNITY: While others chase trends, Aman perfects timeless sanctuary. 5/ What 90% of hospitality brands do wrong: ❌ Compete on features ❌ Chase Instagram moments ❌ Discount for occupancy ❌ Target "luxury travelers" What top-tier brands do: ✅ Create their own category ✅ Build generational rituals ✅ Never compromise positioning ✅ Target legacy builders 6/ Case study in positioning power: Four Seasons: "Exceptional service" St. Regis: "Bespoke luxury" Aman: "Sanctuary" One commands 3x the rate. Strategy isn't about better amenities. Strategy is about DIFFERENT MEANING. 7/ The psychology is profound: When stress costs $1M deals → peace becomes priceless When reputation spans generations → discretion becomes invaluable When time is finite → transformation becomes essential You're not selling hospitality. You're selling a story they'll tell their grandchildren. 8/ Luxury isn't a price point. Luxury is a CULTURE. The culture of anticipated needs, generational consistency, and effortless perfection. Culture can't be copied. Only cultivated. Ready to transform your hospitality brand from commodity to legacy? I help hotel brands discover their unique positioning and build generational meaning that commands premium rates. DM "POSITIONING" to explore how we can elevate your brand's story. RT if this changed how you think about hospitality positioning.

When brands compare T-shirts, they often start with: Fabric weight Cotton quality Shrinkage Handfeel All important. But here is the part many founders overlook: Good fabric cannot save weak construction. Two tees can use the same 280gsm cotton jersey. Yet after repeated wear and washing: One keeps its shoulder line. The other twists at the side seam. One neckline stays flat. The other starts waving. One hem falls clean. The other looks bulky or uneven. The difference is often not the fabric. It is the seam decision behind the fabric. Examples: A seam that cannot handle stretch will fight the garment during wear. Poor edge finishing can affect how clean the inside looks over time. Wrong tension or construction around high-stress areas can distort the silhouette. A washed garment may expose stitching weakness that looked fine before laundry testing. This is why experienced product teams do not judge quality from a flat lay photo alone. They ask: How is the shoulder joined? How is the collar attached and stabilized? Will the side seams behave after wash? Is this construction chosen for the garment — or just for sewing speed? Fabric creates the first “wow.” Construction decides whether the product earns a second order. For streetwear brands, especially when retail prices keep rising, this matters. Customers may not know what seam method was used. But they know when a tee loses its shape too soon. Founders: Have you ever upgraded fabric, but still felt the finished garment did not look premium enough? #ApparelDevelopment #GarmentConstruction #SeamEngineering #ProductQuality #StreetwearBrand #FashionManufacturing #TechPackTips #SourcingWisdom #FabricVsConstruction #FromSampleToBulk #ClothingBrandInsights #PremiumBasics

I’ve visited 40+ countries, and one shift feels impossible to miss: Travel is no longer being planned around places. It’s being planned around outcomes. Not “Where should I go?” But “What do I want to feel, do, learn, or experience?” That is a much bigger shift than it looks. Because when travel becomes experience-led, the destination stops being the product. It becomes the setting. You can see it in the data: 63% of travelers are willing to pay more for room upgrades or special extras, 42% say AI helps save time planning, 37% use it for personalized recommendations, and 36% use it to find new destinations. At the same time, word of mouth remains the most influential travel research source at 36%, while user-generated video follows at 26%. That tells us something important: Travel discovery is becoming more personalized, but trust is still deeply human. People are using AI, reels, creator content, Reddit, and recommendations together, not separately. Amadeus calls this “Travel Mixology”, a multi-source planning behavior that blends machine speed with human authenticity. And on the experience side, the shift is just as clear. American Express found that 79% of Millennials and Gen Z are likely to seek out local workshops or destination-specific activities, 76% of global respondents say skills gained on a trip stay with them longer than material souvenirs, and 83% of Millennial and Gen Z travelers prioritize unique, authentic experiences over popular tourist attractions. So the real trend is not just “personalized travel.” It is the redefinition of travel value. Earlier, value meant, more landmarks, better hotels, tighter itineraries. Now, value increasingly means, better stories, local immersion, memorable skills, and trips that feel personally designed. 📍That is why smaller destinations can win. 📍That is why curated itineraries are growing. 📍That is why social discovery matters more. 📍And that is why AI will shape planning, but probably won’t replace human taste. My view: The next phase of travel will belong to brands, creators, and platforms that understand one thing well: People are not buying a destination. They are buying a version of themselves in that destination. What kind of travel do you think is growing faster now, destination-led or experience-led? #TravelTrends #TravelIndustry #ConsumerBehavior #ExperienceEconomy #TrendAnalysis #BusinessInsights #TravelPlanning #AI #DigitalConsumer #TourismTrends #ResearchInsights

A car doesn’t sell because it moves It sells because it moves people. Use this 10-question framework to do a quick audit of an automobile company. 𝗜. 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 & 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝟭. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲?  If your story isn't distinct, no campaign will save it. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲?  ➝ Cars don't sell specs. They sell freedom, status, security, and escape.  (If you're selling ""mileage"", you’re still in 2005) 𝟯. 𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 '𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗨𝘀' 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆?  ➝ Great brands sound like movements, not manuals. 𝟰. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱?  ➝ If all people remember is your logo, not your form, silhouette, or vibe, you have an identity crisis, not a brand. 𝟱. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻?  ➝ Viral ads are cute. A cultural movement is unbeatable. 𝗜𝗜. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧 & 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝟲. 𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 > 𝟱𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲?  ➝ If not, you're either spreading yourself too thin or have no standout offer. 𝟳. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲?  ➝ ""Adventure redefined."" ""Luxury without compromise.""  ➝ If you can’t headline it, you can’t advertise it. 𝟴. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀?  ➝ If you're adding tricks (like 10 more USB ports) instead of solving range anxiety, parking struggles, or maintenance fears, you're missing the plot. 𝟵. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁?  ➝ post-purchase communication should feel like a loyalty movement, not a discount coupon spam fest. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿, 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀?  ➝ If you hesitate even for a second, your ads won’t work either. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 If any of these 10 points made you pause, you don’t need a new marketing campaign. You need a sharper brand. Because in today’s cluttered market, the best storyteller wins, not just the best engineer.

Most companies suck at launching products. They’re like Alice in Wonderland — chasing shiny objects and getting lost along the way. Here’s the 11-step process we perfected after 25 years of product launches (in a collaboration with Jason Oakley): 1. Competitive Research The key to great strategy is to look externally. Take notes on competitor's features and how they grow. Build a database so you can counter-position appropriately. 2. Segmentation A launch aimed at “everyone” will miss everyone. Instead, build a laser-focused Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Follow this chain of thought: What are they craving? → What frustrates them daily? → What job are they trying to accomplish? 3. Pricing & Packaging Even the smallest feature can have a ripple effect on your pricing and packaging. Don’t wait until launch week to figure this out. Before launching, assess things like: Will this be a paid feature or free? Who will get access? What’s the plan for feature gating? 4. Positioning Now it’s time to craft a message that resonates. Speak to their deeper desires, not just their immediate problems. Communicate the outcome your product delivers and why you’re different from the rest. 5. Assemble Your Launch Team You can’t do it alone, and you shouldn’t. A successful launch involves stakeholders across the company. Use the RACI framework to assign clear roles. 6. Clear Objectives Too many teams dive into a launch without defined goals. And that’s why they miss the mark. Set clear objectives and key results. 7. Distribution Channels Many teams fall into the trap of trying to be everywhere; LinkedIn, email, ads, you name it. Reality check: Most startups only have 1-2 effective distribution channels. Find yours and double down on it. 8. Launch Milestones Planning your entire launch around individual tasks will overwhelm you. Instead, focus on major milestones and build a work-back plan. Some key milestones to include: Early access launch → Customer launch → Kickoff meeting. 9. Bill of Materials Your Bill of Materials is the content engine of your launch. Focus on: → Writing the message they want to hear → Designing visuals that captivate and appeal to them → Creating email sequences tailored to every user flow 10. Sales & Customer Success Teams Too many launches fail because these teams are looped in at the last minute. Enable them early with a messaging deck, internal FAQs, and demo materials... And they’ll become powerful advocates for your product. 11. Launch Day Make sure everything is launched smoothly and on time. If you achieve early wins, be the first to celebrate them and rally the team. And don’t forget to keep pushing the momentum forward. There's much more in the deep dive: https://lnkd.in/eB7s6umA If you don't plan your launches, even the best products will fail.

What if your biggest pricing problem... isn't your price? . . It’s a question that keeps founders and product leaders up at night. The pressure to cut prices in a competitive market is immense. But more often than not, the problem isn’t the number on the tag; it’s the story you tell. I recently worked with a fantastic B2B SaaS client. They had a superior product, but their trial-to-paid conversion rate was stagnating. The feedback from lost leads was almost unanimous: "It's too expensive." They were about to slash their prices by 20%. I convinced them to pause the price cut. We simply re-engineered their messaging to stop describing features and start demonstrating value - translating technical specs into tangible business results and peace of mind for their customers. For example: "100 GB of storage" became "Never delete a critical file again. Your entire team's history, secure in one place" The result? In the following quarter, their conversion rate increased by 40%.  The "too expensive" complaints vanished. We didn't change the price; we changed the perception of value. This isn't a fluke. It's a fundamental principle of value-based marketing. For example:  Starbucks doesn't sell you coffee. They sell you a reliable "third place" between home and work, a sense of community, and a personal treat. The messaging justifies the $5 cup. 💡 My Key Learnings from this journey: - Price isn't the issue; value perception is. Use messaging to close the gap. - Sell the destination, not the airplane. Focus on outcomes over features. - Frame your price against the problem, not the competitor. Context makes you a bargain. Before you consider discounting your product, take a hard look at your messaging. You might be sitting on a goldmine, just telling the wrong story. 👇 When has a change in messaging, not price, made a difference for you or your company? Share your story below! #PricingStrategy #Marketing #ProductManagement #Copywriting