Category: Storyboard18

“Why should laundry only be the woman’s responsibility?” asks Mukta Maheshwari, Chief Marketing Officer, P&G India, and Vice President, Fabric Care, P&G, Indian subcontinent. This is Maheshwari’s first #ShareTheLoad campaign for laundry detergent Ariel after taking charge in this new role.

“If you want to represent the voice of the consumer and drive societal shift, you should be aware of the conversations the society is having. About nine years ago, when we started the campaign, 75% of men felt that doing the laundry was a woman’s job. Today, only 25% think so. That’s good progress, but is that enough? Women still don’t believe there’s equality at home. 79% of women still call when they are away and check with their partners on how things are going at home. That means that still there’s work left to be done,” asserts Maheshwari.

“Today, women comprise 25% of the workforce, and their numbers are growing. If women are to contribute to the world, they need to feel confident that the home front is fully covered when they are away. That’s why we shifted this year’s focus to the mental load that women carry. While the physical load may be taken care of, they are still going through a list in their head which runs into pages and pages,” says Maheshwari, and adds, “The intent is to drive shared responsibility and ownership.”

Asked what’s wrong with simply making a sale without attaching deeper meaning to it, Maheshwari replies, “I think the difference between a product and a brand is that a brand has a persona and it has values. I will take the example of Ariel. One aspect of Ariel is that it gives the best results. No matter what the condition is, no matter who does the laundry. The other is the emotional aspect of the brand, that it is a partner to women, and truly believes that if women progress, society progresses. This is not a forced purpose. Today, consumers demand more from brands, and buy brands that stand for something. It is exciting to be part of this movement and to try to move the needle, to evolve as a brand, and drive the conversation in society,” she said.

Maheshwari’s home situation somewhat relates to the campaign, which aims to foster a culture of equal ownership and accountability of household responsibilities between men and women.

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“I am living the #ShareTheLoad life,” she declares. “I have just moved from Singapore, though my family’s still there. I have two very young children and would not have dreamt of taking this leap had my husband not inspired the confidence that my home team is one solid team,’’ she adds.

Maheshwari is excited to be back in India. “I was out of India for 17 years and couldn’t be more excited to be back. If there is a time to be a part of the India story, it is now. If there is a time to be a marketer in India, it is now. It is one of the most complex marketing ecosystems,” she adds.

I was at more than a few ‘summits’ this past month and I saw the glib irrelevance to which marketers have reduced themselves play out on stage again and again. I felt like laughing and crying at the same time. I am a business leader and a marketer. Earlier to my present dual role, I have spent a career in businesses run by marketers. I wasn’t taught to distinguish between the business and brand realities.

Brand and business are two frames for the same reality. We are living in times when more will change than ever before and in a shorter time than we have imagined. Disruption is not any longer a violent, cataclysmic change but a routine occurrence, emerging from hitherto unanticipated quarters. Marketers must understand, promote and deliver innovation that is – hopefully – disruptive in a value creating sense.

The seed of disruption lies in innovation. Innovation needs disciplined experimentation. But before you experiment you need a hypothesis – Can your marketing team generate enough? Are they trained in consumer shoes? Is there insularity or openness in developing brand building programs? Are you acting today with tomorrow’s logic or with yesterday’s logic? Progress heads, like a river, only in one direction. So does time. Therefore the only scientific basis for the proof of progress is the validation of ideas via experimentation and its consistency in results.

Experimenting should be done on business essentials. Only then can we expect faithful abiding by the results. Manifest reliable results on scale. One can’t race a speedboat in one’s bathtub. In a spray and pray model, success remains a lottery – the survival of the lucky few by a cosmic draw of lots.

In many brand unconscious businesses, marketing can be seen as indulgent, peripheral and non serious. Digital has made it more tactical and ephemeral. Being obsessed about clicks, swipes and likes without considering the return journey back to real business outcomes.

Much of marketing today slides down into a rabbit hole in a frenzy of activities without an agreement on business asks. Then, detached from business, they mouth purpose, authenticity, empathy, etc which makes them appear unconcerned and self-indulgent. On a voyage without a destination, these ‘blah boats’ inevitably careen over to a beach that doubles as a graveyard. Leaders compound this dysfunction through chronic underinvestment and understaffing of capabilities.

Good marketing balances both art and science to form resonant connections between companies and consumers. Bad marketing relies on guesswork and superficial cleverness without a deeper purpose. This disparity fundamentally impacts everything from profit to brand sustainability to lasting consumer relationships.

Every business leader today bears responsibility for fostering good marketing. And marketers need to invite criticism, challenge and rejection. Instead of living in a small echo chamber, they need to deliver the business results and get every function in business on board. Inviting dissent while analysing and generating options may be the right way forward.

Much of the criticism about marketing is also concerning ‘hype today, never heard of again’ so internal communication is critical as is bringing about objective closure. Good marketers take the long view, with a long-term vision, to anticipate future needs instead of simply reacting to urgent requests. They understand the difference between activity and results. Rather than chasing quick wins like social media milestones, they focus on driving key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter: pipeline generation, customer acquisition, and revenue.

Cisco CEO John Chambers once cautioned employees: “I don’t confuse hard work with results.” Chambers understood that meaningless activity is useless without outcomes. Superficial publicity tactics should never disguise what’s inside the marketing theatre. If efforts do not yield measurable strategic gains, companies must refocus priorities rather than celebrating the empty facade of progress.

Unfortunately, the misdirected activity of light weight, jargon heavy, trend obsessed ‘light marketing’ dominates the external communication about what matters. Since they are much celebrated, inconsequential activities displace essential campaigns amidst daily fire drills. Quick fixes override long-term goals. Departmental silos suppress customer needs. Yet this culture thrives because bad marketing thrives by camouflaging itself in contemporary priorities. It flourishes by mimicking the forms of strategic marketing – the dashboards, slogans, and buzzwords – without the substance.

But Chambers’ wisdom holds the answer: link all marketing directly to measurable business outcomes. Align culture and leadership to this standard while ignoring the theatre. Then, channel resources toward work generating pipeline, revenue, and acquisition wins rather than fleeting buzz.

“The most common source of management mistakes is not the failure to find the right answers. It is the failure to ask the right questions.” Wrote Peter Drucker.

Indeed the only question that eventually matters is about result outcomes.

Know what Orhan Awatramani, or Orry, is up to these days? He is planning his downfall.   Having tasted success at many levels, Orry says: “I’ve climbed high, and as they say, what goes up must come down. So, I want to plan an epic downfall, a spectacular crash that paves the way for a comeback. Because after a crash, you get back up.”

That apart he continues to ‘work on himself’ and his exclusivity.

Exclusivity has been a powerful marketing tool for luxury brands, creating a sense of desire and scarcity around their products. Orry follows the same rulebook. While fans and followers are waiting to get their hands on an Orry ‘I am a liver’ t-shirt or a Orry special phone case, he says these items cannot be bought. It can only be received as gifts and as tokens of appreciation from him.

Does that mean he doesn’t want to sell these ever? No. He just doesn’t want to sell this now and doesn’t want to start yet another brand that dilutes the person behind it by being available everywhere.

He is clear on one thing , if and when he launches a brand it will be exclusive and of course unique. There could be an Orry Event where the tickets could be Orry T-shirts.

This social media star is doing anything but following the influencer playbook.

Here’s how he’s turning down millions by not selling merch and building a loyal following on his own terms.

Edited excerpts:

Can you walk us through the key milestones in your brand journey? How did you conceptualise and shape your personal brand?

Life is hard. It throws challenges our way, and hard work is essential. Every morning is a new chance to put in the effort. It might seem like I don’t work hard, but I truly believe in the saying ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ The truth is talent without hard work is like having the tools but never building anything.

Of late, it feels like everyone’s preaching something. My approach is different. I’m not here to complain or judge –  whether someone is a nepotism product or naturally gifted. Comparing yourself with others leads to negativity. Focus on your own path, your own life. You can’t get a do-over. This is it.

That’s the core of my philosophy: live your best life. Pursue what brings you joy, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.  I didn’t just randomly coin the phrase ‘I am a liver’ for this interview. Everyone keeps quoting it. Living my best life has been my mantra for a long time. It’s really about embracing every opportunity and making the most of your journey. My whole brand is about ‘living your best life’.

We don’t see a marketplace you are active in, yet you are everywhere. What is it that you are selling? And who is your target audience?

There are currently no plans to sell merchandise — be it my T-shirts or my phone cases.  I understand the interest. I get a lot of requests to sell them, too. But for now, the focus isn’t on selling products. I’m not selling you T-shirts. I’m not here to sell you merchandise. I am not a salesman. I am here to sell you the dream. The dream is to just be happy.

As for my target audience, while Gen Z connects a lot with me, age is really not a barrier for me. There are people across age profiles who follow me on social media and I think I connect with all age groups.

When you say ‘there are currently no plans’, do you mean you can have a change of heart later and fans can one day own a piece of Orry merch?

Absolutely. While I’m not opposed to merchandising in the future, if I ever sell something, it will be in a very cool way. I envision unique experiences, like an exclusive Orry event, where a limited edition T-shirt becomes your ticket. Currently, there are three Orry T-shirts. So, imagine a 300-person party with only 100 of each design. It will be a party with Orry.

The event is in the talks.

But for now, my focus is to spread the message of happiness. It resonates with people, keeps me going, and allows me to attend events that bring joy to others and myself. These appearances are currently my primary source of income. People call me to weddings and they are happy to pay me anywhere between ₹15 lakh-₹30 lakh. They want me to attend not as a guest but as a friend, maybe to the groom or someone else.

So my actual audience keeps me so afloat that they want me there at their events.

So, if there is ever an Orry brand, say like a makeup line, it will be an affordable one. My audience comes first, and being pricey isn’t the goal here. I can make money elsewhere. Accessibility is important.

So, basically you are building up suspense and creating a demand for your future line?

Yes, I am. There are lots of merch items I generally gift people. There are T-shirts, key chains, bag tags, and stickers but they are currently for gifting only. I’ve given them to my team, supporters, and even media personnel.

During Christmas, I gifted some Orry hampers and we got calls from Delhi and Haryana where people wanted to order as many as 300 of those hampers for gifting. So we have received innumerable requests to sell these items, but for now, they’re only a way to show appreciation.

This approach builds a sense of exclusivity. My limited-edition T-shirts, featuring my emojis, follow the same logic. Owning one lets you know which designs you’re missing, creating a playful demand.

Beyond creating a sense of exclusivity with limited-edition merchandise, what core principles guide your approach to building your personal brand?

Building a brand is about authenticity, not forced promotion. I learnt this young. People can see through inauthenticity.

For instance, for collaborations, the script is crucial. When you come to me with a proposal to collaborate with your brand, it’s no longer about your Nivea or your Vaseline. It’s about brand Orry. The Vaseline collaboration, for instance, workedbr wonders because I wasn’t forced to sell something.

It was funny and it was relatable. So was the CRED ad. I liked the script and I took it up because it aligned perfectly with my brand. But if it feels forced, I won’t do it. The focus should be on creating entertaining content that incorporates the product naturally, not a hard-sell.

Is there a no-go area for you when it comes to endorsements?

I’d rather endorse something that’s unhealthy than endorse something that I do not believe in — say, for instance, an alcohol brand or a cigarette brand or even a pan masala brand or chips because you and I already know they’re unhealthy.

But I’d not promote a health product I don’t believe in or something I don’t actually consume, because I would not want to deceive my audience.

Social media plays a crucial role in personal branding. What is your strategy for leveraging social media platforms to enhance your brand presence?

They say fame in India is a two-horse race: Bollywood or cricket. Maybe a politician here or there, but that’s not quite pop culture. Then there’s me, Orry. Not quite Bollywood, not quite cricket, but carving a new lane.

People tell me I’m a trailblazer. Paving the way for authors, influencers – anyone outside the usual suspects. It’s exciting! This new kind of fame feels wide open, full of possibility.

But here’s the thing: fame on my terms. My Instagram isn’t just random posts; it’s a movie. Every reel and photo is meticulously chosen to tell a story. I pick the content like an actor picks a script. It’s about creating a vibe, a little mystery that keeps people hooked.

The same goes for Snapchat. It’s the behind-the-scenes cut, the bits that fill in the blanks on Instagram. More personal, a little closer look.

But Instagram has its limits. I don’t want to spam my followers. I’ve recently started exploring YouTube. There is only one video up there and there will be a new one soon. I’ll soon be posting a  video about Orry Number Nine, part of my whole “Orryverse” thing. It’s not even about me – it’s her story, her journey.

This is how I use social media — building a brand, a narrative, across platforms. It’s a new kind of fame, and it’s working. Who knows where it takes me next? But one thing’s for sure: Orryverse is just getting started.

You talked about the demise of your brand on national television. How is that shaping up?

Let me be clear. I’m not planning to destroy my personal brand. I’m talking about a curated downfall, like what Karan referred to as a “digital demise.” I’m open to calling it that, but here’s the thing: downfalls can be entertaining! Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment – that’s what my world thrives on.

People love a good story, and a well-orchestrated downfall can be the most captivating chapter of it. You’ve seen my rise – the parties, the clothes, Bigg Boss, the media attention, even Koffee with Karan, which is truly  an achievement for non-film personalities. I’ve climbed high, and as they say, what goes up must come down.

So, before the inevitable crash or someone else forcing it, I’d rather take control. I want to plan an epic downfall, a spectacular crash that paves the way for a comeback. Because after a crash, you get back up.

Ideally, I’d like to schedule this downfall for May. But it needs to be incredibly entertaining, something that capitalises on the current attention. Then, after this grand performance, I’ll disappear for a vacation in Europe. Upon my return, I’ll come back with a bang, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

A downfall isn’t about self-destruction. It’s about creating an entertaining saga, not shutting down my Instagram or erasing everything I’ve built. It’s about taking charge of the narrative and using it to propel myself forward.