It's No Longer Just About What Brands Say But How They Are Experienced: Lulu Raghavan, Landor India

BW Online Bureau Apr 30, 2024

As a leader in branding and design globally, Landor, a division of WPP stands at the forefront of crafting captivating brand identities and experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide. With over 23 years of experience in the industry, Lulu Raghavan, Vice President - APAC & Managing Director - India at Landor sheds light on the transformative journey that the company has undertaken and the future of branding

How have you witnessed the evolution of brands in your tenure at Landor?

Brands have changed dramatically. One of the biggest shifts is the move towards experiential branding. It's no longer just about what a brand says, but how it's experienced. The digital landscape has completely changed how we approach branding and design in terms of keeping pace with consumers. In this digital-first world, things aren't static anymore, the logos today itself are dynamic, always in motion.

How was 2023 for Landor amidst economic challenges and what are your focus areas for 2024?

2023 was a fantastic year for us and we grew by 30 per cent. In 2024, we want to go deeper with fewer clients. We want to deliver more expansive creativity to move consumers emotionally. Secondly, there will be a lot more focus on the WPP integration. It's been a very useful growth strategy for us. We want to leverage AI for efficiency and to scale creativity at a tremendous level. Unleashing the possibilities of AI in our business will also be a huge focus. Nonetheless, scaling India is on the charts since we had a great year. In the Landor network, we serve our Indian clients who are in India as well as those going global and the global clients who have Indian strategies.

How does Landor navigate preserving brand heritage while fostering innovation in its branding strategies?

We prioritise maintaining existing brand equity while incorporating fresh elements to stay relevant. Utilising tools like the Sacred Brand Assets Evaluator, we identify key brand elements to retain and evolve. Our goal is to preserve heritage while shedding outdated elements and injecting energy and relevance into the brand.

How do emerging technologies shape the future of brand experiences and how does Landor integrate them?

I think emerging technologies are very important, but we must be careful. They can be new toys. We shouldn't just use them for the sake of it because we want an AR intervention or a VR intervention. I think the goal is to truly understand the consumer journey or the customer journey. It is to imagine how to engage them, to create immersive experiences, to emotionally connect in meaningful ways. Technology is good, but unless there's a relevant use for it, we shouldn't use it.