Continuing from the previous post of how poetries are an asset for legacy building, let us delve more with thought experiments.
Reference Building is a perception and reputation building process, knowingly or unknowingly, that impacts the buzz of a brand in short and long term. Building references leads to the development of connections, narratives, perceptions, mentions, impressions, goodwill, credibility, influence and reputation. No brand in this world exists independently as its identity is shaped by the factors like people associated in any manner, region, incidents, stories and perceptions.
Speaking from the Theory of Reference Building perspective, William Shakespeare considered a great poet wrote on the popular ancient Roman king Julius Caeser and that added to the legacy of both the personalities with reference building. Waris Shah and Bulleh Shah mentioned about Heer Ranjha in their Punjabi poems which helped them in adding a legacy for all. Heer Ranjha references have become a part of regular pop culture and social fabric through songs and poems in India and the world literature.
Terrorists have exploited poems to brainwash people and create rebels. Adolf Hitler did. Some other region terrorists too giving metaphors of 72 virgin fairies. Evidences suggest Osama Bin Laden was a skilled poet.
Imagine the power of poetries to capture and communicate a message. Especially in this content-driven social media world.
If a person has not been able to visit educational institutes due to financial conditions and doesn’t know to read and write, still that person can register a message through poems. That is the power of poems.
I am not saying you need to be a poet to create successful brands and a legacy. All you need is correct set of skilled people who can align and enhance the storytelling, brand reputation, image building, public relations and reputation management. Poems can be passed on for eons and thus help in legacy building. The challenge is to identify the resonance and relevance. The flow of thought leadership and the theme of the agenda needs to be clear, concise and conversational.
In the current contemporary scenario, Shahrukh Khan has smartly used alliteration of K with King Khan for his image building. Virat Kohli too with King Kohli. One of the most respected Prime Minister of India Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a great poet. Tiger acted as a simile and metaphor for Shree Balasaheb Thackeray. One of the most accomplished stand-up comedian of India is Zakir Khan and he is a poet too that distinguishes him from the rest. Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi also leverages poetries in his speeches from an election campaign to White House. Amitabh Bachchan has penned and narrated many poetries in his rich oeuvre and also succeeded the artistic legacy of his poet father Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Esteemed universities including Harvard are now offering courses on the pop-star Taylor Swift who at times pens her songs as a song writer integrating her musical and vocal talent. Piyush Pandey who attained the status of Legend as an Indian Advertising veteran is a poet too. Tata as an corporate brand with the testimony of decades has become a personification of trust in India as well as in international markets.
If an Artist, CEO, Entrepreneur, Politician or any personality or brand or organisation gets many poems and songs written on them it will go a long way in their brand and legacy building. If a popular and influential poet pens a poem it will add more credibility, brand equity and legacy for the Brand. Theory of Reference Building will play a huge role as a catalyst.
Having poems being written is not the only criteria for legacy building or brand building. It should also have a message that is relevant and resonates with the folks and evokes an emotion. The poetry doesn’t always necessarily be in text format. It can be through visual metaphors. Poetry is not the only criteria but the Story and the subject is the prime core. Other elements apart from poetry as mentioned in Legacy Matrix can be leveraged too for legacy building.
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