An Ohriginal venture – The Hindu BusinessLine

Rohit Ohri, Founder, Ohriginal
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Advertising veteran Rohit Ohri, who retired from FCB last September, has launched a culture consultancy, cleverly named Ohriginal. The 62-year-old adman says he wanted to do something he was passionate about and make a difference to an organisation in a new way. “When I looked back at what had contributed to the success in the organisations that I had been part of, whether it was JWT, Dentsu or FCB, it was the culture of the organisation,” he says.

His new venture will help organisations codify the culture and embed it in themselves. “Often times you postulate a culture but you do not live it within an organisation,” he says. Drawing on his own lived leadership and creative experiences, Ohriginal will help organisations decode , define and live their culture. And, yes, he says, he will draw upon his theatre experience. “I want to build this as a storytelling piece. Theatre is a very vivid way of bringing alive what an organisation’s culture can be,” he says.

What’s in a brand name

In these times of heightened sentiments, the choice of a brand name can spark outrage and even force a company to change it. Liquor major Radico Khaitan landed in a storm when it launched a premium whiskey brand called Trikal. The label graphic on the whiskey bottle featured a meditative face with a circular mark on the forehead, sparking outrage among religious groups that took umbrage at the naming of an alcohol product after a divine concept . Radico Khaitan then issued a statement saying, “The name ‘Trikal’ comes from Sanskrit and means ‘three times’, referring to the past, present, and future. It reflects our deep-rooted belief in honouring India’s rich heritage while embracing progress and innovation.” But the company said it understood the concerns raised and, “as a responsible and sensitive organization, post internal review we have decided to withdraw the brand”. Brand experts said the lesson here is the need for pre-launch tests among focus groups on cultural sensitivity.