Mumbai: “Good advertising can kill a bad product even faster. That is why developing a strong product must always come first,” remarked Lara Balsara Vajifdar, Executive Director, Madison World, addressing the graduating class at the convocation ceremony of the School of Branding and Advertising (SoBA), SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed-to-be University), Mumbai.
Delivering the keynote to the young graduates, Lara – a Harvard Business School alumna and a 20-year veteran at Madison – urged students to combine strategic thinking with passion to drive innovation and growth. “You’ll have the opportunity to work with diverse clients, products, and services, helping them navigate the ever-changing landscape of consumer behaviour. But today, I want to talk to you about you – about building ‘Brand You’,” she emphasized.
Branding Beyond Products
Highlighting how branding today goes far beyond conventional definitions, Lara observed, “Countries are brands, communities are brands, delivery infrastructures are brands, and even individual personalities of legal consequence are big brands. Do you know about the Kardashians?”
She encouraged students to view themselves through the same lens, to consciously build their personal and professional identity in the marketplace.
Lessons from Her Journey
Reflecting on her own career, Lara traced her path from a Master’s in Marketing in England to joining Madison in 2004 as a management trainee, before rising through the ranks. She underscored the importance of long-term commitment to an organisation:
“It’s not about counting your work experience in terms of years, but in terms of what you have actually learned. In many companies, the people promoted to managing director are often those who joined as management trainees or have stayed for a fairly long period.”
She cited the example of Shailesh Jejurikar, who joined Procter & Gamble in India in 1989 after completing his IIM degree, and after 36 years in multiple global roles, has now become the Global President and CEO of P&G.
A Message to Gen-Z
In her address to Dr. Kiran Desai, Director, SoBA, Lara acknowledged the importance of imparting updated, relevant, and applied branding knowledge to nurture the next generation of professionals. She also called on graduates to challenge existing stereotypes about their generation:
“Gen-Z is widely considered an employer’s worst nightmare – entitled, easily offended, and unable to handle feedback. Prove them wrong.”
Applauding SoBA’s Model
Lara appreciated the four-year BBA in Branding and Advertising offered by NMIMS, lauding its foundation in strong business and marketing fundamentals taught through applied and experiential pedagogy.
Her session left students with a clear takeaway: great careers, much like great brands, are built not just on talent, but on patience, learning, and authenticity.
