Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948): Have you ever heard of him? He was the man who freed India from the clutches of the British. East India Co. had come to India about a hundred years before the independence of the United States. When the United States gained its independence in 1776, India was completely under British occupation. If the British treated their American colonies with a maternal attitude, in India they were oppressive and tyrannical. They stayed in India and ruled the country under the pretense that “India did not know how to govern itself.” Many freedom fighters tried different methods, including armed uprising, to free their country from British occupation. British Viceroys and Governors General put down each uprising mercilessly with an iron fist, branding freedom fighters as extremists and sending them behind bars.

Then Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi entered the scene of the Indian freedom struggle, after spending his youth studying law in London and practicing as a lawyer in South Africa. He united India’s fragmented freedom movement under his unique brand of struggle. Non-violence was his mantra. He advocated fasting and non-cooperation in a non-violent way to protest draconian British laws specially designed to maintain their vicious control over the earth’s resources.

The British were experts at putting down armed uprisings, but had no answer for peaceful demonstrations for self-determination and freedom. Gradually they had to withdraw from India because of Gandhi and his kind of non-violent protest. In 1947 India achieved freedom, thanks to this man dressed only in a loincloth. Gandhi has inspired thousands of leaders around the world, including Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

If you are a political leader, you decide what your brand will be?

The corporations and personalities discussed above provide valuable insight and lessons on how to build strong brands. They base their brands on strong values ​​and lofty characters. Top companies and personalities maintain their brands diligently. They realize that a competitor may come up with an equally good product after all. But no competitor can duplicate a brand. Therefore, they spend a considerable part of their income on building and monitoring their brands. More than the fear of competition, it is the passion for their work and the firm belief in their abilities that has led them to where they are today.