Opinion: Should IPO-bound Ather follow Ola's lead?

The Ola IPO has been a success – certainly so – going by the opening and initial scrip movements. Reports are assigning a key reason as the “Bhavish” factor. Ola = Bhavish. That’s certainly very true. But now, is this personality cult sustainable? And do startups like Ather have to create their own ‘personality’?  

There is merit in that thought. After all, the automobile industry globally and in India, too, has had its fair share of larger-than-life personalities. Lee Iacocca. Enzo Ferrari. Ferdinand Piëch. Carlos Ghosn. Anand Mahindra. Soichiro Honda. Rajiv Bajaj. Elon Musk. These individuals have built mega companies intertwined with their own personal brand. 

But on the other hand, we also have megabrands that have grown above and beyond the individuals that have formed or led them. Take Toyota as an example; Land Rover is another. Outside of the auto fraternity, the general public has no idea of who leads them right now. People can think of a Toyota or Land Rover as a standalone, but rarely do they think of Tesla without some association with Elon Musk.

Coming to Ather, though, the general public really does not know who leads Ather. In that sense, Ather is a bit like Toyota. The leadership is behind the side curtain while the brand is given the centre stage. The product, its ecosystem and its communication style are all about, well, Ather.

So, should Ather invest in creating its own personality cult figure? No, I certainly don’t think it needs to do the same as Ola. While some people look at the personality, the space the business operates in and the scope of growth, others look purely at the business minus the personalities behind them. So, if Ather wishes to go public, it, too, will be as successful – I am confident – as would any other brand in the same space. Different types of investors associate with different types of businesses, as do different kinds of end users. What there has to be, however, in both cases is super clarity on the kind of company that you are, and there is a lot to be gained in being very clear about what your brand is going to be right from the beginning.

This clarity is a key skill to have and can come from either the founder promoter or the brand custodians. You are not just making a new-energy, new-tech scooter. You are creating a brand’s personality, and in that way, you are also catering to a certain customer personality. Each customer identifies with the brands that reflect their personality. And it takes all types in a mature market like India. They can co-exist and flourish in the minds and on the roads, too.

Also see:

Ola Electric receives show cause notice over customer complaints

Ola becomes first EV maker to cross 3 lakh unit sales in 1 year

Ather starts work on new Zenith and EL EV platforms