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'Alby'Anand Kurian (born 1958, Calcutta) is a marketing theorist and writer. Among other concepts, he has conceived and developed ‘Conflict as a Marketing Tool’ that has been published and re-published by the Wharton Business School. Among his writings, his book ‘The Peddler of Soaps’, was on the India Today best-seller list.

Education and advertising career

He was educated at Bombay Scottish School, St. Xavier’s College, Elphinstone College and Government Law College in Mumbai, India. He trained in advertising in New York and founded Emphasis; the company has conceived and executed advertising work for multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo and Unilever, and for products such as Lay's, Ariel, Lifebuoy and Coca-Cola.

Key marketing management concepts

‘Conflict as a Marketing Tool’ was first published by Knowledge@Wharton;it was then re-published by the Wharton Center for Leadership and Change. and is now a permanent part of the body of knowledge archived in his name at Wharton Business School. The concept demonstrates the role and the application of conflict as a tool in areas such as the media, business and, most particularly, in politics.

‘The Inclusion-Exclusion Game’ establishes how inclusion and exclusion are used as a marketing tool in political scenarios around the world.

‘Reality Plus’, first published in 2008 and then republished, exhibits how consumers, voters and fans are creatures of emotion and sentiment, who can be swayed more by Reality Plus than by reality – and facts are, unfortunately, no longer a necessity. .

‘Simulated Obsolescence’ explains how marketers can convince consumers that the product they use is obsolete, when it isn’t. .

‘The Afghanistan Syndrome’ reveals how perceptions of reality can be mystifyingly different as one crosses geographical and other borders.

‘The Triple F Model’ – constructed by the author, comprising of Function, Functionality and Form – is used to deconstruct Steve Jobs' Apple.

In ‘The Mirror Maxim’, frailties, ordinariness, imperfections and handicaps become strengths when the Mirror Maxim is used skilfully. It repositions the competition as artificial and plastic, out of touch with the common person.

‘The Peddler of Soaps’

Anand Kurian wrote ‘The Peddler of Soaps’, a novel set against the world of media and advertising. The book found support among intellectuals, celebrities, newspaper editors and national award-winning actors; among them were Vir Sanghvi, Shabana Azmi, Shobhaa De and Tabu.

Sanghvi described ‘The Peddler of Soaps’ as ‘Deceptively simple, a contemporary, modern-day fable’; Azmi called it ‘The right book for these wrong times’.

In its review, India Today said, "It explores the tantalisingly complex issue of why multicultural societies lapse into violence and communal rioting."

Other reviewers, such as the Hindu, described it as "Beguilingly simple..." Critical reviewers and readers dubbed it as seemingly frothy but grim.

The book was on the India Today best-seller list.

Some keynote addresses

‘The Indian way’, a Keynote Convocation Address at MICA, Ahmedabad is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian way of life.  It was republished in the Business Standard. 

A Keynote Address at the International Conference on the ' Digital Economy: Impact, Challenges and Prospects ' (done online during the 2020 pandemic), examines the impact of the digital economy on education.

Significant research papers

' Life Expectancy and Working-Life Expectancy of Politicians-An Analysis ': Written with Sagar Dham, this research paper found that politicians in most countries tend to live longer and can expect to have a longer working span than the general population.

‘Effect of Country of Manufacture on Drug Branding’: Written with Abigael Mae Reyes Sy, this paper found that COM (Country of Manufacture) of drugs had a significant role in the perception of its efficacy.

‘Development of an Internationalisation Strategy for SMEs’: Written with Kreisler Pelagio S. Bautista, this paper explored the challenges faced by SMEs when they Development of an Internationalisation Strategy for SMEs wish to internationalise their operations and how they could overcome them.

Research papers on Singapore

‘Entrepreneurial Readiness in Singapore’: Written with Koon Lai Tan, the paper conceived and developed the Entrepreneurial Readiness Index that countries can use to measure themselves.

‘Adoption of Cashless Payments in Singapore’: Written with Khairina Zan and Sagar Dham, the paper investigates the challenges to the adoption of cashless payments in Singapore and possible solutions.

‘Social Media Marketing for SMEs in Singapore’: Written with Sabrina Ashokan and Sagar Dham, the paper analyses whether social media marketing can work to create up sales for SMEs.

Selected other writings

‘The Multinational Nuclear Family (MNF)’: The author, here, writes on the entry of MNFs - multinational nuclear families - using his own, as an example.

‘Coping with Success’: Written with Savita Apte, it deals with spouses, siblings and the pressures within, when success arrives.