From Local to Loved, Building Iconic Brands in India

An year ago, one of our clients in Kerala started what most would call a side business. Rooted in tradition, the brand drew inspiration from Kerala’s culture and everyday lifestyle. At first, it served a small community. But today, it’s steadily growing into a recognizable name—expanding across cities, launching new products, and building a loyal base of repeat customers.

What changed? Branding.

From finding the right pricing strategy to collaborating with influencers who shared the same values, every step was intentional. When we recently launched their website, it wasn’t just about creating an online shop—it was about giving the brand a long-term home, a foundation for scaling and storytelling. This careful approach is what helped them shift from being a “local favorite” to becoming a brand that people actually love.

And this isn’t an isolated story. Look at Paper Boat, which turned nostalgic Indian drinks into a national phenomenon. Or Chumbak, which started as a quirky Bengaluru store and grew into a lifestyle brand. Even giants like Haldiram’s began as regional businesses before becoming iconic household names. The common thread? They invested in branding, not just visuals, but the deeper work of positioning, emotion, and customer connection.

In this article, we’ll explore how regional MSMEs can follow the same path—from local to loved—and why smart, human-first branding is the bridge that takes them there.

Why Branding Matters Beyond Logos and Colors

When most MSME founders in India think of “branding,” the first things that come to mind are logos, packaging, and maybe a catchy tagline. While these are important, they’re only the surface layer. A good-looking logo may catch attention—but it won’t build long-term loyalty on its own.

True branding goes much deeper. It answers three critical questions:

• What do we stand for? (your vision)

• How do we want to be remembered? (your positioning)

• Why should customers care? (your value and emotional hook)

At TCD, we’ve seen both successes and failures in branding projects over the years. The pattern is clear: businesses that treat branding as a “visual exercise” struggle to connect with their audience. On the other hand, those that see branding as a reflection of their vision and empathy for their customers build stronger, lasting relationships.

This is why we often tell our clients: branding is human work. It’s built on research, intuition, statistics—and above all, empathy. Machines can generate a logo in seconds, but they can’t understand what your customers truly need, or how they want to feel when they interact with your brand. That’s where the real work lies.

For MSMEs aiming to move from regional recognition to nationwide love, this shift in thinking is critical. Your goal isn’t to create visuals that you like—it’s to build a brand that your audience loves, trusts, and keeps returning to.

Step 1: Root Your Brand in Authenticity

If there’s one thing that sets loved brands apart from forgettable ones, it’s authenticity. Customers can sense when a business is trying too hard to copy trends or mimic competitors. But when your brand is deeply rooted in your culture, values, and story, it naturally builds trust.

For regional MSMEs, authenticity is a huge advantage. You already have a unique story to tell. Whether it’s the spices of Kerala, the handlooms of Tamil Nadu, or the snacks of Gujarat—your roots are your biggest branding strength. Instead of diluting that, showcase it.

Take our Kerala client’s journey. Their products were inspired by the traditions of their state, and that authenticity became their biggest differentiator. Instead of positioning themselves as “just another consumer brand,” they leaned into their heritage—telling stories through packaging, social media, and influencer collaborations. That made their brand relatable not just to locals, but also to a wider audience curious about Kerala’s culture.

Authenticity doesn’t mean staying small or regional forever. It means holding on to your essence even as you grow. Think of Paper Boat: while it became a national name, it never lost its nostalgic, Indian storytelling. Similarly, Amul, even as it scaled globally, stayed true to its positioning as the “Taste of India.”

For MSMEs, the lesson is clear: don’t try to be everything to everyone. Be proudly yourself—and let that become your brand’s strength.

Step 2: Get the Pricing and Market Fit Right

Branding isn’t just about how your product looks—it’s also about how it’s valued in the market. Pricing is one of the most powerful brand signals. Set it too low, and customers may think your product is cheap or low quality. Set it too high without justification, and you risk alienating your audience.

For MSMEs, this is where branding and strategy come together. The way you price your product should reflect your positioning and the perception you want to build.

Take our Kerala client again. One of the first steps we worked on with them was pricing. Their products had strong cultural value, but without the right positioning, they risked being seen as just another “local” offering. By carefully studying the market, consumer expectations, and competitor benchmarks, we helped them arrive at a pricing strategy that matched their brand identity. It wasn’t about being the cheapest—it was about being fair, aspirational, and consistent with the story they wanted to tell.

This is true for many successful brands. FabIndia, for example, doesn’t compete on low cost; it builds its brand on authenticity and craftsmanship, which justifies its premium. On the other hand, D-Mart positions itself as the go-to for affordability and consistency, and its pricing reinforces that identity.

The takeaway for MSMEs: your price is part of your brand. Treat it as a reflection of your value, not just a sales tactic. Get the market fit right, and customers will see your products as worth every rupee.

Step 3: Use the Right Influencers and Voices

In today’s digital-first world, word of mouth has evolved. While traditional referrals still matter, influencers have become powerful carriers of brand trust—especially for B2C businesses. But here’s the catch: not all influencers are right for your brand.

For regional MSMEs looking to scale, the choice of influencer should go beyond follower counts. It’s about finding people whose values and content align with your brand’s story. When your brand collaborates with voices that genuinely connect with their audience, the impact is far stronger than any paid campaign.

Our Kerala client leaned into this approach. Instead of chasing celebrities or mega influencers, they partnered with individuals who were rooted in culture, lifestyle, and authenticity. These voices spoke the same language as their customers, shared the same values, and introduced the brand in a way that felt natural. The result? A growing community that didn’t just buy the products once, but kept engaging with the brand over time.

Bigger brands have used the same strategy. Paper Boat worked with storytellers and digital creators who reinforced its nostalgic image, while small D2C skincare brands in India often use micro-influencers to establish credibility in niche audiences.

For MSMEs, the lesson is: don’t chase popularity, chase relevance. The right influencers amplify your story, making your brand feel less like an ad and more like a conversation.

Step 4: Build for Digital Expansion

For a regional MSME, the jump from “local recognition” to “national presence” often happens online. While word of mouth and physical retail remain important, your digital presence is what helps you scale beyond borders.

The first step in that journey is having a website. Social media pages are useful, but they’re borrowed spaces—you don’t own them, and algorithms can change overnight. A website, on the other hand, is your brand’s permanent home. It not only makes your business look credible but also gives you control over your story, design, and customer journey.

This was a critical move for our Kerala client. When we launched their website, it wasn’t just a catalogue of products—it was a carefully designed extension of their brand. It carried their story, highlighted their values, and served as the foundation for future growth. Today, that site is their anchor for campaigns, influencer collaborations, and new product launches.

Beyond websites, digital expansion also means:

• SEO and content marketing → helping new audiences discover your brand.

• E-commerce integration → making it easier for customers across India to buy.

• Social media as storytelling → not just posting product shots, but having consistent conversations with your audience.

Brands like Chumbak, which started small in Bengaluru, built their wider identity by investing heavily in online channels. Today, a big part of their audience discovered them digitally before ever walking into a store.

For MSMEs, the lesson is simple: digital isn’t an afterthought—it’s your highway to growth.

Step 5: Scale Without Losing Your Essence

Growth is every MSME’s dream—but it comes with its own risks. As businesses expand into new products, cities, or even countries, the danger of diluting their brand identity becomes very real. Customers may no longer recognize what the brand truly stands for if every new move feels disconnected from its original story.

This is where clarity of vision matters most. Scaling doesn’t mean changing who you are; it means taking your essence to a wider stage.

Our Kerala client, for example, has plans to expand into more cities and launch newer products. But at every step, the focus is on staying rooted in their brand’s cultural authenticity. New products aren’t random experiments—they’re extensions of the same story that made the brand loved in the first place. This consistency helps them build recognition and trust even as they grow.

Big Indian brands show how this works in practice:

• Amul expanded from dairy to a wide range of products, but always stayed true to its identity as “The Taste of India.”

• Haldiram’s scaled from a single sweets shop in Bikaner to a global food empire, yet continues to represent traditional Indian taste and quality.

For MSMEs, the key is this: scaling should feel like growth, not reinvention. If your brand’s foundation is strong, every new product or city should feel like a natural next chapter, not a brand-new story.

TCD Insight: Branding is Human at Its Core

At TCD, we’ve often seen business owners confuse branding with design. A sleek logo, trendy colors, and modern fonts may look good—but they don’t make a brand loved. True branding is about people, not just visuals.

A brand is built on vision, positioning, research, statistics—and above all, empathy. This human layer is what makes the difference between being noticed and being remembered.

We believe branding is less about creating something you personally love, and more about building something your audience loves. That means:

• Talking to your customers directly.

• Engaging with them through social media conversations.

• Collaborating with influencers who echo your values.

• Designing experiences that make people return, not just buy once.

This isn’t necessarily expensive—but it does demand time, consistency, and patience. When you invest in these human connections, your brand stops being “just another product” and starts becoming part of your customer’s life.

That’s when you move from being local… to being loved.

Conclusion

Every iconic brand you know today—whether it’s Amul, Haldiram’s, or Paper Boat—started as a local business. What helped them grow wasn’t just great products, but the ability to connect with people on a deeper level.

For Indian MSMEs, the journey from local to loved isn’t about having the biggest budget or the flashiest logo. It’s about:

• Authenticity → staying rooted in your story.

• Smart positioning and pricing → so customers see your true value.

• Right voices and influencers → who amplify your message with credibility.

• Digital expansion → creating a brand home online.

• Scaling with consistency → growing without losing your essence.

At TCD, we’ve seen how these steps can transform a side business into a powerful brand that resonates with people across cities and markets. Branding isn’t a one-time activity—it’s an ongoing conversation with your audience.

So if you’re an MSME founder dreaming of building something bigger, remember: your goal isn’t just to be known. Your goal is to be loved. And that begins with branding done the right way.