What Marketers Can Learn from Mahatma Gandhi

In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi walked nearly 400 kilometres from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi to protest the British salt laws. The march lasted 24 days and ended with Gandhi picking up salt from the seashore, an act of civil disobedience that became one of the most recognisable moments of India’s freedom struggle.

Of all the things Gandhi could have chosen to challenge British authority, why salt? It was an everyday necessity, used by everyone regardless of their economic or social background. The British monopoly and taxation on salt affected ordinary Indians, which made it an issue people could understand through their own experiences.

The Salt March demonstrated how an everyday object could communicate a much larger political issue. It is also an interesting example for marketers studying how ideas spread, how symbols acquire meaning and what encourages people to participate in a campaign.

On Gandhi Jayanti, there are a few lessons worth examining through the lens of modern marketing.

The power of a recognisable symbol

Think of the charkha and the first association that comes to mind is probably Gandhi and India’s freedom struggle. Khadi carries a similar historical association with swadeshi, self-reliance and the boycott of foreign goods.

These associations developed through years of consistent communication and public participation. Gandhi encouraged Indians to spin their own yarn, wear khadi and reduce their dependence on British-manufactured textiles. His own decision to wear simple clothing reinforced the message he was communicating.

In marketing, building such associations is one of the primary purposes of a recognisable brand identity. McDonald’s golden arches, Nike’s swoosh and Amul’s familiar mascot are examples of visual assets that people can identify without necessarily seeing the brand’s name.

However, a symbol becomes recognisable through repeated exposure and the meaning people attach to it. Creating an attractive logo or selecting a distinctive colour is only the beginning. Brands must consistently reinforce those associations through their products, communication and actions.

The charkha is an interesting historical example of how a familiar object can acquire meaning far beyond its original purpose.

Give people a reason to participate

One of the most interesting aspects of Gandhi’s campaigns was the emphasis on public participation. During the swadeshi movement, people could contribute by wearing khadi, spinning yarn or boycotting foreign cloth. The Salt Satyagraha also encouraged people across India to challenge the colonial salt laws.

These activities allowed people to express their support through actions that were accessible in their everyday lives.

Modern marketers can examine this principle when developing community-led campaigns. While a political struggle and a commercial campaign have fundamentally different purposes and stakes, both offer examples of how participation can help an idea spread.

Consider Spotify Wrapped, which gives listeners a personalised summary of their listening habits every year. Its popularity is partly driven by people voluntarily sharing their results on social media. Spotify provides the format, but its users contribute to the campaign’s visibility.

Similarly, campaigns built around user-generated content, personal experiences and community challenges give audiences an opportunity to contribute something of their own.

However, asking people to participate is rarely enough. There must be a compelling reason for them to spend their time and effort on the activity. It could be personal relevance, a sense of belonging, entertainment or an opportunity to express an opinion.

Marketers need to consider what audiences gain from participating and whether the activity has a meaningful connection to the campaign’s central idea.

Make complicated ideas easier to understand

The Salt Satyagraha was rooted in much larger questions of colonial exploitation, economic inequality and India’s right to self-governance. By focusing on salt, Gandhi brought attention to these issues through something that people encountered in their daily lives.

This approach offers an interesting lesson for brands that struggle to communicate complicated products or services.

Technology, healthcare and financial services companies, for example, often rely on technical terminology when explaining their offerings. While such information may be important, it can be difficult for consumers to understand how a product is relevant to them.

A cybersecurity company might explain its encryption technology in considerable detail, but a consumer may be more interested in knowing how the service protects their personal information. A financial services brand may discuss investment mechanisms when its audience is primarily concerned about saving for retirement.

Effective communication requires an understanding of what the audience already knows, what concerns them and how the information can be made accessible without sacrificing accuracy.

Gandhi’s choice of salt illustrates how a familiar subject can help people engage with a considerably more complicated issue.

What marketers can take away this Gandhi Jayanti

Today’s marketers have access to sophisticated technology, detailed audience insights and numerous channels through which they can communicate. Yet brands still struggle with familiar problems: making their messages memorable, encouraging participation and explaining their offerings in ways that people understand.

Gandhi’s use of khadi, the charkha and salt provides an opportunity to examine these challenges from a historical perspective. His campaigns were part of a political struggle, but their methods of communication offer useful material for anyone interested in how ideas reach large and diverse audiences.

Perhaps the most useful exercise for marketers this Gandhi Jayanti is to examine their own campaigns and ask whether the central message is clear enough for people to understand, remember and share.