Author Subramanian Krishnan suggests what really matters for brands is the time consciousness of the culture they operate in.
Chronos personifies time. Like most Greek gods, he is depicted as an old, wise man with a long beard. He (he/she/it) represents the inexorable passage of time and its progression from the past to future. He (he/she/it) is the symbol of a powerful, inevitable force that governs the life cycle of all beings and the universe itself.
And this is where things get interesting.
Monochronic and polychronic cultures represent two different approaches to time. And, one can argue that this extends to life itself.
In monochronic cultures, people value punctuality, schedule adherence, and completing tasks sequentially. Time is viewed as a linear commodity that can be segmented and managed. Switzerland is considered as exhibit A for a monochronic culture.
Conversely, polychronic cultures emphasize flexibility, multitasking, and the importance of relationships over rigid schedules. In these cultures, time is perceived as fluid, and it’s common to juggle multiple activities simultaneously while prioritizing social interactions over strict adherence to schedules. Any Indians in the room?
Now this simple overarching concept of Chronos affects everything from our mealtimes to the way we appreciate art, how we enjoy music and our idea of what is funny.
Allow me to start with the funny.
Humor in monochronic cultures is structured and subtle. It is well-timed and context specific. Classically, such humor would employ clever wordplay or puns, it would be light-hearted but would never be offensive or disrespectful. In such cultures, a gentle discreet laugh with a effeminate clap would be the response to a great joke.
But humor in polychronic cultures is loud, relational and exaggeratedly expressive. It is integrated into the everyday, reflecting the vibrancy of its culture. It would borrow from life, making human observations from relatable scenarios into subjects for a rowdy laugh. It would be spontaneous, over-the-top, borderline offensive and strongly emotional.
Similarly, the idea of cuisine and meals are a slave to our consumption of time.
Monochronic cultures often have structured and scheduled approaches to meals. A five-course meal would have one course follow the other with a strict schedule and order to the courses. Imagine the blasphemy of having a dessert before the soup! Health benefits rule the monochronic world. Carbs, proteins, fibre and fat need to be in proportion. The wine needs to go with the food. And the balance of it needs to be an individual experience. Sharing a meal would be highly frowned upon in such environments.
On the other hand, polychronic cultures view meals as important social events and opportunities for relationship building. They celebrate the communal aspects of meals. The meal is messy, the portions are family-size, everybody digs in and there is loud joy all around. There is no real sequence, and everything is served in one go. The Indian thali is a celebration of circularity. Ethiopian meals are an even better representation. The Beyainatu (literally means ‘a little bit of everything’) is served on a communal plate full of injera bread. Such meals celebrate the traditional culture and family stories around the meal. Mealtimes themselves are flexible and spontaneous. Any time can be a mealtime when people meet up and share a table.
Just like food, music is not the same to every ear.
Monochronic Cultures approach music with a rigid emphasis on structure, schedules, and individual experience. The idea of a ‘playlist’ suggests a sequencing, the importance of a structured musical experience. Classical western music needs a conductor to navigate the symphony through the team of musicians. At the core of it, music is an individualized experience, it is personalized and solitary. Ear-pods, anyone?
Polychronic cultures are quite different from this perspective. They view music as a communal activity that enhances creative interactions. They do have an underlying structure (ragas), but its role is to provide a stimulus for creativity that makes for flexible and spontaneous musical experiences. Such experiences (aka jugalbandi) prompt sharing and discovery, almost feeling like an impromptu jam session. The chemistry between the musicians, each adept at their instrument and yet learning at that moment from each other, creates a divine experience.
While my understanding of the theory of art is rather limited, one can assume some similarity to music.
Creation of art in monochronic cultures may be seen as an individual pursuit, with most artists working alone in isolated studios to achieve a specific vision. However, polychronic cultures who view time as fluid and multi-dimensional, would see art as being more fluid and dynamic, with less emphasis on strict structure and more on organic development. Artistic creation is often a communal activity, with multiple people contributing to the process and the final piece. More importantly, art is (mostly) not a commercial pursuit but deeply integrated into daily life and social practices. Imagine a woman drawing a rangoli outside her home or a family singing a bhajan together at dusk. A similar experience in a church would be placidly listening to a group of choir boys instead.
With food, music and art covered, can religion be far away?
One wonders if there are close parallels between monochronism:polychronism and monotheism:polytheism?
Monotheism recognizes the existence of only one god with centralized worship and emphasis on a unified, singular source of moral and spiritual guidance. It is often associated with religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. On the other side, polytheism believes in the existence of multiple gods. It is devoted to a pantheon of deities, each with distinct roles and attributes. It emphasizes diverse spiritual experiences and multiple sources of guidance. Good examples of polytheism are religions like Hinduism, ancient Greek and Roman religions, and indigenous belief systems.
Can you see where one is going with this?
Both monochrony and monotheism emphasize singularity, while polychrony and polytheism embrace multiplicity. Both monochrony and monotheism often prioritize order, structure and unified doctrine. Alternatively, polychrony and polytheism value flexibility and diversity.
Monochronic cultures structure time and daily routines. Similarly, monotheistic religions often prescribe a structure to worship. Islam believes in five prayers a day. Christians are diligent about their Sunday Mass. The flexibility of polychronism makes polytheistic religions have a rich tapestry of rituals, myths, and deities to permeate every day traditions.
Push this logic a bit further.
Advaita, a Sanskrit term meaning “non-duality,” is a philosophical concept in Hinduism that espouses the belief in the fundamental oneness of all reality. At its core, it believes that the individual soul and the ultimate God are one. It proposes that any perceived duality is an illusion (maya). The philosophical concept that is often considered the opposite of Advaita is Dvaita, meaning “duality,” It asserts that there is a fundamental distinction between the individual human soul and the ultimate God reality.
It can be interpreted that monochronic cultures believe in duality while polychronic cultures believe in singularity (non-duality).
Is it a surprise that, in science, “singularity” refers to a point where certain quantities become infinite or undefined, often indicating a breakdown in our understanding of physical laws?
At the point in the article, you can let me know if you think I am smoking something illegal.
But it would also be appropriate to ask, “So, what does all of this have to do with brands and marketing”?
Monochronic cultures, such as those in the United States, Germany, and Japan, value punctuality, detailed planning, and a linear approach to time. In such cultures, it would be de rigeur to highlight the brand’s commitment to efficiency while positioning them as tools to enhance productivity. Such brands would build a reputation for consistency and dependability. Brand managers in such cultures would have detailed customer personas and journey maps, minutely and precisely designing the customer’s engagement at each touch point.
However, polychronic cultures (such as India) emphasize relationships, flexibility, and a more holistic approach to time. In such scenarios, it would be better off for brands to foster strong personal relationships with customers, engage with their communities and reward long-term relationships. The brand would promote customization and adaptability to individual circumstances and preferences. It would create campaigns through story telling that emphasize the brand’s role in enhancing overall well-being while using emotionally resonant messaging and narratives around shared values, cultural traditions, and community spirit.
It can be generalized that brands in monochronic cultures focus on what they do. In comparison, brands in polychronic cultures are consumed on how they feel. Monochronic brands are rationally explicit while polychronic brands are emotionally implicit. Monochronic brands are content heavy while polychronic brands are context sensitive.
In a nutshell, when the brand is a perception in the minds of its consumers, what really matters is the time consciousness of the culture it operates in.
As Rudyard Kipling said in his poem ‘The Ballad of East and West’ (first published in 1889), “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat”.
To those who have travelled with me so far, some of you would be asking w.t.f. is Kairos that finds mention in the title?
Well, the Greeks had two words for time. Chronos is the time we usually keep an eye on. The other word is Kairos.
Kairos symbolizes our participation in time. Time that moves us so that we lose our sense of time; timeless time; moments at which the clocks seem to stop. It’s the time with which we feel oneness. It is the opposite of time where one feels outside of it, watching it with trepidation.
While monochronic cultures may accept Chronos, I propose that polychronic cultures believe in Kairos instead of Chronos. Now you get to decide the time you choose to live by.
Are you a Chronos slave or a Kairos baby?
