Presents
The Solan Brand Retreat
An immersive workshop on the future of branding in the age of AI
An initiative of Storm The Norm Academy &
Shoolini University
23rd to 25th October 2026
Solan, Shoolini University
ABOUT THE RETREAT
Branding and Marketing in the
Age of AI
We are living through a profound paradox in marketing. The very technologies that promised to give brands an edge — AI-powered personalisation, data-driven optimisation, automated messaging at scale — have become so universally accessible that they now produce the opposite effect: convergence. When every brand has access to the same intelligence and the same tools, differentiation through efficiency alone becomes a race to the bottom. The playing field has not just levelled; it has flattened entirely.
And yet, within this paradox lies the greatest commercial opportunity available to marketers today. In a world of endless, optimised, algorithmically perfect choice, emotion is what creates preference. Trust, consistency, and a brand personality that cannot be reverse-engineered from a dataset are the only assets that AI cannot simply democratise away.
This three-module workshop is built on that conviction. It moves participants through the strategic, the narrative, and the practical — from rethinking what brand differentiation even means in an AI-driven market, to mastering the storytelling craft that makes a brand genuinely memorable, to getting hands-on with AI as a creative collaborator rather than a threat. The goal is a new kind of marketer: one who is technologically fluent, strategically grounded, and deeply, irreducibly human in how they build brands that last.
An Initiative of
PRESENTED BY
PROGRAMME FACILITATORS AND SPEAKERS 2026
Get insights, tools and frameworks from highly successful and experienced brand practitioners who have worked on a multitude of well-known brands across industries and geographies.
Anisha Motwani
FOUNDER STORM THE NORM
BRAND & STRATEGY EXPERT, AUTHOR
Ameen Haque
FOUNDER STORYWALLAHS
MASTER STORYTELLER
Narayan Devanathan
President & Chief Strategy Officer
South Asia, dentsu
FIRE - SIDE CHAT
Exclusively for Bhutan Brand Retreat attendees
Exclusively for Bhutan Brand Retreat attendees
Guest Speaker:
Arun Kapur
DIRECTOR AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, BHUTAN
Guest Speaker:
Rohit Bansal
GROUP HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
Date: 16th April 2025
Venu: Druk Gyalpo’s Institute, Paro
KEY DISCUSSION AREAS
BRAND PURPOSE & BUSINESS SUCCESS
A Company’s Brand Purpose must be more than a mere slogan or a ‘good-to-have’ statement if it’s to be an effective driver of growth. In fact, it should ideally be the kind that empowers an organization to hold itself accountable with transparency and be true to its core values.
The ‘why’ of purpose can resonate deeply with consumers and provide a trusted ‘north star’ to guide strategic decision-making. This is certainly an area ripe for more rigorous discussions & an opportunity to shape your organization’s BRAND PURPOSE with a straight commercial advantage.
In this session of the workshop, we will focus on helping you craft your organisation’s aspirational-packed purpose that will be the galvanizing force in driving all your business actions. A corporate purpose that is grounded in humanity and inspires a call to action; one where sustainable profit is a natural outcome for the business.
DEMYSTIFYING THE SCIENCE UNDERLYING BRAND POSITIONING
Having crafted an inspiring purpose, and arrived at a strong narrative, the next step will be to help bring alive that purpose in the marketplace in a manner that strongly positions your company’s offering as a uniquely differentiated product/service with a strong consumer value proposition. All things equal, effective positioning is often the difference between a thriving business and one that gets lost in the sea of competition.
Through a structured & scientific process, this session will help you understand the key building blocks of the strategic positioning process and the relevance of data & insights in crafting a strong brand positioning.
LEARN WHY BRAND STORYTELLING IS THE FUTURE OF MARKETING
Brand storytelling is no longer a nice to have. It is a need to have, and what will ultimately maximize your business’s productivity & profitability.
In our fast-paced, digital age, human connection is a rare gem. To stand out, businesses must forge meaningful relationships with their audiences. Enter brand storytelling—a powerful tool that blends facts and emotions into a compelling narrative..
Transform your marketing approach by making storytelling a foundational element. Join our workshop to discover how to create a captivating brand narrative that boosts visibility, drives profit, and leaves a lasting impact!
THE LAST DIFFERENTIATOR Brand Strategy for an AI-Driven Market
Brand Strategy for an AI-Driven Market
When every competitor has access to the same data, the same tools, and the same optimisation playbooks, strategy alone is no longer enough. This module challenges participants to reframe how they think about brand differentiation — moving away from feature-led positioning toward the deeper architecture of purpose, values, and emotional resonance. We explore why trust and consistency have become the new competitive moat, how to build a brand personality that is genuinely difficult to replicate, and what it means to treat branding as a strategic capability rather than a communications afterthought. Participants leave with a sharpened lens on what makes their brand not just visible, but irreplaceable.
Learning Outcomes
- Diagnose where your brand currently competes on capabilities (easily replicated) versus character (difficult to replicate) — and close the gap.
- Build a differentiation framework anchored in purpose, emotional connection, and consistency that holds up in an AI-saturated market.
- Reposition branding from a communications function to a core strategic asset within your organisation.
ELEVATE YOUR STORY The Architecture of Narratives That Cut Through
Everyone is a storyteller. We are surrounded by brand stories. Yet, we are also surrounded by bland stories. Very few cut through the clutter and make us sit up and talk about them.
How and where to find the stories worth telling? How to elevate the brand idea and positioning using storytelling?
Ameen will break down STORY for you so that you can elevate yours. He will also unpack how to simplify the complex. Using the story code, you should be able to tell a story in any medium, anywhere, of any duration (long format or super short).
Using AI to elevate your marketing. Live lab: hands on exercise.
Learning Outcomes
- Decode the structural elements of a compelling brand story and apply a repeatable storytelling framework across formats and durations.
- Identify the stories already living inside your brand — in your customers, your culture, your founding — that are waiting to be told.
AI AS A CREATIVE COLLABORATOR Elevating Your Marketing in Practice
AI is not here to replace the marketer. It is here to amplify the ones who know how to use it. This module moves beyond theory into a live, hands-on lab where participants experience firsthand how AI tools can accelerate ideation, sharpen messaging, personalise at scale, and unlock creative possibilities that would otherwise be time or resource-prohibitive. Crucially, the session is anchored in judgment — knowing when to let AI do the heavy lifting and when human instinct, cultural nuance, and emotional intelligence must lead. The goal is a new kind of marketing fluency: one that is technologically confident and deeply, irreducibly human.
Learning Outcomes
- Hands-on fluency with AI tools applied to real marketing tasks — ideation, copywriting, audience personalisation, and campaign concepting.
- Develop the editorial judgment to know when AI output is a launchpad and when it needs human instinct, cultural sensitivity, and creative courage to elevate it.
- Leave with at least one AI-assisted marketing asset built during the session that you can take back and deploy immediately.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
2. Build a differentiation framework anchored in purpose, emotional connection, and consistency that holds up in an AI-saturated market.
3. Reposition branding from a communications function to a core strategic asset within your organisation.
4. Decode the structural elements of a compelling brand story and apply a repeatable storytelling framework across formats and durations.
5. Identify the stories already living inside your brand — in your customers, your culture, your founding — that are waiting to be told.
6. Hands-on fluency with AI tools applied to real marketing tasks — ideation, copywriting, audience personalisation, and campaign concepting.
8. Develop the editorial judgment to know when AI output is a launchpad and when it needs human instinct, cultural sensitivity, and creative courage to elevate it.
9. Leave with at least one AI-assisted marketing asset built during the session that you can take back and deploy immediately.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Gain the skills to interpret and analyze data effectively, allowing you to extract valuable business truths that guide your branding efforts.
Master Messaging & Storytelling
Explore the latest concepts in messaging and storytelling that captivate audiences and strengthen brand loyalty.
Leverage Digital Tools
Understand how to incorporate digital tools into your brand-building strategies, enhancing your ability to connect with consumers in a meaningful way.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Founders of SME Start-ups
Mid to Senior Level Marketing Executives
Brand Heads and C-Suite Executives focusing on growth strategy
Why Attend?
This workshop is not just about learning; it’s about transforming your approach to branding. By participating, you will equip yourself with the knowledge and skills needed to create impactful branding strategies that drive business growth and foster lasting connections with your audience
OUR UNIQUE APPROACH
Our workshop is designed to empower you to challenge your mental models, think creatively and break free from conventional approaches. During these dynamic days, you’ll engage in a highly interactive retreat that combines group collaboration with individual insights to create a tailored strategy for your brand. This workshop is not just about learning; it’s about transforming your approach to branding. By participating, you will equip yourself with the knowledge and skills needed to create impactful branding strategies that drive business growth and foster lasting connections with your audience
What Sets Us Apart
Innovative Templates & Visualization Techniques:
Developed by Storm The Norm Academy, these tools are designed to evoke lateral thinking and inspire innovative solutions that elevate your brand.
Expert-Led Sessions:
Learn from industry leaders Anisha Motwani, Ameen Haque, Narayan Devanathan and Dr. Amar Raj Singh, who will guide you through multiple case studies and real-life examples.
Opportunity
Opportunity to review & refine your brand blueprint with the experts.
Personalized Attention
With limited seats, you’ll benefit from deeper discussions and dedicated time with each expert.
Certification from the prestigious Shoolini University & Storm The Norm Academy
Earn recognition from Shoolini University.
Innovative Templates & Visualization Techniques:
Developed by Storm The Norm Academy, these tools are designed to evoke lateral thinking and inspire innovative solutions that elevate your brand.
Expert-Led Sessions:
Learn from industry leaders Anisha Motwani, Ameen Haque, and Atika Malik, who will guide you through multiple case studies and real-life examples.
Opportunity
Opportunity to review & refine your brand blueprint with the Experts
Personalized Attention
With limited seats, you’ll benefit from deeper discussions and dedicated time with each expert.
Certification of Participation
Earn recognition from both Storm The Norm Academy and PR Club.
Unlock your brand’s potential and stand out like never before!
Unlock your brand’s potential and stand out like never before!
SERENITY IN PARO VALLEY
Perched at 3,090 meters in the tranquil Paro Valley, Ozen Resort offers breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks like Jichu Drakye. Surrounded by timeless villages and pristine natural beauty, the resort is a serene sanctuary for relaxation and adventure.
Participant Sharings
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS OF THE RETREAT
Bhutan’s untouched natural beauty and deeply rooted traditions create a perfect backdrop for exploring and redefining your brand’s purpose. Let the Land of Happiness inspire you to build meaningful, impactful, and enduring brands.
Bhutanese Hospitality
Experience the warmth of Bhutanese culture through the centuries-old Chipdrel ceremony.
Archery Sessions
Engage in traditional archery with local experts, a cherished national sport.
Khuru Experience
Participate in a local Khuru session, learning the art of dart throwing from skilled locals.
Cultural Performances
Enjoy vibrant cultural song and dance performances that showcase Bhutan’s rich heritage each evening.
Monastery Visit
Take a guided tour of a nearby monastery, immersing yourself in the spiritual ambience of Bhutan.
Sound Bath
Relax and rejuvenate with a traditional Bhutanese sound bath, featuring soothing gong sessions that harmonize body and mind.
Glimpses
Getting here & Retreat logistics
- Delegates may fly into Chandigarh airport or arrive by train to Chandigarh from Delhi. From the train station or airport, the Shoolini campus is a two-hour drive.
- We have a welcome lunch on Friday, 23rd October from 1 PM to 2:30 PM followed by the sessions from 3 PM to 8 PM and then dinner.
- Next day the sessions run from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM with lunch and tea breaks.
- One may leave the resort anytime after breakfast or sunrise on Sunday, 25th October to catch a train or flight from Chandigarh.
- The distance between the campus and the resort is 6 kms, about a 15-minute drive.
- The university will provide transportation on 23rd evening as well as on 24th morning and evening between the campus and resort.
PROGRAMME PRICING
Retreat fee
INR 70,000/
+ GST per person
Covers lunch and dinner on 23rd October | Breakfast, lunch and dinner on 24th and Breakfast on 25th October
- Round trip flight: Delhi-Paro-Delhi
- Three nights stay in a single room at the luxurious Ozen Resort
- The retreat fee
- Gourmet meals (3 meals – 3 days)
- Airport transfers (in Bhutan)
- Special Bhutan attractions
Flight Details
- Onward journey on Druk Air KB203 -16APR Wednesday DEL-PBH 0500 0700
- Return journey on Druk Air KB202 – 19APR Saturday PBH-DEL 1155 1345
- Attendees should aim to be at New Delhi airport by 2 am on 16th
PROGRAMME PRICING
Price per participant
INR 2,47,800/
all inclusive.
- Round trip flight: Delhi-Paro-Delhi
- Three nights stay in a single room at the luxurious Ozen Resort
- The retreat fee
- Gourmet meals (3 meals – 3 days)
- Airport transfers (in Bhutan)
- Special Bhutan attractions
Flight Details
- Onward journey on Druk Air KB203 -16APR Wednesday DEL-PBH 0500 0700
- Return journey on Druk Air KB202 – 19APR Saturday PBH-DEL 1155 1345
- Attendees should aim to be at New Delhi airport by 2 am on 16th
