Arjuna Did Not Aim at the Tree: The Discipline of Targeting

There is a small scene in the Mahabharata that every student has heard in some form.

Guru Dronacharya calls the young princes for an archery test. A wooden bird is placed on a tree. One by one, the princes are asked to take aim. Before allowing them to shoot, Drona asks each one, “What do you see?”

Some say they see the tree. Some see the branches. Some see the bird. Some see the sky around it. Then comes Arjuna.

“What do you see?” Drona asks.

“I see only the eye of the bird,” Arjuna replies.

That answer has stayed alive for generations because it is not only about archery. It is about focus.

In business also, many brands fail not because they are weak, but because they are looking at too many things at the same time. They see the tree, the branch, the leaves, the sky, the crowd, the competitor, the investor, the dealer and the discount scheme. Somewhere in that noise, they lose sight of the customer they are really meant to serve.

This is where targeting begins.

After identity, the next discipline in brand-building is knowing exactly whom the brand is for.

In meetings, this sounds simple. In practice, it is one of the most difficult decisions. Every business owner wants a larger market. Every sales team wants more customers. Every advertiser wants maximum reach. So when we ask, “Who is your target customer?” the usual answer is, “Everyone.”

Everyone is not a target. Everyone is a wish.

A brand that tries to speak to everyone often ends up speaking clearly to no one.

In brand management, we use three connected words: segmentation, targeting and positioning. Segmentation means dividing the market into meaningful groups. Targeting means choosing which group we will serve with priority. Positioning means deciding how we want to be remembered by that group.

The order matters. If we do not know the target, we cannot build the right position.

A restaurant near a college and a restaurant inside a five-star hotel both serve food, but they are not in the same business in the customer’s mind. One may be selling affordability, speed and hangout value. The other may be selling experience, service, status and occasion. The food matters in both places, but the target changes everything: menu, price, seating, music, staff behaviour, packaging, communication and even social media tone.

I have seen brands make this mistake often. They design a premium-looking product, price it for the mass market, advertise it like a youth brand, distribute it like a traditional product, and then wonder why the market is confused. The problem is not always the product. The problem is unclear targeting.

A clear target does not mean we reject everyone else. It means we know who comes first.

Take Royal Enfield in India. For years, it did not behave like a motorcycle for every rider. It built meaning around riders who wanted character, road presence, community and a sense of adventure. Many people could buy it, but the brand knew the kind of person it was speaking to. That clarity created a culture around the brand.

Wai Wai in Nepal is another useful example. It is eaten by children, students, trekkers, office workers and families. But at its heart, Wai Wai has always understood the snacking mind of the young and restless: quick, tasty, available, familiar and fun. Because it understood this behaviour, the brand became part of everyday moments, not just kitchen shelves.

In banking, the difference is even sharper. A bank may say it serves everyone, but a student opening a first account, an SME owner seeking working capital, a migrant family receiving remittance, and a corporate house managing large transactions do not see the bank in the same way. If the message is the same for all, it becomes dull for all. The smarter brand knows which segment it wants to win and builds sharper products and communication for that segment.

Targeting is not only demographic. Age, income, gender and location are useful, but they are not enough. Two people of the same age and income may buy completely different brands because their motivations are different.

One customer buys a phone for camera quality. Another buys for gaming. Another buys for battery life. Another buys because the brand signals status. If the brand understands only age and income, it may miss the real reason behind the purchase.

Good targeting goes deeper. It asks: What does this customer desire? What problem is he trying to solve? What fear is she carrying? What habit does this product enter? What social signal does this brand give? What pain is the customer willing to pay to remove?

This is why targeting is a strategic decision, not a media-planning formality.

Many business leaders think targeting is the job of the marketing department. It is not. Targeting affects the whole company. The product team must know the target. The sales team must know the target. The HR team must hire people who can serve that target. The finance team must understand what that target can pay. The service team must know what that target expects after purchase.

If a brand targets premium customers but delivers average service, the brand breaks. If a brand targets price-sensitive customers but keeps adding unnecessary costs, the brand struggles. If a brand targets youth but communicates like an old institution, the brand becomes invisible.

This is why Arjuna’s lesson matters. His greatness was not only in holding the bow. His greatness was in removing everything that did not matter at that moment.

Brands also need that discipline.

Before launching a campaign, ask: whose eye are we aiming at?

Before opening a new branch, ask: which customer are we trying to serve better?

Before changing packaging, ask: will our real customer notice and care?

Before spending on influencers, ask: do these people influence our target, or only entertain us?

The marketplace rewards focus. Not always immediately, but eventually. A focused brand becomes easier to design, easier to sell, easier to explain and easier to remember.

In Kurukshetra, the warrior who saw everything would hesitate. The warrior who saw the eye could act.

In the marketplace too, the brand that sees everyone remains busy. The brand that sees its real customer becomes powerful.

Brand Neeti

A brand cannot win by chasing everyone. It wins by knowing exactly whom it is meant for, understanding that customer deeply, and building every decision around that focus.