Strategies for Brand India

President Barack Obama bows in the East Room of the White House in Washington on

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009, after lighting an oil lamp in observation of Diwali.

BUSINESS SCHOOL AFFAIRE Brand India –Strategies & Perspectives

WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH

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Details

Team Members Sandeep Aggarawal, Vedant Bagri, Anandita Bakshi

Institute Name We School (Welingkar Institute of Management

Development & Research)

Institute Address

Lakhamshi Napoo Road, Near Matunga (Central Rly.),

Mumbai- 400 019.

Tel.: 91-22-24178300

Fax: 91-22-24105585

Email [email protected]

Phone +91-9960560935

Contest BUSINESS SCHOOL AFFAIRE 2010

Theme “Brand India –Strategies & Perspectives”

Maximum Words 2500



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Table of Contents

Introduction to Brand India

Brand India Assets

Branding Strategy

Insights & Conclusion

Bibliography



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1. Introduction

In spite of the phenomenal strides India has made in the last 63 years it is still viewed as a

land of snake charmers, elephants and rope tricks. Branding or re- Branding India is the

only way out!

India as a Brand

Brand India Image:

Image is considered as how one perceives a brand, having

successfully launched numerous campaigns for branding

INDIA, right from Incredible India to India poised there is

still lot needed to be done.

As a branding strategy it is of utmost importance that Brand

identity and Brand image must coincide as much as possible.

Brand Identity:

Identity is what we want to create for our Brand India. There

are both positive and negative perception exists in the minds

of people both outside and within India.



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2. Brand India Assets

MOOD BOARD OF BRAND INDIA



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Indian Assets:

Culture:

“AtitihiDevoBhava”: We believe in treating guests as god and so we serve them and take

care of them as if they are a part and parcel of our family itself.

“Aadar”: Respect all is another lesson that is taught to every Indian. Also whenever any

elder is present we always believe in seeking their blessings before going ahead with our

work.

“Saahita”: We believe joy and happiness when distributed amongst people tends to have

a multiplied effect and we also share our sadness and pain with near and dear ones. We

believe in lending out a helping hand to people and believe in the spirit of togetherness.



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Spirituality and Divinity:

India since ages has been a very religious land. Even though the mediums of worship

differ to a great extent what binds all of Indians together is the faith in God. Chanting

shlokas and mantras i.e. chants that can evoke positive energy in life are a commonplace

here. The rich culture of yoga as a part of life and the goodness of ayurveda has now got

an universal lifestyle approach. Our roots are strong and despite the westernization and

access to technology. We still celebrate festivals like Diwali or Eid with complete rituals

so the Indianness is intact. Indians are extremely secular and especially in the metros you

will find people belonging to different castes coexisting peacefully and happily.

Indian People and Religion:

The language, dance, religions, music, various customs and architecture form the rich

culture of India. Religious culture of India is one of the most diverse in the whole world.

It has been the birthplace of various religions of the world, which include Hinduism,

Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Some other important religions like Christianity,

Muslims, Jews, Parsis are also representative of the religious culture of India.

India is a land of various languages. Every state of India is representative of the

respective language culture. One of the oldest languages of India is Sanskrit, which dates

back to 1500 BC.

Industry:

The major economic sectors in India are the Agricultural Sector, Manufacturing Sector,

Financial Sector, Services Sector, Industrial sector and infrastructure. Agricultural sector

is the mainstream of the Indian Economy and it accounts for about 20% of our GDP.

While the Financial Sector is doing a great job of supporting the Indian Economy in all

spheres, the manufacturing sector is taking the Indian Economy to new heights.



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Agriculture

India is seen as a land of agriculture though we also want to convey that through

scientific innovation we have revamped the entire agriculture landscape, revolutions like

green & yellow revolution to the current genetically modified seeds.

India ranked 10th

when it comes to arable land of about 330 million hectares

India is the largest producer of coconuts, mangoes, bananas, milk and dairy

products, cashew nuts, pulses, ginger, turmeric and black pepper.

World’s second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, cotton, fruits and

vegetables

Manufacturing

India is poised to become one of the largest

manufacturing hub. The Industrial Production (IIP) index

quick estimates data for April 2010 shows a growth of

19.4 per cent in the manufacturing sector as compared to

April 2009. The cumulative growth during April-March

2009-10 over the corresponding period of 2008-09 is 10.9

per cent, according to the Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation.

India is ranked 9th

in Industrial production by

UNIDO.

India’s Exports from SEZ grew by 122% to

US$49.5 billion as per ministry of commerce.

India is the only country after Japan which has the

largest number of companies that have been

recognized for the excellence in quality by Japan

Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) committee.



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Services

India is hardly pausing for a breath when it comes to services; India is now proudly the

capital of IT.

Services sector (financial and non-financial) attracted foreign direct investments (FDI)

worth US$ 4.4 billion between April and March 2009-10 while the cumulative FDI

between April 2000 and March 2010 has been US$ 23.6 billion, which accounts for 21

per cent of the total FDI inflow.

India is now the world IT capital.

Fastest growing telecom market with over 630 million subscribers and growing at

a rate of 26% year after year.

Infrastructure

Post liberalization India is one of fastest growing economies, a mature government at

center with a clear focus on development.

Outlaying 173552 INR in the union budget of

2010 for infrastructure development.

Vision of increasing capacity of major and

non-major ports in the country to 1.5 billion

tones by 2012.

India stands 9th

largest civil aviation market

in the world and poised to be the 5th

largest in

next five years as per The Union Minister of

State for Civil Aviation, Mr. Praful Patel.

Railways reported an increase of 9.69 per

cent in its total earnings at US$ 1.62 billion.

Approval for converting 10,000 km of state

roads to national highways has been given by

the Empowered Group of Ministers (Ego).

estimated expenditure on the project is

around US$ 3.3 billion.



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Space Technology

Successfully developed satellite launch vehicles like PSLV series.

Developed cryogenic engine for rocket propulsion, putting India in the elite club

of only five nations having the technology.

Most coveted mission chadrayan- The unmanned lunar exploration program.

Fire Power

World’s 3rd

largest standing military

Nuclear triad capability

Development of missile shield

Successful homegrown missile technology of all categories surface to air, air to

air, water to surface, underwater. Nag, Prithvi, Agni, Brahmos to name few

India in the elite club of nations having Nuclear capable submarines



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3. Branding Strategy

Prior to designing the brand strategy India must choose the markets and the segments in

which to compete. The branding strategy is about marketing to promote India’s image,

products, and attractiveness for tourism and foreign direct investment.

To establish India as a global brand, the communication needs to

go out first to each and every Indian. Campaigns like Bharat

Nirman, India Shinning, India Poised are examples in this

endeavor.

It also have to include a series of

coordinated marketing initiatives like

Incredible India that will use

conventional methods like advertising

and must be an integrated marketing

and communications campaign. It is a

long-term, cumulative effort and relies

on the competitive advantage of India.

The primary channel for these tools is

advertising in the press, airline and

travel magazines, television, etc. It is

necessary to integrate and coordinate

these communication channels to

deliver a simple, coherent and

compelling message on the country.



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Country branding efforts should be an engaging partnership between the

government and the private sector. To build positive economic perceptions of

India globally as a primary objective India Brand Equity Foundation

(IBEF), a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Commerce and

Industry, Government of India, and the Confederation of Indian Industry was

formed.

Brands are perceived differently indifferent countries and region adapt its

strategy for different target markets. Visual images, symbols or a logo

helps in building brand awareness.

On domestic front we have to maintain

consistency by coordinating and

integrating city and state brands within

our larger goal of branding India.

Strong partnerships between the

representatives of state and ministries

will drive alignment and coherence in

brand communication efforts.

“Kerala Tourism” bagged several

international, national & state awards

which made a super brand in tourism

and hospitality.

“Incredible India” is an example of umbrella

logo used to leverage everything together in the

eyes of the country and the world.



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The four dimensions of country branding will underpin the umbrella concept while

ensuring a consistency in overall Brand communication.

Tourism Branding

Tourism branding should be based on segmentation which can be made based on regions,

consumer needs, attractions, areas, seasons etc. Different aspects of Indian culture and

history like yoga, spirituality were showcased via this campaign. Also the fact that in

spite of attracting only a fraction of number of tourists that China managed to lure India

was able to earn around half of what China could thus indicating the importance of

targeting and segmenting.

India is projected to become the fifth fastest

growing business travel destination from 2010-

2019. Hence services like hospitality and

infrastructure should design their products and

services to meet the needs of this high end

clientele.



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Medical tourism will generate revenues worth US$ 2.4 billion by 2012. Thus specific

campaigns needed to develop creating awareness of the highly affordable advanced

medical services available and also alternate therapies such as Ayurveda which India

specializes in can be promoted through several campaigns.

Tourism also offers a unique opportunity to turn tourists into loyal customers for India’s

export products and services.

World Recognition

Branding exercise is also to ensure that India will now be viewed in world map in a

manner which it truly stands for and break the myths and perceptions that work against it

currently. In order to gain international influence and respect which India aspires for, it

can leverage its unique classical art to sports to now-so-popular Bollywood to the super-

normal economic growth, the cultural heritage to the world. Signing treaties with

countries will help in leveraging other countries brands to improve India’s global

standing.

Export Promotion

There is humongous opportunity to improve the export image of India .For achieving this

greater role must be played by government and trade associations to coordinate and

promote India’s export products. This is especially important because country of origin

operates in the minds of consumers like a brand name and is a key influencer in changing

a purchasing decision.

India must audit every product to ensure it delivers the promised level of performance. It

can project itself as value shopping destination. To increase awareness trade fairs should

be organized by its network of trade offices overseas on regular basis.



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Investment Promotion Activities

In 1991, India liberalized its highly regulated FDI regime which resulted in increased

inflows of FDI during the decade of the 1990s. Despite this the volume of FDI is

relatively low compared to other developing countries.

Macroeconomic stability, stable exchange rates, political stability, transparent policy and

a overall stable economic environment are some of the key factors that India has been

able to boast off in past few years. Branding promotions must harp upon these factors and

bring forth India in spotlight it truly deserves!

Social Media and Web

The importance of a one-stop country website is paramount because it gives the reflection

of the country’s commitment to customer service in that internet users only have to visit

one website to obtain all the information they need.

With hundreds of countries competing for attention in consumers’

minds, a one-stop website becomes an essential tool of India’s

branding effort. Website should have an attractive design, ease of

use and user-friendly interface. India should leverage the power of

social media and its large audience to promote its brand.



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4. Insights and Conclusion

The entire Branding strategy must be well rooted and we must present what we truly are

and not what we aspire to be. A brand audit must be conducted ensuring every piece of

communication going via the campaign is authentic and has a basis.

Successful country branding does not stop with the launching of a successful campaign.

You have to sustain the campaign by monitoring it, checking the Brand equity and then

going for relevant brand extensions as time progresses.

Do not hover around just one asset in fact use multiple hook points in creating Brand

India as a synergic attitude will strengthen the brand.

Nation and departmental brandings have a wide range of stakeholders who use numerous

channels to reach diverse audience. It’s thus difficult to encapsulate a multifaceted entity

into a distilled brand.

Every one of the billion plus citizens is a stakeholder in Brand India so there should be a

strong Brand awareness within citizens before launching the campaign globally.

While launching a new brand into the market is a daunting task, what is further more

daunting is repositioning India as a brand since here we have to change the already

established perceptions in the minds of consumers and make way for fresh new

perspectives.

Consistency is a key aspect of successful branding. We need to ensure that the

communication used in every branding dimension fits seamlessly into the overriding

umbrella concept.



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While the current scenario of India looks encouraging, we must not rest on the laurels of

limited number of people and companies. Steps must be taken to grab and consolidate on

the opportunities that might present themselves in the near future. We should not forget

that despite the fact that India is attracting foreign investment and scenario is bright, India

still has a huge backlog of economic and social challenges that needs to be addressed.

Brand India with all the opportunities and growing sectors fused with fresh blood seems

to be the next Big thing. All it requires is a 360 degrees Branding effort to revamp it

while keeping its core Indianness safe and intact and make a mark in the Global arena

forever!



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5. Bibliography

India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF)

Business Week

Business Standard

Websites

http://www.bharatnirman.gov.in/

http://www.incredibleindia.org/index.html

http://www.keralatourism.org/

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

http://www.bharatnirman.gov.in/

http://www.incredibleindia.org/index.html

http://www.keralatourism.org/

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Education

Strategies for Brand India