The Hindu Business Line : Brand India re-visited

BRAND India is one of those things that keeps turning up on the mental radar screen. A blip that appears is examined and then probably stored somewhere along with the gigabits of information we think about everyday.

Jairam Ramesh spoke about Brand India at the recently concluded Brand Summit at Chennai and dragged the subject back onto the table.

We owe him a debt of gratitude for that. He spoke about a "cafeteria of smaller or sub-brands" that need to be built in order to project Brand India. The dazzling array of verbiage on display to communicate an age-old idea is absolutely amazing. I guess in order to communicate something effectively, a different set of interesting words do have a novelty value and fire the imagination of an audience that sits dazed through hours of presentation on the same subject ten times a year.

Mr Ramesh is, of course, absolutely right. However, the subject is of such critical importance that it might not hurt to re-visit it and see what has been happening.

Firstly, the need for a good, positive, robust Brand India cannot be overstated. It is also a fact that the image of a country is the sum total of a bewildering number of images the world is treated to and all these collectively form something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Take the classic instance of France. To me, it is a fantastic creation of a marketer. The champagne, the cognac, the wine, the perfumes, the nouvelle cuisine, the haute couture, the image of a very culturally advanced and artistically inclined nation are all carefully built up. Everything has an air about it. Even the language and the exaggerated Gallic shrug. Whatever the Americans might say, even they are in awe of the French and would gladly put down large parts of their weakening dollars to sip a little cup of café au lait at a sidewalk on the Champs Elysees. Anywhere else in the world a sidewalk café is just that. Only in gay Paris has it a romantic ring, and an accompanying price to pay. Notice how many people use a sprinkling of French words in everyday English (this column uses it just to illustrate a point) and consider how many people have any idea what these words mean. It is all part of a grand plan which positions Brand France as tres exclusive. The point to note is that there is a mutual rub-off between French brands and Brand France. Each complimenting the other. Moët & Chandon, Dior, Chanel, Bordeaux, Louis Vuitton, Faberge do as much for the French image as the overall image of France does for them.

Similarly Sony, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Canon, to name a few, do a lot to position Japan as a great powerhouse of technology and quality and now Japan Inc can reap the benefits that go with the overall image that Japanese quality is very much something people take for granted.

Now let's see how Brand India is being perceived outside India. To begin with, what are the images that foreigners see about India? The Union Government puts out the Incredible India campaign. This is, of course, a much-needed attempt to showcase the fantastic diversity that is available to the foreign tourist. The images of balmy beaches, snowy mountains, verdant waterways, the Taj Mahal shimmering in the soft light of a full moon and the smouldering eyes of a tiger in the wild are all very important tourism-related images that the foreigner should see.

The national airline is another image that many countries use to great effect. Singapore Airlines and British Airways tell us something about the countries whose flags they fly. In this context, Air India has been a liability for Brand India. When Jet Airways touches down in London and New York, it will be carrying the image of India with it, and one is confident that it will be something positive and vibrant. Yet, I hope that Jet is seen as an `Indian' carrier. I am not sure whether Jet would share my sentiment, but in the initial stage it is the little sub-brands of India that must hold aloft the flame and with each subsequent torch that is lit, the glow would spread to the mother brand and get reflected in return as well.

Indian industry has been doing a magnificent job but what about the images that it projects? Sure, Tetley is owned by Tata and it makes me proud; yet, Tetley is not seen as an Indian brand abroad. I heard an executive of Tata Motors pull himself up to his full height at the AdAsia 2003 and make the fantastic point that Tata cars are purring down the streets of England. He did not have to add, and so didn't, that they go under the brand name of Rover. Sure, we are then a great OEM, but not an Indian brand. This is the case with Flag Telecom and the German forgings company taken over by Bharat Forge and the Korean truck manufacturer owned by Tatas. Towering industrial achievements no doubt, but very small drops in creating Brand India.

So what images would foster this dream of Brand India? Tata Indica cars (forget the desultory Rover badge) on the roads of the UK. Tata trucks, not Daewoo, on European autobahns. More business delegations that visit the Infosys campus and understand that India is adding value and not just "Bangaloring" their labour force. Some more L. N. Mittals. The multinational Aditya Birla Group advertising campaign being seen in foreign countries as well. The sight of Narain Kartikeyan burning up the F1 circuits in Europe with the Ashoka Chakra emblazoned on his helmet. Sania Mirza taking on the world at Roland Garros or Wimbledon. Our articulate Finance Minister taking the stage in more international events. More Demings to Venu Srinivasan, Anand Mahindra and the like. An Oscar for an Indian movie. Aishwarya Rai in a stunning classical Indian khadi and silk outfit (we dropped our clothes trying to ape the West, maybe they will pick them up) and some home-grown quality-conscious Indian brands hitting the international shelves.

And one image. The sight of ordinary Indians abroad as students, tourists or on business, self-assured and quietly confident of what they truly are and what they definitely will be.

Too much to ask for? It's already happening my friends.

(The author heads Canco Advertising.)

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