The Hindu Business Line : Brand India revisited

If the brand value of a product is sometimes difficult to define and enumerate, the perception of a vast nation such as India is dependant on a host of factors. The exposure and experience of all these factors go to build Brand India.

Ratan Tata spearheaded his group’s takeover of Corus, indicating Indian industry is becoming a global force

We have been noticing a renewed interest in Brand India, though the couple of articles I have read in the international media have been less than flattering.

This made me walk down memory lane and glance once more at the milestones that have created this brand-perception parabola.

In the first 50 years following Independence, there seemed to be an excessive slant towards talk about the strengths of ancient India. India’s great past with its visionary thinkers, its great mathematical genius, its archaeological wonders and so on. The analysts of that time scoffed at this obsession and labelled it an attempt to gloss over the inadequacies of the present. After all, socialist policies, an exploding population, endemic corruption and a woeful lack of infrastructure had contributed to India being perceived by the world, and especially by Indians living abroad, as an international basket case.

Then came the IT revolution and suddenly Brand India was being shaped by the brilliant software engineers who helped position the country as one that was at the cutting-edge of technology. The automobile ancillary industries with their Demings, and companies such as Bharat Forge, Reliance Telecom and the Aditya Birla Group began acquiring companies abroad. The trickle became a flood in a few years and the Corus deal was a defining moment that firmly positioned India as a hungry entity with global aspirations, and the means to back it. Suddenly Brand India evoked emotions abroad that ranged from respect to even fear, for the first time in its history.

The points to be noted by people with a good memory were that population was still galloping. Demographics had just re-positioned it as a young nation. Corruption was still rampant and infrastructure was still woefully inadequate. Yet, India was the flavour of the season, and it could do no wrong.

Just seven months of a stock market slide and suddenly the demons are in the air again. There is talk about downgrading India’s credit rating and dark clouds seem to be gathering once again.

So what are the factors that could really keep Brand India shining?

The Incredible India campaign has and will no doubt help. The tourist attractions that India has to offer are a great draw and can not only ensure a steady inflow of dollars but also give people an experiential high. This would then hopefully be converted into word-of-mouth buzz and spread virally.

India, incredible in many ways: the country’s culture continues to fascinate

Sports and sportspersons are a great asset. Look what young tennis players have done for the former Soviet Bloc countries, and look what sporting events have done for Dubai. Our Vishwanathan Anand, Sania Mirza and even the Force 1 Team (India now has a presence on the Formula 1 circuit at least), the Paes-Mahesh combination (let’s hope they do well in the Olympics) and our cricket teams have done wonders for Brand India. People such as Sachin Tendulkar have raised the image of India manifold across the world. Our boxers, wrestlers, shooters and weight lifters who win us medals in international tournaments but go relatively unsung are doing their bit to project the image of India in the right perspective. The IPL brand in itself has got the international sporting world rubbing its eyes in disbelief. The top honchos of the NBA flew down to India to see for themselves what the IPL was all about. In the days to come this brand can only bolster the image of Brand India.

Indian industry, of course, has been a mainstay of the brand. Their heroics across sectors have not just made Mahindra, Tata, Infosys and Suzlon international names, but have also subliminally contributed to the progressive attributes of Brand India. As Indian industry spreads its reach across geographies, more and more people will begin to perceive India as an economic powerhouse. People such as Amartya Sen and R. K. Pachauri have given a new glow to the image of Brand India. They have contributed enormously to the perception that Indian intellect is an awesome power. The countless Indian doctors, professors and scientists in developed countries may be un-named and might even fight shy of being called Indians, but they contribute to the brand architecture of the country. Ageless icons such as Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore and Mother Teresa can never be forgotten. Bollywood has done its fair share to turn the spotlight on Brand India. The celebrities of tinsel town and their huge following amongst the diaspora have resulted in a massive increase in the awareness of Brand India.

One must keep in mind that if the brand value of a product is sometimes difficult to define and enumerate, the perception of a vast nation such as India is dependant on a host of factors, some little and others large. Yet, the exposure and experience of all these factors go to build what we could call Brand India.

Chess champion Vishwanathan Anand is one of the many sportspersons to do India proud

And then, of course, you have our democracy. Normally this has been one of the pillars of our image. The recent assault on the finest parliamentary traditions has made a mockery of the institution of democracy and seriously dented our image as a serious contender for global supremacy. We get the government we vote for, so this is a collective cross of shame we all have to bear.

At the end of the day we return to the feeling that no concerted attempt has been made to build and project Brand India. What goodwill has accrued is really the result of efforts made of individuals and corporates. Whatever goodwill has endured is in spite of our politicians and bureaucrats.

(Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant)

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