They are the latest Indophiles. Only that they happen to be brands. In recent times, there have been two noteworthy cases of international airlines that have tried to appeal hard to the Indian psyche.

One of them, the German carrier Lufthansa, would like you to believe that the brand is ‘more Indian than you think’.

The other, British Airways, tries to lure the pardesi (Indian expat) back into his mother’s arms, never mind if this is a scene one is used to seeing in Hindi films. But when British Airways launched a big digital campaign, less than a year back, it was Maa ke haath ka khana (mum’s cooking) that was the biggest emotion it played upon.

More than meets the eye

To be sure, neither of the two airlines is new to India. Lufthansa Airlines, for example, has been present in the country for more than 50 years. In its recent campaign the carrier decided to tell consumers that even though it’s a German company, it knows how to service Indian consumers, the Indian way. In fact, this is the first time the German airlines has launched a campaign specifically targeted at the Indian market which tells fliers that the airlines is ‘more Indian than you think’. Sangeeta Sharma, Manager, Marketing & Communications, Lufthansa, South Asia, said, “We have been in India for 55 years but our recent brand studies indicated that while we were strong in the rational space, which means punctuality, reliability and safety, we lacked an emotional connect with Indian fliers. We felt it was time to tell them that we have a deep knowledge of Indian sensibilities.” The airline has also launched a website,

moreindianthanyouthink.com.

Last year, British Airways launched a campaign online targeting Indian expats. Called, ‘Book a Ticket to Visit Mom’, the campaign used real people showing Indian moms and their children.

The campaign uses symbols that are close to our hearts like Maa ke haath ka khana and used the campaign to promote routes between the US and India. The company launched a microsite which informs consumers about the Indian meals and entertainment it offers on board, besides giving out recipes of the mothers featured in the campaign.

Aniel Deepak, Executive Head, DDB Mudra group, says, “If a foreign brand wants to love India, Indians will more than welcome the gesture. Not just Indians, look at what happened Down Under. The holier-than-thou McDonald’s signs were changed to Macca’s (Australian for McD) on Australian Day. Everyone loved it.”

As international airlines use the Indian tag to convince consumers that they know what the Indian consumer wants, what happens to our dear old national carrier?

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Published on August 14, 2014