Brand India

If whisky equals Scotch, and Swiss equals dairy products and precision instruments, then what does Brand India mean to the world? That quest...

If whisky equals Scotch, and Swiss equals dairy products and precision instruments, then what does Brand India mean to the world? That question, posed by Reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani, summed up the discussions today at AdAsia 2003 — the Asian advertising mela being held here — on the theme ‘India: The Brand’.

The organisers, the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, had two big players on the dais at the Birla Auditorium: Ambani and Kumaramangalam Birla, CMD, Aditya Birla Group.

The moderator of the discussion — Ian Batey, chairman emeritus, Batey Advertising, Singapore — listed out the fore-runners to ‘Brand India 2023’. Some were predictable choices: Infosys in infotech, Ranbaxy in pharma, Tata Tetley. A couple were surprises: ITC in FMCG, Nutrine in the confectionery. And one shock name: Old Monk Rum which could be a major player in the $550 billion global liquor business if its brand strength of toughness could be honed. ‘‘There is need to move ahead of China by adding value to the ‘Made in India’ label’’, Batey said. Ambani said India had the opportunity to lead the world ‘‘in thought, word and deed’’.

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Birla added for the country to build itself up as a global brand, the people must first have the conviction that this is a brand worth building. Lakme Lever business head Anil Chopra admitted for the international cosmetics industry, Brand India may as well not exist. ‘‘That’’, he explained, ‘‘is because there is no Indian cosmetic brand that has reached a sufficient scale within the country to aspire to make a mark internationally.’’

Why ‘‘Uniquely Indian’’ when international brands here don’t seem to bother with such niceties? Chopra’s answer: ‘‘International brands are struggling in the Asian market. There is no global cosmetics brand here that has been able to answer the consumer’s basic question: is this for me? Saying you are from New York or Paris is not enough because, at the end of the day, we are neither blonde nor blue-eyed.’’

At the Rambagh Polo Grounds in the evening, Gayatri Devi of Jaipur chatted with Lara Dutta while designer Manish Arora was surrounded by models. He will be holding fashion show along with Ritu Kumar for the grand finale on Friday. So is this Brand India? A blend of tradition and modernity, former maharanis and today’s catwalk queens at the same venue?

James Yip, senior vice president at Singapore’s Mediacorp Radio, has his own take. ‘‘What comes to mind when I think of India is IT and heavy industries because of the Tatas,’’ he says. ‘‘There might be a perception in Singapore that India is a begging nation. Ten years ago, some kids went missing and there were rumours that they were transported to India and forced to beg. Educated people would not think such things, but there are certain pockets in society that do.’’ As some folks would tell you around here, perception counts for everything.