Martin Sorrell Speaks

Democracy: India is the worlds fastest growing democracy. It is a claim that is justifiable. Brand India: We have an internal system to track the brand equity of countries. And I can tell you that Brand India,as judged by Indians and outsiders,has improved significantly over the years and is constantly improving,thats our assessment internally and …

Democracy: India is the worlds fastest growing democracy. It is a claim that is justifiable.

Brand India: We have an internal system to track the brand equity of countries. And I can tell you that Brand India,as judged by Indians and outsiders,has improved significantly over the years and is constantly improving,thats our assessment internally and thats

the feedback we

get externally.

Domestic Consumption: India is different from China in many ways. Indias growth story is mainly about domestic consumption. China is about trade and exports… You do not choose between the two (on being asked to choose between India and China). If I have a billion dollars,I will put 500 million in China and 500 million in India.

The Middle Class:The changes in India have been profound (in the past few years). The countrys middle class has changed,consumption habits have changed… While the UK with a population of 60 million and the US with a population of 300 million are homogeneous markets,India is completely different. Its population of 1.2 billion is extremely diverse… The country has improved by leaps and bounds… There is no multinational company that can stay away from India if it wants to engage with this population and

wants growth.

Growth: It is incredible that people here discuss whether the economy will grow 7 per cent,8 per cent or 9 per cent,whereas the countries in the developed world are hoping for 1 per cent or one-and-a-half

per cent growth.

Corruption: Corruption exists in all countries… in China,Russia,Brazil… It even exists in the UK and US,France,Spain and Italy. The fundamental thing is,as long as India continues to grow at a greater pace compared to other economies,multinational companies will continue

to invest significantly in the country.