Building Brand India for

Global Citizenship

ByS.VIVEKKUMAR Iyr MBA , BSMEDBharathiar UniversityCoimbatore

ByG.SUGUMARANResearch scholar,Kanchi Shri Krishna CASKanchipuram

INTRODUCTION Notions evoke notions, within and outside of

themselves and very often, it is this set of notions that defines nationality and national identity.

India, once upon a time being perceived as a brand leading the world in thought, word and deed, is today, as a nation struggles to regain vitality, dynamism and most importantly, its niche as a collective whole in the world.

The country brand must be based on a clearly defined vision of the future, which should be firmly rooted in the existing policies, resources, intellectual capital, capabilities, motivations, manifestations and perceptions of the nation.

BRANDING AND BRAND INDIA Brand is the personality that identifies a product,

service or company and how it relates to key constituencies: Customers, Staff, Partners, Investors, etc.

Nation branding is a connector between people and organisations within the country and outside.

Nation branding ensures that a country is recognised for what it actually symbolises in terms of its strengths and distinctive characteristics.

Continued …. The image of India, as projected to the world, will

have its effect on its population; just as corporate branding campaigns can have a dramatic effect on the morale, team spirit and sense of purpose of the company’s own employees.

If India has to become more than a nation on the world map, it has to transform itself into what is known as a “brand state”.

The unbranded state has a difficult time in attracting economic, political attention and power.

Image and reputation are thus becoming essential part of the state’s strategic equity.

THE INDIA ADVANTAGE Three million plus graduates every year and

approximately 307 hundred million English speaking middle class by 2011.

Commitment to quality. Intellectual property protection. Government support. Eco system and Industry momentum from $ 11 bn

in 2002 to $ 70 bn in 2008 (McKinsey estimates). Work ethics. Education system and focus on quantitative ability.

BRANDING AND EMOTIONAL BENEFITS Emotional benefits are specifically attached to

brands, their particular features and marketing applications.

Emotional benefits relate directly and powerfully to enduring self-concept, while emotions are more closely associated with temporary and instinctual physiological reactions.

Emotional benefits are able to wield their influence precisely because they work behind the scenes, beyond the awareness of the customer.

Emotional marketing helps us link our brand to our target's enduring self-concept.

BRAND AWARNESS Brand awareness refers to customers' ability to recall

and recognize the brand under different conditions and link to the brand name, logo, and jingles and so on to certain associations in memory.

It helps the customers to understand to which product or service category the particular brand belongs and what products and services are sold under the brand name.

It also ensures that customers know which of their needs are satisfied by the brand through its products.

Brand awareness is of critical importance since customers will not consider your brand if they are not aware of it.

INDIA AND GLOBAL BRAND A global brand is one which is perceived to reflect

the same set of values around the world. Global brands transcend their origins and create

strong enduring relationships with consumers across countries and cultures.

Nation branding is a connector between people and organisation within the country and outside.

Nation branding ensures that a country is recognised for what it actually symbolises in terms and strengths and distinctive characteristics.

Hence a country’s reputation is built around qualities which are positive, attractive, unique and sustainable.

In addition to taking advantage of the outstanding growth opportunities, the following drives the increasing interest in taking brands global:

Economies of scale (production and distribution) Lower marketing costs Laying the groundwork for future extensions worldwide Maintaining consistent brand imagery Quicker identification and integration of innovations

(discovered worldwide) Pre-empting international competitors from entering domestic

markets or locking you out of other geographic markets Increasing international media reach (especially with the

explosion of the Internet) is an enabler Increases in international business and tourism are also

enablers

INDIAN BRAND VARIABLES

The following elements help in building the Indian brand:

Corporate slogan Products and services Product names Product features Positioning Marketing mixes (including pricing,

distribution, media and advertising execution)

URBAN SPACE AS AN AGENT OF COEXISTENCE Public art and cultural events in an urban space create

opportunities and challenges for urban growth. Shared meanings of the urban space may help to attract

investment, and to re-envisage and market the city, but can also give rise to considerable problems if they do not contribute to the inhabitants' well being.

Conflicts are primarily the result of disregarding needs and aspirations at the local level, often conflicting with the city's desire to operate at national or supranational levels.

Public art and cultural events in the urban space are also intended to advertise the city and boost its economy by promoting tourism, both internal and external.

BRAND ARCHITECHTURE Our brand architecture work typically evolves

under the following headlines. Brand architecture (re)development Brand portfolio management Decision trees (brand architecture management)

Brand India has to be crafted with careful attention to what our portfolio is, what brands or sub-brands drive decision-making, what brand could add value as an endorser or as an ingredient brand.

BRAND INDIA ON THE RISE India brand has already made a mark with huge success

of some companies which brings fame to the nation. Indian origin companies taking over global entities are

as follows:

Infosys – Expert Information Services, Australia

Wockhardt – CP Pharmaceuticals, UK

Tata Motors – Daewoo, S. Korea

Reliance – FLAG Telecom, US Global giants continue to set up shop in India

Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, SAP Services offshoring to India

IT, BPO, call centers

THE INDIA BRAND EQUITY FOUNDATION

The IBEF aims to do this through a proactive effort to create a strong Nation Brand for the country based on positive and relevant associations.

The entire effort is directed towards taking India beyond name recognition (and distorted associations), by firmly establishing a relevant position for the country on the world map.

The immediate goal: build positive economic perceptions of India in key global markets.

THE COMPETETIVE EDGE (IQ, EQ, SQ) One factor that would give India the stand alone advantage

is going to be the combination of Intelligence Quotient, Emotional Quotient and Spiritual Quotient.

When it comes to intelligence and smartness Indians have always been acknowledged world over for their superior abilities.

Emotional stability and attachment to the job as well as the organization is more compared to the counterparts in other nations.

With such an old and deep rooted spirituality it is not a wonder that west has been looking towards India for guidance. The necessity of bringing SQ in the picture currently is the need for ethics and moralities in business practices.

Continued… The achievement of the global Indians and

contribution of the Indian Diaspora abroad can be used as a part of the brand ambassadors' network.

Indian scientists have been on the forefront with breakthrough technologies and findings whether it is Bio-technology, Genetics or IT.

We are one of the few countries in the worldwho have made super computers on their own.

Indian scientists have been on the forefront with breakthrough technologies and findings whether it is Bio-technology, Genetics or IT.

INDIA’S POSITION IN THE WORLD (as we enter a new decade) India is now called a potential economic superpower,

political counterweight to China, and probable permanent member of the UN Security Council.

India is most famous for computer software and BPO. This instills fear in US workers and analysts, and has inspired a TV series "Outsourced.”A new word, "Bangalored" has entered the dictionary.

Indian industrial houses have become global giants through acquisitions.

Indian companies are now making a big impact in Latin America and Africa. The software majors have major operations in several Latin American countries, and so have pharma and truck producers. Jindal Steel is building Bolivia's first steel plant.

Continued… Economist Arvind Subramanian says India holds

the world record in outward foreign investment as a proportion of GDP.

Indian individuals have also become globally prominent.

Indians account for nearly a quarter of all start-ups in Silicon Valley.

CONCLUSION Once upon a time, India was considered the

melting pot of the world, not only with regard to culture but also to intellect, business, trade and education.

Since then somewhere on its journey till its current position, it perhaps lost its own brand identity and now needs to protect what it had in the past.

The opportunities are abundant and all that is required is the adoption of a short term and long term well planned strategy as to how to exploit them.

As the world is becoming small place and markets are growing at an astonishing pace, Brand India needs to act in an integrated manner as a result of which India would undoubtedly embark on a journey of trajectory growth and development which in turn would ensure the creation of our dream of Brand India consisting of free and fair markets, efficient systems and progressive and motivated society.

Launching a new brand into the market is a challenging task but what is more challenging is repositioning a brand and changing the already established perceptions in the minds of consumers.

Continued…

Branding India is not a choice but an obvious necessity.

A national branding initiative is not a short term ad campaign or marketing push.

Finally, it is better to have a positive brand, if it is at least a decent one, than to have a negative one and by no means should the evolution of “Brand India” be left to the winds of fate. A positive, well thought out sustained and supported branding campaign offers India best defense against any negative eventuality.

Continued…