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'Indian brands can be world beaters'
November 13, 2003 14:45 IST
Indian brands that represent a range of goods and services, from airlines to mangoes, have the potential to match or even upstage well-established global brands, as all the 'key ingredients' of an Indian success story are already there, Ian Batey, the internationally revered marketing guru, said in Jaipur.
Indian brands like Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Ranbaxy, Tetley, and Reliance have the potential to eclipse western giants in both size and global brand recognition within the next 10 years, Batey told delegates attending Ad Asia 2003, the ongoing biennial convention of advertising and marketing professionals.
With its huge textile exports India can become the 'fashion apparel centre of the world' within a decade as Indians have the 'creative flair and madness' to do it, he said.
He added a caveat: Indians need to take seriously the competition from Chinese textile industry by adding more value to the 'Made in India' label.
"It makes sense to us that the world's best cricket gear and apparel too should be an Indian brand," he said.
The most effective global brand-building opportunity for a country is through the promotion of its own national airline, Batey said.
And so Indians must try to make Air India one of the world's great airlines, he added.
While Ranbaxy Laboratories could play a stellar role in the $400 billion global pharmaceutical industry, Tata Motors should enjoy strong market share across Asia.
Tata's Tetley tea brand should signal a distinctive link with India while establishing its global presence, he said.
National giants like Reliance and Aditya Birla groups should be important players in $900 billion global bio-technology industry, Batey said.
India's dark coloured Old Monk rum should take on the mighty white coloured liquor, Bacardi, through 'gutsy, non-conventional, intrusive marketing' that highlights its history, toughness, colour and irreverence of a challenger, which are the qualities that connect with today's young drinkers, he said.
In the global confectionary business, India's Nutrine can become preeminent brand within next few years by 'matching its creative energy with bolder marketing actions.'
Indian mangoes can also fly India's flag high in international market; 'Ambo', the Alphonso mango brand of an Indian farmers' cooperative, has the potential to quickly expand its export sales by a conservatively estimated 1,000 per cent, he said.
Indian ready-to-eat foods can intrude into massive worldwide food business and 'Kitchens of India' can establish itself as a prominent global brand within five to seven years through 'flair and courage,' Batey said.
The world's fascination for India's magic, mystique, history, acrobatics and entertainment skills is manifested in the famous Indian rope trick - which in itself is a brand that sells entertainment products, books and souvenirs world wide, the marketing guru said.
India has all it takes to make a global statement through its products and services and it is now up to visionary Indians to put the India package together and make that statement, he added.
India's communications services, Batey said, would continue to experience healthy growth on the back of the expanding domestic economy and the battle between entrenched foreign brands and the Indian brands.
Within two decades the domestic advertising spend should exceed $35 billion, he added.