Bollywood and cricket still rule in India
When Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – which now ranks amongst the world’s biggest IT companies – first ventured out of India, its international marketing campaigns faced some difficult challenges. “Initially, there was a prejudice about TCS that being a brand from India it will be low cost, low model and with poor quality,” admitted TCS’ global brand manager, Vishal Jhungjhunwala, at the annual convention of ‘in’ global marketing communications’ – a network of 95 independent agencies from across 90 countries – in New Delhi earlier this month.
Now boasting a presence in 183 countries, TCS initially looked at partnering with clients that had a global presence and offered opportunities for growth. The strategy clearly worked. Today, TCS is considered as one of the biggest brands out of India, as well as in its domestic market.
According to a report in India’s Financial Express – entitled Brands Beyond Borders – in order to counteract prejudice and to create global brand consistency, TCS took the decision to use a consistent logo in all markets. The multinational IT firm has also focused on sports sponsorships with an international audience in order to raise visibility, such as Formula 1 and the New York marathon. Jhungjhunwala added that the company is now “betting on” on touchpoints such as Twitter, Facebook, the company website and display ads on sites like CNN and BBC World, within its international marketing strategies.
However, for international brands looking to make headway in India, Reet Ahluwalia, managing director of Delhi-based advertising agency, AMS Communications offers a word of warning. He believes that there are really only two things which unite the complex Indian market: “With more than a billion population, 300 gods, 148 languages, hundreds of festivals and a variety of tastes, India is a very complex market to understand,” he says. “Brands wanting to enter the Indian market should take the tried and tested route of marketing which is cricket and Bollywood.”
Tags: Global Brand
