India's soft power as its brand asset
Sangeeta Shrivastava and Pradeep Krishnatray
In its symbolic form, branding is about soft power; the power to evoke, not exert, the ability to attract and persuade. Undeniably, nations exhibit soft power. The USA has McDonald's, Harvard and Hollywood. Each of these symbols speaks of, and for, America. Similarly, France has fashion and cuisine, China has its sport performance and the Arab world has Al Jazeera.
Soft power has its uses. As the creator of the coinage, Harvard professor Joseph Nye, puts it: "A country's soft power rests upon the...