MUMBAI: Domestic and overseas manufacturers are adopting various strategies when it comes to promoting the fact their products are "Made in India", showing this label is still to gain a positive international status.
L'Oréal, the cosmetics giant, is one of a number of companies which has developed bespoke lines for Indian shoppers, and believes this can work in tandem with its French heritage.
"As a brand marketer, one's first loyalty is to the brand DNA and then one tries to get it closer to the local consumer," Satyaki Ghosh, director, consumer products at L'Oréal India told the Economic Times.
"So local innovation can still be a 360-degree one, with relevant formula for Indian consumers and the communication can be with Indian insight but the affinity of the brand still remains very French."
Hindustan Unilever, which has long been the biggest FMCG group in India, tends to avoid following such a route, emphasising its brands rather than the specific nation they are associated with.
"We do not position our brands from the country or origin. That's quite deliberate because we are a multinational. As far as we are concerned, it is about the product and the benefit it delivers," Keith Weed, its chief marketing and communications officer, said.
Looking domestically, Tata, the conglomerate, has purchased well-known foreign brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley tea, while Mahindra & Mahindra is ramping up its presence abroad.
"There is no magic formula or a shortcut to overcome the provenance paradox," said S P Shukla, president, group strategy and chief brand officer, Mahindra Group.
"It takes time and persistent effort — the Japanese have showed us that it is possible to overcome this issue; the Koreans are now doing the same.
"Indian companies can follow the example set by brands from these two countries. It is a question of focus ... sustained effort and time."
Rohit Deshpande, of the Harvard Business School, added that Infosys, the IT group, effectively created the outsourcing model which redefined the industry, but warned this was just the first step.
"Typically, brands with labels from emerging markets such as India, Brazil, China have not got the kind of acceptability that brands from the developed markets have," he said. "Indian companies have realized how hard it is to establish a global brand."
L'Oréal, the cosmetics giant, is one of a number of companies which has developed bespoke lines for Indian shoppers, and believes this can work in tandem with its French heritage.
"As a brand marketer, one's first loyalty is to the brand DNA and then one tries to get it closer to the local consumer," Satyaki Ghosh, director, consumer products at L'Oréal India told the Economic Times.
"So local innovation can still be a 360-degree one, with relevant formula for Indian consumers and the communication can be with Indian insight but the affinity of the brand still remains very French."
Hindustan Unilever, which has long been the biggest FMCG group in India, tends to avoid following such a route, emphasising its brands rather than the specific nation they are associated with.
"We do not position our brands from the country or origin. That's quite deliberate because we are a multinational. As far as we are concerned, it is about the product and the benefit it delivers," Keith Weed, its chief marketing and communications officer, said.
Looking domestically, Tata, the conglomerate, has purchased well-known foreign brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley tea, while Mahindra & Mahindra is ramping up its presence abroad.
"There is no magic formula or a shortcut to overcome the provenance paradox," said S P Shukla, president, group strategy and chief brand officer, Mahindra Group.
"It takes time and persistent effort — the Japanese have showed us that it is possible to overcome this issue; the Koreans are now doing the same.
"Indian companies can follow the example set by brands from these two countries. It is a question of focus ... sustained effort and time."
Rohit Deshpande, of the Harvard Business School, added that Infosys, the IT group, effectively created the outsourcing model which redefined the industry, but warned this was just the first step.
"Typically, brands with labels from emerging markets such as India, Brazil, China have not got the kind of acceptability that brands from the developed markets have," he said. "Indian companies have realized how hard it is to establish a global brand."
Data sourced from Economic Times; additional content by Warc staff
