Nickname: Gaurav Vazirani

Review: The article touches the contemporary environment of marketing world. And most of us have witnessed this thing. Geat Indian Treat of Pizza Hut with vernaculars menu is an awesome idea to touch the sensitive pulse of the customers. There's a saying: "When in Rome behave like Romans."

Date reviewed: Jan 7, 2007 10:38 AM

Nickname: deepesh`

Review: Good article... Keep it up.

Date reviewed: Jan 3, 2007 4:13 AM

Nickname: Alik Khanna

Review: American brands may not be familiar to the Indian masses, but the familiar taste of a veg burger or a "tandoori" topping are. The divide is between mass and niche brands and corresponding price points. It's not that Kellogg's don't sell or muesli is alien. A McAloo Tikki burger costs INR 20 or 45 cents -- as much as a burger at an infamous eatry. One can savor true Italian taste in India at Tonino's upwards of $25 per head. The fast food story in India is almost like selling Chinese at fine dining prices in the US.

Date reviewed: Sep 10, 2006 7:29 AM

Nickname: Rabhs

Review: We have heard these examples (Kelloggs, McDonalds, Pizza Hut) to boredom now. Okay fine, these strategies did give you foothold, but where are you going to get your next growth push from? CPG companies are not doing as well as expected -- Coca Cola, Pepsi and others are not performing to the mark. What's missing is the mega consumer trends that sweep companies off their feet in India -- changing shopper behavior and proclivity towards health and wellness, to name a few. So the debate shouldn't be so much about global or local but whether you are listening to your customers (micro segment of customers).

Date reviewed: Jul 13, 2006 8:57 AM

Nickname: ahmed

Review: For starters, a brilliant piece of work well drawn out and argued. Prakash says it's unthinkable for Levis to go local and compete with Indian brands. It's precisely what they are doing by launching the Levi's signature range with separate stores selling jeans in the range of Rs 600- 1000 to take on the various Arvind Mills & Madura Garments brands. By positioning itself too high it cannot profitably grow in the Indian market without catering to a larger target market. A number of examples of this can be mentioned: Nokia launching the 1100 series (dust resistant, with a torch) which accounted for 40% of its sales. The reverse is happening, too. Cafe Coffee Day is creating an upscale image with the opening of Cafe Coffee Day Lounge's in the metros. Bajaj has launched Bikezones to market its cruiser bikes to more affluent customers. One has to understand the realities of the market & develop different brands to cater to the varying needs of different segments.

Date reviewed: Jul 4, 2006 11:17 AM

Nickname: Dr Jayanth G Paraki

Review: Globalization has transformed the way businesses think and operate. There is a very thin line of difference between an urban Indian living in India and an urban American living in America. Food and beverages play a prime role in daily life. In general, there is a tendency to ignore long-term health benefits and indulge in gourmet and delicacies known to have adverse influence on health and well being. Most American businesses in India appear to be concentrated in the major metros with Hyderabad and Bangalore vying for foreign direct investment. My own travel experience (I am in the US roughly three months a year) indicates that there is a steadily growing negative economic impact, in terms of increased spending on health care, less attention to exercise and quality of life, greater incidence of divorces and disruption of family life, etc. Is poor quality of health and well being a realistic price to pay for succesful branding?

Date reviewed: May 29, 2006 4:48 PM

Nickname: Dan

Review: Milk is boiled after being bought in India. (Cartons of homogenized milk are available but these are expensive for most Indians.) You don't have to live there for long to discover this. And Indians are used to having a hot savoury breakfast. It's quite staggering that a company with the enormous resources of Kelloggs could overlook these simple facts. I remember when cornflakes were launched in India. The boxes just sat on the shelves in the stores gathering dust--first it seemed as a kind of status symbol, then more as a ridiculous irrelevance.

Date reviewed: May 23, 2006 8:39 PM

Nickname: Rama

Review: The article is simple and straight forward. Almost sounds like Marketing and Branding 101. I just want to mention my observations of international marketing, from my visit about four years ago. It is great that Indians are able to enjoy all the international foods offered by many Western chains. My concern is in regards to corporate responsibility. When I first came to the US, it was last country in the Western world in regards to the percentage or waste being recycled. It has improved in the last two decades significantly by bringing awareness to the public through advertising. Same needs to happen in India in regards to the plastics and packaging waste. These international companies should promote recycling so that you do not see plastic trash everywhere.

Date reviewed: May 21, 2006 3:53 AM

Nickname: coke

Review: The article has really put forth the right ingredients for a brand to be successful. Indians are very emotional individuals and connecting with them through this dimension will definitely ensure brand resonance. Emotional attachment can only take place if you understand and make a heart to heart connection with your consumer.

Date reviewed: May 18, 2006 9:05 AM

Nickname: monkeyboy

Review: Agreed. Great brands understand the fine balance between making the familar new, and the new familar. The key to "being" global is not strictly about offering a product a service which the locals already have, rather leveraging the familar in order to create something innovative--shoes with air bags, coffee in a paper cup [to go], a portable music machine that let's you play all of your "own" music, tabdoori pizza!

Date reviewed: May 16, 2006 10:13 PM