Cover Story

Building on Brand India

Brand India today has established a global awareness. Achal Dhruva and Bhisham Mansukhani explore the various marketing strategies to capitalise on this new-found momentum

"You know I've been to Goa but I have never been to India. Is it close to Goa?" The question posed by a foreigner at ITB Berlin 2006 momentarily stumped Sheldon Santwan, editor, Express TravelWorld.

His is unlikely to be an isolated case. There have been plenty within the travel fraternity who have been either bemused or irritated by similar questions at international forums. While the questioner cannot be necessarily taken to the docks for his ignorance, his perception can likely be traced to a gross misconception about the destination globally. This, especially while the country is still riding the success of the marketing blitzkrieg that is the Incredible India campaign. The question leads to a larger one - how best to market `Brand India' abroad? This crucial question needs to find some answers fast if the country wants to capitalise on the global awareness and the new momentum set by the Incredible India campaign. It is an apt time for building on `Brand India' and the right marketing strategy will be the key to fully realise the country's tourism potential and establish it firmly in the global arena.

While the element of diversity works well in projecting the country as one that would appeal to a variety of tourist profiles, a multiplicity of strategies adopted by different states within the same country, could in fact skew the message. And this has been a topic of debate within public and private circles of the industry for a long time. Not only is there a concern about sending out a mixed signal as in the case of the aforementioned foreigner but also the possibility of a fair amount of rancor at times among the different players. Admittedly, selling destination India is no walk in the park and the various stake holders in the industry - the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), state governments and their tourism departments, tour operators, hotels, airlines, etc have decidedly done it alone towards promoting the product, at the risk of duplicating effort.

India versus State

The Incredible India campaign has few faults other than the fact that some of India's key states had already got their act of international marketing together a long time ago, buoyed by an existing patronage. The Incredible India campaign, which gathered steam in 2003 with a series of marketing blitz and renewed participation at major international events, to its credit established a global awareness about `Destination India' like never before. However, it did not succeed completely in getting the key states of Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa to join its ranks wholeheartedly.

These states while claiming to support the Incredible India campaign, the first real concerted effort of its kind in magnitude and reach by MoT have the tag line, Incredible India missing from most of their ad campaigns and in case of Goa it does not feature at all. The independent approach has also been extended by the troika of states to participation at international trade fairs like ITB, WTM etc. by setting up stalls outside the India pavilion, thereby distorting the way foreign tourists perceive India.

Vinod Zutshi, secretary tourism, Government of Rajasthan, comments, "I believe that pavilions at international travel events have very little to do with `Brand India.' But, yes, India's tourism pavilions at international events are not impressive. The space is less; the pavilion is ordinary and the location, far from prime. It is also extremely annoying to see the same look and feel of the India Pavilion at any international travel mart simply because a single agency has been involved in concept and design for several years. States, on the other hand, have the choice in selecting their own space and location. We have the freedom to design and present the stall in whichever way we deem fit so a lot of creativity is incorporated."

Zutshi also plays the devil's advocate blaming states for using their autonomy for tourism promotion to project themselves in isolation rather than part of a larger destination.

"The Government of India does call for meetings much in advance regarding the decisions to be taken at international marts but state tourism departments send their junior staff who may not be well versed with what is needed to be said. Then there is the contentious issue of the use of the Incredible India logo. Rajasthan tourism has built an identify for the state and has also had its own individual stall at international exhibitions, but definitely with the Incredible India logo and branding running along all the state tourism campaigns," he says.

While the Tamil Nadu Tourism Board and Government of India participate together in travel shows abroad, interestingly the state's ad campaigns do not carry the logo of Incredible India. A senior official from the tourism department explains, "We participate together in trade fairs but our campaigns are generally independent. So far, we haven't done anything with the Centre." While the state tourism board is open to participating in trade shows and ad campaigns with the Centre, it does not seem particularly interested in carrying the Incredible India logo. "It is not necessary for us to carry the logo as we are independent," asserts the official and that Tamil Nadu has enough visibility both in India and abroad. Another official from the state board avers, "We have created a brand of our own called `Enchanting Tamil Nadu.' We do not want to dilute it by advertising with other state tourism boards as it may confuse people. Logically, it makes sense to carry their logo and be a part of them, but we don't want to loose focus." Dr Wilfred D'Souza, deputy chief minister and tourism minister, government of Goa defends going solo saying, "While we support the Incredible India campaign, we do have our own agenda. We encourage beach tourism, eco-tourism, golf tourism etc. Thus, we feel the need to showcase our uniqueness."

The strategy of a single unified approach to market India abroad is faced with the problem of a clear mandate. "It is not mandatory for anyone including state tourism boards to carry our logo," states Subhas Dham, regional director (South), Incredible India. State tourism departments concede that if the Centre directs them to carry it, they will have to do it. It is partly worrying to note that there are many tourism boards like Tamil Nadu, keen on creating their own niche through their own ads rather than go along with the Incredible India campaign, which has strong brand recall and definitely a wider audience, and neither is the Centre willing to coerce it into carrying their logo.

The strategy of marketing a destination in isolation or independently adopted by Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan has been highly successful. Over a decade ago in absence of concrete marketing strategy to market India these states put together a comprehensive and aggressive marketing plan to sell their destination. Today when they have established themselves firmly in the international scene on their own steam and their reluctance to now embrace a single umbrella strategy can be understandable. B Suman, director of Kerala Tourism, believes that since Kerala is a well-established brand in countries like Germany, UK and France, it makes sense to have its own pavilion rather than be part of the India pavilion. "If we were to take Kerala to US, we would join the India `bandwagon' as the awareness of Kerala there isn't as high."

Some of the emerging destinations are trying to emulate the model of the successful states like Kerala. Yashodhara Raje Scindia, minister for tourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh, says, "Internationally, we have one thing clear - to make a noise about our state. In my opinion it is extremely important to build the public perception about destinations like Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala. I have to be truthful that as of today, I would definitely like to hard sell the state at international travel exhibitions and make an impact as Madhya Pradesh than being merged with Brand India. Today, if I take the macro instead of the micro approach, which we intend to follow, we would be completely swallowed up. That said, we would definitely incorporate the Incredible India logo, mentioning that we are part of India."

What worsens an already building aversion to a unified promotional campaign is the fact that some states view the Incredible India as a stepping stone to graduate to their own eventual campaign rather than stick with it. A highly placed source from the tourism arena of Andhra Pradesh said, "The State has comparatively much lower recognition, globally, in comparison to Kerala or Goa. Very few people around the world know of Andhra Pradesh as a tourist destination, which justifies the reason for the state to tag with the India umbrella in major exhibitions." The source went to say, "Our campaign, 'Andhra Pradesh Unlimited', is a strategy to increase the state's potential after reviewing the success of Incredible India promotion. So, when the state enters the same league as Kerala and Goa, it will pursue international promotions independently."

For the states, promoting themselves in isolation limits their ability to stretch themselves beyond certain markets. Rajeev Talwar, additional director general (Tourism), Government of India, receives the states' approach pragmatically, stressing on a modest suggestion, "Today at international exhibitions we are fine with private players or tourism brands whether they are hotels, state tourism boards or tour operators setting up their individual stalls. But what is necessary is the use of the Incredible India logo in their advertisements. Co-branding is vital."

Amitabh Khosla, director (Infrastructure and Tourism), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), suggests a middle path, saying that while India does need a unified and a coordinated strategy to market the country, the MoT needs to convince the states that a collective strategy is in their interest. The Ministry of Tourism is indeed playing this role, but needs more constructive marketing strategy that represents the interests of all the states. Each state of India is blessed with its own unique features and characteristics, which are important from the tourism marketing perspective. The states themselves have a good knowledge of their tourism assets, which can encourage travellers, both domestic and international alike. States should therefore market themselves as individual entities; and perhaps even market specific regions and destinations within. This will induce competition among the states, increase the universe of India's overall tourism sites and strengths and increase the pace of development in tourism infrastructure.

A private matter

More than one of the state tourism department representatives spoken to by Express TravelWorld reporters also cited a "lack of belief in the professional abilities." This takes the matter into the realm of strategy, pitting the MoT versus the current advertising community; many who have been commissioned by these very states for their campaigns and presentation styles. The government's own watershed campaign Incredible India, was the result of a private initiative. The marketing of the campaign and its presentation at international events is a function that however still rests firmly with the MoT.

To cite the instance of the several NTOs that have their offices in India, each without exception employs professionals from the private sector from their respective countries or even locally to market their destination. Their respective tourism ministries are responsible for funding, making timely announcements and registering a presence as a mark of support. Experts believe that this approach could bring states to the table and infuse some agreement about how best to project a country as one destination. At least Khosla believes so. He outlines certain points for implementation:

Tripartite synergies between state tourism boards, ministry of tourism and private players for marketing India could be done through some of the following:

• In various tourism committees of the Centre, the participation from all states should be made mandatory. From each state both public and private players should participate in these committees. A representation from the infrastructure sectors (concerned departments) should also be made in the tourism committees.
• 'Road shows' emphasising on tourism potential of states involving public as well as private players should be organised at Centre level as well as across the states. These shows should be organised frequently not only in India but also abroad.
• CII, together with diverse industry and tourism trade bodies, represents the interests of this important sector. The government could leverage current efforts of the industry to build a partnership and collaborate efforts to promote and market India.

Rohit Kohli, director (Operations), Creative Travel, says, "When it comes to marketing India purely at international exhibitions and fairs, there is a lot left to be desired. Firstly, the pavilion selected by India Tourism is uninviting. It is haphazard without any design and concept element attached to it. The arrangements made are not up to the mark. It has also been noticed that one does not generate enough business if one is with the India pavilion. Creative Travel has, for the past 13 years, gone it alone without being a part of the India pavilion. That said, our international brochures prominently display the Incredible India logo." He exhorts the ministry to engage private players whose core competency is to design and conceptualise a well-presented and impressive pavilion for India Tourism.

Kerala Tourism stall at ITB Berlin

An apex body, observers say, comprising public and private entities with a mandate to promote the country worldwide and jointly funded, could be a moderate option to absolute privatisation, which is largely viewed as an untenable extreme. Talwar, representing a relatively liberal bureaucratic view on the subject, says, "To promote India at international exhibitions would certainly call for public-private partnership. We have made a conscious effort to invite people to select their space and also provide inputs for the design and presentation of the pavilion. We are looking for private players to take interest in ideating on the design element and presentation. For example, the Experience India film is the initiative of private players who made the film for Rs 2 crore after which the government marketed the film at the cost of Rs 50 crore. We are looking forward to working with private players to make an impact."

Conclusion

The trouble that this rather grim, confused scenario betrays can perhaps be met with a solution common to the multitude of problems it throws up. How can the Centre convince and integrate individual and entirely successful states into a single destination with diverse attributes, thereby consolidating and increasing its collective market share in international tourism. But more importantly, before it does this, it needs to create a clearer idea of Brand India.

The answer, most observers including some of the incumbent states give, is administrative and creative involvement apart from the autonomy which the constitution accords by default. States are justified in feeling skeptical towards the Centre's homogenous approach in marketing in light of scant representation at the Centre or insufficient creative inputs in the Incredible India campaign.

The next question is how? The answer could possibly set the pitch for the way forward - private participation. Private players could be viewed by states as independent, objective and perceptibly more professional than the Central bureaucracy. In fact, Incredible India owes its evolution to private efforts and the MoT's recent commissioning of Kuoni to promote Brand India abroad in new destinations where it does not have offices is indication that the message has begun to seep in. The private sector could help create a more accountable and liberal approach to tourism promotion, which might galvanise states, both successful and marginal, in turn, to channelise and complement each other's strengths towards a single, coherent message for international tourism. India is a large, diverse country, and contains Goa.

- With inputs from Reema Sisodia and Neeti Mehra (Mumbai), Jyoti Koul and Sanjeev Bhar (New Delhi), Preeti Kannan (Chennai) and Vyas Sivanand (Hyderabad)