http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/ Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports, and links to other websites. en-us Copyright (c) 2007 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:53:24 EST http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/globals/images/katw_white.gif http://Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/category.cfm?cid=4 125 45 Knowledge@Wharton Marketing Research Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4665 Nielsen India president Piyush Mathur sees India as one of the fastest-growing markets, both as an economy and for his own business. But the problem, he says, will be retaining talent. Nielsen has put in place a system that motivates talent to stay with the company. The global information&nbsp;firm is now introducing its international products in India, he notes in this interview with India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:11:29 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4663 Inflation has become the biggest worry confronting India's government,&nbsp;its people and&nbsp;its corporate&nbsp;environment today. The government is rolling out measures -- essentially interest rate hikes -- albeit without much effect. People are tightening their belts and reworking household budgets. Companies are evolving innovative strategies and have met with some success. Inflation and its impact on consumer spending and corporate marketing was the subject of a Nielsen India conference titled, &quot;Consumer 360 India,&quot; held in Delhi in November. While the gathering didn&rsquo;t -- and couldn&rsquo;t -- address the core problem of inflation, it did offer some solutions in terms of corporate strategy. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:11:19 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4649 Tikka Shatrujit Singh, chief representative in Asia for French multinational LVMH (Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton) and advisor to the chairman of Louis Vuitton, has spearheaded the entry of the luxury brand in India. The high-end leather goods and fashion house currently has four stores in the country. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Singh notes that affluent customers in India are very similar to wealthy customers worldwide. The real game changer in the luxury market in India, he says, is the aspiring middle class. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:02:15 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4646 Wal-Mart, the world&rsquo;s largest retailer, entered the India market in 2007 with a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises in a business-to-business wholesale cash-and-carry format. With foreign direct investment expected to be allowed in multi-brand retail in India soon, Raj Jain, president of Wal-Mart India and managing director and CEO of Bharti Wal-Mart, sees huge opportunities for growth. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Jain noted, &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t monetize all your investments just on cash-and-carry.&rdquo; Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:05:11 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4644 Five years ago, the press predicted that the Indian luxury market would be booming by now. But that potential has not yet been realized; India accounts for only 1% to 2% of the global luxury market. But analysts are still upbeat. They say that the Indian market for high-end goods will quadruple in the next five years. But what needs to be done to realize that potential? What has been holding India back? These questions were addressed at a panel on the Indian luxury consumer at the Wharton India Economic Forum. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:49:16 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4633 Channels dedicated to food are the latest additions to Indian television. These networks are looking to cash in on&nbsp;a&nbsp;growing interest among Indians in new ways of experiencing food, along with the population's rising levels of affluence. Though the interest level is there, experts say&nbsp;Indian food networks&nbsp;will need to find the right mix of strong and unique content that educates and entertains in order to be successful. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:19:35 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4607 With its young population and growing economy, India is an attractive market for global coffee retailers like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. But the going may not be all that smooth, say experts. Newcomers will have to contend with existing players who are expanding fast, as well as high real estate costs and a manpower shortage. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:02:18 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4572 Nestle's Maggi, which has ruled the instant noodles market in India for more than two-and-a-half decades, is finding new competitors nibbling at its share. Analysts say that this is not only about noodle wars; it is also reflective of changing food habits in India, driven by multiple factors such as a younger demographic profile, higher disposable incomes and wider global exposure. In order to succeed, experts note, companies will need to see how they can best appeal to consumers' expanding palates and wallets. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:48:03 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4536 Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the US$4 billion Indian subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant, has had a long presence in India, and its brands are household names among Indian consumers. In recent years, however, the marketplace has become increasingly competitive with both Indian and global players jostling for a share of consumers' wallets. Nitin Paranjpe, CEO and managing director of HUL, says that given the enormous opportunity that India presents, competition is inevitable. HUL's top priority, he notes, is to grow the market and ensure that its brands remain relevant and contemporary. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:30:05 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4512 Mumbai-based visual entertainment services firm Prime Focus contributed a tenth of the special effects in James Cameron's blockbuster film <em>Avatar</em>. Riding on that success, it wants to spread its wings globally by leveraging its Indian base, says its founder and global CEO Namit Malhotra in an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton. Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:24:47 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4495 The Indian rupee has fallen on hard times. Now, the government is making efforts to improve its status, if not its value. Essentially a branding exercise, the process has already faced its share of problems. Why does India think a new rupee symbol will gain currency? And what would it mean for the country? Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:56:36 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4485 Three years ago, Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo challenged the concept that branding and advertising have to be country and culture specific. Today, its centralized global marketing hub in Bangalore &nbsp;produces promotional material for 60 countries. Is Lenovo's model a&nbsp;fleeting experiment, or is it a&nbsp;strategy whose time has come? And can it be applied to other industries? Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:24:46 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4477 The Indian film industry is huge. In terms of the number of movies produced, it is the largest in the world. The next step, however, is finding a way to market films made in India to a global audience. Actor and producer Anil Kapoor is doing just that. In an interview with Wharton professor Kartik Hosanagar at the 2010 Wharton India Economic Forum, Kapoor explains why India and China will be the biggest players in the global motion picture industry by 2050. Thu, 20 May 2010 15:35:01 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4471 After suffering from a number of missteps in recent years, Coca-Cola India is now showing signs of success after learning its lessons the hard way. At the end of last year, sales volume grew more than 30% across India, and for the first time since it returned to the country in 1993, it turned a profit. Continuing that growth means one thing: getting its bottles of fizzy drinks to the right place at the right time at the right price -- a tall order in a country with such a vast hinterland like India. Thu, 06 May 2010 14:04:44 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4457 Atul Singh became president of Coca-Cola's India and South West Asia business unit in 2005, when a lot of things were going wrong for the company. Controversy was at its height over allegedly high levels of pesticides in soft drinks; the company faced accusations of overexploiting groundwater resources in the state of Kerala; and revenues were down from the previous year. Meanwhile, archrival Pepsi was gaining ground in the marketplace. Today, the story is different, according to Singh, who joined the company in 1998. &quot;Coca-Cola in India ... has clearly turned the corner,&quot; he told India Knowledge@Wharton in a recent interview. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:50:56 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4439 At a time when newspapers are folding around the world, India's media scene is admirably buoyant. Why? Many experts give credit to the country's burgeoning rural, local-language newspaper business. According to the Indian Newspaper Society, the country has 62,000 newspapers, with a staggering 90% of them in local languages. But these publications face their own growth challenges, including India's relatively low literacy rate, poor infrastructure and the increasing penetration of television in rural areas. Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:02:32 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4432 Last year, Tasty Treat, a private label launched by Indian supermarket chain Food Bazaar, came into the spotlight following a disagreement over margins between the retailer and Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay temporarily broke ties with Food Bazaar, which promptly stocked its shelves with Tasty Treat potato chips. The result: The homegrown chip brand raced ahead. In the past, store brands were considered cheap, no-name substitutes for &quot;real&quot; brands. Today, they are found across a spectrum of products -- from groceries and staples to apparel, consumer electronics and mobile handsets -- and are considered brands in their own right. What accounts for the change in status of private labels among retailers and consumers alike? Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:34:03 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4425 Nearly 40% of India's population lives in darkness after dusk.&nbsp;Until recently, expensive and polluting kerosene provided the majority of lighting in rural homes. Now,&nbsp;the adoption of&nbsp;eco-friendly solar lights&nbsp;among rural&nbsp;consumers has become a big business opportunity for a number of companies. But the learning curve to roll out these and related products has been steep, requiring a mix of price points, marketing, distribution channels and financing. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:27:06 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4416 Ever since Mercedes-Benz entered India with its line of trucks in 1954, the German auto maker has been expanding operations around the country. India's luxury car market is tiny -- at 0.06% of the total market. China's, in contrast, is much larger. How does Mercedes-Benz plan to leverage its strong brand recognition in India to appeal to the younger generation? India Knowledge@Wharton discussed this question and others with Wilfried Aulbur, chairman and managing director of Mercedes-Benz India, a division of Daimler Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:49:41 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4386 Economists were surprised when India's GDP growth in the first three months of 2009 was higher than expected, largely because of strong performance by the agriculture sector. While urban demand is depressed because of the global downturn, rural markets are growing -- and companies are taking notice. Strategies to provide services like banking and products such as cars, gold jewelry and shampoo are being reshaped by the rush to cater to rural demand. As one expert told India Knowledge@Wharton, rural India is forcing marketers to rethink the traditional four P's of marketing -- product, price, place and promotion -- and replace them with four A's: Affordability, awareness, availability and acceptability. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:25:08 EST