Uday Kotak recently highlighted a glaring truth: India, home to 1.4 billion people, lacks a globally recognized consumer brand. He posed a challenging question:
“Give me one Indian consumer brand recognized from Boston to Paris to Sydney. Frankly, I’ve struggled to find one.”
His observation rings true. Despite leading globally in tech and pharma, India’s consumer brands remain absent from the global stage. What’s preventing India’s brands from achieving worldwide acclaim?
The Comfort Zone Trap
India’s vast domestic market provides scale, safety, and reliable profits, fostering comfort rather than global ambition. Kotak aptly states:
“We’ve got a very protected country… Entrepreneurs are comfortable here.”
This comfort limits vision and curtails global aspirations.
Misunderstanding Global Preferences
The Tata Nano exemplifies this struggle. Designed as affordable transport in India, it was perceived as “cheap” abroad, highlighting a significant gap in understanding international markets. Indian brands traditionally focus on “value,” inadvertently sacrificing global premium appeal.
The Power of Cultural Storytelling
While India exports quality products, it struggles to export compelling narratives and identities. Indian tea, though exceptional, lacks the aspirational allure of Italian coffee or Japanese matcha. Conversely, South Korea’s cultural exports—K-pop, K-dramas, beauty, and technology—have successfully turned “Made in Korea” into a symbol of global aspiration, achieved by combining emotional storytelling with quality.
Can India Create Its Own Global Consumer Brand?
Amul’s recent expansion to the US market, partnering with Michigan Milk Producers Association, signifies a turning point. Its cooperative model, empowering millions of farmers, offers a narrative of sustainability, authenticity, and social impact. Amul’s strategy exemplifies how Indian brands could leverage authenticity and transparency globally.
Tariff Impact and the Rise of Slow Fashion
Interestingly, recent developments might further shape India’s global consumer branding. With increased tariffs imposed by the US on Indian imports, fast fashion faces potential dismantling. This scenario could drive global consumers towards sustainable, traceable, and durable alternatives, creating an unprecedented opportunity for Indian brands like Handlooom.com.
Handlooom.com, with its handcrafted, sustainable, and affordable clothing backed by blockchain-enabled Digital Product Passports (DPP), represents a significant step towards global recognition. These blockchain-backed DPPs provide complete transparency, allowing mature, discerning global customers to verify authenticity, sustainability, and the ethical journey of each product from weaver to wearer.
Such brands not only sell products but also powerful stories about authenticity, craftsmanship, and sustainability, capturing the aspirations of global audiences who increasingly prioritize traceability and ethics.
Soft Power: India’s Untapped Potential
Creating global consumer brands goes beyond sales—it’s about wielding soft power. Soft power influences through attraction, storytelling, and identity. India already possesses considerable soft power resources:
✔ Massive diaspora
✔ Globally acclaimed film industry
✔ Rich cultural heritage
✔ Burgeoning startup ecosystem
Indian films like “Dangal” have broken international records, proving India’s soft power potential. However, this cultural strength requires robust brands and intentional global outreach to transform into lasting global influence.
The Way Forward
To rise globally, India must:
✅ Think and act global from inception
✅ Craft narratives around desire and aspiration
✅ Emphasize Indian identity and authenticity
✅ Export dreams, not just products
India has all the ingredients to create iconic global consumer brands. Brands like Amul and Handlooom.com, armed with authentic narratives and innovative technology like blockchain, show promise in capturing international markets.
India must seize this moment to translate its vast potential into powerful global brands that represent aspiration, sustainability, and authenticity worldwide.
What Indian brand do you believe has the potential to make it global, or what’s holding India back from achieving this?