Moving from "Made in India" to "Made for India"

This is a pointer to the full article here by Devita Saraf.

Two years ago, I visited Shanghai on a business trip and went to the famous Yu-yuan gardens. Outside the tourist attraction, like every other in the world, were hoards of souvenir stores selling locally produced handicrafts. The beautiful wood and jade carvings, painted silk screens and other memorabilia had faces created on them. I thought they would be holy Chinese images, but on closer inspection they turned out to be portraits of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and even George Bush. This would never happen in India. We have our own set of demigods in Bollywood actors and cricketers.

Devita Saraf, CEO of Vu Technologies and Executive Director of Zenith Computers

The Maoist Revolution in China turned their cultural identity into a clean slate, which is the reason their dressing, tastes and aspirations are largely inspired by the western world. India, in contrast, has given a stubbornly tough time to McDonalds, KFC and others as they tried to gain a foothold in the Indian market unless they "Indianized" their menus. By this, I mean that the menu must be suited to the Indian budget and the Indian palette. At Indian weddings, we proudly flash Indian designers and traditional Indian wear, which is why few Western designers have been able to succeed with their formal range of clothing here. The number of successful indigenous brands in India has created a new consumer class who are happy to flaunt their cultural identity.

But this wasn't always the case. Growing up in India in the 1980s and 1990s, anything "imported" was considered superior. There were certain markets in all cities that would sell smuggled electronics, foodstuffs and other consumer products. Ads with foreign models in them meant the product had been endorsed by a developed country and would be priced at a premium in India.

After liberalization and the flood of foreign brands in India, this phenomenon is changing. Slowly, steadily and very subtly. You will notice that advertising in India now reflects pride in the country. Read the full article here.

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