February 19th, 2009 
Aman As they say: image is everything. Well the question is why does image matter when thoughts and predictions of doom and despair abound? As the global recession bites, most companies and countries are prompted to ask the question, “How do we get out of this mess?” rater then “how do we improve our image?”
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Well for me this is short term thinking. Yes we know that there is a need to look hard at economic and business strategies for survival, but this has to be balanced by strategies for the longer term. A look at the top brands in the corporate world reveals that in adverse conditions they continue to invest in their brand, and use downtime to look at strategic brand improvements that can be put in place for the future when markets recover.
This is prime time for the world to work hard on the branding. Yes branding is what all the countries in this world need now. Barrack Obama was elected on the platform of change, and a large part of his campaign success rested on his declared determination to re- engineer and restore America’s global image. Now this was an emotional area as opposed to rational appeal that won him millions of votes. We know Americans want their brand and reputation back. Learning this lesson from the corporate world, the public sector has started branding the countries as branding has become constant cabinet agenda item. This is not surprising as a strong national brand can bring huge benefits including:
currency stability,
restoration of international credibility and investor confidence
reversal of international rating downgrades
attraction of global capital
increase in international political influence
growth in export of branded products and services
increase in inbound tourism and investment
development of stronger international partnerships
enhancement of nation building( confidence, pride, harmony, ambition, national resolve)
attraction and retention of talent
reversal of negative thoughts about environmental, human rights and other matters of importance to global audiencesTo my mind India should be concerned with branding in order to gain such benefits. As it has positive growth and massive potential, it will continue to be faced with intense competition from other more developed as well as emerging economies such as China. Confronted by situations where its products, service, systems and technology are easily replicable, the biggest challenges for any country is differentiation: the need to be perceived as being different and better than competitors, while marketing and selling similar things. India is no exception to this rule, and even though it presently has some cost leadership advantages, these may not be sustainable.
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