Building

ABSTRACT

The popularity o f Indian film s abroad along with the Indian stars sp ea k volum es a b o u t giving India a p latform fo r recognition across the globe. M o v i e s l i k e " la g e R a h o M u n n a b h a i ' h a v e b e e n screened a t U.N. Assembly. Can such movies help to spread a better word o f m outh a t the international level? This paper highlights the essentialities o f m anaging the equity o f 'Brand India' through Indian Cinema. This pap er also focuses on the various steps in the journey o f I n d i a n c i n e m a a n d it's subsequent over hau ling a t the i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t a g e . Ca n Indian Cinem a H ail The Glaze On 'Brand India'? Can we not build ’Brand India' through these reel routes. Does Indian cinem a satisfy the branding con cep ts? This p a p e r is a conceptual study that tries to fin d answers to these questions.

Key w ords: B ra n d I n d i a , Indian Cinema, Repositioning, Culture

Note: (Indian Cinema, Film Industry, and Bollywood are used as synonyms).

"Breathes there a man, with soul so dead,Who never to h im selfh ath sa id ," This is my own, my native lan d ." - Sir Walter Scott

OBJECTIVES

"India ch ose h er p la ces o f pilgrim ages on the top o f hills j . an d mountains, by the side o f the holy rivers , in the heart o f forests an d by the shores o f ocean , which along\with the sky, is ou r n ea res t v is ib le sym bol o f the vast, boundless, th e T g o t e tch ed in m y memory. "-R.N. Tagore

• To study whether our culture rich country can be branded using

popular en tertainm ent like Bollywood• To com prehend the use of Bollywood and its components in

managing brand equity forIndia• To explore different criteria of branding that Bollywood satisfies

Cinema

Bollywood Achieving International Feats

The Indian cinema world popularly called bollywood has started spinning its success story. Many international film festivals have hailed Indian movies as a special class type which can teach a lot about film ethics to the world and can be used as a stage to brand India through her rich culture. On a global stage, it has turned the Indian spice into a new international flavor. Many of the Indian films are getting international screening and are being applauded world wide (Sinha Suveen K). Bollywood has beenachieving international feats - right from its conception. It has been a star studded route to success on the global platform, though in parts and in the form of individual accomplishments. Technological innovations like blogs, ipods, Digital video displays (DVDs) have furthered the accessibility of movies abroad. Wax models of stars like Amitabh Bacchhan, Aishwarya Rai, and Shah Rukh Khan at London Museum talk about their intense popularity and familiarity in the foreign lands.

VAishawaryaRai's and Sushmita Sen's global image should be encashed upon. Aishwarya Rai continues to make the whole country proud of her achievements with many international film proj ects of big banners in her bag. She has won the British Government’s The Next Step World Diversity Champion Award (2005). She was invited to be a member of the International lury at the Cannes. Doubling the effect and winning the 'Big Brother Show' Shilpa Shetty has also added frills to the frails of Indian movie world. While Bollywood as a growing global business may be a recent phenomenon, its international connection dates back to decades ago when top Hollywood stars like Stewart Granger, Ava Gardner and Barbara Rush came to India to star in films like Bhawani Junction, Harry Black and tjie Tiger and so on. French director Renoir shot his award-winning film River in India while more recently Richard Attenborough won eternal fame for his Gandhi, which had a huge Indian cast. On the creative side, there has always been an exchange of actors between Bollywood and the Western countries, especially Hollywood. In the 1950s Sabu, the Elephant Boy from Mysore made a name for himself in Hollywood while comedian I. S. Johar was featured in character roles in films like Harry Black and Death on the Nile. Toby Stephens played an important role of a British officer in The Rising Mangal Pandey. Australian actress Tania Zaetta caught attention playing Arshad Warsi's foreign wife in Sal aam Namaste. The key role of a foreign documentary filmmaker in Rang De Basanti went to the British stage actor Alice Patten. For the first time in twenty five years, Bollywood producer Yash Chopra was invited as a member of the International Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival.

(Source: India Trade & Investm ent Forum and International Herald Tribune).

BUILDING ’BRAND INDIA’ CULTURALLY THROUGH CINEMA

Apart from these exchanges which are increasing every year, bolly wood has the distinction of achieving awards and acclaims in international film festivals. Based on real events, Bawandar Sandstorm, directed by Jag Mundhra and dominated by Nandita Dass compelling performance and the visually shining deserts of rural Rajasthan, won the Bermuda International Film Festival Award for best film. Ashutosh Gowariker's classic Lagaan (2001) which was set in India and staged conditions of 1893 won the academy nomination for Oscar Best Foreign Language Film.

Besides, the aforesaid international awards and nominations won by films from bolly wood, Indian cinema is also proud of the achievements of filmmakers of Indian origin settled abroad, who have either gained from their initial experience in Bollywood or have grown up watching bolly wood movies like Mira Nair, Deepak Mehta, Gurinder Chadha, Shekhar Kapoor. He shocked Hollywood Cinema by winning eight Oscar nominations for his film Elizabeth.

A brand is thus a living memory and endowed with products having great meanings. Cinema is already opportunistic and popularity seeking.

The popularity of Indian stars and Indian movies abroad can be encashed to enhance the 'brand India' image. The involvement of movie stars increases the brand value of the nation as a product and helps in positive creation of the brand essence. The box-office figures of Bolly wood films in the foreign market establish the fact that Bolly wood films have finally carved a niche for themselves internationally, especially in the U.S. where they do more business than films from any other country. Besides, many big Hollywood studios want a share of the action in Bolly wood's busting film industry. Corporate Indians are taking lesions from the reel world - for example Munnabhai MBBS gives a feeling of self - confidence, "Hazaaron Khwaishe aisee" comes across with a message "No quest is too big". These movies can be taken up as training lessons for multinational firms with offices across the borders.

URRENT SCENARIO•V Vw

Statistically, India is driving growth in global media and entertainm ent. Entertainment could be the best business proposition going currently in India. According to the Hindu

survey report (2005-2007) India and China are set to drive expansion of the global entertainment and media industry (E&M) to $2trillion by 2011. India's entertainment and media (E&M) market is experiencing a tear away 18.5 per cent annual growth, the highest in the world among major markets. The country is clearly in the throes of a consumepboom. With rising disposable incomes, people are more walling to spend on leisure and entertainment. An increase in advertisement expenditure which stood at a mere .34 per cent of GDP in 2006 can further boost the on going expansion. India has potential to become a big E &M player - as it is in Information Technology today (article in Business Standard, 2006).

Concentrated efforts including the corporatization of Indian movies are making this economic sector internationally competitive and viable. Today's films are also portraying a

cultural mix because of the western influence on the society This can be seen as a trend which has resulted in productionot films like Murder, Aks, Page 3, Corporate, Monsoon Wedding Rang De Basanti etc. One of the landmark movies in takin Bolly wood abroad is never say goodbye (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna) which reflected a modern Indian mind-set and gelled well with non - resident Indians. Corporatization of Indian movies has helped in scaling up the quality of scripts ant movies. Cross-over films catering to the Indian Diaspora anc the success of regional films abroad have helped in realisinga growth in revenues. International cinema being dubbed in Indian languages has expanded.

EDGING BETS ON SILVER SCREEN

People are relaxed while watching a film and it has a better impact on them than sitting through a lecture for five hours or browsing through pamphlets, brochures and help

screens which have a short retention. It is an apt tool to demonstrate behavior. If there are twTenty people watching the film together twenty different perspectives on the film can be heard or seen and the message gets sent across. The films define a fine line between assertion and aggression which is a very important lesson. But, Indian movies are meant for the masses primarily and not for the classes. Every level is as important but the possible selection of films can be differentto have the right kind of impact. Whether the film is a commercia success or not, it is definitely not going unnoticed from the eagle eyes and is duly scanned for the perfect message. The interest in films and everything related to films including all its components is deeply ingrained in the people across the globe.

OLLYWOOD AND ITS COMPONENTS

The Indian Film Industry can be used as a platform to showcase the ethnic culture of India in terms of forms of creativity like art and craft, jewellery, textiles, scenic beauty, classical

music and various dance forms. In the process, recognition and appreciation follows for India. The Indian dances, music, traditions already have a global audience. Bolly wood has given a new face to the culture with its movies like "Devdas" by SanjayLeelaBhansali productions, "Taj Mahal" byAkbarKhan productions and "Jodha Akbar" by Ashutosh Gowarikar production house. The success stories of such movies across the borders also speak volumes of what the global audience demands. Indian cinema has been effective in promoting the rich heritage on the world map. We can also consider the Indian Film industry as a conglomeration of various other forms of creativity which are also essential Com ponents of the Movie Industry.

Textiles: The ethnic dresses in "Devdas" and many of its types can broaden the global mind sets. Textiles embroider sonnets, weave ballads on six yards which are a vent of the inner most recesses of sari weavers and dress materials.

Tourism: The incredible landscapes, wafting aroma from Indian culinary present a sumptuous meal that is hard to resist. Rulers in times of yore have built magnificent monuments with natural delights out of sheer love for their wives. The Taj and

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B U IL D IN G 'B R A N D IN D IA ' C U L T U R A L L Y T H R O U G H C IN E M A

Mandu are a romantic treat for lovers, a historians' delight and a haven for nature lovers. Bolly wood can also play a role in tourism promotion. Indian film companies should patronize sites in the country instead of going abroad for shooting. With the induction of Taj Mahal in the list of wonders of the world which is a jewel in the crown, such rock monuments are results of creative vents of kings and artisans. They are memoirs which have no seconds.

Music: There is a sweet concordant and rhythmical song pervading through out her soul. The exclusive treatise of the scintillating performance of music veterans in tones and instruments like flute, sitar, sarod and tabla must be incorporated as integral part of the Indian cinema.

Dance: The graceful twirls, breath taking footwork and tantalizing expressions - all typify different classical and folk dances of India.

important form of capital and must be positively positioned as a part of any brand management. The same can be projected through Indian movies.

For building up on the brand strength through movies, measures employed and their rationale must be based on:

• Differentiation in the components of the film industry• Relevance - to the audience and story line• Esteem - through exotic display of art, crafts, sets and

culture0 Knowledge - by going hi - tech

The determinants can be driven by advertising campaigns, personal selling and celebrity endorsem ents. Factors necessary to be taken into consideration for choosing a celebrity7 for brand endorsement (not necessarily in the same order) are as follows:

Ms' and Crafts: Vintage India has a classic fusion of art forms which are a delight for the connoisseurs.

Fashion and Style: Only great minds can afford a simple style. According to an old saying," Fashions fade, style is eternal". Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion has to do with ideas and the style of living. Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. There is a strange power in clothing. According to Oscar Wilde," One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art."

Gems and Jewellery: There is in them a softer fire than the ruby. There is the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green ofthe emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil. The diamond dawns are set in rings of beauty. The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens, found at Hyderabad, India. According to George Eliot," These gems have life in them, their colors speak, say what words fail of." The jewellery items and the setsln "Jodha Akbar" highlight these aspects.M A :l\ ^

’RAND INDIA' THROUGH REEL ROUTES

Building up Process

Cinema is the reflection of the society7. It reflects many trends, current virtues, social struggles and patterns of living in a society. Culture is the

| underlying current and is the medium through which a society7 thrives on its values and ideologies. So, to ,a great extent cinema and culture are interrelated and go hand in hand. The Indian cinema portrays the essence of society - the culture. The ethnic and traditional values of the Indian society, its cultural diversity and above all, its unity among the varied cultural and religious sections, are highlighted by the movie world cinema. From courtesans to com plexes and creating perfect entertainment environm ents, m ovies best serve as repositories of contemporary society. Building a brand is all about creating or delivering a kind of uniqueness, an intangible that just cannot be copied. (Rajgopal N R). As a priority, India's image in world needs a corporate type analysis ofthe market/competition and current status. Culture is an

• International reputation of the cast• Mass appeal for internal markets• Contribution in the relevant field9 Western and traditional looks

There are chances that the movies get caught in the game of always having to please the consumer and end up surfing on the changing waves of social and cultural fashions but it can be understood that the films have always stood the test of time by better and fast adaptability to change. Cinema as a powerful tool and as a platform can be used for projecting the image of a country because ofthe following factors:

• It has a physical attribute.• Objective advantage - The latest trends from all the

components of the industry can be included thereby making it more consumer oriented.

9 Subjective advantage - Powerful story line with inclusion of popular stars

9 Caters to a mass9 Value: Return on investment will be high, if successful.

ANAGING BRAND EQUITY

The bases of brand equity can be formulated on the different associations which can be identified by the integral components and create an awareness about the drive (David Aaker). One also needs to take care about the

feasibility (in terms of time, legal, operation ability, cost) study in producing such movies. If the movies will serve as a cultural theme for branding India, will it be difficult to develop a powerful story line? Will it lead to more confusion if the central objective is lost? How captivating will the screen play be? One cannot and will not be able to control the speculations of the audience. There m ay be a huge gap betw een w hat the m arketers want international au d ien ce to see an d w hat they actually will see.

Obsessed with the need to build an appealing image that will be favorably perceived by all, the different components to the film industry can be treated as sub brands focusing on meeting

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BUILDING 'BRAND INDIA' CULTURALLY THROUGH CINESVIA

the expectations of the revitalization process. Each of these sub-brands is however individually capable of staging a 'brand India1 ( Ramalingam Aparna). The strengths reflected can be cumulatively studied for the valuation and contribution of the Indian cinema to change the impressions and perceptions of India globally. Sub brand features or the silver bullets help to communicate the functional benefits better to generate synergy and thereby achieving clarity of product offerings, facilitating change and adaptation and allocating resources. Proper co-ordination and development of the components of the cinema are desirable. Currently the movies are going as individual products and the actors are putting up with live shows for their self -development. This will in turn help the country in winning a good name.

But, managing brand equity is difficult since currently India is banking on Taj Mahal, dances, music, yoga and meditation. Forecasting about the effectiveness of the movie world on building up a nations' brand is still too early to predict. Creating new names like ’Incredible India’, 'Incomparable India’ appear to have brought some solace and have enabled the brand to rise from the dust but more light has to be thrown on the underlying assets. (Economic times ). Measurement of brand equity for such a case will depend upon determining the effectiveness of the sub-brands, quality of varied product classes and the success of these candidate product classes. Aggressive promotions are a must to enhance perceived quality and to create associations. With the recent recognition of bolly wood as an industry, it can grow further with proper strategies and well planned mechanism for risk reduction to operate in an unorganized dynamic environment. The attitudes and patterns of film production can be adopted for better message comprehension thereby adding charisma to the color. Humor is effective and so can be incorporated as an essential ingredient for spinning a success story.

Psychologists have shown that national and cultural stereotypes influence perceptions and evaluations. Firms specializing in nation-branding have sprouted up around the world, for example, the Persian Gulf state of Oman signed a contract with the marketing firm L^pdor Associates to develop and sell "Brand Oman". India must take on such a footing and cash in on her rich cultural heritage through Bollywood.

GLY ATTRIBUTES

The big cultural movie gap between India's vast film market and the rest of the world inhibits the nations' films from conquering new territories in global markets. There is a huge rupture in tone, style and taste between Indian

films and the other world. Films by Indian directors like Deepa Mehta's 'Water' and Mira Nair's 'The Namesake' have enjoyed international success because their film making sensibilities do not come from India but from other cultures. The Indian film business has been extrehiely confusing as there are so many states on the sub-continent, making it a very bureaucratic and slow-moving process. One can tone down the melodramatics in Indian films. Villages in an Indian film appear glossy and not realistic. The audience must be able to relate to the manner in which the story is told. Many Indian films are usually long (three hours) and the quality of the prints

does not match with the hi-tech world, where bearing the costs can be extremely high. The numbers of prints supplied too van in great numbers. The subtitles are awful. Though the film­making skills are available in India, the P's of marketing mixi price, place, product, prom otion ) and the 7 c's oi communication! clarity, concise, complete, candid, concrete, correct, courteous) need to step up the branding of Indian cinema whether it is commercial or non - commercial by nature. However, increased DVD sales may help in global exposure. The global audiences perceive Indian cinema as song and dance exotica, therefore tweaking the script could make the Indian content appeal to the global audiences. The Indian film industry finds it difficult to exploit the global market because of issues related to distribution, cost, reach and piracy. There are also some cultural barriers to Indian films striking a chord with global audiences. Formula films are dead. The market is keen to explore and experiment with new ideas. Some Indian movies have been remakes of Hollywood movies- retold in an Indian version. Such film makers have been labeled as 'copy cats’ and blamed to not have even acknowledged the source. Red tapism can bring more disaster to the brand, as the formalities required to scale a film internationally are totally disgusting. So, a single window clearance for filming which could meet the necessary objective is recommended.

HALLENGES AND COMBATING THEM

Can Cinema hail the glaze on a country branding? Do people really take films so seriously? For the answer to be affirming "yes"- It has to be a p o lit ic a lly motivated campaigning. Many government officials who

are involved in country branding should be drawn to product marketing approaches. But unfortunately, the political leaders are most preoccupied with branding themselves and their parties. The coordinated government efforts to manage a country's image, whether to improve tourism, investment, or even foreign relations have gone in vain because such countries including India are in desperate need of exports, tourism or foreign direct investment (Jagdish Sheth). Politicians have image problems of their own, which possibly cannot be ruled out. Public opinion must be taken into consideration while designing, propagating or showcasing cinema. India has to work at maintaining credible reputation. The government can coordinate policies to actively manage the image. India should be known for her ideas, progress in innovation, rich cultural heritage and success. This has to be in cohesion with the framework of the internal policies.

There will always be room in the global marketplace for brands that compete on cultural excellence. The presence of multiple country brands in the market place will almost certainly enhance overall interest in the offerings (Bhushan Ratnaj. There's no magical shortcut through marketing or advertising, logos or slogans. The overall reputation of the country has to be measured, managed and influenced by a partnership between tourism, culture, government, business and civil society. Simply making good films will not do nearly as it’s the people who brand their country, who benefit from an improved national reputation, and who truly 'own' that national brand (SeshadriDVR).

38 DIAS TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ■ VOL. 5 No. 2 " OCTOBER 2008 - MARCH 2009

BO ILDI NG BTOTD INDW'UUCrUR ALLY TRROUGfTdNEM^The important challenges currently facing place branding in India are

♦ Lack of unity of purpose,Difficulty in establishing actionable and measurable objectives,Lack of authority over inputs and control over outputs,

♦ Restricted flexibility and♦ Relative lack of marketing know-how

Low concentration on building up an international reputation

If we look at what is happening in India today and the perceptions around India, none of these are controlled. India has emerged in the last five years in terms of perceptions in a quite different way from the way it was perceived ten or fifteen years ago. It was spirituality and poverty, and now it’s software; it's highly educated people. And in some countries, Indian clothing - textiles and fabrics, are fashionable. None of this is managed. It’s all spontaneous. The Indians are making their mark in almost every arena but the achievements have more or less been of the type 'Touch and Go'. Bollywood can thus help to create and shape the Brand India image, since Brand India is not a homogeneous product (Neelamegham S). The challenge to brand managers is how to successfully manage the dichotomy of Brand India. In the countries index, India's score

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for exports has gone up noticeably-by 2.7%- but her governance score has dropped by a similar amount, suggesting that the reputation gains of the private sector have been counterbalanced by the government policies. Perceptions ol India's culture & heritage are up by 2.2%, but the score for investment potential & education has dropped by the same amount; tourism & people are unchanged. Overall, India's compound global ranking remains effectively unchanged at 25th place out of 36. (Simon Anholt, 2007)

ONCLUSIONS

Even with the loopholes the Indian cinema is striving to keep alive the culture of this unique land. Elegant anchorage of the past routes in art, poetry, literature, music as a result ol civilization, good education can be portrayed

in films. This will definitely give India the required elegant vital life in global recognition. Indian film companies need to take on the challenge to build films ('export quality brands') that scale up to global eminence. The Bolly wood and its stars' participation will positively affect the promotional campaign, though more support is needed by the government. In exploring the highly integrative nature of movie world, the associated tasks can be better synchronized to preserve and yet sell the cultural heritage of India, through captivating movies. As Socrates wrote," The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire."

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