Ethnic route to branding

Abstract

Companies wooing Indian consumers need to be sensitive to cultural practices. India is a land of cultural heritage. While lifestyles and consumer preferences are seemingly turning western, brands still have adequate bandwidth to appeal to Indian consumers through ethnic ways. Brands can also use ethnic aspects to reflect changing cultural values. Good Knight mosquito coil, Robin Blue (from Reckitt & Benckiser), the liquid that provides a blue tinge to white clothes; Himalaya, the over-the-counter tablets for personal care and healthcare based on an alternative system of medicine (known as Ayurveda in India); Chik brand’s shampoo with a whiff of jasmine; and Kurkure, the brand of snacks, are examples that reflect how brands have successfully used ethnic cultural aspects. Hindustan Unilever’s Fair & Lovely fairness cream is positioned a symbol of confidence to the aspiring middle-class young women. After Shower is a brand of hair cream that has been instrumental in the diffusion of the category of hair cream that had never taken off for decades. Hair cream is not a part of the grooming ritual among males in the country. The brand is positioned towards urban youth and had used a celebrity from cricket (also a part of Indian culture). Read more at: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/ethnic-route-to-branding/article23031971.ece