Can Wine be a Brand Ambassador for India?
Over at the Hindustan Times, Vir Sanghvi worries that wine will not do much for India's image in the world. Market researchers believe that the image of a country as a brand depends on intangibles such as the ability to make luxury goods like wine for the international markets. Sanghvi believes that instead of wine, IT and global outsourcing will play that role for India.
We disagree. IT and global outsourcing are certainly strong brand ambassadors there is no denying that. But IT and global outsourcing caters to just one attribute of India's brand. Wine too is an integral part of brand India and we are confidant that in the coming years, as Indian wine gains greater acclaim around the world, it will contribute significantly to India’s brand image.
In fact, Indian wine was served to attendees at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The government of India understood wine’s importance. Indian wine is now served in countries from Norway to the United States and France too. And Decanter Magazine named Grover’s La Reserve the best New World wine last year.
Just as wine has done much for countries like the United States in the 1970’s and more recently New Zealand and Chile, expect a lot more from Indian wine.
