It is Time to Build Brand India

The Indian economy is growing at a reasonably rapid pace, though nowhere near the 8%-9% growth recorded in the early and mid-2000s. Still, considering the two huge shocks the world economy has faced in the past two decades – the 2008 Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic – we have to say that India has… Continue reading It is Time to Build Brand India

How the BBC Can Become More Competitive

In an earlier blog post on media brands, I had written that BBC’s coverage of the conflict in Gaza was found wanting, and that I was particularly disappointed because I happen to be a regular BBC World News viewer and because I had done some advertising work for BBC when they were launching India-specific programmes… Continue reading How the BBC Can Become More Competitive

Does India, the Land of Festivals, Lack Imagination?

The festive season is already upon us in India. From Janmashtami - that celebrates Lord Krishna’s birth – which just went by, to Diwali and Dussehra and to Christmas and New Year, accompanied by the wedding season, India is meant to be in a festive mood for more than half the year.  It is a… Continue reading Does India, the Land of Festivals, Lack Imagination?

The State of Media Brands in the World Today

As an advertising professional who has been writing on brands as well as the economy, politics and business as well as culture on my blog, I thought I’d write about the state of the media around the world, as I see it today. I will not focus so much on the advertising aspect of media,… Continue reading The State of Media Brands in the World Today

Brands Addressing Global Issues – Part 2

In line with the theme of innovation that my blog is celebrating this year, I had thought of how companies and brands can address global issues and build their brands at the same time, in an earlier post where I had shared my thoughts and ideas on Absolut Vodka. I had said that very few… Continue reading Brands Addressing Global Issues – Part 2

Brands Addressing Global Issues – Part 1

As I’d written in my Owleye column this month, there are plenty of global summits and conferences this summer and all the way up to the new year. It makes sense at a time of heightened conflicts and geopolitical tensions, not to mention wars. In a year where my blog is celebrating 25 years of… Continue reading Brands Addressing Global Issues – Part 1

Have Non-Tariff Ticket, Will Travel

The Trump administration just announced a set of new reciprocal tariff rates for more countries and has set a new deadline of August 1, 2025 for these to take effect. It’s still early days, and it’s hard to tell their effect on consumer prices, on trade, and on consumption and economic growth, both in the… Continue reading Have Non-Tariff Ticket, Will Travel

HBR Book On Strategy Does It a Disservice

Reading HBR posts online on LinkedIn where I follow them, I was always quite disappointed by the kinds of subject matter and articles that were being shared. Being unemployed for decades now in India, I cannot afford to subscribe to the publication, so I browse and read the occasional free article whenever I find something… Continue reading HBR Book On Strategy Does It a Disservice

AI Entrepreneurs in Serious Need of Child Protection Lock

It’s hard to believe that half of 2025 has just flown by. At the start of the year the two most anticipated developments of 2025 were going to be Trump tariffs and a wave of AI innovations. You could say that these phenomena are opposed to each other, with the first slowing down the economy… Continue reading AI Entrepreneurs in Serious Need of Child Protection Lock

Time for India’s Economy to Become More Competitive

I began this year by writing about the challenges facing India this year as Trump’s tariffs take effect and cause a global economic slowdown, from which India too will not be immune. Then in February 2025, I wrote about the Indian Union Budget which I thought was desperate to push growth, including by cutting taxes… Continue reading Time for India’s Economy to Become More Competitive