<div><em><strong>Sutanu Guru</strong> analyses how the fascinating wars between Indian and global companies and brands maintain a blistering pace</em></div><div> </div><div>Marketing wars have always been exciting. Legendary stories have been built around marketing whiz kids and advertising brains scripting scenarios as if in a war. At the end of the day, the war is all about capturing a larger market share; just as real warriors in ancient times fought to capture more territory. But a special flavor is added to these marketing wars when we provide an interesting and thought provoking context. Perhaps the most thought provoking one at the moment in India is a series of brutal marketing wars being fought by "desi" and "firang" firms. In simple English, that would be territorial wars between companies that have origins in India versus companies whose headquarters are based overseas.</div><div> </div><div>You think desi versus firang is not happening in India? Look again at the market place around you and you will be amazed by the extent and intensity of these no holds barred battles between the desi and the firang. Say you have fallen in love with taxi aggregating services: like millions of urban Indians have. While there are lots of choices in offer, the real war is between desi Ola Cabs and firang Uber. No trick is being ignored, and no stone unturned by Ola and Uber as they furiously expand across India and come up with strategies to lure-and keep- more and more consumers. Estimates and projections vary wildly, but the fact is that Ola and Uber are fighting to be top dog in a market that could be worth as much as Rs 25,000 crores a year by 2020. There is another cruel choice aspirational Indians face as they live out their online dreams. Most analysts reckon that the online shopping industry could touch gross revenues of $60 billion by 2020. Dozens of players are jostling for a slice of the explosively growing pie. The company Snapdeal is indeed a force to reckon with. But we all know who are the two rivals fighting it out to be numero uno. Yes, we are talking about the unending and unrelenting marketing war between desi Flipkart and firang Amazon. In the years to come, this one will undoubtedly be a case study that will be taught by marketing professors in B schools across the world.</div><div> </div><div>Don't for a moment think that these desi versus firang marketing wars can be found only in the brave new world of the Internet and Apps. They are very much a part of even traditional segments of the marketplace. Recently, Café Coffee Day listed its share on stock exchanges. This is no place to comment on the listing and its aftermath. The really interesting story is how the desi Café Coffee Day is taking on competition from a globally iconic brand like Starbucks. As India becomes more and more urban, this will be another riveting war to witness. But perhaps the bid daddy of them all when it comes to marketing battles is between two former partners turned rivals, Hero and Honda. Between 1984 and 2011, the desi Hero group and the firang Honda forged a strategic partnership that became a global success story. Hero Honda emerged as the largest two wheeler company in the world. The two parted ways in 2011 and have since been locked in a brutal marketing war. With annual sales in units expected to cross 5 million in fiscal 2016, Honda is breathing down the neck of Hero which expects units sales in excess of 6.5 million in fiscal 2016. </div><div> </div><div>There are dozens of similar battles being fought across the Indian market. And each one is unique and fascinating in its own way. But a look at how marketing wars have evolved over the last three decades in India reveals two things. The first is the enduring strength of many Indian brands. Just one example will prove this point. After fighting a pitched and brutal war with Pepsi for years, Ramesh Chauhan, who promoted Thums Up, Limca and Gold Spot, sold off his brands to Coke when it re entered India in the early 1990s. Everyone, including marketing whiz kids at Coke thought Thums Up would die a natural death in a few years. But so powerful was consumer loyalty towards Thums Up that Coke bosses had to eat humble crow and continue the brand they had planned to kill. Many such desi brands have survived the onslaught of foreign Giants and tell a story of their own. The second thing is that with increasing globalization, there is a blurring between pure desi and firang brands. Since the company was originally promoted by an Indian, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Airtel can be considered to be a desi brand. But then, Bharti has expanded to many other countries and is considered a firang brand in many African countries. Then again, if you add institutional and other strategic investors, the firang ownership quotient at Airtel is perhaps bigger than the desi one. </div><div> </div><div>Perhaps it is worth doing a series of stories on these individual marketing wars between desi and firang brands. They always make for an interesting read anyway!</div>
