International Advertising Association (IAA) Global Summit on Nations as Brands saw several firsts on the first day of the Summit
The Summit was inaugurated on the morning of September 5, 2022 by Hon’ble Mr. Tony Abbott, former PM of Australia. This is the first time IAA India had a senior leader from another country inaugurate any of its event. But this was appropriate given that IAA was hosting a Summit with a unique theme of Nations of Brands. In his address Mr. Abbott talked about India as a strong democracy with all the elements of governance in place and how both the countries can benefit by trade between the two countries. He also touched upon the role Australia and India should play at the Quad. He further said that while the 19th century was Britain’s, 20th was America’s 21st century could that be of India’s.
After the inaugural session, Mr Amitabh Kant released a report on Nation Brands developed by Brand Finance of UK and the highlights relating to India were presented by Mr Ajimon Francis, Brand Finance India Managing Director. As per the report India’s brand value is USD 2591 bn, INR 189,034 bn and is ranked no.5 on a global basis. Report placed India as a significant leader in Asia Pacific just after China, Japan, South Korea. India also scored very high under soft power ranking.
Mr Amitabh Kant in his address, gave snippets from his past career which highlighted his role in establishing Kerala as ‘Gods own country’ and India as ‘Incredible India’ and how the Government was involved on projects that provided several benefits such as water and sanitation in various parts of India.
The Summit then saw a session on automobile industry in which there were 3 speakers - Rajiv Chabba, MD, Morris Garage, Balbir Singh Dhillon, Audi India Head and Raghav Belavadi, CEO, Hype luxury. This session helped to understand how the history of car making evolved and how today is the age of EV and advanced digitisation. It also underscored the fact that what was luxury some years ago is seen as a much needed accessary.
This session followed by a session on Europe, where many nations there gave birth to several category of products and services. The first topic “Heady mix of french luxury, perfume and cuisine” was discussed by Veronique Poles, Consultant, Poles Luxe Consulting, Rajiv Sheth, Founder and CEO, Jus Scents, Dominique Fieux, French Michelin Star Chef; each of them shared their experiences on the evolution of French luxury, perfume and cuisine. Babette Desfossez, Trade & Investments commissioner, Embassy of Belgium spoke about how Belgium as a country was small but a complex nation with three official languages and how it can be known as a country specialising in diamonds. On a lighter note she said that this business is now dominated by Gujaratis.
This was followed by a discussion between Mitrajit Bhatacharya, Founder, The Horologist and Ashok Goel, Distributor and Marketeer, Luxury Swiss Watches on how Switzerland came to be known as a country for luxury watches. The discussion traced the history of how watch making started in England and how by accident Switzerland came to be the country where such luxurious watches were assembled. The skilled labour that were available in Switzerland appeared to be the main reason. This session was followed by Prof Dr V Raghunathan on Barriers to National Brand Building. He said that Brands are not what we think of ourselves it’s what others think of us”.
In the session on India’s competitiveness, Kiran Karnik, Former President of Nasscom spoke about how IT & ITES had put India on the global map while the other speaker Mr Manish Sabharwal, Vice Chairman, Teamlease Services spoke about how India’s agenda has to be oriented to be the most competitive nation in the next 25 years. The evening ended with Sri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Union Minister of India for Road and Highways where he gave a perspective of how India is going to be a nation with world class infrastructure.
IAA Global Summit on Nations as Brands Day 2
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Australia to England; day two of the IAA Global Summit saw dignitaries from across the globe share their views on “Nations as Brands”. Peter Knapp Chairman of Landor & Fitch, UK, set the stage for the day that captivated the audience at the conference.
Through a brief presentation on the remarkable campaigns his organization had executed, Peter Knapp said that communication should ensure differentiation to achieve relevance to the audience. From present to future, day two had it all in for the audience. When Surya Kotha, Founder & CEO of Xienz LLC, USA, took the stage, little did the audience expect to bear witness to a future that is not as far away. VR and AR, the hot topics, came alive in front of the hall when a product from a magazine was displayed in 3D on the screens.
As the day progressed, many speakers shared their unique views on the theme. Md. Ashiq and Mahalingam Ramasamy, CEO and Managing Director of Netcon Technologies, respectively, brought the audience’s attention to how connections are not just a technology that exists outside, they have existed within human beings. They emphasized the idea of leveraging this internal and external connection and empowering India.
The stage was then handed over to Israel and Ambassador Ido Aharoni Aronoff, Founder of Brand Israel, who weaved the story of Israel through his presentation on the nation that had achieved the status of a start-up nation. The spirit of ‘survivability’, he said, has been represented by Israel in its zeal to become a world-class brand. He told the audience how Israel had its boundless creativity to offer to the world and it emerged as a creative power due to its capabilities. But just like other international representatives, he had nothing but praise for brand India and its status in the global market.
Following his session, the stage was taken by Suraj Saharan, Co-founder, Delhivery, and Pradeep Pant, Board Member, Rawstone Co Ltd. Taiwan, Former MD of Taipei Fubon Bank. They talked about the possibilities of Technology, building an operating system for commerce. Pradeep Pant spoke about how digital payments will transform our future. Suraj Saharan outlined the journey of a startup and how it became a Unicorn.
When we talk about Nations as Brands, how can we forget cricket - a sport that united the world and now stands as almost a religion for every nation? The legends in the world of cricket - David Gower, Former Captain of England Cricket Team, Dilip Vengsarkar, Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, and Ayaz Memon, Sportswriter, Journalist, and Author - graced the audience with their presence to talk about cricket’s inception in England and its transformation through ages. Starting this part of the conference, David Gower shared his experiences as a cricketer, referring to the amalgamation of old and new in the cricket world in the brand journey of cricket and cricketing nations. The panel discussion was moderated by Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior Journalist, Author, Columnist, Ultimate Newsman, and Consulting Editor - India Today Television.
The panel was a delight for the audience that got to hear inside stories and behind the scenes from seasoned cricketers and cricket commentators. They talked about cricket becoming a huge brand in itself and entertaining audiences for decades.
As the conference traveled the world, it landed in India towards the end of the two-day summit. Dr. D K Hari & Dr. D K Hema Hari, Founders of Bharat Gyan, and Ramesh Vangal, Chairman of Katra Group took the stage to enlighten the audience about the brand India through the ages. The hour was filled with stories of India and what it bestowed upon the world - bronze, zinc, yoga, the number zero, various dyes, Ayurveda, etc. The audience was asked to understand brand India, own it and amplify it to the rest of the world. A truly enlightening session, the walk through the ancient cultures of India brought many new facts to the attention of the audience.
The conference ended on a beautiful note. Bharatbala, Producer, and Director explained how he worked to capture the spirit and heart of India and its inhabitants. A performance that gave goosebumps to the audience, paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar. He exhorted the audience to know more about India and then spread the message of Brand India, with pride. The conference came to an end on a positive and enlightening note.
Our principal partners for the event were Netcon Technologies, John Distilleries Pvt Ltd & EPSON while supporting partners were ABP Network, Nestle, Katra Group, EENADU, VRL Media, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, Kochar Homes & India Today Group