Racism Under the Banner of Branding – India and Jaguar
My inbox if full of discussion on India’s Tata taking over Jaguar. I was sent an interesting article from Time Magazine about how traditional white brands are reacting to mergers and acquisitions from Indian companies. One of my friends mentioned that there is a similar problem for Chinese companies. No one ever questions the ability (or right) of Western companies to
buy out firms in developing countries, but people get upset when it
goes the other direction. Every time a Chinese firm tries to buy out a
Western one, people worry about Chinese imperialism.
The Time article talks about how when the India luxury chain Taj received a letter from the Orient Express that its overtures were not welcome. Indian Hotels Vice-Chairman R. K. Krishna Kumar wrote that he was offended by the letter.
White’s letter, he says, "will go down as one of the most uncivilized
exchanges of views between two companies in the 21st century." Its
sentiments, Kumar says, reflect "an era that is now prehistoric."
India’s Economic times was later quoted as saying:
The days of "white supremacy are disappearing rapidly, and white brand
value with it," the piece went on. "When Arab financiers are needed to
rescue Citigroup, notions of white cachet seem ludicrous."
Orient Express said that the statement had more to do with branding than anything else. As a Marketer, I can’t disagree more. My thinking is that if an Indian company can make Jaguar make good cars again, then that will be good for the brand – who cares where the improvements come from. And by the way, being an intolerant global brand in today’s world… is totally off-brand.
Well said.