‘India’s growth rate has been high, but we can’t merely operate in home market’

With 70% of its revenue coming from overseas markets, the Tata group is largely global. But the group continues to expand in India. Tata Sons brand custodian and member, group executive council, Mukund Rajan tells HT about how the Tata brand has been evolving. Excerpts from an interview.

With global markets affected, will large companies like yours have to rethink about the corporate brand? The elements that create and sustain a global brand have multiplied. Also, with India liberalising and tariff barriers falling, if we had remained solely on home market we would have come under pressure as foreign companies moved in. To counter this was to expand overseas. One of the key foundations for success has been the development of the Tata Business Excellence Model. Group chairman Cyrus Mistry is now building on this platform with Vision 2025.

Given the current environment, will the brand need changes? The equity of the Tata brand has been built on trustworthiness and good corporate citizenship. Trust has been reinforced through adoption of the Tata Business Excellence Model and the Tata Code of Conduct. Good corporate citizenship is embedded in our DNA due to the unique ownership structure where 66% is held by charities. For a group with such strong values, I do not believe there is a need to change the brand.

How is the group addressing the changing business mix? We have had a history of pioneering. This continues with products and services. In digital, we are launching an omnichannel e-commerce initiative, a digital healthcare platform, and a big data analytics venture. With growth of emerging markets what kind of positioning should the group do? We see a variety of global opportunities. India accounts for just 30% of our total turnover and much of the remaining 70% is generated in the UK and the US. While India’s growth rate has been high, we recognise that we cannot merely operate in our home market. Overseas expansion has brought us access to new markets, technologies.

What was the idea behind Tata Motors’ appointing Lionel Messi as global brand ambassador? The idea of Made of Great campaign, in association with Lionel Messi, is — ‘What drives us from within is what makes us great’. This is a ref–lection of the Tata principle.