MAM
Brand India should include the non-urban: Sibal
NEW DELHI: When a lawyer-turned-politician and a successful medical professional hold forth on marketing, branding and packaging tourism, a different perspective come forth, apart from some populist talks, of course.
And, on the first day of the two-day marketing summit being held here by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), this became apparent. A junior Indian minister hyped up the non-urban markets for making marketing strategies a success, while a senior heart surgeon held forth on medical tourism, which can be exploited by the country.
Marketing in India cannot be successful unless it includes the vast majority of the people living outside the urban section of the populace, minister of state for science and technology Kapil Sibal said in his inaugural speech at the marketing summit.
Defining marketing, Sibal, a lawyer by training, said that for him it meant products and services that are saleable, affordable and of high quality. “Prosperity of a nation depends on the prosperity of its people and the extent of the market depends on the affordability of its products,” he added.
He asserted that India would be the world leader in the market by the year 2015, mainly due to its strength in science and technology. Similarly, the minister felt that India could become a world leader in the pharma sector because labour was available in India at a cheaper cost compared to the West.
Referring to inventions that were being done by ordinary people all over the country, Sibal said that for him marketing meant providing simple solutions to the problems of the people at affordable prices. “India
cannot go forward by ignoring the people at the bottom of the pyramid,” he held on to his political line.
On the other hand, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre ED Dr. Naresh Trehan emphasized that India can very well take advantage of medical tourism, but for that to happen in a big way, the Indian government needs to beef up the infrastructure and its marketing abilities.
“High quality treatment at a fraction of the cost, in comparison to western countries, makes India an ideal healthcare destination from highly specialized medical care”, Dr Trehan said, but added this cannot become a reality without a helping hand from the government.
Speaking at a session on `Marketing Crystal Gazing 2015: Are you a part of the future’, Dr Trehan’s speech to the marketing delegates took a dual look at the state of healthcare in India and also discussed India’s
potential to be a leading destination in the medical tourism business.
Quoting from an international report, Dr. Trehan said that despite the growth in medical and health infrastructure in recent years, India needs to spend in excess of $25-30 billion by 2012 to raise the infrastructure required in healthcare for the domestic populous.
According to Dr. Trehan’s estimates 100,000 medical tourists are likely to visit India annually by 2012, which would generate revenues of approximately $2 billion up from the current $333 million.
“Although this is substantial income for India, it represents a dramatic cost savings for the US, European and other foreign nationals who have to pay about five to ten times of what they pay in India for the same
treatment.
But for such a scenario to become a reality, the government has to have the political will and resources.
“Strengthening of infrastructure at airports, roads and hotels, provisions for medical visas on arrival, priority bookings and reservations on Indian air carriers and allowing private hospital facilities on the airport tarmac are key factors that the government needs to develop.
“Additionally, the government must take the lead in marketing Indian medicine internationally and help attracting the medical tourists,” Dr. Trehan gave his version of marketing strategies.
Dr. Trehan also shared his vision and concept for the new MediCity project, which will cover over 18 super specialty hospitals and the first phase will be inaugurated on India’s 60th birthday.
However, Dr. Trehan warned that since no national standards of excellence exist for healthcare, it could become an issue.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
