Mumbai: India must now focus on creating ‘Brands from India,’ not just ‘Brand India,’ by investing more in innovation, incubation, and original ideas. This was one of the takeaways was the inaugural session at Goafest 2026 titled ‘Resetting Brand India: From Growth Story to Growth Strategy’. The session featured a discussion between Dr Rajiv Kumar, Chairman of Pahle India Foundation and Former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog; Padma Shri Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, Omnicom Advertising India and Chairman, Prasar Bharti; and Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle, India, moderated by Padmaja Joshi, Managing Editor, NDTV.
Dr Rajiv Kumar, Chairman of Pahle India Foundation and Former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, said,
“India is a global example of optimism, democracy, and growth. The next phase is building strong state and regional brands within Brand India. Private entrepreneurs will drive India’s future growth, with the government playing a supportive rather than controlling role. India must strengthen manufacturing and exports, compete globally, deepen industry-academia collaboration, and leverage its traditional knowledge systems and strengths. India’s Gen Z is no longer looking abroad for validation and ideas. What the country now needs is a major mindset shift across society and policy making.”
“India’s FMCG and consumer market operates at an enormous scale, where affordability continues to dominate consumer behaviour. While India has achieved huge volume growth, value growth remains limited, underlining the need for greater innovation and more premium-quality Indian products. Better dialogue and partnership between industry and government are creating stronger opportunities for growth. At the same time, global trust and respect for Indian professionals have grown significantly, and Indian media and storytelling are now globally competitive. Innovation suffers when businesses focus only on low-cost products, but encouragingly, Indian consumers are slowly becoming more confident in Made-in-India products,” said Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle, India.
“Brand India is bigger than just a marketing term; it reflects India’s civilisation, culture, and identity. India today is witnessing both visible progress through UPI, infrastructure, and GST, and invisible progress through rising confidence and cultural pride. People are increasingly embracing their local language, roots, and identity. India must now focus on creating ‘Brands from India,’ not just ‘Brand India,’ by investing more in innovation, incubation, and original ideas. Indian storytelling is moving from escapism to authentic narratives, and stronger collaboration between media, corporates, government, and creators is essential. Atmanirbhar Bharat is a necessity, not just a slogan. India also needs to reset its mindset and stop seeking Western validation, especially as Gen Z becomes more confident in Indian ideas and products,” said Padma Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, Omnicom Advertising India and Chairman, Prasar Bharti.
