Pesky rules hindering Indian business: Kotler

Marketing guru Philip Kotler on Wednesday said it is hard to establish a business or startup in India quickly, due to issues related to constricting regulations.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Philip Kotler Marketing Forum (PKMF) in Bengaluru, Kotler said, “I emphasise that it’s hard to establish a business in India due to issues related to regulations and signing paperwork, among others.” He said that the government’s aim must be to ensure that issues are dealt with swiftly, and processes involved for companies to register would be eased.

“I would further say that in India, you require the right infrastructure and innovation to get a business or startup running, faster and easier,” Kotler added.

The Narendra Modi government recently embarked on the ‘Make in India’ campaign inviting foreign investments into India. Kotler lauded Modi for his efforts, but said that certain changes must take place at the policy front, such as reducing high taxes.

With regard to improving quality of Indian goods and marketing them better, Kotler said, “You must decide what categories of products you want to focus on and improve their quality, instead of trying to improve the quality of every available product.”

He illustrated the example of creating a world-class Indian TV brand, much on the lines of the Koreans who developed the Samsung brand.

One of the themes at the PKMF was ‘Innovation through Marketing’. A few decades ago, television played a pivotal role in advertising and marketing through a process called ‘mass marketing’ involving all viewers.

“Today is the era of the Internet, and marketing will only get better online, as it is a one-to-one process,” Kotler said.

Talking about SMEs surviving in the face of stiff competition from larger competitors, Kotler said that small businesses must be clever to survive and thrive.

“If they (SMEs) are not clever enough, they will collapse or be bought over by their much larger competition,” Kotler concluded.