Introduction

If you were passing through Zurich or any other Swiss airports in the last week of January, 2006 you would most likely hear somebody humming a Hindi song or be draped in an Indian pashmina shawl. India seemed to be everywhere at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

‘India's showy debut called ‘Everywhere India’ at Davos 2006 is yet another sign that this newly confident country is ready to strut its stuff on the world stage,’wrote Business Week's Mumbai bureau chief Manjeet Kripalani.

The WEF’s annual meeting in Davos is the most important business event in the world where over 2000 global leaders congregate to shape global, regional & industry agenda and to find solutions to the global challenges.

A principal architect of the "India Everywhere" strategy was Ajay Khanna, chief executive of the India Brand Equity Foundation, a public-private partnership between the Indian government and some of the country's largest corporations.

Working with leading Indian public relations firm Genesis Burson-Marsteller, Khanna set out to ensure that India's message was heard and felt during the five-day meeting.
When people think of India they need not have elephants and huts in mind. Today, India with the world’s second largest population is one of the fastest growing economies.

In this blog, I will make an effort to understand a few basic questions.

Was there a need to build an image and why?
How did they build the brand? ( tactics used)
Was the campaign successful?