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What is our perception of India?
A social media survey
The purpose of this study has been to quantitatively measure the brand image of India by means of a survey hosted in social media. This quantitative research is a good step in order to fully comprehend what people think and perceive about India.
Research question
The questions used to measure the brand image of India were formulated taking into consideration the brand messages presented by India’s ministry of tourism. Such messages are distributed along 11 major concepts such as: “active adventures, festive, culturally rich, journeys by train, or yoga retreats” for instance. These concepts have been used and distributed by the Indian government along major travel channels to convey the brand image of the country.
Although the Indian government settled up a specific brand image, through this study we wanted to test what our readers actually perceive about the country. As such, the research question of this study has been the following: “To what extent the brand messages introduced and widespread by India’s official tourism board are perceived as being true by our readers?”
Formulating the questions for the survey
11 questions were asked to our readers via “instagram Stories”. This is a new format that allows researchers to ask questions to a specific segment of the market (composed by the most devoted users of the Instagram account. The responders are normally strongly attached to the corporate brand).
Initially, each reader had 15 seconds to answer each question. This is an ideal timing for them to provide an instinctive and spontaneous answer. Yet, they could go back to the previous question in order to read it again (if necessary) and provide a meaningful and trustworthy answer.
The first question was answered by 278 readers. However, question number eleven (the last multi choice question of this survey), was answered by 257 readers. Some of our readers did not provide an answer to all the questions, reducing the reliability of this study.
Results
The results presented along this study reflect the perceptions of our readers towards India’s country image. Yet, further studies need to be completed in order to understand in deep such feature.
Main Highlights of India’s brand image
In 2011 it was estimated that there were around 2 million Hindu temples in India. This number has substantially increased by now, since everyday new temples are discovered along India’s vast territory. Interestingly, it is said that India has more places of worship than schools or colleges!
The temples are just a small representation of India’s culture, which in our readers’ eyes is vast! The 82% of our surveyed population (those who participated in our second country brand image survey) think that in India there are thousands of different cultures, and that the customs differ from place to place.
They also strongly believe that India is known for its delicious food, railway journeys, wildlife and festivals! Interestingly, the 91% of our readers think that India is one of the spiritual hotspots of the world. This has been the highest point of agreement reached on the survey. In addition, our readers also think that India is home to the most famous building in the world (although only the 51% believe in such statement).
On the other hand, the 31% of our readers don’t think that India is one of the cheapest travel destinations in the world. However, according to the World Economic Forum, India’s price competitiveness ranks 10th among the 136 nations analyzed along their study. When measuring the ticket taxes and airport charges, the hotel prices, the fuel prices, and the purchasing power parity, India is indeed among the cheapest travel destinations in the world.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that most of our readers (66%) don’t think that India is a safe country. Although India performs average on the UL Safety Index with the score of 63 on a scale of 0-100 and improvements in this regard have been achieved, the Thomson Reuters Foundation recently concluded that India is still one of the “most dangerous countries for women due to the risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labor.”
Brand message number 1: “India is one of the cheapest travel destinations in the world.”
The 31% of our readers disagree with this statement. However, according to the World Economic Forum, India’s price competitiveness ranks 10th among the 136 nations analyzed along the study. India has a price competitiveness advantage (when measuring the ticket taxes and airport charges, the hotel prices, the fuel prices, and the purchasing power parity) which means that overall, this nation is among the cheapest travel destinations in the world.
This is an important advantage and a significant push factor to attract different segments in the tourism market.
Considering the results retrieved along this survey, the official tourism board of India could add brand messages in order to inform people about the affordable prices of the country. Ultimately, this can lead to bigger tourism rates increasing the performance of the country in this regard.
Brand message number 2: “India is known for its delicious food.”
The 81% of our readers agree with this statement. India has built a strong reputation around its culinary skills and this is actually an important part of its brand image nowadays. The results of this survey support this point of view.
Brand message number 3: “India is home to the most famous building in the world.”
A quick search on Google will reveal that the Taj Mahal, located in Agra (India), is one of the most famous buildings in the world, if not the most. We wanted to test this affirmation which has been used several times by the official tourism board of India.
When we asked to our readers if they agree with the statement presented above, the 51% agreed. Yet, the other 49% of our readers don’t think that India is home to the most famous building in the world.
Sure enough, it is clear that at least the population of this survey is mostly aware of the significance and uniqueness of India’s architecture.
Brand message number 4: “India is home to incredible wildlife.”
The 77% of our readers think that this statement is true. From domesticated animals such as cows to wild fauna such as asiatic lions for instance, India is indeed home to a wide variety of wildlife.
Brand message number 5 : “In India there are wonderful railway journeys.”
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a 2ft gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The train winds through the narrow streets of Darjeeling being one of the most iconic views of this railway journey.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, India has built a huge reputation around railways thanks in part to this distinctive journey. Interestingly, our results are in congruence with the initial research previously undertaken: For the 75% of our readers, “in India there are wonderful railway journeys.”
Brand message number 6: “India is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.”
Many travel magazines emphasize that India is home to wonderful beaches, probably some of the most beautiful and pristine in the world. However, for our readers such statement is not true.
The 56% of our readers don’t think that think is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Brand message number 7: “India celebrates more festivals than any other nation in the world.”
The list of Indian festivals has no end. With good reason, India is said to be a land of festivals where people from different religions coexist harmoniously. Our readers agree with this statement and only the 23% of the surveyed population don’t think that India celebrates more festivals than any other nation in the world.
Brand message number 8: “In India there are thousands of different cultures. India’s languages, religions, dance, music, architecture and custom differ from place to place.”
In 2011 it was estimated that there were around 2 million Hindu temples in India. This number has substantially increased by now, since everyday new temples are discovered along India’s vast territory. Interestingly, it is said that India has more places of worship than schools or colleges!
However, the temples represent a small part of India’s traditions and culture. Our readers agree with this. The 82% of our surveyed population think that in India there are thousands of different cultures, and that such customs differ from place to place.
Brand message number 9: “India is one of the spiritual hotspots of the world.”
In the same way, the 91% of our readers think that India is one of the spiritual hotspots of the world. This is the highest point of agreement reached on the survey.
Pushkar for instance is known to be a spiritual city and many tourist are attracted by its unique vibe. Thousands of travelers visit India in order to find spiritual guidance.
Brand message number 10: “India is one of the best countries in the world for backpackers.”
The 62% of our readers think that India is one of the best countries in the world for backpackers.
The following is India's major brand weakness
Brand message number 11:”India is a safe country.”
Finally, it is worth highlighting that most of our readers (66%) don’t think that India is a safe country. Although India performs average on the UL Safety Index with the score of 63 on a scale of 0-100 and improvements in this regard have been achieved, the Thomson Reuters Foundation recently concluded that India is “the world’s most dangerous country for women due to the risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labor.”
