Dheeraj Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer, Grey Group South & South East Asia launches second book

Dheeraj Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer, Grey Group South & South East Asia, launches his second book, ‘India Reloaded’. Sinha is also the author of highly acclaimed ‘Consumer India – Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet’, which is a recommended read at Wharton Business School’s course on emerging markets. He has spoken at the Harvard India Conference, Boston and Cannes Lions Festival amongst other forums. Sinha was amongst the top 40 marketing and advertising professionals in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s top 40 under 40 list 2014.

Brands and businesses from across the globe have tried to leverage the India opportunity, based upon simplistic and widely held assumptions. This book takes a critical look at these myths and contradictions from an inside perspective, presenting a fresh and nuanced perspective on the opportunities that the Indian market offers. It draws upon a wealth of data, from consumer research, market data, macroeconomic research, popular culture and case studies, to provide a thorough and compelling insight into what makes for success in the complex Indian market, based upon two decades of experience.

“What can popular culture teach us about business? Everything. Dheeraj makes connections between seemingly disparate socio-cultural and political behavior of India to explain its consumption culture. This is a ‘must-have’ for successful businesses – the cultural compass of new India,” said Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO of Grey Group Asia Pacific.

“There are many assumptions about emerging markets such as India which have misled brands and businesses during the past few decades. The market has been sent on a wild goose chase based on assertions such as India is a market of 1.2 billion people. The truth is that 600 million people in Indiado not have access to toilets and no more than 56 million own cars. The projected size of 300 million middle class, then is nothing better than a hoax,” said Sinha on the launch of his book.

Sinha also debunks the idea of jugaad, which is touted as India’s key to frugal innovation. He asserts, “Jugaad is a coping mechanism, it promotes quick fixes where real solutions do not exist. Jugaad is an enemy of excellence in service and manufacturing. It’s not India’s key to progress into the next decade.”

The book goes on to discuss why India’s growth is more sustainable than that of China; because its people drives one while the other is a projection of state policy.