For decades, India has positioned itself as an attractive launchpad and growth market for global brands. A report by Bain & Company highlights that India, over the past 10 years, has emerged as the third-largest contributor of consumer products growth among emerging markets. It is therefore unsurprising that international brands are increasingly looking to expand their presence in the country.
However, India also remains one of the most challenging markets to crack. In a country where tastes and preferences shift every few kilometres, a one-size-fits-all approach to brand positioning and marketing is unlikely to succeed. While there was a time when brands relied on standardised templates with minor local tweaks, that playbook is now obsolete. Selling in the country today requires speaking its many languages—an approach that is reflected in how global brands are seeking to embed themselves into the diverse cultural fabric of the country. 
Decoding why brands are walking this path, Keren Benjamin Dias, AVP, Brand Planning and Lead, Capital Z, White Rivers Media says, “Global brands don’t localise out of cultural generosity but because the alternative is commercial irrelevance. India doesn’t reward presence. It rewards belonging. And belonging cannot be imported.”
Ashok Lalla, an independent marketing and brand consultant, believes that brands find greater success when their campaigns are culturally-tuned and regionally relevant.“Relevance is important to build affinity. Over time, this strengthens how brands are seen. It isn’t something that a single campaign can achieve, though. For example, if Casio builds on the theme of festive gifting, and makes it the fulcrum of its advertising, it can even take the place of Indian brands that are popular for festive gifting,” he points out.
Lalla further clarifies that the trend of localised storytelling isn’t new. Brands have often used Indian films, musicians and a vast calendar of festivals as platforms to build regional narratives.
However, something has changed.
The new localisation playbook
What has changed recently is where the creative process for local campaigns begins. Dias elaborates, “For a long time, localisation was a downstream exercise. You built the global campaign, then adapted it: swapped the language, added a sari, slotted in a festival. That era is closing.” The brands gaining ground in India and becoming successful now are the ones that treat the local insight as the originating brief, not the finishing touch.
Nimisha Nair, Creative Director, Kulfi Collective echoes the sentiment, saying, “Global brands are finally recognising that culture in India isn’t a monolith. It’s a layered mix of regions, sub-cultures and fandoms. What we’re seeing now is a shift from broad localisation to real cultural specificity, where brands are actually immersing themselves in the worlds their audiences care about.”
Take, for example, Crocs’ 2025 monsoon campaign, which brought together two worlds that resonate deeply in India: Bollywood (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and K-Dramas (Chae Soo-bin). “This unique crossover resonated deeply in India and across seven global markets, due to the sheer reach and cultural influence of both fandoms. The goal isn’t just to localise messaging, but to make work that feels like it came from the culture, not outside it,” Nair shares.
Legacy brands like Cadbury cracked this code early on, unveiling several campaigns over the years that felt rooted in India’s spirit of celebration. Nitin Saini, Vice President - Marketing, Mondelez India, says, “With over 75 years in India, Cadbury Dairy Milk has become an intrinsic part of how the country celebrates its everyday khaas pal. ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’ made the chocolate synonymous with celebrating life’s special moments, while newer campaigns continue to evolve this cultural relevance.”
He adds, “For instance, cricket creates countless celebratory moments for millions of Indian fans. Given Cadbury Dairy Milk’s deep association with special moments, extending naturally into this space through campaigns like ‘#TheKhaasSeat’ allows us to meaningfully participate in these experiences, while staying true to our brand purpose.”
Relatively newer entrants like Duolingo English Test also understood and adopted cultural resonance as a key branding strategy. A strong example is their ‘Why I Took the DET’ campaign, which featured real test-takers from across India, including Tier-II and Tier-III markets, reflecting how access to global education is no longer limited to metros.
Tara Kapur, Marketing Director, Duolingo English Test says, “For us, adopting a more local and culturally-rooted storytelling approach is a natural step in ensuring that our communication resonates with Indian students and families navigating global education aspirations. The intent has never been to localise at a surface level but to understand the real motivations, pressures and aspirations of our audience here and reflect those truths in a meaningful way.”
She adds,“We also aim to show up in spaces our audience genuinely cares about. Our partnerships with World Champion Neeraj Chopra and F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad helped place the Duolingo English Test in conversations around ambition, performance and global dreams in a way that felt natural and relevant for Indian students.”
Culture beyond marketing
While global brands are increasingly adopting culture-first storytelling, navigating caveats like tokenism and cultural insensitivity remains just as important. “Brands need to tread very carefully, particularly when they use social, cultural or even remotely religious or traditional symbolism as part of their campaigns,” Lalla states, adding, “Overplaying the regional or cultural card is probably as bad as being oblivious to it and directly importing global campaigns into India.”
What really works, then?
In one word—understanding. Nair is of the opinion that cultural relevance comes from understanding how people actually live, what they care about, what they laugh over and what they share. “For me, it starts with finding a real cultural truth—not a new trend, but a behaviour or shared experience. The second piece is choosing the right entry point, whether that’s a fandom, a topical moment or even something as simple as everyday habits that can be looked at in new ways. And in execution, casting, tone, music, language and the treatment have to feel native,” she explains.
Further highlighting why ‘understanding’ is the keyword for culture-led strategies, Dias says, “There is a meaningful difference between a brand that studies India and a brand that understands it. Understanding comes from sustained immersion in category behaviour, household dynamics, and the specific anxieties and aspirations of the consumer you’re speaking to.” As global brands acknowledge this, culture-first localisation strategies are moving beyond marketing, defining how brand identities are built in India.
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