Team Three:

We started the day the best way possible…Sleeping in! It was much needed and we were happy to start our tour today with good rest and in good spirits.

After breakfast we headed to Gurgaon, a city right outside New Delhi where business is booming. Guraon is the 6th largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. It has grown in the last 20 years as a manufacturing, outsourcing and shopping destination due to the demographic shift to younger, more affluent and better educated people. The buildings there were modern and well-maintained. The large crowds of business people moving through the outside streets were young and nicely dressed, helping us blend in a little. The average literacy rate in India is 59.5% and in contrast, Gurgaon’s rate is 77%.

We spent the day in this city visiting two large businesses. The first was Airtel, one of India’s largest cellular providers. Airtel was created with little capital and is native to India. Over the past 14 years the company has grown to 100 million customers, 24% market share and has even expanded to Sri Lanka. The presentation we got was one of the best so far and gave some great insight into the importance of brand value. Airtel has partnered with some of the largest creative ad agencies in the world and the result is an impressive ad campaign which successfully targets several market segments. Again, due to the young population in India, the company has enjoyed impressive growth and success. We were greatful to have had an opportunity to be hosted by them.

We then headed over to American Express. The building and business part it was located in felt more like Los Angeles than India. Once again, we got an expert presentation and a host who was more than willing to answer our many questions. The presentation suited the day perfectly because in contrast to Airtel, American Express is an American company who has globalized and faces unique challenges and opportunities in the Indian market. India’s youth was again a topic of discussion as we discussed how the population’s attitudes toward credit are changing. One relevant message we got was that it is not the other credit card companies or banks who are the true competitors, it’s cash and checks. Another challenge was that of targeting a niche of Indians who make over $20,000 USD annually. A figure which would hardly represent a niche in the US.

Our day ended with a trip to Subway! The company has changed the menu quite a bit to fit Indian tastes. Most notable in this student’s opinion was the chicken tikka sandwich, a delicious spicy chicken which I only wish was available at the US chain. Other than the small menu changes and the fact that our soda pop came in a can, the restaurant was familiar and satisfying.

Thus ends day 4. We are packing up, bidding farewell to New Delhi and looking forward to our next stop … Mumbai.