India should market itself better: Miller

It's not just Kolkata which suffers from a perception problem""it's the nation as a whole.

Harris N Miller, president World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and IT Association of America (ITAA) said at the Infocom 2003 that India was not being able to market itself in the US which resulted in resentment against the IT offshore business.

While China was being perceived as an opportunity India was perceived to be a threat by the US. The difference, according to Miller was in the marketing approach. "Chinese are great marketeers" he said.

Miller brought out the contrast in Chinese and Indian marketing through the feedback from the media.

He said, the US media reported about the growing consumer industry in China and the increasing US economic opportunities arising in that country. While media in India only dealt with the IT offshore activities adding to unemployment problem in the US.

However, Miller pointed out that less than 10 per cent of US jobs were moving to India. Moreover, in the last three months US added 280,000 jobs.

Miller said, this meant good news for Indian IT companies.

The environment in the US, at present was anti-immigrant. But, Miller said, international trade in IT must be a two-way street. "Countries like India can become leaders in breaking down trade barriers" he said.

Emphasising on the importance of the role of trade associations like the WITSA, ITAA and Nasscom, Miller said that these organisations must collaborate and ask governments to eliminate trade barriers.

"The associations should develop white papers on public policy" he said.