India in 'box seat' in a fragmented world, says Martin Sorrell

NEW DELHI: India is in a "superb position" in a highly fragmented geopolitical world, as the fastest-growing economy with the scale, stability and technological ambition to help shape the next global order, Martin Sorrell, chairman of S4 Capital said on Friday.

"So, India is in the box seat for two reasons. In that fragmented world, picking growth is really important. India is growing. The second thing is because growth is going to be more tempered because inflation is tougher to deal with than people think (and we see that with central banks), and interest rates, as a result, are going to be higher than we've been used to..."




He said applying AI and blockchain becomes important. It is quite extraordinary that computing changes and capacity changes we are going to see not just from AI, but from implementation and quantum. India can play a huge role, he added. Responding to how India should be positioned, he said: "India is in a superb position. It has leadership, it has a strategy built around not only manufacturing but tech as well, and it has structure to get things done. India was the fastest-growing country last year. It will be the fastest-growing country this year. It will be the fastest-growing next year. PM Modi has done an excellent job of leadership and representing Brand India. The PM should be the chief brand officer."

Commenting on the growing instability reshaping advertising and media strategy, Sorrell said, "Volatility in economies is so huge that (long-term strategy) is under attack. AI is driving this... we're seeing a tremendous focus on short-term brand performance, on activation, and performance, and promotion." He said wholesale adoption of AI at scale has not been seen except in two verticals - autos and financial services as there's economic pressure from outside. "In financial services, fintech platforms are disrupting traditional services."
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