Marketing Lessons from India

With more than 1.3 billion people, India is the second most populous country in the world, trailing only China. With an array of ethnic groups, languages and religions represented, India also boasts one of the world's largest economies, makes it a prime learning ground for University of St. Thomas students.

During J-Term, MBA students traveled to India for a study abroad trip, where they explored the country's social and economic diversity, gained insights into global markets, and experienced personal growth.

Marketing in India

For 12 days, students split their time between New Delhi and Mumbai, discovering how business and marketing in India differ from the United States. They met with local businesses, visited the Bombay Stock Exchange, and got a real sense of the unique conditions and complexities of doing business in India.

"We had the privilege of visiting some major companies and speaking with their executive teams. We learned about each company’s business model and how they reached certain demographics," said Rachel Daniel '18 MBA. "India is a great testing site because of its diverse population, cultures, and languages."

The students also experienced Indian culture through group dinners, sightseeing excursions, and city exploration during their free time. As part of the class, they kept journals and held daily discussions about their observations and experiences.

Daniel said her time in India was both exciting and humbling. She’s now eager to see more of the world.

“On the business side, everything felt so new and exciting,” she recalled. “It gave me more of a global perspective that I'll carry into my career. It also gave me a different lens on how to look at life and issues,” Daniel added, reflecting on the extreme poverty she saw. “The biggest takeaway was learning to see the world from a different perspective and putting myself in another person’s shoes.”

“I'd like them to feel a little bit uncomfortable,” said Avinash Malshe, associate professor of marketing. “There’s tremendous personal growth happening as they go through this particular experience. India is a developing country--you see lack of infrastructure and poverty. Students walk away appreciating what they have a lot more before they came. It’s not one of the objectives, but it ends up being one of the many outcomes of the trip.”