Philip Kotler Presidential Award to India’s PM Narendra Modi

Last Updated on February 14, 2019 by Bharat Saini

First-everPhilip Kotler Presidential Award by World Marketing Summit (WMS), Award that focuses ontriple bottom-line of Profits, People and the Planetand will be offered annually to the leader of a Nation, was presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modiby Dr.JagdishSheth of EMORY University, Georgia, USA, deputed by Prof. Philip Kotler to confer the award owing to his ill-health, on Monday 14 January 2019 at 7 LokKalyanMarg in New Delhi.

Prof. Philip Kotler is a world renowned Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management in North-Western Universityin the United States and was named a Legend in Marketing back in 2011.Most marketing students would have toiled through a Kotler tome at some point, as he is the author of over 60 marketing books, including Marketing Management, Principles of Marketing, Kotler on Marketing, Marketing Insights from A to Z, Marketing 4.0, Marketing Places, Marketing of Nations, Chaotics, Market Your Way to Growth, Winning Global Markets, Strategic Marketing for Health Care Organizations, Social Marketing, Up and Out of Poverty, and Winning at Innovation Kotler’s latest work focuses on economic justice and the shortcomings of capitalism. He published Confronting Capitalism: Real Solutions for a Troubled Economic System in 2015, Democracy in Decline: Rebuilding its Future in 2016, and Brand Activism: From Purpose to Action in 2018.

First-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award Citation says:

• “Shri Narendra Modi is selected for his outstanding leadership for the nation. His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in the country.”
• “Under his leadership, India is now identified as the Centre for Innovation and Value Added Manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as Information Technology, Accounting and Finance.”
• “His visionary leadership has also resulted in the Digital Revolution (Digital India), including the Unique Identification Number, Aadhaar, for social benefits and financial inclusion. It is enabling entrepreneurship, ease of doing business, and creating a 21^stcentury infrastructure for India.”
• Initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India, Digital India, and Swachh Bharat, “which have positioned India as one of the most lucrative manufacturing and business destinations in the world.”

A controversy erupted soon after Modi was awarded the Philip Kotler Presidential Award,as critics questioned the authenticity of the award. Amid the controversy,Kotler defended the award given to PM Modi and to clear up the “misunderstanding with the Indian media”,Kotler, said in a tweet, “I congratulate PM Narendra Modi for being conferred the first ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award. He has been selected for his outstanding leadership and selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy.”Kotler said PM Modi’s efforts in India had resulted in “extraordinary economic, social and technological advances” and his win “raises the bar for future recipients.”

Kotler also posted an interview to answer the doubters, where he spoke about the leader of a nation also being the “brand guardian of the nation”. With alliteration worthy of Modi, Kotler said the prime minister had been chosen for encouraging businesses to practise the “triple bottom line” of “profits, people, and the planet”.

Modi’spolitical campaigns have artfully used marketing strategies from the start.The award has been given by the World Marketing Summit – an organisation created by Kotler. Kotler Impact, the company which handles Kotler’s affairs, had decided to launch an award for leaders of nations who had stuck to the “triple bottom line”.Modi was a marketing guruKotler’sleader of choice:

• Modi’s political campaigns as prime minister used branding and marketing strategies from the start. Developing synergies!
• Modi has virtually patented the word “Mitron”.
• Modi is a fashion icon as Modi jacket has become popular among people of all ages.
• Digital India, Make in India, Swachh Bharat are recognisable brand names of Government campaigns.
• Mechanical Lion of Make in India is an eye catching logo.
• Modi’s speeches are liberally sprinkled with the acronyms and catchphrases of management speak.
• He also has excellent brand endorsement.
• Modi hugging former USPresident Barack Obama, current US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are impacting pictures.
• Modi’sselfies are eye catching as he grins into the camera alongside Heads of States, Bollywood stars, Indian schoolchildren in France, his mother.
• Few prime ministers have worked so strenuously as brand guardians of the nation.