NEW from me: How Indian is an Indian Phone?

Faced with a nationalist backlash, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has rebranded itself as local. For @restofworld I dug into Xiaomi's origins & the unusual autonomy enjoyed by its India head @manukumarjain

https://restofworld.org/2020/xiaomi-made-in-india/

After the border skirmish in June, Chinese mobile makers — Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi — who made up 81% of the Indian market — were left in a precarious position. While other Chinese brands retreated from the limelight, Xiaomi started erecting 'Made in India' hoardings

"We are more India than anyone else," said Jain after blowback from consumers. The company even donated money to the families of soldiers martyred in Kashmir.

All this to drive home the point: We are Indian https://twitter.com/manukumarjain/status/1274316181235568645?lang=en

For me the most interesting part is how Manu has leveraged his 'Indianess'

His public profile has unquestionably helped Xiaomi to present itself as more Indian than its Chinese competitors, and to humanize the company at a fraught political moment https://twitter.com/manukumarjain/status/1306444294136365056?s=20

When a nationalist sales pitch pairs up with a competent product, the results could be damaging for Chinese brands. And Xiaomi’s rival Micromax is trying to profit from it

What's ahead for Xiaomi in India? Read the full story https://restofworld.org/2020/xiaomi-made-in-india/