Xiaomi India has grown through pre-purchase marketing like social media campaigns and sponsoring the Indian Premier League. It sells through e-commerce sites and retail stores with policies like free shipping and 10-day returns. A brand audit finds positives of great value, affordable service, but negatives of being seen as unpatriotic or imitating Apple. Recommendations include promoting it as "Made in India", highlighting quality at low prices, creating a distinct identity through celebrity endorsement, improving privacy, and expanding direct sales channels.

1. Brand audit for Xiaomi India
BY NIRZAR BHAIDKAR

2. PartI
Clock Model: Xiaomi India
Pre-Purchase
Pre-Purchase
Pre-Purchase
Pre-Purchase
Purchase
Purchase
Post-Purchase
Post-Purchase
Post-Purchase
Post-Purchase
Purchase
Purchase
PPC, Social Media, Display Campaigns
Indian Premier League Sponsorship
Word of Mouth
Influencer Marketing
E-Commerce Channels mi.com
Flipkart and Amazon
Multiband Retail Stores
Free Shipping and Cash on Delivery
Additional Accessories
(Screen Guard Protective Case)
10 day no questions asked
return Policy
After Sale Customer
Service and Warranty
Buyback program to
upgrade old devices
Loyalty Points on purchase made though mi.com

3. PartII
Brand Audit: Xiaomi India
POSITIVES NEGATIVES
• Offers Great Value to the customer in
terms of Hardware and reliability.
• Excellent and affordable post sale
customer service.
• Considered Chinese that makes the
brand unpatriotic especially after the
recent tensions between India and
China.
• Too many sub brands which don’t add
any value and creates confusion.
• Buggy OS with ads.
• Privacy Concerns related to Meta data
and cloud data storage.
• Considered Imitation of Apple.

4. PartIII
Brand Identity Model: Xiaomi India
A.
B.
C.
A. BRAND ESSENCE
Aspirational, Simple, Visceral
Affordable
Reliable
Value for Money
B. CORE IDENTITY
Timeless, Important, Substantive
Power packed hardware
Democratizing access to smart phone access to low
income population.
C. EXTENDED IDENTITY
Brand as Person, Brand as Symbol, Brand as
Organization, Brand as Product
Mi Symbol
Smart Phones, Smart TV, Drones, IOT
Products
Xiaomi (小米) is the Chinese word for "millet".

5. RECOMMENDATIONS
Xiaomi’s rivals are trying to profit from anti-China sentiment. Push the brand as “Made in India”
User laddering to highlight the superior quality product at a lower price point in comparison
with the competition.
There is no one image that pop ups with you think of Xiaomi India. Invest in creating a distinct
identity than rest of the Chinese low cost smartphone makers. Maybe a big Indian Movie star
endorsing the product. The brand needs a face.
Become privacy first loose the bloatware and pop up ads inside the OS.
Direct to customer sales channel. Most of the core customer base is in Tire 2 and Tire 3 cities in
India. The brand is sold through multiband retail stores where the competition offers higher
margins.