Modi understands branding, is a great ad man, says S4 Capital's Martin Sorrell

Martin Sorrell at Davos 2025.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands branding and is a great ad man, Martin Sorrell, executive chairman, S4 Capital, a digital advertising and marketing services company, has said.

"He (Modi) understands branding. He's a great ad man," the S4 Capital chairman told Moneycontrol in Davos on January 20, adding India is front and centre at the World Economic Forum.

"Indian representation is very strong. It is strong not only in India but increasingly abroad," he said. “Also, the projections are that by 2050, India will be the third-largest economy in the world. It's already the most populous economy in the world. Its birth rate, although it is coming down, is still strong enough to increase the population. I am an increasingly raging Indian bull.”

Last year, too, the advertising guru said Modi was the ultimate master of branding and done a superb job on positioning India. He had said that amid the geopolitical issues involving the US and China, the Russia-Ukraine situation, and the intense conflict in the Middle East, India emerged as the go-to market and an alternative to China in Asia.

This year, Sorrell said, World Economic Forum president Børge Brende's estimates that India will account for 20 percent of the worldwide growth.

"India is very well positioned and with very strong growth potential. India will be the third largest economy of the world by 2025. I remain a raging (India) bull," Sorrell said last year, adding India was top of the agenda for many and the world's gaze is on India.

"Three of the top five countries will be in Asia by 2050. India will be at number three. Countries like Japan will continue to be important but India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, among others is what I call the new Asia which is really coming to perform," he had said.