Today, I’m going to talk about an AI initiative developed right here in India. While the product in question has immense potential, it seems like a major marketing opportunity has been missed. This post will break down the importance of proper marketing, highlight some challenges faced by Indian AI startups, and discuss how we can improve the ecosystem.
The Backstory: India’s Growing AI Landscape
Recently, I came across a tweet by Deedy, a prominent venture capitalist at Menlo Ventures. He’s been involved with some big names like Google, and his insights into the Indian AI space are worth paying attention to.
In his tweet, Deedy shared thoughts on Sarvam, a major AI startup in India, and highlighted a crucial point: while the product is impressive, it hasn’t been marketed well enough to gain the attention it truly deserves.
Sarvam has raised significant funding — $56 million over two rounds — and they’re backed by major investors like Khosla Ventures and Peak XV partners. With such strong backing, Sarvam launched its flagship LLM (Large Language Model), which was trained on Indic data. However, despite its potential, it only saw a mere 23 downloads on its launch day. This raises a very important question: Why is the adoption so low, despite the tech being solid?
The Marketing Gap: Why Good Products Need Exposure
India’s AI startup scene is growing rapidly, but one major flaw is the lack of effective marketing strategies. In the case of Sarvam, despite the tech being impressive, no major marketing efforts were made to make the product known. There were no events, no big announcements, and no widespread campaign to let people know what Sarvam was all about.
Marketing is crucial, especially in the tech space. Without the right promotional push, even the most innovative products can go unnoticed. Sarvam could have capitalized on influencers, media outreach, and social media campaigns to boost awareness, but instead, it failed to create enough buzz. The reality is that just building a good product isn’t enough. You need to market it aggressively so that people are aware of its existence.
The Need for Stronger Support: Building an AI Ecosystem
The issue goes beyond just marketing. India has a massive linguistic and cultural diversity, making communication across regions a challenge. Sarvam AI is addressing this problem by focusing on languages and dialects specific to India. This is an important problem to solve, but it needs to be communicated effectively to the target audience.
Many people outside of India might not fully understand the magnitude of the problem Sarvam is trying to solve. The country is home to over a billion people who speak hundreds of languages and dialects. A product like Sarvam can bridge the communication gap, especially in government services and other industries where clear communication is essential.
However, Sarvam’s marketing needs to focus on educating people about this problem and why it matters. This is a crucial aspect that has been lacking in their approach so far. More awareness campaigns should be launched to showcase the real-world implications of these challenges and how Sarvam is solving them.
Marketing Failures and Global Comparisons
When we look at companies like Ola, which have successfully marketed their products, we can see a stark contrast in approach. Ola’s marketing efforts are aggressive, and they’ve made sure their products get ample media attention. While not everyone may agree with Ola’s products, one thing is clear: their marketing strategy is spot on.
In contrast, Sarvam’s marketing efforts have been minimal. This has led to slow adoption, even in India, where tech enthusiasts should be eager to try homegrown AI products. The lack of focus on marketing and building awareness has meant that Sarvam hasn’t been able to capture the attention it deserves.
Moving Forward: Lessons for the Indian AI Ecosystem
So, what can be done to improve the situation? First, we need to recognize that the lack of awareness and marketing is one of the main barriers to the success of many Indian AI startups. More attention should be given to promotional activities, including partnerships with influencers, media coverage, and social media campaigns. By showcasing the benefits and real-world applications of AI products, we can attract more users and drive adoption.
Additionally, the Indian government and private investors should also consider offering support for marketing initiatives. There’s no point in building amazing products if they aren’t visible to the masses. More investments should be directed towards awareness campaigns to build a stronger AI ecosystem.
Conclusion: The Power of Marketing in AI Adoption
The bottom line is that while Sarvam and other Indian AI startups are solving real problems, they need to improve their marketing efforts to ensure widespread adoption. Without proper exposure, even the best products can remain hidden. It’s time for Indian AI products to get the attention they deserve. If we can address the marketing gap, we can see a huge leap in the AI landscape in India.
Let me know what you think! Have you encountered any AI products from India that you think deserve more attention? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
