Another possible cause of Indian lack of faith in branded products is the
watering-down of Western-made brands. ``Western logos and names frequently
mask an article that consumers in the West would not recognise: a debased,
altered or down-market imitation. . . The article must be cheapened in order to
bring it within reach of those who would never be able to afford the formula
sold in the West'' (Seabrook, 1995, p. 24). Hence, both foreign and domestic
brands in India suffer from a lack of quality assurance. The managerial
implication is that sellers in India cannot assume that their brands will
command a premium due to their image; they have to exert themselves to prove
the inherent quality of a product to the skeptical Indian consumer