CALCUTTA, India, April 2 (UPI) -- India's billionaire beer baron, Vijay Mallya, was not allowed to advertise alcohol, so he bought an airline and named it for the brand.
When he inherited United Breweries in 1983 at age 28, many predicted that Mallya would squander his wealth on a playboy lifestyle. Instead, he built the company into the largest drinks conglomerate in India with net revenues of $2 billion, reported the Sunday Times of London.
Much of that success is due to Mallya's natural flair for marketing and branding, the newspaper said.
His decision to name an airline after his beer has been described as a stroke of genius. The Kingfisher logo is plastered on billboards across the length and breadth of the country.
Kingfisher was named Best New Airline of the Year in December by the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, and already operates some 60 flights a day to 15 cities.
"We have broken the shackles of conservative socialism," said Mallya. "The growing middle classes want the kind of standard of living you enjoy in the West. So what I'm selling is a lifestyle."
