GREAT MARKETING STORIES

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2008

Accenture : High Performance , Delivered

Corporate Brand : Acccenture
Agency : Rediffusion /DYR ( In India)

Brand Analysis Count : 307

Accenture is a unique marketing case study because of two reasons . It is one of

the most aggressive corporate brand in the service industry globally and the

second re ason is the rebranding exercise which it

undertook in 2001.

Accenture was formerly known as Andersen Consulting. Anderson consulting was

the consulting arm of Anderson Worldwide. Anderson Consulting was
established in 1989 when the consulting practice of Arthur Andersen was hived
off to form a separate company. Arthur Andersen had established itself as one of
the major accounting firms and had a global presence.
The consulting boom of 1990's boosted the image of Andersen Consulting. Soon
Anderson Consulting had built a strong brand equity across various consulting
domains. Both Arther Andersen and Andersen Consulting was independent
business units under Andersen Worldwide.

The fledging consulting business prompted Arther Andersen to enter the

consulting domain. This entry of Arther Andersen into the domain of Anderson
Consulting started a messy fight between these two units which ended in the
arbitrators courts. In 2000 Arbitrator ruled that Anderson Consulting was
granted independence from Andersen Worldwide . Andersen Consulting had to
forgo the brand in favor of Andersen Worldwide.

This forced the consulting firm to scout for a new brand name and identity. The
brand name was selected among 500 alternatives. The process of selection of
brand name was itself a unique event. Anderson Consulting had a huge brand
equity among various business houses across different domains and geographies .
Hence the new brand name had to reflect the existing brand values and sho

uld be relevant in the various geographies in which

the company operated. More over the brand name and trademark should be
available in the markets where the company was operating.

The company made use of legal experts from each country it operates to check
whether the list of brand names are viable in respective countries. The process of
screening also involved linguistic analysts from 47 countries and 200 languages
to check the cultural sensitivities of the brand names considered. The company
also checked with senior executives of the clients to get their perspective. All
these efforts ended with the name ' accenture' . Incidentally the name was
suggested by an employee named Kim Peterson . This fact itself that gave the
name more charm.

On January 1, 2001, the rebranding happened. For the first 3 months 6000 TV
spots were aired and over 1000 print ads were splashed across the world. The
entire campaign cost the company around $ 175 mn. The new campaign
highlighted new capabilities in consulting, technology , outsourcing & alliances.
The brand took the tagline : High Performance. Delivered. At the end of 2001, the
brand achieved the same recall and equity of the earlier name Andersen
Consulting.

Now Accenture is valued at $ 6.5 Billion and is a respected consulting firm across
the world. Now the entire brand promotion revolves round Tiger Woods who is
the brand ambassador. Since 2003, Tiger Woods has been an integral part of
Accenture's branding. Tiger Woods is the embodiment of high performance so is
Accenture. The latest campaign runs on the theme ' We know what it takes to be a
Tiger '

Accenture came to India in 2005. The brand now has serious business in India
and the brand is running their campaigns aggressively in the Indian market. The
branding campaign is predominantly in print. The brand looks at the following
audiences :
a. Domestic and potential clients
b. Potential employees
c. Existing employees.

What is more important in this brand's strategy is that Accenture celebrates

performance. The campaign is not restricted to Ads but also lot of events and
research. Accenture's research on High Performers and high performing
companies are path-breaking. The website is also rich with case studies and
insights.
Accenture is a true case of a brand living upto its values and manthra.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, 2006

Alpenliebe : From the Alps

Brand : Alpenliebe
Company: Perfetti Vanmelle
Agency: McCann Erickson
Brand Count : 108
In the 1200 crore sugar confectionery market, Alpenliebe is the single lar

gest brand in India estimated to be worth

around 160 crore. The brand is positioned as a family candy and has been one of
the most successful brand in a highly competitive market.

The brand came to India with the entry of the global giant Perfetti in India in
1994. Van Melle came to India in 2001. In 2001 the Italian and Dutch companies
merged together to become Perfetti Vanmelle ( PVM).Now the Indian venture is
the second largest of their global portfolio next to China.

In the products of PVM, Alpenliebe is the star. With effective and aggressive
brand building , this brand has grown to become the single largest brand in the
segment. The brand is a unique case study because of its peculiarities ie the name
and the size.

Alpenliebe is a very complicated name. I searched for half a day to understand

what it means. Their website does not have the answer nor do other marketing
sites.

Then a friend of mine suggested that it is related to

mountain Alps. Taking half hour on the translate.google.com , I found Liebe
means Love. So by all probability Alpenliebe means From Alps with Love ( its my
guess, inputs are welcome).
So it is a Herculean task to teach Indians ( with 24 languages and a million
dialects) pronounce a brand name that does not have a meaning. Theory says that
the brand name should be simple, reflect the brand values and easily
pronounced. Alpenliebe broke all rules.
It is said that the initial 30 second ad of Alpenliebe pronounced the name 5 times
to ensure that the TG pronounce it correctly. Why such a complicated brand
name is another question all together. But this risk paid of in that the name
became the biggest differentiator and reflected an International image. It is
known fact that Indians are crazy about foreign brands and Alpenliebe capitalised
on that.

The shape was also unique because most of the candies at that time was
rectangular or cylindrical but Alpenliebe came out with a round shape.
More than the shape and the name , the product was really good .The company
changed the taste of this brand to suit the Indian Palette making it more
Caramelliar ( my usage) than the international one.
The brand is available in three flavours: milky caramel, Cream strawberry,
Chocolate. A lollipop extention was launched last year.
Perfetti knows the method to build the brand. It is not hesitant in spending lot of
money on Alpenliebe through high decibel interesting ads. The brand is
positioned as a Family Candy with kids and elders sharing the limelite. The ad
where the boy imitates the "father at Home and Office" is a hilarious one.
The market for Candies is expected to degrow in coming years. We have to see
how Alpenliebe copes with this.

Alpenliebe is a classic case of marketers defying the theory and also highlights a
simple truth " If You have money to spend, you can make a consumer sing in your
language without understanding a bit of it . " anything is possible"
Source: Businessline, Agencyfaqs, Strategic Marketing

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2005

Amul : The taste of India : Utterly delicious too.

Brand : Amul
Agency DaCunha Associates

Baseline : Taste of India

Amul has used the hoardings and advertising to perfection. Taking cues from new
films, celebrities, the creatives are fun to watch. More over Amul has sticked with
the creative messages throughout.

They like to call it as TOPICALS

Given below is the history of Amul TOPICALS from their site http://amul.com

Amul Butter Girl

(Edited from an article by Mini Varma published in The Asian Age on March 3,
1996The moppet who put Amul on India's breakfast table )
50 years after it was first launched, Amul's sale figures have jumped from 1000
tonnes a year in 1966 to over 25,000 tonnes a year in 1997. No other brand
comes even close to it. All because a thumb-sized girl climbed on to the
hoardings and put a spell on the masses.
Bombay: Summer of 1967. A Charni Road flat. Mrs. Sheela Mane, a 28-year-old
housewife is out in the balcony drying clothes. From her second floor flat she can
see her neighbours on the road. There are other people too. The crowd seems to
be growing larger by the minute. Unable to curb her curiosity Sheela Mane
hurries down to see what all the commotion is about. She expects the worst but
can see no signs of an accident. It is her four-year-old who draws her attention to
the hoarding that has come up overnight. "It was the first Amul hoarding that was
put up in Mumbai," recalls Sheela Mane. "People loved it. I remember it was our
favourite topic of discussion for the next one week! Everywhere we went
somehow or the other the campaign always seemed to crop up in our
conversation."
Call her the Friday to Friday star. Round eyed, chubby cheeked, winking at you,
from strategically placed hoardings at many traffic lights. She is the Amul moppet
everyone loves to love (including prickly votaries of the Shiv Sena and BJP). How
often have we stopped, looked, chuckled at the Amul hoarding that casts her
sometime as the coy, shy Madhuri, a bold sensuous Urmila or simply as herself,
dressed in her little polka dotted dress and a red and white bow, holding out her
favourite packet of butter.
For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following
intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of
World Records for being the longest running campaign ever. The ultimate
compliment to the butter came when a British company launched a butter and
called it Utterly Butterly, last year.
It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the
advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter. The butter, which
had been launched in 1945, had a staid, boring image, primarily because the
earlier advertising agency which was in charge of the account preferred to stick
to routine, corporate ads.
 One of the first Amul hoardings
In India, food was something one couldn't afford to fool around with. It had been
taken too seriously, for too long. Sylvester daCunha decided it was time for a
change of image.
The year Sylvester daCunha took over the account, the country saw the birth of a
campaign whose charm has endured fickle public opinion, gimmickry and all
else.
The Amul girl who lends herself so completely to Amul butter, created as a rival
to the Polson butter girl. This one was sexy, village belle, clothed in a tantalising
choli all but covering her upper regions. "Eustace Fernandez (the art director)
and I decided that we needed a girl who would worm her way into a housewife's
heart. And who better than a little girl?" says Sylvester daCunha. And so it came
about that the famous Amul Moppet was born.That October, lamp kiosks and the
bus sites of the city were splashed with the moppet on a horse. The baseline
simply said, Thoroughbread, Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul,. It was a matter of
just a few hours before the daCunha office was ringing with calls. Not just adults,
even children were calling up to say how much they had liked the ads. "The
response was phenomenal," recalls Sylvester daCunha. "We knew our campaign
was going to be successful."

For the first one year the ads made statements of some kind or the other but they
had not yet acquired the topical tone. In 1967, Sylvester decided that giving the
ads a solid concept would give them extra mileage, more dum, so to say. It was a
decision that would stand the daCunhas in good stead in the years to come.

In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna
movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the
creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher -- 'Hurry
Amul, Hurry Hurry'. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as
devout as the Iskon fever.
That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on
Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign
acquired that all important Amul touch.

India looked forward to Amul's evocative humour. If the Naxalite movement was
the happening thing in Calcutta, Amul would be up there on the hoardings
saying, "Bread without Amul Butter, cholbe na cholbe na (won't do, won't do). If
there was an Indian Airlines strike Amul would be there again saying, Indian
Airlines Won't Fly Without Amul.
There are stories about the butter that people like to relate over cups of tea. "For
over 10 years I have been collecting Amul ads. I especially like the ads on the
backs of the butter packets, "says Mrs. Sumona Varma. What does she do with
these ads? "I have made an album of them to amuse my grandchildren," she
laughs. "They are almost part of our culture, aren't they? My grandchildren are
already beginning to realise that these ads are not just a source of amusement.
They make them aware of what is happening around them."
Despite some of the negative reactions that the ads have got, DaCunhas have
made it a policy not to play it safe. There are numerous ads that are risque in
tone.
"We had the option of being sweet and playing it safe, or making an impact. A
fine balance had to be struck. We have a campaign that is strong enough to
make a statement. I didn't want the hoardings to be pleasant or tame. They have
to say something," says Rahul daCunha.
"We ran a couple of ads that created quite a furore," says Sylvester daCunha.
"The Indian Airlines one really angered the authorities. They said if they didn't
take down the ads they would stop supplying Amul butter on the plane. So
ultimately we discontinued the ad," he says laughing. Then there was the time
when the Amul girl was shown wearing the Gandhi cap. The high command
came down heavy on that one. The Gandhi cap was a symbol of independence,
they couldn't have anyone not taking that seriously. So despite their reluctance
the hoardings were wiped clean. "Then there was an ad during the Ganpati
festival which said, Ganpati Bappa More Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The
Shiv Sena people said that if we didn't do something about removing the ad they
would come and destroy our office. It is surprising how vigilant the political forces
are in this country. Even when the Enron ads (Enr On Or Off) were running,
Rebecca Mark wrote to us saying how much she liked them."

There were other instances too. Heroine Addiction, Amul's little joke on Hussain
had the artist ringing the daCunhas up to request them for a blow up of the ad.
"He said that he had seen the hoarding while passing through a small district in
UP. He said he had asked his assistant to take a photograph of himself with the
ad because he had found it so funny," says Rahul daCunha in amused tones.
Indians do have a sense of humour, afterall.
From the Sixties to the Nineties, the Amul ads have come a long way. While
most people agree that the Amul ads were at their peak in the Eighties they still
maintain that the Amul ads continue to tease a laughter out of them.
Where does Amul's magic actually lie? Many believe that the charm lies in the
catchy lines. That we laugh because the humour is what anybody would enjoy.
They don't pander to your nationality or certain sentiments. It is pure and simple,
everyday fun.

What I like most about the Amul brand is that they have been consistant over the
communication campaign and brand strategy. AMUL has positioned itself as "
Taste of India " and have ensured that their communication is in line with their
positioning strategy.

Now since Amul has unveiled its global ambition, we have to see whether they
will change the communication strategy also

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2006

Appy Fizz : Cool Drink To Hang Around

Brand : Appy Fizz

Company : Parle Agro
Agency: Grey World Wide

In the 7000 crore Indian Soft drinks industry dominated by the cola majors,
Parle Agro is fighting for its share with its mango- drink Frooti and the apple
drink Appy Fizz. I have talked about Frooti in one of my earlier blogs.

Appy was launched in 1986 as an apple drink in tetra pack after the mega success
of Frooti. But Appy was not that successful compared to Frooti. This year we saw
the new avatar of Appy in Appy Fizz. Appy changed in to nectar based drink in
1993.Appy was launched with a new bottle and communication this summer
trying its luck in this large Indian market.

In the fruit based soft drinks, Apple drink is perhaps at the lowest in the
hierarchy. The taste is less popular compared to the Orange, lemon, mango and
pineapple flavors and in all these flavors there is cut throat competition among
the cola majors. So Parle is trying hard to create a new segment with this drink.

As a customer, I was never attracted to apple drinks. The only branded apple
drink I remember seeing is the Himachal Pradesh Apple drink counter at the
railway station. May be the popularity of apple drink is low in South India
because of the availability and price factor.

Since there is less popularity for this flavor, even after 20 years, Appy has not
become a major brand in the SD market. That may be one of the reasons why
Cola majors are not looking at this flavor.

Appy Fizz is now being relaunched as a “Cool Drink to Hang Around With”. With
its champagne shaped bottle and smart advertising, Parle has succeeded in
creating a Fizz in the segment, which is basically the Indian Youth. Going by the
demand in the College canteen for this drink, Appy Fizz has been able to catch the
fancy of the early adapters.
The ads created by Grey World Wide are cool and projects some thing unique
about this drink that forced the TG to experience this product. The product itself
is good hence there is a possibility of positive word of mouth.

But it has to be seen whether Appy Fizz can be a volume player competing with
Orange and Mango flavors. It is difficult because Appy is a heavy drink compared
to Fanta or Mirinda. The taste may be popular with only a segment of the market
hence limiting the scope of this brand. I would prefer cola or other flavors to this
drink when I feel thirsty but will take a sip of this drink once in a while for a
change (my personal opinion). In my home I feel it is risky to serve this drink to
the guests because you never know how many will like this taste.

These factors limit this brand to be a niche player but a profitable proposition if
this brand is promoted seriously and positioned as a premium drink. Appy can
ride on the health factor too in comparison with the other SD’s. Another
advantage of this brand is the golden color of the drink, which makes it an ideal
party drink as a welcome drink or a drink for those “tea totallers”.
The brand will succeed if it can win the palette of the TG and with the current
promotions, customers will give it a try.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007

Asian Paints: Every Color Tells a Story

Brand : Asian Paints
Company: Asian Paints
Agency: O&M

Brand Count : 211

Asian Paints is the market leader in the highly fragmented and highly competitive
Rs 7750 crore ($1.73 Bn) Indian paint Industry.The organised sector constitutes

around Rs 540 0crore ( $1.2 Bn).

Asian Paints started its journey in 1942 with four young men in a garage in
Bombay. The name Asian Paints was picked randomly from the telephone
directory. The brand has traveled from that garage to become a Rs 1000 crore
brand.From 1968 ,this brand occupies a premium position in the Indian Paint
industry.

The story of the evolution of Asian Paints as a brand is interesting. The brand
now has an iconic status in the industry thanks to some blockbuster big ideas
from O&M. The brand once positioned as a mass market brand has evolved itself
to a higher plane.

Indian paint industry can be broadly divided into two segments

a.Decorative segment which constitutes the wall paints : exterior and interior,
wood paints etc
b.Industrial segment which consists of automotive paints, and paints for
industrial sector.
Decorative segment constitutes around 75 % of the total paint industry and Asian
Paints is the market leader with around 44% share. In the Industrial segment,
Nerolac is the market leader.

In the decorative segment, it is interesting to see how Asian Paints have changed
the buying process of the product like paints.Paints are usually considered to be a
low involvement product. In earlier times, the decision of the brand was taken by
the builder/contractor and the home owners does not involve much in the
process may be the decision of color rest with the house owners.
Asian Paints realized the need for brand building even during sixties. But at that
point of time, the company had a wide range of brands/subbrands. The focus of
the company was on product innovation and service network and managing

quality proposition.Th e brand focused on mass and

rural market. Asian Paints had a mascot called Gattu who was created by the
celebrated cartoonist R K Laskhman.These efforts made the brand a leader
during the late sixties.

Then the company realised that although volume justified the leadership
position, share of mind for the brand was very low.That was the result of the
mass segmentation adopted by the brand. Rightly so because the industry was
driven by channel driven promotions, building a brand at that time was"
uncommon sense". During 1983, the company tried to reposition the brand as a
premium brand. Asian Paints initiated the corporate campaign aimed to position
the company as the number one player in the industry.The objective was to
upgrade to a more margin premium product marketer .The corporate campaign "
Spectrum of Excellence" was aimed to increase the Salience of the brand in a
quiet market.

But this campaign failed to inspire any interest in the consumers and the
company felt that the market is moving towards a commodity market where price
is the most important differential. Asian Paints undertook a consumer research
aimed at understanding the perception of consumers about the product category.
The research revealed lot of interesting insights. Consumers felt that paints could
change the mood of the space and it was a sign of festival and plenitude.It could
make a gloomy place bright and pleasant. From this insight came the campaign of
Asian Paints associating itself with festivals. Research also confirmed that
customers tend to repaint their houses on the occasion of festivities. Thus born
the campaign "Celebrate with Asian Paints". The campaigns were carefully
crafted and there were different campaign for different regions. These campaigns
effectively enhanced the brand equity of Asian Paints and established itelf as a
premium brand. More than that , these campaign ensured an emotional connect
with a brand in a low involvement category.The brand also phased out many
subbrands and rest of the subbrands was brought under Asian Paint's umbrella
brand.

During the late nineties the brand had to be reinvented. Because no longer
festivities formed an important part in ones life. Since many brands went after
festival seasons,the positioning platform has become cluttered.More over the
consumer buying behavior has changed. The category was becoming less
seasonal. People started associating more importance to home decor and
interiors. The choice of color became a high involvement decision. From a low
involvement category, paint was increasingly becoming a high involvement
category.

The brand also went in a brand overhaul. The logo was changed to a
contemporary upmarket one designed by Entreprise IG based in Singapore.The
logo/design was to convey self expression, sophistication and Technology.

Thus came the birth of a wonderful positioning strategy created by O&M. The
insight was that the brand is about people and homes and homes reflect the
people living in it. Hence " Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai" translated to " Every Home
has a story to tell". This campaign is a perfect example of a brand laddering up
and connecting to a higher level in the mind of the customer. The campaigns
reinforced the brand as a premium emotional brand.
Along with the campaign Asian Paints also ran parallel ads for its subbrands. Saif
Ali Khan endorsed the premium brand Royale .For Apex Ultima, the campaign
was highly localized and was different in different market.

View Asian Paints ad here : Pongal :Saif Ad

Taking a cue from the success of Ghar campaign , the brand took ownership of
the COLOR. The insight is that each color has a story to tell. The latest campaign
reflects on the color and uses the campaign " Har Rang Kuch Kehta hai"
translated to "Every color has a story to tell".The brand is so serious about the
color that it has tied up with IIT to explore new colors and conduct research on
colors.
Asian Paints is a classic branding story and the brand is still exploring and
growing.

source:businessline,agencyfaqs,Ficci

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2007

Axe : The Axe Effect

Brand : Axe
Company : HUL
Agency: Lowe Lintas

Brand Count : 252

I was delaying writing about this brand for the reason that I doubted whether I
will be able to do justice to my favorite brand. An Icon for sure Axe is a success
story that is so difficult to emulate. One can only marvel and enjoy.

Axe has got every thing perfect for its success, It got its segments correct, the
targeting was exemplary and Positioning : something to drool for. And more over
Luck was on its side.

Axe was born in France in the Year 1983. 24 years later, this brand is Unilever's
Best selling brand worldwide. It has an iconic status in whichever market it has
entered. It is also one of the rare brands which can boast of replicating its entire
marketing mix across geographical boundaries. The campaigns that you see in
India is what the entire world is watching. For those who propound
Glocalisation , AXE is an exception.
Axe deo was launched in India during 1999. The brand launch was very quiet and
theoretically the brand was having the strategy of Slow Skimming i.e High Price
Low Promotion. Axe at that time was the leading men's deo brand in Europe and
was popular in India in the Grey market ( available in duty paid shops) .HLL may
have launched this brand inspired by the volume of Axe sold in the Grey market.
At that time, the deo market was a nascent one with an estimated market size of
Rs 72 crore. HLL had the brands Denim and Rexona and was ruling the market.
Axe was priced at a premium above the Denim brand which was positioned as a
male deo brand.
Axe initially was launched in the fragrance Java, Alaska and Atlantic. HLL did not
bother to fine tune its Promotional mix to Indian market but just imported the
promotions .... meaning, the company just ran the ads which was popular in the

Europe and other markets. At that time , the product

was also imported from Europe. And IT CLICKED.... rest as they say is History...
Axe in 2002 was having a market share of over 35% and soon HLL phased out
Denim brand to concentrate on this Star.

Axe is the naughtiest brand in the Indian market. The brand is targeted at male
aged 16-25 . Internationally this brand targets male aged 15-25. I personally feel
that it targets all 'Young at heart" naughty guys. The brand has its brand values of
Cool, Fashionable and Stylish. And world over, the brand sticks to its core values.
The biggest strength of this brand is the underlying message or the DNA which is
that the brand users are High on Confidence and always for the Axe users, Girls
Makes The First Move. I think the biggest competitive advantage of this brand is
its complete monopoly over this brand proposition. All its campaigns revolve
round this central theme of Seduction where Girl makes the first move.
I think it has lot of subliminal implications. The brand assumes that Men
wants( Likes) to be Seduced . That feeling ( of being seduced) gives a big boost of
self confidence to a man. Although many brands take this proposition, Axe just
made it perfect.

I have seen lot of ads where girls are seen drooling over Hunks in Motorcycle or
in Readymades, or even in Innerwears, but in most of the Axe ads, there are no
Hunks, only very ordinary or even skinny kind of people getting assaulted by
beautiful girls. That makes the brand more approachable. Had Axe used a Hunk,
the promotions couldn't have been so effective. The brand managers were so wise
that when they used a celebrity like Ben Affleck, They ensured that the brand is
made approachable
See the TVC here : My Favorite Axe ad
Having said that, The males seen in Axe commercials are not Losers: the ads are
careful to show them as confident ( in one way or other) or a better term will be
self assured. That is ultimate execution.
The power of this Big Idea has ensured that Indian consumers lap up the foreign
commercials without any hitch. I don't remember any India centric ad for Axe
especially in Television. And Indian consumers are not complaining either.

Along with these , the brand also ensured that customers are constantly engaged
with new fragrances and campaigns. In 2005, Axe had a high profile launch of its
new fragrance CLICK and before that there was Axe Land campaign and followed
by Axe-Academy then Axe Voodoo and the latest one Phenomenon. I have tried
most of the fragrances and not all of them are good, but I try it because I like the
brand. That is the power of brand.
Axe is one of the rare brands that has embraced new media to the maximum
extent. The brand has started its Internet based marketing initiative in India with
Axe Land which involved a virtual trip to the Axe world. Globally also this brand
has lot of online initiatives which are almost always naughty.In UK the Axe is
marketed as LYNX.Checkout the cool web initiatives of this brand :
Axe- feather
Axe Effect
Axe Phenomenon
and also a blog called Evan and Gareth
Not only the brand uses TVC's to its advantage, the print ads of Axe won several
accolades in various ad events. The creatives run amok with the kind of flexibility
that they get from the positioning.Besides Print, the brand also uses outdoors to
its maximum impact. Axe is a classic example of 360 degree branding effort. Now
Axe has a common message in over 70 countries where Unil

ever sells this brand. Iconic in a real sense.

One of the reports term the marketing strategy of Axe as " Adventurous
Marketing" .That is true because its risky because the brand deals with Girls &
Seduction. Not always every one may like the theme or the campaigns. In India
especially there are self styled Cultural Policemen/Women who cries foul for
anything and everything. It is really surprising that so far, Axe has escaped their
AXE. That also shows that the ad agency is also careful about the concepts put
across the Indian media.
While in a more liberal markets, Axe tests new levels of " Adventures" , here the
brand plays really safe. It also ensures the campaigns run in Indian media is
accepted because most often its the entire family who watches the TV.
I know I just have touched the tip of Marketing Iceberg called Axe.

For the axe fans, check out a blog dedicated to Axe at Axeads

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2007

Bajaj Pulsar : Definitely Male

Brand : Pulsar
Company: Bajaj Auto
Agency ;O&M, Leo Burnett
Brand Count : 226

Pulsar is one of my favorite brands both as a bike rider and as a marketer. This
bike has virtually redefined biking in this country. Pulsar launched in 2001 is the
market leader in the 150 cc + performance bike segment. More than that ,

this brand changed the fortune of Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Before the launch of Pulsar, Indian bike market was divided broadly into
Economy,Executive and Premium Bikes. In 1999 Hero Honda created a new
segment of 150 cc performance segment with its CBZ. But Pulsar came and gave a
new life into the Performance segment. Although not a pioneer, Pulsar made the
performance segment one of the fastest growing segment in the two wheeler
market.

It was not only the bike's performance that triggered the brand becoming an icon,
a major part of the success was due to the classic advertising campaign by O&M.
According to agencyfaqs, the birth of the "Definitely Male " campaign is
interesting. The creative honchos found the new product from Bajaj distinctly
different. It was Bajaj's first bike without Kawasaki label. The new bike was an
R&D and design marvel.Pulsar was designed by the renowned design house
Tokyo R&D. O&M knew that the communication of this brand should also be
different.Starting with lot of ideas, O&M stuck upon the Big Idea of India's He-
Bike. Although lot of bike take the persona of Macho bikes it was more oriented
towards being "sexy". The Big Idea was to position the bike as World's first bike
endowed with a Sex ( Gender).Thus born the classic campaign of all times "
Definitely Male". The campaign together with the design and performance
catapulted the brand into stratospheric sales level.
Bajaj targeted the 18-24 with Pulsar but later found that the brand appealed to a
much older audience. This helped Bajaj to change its target audience to 21-35
years.
Unlike its old ways of doing things, Bajaj did not rest with the laurels. It knew
that Pulsar is the golden key to control the entire bike market. Hence Pulsar got
undivided attention from the company. In 2003 another milestone event
happened in the product lifecycle of the brand. Bajaj launched its new technology
DTSI. DTSi stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition which delivered more power
and efficiency. The increased performance of the brand took Pulsar to greater
heights. 2004 and 2005 saw some cosmetic changes in the brand which excited
the customers and thus cementing Pulsar's position in the market.

Pulsar came in two variants : 180 cc and 150 cc where 180 cc excited the
performance bikers, 150 cc was for the mileage conscious ones. The 150cc variant
took lot of customers away from the executive segment to the performance
segment.

The brand had its share of marketing flaws also. According to reports, Bajaj
reassigns its media duties to two brands O&M and Leo Burnett, every six
months.When DTSI was launched, the creative duty was assigned to Leo Burnett.
Leo Burnett did a big mistake on the brand by changing the positioning of "
Definitely Male" to "Digital Biking". Although the ads were successful in
conveying the technological superiority of DTSI and making that acronym
popular, it deleted the most successful tagline from the brand's elements.

After ruling the premium bike segment, Bajaj is taking their brand to another
level. Bajaj recently launched Bajaj Pulsar 200 Dtsi to take on the comeptition
from Hero Honda and the like. The new Pulsar boasts of spruced up engine, new
digital console and new style. Pulsar is definitely getting better.
Pulsar 200 is being launched with a new campaign revolving round the concept
of Free Biking. Free Biking ( as defined by the brand Pulsar) is all about tackling
obstacles.According to company officials, its about
how you ride rather than where you ride. The ads made by O&M is filmed at
Hawana Cuba ( expensive). Set to pulsating Arabian music, the ad shows how two
Pulsar riders discover new route when their main way is blocked by traffic jam.
One word to describe this ad is HYPERBOLE and too much of it. What I feel is
that the Big Idea od Free Biking is good but execution is ordinary. What made
Pulsar a super brand was its ability to come out with different disruptive
campaigns. But in the case of Pulsar 200, it is a sort of cut copy paste from some
Hollywood movie (James Bond). More over, the Big Idea is also not properly
communicated through the visuals. Also most of the time I was trying to make
out some meaning out of the background song, later to find out that it was Arabic.

See the new Pulsar Ad here: Pulsar 200

Now every one is waiting for the new Bajaj 220 cc DTSFI which will redefine the
bike segment again.

Sadly Bajaj is no longer using its blockbuster tagline " Definitely Male" but
instead is using the corporate brand tagline " Distinctly Ahead". Bajaj earlier had
another corporate tagline " Inspiring Confidence" when it completely redesigned
its corporate logo and brand.
I still strongly believe that not using "Definitely Male" is a gross injustice to the
brand itself. That tagline and positioning has lot of fire with it and except for the
initial two campaigns, Pulsar was not able to build on its Definitely Male
Platform.
But what ever I say and what ever the agency communicates through the ads,
Pulsar has made itself into a position of strength. It has a brand equity so huge
that what ever that comes out of it will be lapped up in no time. The success of
Pulsar 200 DTSI is no longer dependent on the quality of ads but on the
performance it delivers. This brand shows the power of brand equity where
customers buy ,irrespective of lousy ads......
Watch the Old Pulsar ads here: Pulsar Collection
Source:agencyfaqs,wiki

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006

Band-Aid :Continuous Care

Brand : Band-Aid
Company: Johnson&Johnson
Agency: McCann Ericson

Brand count: 167

Band-Aid can be considered as an classic case of branding success. The brand

which is almost 86 year old has become generic to the category. Band-Aid is an

Adhesive Bandage us ed to cover minor cuts and bruises. The

brand has come a long way to become one of the classic marketing case study.

The brand came into existence in 1920. The person behind this innovation was
Ms Josphene Dickson, a homemaker and wife of Mr Eric Dickson who was cotton
buyer at Johnson & Johnson. Josphene during her daily chores inevitably
encounters numerous minor cuts and bruises, wanted an easy solution to cover
the cuts to prevent it from worsening while continuing her work. Eric prepared a
readymade bandage using cotton and adhesive tape so that Josphene can cut
from the readymade bandage and use it when in need. Eric told his boss about
the invention and thus the concept took shape of Band-Aid
( source:superbrand.com).In 1924 the world's first machine cut band-aid was
marketed and it was a huge success.
In India, Band-Aid was launched in the year 1978. Band-Aid was successful
because it identified the need in the households for wound care. But to reach the
dominant position in India was not easy. Band-Aid had to fight the tradition
rather than the competitors to succeed. Traditionally, Indians prefer not to cover
the cuts and bruises because there is a feeling that wounds should be kept open
inorder to heal faster. Further, Indian consumers typically used traditional
methods to heal wounds. In earlier days most of the households had the bottle of
tincture iodine which was considered as the best solution for cuts and bruises.
Kids used to hate this because the pain will be excruciating when tincture iodine

is applied to cuts. Band-Aid comes with red coloured

medicine inside ( I think it is Benzalkonium) which resembled Iodine. This had
enabled early adoption of this brand and Band-Aid was called " Lal Dhawa Wali
Patti" which became the USP . Had the medicine color was not red, Band-Aid
would have tough time convincing mothers. The Kids also loved the brand since
they were relieved of the pain of Tincture iodine.

Band-Aid also tried to educate mothers about the possible problems in keeping
the wounds open because of dust infections caused by it. This also boosted the
brand acceptability. One of the major factors that aided the success of this brand
was the distribution strength of J&J. Band-Aid was a mass market product and
hence it has to be there at every shop in the market.

Band-Aid was a brand that changed with time and it keenly watched the
consumers and tried to identify their needs. The company had valuable consumer
insights that created the first water proof band-aid in India. The main weakness
for bandages was that it used to come off easily when wet. This prevented the
category usage to certain extent. The waterproof band aid made the brand usable
in any condition. This innovation catapulted the brand popularity to newer
heights. Band Aid focused on the area of application and was clever enough to
come out with various size and shapes. This come from the insight that different
wounds in different parts of the body needs different shapes. For example, a
small cut in the forehead needs a round band-aid .These insights made the brand
a market leader in the category with a market share of over 60%.

Johnson& Johnson also saw an opportunity for the brand in the traditional cure
for cuts. In India, turmeric is used as a medicine for cuts and blemishes. Band-
Aid launched a turmeric variant of the plaster much to the delight of the Indian
consumers. The brand was also promoted heavily. Band-Aid was the first in the
category to advertise in electronic media. According to Superbrands.org, Band-
Aid was the first product endorsement of Sachin Tendulkar.
Initially positioned as a wound care brand, Band-Aid was repositioned as a
product that encourages kids to be active. Kids have the innate desire to be active
and Band-Aid makes sure that cuts and bruises will not be hinder that desire. The
brand also roped in Virendra Sewag as its ambassador during the cricket season.
Band-Aid has been lying low in the media for a while. The brand has already
become generic to the category. Being generic has its share of problems also.
When the customer uses the brand as a generic name for the category , the
retailer can offer him any brand in the category. There are many local players in
the market who gain by a brand major becoming generic. Competition is also
from players like Handyplast and Dettol. Although the Indian wound care market
is estimated to be around Rs 512 crore, the domestic adhesive bandage category is
small at Rs 25 crore. The brand equity of Band-Aid still going strong is a an entry
barrier for any one looking to enter this category.
The brand is currently being positioned on " Continuous Care". The positioning is
pitting this brand against the ointments and other external applications. The
concept is to educate the customers that use of plasters will heal wounds better
than the use of ointments.

source: superbrands.com,jandjindia.com,agencyfaqs
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2006

Body Shop : Profit With Principle

Brand : Body Shop
Company: Loreal

Brand Count 164

Body Shop is a brand with a difference. Marketers consider this brand as an Icon.
Body Shop has created a brand image without the aid of conventional
advertising.2006 saw this iconic brand draw up serious business plans for India.

Body Shop brand was created in 1976 in Brighton United Kingdom. The brand

and the brand owner share a comm on personality

that is very much linked to each other. Anita Roddick the legendary founder of
the Brand created this brand from a small shop in

UK started to support her family.

Body Shop in India is sold through the master franchise Planet Sports . The
brand is expecting to ramp up the operations to major metros by the year 2008.
Body Shop is differentiated from other conventional cosmetics by the values that
the brand adheres to and the brand image created through the unique association
with those values.
The brand is famous for its association with ethical practices and the
environment friendly world view. The products reflects these values through the
use of only natural ingredients and the products are never tested on animals.The
packaging and the merchandising are carefully prepared to highlight the brand
values. For example , Body Shop uses refillable packs and recycled /recyclable
papers. Although the use of refillable packs were used to keep the price low, it
evolved into an element that reinforced the brand positioning. The brand also
was careful in the messages displayed in the shop and other POP merchandises.
The messages were simple, enthusiastic and informative. These elements made
Body Shop a different cosmetic brand.

The brand was essentially an extension of the founder herself. Anita Roddick is
an ardent environmentalist and naturalist. Her views about the nature supported
with her activities and associations created a positive reinforcement for the
brand. Customers were seeing a brand that does things while others just give
hope. More over Body Shop was able to communicate with the custo

mers at a higher level rising above beauty and fairness that other
cosmetics talked about. There was honesty associated with the brand. The shops
also reinforced this attribute. All the shops reflected an environment of honesty,
excitement and fun. It is reported that Ms Anita Roddick takes personal interview
with the franchises to ensure that they share the same passion with Body Shop
principle.

Although Body Shop is starting serious business with Indian consumers only
now, the association with India dates back to the initial years itself. India was a
sourcing partner for Body Shop during the creation of the brand.
The success of the brand was because of the unique business model of Body Shop.
The brand relies on PR and word of mouth to make sales. The Indian launch was
also a low profile one . The brand has gone against most of the conventional
marketing practices. The products are simple and the new product ideas are
derived from the wisdom of the ordinary people. For example, When the founder
was traveling in Srilanka she found women rubbing their faces with freshly cut
pineapple flakes that gave a special look to the faces. This translated to a product
Body Shop Pineapple face wash. Many products were resulted from this
experiences of the founder from the numerous trip she made around the world.

In 2006, Body Shop was acquired by Loreal for 650mn Pounds. Body Shop will
function as an independent entity retaining the management and the principles
that made this brand an icon.
In India too the brand is expected to appeal to a niche market. Niche in the sense
that the level of awareness about "environment friendly" and " ethical" product
positioning is a novelty in India. We often relate environment friendliness with
unprofitablity while the basic principle of Body Shop is " Profit with Principle" .
Another factor is that in India, celebrities are not associated with nature activism.
We have the prominent naturalists in Medha Padhkar and Baba Amte and not AB
or Susmita Sen.

In the market where high decibel advertising and sales promotion rules, it will be
interesting to see how Body Shop will gain the iconic status it deserves in the
Indian market.

Source:Harvardbusinessreview,strategicbusinessmanagement(keller),

MARKETING PRACTICE
WORLD'S LARGEST ONLINE RESOURCE ON INDIAN BRANDS.

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 SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2007

Boost : Is The Secret Of Our Energy

Brand : Boost
Company: Glaxo Smithkline Beecham
Agency:JWT

Brand Count : 192

Boost is one of the major players in the Rs 1400 crore Indian Health Food Drink (
HFD) market. The brand was created in 1975 by the company R&D team and test

marketed in 1976. The brand became national in in 1980's. Glaxo rules

the Indian HFD market with a share of around 64 %. The market is ruled by
Horlicks and the leader is flanked by flanker products Maltova and Viva.

Boost takes on Bournvita from Cadbury's which is the market leader in the brown
powder segment. The HFD market is having two segments : White powder
segment and brown segment. The market is dominated by white powders. Boost
is a malt milk additive with the flavour of chocolate.Boost has a share of around
12% in the HFD market.
HFD is targeted at children aged 5-18. The market is huge since this is the age
group that demands some kind of energy drink. The kids are active and playing
during this age and the pressure is on the home maker to keep the energy level of
the kids high using some drinks.

Boost is positioned as an energy drink. The tagline " Boost is the secret of my
energy" has remained a blockbuster all through these years.The tagline has
highest recall among the TG. Boost is also the first HFD brand to be endorsed by
a celebrity.

After the initial growth, the brand landed in the mature stage of PLC during
1980's with sales plateauing. The brand repositioned itself through a careful
planned strategy backed by consumer insigh t. The
brand realised that kids are strong influencers of the purchase process for such
products and once kids get hooked onto such drinks, brand loyalty can be
assured. GSK also identified cricket as the vehicle to Boost the Sale of Boost.
During 1980's Kapil dev was roped in as the brand ambassador for Boost and as a
cricketer, Kapil was considered an Icon by many . Boost got the energy from
Kapil and GSK had found the success mantra.
During 1990's Kapil gave the baton to Sachin. Sachin endorsed this brand when
he was in his teens. During those times, the ads showed both Kapil and Sachin
together endorsing the brand and thus ensured that the transition is smooth.
From 1990-present, Sachin has been endorsing this brand. I think Boost and
Sachin hold the record for longest association between a brand and celebrity at
least in India. (The kid who starred with Kapil for the ad was Nikhil Chopra who
later played for India0
in 2000, the brand also roped in Sewag to endorse the brand. At that time, Sewag

and Sachin was at fire as the opening pair.

Boost was innovative not only in the promotion front but also in product
improvements. in 2002, as a part of its repositioning, the brand came out with
Power Boosters : which contains Copper and Biotin.It was first of its kind in this
segment.Boost also innovated in packaging. Over these years, the packaging
became contemporary and stylish to reflect the changing consumer preferences.
A brand will become successful only if the owner invests in the brand for the long
term. Boost is a testimony of that. Over these years, the brand has been
positioned and repositioned in tune with the consumer. During the late nineties,
consumer insights showed that although the kids liked the promos involving
Sachin, they felt somewhat distant from the brand ( because Sachin was
perceived to be extraordinary). Realising this the brand changed its tagline to "
Boost is the secret of my energy' to " Boost is the secret of OUR energy". The ads
increasingly gave importance to kids rather than the celebrity.
In 2005, the brand came with Choco Blast ( more chocolate) and Advanced
Energy Boosters to counter the threat from Bournvita who now has the Chocolate
taste of "Five Star" in it.
watch the commercial here: Boost chocoblast

Boost is a super brand with lots of lessons for a marketer to learn.The brand
continues to invest in it and has remained the favorite of marketers and kids..

Source: Superbrands,agencyfaqs.
Imagesource; agencyfaqs,superbrands

Labels: beverages, celebrity endorsement, FMHG, Product life cycle

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007

Bournvita : Do You Have Bournvita Confidence

Brand : Bournvita
Company : Cadbury's
Agency : O&M

Brand Analysis Count : 289

Bournvita is a power brand. Bournvita was launched in 1948 and is one of the
oldest brand in the malted beverages segment. The brand is a market leader in
the Brown health drink segment with a market share of over 17 %.
This is a brand that has sustained over time and competition. Cadbury's - true to
its reputation has managed to sustain this brand over these years. The brand has
sustained because of Cadbury's invested in the brand and also ensured that the
brand changed in tune with the times.
Bournvita is a chocolate flavored health drink. When the brand was introduced in
the market, it tried to solve a perennial problem that mother's face : a need for a
healthy food which is tasty. Bournvita offered that unique combination of health
and taste.
Its also interesting to see how this brand has evolved over these years.In 1970s t
he brand was positioned as a product that helps in good upbringing. The brand
used the tagline : Goodness t hat Grows with You.
During 1980's the brand changed its focus from Upbringing to Intelligence. The
tagline was changed to : Brought Up Right, Bournvita Bright.
In 1990's the brand felt that it should be focusing on the overall health of the kid
thus changed its focus on Body and Mind. The brand also took Energy as a main
focus and thus evolved the famous VO ( voice over) : "Bournvita has proteins,
minerals and carbohydrates" . Along came the famous tagline : Tan Ki Shakthi ,
Man Ki Shakthi.
During 1998, the brand faced intense competition from Milo from Nestle. At this
time, the brown health food drink segment was facing issues of stagnation
because of lack of value addition. Bournvita then changed its positioning on the
health platform. The brand used a marconym RDA ( Recommended Dietary
Allowance) to reinforce the health positioning. The brand used a clever
Nutritional meter to communicate the RDA formula : 2 cups of Bournvita for
balanced nutrition.
The brand also set up a Bournvita Nutritional Center where nutrition experts
recommended the right RDA percentage to kids. The brand at that time used the
cricketer Ajay Jadeja to endorse the brand. The brand also harped on the taste
and used the tagline " No Bournvita No Milk " to reinforce the taste attribute.
In the current millennium, the brand has moved to the next level. In the typical
laddering Up strategy, Bournvita has identified Confidence as its Core Brand
Essence. The brand realized that every kid have a chance to excel in his chosen
field of endeavour if he have confidence . The realization has enabled the brand to
chalk out the current marketing strategy. The brand now uses the tagline " Do
you have Bournvita Confidence ".
In the Brown beverages segment, Bournvita faces intense competition from
Boost. In order to defend the leadership position, Bournvita has invested heavily
in product development, advertising and sales promotion. In the product
development front, Bournvita had significantly changed its packaging and the
latest pack is inspired by Boost. Along with packaging changes, the brand also
had comeout with a new variant : Bournvita Fivestar Magic. The new variant has
the unique chocolate with caramel flavor of Cadbury's Fivestar. The brand is
using the brand association with Five Star as a key differentiator.
All these years, Bournvita has used taste as a consistent theme to attract the kids.
The Five Star Magic variant further reinforced this positioning.
In the advertising campaigns, Bournvita has always been a heavy spender. When
I am writing this post, Bournvita is running two different campaigns for
Bournvita : one campaign for the Bournvita Fivestar Magic and another one
featuring Bournvita Confidence Academy.

Bo urnvita Confidence Academy is not a School but a reality

show. The show which premiered on July 2007 in the Pogo channel is different
from the usual reality shows . The show features 7 kids who have exceptional
talents in various fields like dancing, racing, singing, magic, studies etc. In the
reality show , these kids to act as Gurus and is expected to teach each other skills .
So you have a magic whizkid learning to sing. The point is that "You Need
Confidence" to venture into unknown fields.
Bournvita Confidence Academy is not the first event that this brand associates
with. Bournvita Quiz is the longest running quiz show in Indian Television .
In the sales promotion front also , the brand was active with its share of freebies
and gifts . The association with Cartoon Network enabled this brand to use the
famous characters like Powerpuff girls and Dexter to the brand's advantage.
As a marketer, I feel that the latest focus on Confidence is a smart move by the
brand. Its arch rival Boost has built itself on the energy platform and recently has
gained headway using Sachin. Hence to counter Boost, Bournvita needed to own
an important differentiation point. Confidence is something that every kid look
forward to. By featuring real whiz kids , the brand has been able to create an
impact in the TG. But the challenge that Bournvita faces is not from Boost but
from the Consumer Promotion trap that both these brands have fallen into. Now
most of the sales are decided by the promotional gifts and freebies than the actual
efficacy. Since mothers are happy whether the kids drink either of these , brand
loyalty has become a thing of past in this segment.
Source : Cadbury website, agencyfaqs.com

Labels: beverages, Brand Laddering, Cadburys, FMHG

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008

Bru : Happiness Begins with Bru

Brand : Bru
Company : Hindustan Unilever
Agency : O & M

Brand Analysis Count : 359

Bru is a power brand from the HUL's stable. A brand which pioneered the instant
coffee category in Indian market in 1969 is also an example of many successful
marketing practices. According to HUL, Bru is the
market leader in coffee segment with a value share of 46.9 %.

Prior to 2004, HUL had many brands in the coffee category. It had Deluxe Green
Label and Bru instant as the main brands and small brands like Dilkush, Cafe and
Cafe Gold. In 2004, as a part of the power brand strategy, HLL decided to phase
out Dilkush and Cafe brands . It then consolidated the coffee brands under the
masterbrand Bru.

Bru before becoming the family brand was positioned as a coffee that tasted just
like filter coffee. But after the elevation to master brand, Bru took the positioning
around happiness.

Bru was synonymous for instant coffee and had an astounding 21% market share
in the first year of launch itself. All these years, the brand has been fighting for
the numero uno position with Nestle whose iconic Nescafe brand was the market
leader. But in 2008, the brand pushed Nescafe to the second position.
Much of the success of Bru can be attributed to following factors

Innovation in new products

Innovation in packaging &
Aggressive campaigns

Nestle lost out because of lethargy. The company failed to consistently invest in
its Nescafe brand. I do not seeing any memorable campaigns from Nescafe in
recent past. This has cost the brand dearly.

HUL's marketing acumen is vivid in the rise of Bru as the market leader. It has
never stopped innovating for this new brand.
Bru was able to give new offerings to customers on a regular basis. One of the
recent successful new product was the cappuccino packs. The new flavor gave the
brand a new thrust in the market. The new flavors even prompted hardcore tea
lovers like me to try out these flavors . The best part was that these cappuccino
was available in single serve sachets which prompted consumers to test the
flavors.

Another innovation was the cold coffee. Bru launched the cold coffee variants
which again captured the attention of the consumers.
These thrusts in new product development and roll out is visible when one visits
a super market. The coffee section is full of various flavors and packs of Bru
which itself creates a positive vibration for the brand.

Another factor which made Bru successful was the campaigns. The brand is
famous for two campaigns. One featuring Amritha Rao was a big hit. The theme
revolve around the shy girl wanting to introduce her boyfriend Sagar to her
father.
Watch the TVC here : Bru Sagar

Another campaign which was highly popular was the 'little cup' ad. The ad shows
the wife announcing the " good news " through a symbolic ' little cup'.
Watch the ad here : bru Little cup

Bru is positioned on the theme of happiness. The brand has the tagline "
Happiness begins with Bru ". The positioning and communication has been
consistent with the brand's promise of kickstarting one's day with a Bru.
These slice of lif e ads put Bru in a growth orbit.
Consumers started loving the brand for its innovation and campaigns. For the
Bru Cappuccino, it had roped in the Bollywood Director Karan Johar to endorse
the brand.

Another critical factor that aided Bru's success was the innovation in packaging.
The brand made the entry barrier low by launching small affordable SKUs. There
are single serve and large packs at different price points making the brand
affordable .The brand although is positioned as an aspirational brand is priced
affordable thus making it a perfect example of a Masstige brand.

Recently the brand has yet again came out with a customer centric innovation in
the form of a flavor lock. Most of the customers worry about losing the flavor of
coffee powder once the pack is cut open. The flavor lock is a plastic clip which will
lock the flavor from escaping. More than actually locking the flavor, the lock gives
a psychological belief that the flavor will not the lost.

This little plastic lock also gives more convenience to the home maker. Typically
when buying powders in packs, home makers have to transfer the powder to a
container to preserve it for long. This lock effectively eliminates the need for such
a container.

Bru is a brand which has reached the commanding position following

methodologically all the critical elements for marketing success : customer
centric innovation, aggression and new product development

Labels: beverages, FMCG, Food brands, HLL, innovation, Masstige Brand

FRIDAY, MARCH 09, 2007

Center Shock : Hilake Rakh De

Brand : Center Shock
Company: Perfetti Vanmelle
Agency: O&M

Brand Count:207

Center Shock is an interesting brand or rather it is a disruptive brand in the sense

that the brand just makes all marketing theories look funny. Conventional
marketing wisdom says that the product should deliver a promise ,satisfy a need

and blah blah . Here is a confectionery brand tha t

tasted sour making itself a market leader in less than 6 months time.

Center Shock was launched in 2001 and at that time, the chewing gum market
was at cross roads. The market lifecycle was at the decline stage. Although the
market was worth Rs 300 crore, it was declining at a faster rate at 25-30%.
Perfetti then decided to break the category degrowth and make this category
more exciting to the customers.

It still baffles me how a product like Center Shock become successful in the
market. This peculiar gum gave a distinct fruit filled acidic taste to the customer
which really gave the customer a shock. The TG for this brand was SEC ABC and
age 10-19.The brand was an extension of the highly popular Center Fresh known
for its Fruit Gel Center. Center Shock came in two flavors : Peach and Apple.
Center Shock broke into picture through two clutter breaking ads crafted by O&M
. The first ad of the barber ( View Here) created a huge impact in the market. The
ads won lot of accolades for O&M. According to reports, the brand became
market leader within no time with a share of over 35% beating Center Fresh from
the same company.The first tvc was followed by the second one featuring a dude
visiting his girlfriend's home to meet the parents ( View Here) .According to
Agencyfaqs, the creative brief for Center Shock was simple :break the clutter and
make it funny and distinct and really shocking and the ads just did that.

I have no clue how and why the brand became successful. I was tricked into
taking a Center Shock by my friend and I swear I have not taken product again. I
think the company also doesn't have any dreams about repeat customers. But the
brand done the trick with the market. There was a rejuvenation of the category
which grew from 1000 tonnes to 3500 tonnes . The lack of excitement in the
category was corrected by this outrageous product. The brand adopted one of the
most funniest and best taglines " Hilake Rakh De " which translates to " Will
Shake you UP". The brand was positioned as a fun brand and customers liked the
change. The brand had virtually shaken the market. During those days most of
the chewing gum brand were sold on sales promotions and seldom marketers
invested any thing more on ads . Center Shock brought back the trust on
advertising in the category players.

To sustain a brand like Center Shock for longer period of time is a difficult
proposition. After launching the product in 2001, the last ad was aired in
December 2002 and for one year the brand went into silent mode. In 2004 the
company. In 2003 the brand launched a variant Center Shock Mirchi with
another outrageous commercial. But the variant bombed since the novelty was
lost for this brand.The brand had a funny tagline " Pilake Rakh De".After this
launch , Center Shock faded from the scene.Its long time since I saw any
promotion of this brand.
Although this brand had a very short PLC, the brand showed us the power of
advertising. A good advertising can make people eat a sour candy and be happy
about it . Hats Off to Perfetti for taking such bold and outrageous step .

source: O&M,businessline,perfetti website

Labels: confectionary, FMCG, innovation, Off beat brand, Perfetti, Product life
cycle

MONDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2006

Coffy Bite : Coffee or Toffee

Brand : Coffy Bite
Company: Lotte India
Agency: JWT
Brand Count : 137

Coffy Bite is a power brand in the Rs 1500 crore Indian Sugar Boiled Candy
market.This 100 crore brand has a history of 18 years of existence.

Coffy Bite is one of the brands which I grow up with. The brand is unique and its
positioning and ad campaign was one of the best in that era. The brand is in the
coffee category which is around 15% of the Sugar boiled candy category. Coffee
Bite have around 9 % market share in the SBC segment.
Coffee Bite was introduced in India by Parry's confectioneries of the Muruggappa
Group. This was the flagship brand of Parrys. Later in 2004 , Parry's
confectioneries was sold to The Lotte group.
Coffee Bite is famous for the " Coffee -Toffee " argument followed by the tagline "

Its a Coffee in a Toffee" . All th e campaigns of this

brand was a fun to watch and as a product, the brand offered excellent taste and
quality. Overall this product was a winner. The brand enjoys a recall of as high as
85%.
With the entry of Big names like Perfette, Parrys faced intense competition in the
market for all its major brands. Along with this heat, the company faced
pressures in pricing coupled with rising raw material costs. Infact, these issues
are still haunting the confectionery manufacturers.
The candy market is faced with two marketing issues
a. The product: since the product is purely an impulse product, lot of money has
to be spent on the brand and also on developing new variants to create and
sustain excitement.
b. The Price: The consumers in this segment is price conscious. Because of the
competition, companies cannot afford to price the product at a premium and
renounce volume. With the 50 paise price point becoming the industry norm,
most of the companies are facing profitability issues.
The problem that Coffy Bite faced was again the issue of relevance. Because of
some reasons, the brand missed the new generation. The brand was perceived to
be " Old". Hence even though the recall was high, the actual purchase was as low
as 20%.
The task for the new brand owners "Lotte" was to make the brand more relevant
to the new generation. By New Generation , I mean those kids born after1990's :
the liberalisation child.
Lotte changed the packaging to make the brand more contemporary and
youthful. The communication also was changed. Thank God, the brand managers
did not change the famous " Argument". So the argument continues. The new
baseline is " Enough to start an argument" was an unnecessary change for this
brand which is famous for its " Coffee in a toffee" baseline. The brand owners has
to think as to who is bored by the old baseline, company or customer? As a
customer I prefer the old one. I think that the brand need not change the taglines
and positioning to become more relevant.
Since the category is Coffee, you cannot have any other taste, that can give some
consistency to the communication.I hope the owners will not come up with
variants like Pineapple coffy bite. Besides the taste, the "Coffee -Toffee" argument
gives the creative guys lot of things to work with.I feel that this brand should take
the " Topical" advertisement route perfected by Amul( discussed somewhere in
my blog) which will be enjoyed by all. One more major positive for this brand is
that it is more of a family toffee that gives it a huge market to tap.
Coffy Bite is a brand that has a unique space in the mind of the customers. Is it a
Coffee or a Toffee.. the argument continues.

Source: Businessline, agencyfaqs,fnbnews.com, lotteindia.com,economictimes.com

Labels: branding, confectionary, failed brands, FMCG, marketing myopia

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2005

Colgate Dental Cream : ye hai hamari suraksha chakra

Brand : Colgate Dental Cream

Agency : Rediffusion DYR

Colgate has been ruling the Rs 2200 crore oral care segment for long with a
market share of over 50%.

The flagship brand of this multinational giant is The Colgare Dental cream which
alone has a market share of 35%.
The toothpaste segment can be divided in to three segments : white, Gel and
herbal based on the product characteristic.

Colgate had enjoyed higher market share all through the years despite stiff
competition from the likes of HLL and a host of regional brands. But the gaint
shed its lethargy and stood up, fought the war and won.

When Colgate was enjoying its leadership position in the market, HLL
successfully entered the market with a googly. It created a new segment with
Close- up gel. While using Pepsodent to fight the Colgate Dental Cream (CDC), it
created a market for itself with the gel that came in funky colours and excellent
advertising.
Every marketer has then signed Colgate off saying that it cannot fight with the
marketing giant HLL.
But colgate struck back with the launch of Colgate fresh energy gel and the
famous campaign " TALK TO ME" starring the charming VJ Purab that stole the
gel category from HLL .

Close up never recovered from that blow.

Then the multinational faced the onslaught of regional brands like Ajanta , babool
that gave these guys a run for their money by selling toothpaste for ridiculously
low price .These regional brands quickly gained market share from these MNC,s
and a lot was written about the rise of regional brands.

Colgate and HLL responded to this threat by coming out with low priced flanking
brands. Colgate launched low priced Cibaca to counter the regional brand while
HLL had Aim to counter it.
The current figures show that the regional brands are finding it difficult to sustain
the market share.

Colgate' s flagship brand CDC had consistantly positioned itself in the germ
fighting platform. It had the famous " suraksha chakra " platform from where it
had built its brand to this level.

All marketers know that it takes lot of smart thinking to keep the brand alive in a
market. So Colgate launched many variants to ward off threats from the niche
players and adapt to the changing tastesof the market. For example, it launched
the herbal toothpaste when every one talked about the efficacy of herbs. The
came the advanced whitening formula to fight the threat from Pepsodent
whitening variant
The latest addition is the Colgate with power of active salt. The brand is
developed after a careful study on the customers: the company says. Colgate
undertook a study of a "day in the life of a customer" that gave lot of inputs about
the customer's trigger and touch points.

As of now it is great going for the brand

Labels: branding, Colgate, FMCG, personal care, Toothpaste

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2005

Colorplus : consistency pays

Brand : Colorplus

Agency : Rubecon

Company : Raymonds

Colorplus was launched in 1993 by Colorplus Fashions which was a unit of

Coimbatore based Ambattur Clothing Limited.
It was launched at a time where no global brands were seriously exploring the
Indian market. I would say that no serious branding effort was there in place
during that time . The ready to wear segment was in a nascent stage.

Colorplus as a brand now has an iconic status in the readymade segment.The

brand which is carefully crafted and brilliantly communicated is the perfect
example of brand management.
Rajendra Mudaliar, managing director, and Kailash M Bhatia, CEO has been
clear on what the brand is and how this is to be communicated.

In 2003 this brand was acquired by Raymonds. I thought that the communication
and brand strategy would change but to my pleasant surprise , it is the same.
Thank God...

The brand falls under the Smart casual segment in the ready to wear market with
its presence in South and west Asia. In this era of celebrity endorsement , this is
a brand which uses no celebrity , and Colorplus is always the star. The brand is
exposed through careful media selection and you never see a TVC of this brand.
The copy and the layout is ever so consistent and the ads has maitained a classy
look throughout its existence.

Seen only in premium publications and business magazines reveals that the
brand is clear about the target segment.

Raymonds by acquiring this brand has now entered the premium casual wear
segment which is now fast growing. With Parx at the lower end and Colorplus on
the premium end, Raymonds is hoping to gain a major foothold in the Indian
ready to wear segment in years to come.

Hope Raymonds don't mess up this brand...........

Labels: branding, iconic brand, readymade brands, textiles

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2006

Dove : The Mildest One

Brand : Dove
Company: HLL
Agency: O&M
Brand Count: 102
Dove is a $2 bn brand waiting to spread its wings in the Indian Prem

ium soap market. Dove was globally

launched in 1957. This brand came to India in 1995. Internationally this brand
has a cult status and is a major player in the global premium soap market.

The brand is positioned as the Mildest Soap. Dove is PH neutral and this makes
the soap soft on all kind of skin types. Internationally this brand is positioned as a
brand that celebrates the " Real Beauty" . Dove defines real beauty as " beauty is
not about how you look but about how you feel". The Dove's official site "
campaignforrealbeauty.com" highlights this brand value. I think this is one of t

he best brand values a beauty product can have.

In India, the brand did not had the success of its global counterpart. One reasons
are the small " Premium " market and another is the price barrier. Dove's initial
price was around Rs50 that put off even the premium customers.

The brand has undergone some repositioning in recent times. Earlier the brand
was positioned on the platform of " Trial for Results" idea. Later it was changed
to the moisturizing platform.
The brand is claiming that it is milder than the 25 leading soaps thus proving its
legitimacy to being the mildest soap in the country. Globally also this brand is
positioned not as a soap but a cream bar.

Although the "Campaign For Real Beauty" and the mildness are excellent selling
points, the brand is still not able to catch the fancy of Indian beauties. With lot of
sales promotions happening with the brand like 1+1 free , there is a possibility of
brand value erosion.With the brand now priced at Rs 28, the price has somewhat
become reasonable.
I feel that still the brand does not fit into the " value for money" proposition for
the Indian consumer. It is a truth that Indian consumer looks for " Value " even
in premium products. Dove have a negative point in that the soap usually does
not last enough ( partly because of our bathroom habits). This have reduced the
value proposition for this brand.
With the emergence of an attractive market in the premium cosmetic market in
India, Dove have lot of potential to become a key player, it has got the positioning
right, now it has to set the " Value" right for the Indian consumer.

Labels: branding, FMCG, HLL, personal care, soap brands

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2006

Fair & Lovely : Chand ka Tukda

Brand : Fair & Lovely

Company : HLL
Agency: Lowe

Fair & Lovely ( FAL) is the brand that revolutionized the Indian Skin care
industry. This brand is World's first and largest Fairness cream brand with a
presence in 40 countries and a value of around Rs. 6 billion

Indian skin care market was dominated by conventional beauty care products like
Bezan,Multani Mitti etc. FAL changed all that. Launched in 1975, FAL is the

product born in the Unilever research center. In 1988 the brand

went international. FAL commands a market share of over 70% in the Rs 1000
crore fairness market in India.
FAL virtually created and owned this category for long. In the fairness market,
FAL enjoyed monopoly till Cavin Kare entered this lucrative segment with
Fairever. The success of Fairever prompted many players like Godrej to tap the
market.

FAL sustained the pressure from the competitor by careful branding and new
product launches. The brand never failed to emulate and learn from the
competitor .When Fairever launched the ayurvedic variant, FAL launched a much
better variant. Then came the competition from Ozone Ayurvedics with their
brand No Marks trying to carve a niche. HLL countered with FAL Antimarks and
launched a controversial comparative ad that took the steam out of No Marks.
When Fair ever launched the soap, FAL also responded with soap. FAL never
allowed the competitors to gain an upper hand in the market which it created.
FAL achieved such tremendous success because of careful branding and ad
campaigns. Initially HLL to do some ugly talking about fairness. Some of the ads
were controversial because of gender inequality and stuff like that. It was
necessary at that period because the category was new and the brand should first
talk about the need to be fairer.
Now the brand has laddered up to more aspirational values like "Transformation

of Women" The insigh t is that the transformation will be

more than skin deep. The ads showing a girl achieving the ambition of being a
cricket commentator ( a male bastion) were very much effective in connecting
with the TG.
HLL has also extended the brand to more aspirational values by launching Fair&
Lovely foundation that works for Women Empowerment achievement and
Transformation which are the qualities for which FAL stands for.
FAL have also launched a premium subbrand Perfect Radiance to tap the
premium segment of the market.
Fair & Lovely was able to dominate the fairness market because of careful
marketing and is a showcase of the marketing genius of HLL.

Labels: branding, FMCG, HLL, personal care, soap brands

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008

Fastrack : How many you have ?

Brand : Fastrack
Company : Titan
Agency : Lowe Lintas

Brand Analysis Count : 320

Two years back when I wrote about Titan watches, I had mentioned Fastrack

brand as a sub-brand of Titan. Now this sub-brand

has grown to become a fully independent brand. Fastrack was launched in 1998.
The brand was aimed at the youth segment (15-25). The brand was promoted
with the slogan "Cool Watches from Titan "

Essentially Fastrack was a sub-brand endorsed by the Titan Brand. In most of the
campaigns , the brand was promoted as Titan Fastrack. The brand was targeting
young consumers who was moving towards the competitor Timex. It was during
this time that Timex and Titan parted ways.

Fastrack had a good start . during the first year, the brand clocked a turnover of
Rs 15 crore. The good run continued till 2001-2002 and the brand was worth Rs
25 crore at that period. But the sales stagnated. Although the brand appealed to
the youngsters, price was significant dampener.The brand found that the target
group which consisted of college students could not afford this brand. ( source :
Business Standard)

During 2003-04, the brand went in for a repositioning exercise targeting

executive segment aswellas casual watch segment. It was a suicidal experiment .
The brand sales came down to Rs 23 crore. The change in positioning did not fit
well with the brand. The consumers were not willing to pay Rs 1200-2700 for a
watch that did not have the executive image.

It was in 2004 that Fastrack launched its range of sunglasses. The move was
made after a consumer research which shoed that mobiles/deo/sports shoes and
sunglasses are popular accessories in the purchase list of youngsters. And
Sunglasses fitted perfectly as a brand extension for Fastrack. In my personal
view, sunglasses offered a great opportunity for the brand. There was no Indian
brand of sunglasses at that time. The brands available was Ray-Ban and other
foreign brands which were imported. These brands was damn expensive and
often consumers chose local unbranded sunglasses.

In 2005, the brand went for another repositioning exercise with a new logo and
new positioning. The brand adopted the famous break-away positioning of
Swatch. The brand decided to target the youngsters again but for that the brand
had to break the price barrier.
The brand discarded the steely look of the watches and looked at a mix of plastic
and steel. It was a perfect cut-copy from the strategy adopted by Swatch . By
doing so, the brand was able to reduce the price range to Rs 500.

The brand then took the help of advertising to change the perception of watches
as a functional tool to a fashion accessory. The brand launched a campaign with
the slogan " How many you have ".

The campaign , the positioning and the price was a great hit . The brand sales
zoomed to Rs 35 crore. The sunglasses also contributed significantly to this sales
boost.
Fastrack have adopted the following core brand values

Fashionable and trendy

Affordable Pricing
Fresh Communication to attract the young consumers. The brand wanted to be
the ultimate fashion accessory for the youth.

For the sunglasses, the brand roped in the youth icon John Abraham as the brand
ambassador. The celebrity fitted well with the brand. Taking a cue from the fact
that most of the TG for Fastrack owned a bike, Fastrack launched a biker's
collection which again is a classic example of consumer-centric product
innovation.
The latest innovation is the neon - disc range of Fastrack watches that does not
have Hands to show the time but have electroluminescent disc that lits up to
show the time.

Another advantage for this brand is the freshness that the agency had bought in
its communication. Most of the Fastrack ads has been refreshing. The brand had
adopted a 360 degree approach in its communication and it is an example of a
brand which had used Social media to its advantage.
Watch some of the Fastrack campaigns here : Fastrack
But the brand is facing a grave issue in the market. The issue is not regarding the
branding but with the channels. In the case of Swatch, the brand had adopted an
innovative approach towards the channels. According to the Harvard Case Study
on Swatch, it is mentioned that Swatch launched a Veggie range of watches ( it
had shapes of vegetables ) and this range was sold in vegetable shops.
But in the case of Fastrack, the brand had not gained the support of the channel
members.The channel does not support both sunglasses and watches. The above
observation is from my personal experience. In the case of watches, except for
Titan exclusive showrooms, other watch retailers does not stock the full range of
Fastrack watches and neither they offer spares like straps. I went to replace the
strap of my Fastrack but had to be satisfied with one which was local made and
that does not fit with the design. The retailer to whom I went was a premium
dealer of watches and he said that the reason for not stocking Fastrack is that the
design changes very fast.
For Fastrack sunglasses, the retailers are the usual opticians. I found ( in my city)
that either these retailers does not stock the sunglasses or are not interested in
selling . The reason they say is that Titan is trying to sell the sunglasses in stores
other than opticians. Hence opticians are not interested in selling this brand. The
fact is that 90 % of Sunglasses sales happen with Opticians.

Fastrack had tried to explore new channel for its sunglasses range. I have seen a
couple of lifestyle stores displaying the range. But when I wanted to buy a specific
model, I did not find that in any of the store. I had to go to the online store and
buy the glass.
No brand can escape the channel conflict when it tries to explore a new channel .
In the case of Fastrack, it is facing resistance from the conventional channel when
the brand tried to explore new channel.

It is a nightmare for any brand manager to handle the issues connected with a
brand like Fastrack. One one hand, the brand have to keep the consumer interest
growing by launching new models and also updating cool communication . One
the other hand, the frequent design changes calls for intense dealer support . The
low price for the watches often translates to low margin to retailers thus
dampening their enthusiasm for promoting this brand. The brand is trying to
workaround this issue through its online store but the fact is that online cannot
replace the conventional channel atleast in the immediate future.

Despite these issues, the brand has been a hit with young consumers. I noticed
this brand in the wrist of most of my students . Once I asked a question to my
students whether Fastrack watches are 'cheap ' ?To my surprise, none of the
students think that Fastrack is cheap despite its ' cheap ' price. They corrected me
that Fastrack is affordable and not cheap. That is a great achievement for a brand
which has a price range which starts with Rs 500 but still is not considered cheap.
The brand had successfully established itself as a fashion accessory rather than as
a watch. My personal experience as a consumer for both watch and sunglasses is
positive. The brand has not compromised on quality.

The brand need to sort the distribution strategy to move into the next level.
Swatch also faced the issue of retailer resistance initially but the equity generated
by the brand eclipsed the resistance. Fastrack also should be able to build the
brand into a level where retailers have to stock this brand due to consumer
pressure.

Labels: consumer durable brands, Fastrack, Off beat brand, Tata, Titan, Watches

FRIDAY, MARCH 03, 2006

Frooti : Fresh N Juicy

Brand : Frooti
Company: Parle Agro foods
Agency: Grey worldwide

Frooti is the first tetrapak fruit juice in India. Launched in 1984, Frooti still holds
a dominant position in the Rs300 crore tetrapak fruit juice (TFJ) market.
Frooti over these years have carved out a niche for itself in the market. Frooti
instantly caught the fancy of Indian consumer with its tetrapak and some smart
campaigns. Initially the drink was positioned as a kids drink. The product was
perceived as a healthy fruit drink by the mothers . So within a short span of
time ,the brand was an alternative to the “unhealthy” colas. The tetrapak had
other benefits also . Fruit juice is a perishable product and tetrapak have
extended the shelf life of Frooti because tetrapaks have 2 layers of paper and a
plastic coating that ensured tamper proof and enhanced shelf life.

Lured by the success of Frooti, there was a lot of new launches in the TFJ market.
Players like Godrej with Jumpin, kissan etc tried their luck in this market but
failed to dislodge Frooti.

Froo ti was positioned as a mango drink that is “Fresh-n-juicy” For over a

7 years, the company promoted the product using that famous baseline. The
product have tried to create excitement in the market through a series of new
variants and packing. But in late ninetees the brand was facing stagnated sales.
The company tried to excite the market with an orange and pineapple variant but
both the variant bombed. The came the experiment with packaging . The YO!
Frooti variant came with a slim paper can aimed at the college going youth.

Worried by the stagnating sales, Parle tried to reposition the brand to appeal to
youth aged between 16-21. The positioning changed to be more fun based. The
package also changed. The old green color of the bottle changed to more bright
mango color with lot of graphics added to it.
One of the most famous marketing campaigns India have witnessed took place
during the repositioning. The campaign is the famous “ Digen Verma “ campaign.
This campaign was considered as one of the most successful teaser campaigns in
India. The campaign lasted for 15 days started in February 2001. The campaign

was about a faceless person Digen Verma. There were p osters and
outdoors all across the markets that had messages like “ Who is Digen verma” “
Digen Verma was here” etc. This created lot of excitement in the market and
“Digen Verma “became the most talked about faceless name at that time. The
campaign was executed by Everest communication. But the campaign was not
followed up and the hype was not translated to long term brand building.

Frooti is basically a nectar based drink so it is not 100% fruit juice, it also have
some preservatives added to increase the shelf life. Although Frooti did not face
much competition in the category it created, competition came from a slightly
different category, 100% fruit juices. Parle saw the emergence of the “ 100% fruit
drink market and launched “Njoy” brand but it did not clicked. Parle could have
extended Frooti to this market also .The brand Real from Dabur is the main
player in this category. Real effectively positioned itself as a premium healthy
drink for adults. Frooti was not able to appeal to adults and was considered as a
mango drink while Real is not restricted to any flavour. Frooti also changed its
positioning statement from ‘ Fresh-N-juicy” to “ Juice Up your life” which have
not clicked with the customers.

Although Frooti enjoys a commanding (75%) market share , Frooti is facing

stagnation. May be some serious steps should be taken to increase the usage of
the product. The launch of PET bottle Frooti is a step in this direction. Recently
Frooti also launched a “Green mango” variant just to create some hype in the
market. Frooti may have to reposition itself again to appeal to cola drinkers.

Labels: beverages, branding, Parle

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006

Funskool - Welcome to the World of Toys !

Brand : Funskool
Company: MRF

Brand Count: 161

Funskool is the market leader in the Indian organised toys market. Pioneer in
marketing branded toys, Funskool was launched in 1988 created a new beginning
of high quality toys segment in the highly fragmented industry.

Indian Toy industry is huge. Some reports estimate the size of the market to be
around Rs 2500 crore ( some say it is Rs 1000 crore). The conflicting market size
estimates is an ample proof that the market is highly unorganised. The organised
branded toys segment accounts for only Rs 500 crore. Rest of the market

is dominated by unbranded toys.

Although the market for Toys is huge, the market is dominated by cheap imports
from China.50% of the market is ruled by cheap imports. The China factor is the
single most danger that the Indian toy industry face.

Funskool created in 1987 is a joint venture between the World's largest toy
manufacturer Hasbro and the Indian tyre major MRF. The brand ushered in an
era of toys with educational value and also healthy ( safe). Funskool has since
then evolved into a complete toy manufacturer that also exports toys to other
markets.
The Indian toy industry can be divided into
a. Board games
b.Building Blocks
c. Dolls & soft toys
d.Electronic toys
While Funskool leads in board game segment, the players like Mattel and Lego
leads in the building blocks and dolls segment. Mattel with its Barbie rules the
premium end of the Dolls segment. Soft toys is another segment that is growing
fast and gaining popularity. Hanung Toys is a major player in this
segment.Funskool have a marketshare of around 25% in the branded segment.

Funskool as a brand faces lot of issues in this market. The issues are more of
environmental in nature rather than issues of the brand.
The primary issue is the dominance of unbranded cheap toys that is available in
the market. The market is price sensitive and hence the branded players face an
issue of showing value for the premium paid by the customers. This together with
cheap imports made the life difficult for brands like Funskool.
The reason why people go after cheap toys is the lack of awareness about the
hazards of using cheap low quality toys. In India Toys are seldom viewed as a

development tool. According to Indian consumer, Toys serve

the entertainment need of the kids and to the parents it is an easy way to get
relief from Pestering kids. While in more developed countries, parents look for
educational or developmental value in toys. This makes the category more price
sensitive.

Then comes the lack of awareness of parents about the safety of low priced cheap
quality products. Although Funskool and other branded toy marketers have run
commericials claiming that their toys to be more safe, majority of the consumers
have not bought that idea. The main factor is that there has not been too many
issues that have arisen because of the use of local toys. We Indians used to make
toys out of nature like toys from coconut leaves, wood etc. Hence to teach the
Indians sophistication is a difficult task.

Then there is the issue of creative plagiarism or piracy. The rules regarding
copying and reproducing toys are not in place or not executed ( copy right
issues ). Thus the branded players are not able to sustain the differentiation
based on characters or range. Everything can be replicated in this market without
much fuss.

Toys are products with shorter lifecycle. A model will survive in the market for 1-
3 years. Hence the challenge for the marketer is to create newer toys frequently.
Easier said than done, creating newer toys is a challenging task. In the buying
process of toys, the marketer has to consider 3 individual minds and 3 different
attitudes. While the child is the consumer, the mother acts as the executor of the
order and the father controls the purse strings.

Funskool was perfect in creating and marketing new games and toys. The brand
is churning out 70-80 new varieties every year. Positioned on the platform of
safety, variety and education, the brand already have a huge equity in the Indian
market. The major competitor for Funskool is Mattel. Mattel has its range of
Fisher Price brand of toys taking on the Funskool range. Fisher Price is a
premium brand in the market and has a huge range of toys and from my personal
observation has an edge in the shelf space at shops.I have a feeling that the brand
is resting on its laurels recently interms of promotions.Fisher Price also is
catching the consumers young by below the line promotions involving young
mothers.

While Mattel is ruling the dolls market, Funskool is competing with Barbie using
its Sandy range of dolls.
Funskool have been constantly tracking the trends in the toys market. The brand
has an agreement with Disney to market cartoon based toys. Cartoon characters
became popular with the rising popularity of kids channels. Funskool effectively
captured the trend of Bayblade by launching it at an affordable price. Other
innovations include Playdoh which is non toxic syntehtic dough which can be
used to make different shapes and sizes.

The challenge for Funskool is to encourage the Indian consumers to look at toys
at a broader perspective than just an entertainment. Funskool cannot rest now
since the market is hotting up with all the players competing for their share of the
pie.Products like Playdoh and Sindy needs lot of promotions because those
brands have immense potential.

source:domainb,businessline,magindia,funskool.net

Labels: branding

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006

WoodLand : Are you a Woodlander?

Brand : WoodLand
Company: Aero Club
Agency : Karishma Advertising

Indian shoe market is one of the most dynamic markets in the world. India's
production capacity ( not only kids but shoes also) is second only to China.
Although there are different valuations about the Indian Shoe Market. It is
estimated to be worth around Rs 11000 crores. Some media reports say that it is
worth Rs. 93 billion . Any way it is huge.

The market is traditionally price driven and dominated by the unorganised

sector. The organised shoe market is dominated by Bata with a market share of
35-40%

Woodland is an Indian Brand ( and am proud of it ) . Launched in 1992-93, this

brand has carved a niche for itself. Like what Allen Solly did with the readymade
menswear, Woodland has done it with Indian Footwear. In a market dominated
by sports and leather shoes ( read Bata and carona) Woodland created a category
for itself.

Woodland never wanted to be an ordinary shoe .

According to Mr Harkirat Singh MD , he never wanted this brand to be a mass
market brand. So till now this brand is concentrating on the premium end ( above
Rs 1500 shoes) of 2000 crore casual shoe segment.
Woodland targets the upmarket segment and is positioning itself as a Rugged
high quality premium casual shoe. It can be called as SUV of Indian shoes. The
ads are catchy and tempting.
The logo of Woodland was a status symbol during the nineties. The brand is
excellent in quality and styling . I think that the brand pioneered Suede and
nubuck type leather shoes in India. The brand carefully presented itself as an
outdoor/ trekking kind of shoe which captured the imagination of Indian youth.
True to its price, the brand delivered its promise on quality which ensured that
the brand is perceived as a value for money brand.
Woodland has extended itself to accessories and apparels. Latest reports suggest

that the company is serious about promoting its apparel

business which constitutes about 30% to the company revenues. Earlier
Woodland tried its hand in the formal shoe category with the brand Woods but it
did not make much impact in that market.
The careful branding has helped the brand to garner about 40% of the premium
casual shoe market. But this market is witnessing lots of competition with global
brands flexing its muscle in India.
Woodland is another example of an Indian Super brand.

Labels: branding, FMCG

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007

Chandrika : Best Soap Nature Can Offer

Brand : Chandrika
Company : Wipro
Agency : FCB Ulka

Brand Analysis Count : 290

Chandrika is a heritage brand. The brand came into existence in 1940. This hand
made ayurvedic soap owes its existence to the founder C.R Kesavan Vaidyar

who identified the potential for an ayurvedic soap way back in

1940.
From a humble beginning, the brand has come a long way withstanding the test
of time. Its a brand that has survived all these years without changing any of the
marketing mixes. Now after 6 decades, Chandrika is changing .

Chandrika is a 28 crore brand and has a loyal customer base in the southern
states like Kerala and Tamilnadu. The brand was manufactured and marketed by
SV Group till 2004. In 2004, Wipro acquired the marketing rights of this brand
after a protracted battle with other suitors like Marico.
Chandrika all through these years has been positioned as a traditional ayurvedic
soap gifted by nature. The brand differentiates itself from other ayurvedic soaps
with its 7 essential oils
Orange oil
Patchouli
Cinnamon leaf
Wild ginger
Sandalwood oil
Lime peel
and Coconut oil.
The brand boasts of being made from pure coconut oil which comprises of 70% of
its ingredients.
Chandrika is a handmade soap which is 100 % vegetarian. The brand faces
competition from the likes of Medimix and Jeeva together with host of natural
soaps and its variants.
The brand has been promoted reasonably well through various media in South
India, but the campaigns were ordinary . In the marketing front, Chandrika never
was an aggressive player. I think that the company was happy with the sales and
loyal customer base it had. Moreover ayurvedic soap market was small and was
not growing enough to warrant a change in any of the marketing mix elements.
The brand did not even bother to change the packing for a long time.

However 2000 saw a rejuvenation in the ayurvedic soap market. There was a
sudden interest from consumers towards green products. Now the ayurvedic soap
market is estimated to be Rs 227 crore( Businessline). The increased customer
interest has bought in many new players in the ayurvedic soap market. New
brands like Jeeva began aggressive promotion which forced older brands like
Medimix to sharpen their marketing strategy. This market also made some big
companies looking for acquiring brands to gain a foothold in the ayurvedic soap
market.

The owners of Chandrika chose to sell out this brand than to fight the
competition. The sale of Chandrika was a messy affair with legal battle between
Marico and Wipro. At the end the war, Chandrika was acquired by Wipro. The
one factor that made Chandrika attractive to suitors was its quality product
properties. Wipro felt that Chandrika had qualities which are scalable to a
national market.
There was a visible change in the brand after Wipro took over the marketing .
Although
Wipro was careful not to tamper the product attributes, the brand changed the
shape and packaging. Original Chandrika was in the cake form ( rectangular)
while the market was moving towards the oval soap form . Chandrika changed to
oval form and the packaging was made more contemporary. The oval shape helps
the soap to dry quicker thereby lasts longer. These moves were of important
significance because most of the time traditional brands fail because it does not
change with times. Hence the first task of Wipro was to make the brand
contemporary.
Along with the cosmetic changes , the brand was relaunched with a new
positioning.
Watch the ad here : Chandrika
The challenge before Wipro was to make this traditional brand contemporary
without losing its core values. The brand was stagnant hence had to attract new
users especially the new generation. Then came the big idea. Chandrika took the
two qualities : Natural and Exotic as its core brand values. Then came the
challenge to communicate this values to the customers. The brand chose to use
the brand imagery of a SPA to convey the new positioning. The big idea is to
equate the bathing experience with Chandrika to an oil bath at a SPA.
The experience of a SPA is unknown to majority of Indian consumers. Most of
use have seen it in TV but may not have visited a SPA. Hence the new equation
with SPA takes this traditional brand to an aspirational level. In order to
communicate this new positioning, the new ad had to have an ideal imagery. The
agency chose the luxurious Pangkor Laut Spa Resort in Malaysia as its location
for the ad.
Along with the new campaign , Chandrika also introduced a line extension -
Chandrika Amrutham. The variant has an innovation in the form of an aromatic
oil that comes with the soap. The soap and the oil opens the pores of the skin and
gently cleanses the skin and thus creates a feeling of freshness. The brand which
claims to have 18 herbs is positioned as a soap that gives complete freshness for
body and mind. Although the variant sounds interesting, it has not clicked in the
market because aromatherapy is not yet popular in India. Further the
combination of soap and oil is new . But after reading about the variant, I feel
that there is lot of potential for this variant if heavily promoted.

In the early nineties, the ayurvedic soap market was in shambles because of price
offs and cheap products. A shift in consumer tastes has bought in more serious
non- price attributes to gain importance in this market. Wipro has " applied
thought " on this brand and the result is evident in way this brand is promoted.
Within a few years, Wipro was able to rejuvenate this brand and made it more
contemporary. The brand has already running a new campaign these days. Its
happy to see a traditional brand morphing to a new young brand.

Labels: FMCG, Heritage Brand, personal care, Product life cycle, soap brands,
Wipro Brands

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

Zodiac : Finest Quality Shirt Makers

Brand : Zodiac

Company: Zodiac clothing

Agency: FCB Ulka

Zodiac is India's premium and one of the oldest brands in the readymade
menswear category. The company started off as an exporting firm launched
Zodiac in the domestic market in late 80's. In the Indian readymade menswear
category which is estimated to be around 6000 crore, Zodiac have a market share
of 17 % in the branded premium category.

Zodiac as a brand is promoted very subtly. You seldom see the campaigns in mass
media. But if you read magazines, you are not going to miss the ads either in the
back cover or inside cover. The ads are crafted in similar format and without any
celebrities or fantasies, it is shirt all the way.
Zodiac is positioned as shirts from " Finest Quality Shirt Makers". The core
qualities of the product are the unmatched quality and the designing. Zodiac
follows the design and retail focus. The shirts which is available across the globe
take fashion cues from the west and the designers back in India puts it into the
shirts.

From the e ighties, the readymade menswear have

undergone drastic changes. We saw the emergence of categories like Smart
casuals from Color Plus, Friday dressing from Allensolly, Premium range from
Loius Philippe which changed the way Indians dress to work.
Zodiac targets at the upwardly mobile executives and is still sticking to the
traditional concept of formal wear. Not wanting to lag behind the emergence of
new breakaway categories, Zodiac launched its club wear brand ZOD! in 2002.
Zodiac have also an impressive range of Ties where it have captured a
commanding position in that category.
Zodiac have maintained its positioning through these years as World's finest shirt
makers.But with the competition taking the categories and discovering new
categories, Zodiac cannot afford to be silent. The brand needs larger doses of
promotion to survive in the Indian market.

Labels: branding, readymade brands, textiles

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2009

7 Up : Bheja Fry, 7 Up Try

Brand : 7 Up
Company : Pepsico
Agency : BBDO

Brand Analysis Count : 393

7 Up is a neglected brand. This brand despite being a Pepsico brand had failed
miserably in the Indian market. Sadly it is not because of the product that the

brand failed but because of the marketing mismanagement.

7 Up was launched in India in 1992. According to reports, it had a wonderful start

becoming the largest selling brand in the category by 2002 . 7 Up is a lemon
drink similar to Limca.

Seven Up globally is closely associated with its mascot Fido Dido. When launched
in India, 7Up also bought in the famed mascot. Fido came to India in 1992 along
with the brand but had a very erratic relationship with 7 Up.

Despite being in the Indian market close to 19 years, 7 Up was not a successful
brand. The fault lies in the confused marketing strategy adopted by Pepsico with
this brand. Pepsico is one of the world's best marketers. But when we look at
individual brands like Mirinda and 7 Up, we see a confused product mix strategy
from the company.

Pepsico never had a long term plan for 7 Up. When the brand was launched, the
lemon flavored drink segment was perceived to be a small market with the
market leader Limca ruling the market. But both Coca Cola and Pepsi was not
interested in developing the category or the brand for a long time. Limca was
killed by Coca Cola while Pepsi after the initial enthusiasm dropped investing in 7
Up.

The problem with 7 Up was two fold. First was the company's lack of interest in
the brand and the category and second was the positioning confusion.

When launched, 7 Up was positioned as a cool drink. The brand used Fido Dido
and certain imported commercial to position the brand as a cool drink for the
youngsters. But the mascot and its international style failed to impress the
audience. Every one liked Fido Dido but there was no connect with the mascot
and the Indian audience. The company was in a dilemma because 7 Up had a
strong association with Fido Dido but Fido Dido had a disconnect with the Indian
audience.
This is a typical problem faced by those brands that import their foreign mascots
to India . Pillsbury had a mascot Doughboy which is very famous in US but less
popular in India . Fido Dido was a foreigner and hence the lack of connect was
evident.The brand was really confused on how to use Fido Dido in the Indian
market.

Fido Dido has an interesting background. The character was born in 1985 in a
cafeteria napkin T he founders Susan Rose and Joanna Ferrone was in a
discussion during which Susan Rose scribbled a figure in the napkin which later
became Fido Dido. Fido became the brand ambassador for 7 Up in 1989. Another
interesting fact is that Fido Dido trademark does not belong to Pepsi but belong
to the founder Joanna. Hence the mascot is highly controlled by the owner and
not the brand.

This lack of control has prevented Pepsi from Adapting Fido to Indian audience.
It does not have the freedom to change the mascot's personality. This is an
absolutely awkward situation for the brand where it had a wonderful mascot but
could not change anything about the mascot.

Another factor that aided for the failure of 7 Up was the thinking among Pepsi
marketers that taglines and positioning statements should not remain constant.
So they keep on changing taglines and statements. One of the highly popular
taglines for 7 Up was " Keep it Cool ". But the marketers at Pepsi wanted to
change it for the sake of changing it. " Keep it Cool' was perhaps one of the apt
and best tagline which could have lifted the brand to new hieghts had Pepsi
invested in developing it.

Seven Up and Fido Dido had a short affair. In 1995 Pepsico globally stopped
using Fido Dido and in India too the company stopped using the mascot. Later in
2003, the brand began using Fido Dido but again it was a half- hearted approach.

The investment of Pepsico in 7 Up was no where consistent. The brand tried some
marketing gimmicks like launching a curvey bottle named 7 Up Curvey in 2006.
The brand took the hot bollywood Diva Mallika Sherawat as the brand
ambassador since she had those curvey look. There was an initial hype behind
this launch but later it died a slow death. Beyond such stunts, there was no
marketing thinking for this brand.

The brand also faced competition internally from Mountain Dew. Pepsico
launched its iconic brand Mountain Dew and put lot of investment behind the
brand. As a consumer I do not see any difference between Mountain Dew, Sprite
and 7 Up. Limca was perceived a little different because it was cloudy. Pepsico
was also confused on how to clearly differentiate Dew and 7 Up when consumers
perceived both as similar.

The easiest way to end the confusion is to sideline the brand. 7 Up was thus
sidelined for almost 8 years. In 2007-08, the company began to look into this
brand. A new theme was prepared to take the brand away from Fido Dido and
focus on another theme. The brand took the tagline " Bheja Fry, 7 Up try " which
talked about the refreshing feeling of Seven Up . The campaign featured many
Bheja Fry situations and how 7 Up can lift your spirits in those occasions.

This summer saw the extension of this theme. Pepsico realized that Lime Juice
was the largest selling drink and most favorite flavor among Indians. So it started
to pitch 7 Up as " The Lemon Drink " . The brand had the new tagline " Mood ko
do Lemon ka Lift ".

In 2009, Pepsico launched another brand Nimbooz which is a drink having the
original lemon juice taste. Nimbooz is launched as a brand endorsed by 7
Up.Nimbooz has been launched with the tagline " Ek Dum Asli Indian ". The
brand is trying to compete with the ordinary lemon juice which is one of the
favorite thirst quencher of Indian consumers. The question remains as to why a
unsuccessful brand is used to endorse a new brand ?

The new launch is going to be further problematic for 7 Up. 7 Up has recently
pitted for associating itself with Lemon Flavor. Now Nimbooz is saying that it is
the original lemon drink. One is artifical and other is original .

What ever be the argument of the marketers, consumers seldom see the
difference between a cloudy drink, a clear drink, artifical, flavored etc etc. These
micro segmentation actually confuses consumers and force them to go for the
simplest solution. Sprite became the largest selling beverage brand because it was
simple for consumer to understand what that brand did.

Keep it Simple please.....

Labels: beverages, FMCG, Pepsi Brand

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2007

Anne French : Smooth and Silky Skin

Brand : Anne French
Company : Wyeth
Agency : Grey

Brand Analysis Count : 285

Anne French is a niche brand. The brand is a major player in the Rs 50 crore hair
remover cream market in India. The brand owned by the pharmaceutical major
Wyeth is now facing the heat of competition.
The Indian hair remover cream market is small because of the fact

that hair removal is a touchy subject for women and

this product category is seldom discussed across media.The campaigns are
usually low key and brands gain popularity more through word of mouth and
highly targeted advertising.
Anne French is a Depilatory cream. Depilatory creams removes hair at skin line.
These creams use alkaline chemical ( Calcium thioglycolate ) which dissolves the
protein structure of hair and causes it to separate from skin. Although there are
different method of removing unwanted hair like plucking, tweezing, threading,
waxing bleaching, shaving etc, depilatory creams have gained popularity in
Indian market owing to the convenience and ease of use. The only drawback is
that it may cause allergy for some.
This category was in a stagnant stage for long till 2004 when Reckitt launched the
global depilatory cream major Veet in the Indian market. The brand caused a stir
in the Indian market. Veet used the super model Katreena Kaif to endorse the
brand .
The entry of Veet threatened the leadership position of Anne French. Veet had
the advantage of its Global image and also the high profile celebrity endorsement.
Veet also tried to differentiate by launching this product in a tube form. These
moves force Anne French to launch its own tube package and also increase the
adspend.
Anne French in 2007 launched the Squeeze tube and two perfume variants to
counter the threat from the Global leader Veet. The ad campaigns are currently
on air .
Watch the tvc here : Anne French
The brand has tried to add value by adding moisturizer and vitamin . Anne
French is trying to position itself as the easiest way to have a smooth and silky
skin. The latest campaigns are focused on promoting the tube variant.
Although Anne French has been leading the market, now its position is being
threatened by a global brand. It is expected that a marketing war between these
two brand can lift up the category into a high growth path. Already Anne French
has taken the threat head on. Whether Veet will take the market from Anne
French will be an interesting story to watch.

Labels: FMCG, personal care

SATURDAY, MARCH 03, 2007

Chandanam: Power of Brand Name

Brand : Chandanam
Company: SD Pharmacy
Agency: MAA Bozell

Brand Count : 205

Chandanam is an interesting brand. The brand is from SD Pharmacy which is a

small player in the traditional ayurvedic medicine market. SD pharmacy came

into limelig ht with the huge success of Manjal

Soap( discussed elsewhere in this blog) which notched up an impressive turnover
of around Rs 12 crore within a years time . Manjal Soap was later sold to Marico
for an undisclosed amount.

Buoyed by the success of Manjal soap, SD pharmacy launched Chandanam Soap

in 2006. The brand follows the same strategy of Manjal Soap i.e harnessing the
power of brand names. Like Manjal ; which is the Malayalam word for turmeric,

Chandanam is the Malayalam term for Sandal. The brand

talks about the ingredient Sandalon which has the essence of sandal which will
make the skin younger and also acts as a deodorant.
The brand unlike Manjal faces stiff competition from giants like Santoor and the
heritage brand Mysore Sandal Soap. Also brands like Hamam has variants with
Sandal ingredient.

Chandanam is marketed just like Manjal Soap, the packaging and the TVC's are
strikingly similar and the company expects the market to accept this brand also.
Another interesting fact is that SD pharmacy has not stopped with Chandanam.
In 2007 the company launched its third brand of soap branded Mullappoo which
is the Malayalam name for Jasmine. More amusing is the fact that the entire
communication and packaging follows the same formula except that in case of
Mullappoo the USP is the jasmine fragrance.It raises the question Whether a
marketing formula works for all brands ? everytime?

One of the reason cited by the company for selling the brand Manjal was that the
company lacked the resources to compete in FMCG segment . But in a report the
company MD says he has no plans to sell Chandanam brand and will be marketed
by the company itself. According to the website VCcircle.com, P&G has evinced
interest in acquiring Chandanam.

The brands Chandanam and Mullappoo are classic case of the pulling power of
brand names and these brands draw its strength from the ingredients. The brand
names are derived from original generic local names.The brand is an example of a
Descriptive brand. This strategy works because the consumers can easily identify
the brand and its USP ( a very simple use of commonsense) . The company does
not need to tell too much about either Chandanam or Mullappoo to a Malayali .
The brand is also following the higly successful sampling strategy followed during
the Manjal launch. Chandanam Samples are carried by popular magazines like
Vanitha and Grihalakshmi followed by print ads and TVC's.Although the brand
calls itself as Herbal soap, the soap is actually a Natural Soap.

The initial reports from the market suggests that Chandanam and Mullappoo has
been well received. But the task to create volumes for this brands remains huge.
The company may need heavy investment because two new brands were
launched in quick succession and that too in a highly competitive market.These
brands has to sustain the share of voice because otherwise the scope of these
brands will be limited to a niche. Whether the company has plans to take this
brand further or will it be sold of at a premium is something that has to be seen.

source: businessline,economictimes

Related Brand
Manjal

TUESDAY, MARCH 07, 2006

Cinthol : Get Ready, Get Close

Brand : Cinthol
Company: Godrej consumer products ltd
Agency ; Orchard Advertising

Cinthol is a 54 year old soap brand from Godrej Consumer products ltd. This
brand features in the Interbrand;s Super Brand 2004-05. This is a brand that has
withstood the s o-called MNC onslaught. This very
own Indian brand has been carefully nurtured by the company and owns a special
place in the Indian consumer’s mind.

Cinthol was launched in the year 1952. The original Cinthol comes with a red
pack (still the old Cinthol is available in the market) and the unique Fougere
perfume became a big hit during its launch itself. Cinthol have a market share of
about 2.5% in value terms. The brand is contemporary and positioned as a
masculine soap with USP of protection from body odor.

Godrej have always tried to experiment with this product, trying out new things
and coming out with different variants. This has enabled the product be in tune
with the changing consumer trends.

Cinthol heavily promoted the product using celebrities of the likes of Vinod

Khanna and Imran Khan in 19 86 . In 1989

Cinthol tried to catch the lime freshness trend using Cinthol Lime which was a
big hit. During 1992 it came out with Cologne. The brand went for a major
overhaul in 1993-1995 with a new pack. But there was a customer outcry for the
old Cinthol. Eventually the company had to relaunch the original Cinthol and the
new range was branded as Cinthol International.

Original Cinthol have the usp of deo + complexion is said to be the first of its kind
in India. Cinthol is also made of vegetable oils and not animal fats and was
popular for this quality. Cinthol name is derived from SYNTHetic + phenol
( SYNTHOL)
In 2004, the brand embarked on a new positioning of “ Get Ready ,Get Close”
The brand also have extensions like Talcum powder and Deo but these extensions
were not as successful as this brand.

Cinthol was promoted using smart ads and the product quality was perceived to
be excellent. But now Cinthol is lying low with virtually no advertisements. This is
a great brand with huge potential. I feel that Cinthol Deo if promoted heavily can
easily beat the likes of AXE. But these products are seldom available in the stores.

Cinthol have to Get Ready to Get Close with the new Generation.

Labels: branding, FMCG, personal care, soap brands

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008

Clean & Clear : Clean Clear and Confident

Brand : Clean & Clear
Company : Johnson & Johnson Consumer products
Agency : DDB Mudra

Brand Analysis Count : 344

Clean & Clear is the skin care brand from the house of Johnson & Johnson. The
brand was relaunched last month marking the foray of J & J into the highly
competitive skin care market in India. Clean & Clear is a global brand of J &J
with a presence in over 41 countries.

The brand was initially launched by Revlon in 1957. The name was chosen
because the products had no fragrance and dyes and left no residue
 after rinsing ( source : wikipedia). In 1991
Revlon sold Clean & Clear to J & J.
J&J repositioned the brand focusing more on acne control.

The brand was existing in India long back ( I don't have the launch date). But the
brand was languishing because of the lack of support from the company. Infact I
have never seen this brand before.

The company has rejuvenated the brand and ads are now running in many TV
channels.
Clean & Clear is targeting the teens. The brand has launched a series of products
like cleansers, oil and acne control creams. etc .The brand is using the cleansers
as the flagship product to attract the consumers. ( source : campaign India)

Clean & Clear is being positioned as a Teen Skincare expert . The campaigns are
more functional oriented and the endorsement by Johnson & Johnson further
strengthens the brand positioning.

The brand has the tagline " Clean Clear and Confident " which I feel has potential
and flexibility for creatives to work on. Infact confidence is a virtue that will
attract the attention of Teens. Teenagers has a view of themself as adults. So
confidence can be a platform to attract these young minds into this brand. I
remember the ad that enabled Lifebuoy 's repositioning where the young girl says
" I don't care " ( about my skin ) which is a show of confidence.

Indian skin care market is huge and lucrative. Its estimated that the market is
worth around Rs 2000 crore. But the market is crowded with local and global
brands. So its not easy for Clean & Clear to break into this market.

What Johnson & Johnson has is the enormous brand equity it has in the Indian
market. I would say that the company has not quite leveraged the brand equity to
other products. It had earlier burnt its fingers with the brand Savlon which may
have prompted the company to focus on the babycare and female hygiene
products.

With regard to the Clean & Clear, the brand should associate itself with the core
brand values of the parent brand. But have to be careful about not being
perceived as a baby's product.

When I visited a supermarket, I found Clean & Clear bottle along with other J & J
baby products and not in the personal care section of the supermarket. I think its
suicidal for the brand to be kept alongside baby products. In this era of
competition there is no space for such mistakes. I had to spent considerable time
checking whether the cleanser is for baby or for grown ups . What ever promotion
is done, all of which will be useless if the product is not placed properly in the
retail outlets.

Marketing to youngsters is a different ballgame. The trick is to induce the trial

first. Compared to the Point of Purchase displays of brands like Ponds and
Lakme, Clean & Clear is almost invisible in supermarkets. In this market half-
hearted efforts will accelerate failures.

J&J has the money , distribution and brand power to make it big in the skin care
segment. The brand has done right in identifying teens as the target segment. But
its marketing effort is not aggressive enough to push it through the clutter.
Labels: johnson and johnson, New Product Launch, personal care

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006

Clearasil : For Clear Skin

Brand : Clearasil
Company: Reckitt & Benckiser
Agency: Euro Rscg

Brand Count : 177

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->Clearasil was a brand that was synonymous with skin care
in India. The brand occupied a distinct space in the Indian market as the ultimate cream
for Pimples and acne. But over the years this brand is facing the decline stage in its

product life cycle. The b rand reached this pathetic state because of
reasons not of its own.

Clearasil is a global brand famous world wide as a cure for acne and pimples. The brand
is 56 year old. Mr Ivan Combe of USA invented the product in 1950. It was the first
dermatological brand for curing pimples and acne made especially for young skin. In
1961, the brand came into the fold of Richardson Vicks. In 1985 P&G became the owner
of Richardson Vicks. Later the company sold of these brands to Boots Pharmaceuticals in
the year 2000. In 2006, Reckitt &Benckiser bought the brand globally. The brand came to
India in 1967.

Now you can easily see the reason why the brand failed. The brand went through too
many ownership changes. Some companies did not feel that the brand was a part of its
core portfolio. For example during the ownership of Clearasil by P&G there was no
investment on the brand since for the company, the personal care business was not a core
area. Hence during this period the brand was not at all promoted. Even though the other
owners had tried to revive the brand, frequent changes made the brand vulnerable.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->Clearas il during its peak years had the

reputation as a strong cream for fighting pimples and acnes. At that time there was no
direct competition for Clearasil although there were many skin creams. For a family
having teenage girls, Clearasil was an essential brand. But over the years, because of the
lack of brand building efforts, the brand became irrelevant to the younger generation.
Clearasil slowly became the brand that “my mother used”. When Boots owned the brand,
lot of variants were launched. The brand changed its packaging and was extended to
soaps.Rather than limiting to acne control, the brand tried to position itself as a skin care
brand. But the effort did not bear fruit because by that time, the market was flooded with
modern contemporary brands.

The brand is now owned by Reckitt and marketers expect that the brand will get a new
lease of life. The greatest challenge before the new owners is to make the brand
contemporary and relevant to the new generation. Reckitt had to find a new
differentiation platform for this heritage brand. It has to tap the existing brand equity and
try to create a new space for Clearasil. Globally Clearasil is positioned on the basis of
Confidence through better skin . The global positioning statement is “Get Clearasil , Get
Confidence”. But in India, Cinthol uses this positioning . The brand faces tough
competition from the likes of Ponds, Lakme, Loreal and so on .So to find the right space
is going to be tough.I think that the brand could take the “ Clear Skin” positioning where
by it is not limited to controlling pimples but overall skin care. With the brand Veet from
Reckitt is in the same skin care market; the brand managers will have a tough time
integrating Clearasil to the portfolio.

source:agencyfaqs,businessline,reckittbenckiser.com
Related Brands

Ponds
Fair&Lovely
Vicco
Loreal
Bodyshop

Labels: branding, failed brands, FMHG, Heritage Brand, marketing myopia,

personal care, Reckitt Benkiser

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2005

Clinic All Clear : Clear about what it does.

Brand: Clinic All Clear

Agency : Lowe

Baseline: No dandruff No hairfall

Indian Shampoo market is estimated to be worth Rs1200 crore and is hotting up

like anything.
This market has long been HLL fort and with a market share of around 55-60%,
HLL was the king. The major brands being Clinic Plus - Positioned as family
health brand

Clinic All clear -positioned as anti-dandruff

Sunsilk-- positioned as conditioner shampoo.

With P&G getting aggressive in the Indian FMCG market which is estimated to be
around Rs 50000 crore with aggressive product launches and price wars, we are
now seeing marketing in practice.

Globally P&G has been the market leader in the haircare segment. In India it was
not able to replicate its marketing success. Having a share of only 15-20 %, P&G
is now concentrating on building the market share and HLL is feeling the heat.

Hll has been working on the best selling Clinic Plus brand with lot of noise in the
media. From Shah Rukh to Shahid, the brand was promoted by film stars. Hll
also gave a regional touch by roping in Madhavan for the south as its brand
ambassador.

But in the Anti dandruff segment, P&G 's Head & Shoulders was the leader with a
market share of 35-36% followed by the brands of HLL. HLL having sensed that
more growth is in the Anti-dandruff market has launched Clinic All Clear with a
variant "Hairfall Defense" with a new packaging and positioned on twin benefit of
Less hairfall and no dandruff.

HLL also roped in Bipasha and John Abraham to endorse the brand with the
communication executed with perfection by Lowe
The communication was followed with a 360 degree brand building exercise with
presence in the Web, contest in association with Contests2win.com and events
featuring brand ambassadors. Hll has also relaunched a beautiful site for the
brand www.clinicallclear.com which was designed to catch the young with lot of
games and forums.

HLL has put their marketing power behind the brand and expects it to deliver
and I feel that it will.

Labels: branding, FMCG, personal care, shampoo

TUESDAY, JANUARY 03, 2006

Close Up : Kya Ap CloseUp Karthe hain?

Brand : Close Up
Company: HLL
Agency:O&M

CloseUp is the original youth brand in Indian toothpastes. Launched in 1975, this
brand is the first gel toothpaste aiming at the youth segment. HLL through
CloseUp have created and owned a segment for itself.
The 2200 crore toothpaste market that was dominated by Colgate Dental Cream
needed some competition and Hll used CloseUp effectively to fight the market
leader.CloseUp was a disruptive brand that changed the structure of toothpaste
market in India. With the red colour and smart advertising , it forced the market
leader to change its strategy and launch a gel variant.
The customer insight was that people are conscious about their breath and want
to get close with each other with confidence. Based on this insight the brand was
positioned on the Fresh Breath platform . The campaign was executed showing
"Happy couples having fun together". Even film Theatres had corners called as
"Close Up Corners". The brand had the aspirational persona in it. Close Up have
used films and filmi songs to appeal to the Indian youth. Close Up was the f

irst brand to introduce the " Self Check" of breath.

The famous " HA HA" was the idea of Close Up introduced in year 1987.
In 2004 Close Up again was relaunched. During that period, the fight between
Pepsodent and Colgate was hotting up. Both of these brands were owning the oral
care platform and CloseUp 's share was coming down. Close Up found that its
mono-attribute focus is losing the sheen .Hll relaunched CloseUp With Vitamin
and Flouride . Thus CloseUp offered more than Fresh Breath it also offered Oral
Care.
Close Up launched lot of variants that bombed in the market. The variants like
Oxy fresh and Eucalyptus Blue failed in the market. HLL decided that only the
Lemon variant will continue. The reason behind the failure of variant is because
Close Up is a Sensorial brand. And in such kind of brands, variants will not work.
In categories which are more rational, variants will work.

Colgate have given a run for money for Close Up with their gel variant. The "Talk
To Me" campaign was a run away success. Colgate failed to capitalise on that
campaign- that is another issue. But the gel variant took the breath out of Close
Up.
Close Up had to reinvent to keep the category that it created. The account was
shifted from JWT to O&M. Now the mother brand is focusing on three
attributes : Fresh breath, White Teeth and Strong Teeth.
O&M have brought out a campaign " Kya aap Close Up Karthe Hain" which was
perceived as "cool" among the market.
The recent campaign which aims at positioning on the "Smile " factor is a damp

squib, the campaign is poorly e xecuted and treats

the target market as a bunch of adolescents who will do any thing to attract the
opposite sex. Indians never was bothered about the way they look, let alone how
their teeth look like. That is why 33% of urban market is not using tooth pastes
and 67% of rural still use the traditional way of brushing teeth like neem sticks.
So when the ad shows that a young person being conscious about their teeth, it
does not click.( my opinion). I guess the agency have run out of ideas.

This is a brand that have created a category for itself. It will be sad if it cannot
dominate that category. But that is what marketing is all about " survival of the
smartest".

Labels: branding, FMCG, personal care, Toothpaste

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2006

Dove : The Mildest One

Brand : Dove
Company: HLL
Agency: O&M
Brand Count: 102
Dove is a $2 bn brand waiting to spread its wings in the Indian Prem
 ium soap market. Dove was globally
launched in 1957. This brand came to India in 1995. Internationally this brand
has a cult status and is a major player in the global premium soap market.

The brand is positioned as the Mildest Soap. Dove is PH neutral and this makes
the soap soft on all kind of skin types. Internationally this brand is positioned as a
brand that celebrates the " Real Beauty" . Dove defines real beauty as " beauty is
not about how you look but about how you feel". The Dove's official site "
campaignforrealbeauty.com" highlights this brand value. I think this is one of t

he best brand values a beauty product can have.

In India, the brand did not had the success of its global counterpart. One reasons
are the small " Premium " market and another is the price barrier. Dove's initial
price was around Rs50 that put off even the premium customers.

The brand has undergone some repositioning in recent times. Earlier the brand
was positioned on the platform of " Trial for Results" idea. Later it was changed
to the moisturizing platform.
The brand is claiming that it is milder than the 25 leading soaps thus proving its
legitimacy to being the mildest soap in the country. Globally also this brand is
positioned not as a soap but a cream bar.

Although the "Campaign For Real Beauty" and the mildness are excellent selling
points, the brand is still not able to catch the fancy of Indian beauties. With lot of
sales promotions happening with the brand like 1+1 free , there is a possibility of
brand value erosion.With the brand now priced at Rs 28, the price has somewhat
become reasonable.
I feel that still the brand does not fit into the " value for money" proposition for
the Indian consumer. It is a truth that Indian consumer looks for " Value " even
in premium products. Dove have a negative point in that the soap usually does
not last enough ( partly because of our bathroom habits). This have reduced the
value proposition for this brand.
With the emergence of an attractive market in the premium cosmetic market in
India, Dove have lot of potential to become a key player, it has got the positioning
right, now it has to set the " Value" right for the Indian consumer.

Labels: branding, FMCG, HLL, personal care, soap brands

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2006

Eyetex : Eye On The Next Generation

Brand : Eyetex
Company: Aravind Laboratories

Brand Count : 126

Eyetex is one of India's oldest Kajal. Kajal is the traditional form of eyeliners. It is
a Collyrium manufactured traditionally using natural ingredients. Eyetex was

started in 19 38 by Mr Srivasudevan and in 1958, the company

was taken over by Mr. AV Srinivasan.
Eyetex brand is one of the largest selling Kanmaye or Kajal in India. The brand is
a small player in the Rs 2.2 Billion Indian cosmetic industry. The brand is facing
competition from established players like Lakme , Revlon and other international
brands and is facing with the problem of the product relevance in the changing
Indian psychographics.
The tradition of applying Kajal to the eyes dates back to centuries .Even
mythology have references of this product. Traditionally grandmothers used to
apply kajal to the infants to prevent eye ailments. Ladies used to apply kajal using
the fingers and the Kajal used to give a smokey appearance to the eyes.

Eyetex have been considered as a trusted brand in this segment. The brand
although not much advertised, had immense positive word of mouth publicity
and the through generations this brand has been passed on.
The brand is now facing the threat from the changing lifestyle of its TG. I am not
sure whether the younger generation uses Kajals these days. The place of Kajal
has been taken over by the modern Eyeliners. With international brands having
the full range of these products that too in different colors and features, the
survival of the traditional Kajal is at stake.
Eyetex is positioned as a trusted brand that is prepared from natural oils . With
little or no promotions, the brand has a huge recall among the Indian ladies but
with the new generations, Eyetex is not much popular.
Eyetex too has tried to change with times. From the traditional round shaped
pack, it had metamorphosed to user friendly stick and eyeliners also. But the
brand did not change with time. Eyetex is still banking on the trust and the equity
of its customers who are fast becoming old. When there is a Revelon or Lakme
eyeliner will the new generation pick Eyetex?

Compared to modern eyeliners, Kajal can be messy and there is a chance of the
kajal spreading unevenly or smudge. With the modern eyeliners offering
waterproof eyeliners and with different colors ( may be) and innovative
extensions like Loreal Voluminous Mascara, Eyetex suddenly may find

irrelevant for the modern consumer.

The silver lining is that for the ordinary Indian women who may not have
graduated to eyeliners and mascaras, Eyetex brand is still relevant and the price
so affordable. Eyetex may have missed the urban kid but the core segment may be
still there. I am also not sure whether the urban girls bother about putting kajal
everyday. In this era of fast life, these products are used only on occasions.
Eyetex has also taken a bold step to enter into color cosmetics with the brand
Dazzler.Eyetex here is going to compete with the " Who is Who" of the global
cosmetic industry. I am not sure whether Dazzler will be able to leverage the
equity of Eyetex. Eyetex could have consolidated its position by introducing water
proof eyeliners and modern " eye beauty care" solutions rather than venturing
into categories that are too tough to crack.
The task of Eyetex should be to make the brand relevant to the next generation. It
is going to be expensive and in this case a celebrity endorsement will help the
brand to a great extent.
Source: Divanee,indiatoday,eyetex.com

SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2007

Fair and Handsome : Be Fair , Be Handsome

Brand : Fair & Handsome
Company : Emami
Agency : Situations

Brand Count : 256

Fair and Handsome is a brand that created the Men's fairness cream segment in
India. Launched in 2005, the brand became the creater and the market leader of
this segmen t. Emami was looking for ways to challenge the Fair and
Lovely brand from HUL. Emami had a brand Naturally Fair which was small
compared to FAL.

Emami went for serious customer research which showed that 25-30% of
customers of Fairness creams were men. That customer insight paved way for a
specialized brand for men. Fair and Handsome is targeted at young urban men
aged 15- 35. The brand was launched with much promotion across visual media.

Watch the TVC here : Fair and Handsome

The campaign for Fair and Handsome is one of the lousiest campaign I have ever
seen. Here the main character is depicted as a fool who gets into a ladies hostel to
steal a fairness cream ( or has he got in for some other purpose !) . I still couldn't
understand why couldn't he just go to a supermarket and buy it.

The brand is being positioned as the fairness cream that can make men
handsome and also attractive to girls. The brand uses the tagline : Be fair Be
Handsome . Whether the campaign is lousy or not , after two years of launch ,
Fair and Handsome is worth Rs 45 Crore now commanding a market share of
over 30-40% in the segment.

The brand has to be appreciated for creating a category. It is true that men uses
creams meant for women. Hence there is a logic in creating a brand for men in
this category. The total fairness market is estimated to be around Rs 900 crore
and men's segment is around Rs 160 crore. Although Fair and Handsome has
gained the first mover advantage, already competition is hotting up. HUL has
extended FAL into men's category with a variant Menz Active. Nivea and Lo'real
also have moved into this segment. Unlike Fair and Handsome ( FAH), other
brands are little subtle in positioning their brands as a fairness cream.

Nivea uses the term Whitening while Lo'real positions the men's range Men
Expert has a range of skin solutions for men. However HUL directly positions its
Menz Active as a fairness cream but the target market are older men aged 25-35 .
These brands faces the issue of the reluctance of men to be seen using a cream
because cosmetics traditionally is viewed as a category meant for females.
Situations are changing and the Metrosexuals are least bothered about openly
caring about their looks. The changing face of modern man is definitely
indicating a big opportunity to these brands.

In the face of emerging competition Emami has moved aggressively to promote

Fair & Handsome by roping in Bollywood icon ShahRukh Khan as its brand

ambassador. The TVC featuri ng SRK is already on air.

According to a report in agencyfaqs, SRK was initially skeptical about endorsing a
fairness brand for PR reasons, However Emami was able to convince SRK into
endorsing this brand. Fair& Handsome is the first brand to target men. It was
followed by Fair and Lovely extending itself to men's variant Men's Active. Now
this segment is seeing lot of activity .
Fair and Handsome is banking on its 5 power Fairness System :
1.Double Strength Peptide complex which was developed in collaboration with
Activor Corp. USA.
2.Sunguard: Prevent sunburn
3.Stress Busters: prevent wrinkles
4.Anti Bacplus : anti bacterial
5.Herbo Cool : herbal ingredients.

The brand website also gives an interesting chart

 that explains why fairness is
important.
This chart in a way explains the Brand's thought process.
Fair and Handsome retains the original tagline : Be Fair, Be Handsome" in the
new campaign also.
The brand gives an impression that the users are having a lack of confidence and
feels insecure and have less self esteem. Again the brand assumes that Fairness
gets women attracted towards men. I feel that the brand still lives in the stone
age.
I feel that FAH has got its assumptions wrong. By depicting the main hero of the
ad as a person with low self esteem, the brand is repelling lot of self assured men
who wants to take care of their skin rather than attracting chicks. Gone are the
days where Indian men had a complex about the skin color influenced by the long
oppression by the British. Now the urban male is a more evolved one . ( I am not
denying the fact that there are people who have complex about being not fair) .
Men are more exposed to sun and dust and the traditional creams may not be
effective for men. Hence such brands should address the host of issues faced by
men rather than talking about being attractive to girls. I feel that FAH by default
is restricting itself to the Fairness proposition ( which is not a bad idea ).

Even when you are addressing the issue of fairness, the brand have to project
itself as an aspirational brand rather than as one for losers. Even the new
campaign fails terribly in execution.
The new campaign and the brand ambassador in SRK may spike the sale of this
brand for a while, but in order to move up the ladder, FAH have to project itself
as a winner rather than a brand for losers.

What do you think ?

source : agencyfaqs,business standard,fairand handsome.net

Labels: Brand Laddering, celebrity endorsement, FMCG, innovation, personal

care, product line extension

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2007

Hamam : Trusted Family Soap

Brand : Hamam
Company: HLL
Agency: Lowe

Brand Count: 197

Hamam is one of the oldest soap brands in India. The brand came into existence
in 1934 and over this 73 years has successfully built a space for itself in the
consumer's mind.The brand has successfully fought the competition and the

changed environment. Th e brand was owned

by Tata Oil Mills ( TOMCO) and later became the HLL brand when HLL acquired
Tomco.

Hamam is a natural soap .Although many reports put this brand as a herbal soap,
Hamam is more of a natural soap than herbal. The brand have a market share of
about 9-10 percent of the Rs 4000 crore Indian soap market.The brand has a
huge market share ( more than 25%) in the Tamilnadu market.
When HLL implemented the Power Brand strategy, Hamam survived the axe
because of the strong equity it had among the consumers. Hence the axe fell on
Rexona which was also a natural soap with the same positioning as Hamam.
Hamam was positioned initially as a complete natural family soap.The brand was
built on the Trust factor. The earlier ads typically showed Mother and child with
mother explaining the meaning of Trust using the example of Hamam.The brand
may have acquired this quality from its original creators TATA.
Although the brand was able to manage the PLC, it had its share of problems. At
one point, HLL was facing the competition from Herbal/ayurvedic soaps. HLL
tried to position Hamam as a herbal soap by changing the composition by adding
Neem ingredient and reducing the TFM. But that reduction of TFM disqualified
Hamam as a soap and the brand lost many of their loyal customers.
2005 saw HLL repositioning the brand by adding more ingredients. The brand
now talks about having a Perfect Balance of Neem, Tulsi and Alovera Extracts.
The packaging also has been made more contemporary and the shape of the soap
has been made oval.2006-07 saw a change in the communication of the brand.
The brand no longer talks about trust but now positioning itself as a beauty
enhancing soap.The brand has now come out with a variant that contains green
gram, turmeric and sandal .The color of the soap also has changed to sandal from
the traditional green color. This move is a marked deviation from the age old
positioning of the brand as a natural green soap.
Hamam for years has been able to sustain its market position because of the
strong brand loyal customers .The brand now wants to be relevant to a new
consumers ( younger generation). The brand also faces stiff competition from a
plethora of brands offering the same ingredients and benefits. The latest
repositioning exercise is aimed to keep the brand relevant and also leverage the
brand equity it had built up over these years.

source: hll.com,businessline

Labels: FMCG, HLL, personal care, Product life cycle, product line extension,
soap brands

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005

Liril : Bring back the Liril girl

Brand : Liril

Company : HLL

Agency : Lowe

If you are looking for a case of an iconic Brand that is going to be killed by poor
marketing strategy , look no further, here is Liril for you.

Launched in 1975, the year I was born, this is a brand that built a segment or
should I say category for it self in the Indian market. The brand is also the
testimony to the genius of India's Ad man Alyque Padamsee. This is what he
says about the Liril Brand

The name Liril had been registered by Hindustan Lever from a list sent to them
by Unilever in London. Levers were very keen that the soap have striations,
wiggly stripes of different colours running across the tablet. I recommended the
tablet be blue - because waterfall is blue with white striations. Hindustan Lever
was very excited and produced 1,000 tablets for testing.
At this point Derk Wooller, the Marketing Controller of Hindustan Lever's soaps
division, stepped in and suggested we add the freshness of lime to our story. He
felt that though the waterfall had tremendous emotional appeal, Liril needed a
rational ingredient to clinch the deal. I was not averse to this but suggested that
we do an `As marketed' test: Blue Liril versus Green Liril with limes. I was
wrong and Wooller was right. The rest is history."
Alyque Padamsee in his book A Double Life.

The brand was a run away success and the Liril girl became the talk of the town.
The brand has

beenconsistentt with its communication and the effective use of brand imagery.
Further on brand imagery can be found in this article , visit
http://www.blonnet.com/catalyst/2004/09/23/stories/2004092300100200.htm

Liril was positioned on the freshness platform right from its birth. The girl and
the waterfall with the unique jingle ensured that the freshness is experienced by
the audience. Liril can be called as an experiential brand and the communication
perfectly supported that.

Liril did not change its positioning for 25 years although the models changed, the
brand communication was consistent. Then some nut in the company or the
agency thought that they should change the communication that worked so
effectively. The rest as I say it " Liril became history".
Liril has changed the imagery and the jingle in the name of freshness .The new
jingle or the ad never had that freshness. That is why Liril had to change the Ads
twice with in a span of five years. Mind you Liril never changed its imagery or the
Jingle for 25 years...

Reports say that Liril had to change because of its stagnant marketshare. I think
there are reasons for declining market share which can be that the brand failed to
understand the changing consumer expectations. There was a flurry of brand
launches during the past 10 years and Liril was sleeping all the time " may be
resting on the laurels" . It should have hold on its positioning of ' freshness " not
by changing its communication but by communicating more, developing variants,
bringing in flanking brands or variants and thus owning the whole segment for

itself.

But it never happened , Liril tried to introduce the Icy mint variant very late and
that too with a different jingle and imagery. We knew that the Old Liril had died.
HLL could have used the same communication strategy . Then came the horrible
experiment of Orange Liril with a stupid Jingle OOFYUMMA.... excuse me what
the hell is that?

The product failed. Then came the new campaign involving a couple and a new
jingle " La-ira -ela", the ad was good but where is liril ?

Like Onida , Liril has to come back with the old imagery and old jingle that made
liril what it Is ( or WAS?) [ It is a prediction].

When it does that consumers will take the brand to their heart .

Laaaaa lalalala laaa ...................

Labels: branding, failed brands, FMCG, HLL, marketing myopia, personal care,
soap brands
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2007

Lux : Celebrating Beauty

Brand : Lux
Company: HLL
Agency : JWT

Brand Count :190

Lux is a super brand that celebrated beauty across the world since 1925. The soap
which was endorsed by the beautiful film stars came to India in 1929. Lux has
been the largest selling personal wash brand in the country.

Lux has effectively managed its PLC through careful brand building and changing

the pro duct in line with the changing consumer. The

brand is being positioned as the favorite soap of Film stars has been consistent
interms of communication and positioning. The brand is also the classic example
of successful celebrity endorsement. The first celebrity to endorse the brand was
Leela Chitnis . From Leela to Aishwarya , From Madhuri to Madhubala, Lux has
been endorsed by more than 50 film stars ( a sort of record isn't it). But in all
these communications, the celebrity never shadowed the brand.

Lux was always changing with the times. Whether it be interms of the product or
interms of promotions, the brand kept the consumers excited. Lux has two basic
extensions interms of segments. Lux beauty soap and International Lux.
Lux was in itially a premium brand. Lux was being
projected as an aspirational brand and the endorsements by stars further
reinforced the positioning. The increasing competition in the soap category
forced Lux to rethink on its targeting strategy. The brand had a choice either to
compromise on market share and uphold the premium positioning or to retain
the market share and dilute the positioning. Lux wanted to ensure that the brand
be positioned as premium but also did not wanted to compromise on the share.
Thus born International Lux which is the premium variant and the affordable
segment was catered by Lux beauty soap.
Lux beauty soap is available in Four variants : Exotic Flower Petals,Fruit
Extracts,Almond and Sandal. Lux has a common ingredient of Milk cream in all
the variants.

Although the brand enjoyed success and has sustained its leadership position, of
late this brand has been facing issues of stagnation. The stagnation is caused by
the plethora of brands competing for the market share and the scope for
differentiation has reduced to almost nil. Together with the rush for celebrities to
endorse anything from salt to cars, Lux is finding it difficult to sustain growth in
this cluttered market.

In 2005 Lux celebrated its 75th anniversary sparking of a controversy. Deviating

its tradition of roping in Bollywood Divas , this time none other than Shah Rukh
Khan endorsed Lux. The ads created instant controversy with marketers
discussing whether the brand has suddenly become MALE.Paul Newman also has
endorsed Lux soap which shows that Lux makes such stunts to excite the market.
Whatever be the controversy, the brand again succeeded in creating excit
 ement in the market. Some argue that HLL was testing a new
positioning to appeal to male users while others say that it was a one time
endorsement to break the clutter. For marking the 75th year Lux came out with a
celebration range endorsed by Kareena Kapoor . The Celebration range too
created news because of its variant :Chocolate Seduction. These innovative
products created lot of excitement that ensured that Lux remained in the top of
mind of the consumers. Another variant which I like personally is the Lux with
Orchid which looked cool in terms of packaging and looks.
Over these years, the positioning of Lux also evolved. Earlier the brand used the
positioning " Beauty soap of Film stars" . But as the customer evolved, the
positioning lost its charm because customers began to doubt whether the film
stars actually used this brand. Taking a cue from the customers, Lux changed the
positioning appealing to the need for becoming a star. The new positioning is
communicated with the tagline " Bring out the star in you".Although worldwide
the brand is being endorsed by film stars, the actual package usually contains
picture of international models and not film stars.

While Lux beauty soap is sticking to the age old positioning, Lux international
has moved from being a soap brand to a skin care brand. Lux International has
the tagline " Not Just Soap, Its Skin Care". Under the Lux umbrella brand, HLL
has introduced variety of personal wash products like body shampoo,hair
shampoo etc.
Lux is the classic example of HLL's marketing genius. The brand will experiment
and explore more in the days to come....

Related Brands
Santoor

source: hll.com,superbrandsindia,businessline,yahoomoney
imagesource: superbrandsindia
Labels: celebrity endorsement, FMCG, HLL, Lux, personal care, Product life
cycle, soap brands

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2006

Margo:lost in the Neem trees !

Brand : Margo
Company: Henkel
Agency: FCB Ulka

Margo is one of the oldest herbal soaps in India. The brand which is more than 85
years old is famous for its neem content. The product although famous for its
positive effects to the skin is nowhere in the market. This is a brand which never
changed with the customer. During its launch, the product had dedicated
customer base and since the product was unique due to its medicinal value ,
customers tend to be loyal. The whole brand was having Neem as its core
identity.

But Margo failed to understand the changing dynamics of Indian consumers,

more and more choices began to unfold before the consumer and Margo was
becoming a niche brand. Margo was positioned as a "complete skin care soap".
When market became fragmented with lot of products positioning at different
attributes, Margo was sidelined as a medicinal soap.

The product has inherent negatives, the fragrant was not attractive nor the shape.
It was also less lathering compared to its competitors. Margo changed hands
from Shaw Wallace to Henkel. Although Margo was relaunched in 2003 with a
new fragrance and shape , it has not excited the market so far. The new
positioning is " Margo skin clear skin". The brand had a following in AP,
Tamilnadu and West Bengal ( am not sure about its present status). The single
mistake the brand made was to miss the new generation. It failed to attract the
young users.

With Lifebouy herbal variant and other established brands taking in the "neem"
content away from Margo, this brand needs a hell lot of money to rejuvenate
itself. May be a high decibel big celebrity endorsement may help this brand ( try
Aishwarya for a change) . Can it change its avatar and fight lifebuoy in the health
platform?

This is a brand that failed to change with the customer or changed very late.

Labels: branding, failed brands, FMCG, marketing myopia, personal care, soap
brands

SUNDAY, MARCH 04, 2007

Medimix : Taking Care of Skin Problems

Brand : Medimix
Company: Cholayil
Agency: Grey

Brand Count : 206

Medimix is the second largest Ayurvedic soap brand in the country. This brand is
a pure play ayurvedic soap and has been around in the Indian market for more

than 37 y ears. The brand was born in 1969 by a

virtually unknown company Cholayil . Over these years , Medimix has grown to
become a Rs 140 crore brand.The brand was targeted mainly at SEC BC segment.
Medimix is a pure ayurvedic herbal soap and take pride in its herbal heritage.
This brand can be said as one of the pioneer in the herbal soap category. The
brand was one of the few brands that had positioned itself as a herbal soap when
the market was full of synthetic soaps. The brand had 18 herbs in it and was
positioned as a curative/medicinal soap. The brand was even prescribed by
doctors for skin diseases.Medimix is the only brand which reveals all the name of
its ingredients in the packaging. The name Medimix was derived by combining
Medicine + Mix ( my guess). Because of its quality and medicinal properties, the

bran has around 30% market share in the d has carved out a
place in the Rs 660 crore herbal soap market. Medimixayurvedic soap market
and 3.2% share in the total soap market.

Medimix was marketed heavily in South India. But often this brand fell into the
trap of Sales Promotion driving the sales. The sales dropped sharply when the
sales promotion schemes get over and company had to rely more on the sales
promotion activities. The brand also went into totally unrelated Brand Extension
into cough syrup category with Medimix cough syrup and also extended into
Coconut oil segment : both of these extensions were not successful.

In 2006, the brand took a major initiative to take the brand forward. Medimix

has realised comp etition getting intense in the soap market

with brand coming out with variants and also taking the Natural/ayurvedic route.
Although Medimix had the heritage, there was the issue of brand not being
noticed by younger generation. Brands like Jeeva began to challenge the
ingredient theory by promoting its 27 herbal ingredients vs Medimix's 18 herbs.
In 2006 Medimix initiated a relaunch exercise for Medimix. Medimix changed its
packaging after 36 years into a new contemporary packaging designed by
Bangalore based Ray+ Kesavan Designs.New advertisement campaigns were

launched intended to ap peal the brand to the younger

crowd.According to company officials , the brand wants to be appealing to Mass
Urban and younger crowd which is a tough task for any brand.The brand also
came out with two variants : Sandal and glycerin to attract the Naturals segment.
The brand also is tying to appeal as a beauty soap with out diluting its medicinal
curative positioning.The brand also wants to appeal to SEC A segment .
The company wants to take the brand national and make it a rs 500 crore
brand.The competition is intense but Medimix has a heritage to bank upon. May
be in this case the brand may have to seek a celebrity push to reach the next level.

source:businessline,cholayil.com,agencyfaqs

Labels: Heritage Brand, product line extension, soap brands

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006

Nivea : Gentle Care

Brand : Nivea
Company : Beirsdorf AG (JL Morrison in India)
Agency: TBWA

Brand Count : 147

Nivea is a German brand marketed in India by JL Morrison. This brand has a

history of around 96 years. Nivea came into existence in the year 1911. The brand
has derived its name from the Latin word Nivius meaning "Snow White".

Nivea has been in Indian market for more than 30 years. But this brand which is
truly a global brand has not met with success in India. Nivea globally is the brand
that has its presence in around 20 product categories in more than 50 countries.
But in the 1300 crore Indian skin care market, the presence of Nivea don't justify
its rich heritage.

Nivea is famous worldwide for its face cream. Nivea Creme created by
Dermatologists was launched in 1911 . The brand is considered to be the first to
take the skin care category from the elite class to the masses. The brand
worldwide is known for its Trust, Reliability and Accessibility. Globally this brand
is positioned in the platform of "Gentle Care" and " Wellness". The brand has its
elements of Color embedded firmly in the minds of the customers. Nivea took its
"Blue and White" color as its brand element as early as 1924. From there
onwards, this color scheme has been a brand identity for Nivea.

In India, the brand is known for its skin cream. Nivea cream is but perceived as a
winter cream because of its thickness and oily consistency. While in other parts of
the world, Nivea has successfully came out of this narrow perception, in India,
the marketers were not able to effectively take the brand forward. With most of
Indian stated do not have severe winter, the market for winter cream is very
limited.Nivea has a market share of 19% in the Rs 108 crore skin cream market
which is dominated by Ponds.Now Ponds hold the position which Nivea could
have taken had it been more aggressive in the market.

Although JL Morrison tried to extend the brand to soaps, the extension has not

been successful bec ause of the halfhearted effort.

With salespromotion now being used to promote this brand of soaps,further
dilution of the brand equity is inevitable.

Nivea face serious marketing issues in India. The brand has not been aggressive
enough in this market which is crowded with established brands. Nivea was never
bothered about strengthening its positioning as a skin care leader. While Ponds
successfully extended itself to other product categories, Nivea is stuck with its
cream.This is a brand that failed because of marketing laziness. Nivea have huge
brand recall and equity. It has the global parentage, successful positioning
opportunity but was not able to leverage the strength because the Indian
marketers didnot want to invest in the brand. The problem is that when the
brand is licensed to a marketer in a country, the objective of the brand manager
will be to milk maximum out of the brand rather than invest in longterm brand
building. Every ads and campaigns will be weighed interms of the ROI and sales
growth. Successful brands required longterm investment that will yeild results
over a period of time. But in the case of Nivea, no such brand building efforts
were to be seen.

The potential of the brand is evident from the fact that in the Grey market, the
brand is sold well. There is also significant difference in the quality of imported
Nivea and the local one. It is said that Nivea Deo is the best selling product in the
grey market.

Nivea is sad story of a brand that failed to succeed inspite of having all essential
Brand qualities. If failed because of marketing laziness.

source:rediff,brandweek,businesstoday,nivea.com

Labels: branding, failed brands, FMCG, Heritage Brand, marketing myopia,

personal care, soap brands

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2006

Parachute : Branding a commodity.

Brand : Parachute
Company: Marico
Agency:Ambience Publicis

This is a success story of branding of a commodity. Hair oils and its use are
deeply ingrained in to the Indian Psyche. This is a 1500 crore industry which is
dominated by unbranded oils. The branded category accounts to around 600
crore. The majority of the hair oil segment is occupied by Coconut oil.

This is a market that have very low entry barrier and that is the reason why the
market is dominated by unbranded oils. Marico in early 1990's made a bold step
in launching a brand in this segment. Paracute manufactured by Bombay Oil
Mills was acquired by Marico in 1990's. Marico was a sister concern of Bombay
Oil Mills.

Parachute is the market leader in the branded hair oil market with a market share
of around 53%. Marico has positioned Parachute in the platform of purity. This

focus on purity clearly differentiat ed the

product from the rest of the unbranded oils .The purity was reinforced by careful
packaging and communication. The brand was established emphasising Caring
and Mother - Daughter relationship.Parachute knew the pulse of the urban
market and emphasised that the oil is non greasy and prompted the TG to
experience the brand

During the early 2000's the market witnessed a shift. Marico found that the
market for hair oil is degrowing, because the consumer preferences are changing.
The youth now didnt want to have Oil - on- their hair look. This prompted Marico
to look into the Value Added hair Oil market which was dominated by Dabur
Vatika. Parchute's mother brand was also facing competition from Nihar of HLL
stable.

Marico decided to depend less on the basic Parchute oil and we saw a series of

new product launches. Marico launched Parachute with jasmine

fragrance which was well received by the market. Also came Parachute Advansed
and Parachute Sampoorna. Parachute Advansed account is with McCann while
others are handled by Ambience.

2005 saw a Bold ( or foolish) step from Marico . We saw the launch of Parachute
Aftershower hair cream. This is the first non oil product from Parachute . Marico
roped in Yuvraj as the brand ambassador . The product is positioned as a Non
sticky and with Zingy perfume. The product is launched with the base line " style
on every day".

People in Marico and Ambience are better marketing minds than me. But I have
doubts about this brand extention. Parachute has been a category leader & almost
generic to coconut hair oil. Extending this brand to men's toiletories seem totally
out of box or should I say out of mind?
As one of my readers pointed out " there are many financial pressures that
outsiders cannot understand" . I do agree to that also.

But when a brand known for its coconut oil, targeted at women and positioned
along the mother - daughter relationship, extends it to a men's category, will it
survive?

Will men accept a feminine brand? If Marico advertises Parachute for men, will
women accept that brand?

Then what is parachute? a coconut oil, after shower for men ? hair oil?
The price is attractive , so men may buy it.
I am confused.......... Am I a target consumer?

Labels: branding, FMCG, personal care

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2005

Pepsodent : Dishum Dishum

Brand : Pepsodent

Company : HLL

Agency " Lowe

Pepsodent was launched in 1993 by Hll to capture the market from Colgate.
Launched in the platform of Germ fighting property, Pepsodent now have a
marketshare of 17% in the Rs2200 crore oral care market.

Pepsodent have experimented with its positioning althrough its life. Initially
Pepsodent was launched in the highly successful "long lasting protection for
hours after brushing" platform. In 1999-2000 Pepsodent tried to fight the market
leader Colgate by shifting to Benefits of germ fighting rather than Process of germ
fighting. But the positioning failed and Pepsodent had to come back to the old
positioning by 2001.

Pepsodent included the germ indicator to its pack in 2002 followed by an

innovative Dental Insurance campaign which reinforced the germ fighting
position.

HLL was trying hard to break the fort of Colgate which was holding a massive 45-
50% market share in the oral care market.Although Pepsodent and Close Up had
together around 32% of the market , it was not enough. Then came the regional
brands like Ajanta and Babool which really made a dent in the market share of
the leaders.

Hll struck back with the famous Dishum dishum campaign ( that won many
accolades for the agency). The insight for this campaign was that Mothers were
really worried about the eating habits of their kids. From that insight came the
Big Idea " let Pepsodent fight germs for You". The campaign and the smart
pricing virtually killed the regional brands in the oral care market.

Pepsodent knew that they should expand the total market of tooth paste and
decided to increase the market by increasing the usage of the product. Thus came

the Bhoot campaign that is currently on air.

Pepsodent aims to teach the kids to brush at night ( with Pepsodent ofcourse)
.Research shows that brushing teeth at night can reduce chances of tooth decay
by 30%.
If HLL to be believed, 12 lakhs kids are brushing teeth at night now and mothers
are happy

Pepsodent is a brand that has been carefully crafted although it struggled to find
its soul, now the brand is all set to take off.

Labels: branding, FMCG, HLL, personal care

THURSDAY, JUNE 08, 2006

Yardley : Immense Potential Wasted !

Brand : Yardley
Company: Lornmead

This 235 year old cosmetics brand from England is yet to take off in India(after
crashlanding) despite its long life here. The iconic brand was a hit in 1950's
among the elite Indians but some how missed the liberalisation bus.

The brand which has a rich heritage was marketed by P&G and since they did not
have any interest in the cosmetic market sidelined this brand. The brand was
relegated to Talcum Powders and with no promotions and poor pricing has
dampened the equity of this brand.

Yardley is now owned by Lornmead which is under the Jatania group : one of the
richest Indian family in UK. If reports are to be believed, they have big plans for
India and Yardley may fit into their strategies.

Yardley has been positioned as the quintessential English brand with its
conservative look and royal touch. Although the brand was appealing to the TG in
early nineties, the newer generation has not been kind to this brand ( or this
brand is not existing to gennext). The cosmetic market is dominated by the likes
of Revlon and Lakme, calls for a major rebranding exercise for this brand.

A look at their website revealed a whole range of luxurious perfume and cosmetic
range which was sadly not available in India. Yardley have the advantage of being
perceived as a Unisex brand and thus can extend the brand to a larger audience.
Since the perfumes market is still undeveloped, Yardley have a huge market
waiting for it.

What the company needs to do is to get its marketing mix correct and make the
brand contemporary. If it does it fast, the brand has the potential to make it big

Labels: branding, failed brands, FMCG, Heritage Brand, marketing myopia