Brand Update : Maggi's 2 Minute Mein Khushiyam With BigB

Maggi , which created the noodles category in India has now none other than Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador. The brand is being endorsed by a celebrity for the first time in its history. And Big B is an intriguing choice for a brand which is most patronized by young children.

Maggi holds a commanding position in the Noodles Segment with over 60% market share. Off late, the brand is facing competition from brands like Horlicks, TopRamen Sunfeast Yippie etc. And further the brand is feeling a disconnect with the new generation customers who now have more choices for indulgence other than noodles. Maggi now faces not only brand competition but also industry competition from similar products like Pizzas. Even fast food joints are taking away consumers from the brand. At this point , the brand needs to stay relevant to the consumers since consumers have a wider choice of indulgence.

Maggi's choice of Big B as the brand ambassador is little puzzling. Amitabh Bachchan as a celebrity commands immense respect among the audiences. He is an amazing story teller and has unmatched screen presence and Maggi wants to build more authenticity through his endorsement. The new campaign featuring Big B is an extension of the highly successful Me and Meri Maggi theme where the brand tried to crowdsource stories of customer experience with Maggi. 

The campaign brought back many segments of consumers who moved away from the brand since they have grown up. The brand again brought back focus on itself and its heritage and the USP of 2 minutes. The campaign in a way was the counter strike against the competitor's focus on health and nutrition.

Big B was introduced as a story teller who narrates the various stories supplied by the consumers through the various touchpoints created by the brand. The brand is running a campaign featuring this stories.

Watch the ads Here

The ads focus on the ease of cooking  ( convenience) and the happiness thereby attempting to take the consumer's focus away from the health platform adopted by Horlicks, Sunfeast Yippie etc. Sunfeast has roped in Saina Nehwal as its endorser.

The brand has a new slogan " 2 minute mein Khushiyan " . It is interesting to note that the brand has brought back the 2 minutes proposition after a long time. 

Although Amitabh Bachchan is a master story teller, I find some how a disconnect between the brand and the celebrity. The thought is that  " he is not the right person to endorse the brand". This is despite the fact that he commands respect from across age groups.

Having said that the presence of the powerful celebrity along with the smart collection of real life stories of brand consumption adds a big boost to this brand. The brand exactly needs such a boost at this point of its life cycle. The problem with such heritage brand is that over the period of time, the communication becomes boring. Booster shots like these will again revive the energy levels for the brand to move and face competition head on.

Related brand

Maggi 

Brand Update : Sparx adds Akshay Kumar to its Life

Sparx, the shoe brand from Relaxo has replaced the brand ambassador Neil Nitin Mukesh with the Action Superstar Akshay Kumar. 

Relaxo Footwear Ltd , the owner of the brand is on a roll these days. The company is seriously in to celebrity driven branding and has roped in stars like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif to endorse its brands Hawaii and Flite respectively.

For the sports shoe brand Sparx, the brand chose to rope in a new brand ambassador - Akshay Kumar. The brand is running its print campaign now featuring the new celebrity.

As far as the brand's personality and positioning is concerned, Akshhay fits the bill perfectly. Akshay is the most atheletic Bollywood star and is the ideal pick for a sports brand. How ever, the celebrity is highly stereotyped by the ad campaigns and his stunt-oriented ad campaigns have lost the wow factor due to this stereotyping . Brands have failed to exploit his personal characteristics and is lured by the obvious athleticism and martial art stunts.

Sparx also is using the star in the same manner. This also-ran theme does not do any good to the brand except for some amount of attention and a possible recall. Sparx could have gained a lot if it tried to exploit Akshay Kumar's personal qualities like confidence, self-made, hardworking nature etc rather than just those flying kicks.

Akshay would definitely help the brand gain more eyeballs nationally but the way the ad campaigns are executed will define the brand's position in comparison with competitors. With global brands like Nike , Reebok etc have lowered their price points to cover the mass market, Sparx should try to make use of its celebrities much more powerfully rather than just gain brand awareness.

Related Brand

Sparx

Marketing Funda : Marketing and Osborne Effect

Osborne effect is a phenomenon where the sales of an existing product gets affected because of the announcement of future products. Osborne Effect's story goes like this :- During 1980s, Osborne computer corporation was a highly successful computer manufacturing firm which marketed the personal computer named Osborne 1. The chairman of the corporation Mr. Adam Osborne during 1983 announced several future models promising consumers highly efficient and fast machines. When he made the announcements, none of these machines were in the pipeline.

The announcement prompted a heavy cancellation of orders of Osborne 1 because consumers and trade expected the arrival of advanced machines. This event have virtually driven the company to bankruptcy ( although many other reasons also contributed to it ). Source : Wiki , Report

The same effect is now played out in the case of Nokia- a brand which is struggling at the onset of competition from Apple and affordable Chinese brands. Nokia in 2011 announced with much fanfare, its tie-up with Microsoft for the mobile O/S. Nokia announced the shift in the OS from Symbian to Windows much before the actual shift. The first shock for existing Symbian users who began to ditch the existing Symbian models in favor of other platforms like Android. 

Then came the much touted Nokia Lumia with the hyped Windows Mango ( 7.5). The well designed Lumia range was expected to lift the fortunes of Nokia in the smartphone category. The company also launched an affordable version of Lumia in the Indian market thus effectively covering various price-points. 

Then came the announcement of Microsoft about the Windows 8 and the shock that the existing Lumia phones will not be upgradable to the new much talked about Windows 8 platform. No wonder, many of the prospective Lumia buyers will be postponing their purchase.

The trouble is not with Nokia alone. Even Android based mobiles also are facing the issue of frequent upgrades and the existing phones not being able to be upgraded to the new platforms. Google has rapidly introduced upgrades from Froyo to Gingerbread to Icecream Sandwich within a short span of time much to the confusion of  consumers and marketers.

One needs to learn from Apple on how to handle this rapid changes in the technology and specifications. Apple has an advantage since it is tightly controlling the eco-system. It makes the entire upgradation process highly secretive and this prevents any shocks on the existing inventory and product line. 

Android based phone marketers have a huge issue since the platform upgrades are beyond their control. So how can a marketer prevent Osborne effect when they do not have control over the platform changes.? The million dollar question is whether the consumer buy a Ginger Bread Android Phone even after the launch of Icecream Sandwich ? 

The only way is to build a powerful brand having value more than the platform. So till now, the Android makers were riding the equity of Google and Android ingredient brand. But to insulate the after-effects of platform changes, one needs to build their own brand showing more value so that consumers doesn't ditch the brand because of future version announcements. 

Another method is to customize the product so that consumers are lured by the customization rather than the platform itself . Amazon has tried to do that in the Kindle Fire where  the version is customized and hence the user experience is owned by Amazon rather than Android.

Brands can also insulate itself by building a comprehensive package of features and attributes rather than just depending on one single platform.

In the new fight over the platforms, the key to success is the user experience. Firms are now forgetting this and running after platforms. Although platforms are important, it will be the unique user experience that will be luring your customers to your product

ONN Inners : Keep It On

Brand : ONN
Company : Lux Hosiery

Brand Analysis Count : #514

ONN is the new brand of premium innerwears from the house of Lux Hosiery. The brand is targeting its share in the high growth premium men's innerwear segment. Indian innerwear market is worth around Rs 13000-14000 crores. The market is equally split among organized and unorganized players. The men's inner-wear segment is worth around Rs 5800 crore. According to reports, the premium segment in this market is growing at a scorching pace of around 40%.

It is in this context that the launch of ONN gains significance. Lux Hosiery has been a dominant player in the innerwear market with its Lux brand of inners. Lux gained prominence in the affordable segment with its celebrity endorsements and the famous slogan " Ye ander ki baat hain ". Lux had the brands Lux Cozi and GenX with endorsers like Sunny Deol and Neil Nithin Mukesh.

ONN has gained lot of eyeballs by roping in Shahrukh Khan as its brand ambassador. The brand is running its campaigns across the media

Watch the TVC : ONN with Shahrukh

Just like most of the innerwear brands except Jockey, ONN also is following the celebrity centered brand building route. The saddest part is that there is nothing more to the branding strategy other than the celebrity. 

Here also there is Shahrukh Khan and the brand ONN. The brand owners failed to convey any meaningful message for this brand. For a low priced inner-wear brand, creating brand awareness is the key to success. But for a premium brand, it needs to justify the premium and a mere celebrity endorsement may not work. The task becomes more important when there are international brands like Jockey upping its noise and most of the readymade brands like Vanheusen , Louis Philleppe etc have their own innerwears. 

The quality of the TVC is  much below standards interms of theme and execution.The ad doesn't suit the premium segment but will be ideal for a low priced segment. By choosing a hyperbole around the movie Don and with a stereotyped characters has virtually downgraded the positioning to a lower level brand. The brand's site says that ONN wants to fight Jockey but with this kind of creatives, the dream will be a distant one.

ONN needs to focus more on creating a credible differentiator or atleast position itself on the basis of some important attributes like Fit, Design, Range, Comfort etc. Just having an expensive brand ambassador will not work well in the segment it is in.

Brand Update : Scooty wants to Shake EM Up with Scootygiri

In its new campaign for Scooty Pep+ , the brand features the new celebrity ambassador Ms Anushka Sharma. The campaign titled Scootygiri projects the Scooty user as a young confident girl willing to question the status quo. The theme of empowered confident girl has been the major positioning platform on which Scooty has built itself to the current position. 

Watch the campaigns here : Scootygiri Romeo

                                           Scootygiri Dress code  

The brand now has the slogan " Shake Them Up with Scootygiri" exhorting girls to standup confidently and face issues head on.

The brand should be commented on being consistent in its message over these years.

An analysis of the brand's portfolio gives certain interesting facts. There are  three sub-brands under Scooty - Scooty Streak, Scooty Pep+ and Scooty Teenz.

Scooty Teenz is a sub 60cc scooter aimed at the first-time user of the product category. Scooty Streak and Scooty Pep+ are almost similar products interms of technical specifications. The difference is in the styling and promotion.Scooty now can be considered as a primary brand with sub-brands - Teenz ,Streak and Pep+.

Although Scooty has been performing quite well in the category , there is a gradual shift in the category moving in the direction of powerful scooters. This shift is now boosted by Hero Honda Pleasure and also gender-neutral new scooters like Access 125, TVS Wego Vespa etc. 

Scooty seems to be contented with the current technical specifications but it should not be blind to the fact that increasingly the ladies' scooter market is moving towards powerful scooters. TVS has a product Wego which is in the segment of powerful scooters . My contention is that Scooty should be modifying its product offering to reflect this shift. It cannot let Hero Honda Pleasure take up leadership position in this emerging  category. 

Scooty needs a presence in the higher engine capacity scooters to counter Pleasure . It cannot use Wego to counter Pleasure since Wego is a unisex scooter. Pleasure has been very aggressive in its promotions and will be creating a big chunk in the Scooty's existing customer base. The issue is much deeper that cannot be handled with high decibel ads or celebrity endorsements. Scooty has to see whether the entire category of ladies' scooter is shifting towards higher engine capacity ones. Ofcourse there will be a market for less powered scooters but that will be much smaller and unprofitable in future.

Related Brand

Scooty

Brand Update : Lux Extends to Deo

Lux, India's most famous personal care brand has extended itself to deo. The campaigns are on air featuring the extensions. The deo market in India is witnessing huge amount of brand activity with new brands being launched almost every month. According to Economic Times, the deo market is estimated to be around Rs 1300 crore and growing at 40%. 

The question as always is what can be logic behind HUL extending its iconic brand to deo. It is not that Lux is not extended before. The brand has soaps, shampoos, bodywash in the product-line. Globally this is the first time that the brand is extending to deodorants. 

HUL has been a pioneer in creating the deo category in India. The company holds its leadership position in the market with its iconic brand Axe. HUL also has its anti perspiration deo Sure and also Dove. So rather than investing on these brands why would HUL try to extend Lux into this category ? 

One of the reason can be to pre-empt competition by flooding the market with its own brands. Lux has a huge equity which will translate to trials and incremental sales. Further, the company is also wary about the launch of competing brands like Santoor, Nivea etc into this category. 

However, HUL is taking the risk of spreading the budgets too far on these extensions. After Axe, the company was not able to come out with another blockbuster deo brand. It pulled out Rexona and Sure was not able to replicate the success of Rexona ( during the initial years). Dove is also another brand which is extended to almost all imaginable personal care categories.

Lux as a brand will get more diluted  if HUL tries to milk its equity too much. None of its earlier extensions could replicate the success of the core brand. Rather than diluting, HUL could have launched new focused deo brands.

Mahindra Stallio : RIP (2010-2011)

Brand : Stallio
Company : Mahindra 2 wheelers

Brand Analysis Count :  #513

Question : What else do you want for a  perfect product launch when there is a reputed Corporate Brand, Aamir Khan and a decent campaign ?

 Ans : A good product !

Mahindra Stallio is a sad story of a perfect plan foiled by a poorly built product. Mahindra Group was very vocal in its plan to enter into the Indian two wheeler market. It surprised the industry by acquiring the ailing Kinetic Motors' two wheeler division. The company  followed it up with the successful launch of automatic scooters Duro and Rodeo. Then came the much anticipated entry into the bike segment.

Rather than launching a macho, performance bike to impress the technological prowess of the company, Mahindra chose to enter the much crowded and highly competitive commuter bike segment. The first product in the bike segment was the 106 cc Mahindra Stallio. 

Stallio had a dream launch. The PR team of the company had built in enough suspense in the market. The entire automotive industry was looking for something similar to a Scorpio that will shake up the established brands like Splendor and Pulsar. Then Stallio happened. The brand instantly gained eyeballs through the endorsement of Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan's endorsement was a master marketing move. The actor had huge equity in the market and his endorsement of a two wheeler was something no one anticipated.

Stallio put on an aggressive face in the market with a cheeky campaign pitting against all those macho bike brands which advertised with more hyperbole than a Bollywood movie.
Watch the launch campaign : Mahindra Stallio1 
                                            Mahindra Stallio 2
Stallio was positioned as a commuter bike that combined style and performance. At a price around Rs 45000, the brand promised enough features and quality and was aiming to compete with the segment leader Hero Honda Spendour.

The brand sold more than 5000 units in two months time, then the problem started. The brand had serious issues in the clutch and gear box. Noticing this issue, the company stopped producing the product and the brand was withdrawn from the market. For a marketer, it is a nightmare come true. The issue was not a product recall but a complete withdrawal from the market. 

It has been more than 8 months since the product withdrawal and the company is still not able to relaunch the brand in the market. It is highly intriguing of the fact that a company like Mahindra would land in a product quality issue of this scale. 

As of now, Stallio is almost dead and it will be difficult for the company to revive the brand since it failed at the launch itself. Renewing the brand and regaining the lost trust will be Herculean task. Aamir Khan also lost his bike endorsing credibility and if he comes again to endorse Stallio, I wonder how the consumers will react. If Mahindra relaunches Stallio, it will be easy for the competitors to kill the brand by refreshing the past failure memories. How ever, Mahindra did  a good job in swiftly taking the brand out of the market thereby limiting the PR damage. Also the media has been benevolent about the failure with limited coverage on the debacle.

Vespa : Fashion Unchanged

Brand : Vespa
Company : Piaggio

Brand Analysis Count : # 512

Vespa is back in a new avatar or rather in its Original avatar. The brand which died in 2006 is being resurrected by its original owners is set to change the way Indian consumers think about scooters. Vespa initially came to India in 1960 with partner Bajaj  and later through LML. The brand had a tough ride in the Indian market with some few successes like LML Vespa Select. But the brand failed to bring in volumes which eventually led the demise of this stylish brand.

Although Vespa had a different image compared to its rival Bajaj, the brand was never considered to be lifestyle oriented. Consumers considered it as a stylish scooter and the image ended with that.

This 2012, Vespa has come back to Indian market with its original persona of an Italian Scooter. The launch is significant because of the iconic status that Vespa enjoys elsewhere in the world. It is also interesting to see how Indian consumer will welcome the second homecoming of the brand.

The main reason behind the relaunch of Vespa is the increasing interest shown by consumers towards the scooter segment. According to Economic Times, Indian scooter market is around 2.5 million units growing at CAGR of 20%. Lot of new launches are happening in this market and consumers seems to prefer the utility of this product.

What is interesting in Vespa is the brand's positioning as a fashion statement. For the first time in this segment, a brand is exploring the possibility of creating a new market - lifestyle scooter. The target segment is youth who wants to be different, make a style statement. Essentially a psychographic segmentation. The brand is now focusing on print campaigns which makes sense .

The brand has the tagline " Fashion Unchanged" and is drawing power from its legacy dating back to 1945. The brand uses funky colors and evokes as sense of youthfulness that fits a fashion brand.

The brand has done it right in terms of the product design. The scooters looks cute and stylish and the advertisements looks chic. Although the product reviews are average, Vespa is expecting to sell for its looks and more importantly its brand image. The brand owners are repeatedly telling that Vespa is not for power-hungry as an excuse for the poor engine specifications. But hope they don't forget that consumers should get a decent deal when the brands commands a premium. Poor specs cannot be masked through colorful advertisements and lifestyle positioning.

The challenge for the brand is to show value. The brand is expensive and the specifications is nothing special so getting Indian youth to open up their wallet for the sake of looking fashionable seems to be a tough task.

The silver lining is that this is the era of design and experience. Lot depends on the brand's ability to convey fashion statement through the product. 

The steep price will force customers to compare value with the workhorses like Activa, although Activa is not a style statement. There is a chance that the brand will remain aspirational restricted to a few. The brand could have done wonders if it was priced at an affordable range and get more on the road - some thing like an affordable fashion statement. But Italian arrogance is visible in the pricing. The brand with the styling and premiumness can make Indian consumers drool or will they ?

Related brand

LML Vespa

Brand Update : Advance RIP wishes for "Only Vimal"

In a rather sad news for brand lovers, Reliance Industries has decided to sell off their textile business including their iconic brand " Vimal ". The brand which once had an iconic status now is on the verge of extinction.Vimal was also one of the few consumer brands of India's largest private sector company Reliance. 

The future of this brand will be decided by the new brand owners. Although its is premature to write RIP for the brand, its sad that Reliance chose to sell of the brand despite the fact that the company is rich with cash and could have revived the brand anytime.

The brand which  marked the arrival of the advertising agency Mudra will be known for some classic advertisement campaigns featuring brand ambassadors like Allan Border and Vivian Richards.The writing was on the wall for some years. There was virtually no investment in building this brand in the last decade except for some random campaigns. The move is a part of Reliance strategy of exiting loss making business and focus on new sunrise sectors. 

The brand has failed because of negligence on the part of the owners who lost interest in building the business nor the brand. 

Lets hope that the new brand owners will try reviving this brand . Till then RIP Vimal ( 1980-2012)

Related Brand

Only Vimal

Brand Update : Cadbury Gems changes Target Segment

In a surprising move, Gems decided to re-position itself. The brand so far had appealed to kids suddenly decided to change the target market to  adults. This move is fueled by two campaigns now on air.

Watch the ad here : Gems Sculpture

                               Gems Lady

I am still wondering the logic behind this drastic re-targeting which obviously has to be backed by 

re-positioning. The brand now has the tagline " Raho Umarless" roughly translated to " Be Ageless" .The concept is that the brand encourages the users to enjoy life regardless of the age. Another perspective is that the brand brings the child in you. Although the concept ( although not new) sounds reasonable but the way the agency has executed it is nothing but atrocious. The fact that it is Ogilvy who has done this hopeless work makes it even more surprising. 

From the two ad, the ad featuring the lady is the most atrocious one. Neither the lady looks Child-like nor the hyperbole theme is interesting. The sculpture ad is predictable but still does not convey the brand's intended positioning. 

What is puzzling is the brand's reason for targeting adults. The brand sales may have been plateauing over these years and this may have forced the firm to think about the segments.It is true that Gems is seldom patronized by adults.This is a predominantly kid's chocolate but adults do indulge in it when he buys for the kids.

Some newsreport suggest that Gems has broadened the TG but  the advertisement message suggest that the brand has gone for a complete re-positioning and a change in the targeting strategy rather than broadening. 

While there is a logic behind the new TG, the brand failed to provide any compelling reason for adults to buy Gems. " Raho Umarless" is a weak attempt to attract adult to rethink the way he looks at Gems.Ideally the brand should have attempted a non-hyperbolic, real life enjoyment which would have attracted the TG. The brand is assuming that by looking at a campaign, the adults would indulge. But in my opinion, when repositioning, the brand needs to build salience. So it cannot afford to miss details like Why buy the brand and when to indulge in the brand. Those finer details are missing in the new campaign. 

It is also interesting to see that the brand is not trying to rope in youngsters but adults. Wonder why they chose to target 30 year olds rather than 20 year olds? Remember this is the company that built a brand like Cadbury's Shots in a short period of time. That magic is sadly missing in the ads. It pains when execution fails for a powerful brand like Gems that too when it attempts a repositioning. 

 Having said that the nostalgia of Gems is still there will hopefully drive the brand into adult's mind sans the hopeless repositioning execution. 

Related brand 

Cadbury Gems

Brand Update : Parachute Advansed Owns World's Best Hair

In an absolutely fabulous positioning initiative, Parachute Advansed has owned up the " World's Best Hair" proposition. I would term it as one of the smartest positioning move in 2012 so far. Parachute Advansed which is the line- extension of Parachute Coconut Oil brand takes care of all the value- added coconut personal care products. Under the Advansed sub-brand, Parachute has products like Ayurvedic hair oil, hair gel for men, cooling oil etc.

This year , brand has decided to own the most important positioning platform " World's Best Hair". The campaign featuring the celebrity endorser  Deepika Padukone is on air in most of the channels.

Watch the ad here : Parachute Advansed
The campaign which includes digital ( in a big way) is based on a research finding that users of Parachute Advansed hair oil has better hair than the non-users of hair oils ( source ).

It is not the research but the positioning platform which is an absolutely wonderful and powerful one. By taking the ownership of " world's best hair" and backing it up with a research ( which will be ignored by skeptics), Parachute Advansed moved a notch up interms of positioning. The ad agency did a smart job in passing the message in a beautiful manner.

" The world's best hair " campaign is one of the very thoughtful and powerful campaign in recent times. The brand has put itself into a powerful position and will force the competitor to negate this aggressive stance.As for the consumer is concerned, the current campaign will reinforce their choice of using hair oil for hair protection and may prompt non-users ( of category) to try out this brand.

Related brand
Parachute   

Choc On : Khaas Mithaas

Brand : Choc On
Company : SK Industries

Brand Analysis Count : # 511

SK Industries which is a player in the food processing and beverages sector launched a new brand in the highly competitive confectionery industry. The brand Choc On  which competes with the like of Cadbury Dairy Milk will be vying for a pie in the Rs 2000 crore chocolate market ( source : Exchange4media).

The brand has roped in Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador and the launch ad is now running across channels

Watch the ad here : Choc on ad

The endorsement from Katrina has given the brand instant eyeballs and ofcourse curiosity about the new brand's aggressive marketing practice. 

The brand is positioned ( as usual) on the basis of irresistible taste. According to media reports, the brand wants to deliver 'ultimate delight in chocolate' to the customers.

The target segment for the brand is of age group 9-16 years. 

The theme of the ad is " Dreams Meet Reality " but  I found it really difficult to understand what the ad really meant. Katrina plays the part of  Cinderella and Red Riding Hood in the ad.  Choc On has the taglne " Khaas Mithaas " roughly translated to " A very special chocolate ".

Apart from Katrina Kaif, there is nothing much being said by the brand about itself. Since it is a new launch, I had expected the brand to say something about itself in terms of what it is and how it is different from others. But the ad fails in the primary responsibility of establishing the credentials of the brand. The fact is that Choc On relies heavily on the brand ambassador for credibility. And the endorsement of Katrina definitely will give some credibility to the brand. 

It is interesting to note that in this digital era , the presence of Choc On is almost nil in the web. There is no brand site nor any information about the brand owners.  

Having said that, Choc On has done a right thing by picking a high profile celebrity for the launch campaign. The presence of Katrina gives the brand instant visibility and prompt consumers to try the brand.  

The brand could have done more in the launch phase by talking more about itself in the ad. The ad is filled with visuals and rest is left to the imagination of consumers. Since this is a new brand from a less known brand owner, more communication could have been included in the launch phase with regard to the brand attributes.

Brand Update : Santoor Celebrates 25 years with Rebranding

Santoor, India's third largest soap brand is celebrating its 25 years of glorious existence in the fiercely competitive Indian toilet soap market.  The brand is celebrating this event with a rebranding exercise which consists of a new look, new fragrance and interestingly a brand anthem. Also the brand roped in Saif Ali Khan as the celebrity model for its campaign.

The rebranding  showcases new pack with a new logo which gives the brand a contemporary look. The interesting part is the Santoor brand anthem which is a well made theme presentation which reflects the core positioning of Santoor which is " A soap for younger looking skin".

Watch the Anthem here : santoor anthem

There is also a new ad featuring Saif Ali khan. The ad follows the same theme of mistaken identity where a young mother is mistaken for a spinster because of her younger looking skin. Congratulations to the brand for sticking to the theme which made it one of the most successful fmcg brand in India.

In a related article in exchange4media, one of the ad gurus  commented that the theme of mistaken identity has become old and boring and too predictable. In a sense the ad is predictable but we are not here to solve a puzzle, the more the ads become predictable, the more the message will be impressed upon in the customer's mind. The criticism of being a boring advertisement is relevant and the brand could have done more interms of making this theme more interesting. The anthem is fabulous and does justice to the brand's equity. 

Related Brand

Santoor

Brand Update : From Kajol & Croc To Kareena & Bear

Alpenliebe, the brand which redefined and rejuvenated the sugar candy market has come a long way since its launch in 1994. The brand recently launched another sub-brand 2Choco with huge promotional noise. The new eclair brand came into limelight because of the endorsement from Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor.  The launch also marks the entry of Alpenliebe into th Eclair category.

Watch the ad here : 2 Choco

The alpha-numeric branding signifies that this eclair has two chocolate flavors ( source : website).

So what is now Alpenliebe ?

From a very simple caramel based sugar candy which was positioned on the basis of taste and irresistible lust for more, the brand is now , a candy ( three flavors), lollipop, flavor filled candy - Creamfillz and Mangofillz sub-brands and now an eclairs.

Infact the brand has become an Umbrella Brand endorsing different products in the same confectionery category . So when you ask for Alpenliebe from a shop, you may get any of these products !!

In my opinion, the brand owners needlessly extended this powerful brand for incremental sales benefit.According to reports, Alpenliebe alone was around Rs 160 crore and may be these franchises may help the brand show more worth but the core brand Alepenliebe will suffer because now the brand means many things.

Take the case of the new brand 2 Choco endorsed by Alpenliebe. What prevented Perfetti to launch 2choco as an independent brand ? If it could afford Kareena , then it would have enough money to build a powerful independent chocolate eclair brand. But it chose the easy way of making it endorsed by Alepenliebe which may have helped the new launch and trial but at the expense of making the brand architecture of Alpenliebe complex.

The positioning of the original Alpenliebe and the new Alpenliebe 2Choco are poles apart. 2Choco has the tagline " Love and Share " and Alpenliebe has " lalach Aaha Laplap " ( means some crap in Hindi). It has to be seen whether Kajol will continue endorsing the original Alpenliebe candy. Perfetti earlier launched a brand Chocoliebe in the eclair category but does not met with much success. Alpenliebe 2Choco is also a premium play since the brand is priced at Rs 1/- price point.

The launch ad for 2 Choco is amusing and I don't understand why Alpenliebe franchise is fixated about the combination of Bollywood Divas and animals. Earlier it was Kajol and Croc , then came Kajol and Apes and now it is Kareena with a polar bear.
I have a feeling that the Alpenliebe brand itself is getting confused interms of positioning and the reason is the large number of diverse product forms it endorses. The confusion is going to be more if the brand owners decides to extend it further.
Alpenliebe was a powerful brand and it is being weakened by the brand owners just for the sake of convenience.
Related brand
Alpenliebe

Marketing Funda : Indian Ingredient Brands

Marketing Guru Kevin Lane Keller defines Ingredient Branding as a special case of co-branding which involves creating brand equity for materials component or parts that are necessarily contained in other branded products. Prof. John Quelch  of Harvard defines ingredient branding as putting the brand of an ingredient out of the product to increase its appeal. 

Ingredient branding concept started as a co-branding where the brand owners of ingredient and product brands are different. In my opinion, the strategy has evolved where firms have started branding their own ingredients in order to create differentiation. Intel and Dupont are considered to be pioneers in this regard. Increasingly brands in India too have tried to develop ingredient brands to create differentiation. Some of the below cited examples are loosely connected to the concept of ingredient branding in the sense that the brand owners may not have registered as a trademark.

          Parent Brand             Ingredient brand

1. Orient fans               PSPO
2. Exo dishwash bar     Cyclozan
3. Chandrika soap        Activ Ayurveda
4. Clinic All Clear         ZPTO ( now not using it)
5. Horlicks                   DHA ( using it very less)
6. Maruti Suzuki        K-Series Engines
7. Bajaj Pulsar            DTSI
8. Titan Watches        HTSE
9. Citizen                   Eco-Drive
10. Tata Motors          DriveTech / Quadrajet
11. Ford Motors         TDCi
12. Hyundai                CRDi
13. Good Knight         Activ +
14. Godrej Fairglow   Fairness Proteins
15. Louis Philippe      Permapress ( Nishinbo Japan owned tech)
16. TVS Apache        RTR
17. Panasonic            Eco-Navi Sensors (for refridgerators)
18. Gariner Men        Active Perlite ( for deo)
19. Pantene               Pro-V
20. Fiama Di Wills    Derma Revitalizers ( for men's fairness cream)
21. Saffola                LoSorb Technology
22. Kent water purifier   Mineral RO technology

Brand Update : Does Limca Really Needs Kareena ?

The summer of 2012 belongs to lemon based beverages. Marketers are all out to woo consumers through high decibel promotions for lemon based beverage brands. These brands ( once neglected) started to be considered as high growth brands. In BCG metrics terms,Question Marks suddenly became Stars ! The reason is the late realization that Indians have a soft-corner for lemon flavor which was long neglected by maverick marketers who wanted the Cola to rule the market.Now lemon flavored segment is growing at 17-20% annually compared to single digit growth for the Cola brands.

The new Star of the block is the iconic Limca brand from Coca Cola. Coca Cola was reluctantly pushing the brand to the forefront through some well crafted campaigns during the last few years. Although the share of voice was less, the sheer quality of the campaigns lifted the brand to new heights. 

Watch some of these ads here : Limca Ads 2006-10

The campaigns used music very effectively and focused on the concept of freshness . All through these years, the taglines keep on changing from

Fresh Ho Jao

Haseen Lamhaon ko churao

Do Pal Taazgi

Maza taazgi ka

Doobo Taazgi mein

The brand conceived a brilliant imagery of water splashing with some soul-warming music which brought back the magic of Limca. 

This summer, the brand mandarins of Coke decided to change everything. The brilliant idea of a celebrity endorser was conceived and executed. Kareena Kapoor was chosen as the celebrity and the brand owners decided to ditch the earlier positioning and imagery and brought in a new higher order attribute to the brand - Pyaas Badhao where the concept is the brand wants its consumers to thirst for more ( success) in life.

Watch the ad here : Limca  Pyaas Badhao

I somehow feel that despite the best efforts and intention, the campaign lacks the magic. The brand seems to be preaching to consumers which was a drastic shift interms of the personality. Earlier campaigns had full of romance and soft imagery. The new campaign completely lacks any romance and is in the backdrop of sports seems so out of touch with the brand's personality. Kareena holding a limca bottle is not going to create any magic for the brand. Infact, Limca's brand equity which survived Coke's assassination attempt does not need to derive any support from celebrities. To be fair to the brand, Limca had earlier roped in celebrities like Salman Khan, Riya Sen etc to endorse it. 

In one of the reports, the brand owners suggested that the change in the brand strategy was warranted by the aggression of competing brands. However, that does not explain the logic of such a drastic shift in the brand's personality.

Brands exhorting the consumers to scale higher heights is not a new concept.Brands like Horlicks, Bournvita etc pitch on similar lines. Hence Limca's new preaching pitch puts it among the usual crowd not different. But the earlier romantic platform was something unique. I don't remember any beverage brand positioning on a romantic platform.

So uniqueness lost, in the clutter , heavily depended on celebrity for power, will be the outcome interms of the branding. Had the brand used Kareena in a romantic mood with water splashing around, Limca would have broken its own Limca Books of Records ! Alas... its preaching time...

Related Brand
Limca : Lime N Lemony 

Chaze Mobiles : Ye Hui na Baat

Brand : Chaze
Company : Chaze Mobiles

Brand Analysis Count : 510

Some marketers will do anything to get their brand eyeballs. Chaze Mobile, which is yet to launch their products recently got  million dollar worth exposure in most of the media through one celebrity endorsement announcement. The brand  roped in the " upcoming " bollywood actress Sunny Leone as the brand ambassador.

huh !

Out of Action

Dear Readers,
I had a severe relapse of Inter vertebral disc  prolapse and was out of action for last two weeks. I am on the recovery path and will be back soon.

Love

Harish

Herbs & Berries : Branding Ayurveda

Brand : Herbs & Berries
Company : Hindustan Lifecare Ltd

Brand Analysis Count : # 509

Herbs & Berries is Hindustan Lifecare Ltd ( makers of Moods Condoms) foray into the Ayurvedic OTC market in India. Indian OTC market is huge worth around Rs 15,000 crore ( including both ayurvedic and allopathic drugs). Ayurvedic OTC products are growing at around 15-20% per annum. But the market is highly  competitive. Since the regulatory framework for herbal and ayurvedic products are less stringent compared to modern medicine, there is a huge rush of local players into this segment. A visit to the local ayurvedic drug store will awe you with the type and number of OTC products displayed. Most of these products seldom survive a financial year. The brand was launched in 2009 but began to make noise only in 2011.

Herbs & Berries is an interesting brand where HLL partners with a highly respected traditional ayurvedic company - Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala to develop this brand. In this arrangement, the Arya Vaidya Sala develops the products which are marketed by Hindustan Lifecare Ltd. HLL has strong distribution capabilities which will be utilized for Herbs & Berries. The co-branding with AVS will add credibility to the drug.

But HLL is a reluctant marketer which is reflected in the marketing of this brand also.The visibility of the brand is limited so is distribution. The brand is currently promoting Hair Nourishing oil and Pain management balm.

Another interesting fact is that Herbs & Berries shares the brand name with another Austrian company.  I wonder why HLL did not care to do a google search before finalizing the name. The Austrian brand is Herbs'N'Berries  and this can lead to trademark issues if at all HLL decide to take this brand international. 

What I like about Herbs & Berries is the brand name ( although shared) . The name is very modern and more of a herbal brand rather than ayurvedic brand which will help attract young consumers.But the brand needs to stand out from the rest with a proper brand architecture. So far there is no brand communication with regard to the parent brand which is a big marketing mistake. Hope that HLL will seriously invest in this brand. 

Brand Update : Thums Up wants you to live the thunder

This summer , the iconic brand in the Indian soft drinks industry has made a significant change in its positioning. Thums Up, rightly said as India's most resilient brand, is now running a campaign which marks a significant change in its positioning.

Over the last few years, Thums Up has been promoted on the theme where the protagonist ( celebrity) would do anything for his Thums Up. In all the campaigns, the protagonist would do unbelievable stunts to get hold of this Thums Up. The brand lived up to its reputation of being a Macho drink was further reinforced by its powerful tagline " Taste the Thunder".

This summer, the brand owners decided to change the winning formula. The entire brand's communication platform has been changed. The protagonist now does not chase Thums Up. But rather, he gets so excited after having Thums Up that he begins to do the stunts. The brand although retains the tagline " Taste The Thunder" now has another slogan " Aaj Kuch Toofany Kartey Hain ". 

Watch the ad here : Thums Up Live the thunder 

It also seems that the brand has dropped Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador. The new ad features the Telugu super star - Mahesh Babu for the all India campaign.

What is significant in the latest campaign is that the brand's definition of context has changed. The protagonist now possess Thums Up and now he is seeking excitement outside the brand . In my opinion, now the brand is no longer the major focus or the goal in the plot. The ultimate goal of the celebrity is now something other than the brand ( like shortcut /time saving etc) . This is a very significant change in the brand's communication strategy  and not a good idea. While the earlier theme of chasing a Thums Up was unique, the idea of doing stunts after consuming a soft-drink is an old idea. For example , Mountain Dew's campaign of Daar Ke Aage Jeet Hain has the similar concept. I don't understand why a brand like Thums Up chose to ditch its unique communication platform and adapt a also-ran communication theme. Who got bored with the old positioning ?

The only solace is that the brand still carries the iconic tagline " Taste the Thunder "

Related brand

Thums Up

afaqs has a relevant article on the subject - Read it here

Brand Taglines : G to L

Brand Slogans and taglines ( G to L)

G

1. Gatorade : World's No 1 Sports Drink
2. Gariner : Take Care
3. Grasim Suitings  : For the self made
4. Graviera : Feel of Life
5. Gems ( Cadbury) : Rangeen Panda ka Rangeen Pasand
6. Gillette : The best a man can get
7. Go Cheese : 100 % Cow's Milk
8. Golgappa ( Parle) : Goli mein Golgappa
9. Getz ( Hyundai) : Getz You
10. Gold Winner : G For H, Gold Winner for Health

H

1. Horlicks : Taller Stronger Sharper/Family Nourisher
2. Hippo :Hippo Fights Hunger
3. Hero Motocorp : Hum Mein hain Hero
4. Hyundai : New Thinking , New Possibities
5. Honda  : The power of dreams
6. Happy Jam : Makes Everybody Happy 
7. Halls : Thandi Saans ka Blast
8. Hanes : America's No 1 Apparel Brand
9. HP : Computer is personal again
10. Harpic : Ready for Harpic Challenge ?
11. Havells' ECB : Shock Laga Kya ?

I

1. Idea : An Idea can change your life
2. ICICI Bank : Khayal Aapka
3. Indigo ( Tata) : A Class apart
4. Indica (Tata) : More car per car/ Sedan class ( Vista)
5. Indigo Airlines : On Time is a Wonderful Thing
6. Intel : Intel Inside / Sponsors of Tomorrow
7. Infosys : Building Tomorrow's Enterprise
8. Indigo Nation : Young Like That
9. IFB: Set Yourself Free 
10. Imperial Leather : Everyday Luxury
11. Inkfruit : Always On
12. ING Vysia Life : Mera Farz
13. IFFKO Tokyo : The life you desire

J

1. Jazz ( Honda)  : Why So Serious
2. J Hampstead : Nothing but the best
3. John Miller (readymades) : Good looking Rascal , Make it look easy
4. Johnny Walker : Keep Walking
5. Jeeva  : The complete Ayurvedic Soap
6. Jaguar : As Alive as you are
7. JK Tyre : Total Control
8. J&K bank : Serving to empower
9. Jumpin ( Godrej) : Peeke sub kahe mmmm/Sip sip mein boing boing
10. Joy Alukkas Jewellers : World's Favorite Jeweler

K

1. Kurlon : India's Largest selling mattress
2. Kamasutra : What do you want to be tonight
3. Kingfisher : The King of Good Times
4. Kohler : The Bold Look
5. Kara Skincare Wipes : At Your Best Always
6. Khaitan : Bas Naam hi Kaafi hain
7. Kinder Joy : Surprise Inside
8. KitKat : Have a break, Have a KitKat/ Kitkat break banta hain
9. Kelvinator : Its the coolest one
10. Kent Water purifier : Now Live a healthy life with Kent
11. Kangaro : Organizing documents world over
12. Kinley : Boond Boond Mein Vishwas
13. K-Series Engine : Leaner Meaner Fitter

L

1. Lux : Filmi sitaroan ka soundarya sabun
2. Lifebuoy : Lifebuoy hai jahan thandurusty hain vaham
3. Louis Philleppe : The Upper Crest
4. Lays : No one can eat just one/ har program ka main food/Dillogical/ make your moment magical
5. Limca : Lime'N'Lemoni/Doobo Taazgi Mein
6. LMN : LMN LMN LMN ( Emergency Lemon Refresher)
7. Lux innerwear :Apna luck pahenke chalo/ Comfort for everybody
8. La Opala : Adding style to your lifestyle
9. Lenovo : For those who do
10. Levi's : Go Forth
11. Lee : Sticks to you like it loves you

Brand Tagline A-F

Brand Taglines : A - F

A

1. Amaron : Lasts Long, Really Long, Ting Tong
2. Alpenliebe : Lalach Aaha Laplap
3. A Star  : Stop @ Nothing
4. Alto : Lets Go
5. Allen Solly : My World, My Way
6. Aliva : Thodi Sharafat, Thodi Shararat
7. Arrow : USA 1851 / The League of Professionals
8. Acer : Life is busy, Acer makes it easy
9. All Out : Macharoan ka Yamraaj
10. Amway  : We are listening
11. Airwick : Its good to be home
12. Amul : The taste of India
13. Amul Macho : Ye toh bada toing hain
14. Accu-check : Live life the way you want
15. Apache : Racing DNA Unleashed
16. Amrutanjan : Its Gone /Pure Healthy Essence / Kick Out Pain
17. Ambipur : Fragrance Your Imagination
18. Appy Fizz : Cool Drink to Hang Out With
19. Allen Solly : Friday Dressing / Adios Stressing Hello friday dressing
20. Accenture : High performance delivered
21. Airtel : Express Yourself 

B

1. Binani Cement : Sadiyon Ke Liye
2. Breathe Right : Breathe Better, Sleep Better
3. Bournvita : Do you have Bournvita Confidence ? / Tan Ki Shakthi, Mann Ki Shakthi (2011)
4. Boost : Boost is the secret of our energy
5. Big Babool : Bade Kaam Ki Cheez
6. Boomer : Boom Boom Boomer
7. Bournville : You don't buy a Bournville, You earn it
8. Brio : It Loves You Back
9. Bosch : Invented for Life
10. Bru : Happiness Begins with Bru
11. Bingo : No Confusion,Great Combination
12. Belmonte : Suit Your Style
13. Blackberrys Suit : Go Sharp

C

1. Cif : Lets You Shine
2. Candyman : Kucch Bhi Karega For Candyman
3. Center Fresh : Zubaan Pe Lagaam
4. Chlormint : Dobaara Mat Poochna /Chaba Daba Ke
5. Complan : I am a Complan Boy
6. Clear Shampoo : No Dandruff
7. Clean & Clear : Clean Clear and Confident
8. Ceat : Born Tough /Be Idiot Safe
9. Coca Cola : Open Happiness
10. Canara Bank : Together we can
11. Close Up : Taazgi Jo Pas Laye
12. Coffy Bite : Coffee or Toffee /Bachchon Ki Coffee, Badhon ki Toffee

D

1. Dyna : Be a Lady
2. Dairy Milk : Kucch Meetha Ho Jaye
3. Dettol : Be 100 % Sure, 
4. Dabur : Celebrate Life
5. Dominoes : Hungry Kya /Khushiyon ki Home Delivery
6. Dinesh Suitings : Take the world in your stride
7. Doy soap : Clean Skin, Healthy skin
8. Daiken : Complete Silence
9. Domex : 100% Germ Killer
10. Dell  : Power to do more

E

1. Eclairs : Chocolate ka meetha bomb/Dooble Sara / Get Lost
2.  Enfield : Trip
3. Essilor : Seeing The World Better
4. Essenza Di Wills : Your Essence Your Soul
5. Eveready : Give Me Red 
6. Everyday Dairy Whitener : For great tasting tea
7. Eno : Gets to work in 60 seconds
8. Euro Innerwear : Prepare to get assaulted 
9. Eon ( Hyundai ) : India On
10. Economic Times : The Power of Knowledge

F

1. Fa  : Feel Good Freshness
2. Fiama Di Wills : Beautiful You , Today Tomorrow
3. Frooti : Fresh'N'Juicy , Grow Up
4. Fair and Lovely : Chaand Ka Tukda
5. Fastrack : How many you have ?
6. Fair & Handsome : Be fair ,Be Handsome
7. Fem : Beauty With Care
8. Fiesta : Go Fida 
9. Ford : Go Further
10. Fanta : Zyada Fanta Zyada Masti

Brand Update : Sprite Ditches University of Freshology

University of Freshology has closed down. All the students now can take the road because " Rasta Clear Hai"..

How sad that a brand like Sprite struggling to find a sustainable positioning . The brand which made its presence felt in the Indian market with a very clear and simple positioning based on the core benefit of  softdrink - Quenching Thirst. That positioning made Sprite the market leader in the category and  in 2009, the brand was the second largest soft drink brand in India.

Over the last few years, the brand ditched its focus on thirst and went after other positioning ideas. The struggle continues till date with the brand changing its communication themes every year. Last year , the brand introduced a much hyped concept of University of Freshology with some un-creative campaigns which in my opinion failed to excite the market. It may be because of that reason , the brand decide to bring back its positioning based on its erstwhile " Clear Hai " theme.

This summer, the brand is running a campaign with the new tagline " Rasta Clear Hai "

Watch the TVC here : Sprite Rasta Clear Hai

A campaign which further deteriorates the core brand identity of Sprite. The tagline Rasta Clear Hai means the "road is clear " which means what for the brand ? What is the value that this tagline or positioning is giving for the brand ? The brand owners may have wanted to convey that Sprite drinkers know their way ( how to get their things done )  but this positioning lacks the sustainability factor. 

The question is from this ad to what ? How is the brand going to build on this concept of  " Rasta Clear Hai " . My guess is that this theme will be for the summer of 2012.Then there will be another quick fix formula. 

Sprite has already lost its charm as a very clear, no-nonsense brand. Thankfully the competition 7UP is doing much worse... Solace.

Related Brand

Sprite : Teaching Gyaan

Best Marketing Practice : Uncle John's iDrive

It feels good when a brand innovates on an idea that benefits not only the brand but also the community. One such innovation is the children's park which was created by Cochin ( Kerala) based ice-cream brand Uncle John. Uncle John is a famous local brand of ice-creams marketed by M/S Jojo Frozen Foods Pvt Ltd. The brand name is coined from the name of its founder MC John.

Uncle John's I-Drive is a small children's park located near the NH Byepass at Cochin. Cochin which is the business capital of Kerala only has two well maintained parks for the residents. Both these parks are located in the heart of the city which makes it difficult to reach thanks to the heavy traffic. The launch of this small park which is away from the traffic of the city has proved to be a big boon to Cochinites. The park is modeled as a traffic park for kids with cycles, battery operated cars etc and other standard outdoor plays like slides, see-saw etc.

Pic Courtesy : The Hindu

What is interesting is that the whole concept of the park is ideated and executed by the brand. According to reports, the park is the idea of Mr.Joseph Simon who is a Director at the company which owns the brand. Another interesting fact is that the park charges Rs 25 as the entry fee ( per person) and the users can purchase ice-creams for that amount. The park already is a big hit among the residents of Cochin.

This park  is a classic case of smart marketing practice where the brand takes an initiative to offer something that is useful for the community ( also the target market) at the same time benefiting itself in the process. The investment of the park is huge but it is going to benefit the brand in the long-term. The brand through this idea is able to attract the TG and also makes them experience the products and at the same time provides enjoyment to them. This is a classic case of experiential marketing. 

However, the brand despite being innovative in the concept somehow was not aggressive in promoting its itself  in the park. Except for a hoarding there is not much OOH media inside the park that enhances the brand's visibility. In a typical Sunday, around 700 families visit the park and that is an audience a brand will die for.  There is lot of scope for innovation for the brand inside the park.Hope that the brand is able to sustain the park and gain its true return in terms of brand equity. The brand could have done lot of things inside the park that will enhance the brand's awareness and equity like

• Events
• Memorabilia
• Merchandise
• Contests

In the long term factors like safety, new games/rides, courteous staff, parking facilities, support of the corporation authorities will play a critical role in the success of this unique idea.

Brand Update : Lays Wants to Make Your Moment Magical

This year, Pepsico has brought about another positioning change in its most successful snack brand- Lays. The brand  never really found a sustainable positioning platform ever since it ditched its " No One Can Eat Just One " tagline. The last tagline of the brand was " Be Dillogical " which was introduced in 2009. So for around two years, the brand managers tolerated the positioning. 

This year, the brand decided to experiment yet again with the tagline , bringing in the new one -  "Pal Banaye Magical " meaning " Making Moments Magical ". The brand is running the new campaign featuring the brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan.

Watch the ad here : Lays Pal Banaye Magical

The ad follows the usual theme of group of friends or protogonist ( disappointed because of  cancellation of some event, boredom, etc)  and how brands liven their moments. The idea ( theme) is not at all new and has been used by brands across the world. Recently Titan Raaga used similar theme using Katrina Kaif , Tic Tac also used similar theme and Nano has used somewhat similar idea for their new positioning effort. The expectation of something different was not met by Lays in the current campaign.

Regarding the tagline " Pal Banaye Magical " sounds good and the creatives can work on this theme with a variety of stories. But I would say that it never comes anyway near to the brand's original tagline.And these frequent changes in the positioning doesn't augur well for the brand's overall strength. 

The brand which started its journey by positioning on taste later moved on to occasion based positioning ( har program ka main food) then moved to a higher attribute like Dillogical and then finally to celebrate friendship and togetherness. How ever in the execution front, the brand was not able to bring in any magic to these concepts.

On the other marketing practices, Lays innovated on its range of flavors using customer co-creation. Through a nationwide campaign , the brand solicited ideas of new flavors from the consumers and was able to create lot of buzz in the market. This move also gave the brand lot of innovative flavors to work upon, engage with the customers and also strengthen one of its core attributes - taste and flavors. The move was the blunt or in other words establish points-of-parity with its competitor - Bingo. ITC's Bingo was highlighting its " variety of flavors "  as its USP. Through the co-creation campaign, Lays was able to convince the customers that it is able to innovate on flavors too.

Related Brand

Lays : No one can eat just one

Brand Update : Lays Dillogical

Brand Update : Will Airlines' Failure Affect Kingfisher's Brand's Equity ?

The much hyped and celebrated Kingfisher airlines is in big trouble. UB group decided to extend its beer brand to airlines and executed the branding in perfect style. The beer brand and the airline brands gelled with each other in terms of positioning and brand attributes. The airlines further reinforced the fun and exciting attribute of the parent beer brand.

Kingfisher Airlines failure is  the failure of its business model. The business tried to grow too fast burning its cash in the process. Now the brand has been criticized by the same media which once sang its glory as the poster boy of extravaganza and customer delight.

Now Kingfisher as a brand is facing its worst PR nightmare. The Airlines failed to honor its schedules resulting in a series of cancellations which led to customers getting stranded. Whatever equity that the brand had built-up seems to be gone down the drain.

So the interesting question is whether the whole issue of Kingfisher Airlines will affect its parent brand " Kingfisher beer " ? Often in marketing classes, we used to talk about the negative effect of a brand extensions failure on the parent brand. Will the same apply to the beer brand ? 

Branding literature suggest that the failure of a brand extension will affect the parent brand only if there is a strong perceived fit or similarity between the extension and the parent brand.The damage to the parent brand is more if the extension is in the similar category. In the case of Kingfisher, the similarity is only in the positioning and the categories are poles apart - one is beverage and other is a service. Another instance of the damage to parent brand occurs when there is similarity in the customer groups that use the extension. Generally literature suggests that parent brands are not much affected by the extensions' failures. ( Reference : Brands and Branding  : Research and future implications, Lehmann & Keller,2006, Marketing Science)

So it can be safely argued that the equity of Kingfisher beer will not be much affected by airline's failure. Further , the absence of competition, the ban on advertising will help the beer brand and competitors cannot take advantage of the current issue.
The extension - Kingfisher Airlines is going to have a tough time getting back the credibility of the consumers if it survives the current crisis. Consumers have a short memory and Kingfisher Airlines can find solace in that.

Related brand
Kingfisher : The King of Good Times

Brand Update : 7UP Wants You to Feel UP

Certain brands change its taglines at the drop of a hat. 7Up, the lemon flavored softdrink brand from Pepsico is one such brand. The brand which re-energized the lemon flavored softdrink market in India after the demise of Limca is in a way struggling to find a sustainable positioning.

The brand which was launched in 1990 quickly gained traction in the Indian market largely due to the branding exercise centered around the mascot Fido Dido. The brand , for some reason or the other, decided to drop the famous mascot and began to concentrate on the " lemon " factor. The brand then adopted the tagline " The lemon drink'.
Later the brand decided to focus on the brand benifit - refreshing taste and adopted the tagline " Mood ko do lemon ka lift ". Then yet again in 2010, the brand went into anger management mode using the  tagline " Bheja Fry, 7Up Try " . In 2011, the brand roped in bollywood actor Sharman Joshi as brand ambassador and  adopted the positioning strategy centered around the coolness factor . The brand had the tagline  which was then changed to " chill machao " .

The brand couldn't find a tagline which really worked or established a sustainable positioning platform . One saving grace is that the brand however kept revolving around the coolness factor in these brand communications.

This summer , 7Up again changed its positioning and had a rebranding exercise whereby the logo has been changed to reflect the brand's international persona. Along with the new brand logo, 7UP is also running its 2012 summer campaign.

The new campaign is around the theme of "optimism" or upliftment.. The brand uses the " UP" term in the brand name to further reinforce the current positioning of optimism

Watch the new campaign : Sharman Joshi ( 7UP)

The brand has adopted yet another new tagline . The new tagline is " Dil BoleI Feel UP " . The positioning theme is that the brand lifts your optimism ( mood). The new ad features Sharman Joshi shaking a leg with a penguin. Other than that , there is not much wow in the new campaign. Another interesting fact is that 7UP decided to bring its Nimbooz brand also in the current campaign thus saving on the cost.

According to a report in ET, lemon flavored drinks were growing at 16-17% in the last year making it the fastest growing category in Rs 10,500 crore Indian softdrinks market. This season is expected to witness lot of action in this segment.

7UP in my opinion is struggling to find its positioning. Frequent changes in the slogan and advertising theme reflects this confusion. That confusion is not good for the brand in long-term. How ever practitioners argue on this citing freshness and rising sales . But to create a sustainable brand equity ,consistency in the positioning theme is a must. Otherwise the sales of the brand depends purely on the promotional spend and every year the brand needs to reinvent the wheel. Globally, the brand has the slogan " Be Yourself, Be Refreshing " is a wonderful positioning platform. But 7UP however chose to ignore it and the eternal search continues.,

Related brand

Brand Update : 7 UP Anger Management

Brand Analysis : 7 UP