Brand Update : Sunfeast

In a unique marketing move, FMCG major ITC has launched a new range of Sunfeast Biscuits: Sunfeast Sachin's Fit Kit. The brand's uniqueness lies in the fact that first time in India a product is being co-created by the company and the brand ambassador. In a world cup Googly , Sunfeast has not only roped in Sachin as a brand ambassador but also bought in a variant of a different kind.

Sunfeast Sachin's Fit Kit is the first Indian brand where the celebrity has been actively involved in the product development. Sachin has shared his dietary regimen which has helped him to stay in top fitness for more than 17 years ,with the company and the product was developed taking inputs from the dietary regime. The new variant is branded as Sunfeast Sachin's Fit Kit.

Sachin's Fit Kit comes in two variants : Vitamin and Protein Enriched and Multi-Grain. The Vitamin and Protein biscuit has Vitamin B1 B2 B5,B6 & B12 in it. The Multi-Grain biscuits has 6 grains in it viz Barley,oats, raggi,corn and wheat. The range retails for Rs 5 for 75gms and Rs 10 for 100gms.
The brand is promoted by Sachin and TVC's are on air now .The brand uses the taglines " Ab Har Ghar mein Sachin" translated to "Sachin in everyhouse" and also " Sachin ne Banaya" translated to : " Made By Sachin". The ads are made by Prahlad Kakkar for Ulka. The TG as I infer from the TVC is kids. The rationale of the current high profile heavy investment product is the understanding that Indian consumers are getting more health conscious. According to media reports, a part of the sales revenue will go to Sachin as a Royalty apart from the fee for endorsement.
The ordinary range of Sunfeast is endorsed by ShahRukh Khan (Watch TVC Here).The brand is leaving no stones behind and Sachin and SRK endorsing the same brand gives it an Awesome leverage

Related Brand
Sunfeast

Source:itcportal,businessline

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 5400crore ( $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.The 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

Marketing Funda : Limited Edition

Marketing Funda #4: Limited Edition

The post is inspired by one of my students Mr.Prateesh who raised this intriguing question: Why do companies come out with Limited Edition products?
Obviously this question can be seen in the light of high promotion advertisements of Marketing giants like Pepsi launching Pepsi Gold and Mirinda Limited Edition.
According to Wikipedia, the term "Special Edition" when used in Marketing, is intended to give the product something new and previously unseen in the regular edition.Limited Edition carries a sense of urgency and the products will be released for a shorter time or in limited numbers.
Limited Edition term is derived from publishing industry where limited number of editions can be printed with top quality impressions. But later this term was taken and used across industries.

Although Limited Editions are sold at a premium, there are many FMCG companies take up this concept minus the premium factor.The industry that has used this concept widely is the automotive sector . In India too there were lot of products that come with Limited Editions. The recent one is the Pepsi World cup Gold. Pepsi has earlier came out with Pepsi Blue in the last world cup.

The reason for launching a Limited Editions can be many :
1. Induce brand rejuvenation
2.Consumer Connect
3.Celebrate an event
4.On occasions/Festivals
5.Sales Promotion
6.Test Marketing
7.Creating a Hype in the market
8.Celebrity Endorsement
9.Encourage multiple purchases.
10. Create Brand Associations
11. Enhance Share of Mind

According to MG Parameswaran of Ullka, marketers use Limited Editions to increase consumer connect, to excite the market or for celebrations ( source:Financial Express). For example Lux came out with two limited edition flavor Chocolate Seduction to celebrate its 75 th anniversary.Pepsi Blue is to celebrate World Cup. Amara Raja Batteries had a Limited Edition to celebrate Narain Karthikeyan's entry into F1.

Sometimes Brands come out with Limited Editions to Excite the market. If the brand sales is plateauing, Limited Editions can bring back excitement into the product.The incremental improvements may encourage many new consumers into the product thus rejuvenating the brand.
Limited Editions also help to encourage customers to make multiple purchases as a Collectors item. Sometimes marketers use these Editions as a test marketing of a feature of attribute. For example Wagon R used a series of Limited Editions to test market some of the features which later became the part of the standard equipment.
Limited Editions are also used by marketers to boost the Share of Mind i.e to ensure Top of Mind Recall. Brands like Pepsi which has limited scope of differentiation in terms of product attributes uses Limited Edition like Pepsi Aha, Caffe Chino to boost the image and also the high profile promotion ensure top of mind recall.

Limited Editions are used for special seasons and occasions. Many marketers launch event/theme based variants of their products that runs for a short period but with a view to enhance the brand image.Some times Limited Editions are used to create a hype in the market.

Another advantage marketers see in Limited Editions are to use it to maximize the use of a celebrity.Palio effectively used Sachin and Special edition cars to boost the image of the brand.Limited Editions also help the brand to create positive brand associations. Coke used limited edition Rang De Basanti bottles to create positive association of truth and optimism.

All though there are many advantages to using Limited Editions as a strategic marketing tool, often these editions are expensive.Most often the return from these limited ranges cannot be measured. Sometimes the Limited Editions become failures which in turn affect the brand equity of the parent brand. Now a days marketers use Limited Editions as a tactical weapon ( sales promotion ) rather than a strategic tool.

Source: Financial Express

Easy Off Bang: And Dirt Is Gone

Brand : Easy Off Bang
Company: Reckitt & Benckiser

Brand Count 210

Easy Off Bang is a global brand launched recently in India. Easy Off Bang is a Multipurpose surface cleaner that cleans the tough stains,rust,hardwater build up and the like from surfaces.The brand was launched in Europe in 2004 and according to reports, the brand was a blockbuster success in the European market.

Easy Off Bang was launched in India in 2005.The test launch was in Tamilnadu and inspired by the positive response, the brand went National in 2006.The total surface cleaning market in India is estimated to be around Rs 350 crores (including toilet cleaners and floor cleaners).The concept of a surface cleaner is something new to Indian households . Mostly even for toughest stains, we use the common cleaning solutions and if it does not work then leave it like that !. Easy Off Bang is trying to explore a new segment in this category. Reckitt is the market leader in the surface cleaning market with products like Harpic, Lizol and Collin. Easy Off Bang is a product that fits neatly into the product line.

What is interesting about this brand is the Brand Name. The company decided to use the global brand name in India also.It is true that the name caught the attention of customers because of its uniqueness ( clutter breaking). But other than that positive aspect, the brand name (I feel) is a misfit in Indian market.Easy Off Bang is now promoted heavily through television. The brand takes the Demonstration Led Advertising where the anchor demonstrates the effectiveness of the product.The brand uses the tagline " Bang... And Dirt is Gone".

Easy Off Bang is a niche brand and is targeting SEC A and B segment. The product is priced at a premium at Rs 65 for 400 Ml.Although the brand is being advertised as a tough stain remover, the website shows certain surfaces where this product is not effective.According to the website, Easy Off Bang is not effective in the surfaces like Marble, Aluminum, vinyl floor tiles etc .Some customers may get disappointed by this disclaimer.

Easy Off Bang became very successful in the global market within two years of launch. This brand is present in around 70 countries and the company expects Indian market to positively accept the brand. The brand faces the issue of developing this category because customers may consider Easy Off as an avoidable expense and this brand faces competition with the ordinary floor cleaners. Although the brand name is little unorthodox for Indian market, the success of Alpenliebe may give confidence to the company. The performance of this brand will be closely watched by the customers and the delivery of promise will determine the success of Easy Off Bang.

Ginger Hotels : Luxury of Simplicity

Brand : Ginger
Company: Roots Corporation ( Taj Group)


Brand Count : 209

Recently I was intrigued by a simple ad of a hotel in Television with the tagline " Please Help Yourself" because seldom we see hotels advertise and decided to read more about the brand Ginger. There was many surprises in store for me about this brand. Ginger is the new version of Indione chain of hotels touted as the budget hotel chain from the Taj Group. Owned by the TATA's Ginger brand is expected to shake up the hospitality industry for the better.

Indione launched in Bangalore in June 2004 was Taj's first foray into Budget hotels. The hotel chain was expected to tap in the growing population of Business and leisure travelers and expected to satisfy the need for a hotel that offers service at affordable price. The Bangalore property was a test market of this concept.The test market results was encouraging and the Bangalore hotel averaged 85% occupancy rate. After testing and fine tuning the process and service, the company nationally launched the chain of hotels.

Tata's however decided not to use Indione for the chain of hotels ( for some reasons). The brand Ginger was chosen to this new chain of hotels. The brand Ginger was developed with the help of Internationally renowned Brand consultancy firm Landor Associates. Ginger brand radiates simple unique,basic, lighthearted,very different, Indian, innovation as its Brand values. The company wanted the brand to radiate Freshness and Ginger communicates that freshness.
Although the concept of budget hotels looks attractive, it is not easy to sustain the cost and the service expectations. Hence Taj conducted an extensive consumer research to fine tune the service delivery and the ambiance.The national rollout of Ginger Hotel was on March 2006. The brand already has its presence in 6 locations.

Ginger differentiates itself from other budget hotels by its SMART BASICS feature. Smart Basics concept was co-created by Ginger with the help of the Renowned Management Guru CK Prahlad. Smart Basics provide a value proposition of a different kind. It represents a Next Generation category that signifies Simplicity, convenience,informality,style ,modernity and Affordability.The hotel offers a mix of high end facilities with an affordable price tag. Ginger offers a customer following facilities: A/C, electronic lock,comfortable beds, work area, 17" Flat TV,Direct Dial with STD, Gym,cyber cafe etc at a rate of Rs 999 for single and 1175 for double room.The hotels operate with skeletal staff but is highly process oriented so that most of the necessities of the customers are taken care. Some of the services are outsourced but available to the customer on call. As the tagline says " Please Help Yourself", most of the services are self service ( to reduce cost) including check in. The trick is to be process driven so that customers will just have to follow the process and things will be taken care by the process.That also gives the company an option to charge for specific services demanded for the customers.

Ginger effectively fills a gap that existed in the hospitality sector, a need for a budget hotel that delivers reasonable/assured service. Ginger helps that decision making easier for the customers.
Ginger is an example of Masstige service and holds huge potential in the Indian market. The budget hotel market in India is estimated to be around Rs 6000 crore and Ginger is all set to conquer this market.

Source: hospitalitynet.org,gingerhotels.com,businessline, economictimes

Ford Ikon : The Josh Machine

Brand : Ikon
Company:Ford India
Agency:JWT

Brand Count:208

Ford Ikon is a brand with a class. This brand has redefined the car marketing in India. Launched in 1999, Ikon in a way rejuvenated the fortunes of Ford Motors in India. Ford came to India with a dated model like Ford Escort.Escort was launched in 1995 and was one of the first international brand to enter the midsize sedan market.

Ford Ikon was launched in the event of phasing out of Escort. Since then Ikon has been a major player in the entry level sedan market with a share of over 20%. The most interesting aspect of the brand is in its positioning. Ikon dethroned the position of Esteem in the C segment through its breakaway positioning.

Till 2005 Ikon has sold over 100,000 cars and has occupied a special space in the highly competitive car market in India. Ford Ikon is actually an Indian adaptation of the highly successful European Fiesta model. But knowing the Indian market with the Escort example, the company decided to design and Indian car for Indian consumers. Thus born the brand Ikon.
The company virtually adapted the whole product to suit the Indian consumer taste and also Indian driving conditions.Ikon was one of the first examples of Global brand getting Local in the automotive industry.
Once the product is ready, came the question of marketing. Ikon was priced as an entry level sedan car and was positioned in the C segment. C segment was dominated by Esteem and there was a slew of competitors waiting to tap the market including Hyundai Accent. Most of the purchases in this segment was rational and the brands were also positioned on rational platforms. Ikon wanted to break the icons and decided to do away with the demographic positioning. Research and initial test marketing showed that Ikon is associated with the Attractive and Peppy attributes. The company decided to position the brand as a lifestyle brand. The TG was decided to be young professionals who works hard and play hard who are Full of Life and Affluent. This brand is the classic case of lifestyle segmentation.

Ikon had the sporty design and all the pep that a sporty car needs interms of engine capacity and performance. The agency hit upon the big idea of positioning the brand as the Josh Machine.I think the tagline JOSH Machine is one of the best taglines I have come across. Although the term Josh is hindi ( I have criticised Go Fida campaign) Josh term had a universal appeal across India. Although some of the ads were lousy, the product delivered the promise. The Brand clearly identified the TG and Josh satisfied the need for a sporty sedan ( that need is still there). Indian Yuppies lapped up this product and the brand which suffered most because of Ikon was the Maruti Esteem.Ikon was priced between Rs 5.5 lakh and 6 lakhs.The brand broke from the rational positioning into a more emotional plane.The brand had the famous tagline " The Josh Machine " which was later modified to " Live Life with Josh".

The brand hit a rough patch in 2003 with competition hotting up. The launch of Indigo changed the dynamics of the C segment. To compete with Indigo, Ikon launched a variant in the sub 5 lakh category with Ford Flair.

Last year Ford launched its Fiesta in the Indian market at a premium over Ikon. According to company reports, Fiesta is positioned as an Aspirational sedan and complements Ikon rather than cannibalise it. Fiesta became a runaway success because of its blockbuster performance.

Ford Ikon is now at a critical point in its lifecycle. Although the brand has came out with lot of variants over time like SXI, NXT, the brand is now perceived to be an old brand.The Josh in this brand is no longer there and the company is now focusing on its new baby Fiesta. This lack of marketing and brand building on Ikon can prove to be a big negative for the brand. Slowly the brand may lose its relevance in the Indian market . The Ford India site talks about the new Ford Ikon with spruced up interiors,but what the brand needs is a relook on the promotional front.The brand still holds significant relevance in the Indian market because there is no brand that has the sporty look and the positioning of Ikon. There is still an unmet need for a peppy car and Ikon if not promoted with Josh will be a great injustice to the brand. There is not even a need for repositioning. Only high profile well made advertisements will do the trick. Exciting colors and roadshows will pep up this sagging brand. Else this brand will die a very untimely and unwarranted death..

Source: Businessline,agencyfaqs,
image courtesy: agencyfaqs,ford website

Related brand
Ford Fiesta