Brand Update : Surf Excel

Surf Excel is currently running two campaigns riding on the popularity of the "Daag Ache Hain" ( Dirt is good) campaign.The new campaign too strikes a chord with the consumers. Continuing with the earlier campaign, the new ad features two kids taking a Puddle fight to distract their fighting parents fighting over a car collision. The voice over says " if some thing good happens because of dirt then Dirt is Good". According to a report in agencyfaqs, the creative team had a tough task in continuing a classic campaign and no doubt they have been very successful.

The second campaign takes a cue from the World cup. The ad features a group of kids preparing for World Cup 2015.
Watch the TVC here: Surf Excel Cricket

Both these ad takes on the spirit of the brand to a higher platform .The ads are also classic way of using kids to promote an adult brand. The " Dirt is Good" campaign is also a classic example of the power of a "Big Idea". The idea has been running for more than 3 years and still has not lost its relevance. The agency also has been able to keep the Idea relevant through smart execution.

Related Brand
Surf Excel

Image source:agencyfaqs,magindia

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

Tibre : Looks Formal Feels Casual

Brand :Tibre
Company:Gangotri Textiles Ltd (GTL)
Agency: Fifth Estate

Brand Count:225

Tibre launched in 1999 was one of the fastest growing apparel brand in India. The brand which was focusing on the trouser segment is an aggressive marketing mode these days. The brand when launched was a low key brand concentrating more on the South India.

GTL after its successful IPO has now put the Tibre brand in the national map. Tibre which was initially a trouser brand has extended itself to men's apparel and has plans to launch women's apparels too.
Tibre is a mid-premium segment brand. The brand is priced a notch lower than the premium brands like Color Plus. Essentially this brand follows the path of Color Plus and is fighting it out in the Smart Casuals category. Tibre has a wide rane of trousers like Chinos , Easy Care, Denim,Indigo Chino etc. Unlike the formal trousers, these type of casual + formals rules the current office wear market. I think that the brand name Tibre is derived from the first part of the family name of the Managing Director Mr Manoj Kumar Tibrewal.
Tibre is positioned as a "Cool" brand and the tagline is " Looks Formal Feel Casual". The brand is trying to focus on the comfort and style as its positoning platform with stess on the former attribute.
Tibre is depending on print ads to convey its brand proposition. The ads are classy and different. The brand has been using various themes for its campaigns. Each series has a theme and a series of ads with a relevant message. For example one theme was about nature and the tagline for that theme was " Naturally Soft" while another theme was about "Cool" and the message was " Refreshingly Cool". These eye catching campaigns took the brand to a scorching growth chart during the last three years.
Although as a consumer, I had a bad experience with this brand, the market has responded positively to Tibre. Targeted at young executives, the brand has lot of potential to grow.But there are areas like Quality and Value for Money factors which are problem areas for this brand. I feel that this brand is too expensive for the quality it delivers. With a little more money, one can afford a premium brand rather than go for Tibre. But the positive factors being the lack of competition in the price range that Tibre offers. Competitors like Live-in are not aggressive these days.

Tibre has the potential to grow but it has some more tuning to make with regard to the product.

Mitsubishi Lancer : Always In Control

Brand : Lancer
Company: Mitsubishi/Hindustan Motors
Agency:Mudra

Brand Count:224

Lancer is a super brand in its own right. A surprise winner from the old war horse Hindustan Motors, Lancer has been a major player in the mid size premium segment for over 9 years. Lancer was launched in India in 1998.
When the brand was launched, it was considered a super luxury car for the rich and famous. During those days , there was not much competition and the Lancer redefined the concept of luxury and comfort. Despite being from Hindustan Motors, Lancer was never perceived to be a cousin of Ambassador. The brand was able to build a positive secondary association with the Mitsubishi rather than Ambassador.
Lancer was launched with the Slow Skimming strategy. The brand was priced at a premium and was not backed by aggressive promotion.The company decided to let the brand talk for itself rather than advertisements.
The brand did talked for itself. Lancer is known to be a no nonsense car that delivers which it promises.The car is sturdy,comfortable and stylish. Since the brand was positioned as a super premium car, the car took two attributes : style and driving pleasure as its positioning platform. The car was promoted as the status symbol for those who has already reached the pinnacle of success.The brand touted the tagline " Own the Road" symbolizing the image, size and comfort of the car.The brand had campaigns starting with explaining the benefits of the car then later moving into communicating the pleasures of owning a Lancer.
But later the brand found itself in the middle of an identity crisis. The competition created new segments in the market and Lancer soon found itself not a member of super premium segment. The brand had to reinvent itself. The brand moved from C segment to D segment and the competition was hotting up from Accent and City.
The disruption in the segment forced Lancer to change the Target Segment also. From the successful, the TG has changed to those who is one their way to success.The TG was defined as 30+ who are the Climbers and who needs symbols to motivate them to reach higher.The tagline was changed to " Life in Control" that talks about being in control of the car and the life. To be in control was a significant aspect to the life of the TG. This insight inspired the brand to come out with communications explaining the big idea. I would say that the campaign was inspired by the campaign of BMW 's "Ultimate Driving Machine " campaign.

Despite the competition, Lancer has always been an introvert brand. I do not remember any TVC for the brand or recollect any print campaigns but still I see a lot of Lancer's on road and all owners of this brand swear by the performance and quality.The quality and customer satisfaction was reflected in the surveys and more importantly the car winning lot of Motor Rally.
The brand was smart enough to make changes especially in design/look without disturbing the equity. 2004 saw the brand coming out with a variant Lancer Cedia which was positioned as a sporty Lancer. But there too the brand kept a low profile.
Despite its lack of aggression, Lancer rules the Mid Size premium segment. But competition is becoming too hot for an introvert... Lancer may have to make more noises before it getting lost in the new launches.

Source/picture:agencyfaqs

Original Choice: Whats Up This Evening ?

Brand : Original Choice Whisky
Company: Paul John Enterprises
Agency: Maithri Advertising


Brand Count ; 223

Original Choice is a leading whisky brand in India especially in the South India in states like Andhra,Karnataka and Kerala. The brand has acquired a whopping 51 % market share in the South India since its launch in 1996. The brand has humbled big names like the UB group and Shaw Wallace in the southern markets.The brand is currently one of the five leading Whisky brands in India.

Original Choice brand was in limelight these days for its guerrilla marketing tactics which surprised both the consumers and marketers alike. The brand is running a high profile campaign featuring the Superstar from Kerala : Mohanlal.

The current campaign is one of the best surrogate advertising campaign I have seen in recent years. All through the state , there are banners that feature the actor asking the question " Vaikittentha Paripadi" meaning " What's Up this evening". This is a very common slang in the state of Kerala. The hoarding also features the brand " Original Choice" banana chips not Whisky. We all know that liquor ads are banned in India and marketers often come out with products like Club Soda ( bagpiper), CD's ( Bacardi) Water (Johnny Walker) etc. Original Choice chose Banana Chips which is a favorite snacks with tipplers.

The campaign also features a TVC where the actor is munching the chips and asking everyone this loaded question in Malayalam " Vaikittentha Paripadi" ( Whats up this evening? ). According to media reports, the distillery has a tie up with the actor's food venture " Mohanlal's Tastebuds" to jointly develop a product line of " evening snacks". But every one knows that this is an excuse for Surrogate advertising.
The latest campaign has angered the moral police and has created a controversy ( more benefit for the brand !). What enraged the civil society is the posters that feature the actor with the chips and bottle of Original Choice which was splashed all across the bars and liquor shops. Original Choice is targeting the economy segment of the liquor market.

The campaign is a terrific hit and according to reports, the sale of this brand has increased after the campaign. The tagline " Vaikittentha paripadi" is on the lips of everyone and sms featuring this line is buzzing everywhere.
Good or Bad, Surrogate or unlawful, this is a marketing success story. If the company is able to take this campaign forward, we can see the birth of an iconic brand.
Watch The TVC here: Original Choice

Vaikittentha Paripadi ?
Cheers....


Source: Agencyfaqs,BBC.co.uk

Hair O Max : Double Protection : Internal & External

Brand : Hair O Max
Company: Nupal Remedies
Agency: Exodus

Brand Count: 222

Hair O Max is a new product launch from Nupal Remedies which is the owner of the famous Liver Supplement brand Kamilari. The new brand Hair O Max is being promoted heavily by the company through print and visual media. Nupal is a kerala based Ayurvedic Medicine manufacturer which was established in 1960. Their most famous brand is the Kamilari which is a uniquely marketed liver supplement. Buoyed by the success of Kamilari, the company has ventured into hair care segment.

The brand is interesting because of its product properties. Hair O Max is a natural hair fortifying product that comes in two product forms:oil and capsule. Yes.... capsule that should be taken internally. According to the print ads, the brand will prevent dandruff and also give maximum protection to the hair from outside and inside. The brand is being targeted at both men and women.

This brand is being endorsed by Miss India Niharika Singh and the company is spending heavily in the print and visual media. But for the product, I have certain doubts ( academic of course). In theory we talk about Category Points of Parity that talks about the importance of category membership for a new brand/product. Here you have a new product in capsule form that takes the ownership in the category of Hair Care products. We know that 99.99% of the hair care products are to be applied externally and comes in the liquid form. Here we have a capsule trying to make points of parity with that category. Hair O Max has an oil variant but I am referring to the capsule. From the ad, I understand that both capsule and oil has to be used to get the maximum benefit.
So will the consumer be able to accept a capsule form of hair care product.I feel it is very difficult. Remember that problem faced by Amrutanjan cold snap which was a cold remedy that cannot be applied to the nose? There are two issues with regard to this product form:
1.To convince the customer about category membership since the form is entirely different from the existing category products.
2. To convince the customer to consume a capsule.When I asked my wife about the idea of consuming a capsule to have beautiful hair, the response was negative because of the lack of confidence in the product.
The brand is being positioned on the basis of Double Protection: Internal and External.

The issue become more serious because the risk in consuming and the risk in the quality of the product will be there in the mind of the customer. To convince is a very expensive proposition.The brand need to give fast and visible results to get over the confidence hurdle.

Nupal Remedies has a successful history of making the brand Kamilari a success. It has to be seen whether Hair O Max will be successful.
Watch the TVC ( malayalam) : Hair o Max