Toyota Qualis : RIP (2000-2004)

Brand : Qualis
Company : Toyota
Agency : Dentsu

Brand Analysis Count : 294

Qualis is a puzzling brand for most of the marketing students. The simple reason is that Toyota stopped the production of this brand when Qualis was having its highest market share in Indian market.
Qualis was launched in India in 2000. At that time itself the brand caught headlines because it was the first product of Toyota in India. Qualis was atleast two generation old when it was launched in India. Qualis is Indian version of Toyota Kijang from Indonesia. There were cases of globally dated models introduced in India biting the bullet like Peaugot 306 . So there were skeptics who forcasted doom for Qualis.
Those predicted failure for Qualis had real logical reasons. First, Qualis was a dated model. Indian consumers are aware of global trends and may not accept an outdated model . Second was the design of Qualis. Qualis was not good looking. Hence the chances of the brand's acceptance was perceived to be minimal .
But Qualis proved everyone wrong. For Toyota, Qualis was a brand launched to test the market. The brand was launched after careful market research and several consumer insights gave the company confidence to launch this product in the market.
Qualis was a utility vehicle. The brand was competing with the Tata Sumo which was the market leader in the nascent MPV segment.Sumo was a work horse and the product had its problem regarding lack of refinement and brand image. But there was a need for a refined, high quality multi-purpose vehicle.
MPV's are used by businessman and self employed and those who would like to take the entire family around. Sumo was more of a commercial vehicle rather than a family one. Sensing this gap, Qualis was launched as a family MPV.
Qualis was launched with much fanfare and the launch also saw some iconic advertising. The brand was launched with " Touch and Try" campaign which encouraged the customers to test drive the car. The brand initially focused on Space and comfort as the main differentiator. The sales soared once positive word of mouth about the comfort of the car began to circulate. Infact Qualis redifined the MPV segment in India. From rugged product to a refined car, consumers were educated to new levels of comfort.
But things were not rosy for Qaulis . Rather than the intended consumers, this brand began to attract taxi and tour operators. Qualis was selling like hotcakes as taxis. From the initial 9% market share , Qualis dethroned Sumo and was the market leader with over 40% share.
The brand tried to bring back the individual consumer through a series of campaigns and variants. The brand had the following taglines " Touch the perfection " and " Live the Qualis Life" . New luxurious variants were launched to attract businessman and individuals to buy this car. The TG for Qualis were businessman/self employed with an annual income between Rs 600,000- Rs 800,000 who travels atleast 40-50 Km per day. Qualis was known for Quality Durability and Reliability.
With MPV segment taking off, competition was getting hotter for Qualis. New launches from Chevrolet and Mahindra began hurting the market position of Qualis. More than Chevrolet, it was Scorpio that worried Toyota most. The company felt that the intended consumers ( individuals) were moving away from Qualis. Market research suggest that consumer needs are changing and Qualis did not fit into the consumer's schemes.
Toyota had the company policy that a model should have attained leadership position before phasing out. Qualis has attained its saturation point. So the company had the challenge of retaining the leadership position in the segment and also to expand the market. It wanted to get out of the " Taxi " tag. Another development was the famous Innovative International Multipurpose Vehicle Platform ( IMV) which was decided to be the base for all international products from Toyota.
In 2004, Toyota announced the phasing out of Qualis. Interestingly, the month where the phasing out was announced saw record sales for Qualis. Its difficult for a brand to succeed and even more difficult for a marketer to kill a successful brand. Qualis ' death was timely and paved way for a more successful Innova.
The natural question arises when a company decides to kill a brand is about the existing customers. For products which needs after sales support and spares, usually companies have a policy of supporting its phased out brand for over a decade. The existing customers may feel less worried if they are assured support by the company for a reasonable period.

Brand Update : Taj Mahal Tea

Taj Mahal tea has launched a new variant : Dessert Tea. The dessert tea comes in three flavors like French Vanilla, Butterscotch, and Dulce. The new range comes in attractive packaging and is promoted with the brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan.

Dessert teas are new to India ( as far as I know). But it looks strikingly similar to Cappuccino . May be the product is just creamy tea with icecream flavors . What ever it may be , the brand looks tempting.
Taj Mahal Desset tea has the slogan " Pamper Yourself " and the ads are already in various magazines. The brand also has a hip-hop website www.pamperurself.in.
The brand is being positioned as a beverage to indulge in. When you are at office or at home, taking this brand will carry you to another world.
The brand is hoping to replicate the success of Bru Cappuccino. The brand stands out with its unique packaging which gives it a premium look. For tea lovers, it is a break from the usual monotony.
One thing to worry for this new range is the limited success that other innovations had in the tea segment. Lipton Iced tea was not a success despite high decibel advertising. However these new flavors and variants will bring back the excitement in the tea segment. Marketers were worried about this category ( tea) losing its charm among the youth. If successful, dessert teas will open new opportunities for tea marketers .
Related Brand
Taj Mahal Tea

Accu-chek : Live Life The Way You Want

Brand : Accu-chek
Company : Roche

Brand Analysis Count : 293

Accu-chek is a unique brand. The brand is a pioneer in home blood sugar monitoring device market in India. Accu-chek is the brand of global diagnostics major Roche. Roche introduced the revolutionary blood monitoring device in 1983.
India is the facing the huge problem of burgeoning diabetic patients count. According to media reports 20% of world's diabetic patients are in India. This has created a market for diabetic related products in India which is estimated to be over Rs 1236 crore growing at 16%.
Like the brand " Sugarfree" discussed elsewhere in the blog, Accu-chek also treats diabetes as a lifestyle issue rather than a disease. Accu-chek is positioned as an lifestyle enabler rather than a medical device.
This smart positioning comes from the customer insight that diabetes is an obstacle to a person's way of life. Once detected, the person's life changes forever. The lifestyle changes and the enjoyment withers away.
One of the most important part of treatment for diabetes is the regular blood sugar monitoring. Doctors assure the patients that if they are able to monitor sugar levels and adjusts their life, diabetes can be contained. But monitoring blood sugar level involves visits to the lab which is a real boring and damning experience.
It is from this problem that innovative products like home blood monitoring devices were created.These devices are a boon of diabetes patients because of the convenience factor.

Accu-chek is actively promoted by Roche in India. The brand has the ace cricketer Wasim Akram as the brand ambassador. Wasim was diagnosed with diabetes during his peak career point. Most analysts predicted end of career for Akram. But with careful monitoring and control, Wasim came back to cricket and proved the doomsayers wrong. WasimAkram fits perfectly with Accu-chek's positioning of lifestyle enabler. Akram features in the ads of this brand and often participates various events sponsored by the brand.

Accu-chek uses the classic slogan " Live life the way you want". The slogan actively captures the brand's vision and I am quite impressed by the vision of the brand. The brand assures the customers that one can life a healthy life with diabetes.
To reinforce the positioning, the brand is very active in promoting information regarding diabetes. The brand had a CSR initiative in 2004 called Inspiration Series where the brand took up the cause of juvenile diabetes ( kids suffering from diabetes). The brand also leads in observing November 14 as World Diabetes day by organizing awareness camps and road shows.
The brand also is a smart innovator. Accu-chek has lot of variants like Accu-chek integra which was launched in 2007. This product is a premium product which has more advanced features. A typical blood monitoring device consists of a a meter, strip and finger pricker .

Accu-chek is not without competition. The biggest competitor is One Touch Ultra from Johnson and Johnson. The list is long with every major pharma players launching their own brands. All these products are priced higher starting from Rs 2500 and above. The testing strips are also very expensive and now there is a trend where companies sell the meters for low prices and make money on the strips. However for a consumer, these products are a boon and the increased competition may see the prices becoming less and the product becoming more affordable.

Brand Update : Vim

Vim has become better again. After launching the liquid variant to counter the attack of Pril, Vim has taken the battle to Exo.

Exo which is a brand of Jyothi Lab has been positioning itself as the dish wash bar with antibacterial properties. Exo has been promoting the USP of antibacterial bar using the ingredient Cyclozan. The differentiation was effective and the antibacterial attribute gave Exo sufficient consumer attention.
This year, Vim relaunched itself as Antibacterial Vim. The latest relaunch takes on the differentiation of Exo. In marketing theory , we talk about Competitor Points of parity . Competitor points of parity aims to neutralize the points of differentiation of competitors. The latest relaunch of Vim is a classic example of this concept.
Does Exo has a reason to worry?
I think there are two main reasons for Exo to worry. Firstly its USP is no longer unique. The same attribute is now shared with the competitor .
Secondly Vim has put Exo in a trap. The new Vim uses Neem + Lemon as the antibacterial agent while Exo uses Cyclozan which sounds like a chemical. So here again Vim scores over Exo.
Vim is a classic example of how brands sustain its marketshare through careful marketing strategies.
Related Brand
Vim

Brand Update : Kur-lon

After repositioning itself as a home decor brand, Kurl-on is back again focusing on its core product : mattress. The brand is now running a campaign focusing on the mattresses.
Watch the TVC here : Kurl-on
I like this ad because it is simple straight forward and excellently executed. This is a reminder ad to create brand awareness for Kurl-on. You will yawn after seeing the ad.
The new campaign makes sense because there can be a dilution of the of Kurl-on's association with mattresses since it had ventured into related products. So once in a while , the brand has to remind the customers about its main product.
From the beginning itself , Kurl-on had positioned itself as a sleep enabler. The new campaign is an execution of a smart execution of a simple idea.

Related brand

Kurl-on

Transitions : Healthy Sight in Every Light

Brand : Transitions
Company : Transitions Opticals


Brand Analysis Count : 292

Transitions is a niche brand in the 1200 crore Opticals market. Transitions is a pioneer in plastic Photochromic lens market worldwide. The company launched the first commercially viable plastic photochromic lens in 1990 . Transitions optical is a Florida based company formed as a joint venture between PPG Industries and Essilor. The company besides selling Transitions brand of lenses also supplies the technology for leading eyecare marketers across the world.

Transitions lenses are plastic photochromic lenses that automatically adjusts with the changing light conditions. It becomes dark as sunglasses when there is bright sun and become plain when the light is low.
Transitions began its operation in India in 2006 and this year the brand has decided to become aggressive in the Indian market. India is predominately a glass lenses market with a market size of over 75 mn pieces sold every year. The market is moving towards plastic lenses which offers a huge potential for a brand like Transitions.
Transitions is running a campaign in the visual media these days. The brand is positioned on its UV blocking attribute. The ad talks about the danger of exposing to ultra-violet rays and highlights the flexibility of usage of Transitions in various light conditions.
Watch the Tvc here : Transitions
The brand is positioned as an everyday eyewear and helps the customer to do away with having two spectacles ,one for indoor and another for the outdoor. Transitions use the tag line " Healthy sight in every light " true to the positioning of the brand. Priced upwards from Rs 1800, the brand is targeting the premium segment of customers.
The brand is facing an interesting problem in the consumer behavior front. A research by the company showed that Indian consumers spent 65% of the time selecting the frame and only 35% in choosing lenses. Hence the buyer behavior focuses very much on the style rather than the lens. There is again an issue with the branding of lenses. Lenses is still a commodity business and the branding only have just started.
What is making Transitions excited about Indian market is the growing population of IT professional who work across different time zones . The growing cases of VDU syndrome , Computer related eye problems have opened up a huge market for such lenses. These new work related diseases have increased the demand for anti-glare and photochromic lenses.
Transitions has been able to identify the emergence of a new market for branded photochromic lenses in India. The brand faces the competition from unbranded lenses but thee opportunity is too good to resist.
source : FE, Businessline