Brand Update : Slice

This season, Slice has come out with another campaign further reinforcing the highly successful positioning of ' Pure Mango Pleasure '. Slice has found a perfect match in the brand ambassador Katrina Kaif and the ad agency has extracted maximum from the celebrity.

Watch the ad here : Slice

I am not a spoil sport but when the celebrity and the brand gel too much the inevitable question arises as to " What Next". When I raised this question in one of the forums, lot of my ex-students asked me this very important question " Why should you ask What Next ?" . If things are working perfectly fine, why be a cynic ? There will be many other celebrities who will be taking place of Katrina . Frankly I did not have answers for that .

When we look at branding as a long term strategy, it is important to look at all brand associations on a long term perspective. Slice had hit upon a terrific idea of " Pure mango pleasure " and Aamsutra concept. The brand also found a perfect match in Katrina Kaif. There is an intense chemistry between the positioning concept and the celebrity now. It reminds me of the Accenture - Tiger Woods relationship.Accenture consciously built that singular pivotal association with Tiger Woods that landed up in trouble. Now Accenture had to break the earlier association built over a number of years and getting some equally good creative campaign for the brand is not going to be easy.

The lesson is that brands must have a plan to take the concept forward independently. I assume that marketers at Pepsi may have thought about it. Marketers should feel jittery when there is too much association with any celebrity for that matter. Be it Akshay Kumar for Thums Up or Katrina for Slice.

For now, Slice is on a roll. Insiders say that the brand has grown more than 300% in Kerala alone in the last quarter.
Great Going

Related Post
Slice

Wipro Smartlite : Savings Account

Brand : Wipro Smartlite

Company : Wipro

Ad Agency : Orchard Advertising

Brand Analysis Count # 448

Wipro Smartlite is an interesting brand. Interesting because of the patience with which the company is nurturing the brand and also for the consistency of positioning which is now a rare feature in the current Indian marketing world.

Wipro Smartlite was launched in 2001 marking the foray of Wipro Lighting division into the CFL market. After 9 years, Smartlite is India's fifth largest CFL brand. The Indian CFL market is estimated to be around Rs 700 crore and is expected to grow fast because of the current trend towards energy efficient products. The lighting market is dominated by the incandescent bulbs which sells around 90-95 crore units every year.

The CFL market was growing slowly because of the significant price differential compared to incandescent bulbs. While the ordinary bulb costs Rs 10-15, CFL used to cost between Rs 110-115. This huge price differential made CFL to be considered as a luxury rather than a value for money product.

The entire CFL market become the center of focus in the last couple of years due to strong campaign from Government and NGOs. Despite the higher cost, CFL is considered to reduce the electricity consumption to a large extent thereby provide continuous savings . Such campaigns increased the awareness of utility of CFL among the general public.

Wipro Smartlite has positioned itself on the savings platform. The brand has adopted the tagline " Savings Account of your house " and uses the benefits like (a) Saves 40% electricity (b) lasts longer (c) better lighting ,to reinforce the positioning . The brand has roped in celebrities like Paresh Rawal and Jayaram in its campaigns.

Watch the campaign here : Wipro Smartlite

The CFL market faces the issue of cheap imports from China. The market is full of cheap low quality China CFLs which are sold at a ridiculously low prices. The margins of these China CFLs are so high that retailers push these products to the consumers.

The next few years will witness a tremendous growth in the CFL market in India. Consumers are becoming more conscious about energy saving products and are convinced about the value proposition of CFL. The high profile promotions of players like Wipro, Philips, CG , Havells etc will further expand the market for CFL.

Marketing Strategy : After Marketing

What Will You Do After Marketing

Originally published here at adclubbombay.com

Marketing in conventional sense has been defined as the process where organizations and individuals satisfy their needs and wants by creating and exchanging offerings of value. After -Marketing is a term that denotes the activities that a firm undertakes after the sale is completed.

Usually after-marketing activities are broadly understood as after-sales service. After-Marketing is more than the service support that is given after-sales. In the case of a product that needs service support like automobiles or in the business marketing, after sales service is a relevant and forms a major component of After-Marketing.

But in the case of a product like soap, there is no scope for after-sales service but there is a scope for after-marketing activities. While traditional marketing emphasis on activities till the sale is done, after-marketing strategies starts after the sales are made. These activities will take the simple transaction of buying and selling to the next level of relationship marketing. A relationship between the buyer and seller will depend a lot on what the seller does after the order is signed.

While After-Sales Service activities are applicable to products and services that require service support, After-Marketing is applicable for all products and services.

Define the After-Marketing Activities

The first step in After-Marketing is the recognition of the fact that sale is not the end of the relationship but a beginning of a relationship. And relationship is more than repeat purchases. In the case of business to business relationship, the after-marketing activities are marked by continuous follow-up by the sales department. In the case of a consumer product which requires service support like a TV or an automobile, the after-marketing activities include the product service support given by the company. In these cases, after –marketing activities are clearly defined and obvious.

For a product like soap or a shampoo, there is no scope for after-sales support. Hence the marketer has to define the concept of after-marketing. This includes what the brand should do after the selling is done and also what it expects the consumer to do after he has bought the product.

Sunsilk expects its consumers to visit their website and participate in discussions and exchange their ideas with the company. The brand has a clear understanding about what it expects the consumers to do after they have used /interacted with the brand. Sunsilk through its website also offers much information to the consumers about hair-care and solving hair-related problems. Thus there is a continuous connection with consumers over and above the transaction of buying a shampoo. This is a planned process that includes investment of resources on the part of the brand to connect with the consumers.

Take Initiative to Connect

After-Marketing activities can be of two types – Active and Passive. Active after-marketing involves reaching out to the consumers and encouraging consumers to interact with the company. Fastrack brand has a presence across various social marketing sites like Twitter through which the brand tries to connect with its existing and potential consumers.

Recently Dettol ran a high profile advertising campaign asking their existing consumers to narrate the various purposes for which they use Dettol. Consumers use Dettol for disinfecting floor, wash the wounds, disinfect the diapers, use it during bathing etc. These insights helped Dettol to run a campaign highlighting the multiple uses of Dettol.

Passive activities are where the brand expects consumers to initiate a connection. Having a toll free number printed on the back of the pack is a passive after-marketing activity while running a contest for consumers to call the company and suggest ideas is an active effort.

After-marketing activities also is aimed at providing a complete experience to the consumers about the product. The success of a product lies in how well the consumer is able to derive maximum from the product. So the marketer should ensure that the consumer use the product completely and thus gains maximum utility from the product.

Take the example of a mobile phone. Now mobile phones are loaded with applications and features and it is often found that consumer seldom uses the many applications in their phones. Unless the consumer fully uses the features, a complete product experience cannot be guaranteed. After-Marketing activities can be planned to equip the consumer to fully use their product. Easy to read manuals, education of consumers by the sales people on the features, web based support etc can be initiated so that the consumer gains the maximum usage from the product.

After –Marketing is not trying to sell more. The frequent SMS’ that is sent to the subscribers by the cellular service providers announcing various offers and schemes often creates irritation because the intention is to sell more. The timely delivery of bills, reminders,acknowledgement of payment received act as good after-marketing activities because the intention is to help the consumer.

Create Loyalty by Sharing

Consumers want solutions not products and marketers have to rise above the products to solve the consumer’s problems. A soap marketer can be a solution provider for hygiene /skin care related problems by sharing information about hygiene and skin care. A toothpaste marketer can be a solution provider of dental related issues and problems through information sharing. Colgate through its website is offering lot of information about dental care and dental hygiene.

In this era where competitors can copy every possible product/service features, after-marketing activities provide an opportunity to create a meaningful differentiation for the marketers. Although these activities require investment of resources , in the long term ,after-marketing activities will define the extent of consumer loyalty commanded by the brand.

Brand Update : Santoor

This season, Santoor has launched another brand extension - Santoor Deodorant. The brand now has a wide range of products under its brand portfolio. Now Santoor has soap, talc, face wash and now deodorant.

The brand is slowly but steadily moving in the direction of becoming a personal care brand rather than a soap brand. This 600+ crore brand was on a roll last year becoming one of the largest selling soap brands in India. The brand consistently invested in brand building and never shied away from spending in advertising.

The new extension is to cash in on the opportunity for a deo brand for ladies. Although there are many deo brands for the female segment, the market is growing and opportunity exists for new brands also.

I raise the issue of brand dilution when ever I see brand extensions. Although I am a critic of brand extensions, this strategy is inevitable for many reasons. In the case of Santoor, these extensions are a part of Wipro's strategy to make Santoor a family brand for personal care products. Brands like Pond's , Lakme , Vaseline have successfully metamorphosed into Family Brands.

The talking point about Santoor is the positioning. For over 25 years, the brand has been talking about the concept of " For a Younger Looking Skin". All the campaigns were reinforcing that message consistently and powerfully. When the brand moved into talcum powder, it had to deviate from "younger looking" to "freshness". In the case of deo also, the brand is talking about freshness.

Now if Santoor aspire to be an umbrella brand , it may have to dilute or change the core brand positioning of " Younger looking skin " and include brand value like Freshness . This is relevant for products like Deo and Talc . For other products like facewash or creams , the classic positioning will work for the brand.

Another factor is that Santoor soap derives its strength from Turmeric and Sandal . The brand even derives the name from these two ingredients. The positioning also derives strength from these two ingredients. Now when the brand expands its product portfolio, it has to look beyond these two ingredients. Hence if at all the brand wants to expand its horizon, it may have to find other sources of strength.

Related Post
Santoor

Brand Update : Rin Vs Tide Round II

After the high profile direct attack on Tide, Rin has entered the second stage of its aggressive marketing campaign. The brand has started a new campaign called the Rin 1 crore Challenge. The brand is running a commercial featuring the challenge.

This time, Rin has refrained from directly naming Tide . The brand is using the traditional format of masking the competitor in this challenge campaign. The brand has announced Rs 1 crore prize money if any other detergent can prove that it provides more whiteness than Rin ( conditions will definitely apply).

The new ad strikingly resembles the Rs 1 crore purity challenge campaign of HUL's Pureit brand. Pureit's successful campaign may have prompted Rin to copy the campaign format.

The new campaign is aimed at reinforcing the positioning of Rin as "The detergent that provides the best whitening of clothes". By offering a staggering amount, it is conveying the confidence about the brand promise. It is courageous on the part of the brand to make such a move.

Another striking factor about the new campaign is the new brand ambassador for Rin. No its not Amitabh Bachchan . Rin has roped in Kajol as the new brand ambassador. HUL has really flexed its marketing muscle fully. Kajol gives the campaign some amount of authenticity and attraction to the viewers. I doubt whether such challenge campaigns evoke customer participation but it gives opportunity for marketers to advertise and organize events for brand promotion.

It is nice to see the HUL reviving its competitive spirit. HUL is a marketing machine which went into slumber in the last few years. This is a company that has the best marketing minds of India. Good to see these minds back in action.

Somebody wake up P&G....

Related Posts

Rin Vs Tide Round 1

Rin Vs Tide Strategy

Brand Update : Getz RIP (2004-2010)

Another brand is going to be laid to rest. According to news reports, Hyundai has decided to phase out Getz with in two months. The brand is already offered at steep discounts in dealerships across the country.

Getz was the first luxury hatch back to be launched in India. The brand in a way was far ahead of its time. It was launched in a market predominantly oriented towards sedans. The failure of Getz was because of two reasons :

a. Value Proposition

b. Positioning

c.Competition.

The failure of Getz and success of Swift are two sides of the same coin. Both brands belong to the same segment and almost in the same price band. But while Swift rocked the market, Getz had to bite the dust.

Getz when launched in the market was very aggressively priced. Infact the brand was priced at par with sedans like Ford Ikon and Indigo. Indian consumers were not able to understand the value proposition of a high priced Getz. The brand also was not able to tell the consumer as to why they should chose Getz compared to a Sedan. The problem with such a high pricing strategy is that it creates an impression in the consumer's mind which will be difficult to change. Theoretically this is called narrow positioning.

When Maruti launched Swift, Getz suffered because consumers perceived Swift to be a better value for money car compared to Getz. The reason is that consumers know that Maruti cars are less costly to maintain than Hyundai cars. Swift was bigger, sporty and competitively priced which put Getz in a very tough situation.

The campaigns for Getz was also way off the mark. The brand never had a clear positioning . When it was launched, there was no USP or differentiation. The brand started talking about fun then moved to space. So it lacked a clear brand identity which further accelerated the decline .

In marketing terms, we say that brand should offer some compelling reasons to customers to buy. Getz was not able to give any such compelling reasons. The brand had lot of design similarity with Zen which defied its pitch on premiumness. Swift had a radical design which created a newness to the brand.Getz did not have such a "wow" factor.

The recent launch of Hyundai i20 was the final nail in the coffin for Getz. i20 has more chance of survival because the segment of premium hatchback has now developed. Consumers are now aware of this segment and there is genuine consumer interest in this segment.

Getz could have reaped the benefit of the segment it had created , had it offered itself at the price range of Rs 3.5 - 4 lakh. ( I know it is easy to sit in my chair and suggest the pricing strategies). That price range could have done wonders for this brand.

Related Brand

Getz