Brand Update : Amul Macho Repositions with Saif Ali Khan

In a significant move, Amul Macho brand has repositioned itself. This season, the brand shed its raunchy image and moved into the ordinary . The brand also roped in Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan as the brand ambassador. Amul Macho is currently running the campaign with the new brand ambassador.

Watch the ad here : Amul Macho

In the current repositioning exercise, the brand dropped the earlier theme of " sexy " and moved into a theme that talks about brand personality. Along with the repositioning, Amul Macho also changed its tagline " Ye To Bada Toing hain " to " Bede Aaram se ".

According to news reports the brand wants to be perceived as cool and more sophisticated. The earlier campaign projected the brand as raw sexy one and now the brand logically wants to be more urban/upmarket while appealing to the mass market.

The new tagline implies that the brand user is one who get things done effortlessly. The ad tries desperately to convey the message of effortlessness rather unsuccessfully. The concept of effortlessness is highly attractive to men but in this case the brand failed to convey the promise effectively to the audience. The tagline " Bede Aaram Se " talks about comfort as well as effortlessness but how ever the poor execution of the positioning concept made the tagline look very old and familiar.

Amul Macho is one of the fastest growing innerwear brand in India. The brand currently has a turnover of over Rs 355 crore.

While the earlier campaigns ( although of poor taste and raunchy) helped Amul Macho to break the clutter. But the current one places the brand right inside the crowd of other innerwear brands . Brands like Lux, Rupa etc also uses celebrity endorsers and with the current repostioning, Amul Macho made itself undifferentiated with the rest of the crowd.

Very few brands were able to successfully integrate itself the concept of effortlessness . Although everyone likes the concept it is very difficult for a brand to project that as a brand promise in a convincing manner. It will take a real big idea to really drive that promise into the consumer's mind. Amul Macho may have to try little more harder to reach that place.

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Amul Macho

Brand Update : Amul Macho

After creating controversies through the previous two commercials, Amul Macho (innerwear) decided to be decent. I suppose this is a unique season where controversial brands have decided to be subtle. We have seen that in the case of Wild Stone.

Amul Macho is running a new campaign this year

Watch the new ad here : Amul Macho

The new ad is a spoof of the typical Bharatiya Naari ( Indian Women ) as depicted in the K - Serials. The twist is that in this ad, the role is exchanged.

While the previous ads of Amul Macho was defenitely of bad taste, the solace for this one is that its funny. The brand retains the tagline " Yeh To bada Toing hai "

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Amul Innerwear

Brand Update : Amul Macho

So here it is, Amul Macho's sequel to the controversial first ad has been launched.

Watch it here : Amul Macho orangutan

Like the previous one , this one is less spicy but have all the elements to rake up some controversy.But the ad is not raunchy or bad taste as the previous one. Interestingly the first ad involving the newly wed created huge interest among the public with blogs and forums discussing the ad in detail. In that aspect, the first one was a remarkable success.

The second ad features orangutans and the ad is definitely well made. I am not referring to the storyboard but the filming. It would have burned a big hole in the companies pocket to make those orangutans act.
However the brand is sticking to its earlier positioning of " crafted for fantasies " . The idea is nothing new and I remember a couple of Indian innerwear ad like Rupa having ads which shows ladies chasing men in underwears . The difference here is that the protagonist is an orangutan. Some scenes in the ad makes us squirm if we are watching with our family and the intention is to generate some controversy. The lady looks like the same one from the earlier controversial ad and the song is also the same.

Related Brand
Amul Macho

Amul Innerwear : Crafted for Fantasies

Brand : Amul
Company: JB Hosiery
Agency: Saint &Warriors

Brand Count : 239

Amul brand of innerwear is in the limelight for all the wrong ( right?) reasons. This brand from the Kolkata based Hosiery is a major brand in the Rs 5162 crore Indian innerwear market. Amul shares the brand name with the famous diary brand Amul and I wonder whether the two had fought a legal battle on trademark?

Amul innerwear have a huge share of voice. In 2005, the brand was the leading advertiser in TV among the innerwear brands. The brand was mainly targeting the mass market and the ads were also designed for the SEC B&C.According to agencyfaqs, the company is targeting mainly UP and Bihar which is their core market.

Now this brand is the hot topic in the blogosphere with a real controversial ad.
watch the ad here : Amul innerwear

Now that is clutterbreaking. The ad features a young bride washing her hubby's innerwear at a dhobi ghat. The ad has created so much controversy that it was challenged at the ASCI .But interestingly ASCI ruled in favour of the brand. The agency is all set to release a sequel to this advertisement.

According to the company officials the brand has reported a 35% increase in sales after the release of the advertisement.I was very much intrigued with the ad when I first saw it. And I must say that my first reaction was to change the channel since my whole family was viewing the TV at that time.I thought it was either an ad for condoms or for an aphrodisiac or a spoof. But never in my life I had an idea that it was for an innerwear. Did I liked the ad ... No not at all. My personal opinion is that the ad is of bad taste.

As the article in agencyfaqs aptly titled an article about this brand as " Crafted for controversies". The brand wanted controversy and publicity. The best way to get that is to create a controversial ad. That worked wonders for the brand. Just type Amul Macho and you will get all commentaries and opinions : some supporting and some criticizing. But people are talking about the brand.
Innerwear advertising is always challenging to the marketer. You have to find the differentiator and also convey that to the customer. The market is full of unorganised and unbranded cheap products. Only a section of the market is brand loyal. While VIP, Jockey etc are taking up the premium segment, the brands like Amul, Lux, Rupa etc are trying their luck at the mass market. Hence Amul was forced to take the clutter breaking approach to build the brand. Even I feel that celebrity endorsements had lost its sheen this market. Hence this brand 's new campaign qualifies for a guerilla tactic which was successful.

I feel that the agency has taken an easy path to publicity. Most of the publicity generated was negative. The iconic brand Axe uses sensuality to perfection without repelling the customers. The ads are watched and discussed. We marketers wait for the next creative.There the agency is enlightened. Here whether creative or not, the ad for Amul lacks that enlightenment or refinement.

Compare the amul ad with the latest ad of VIP : No Adjust
which is more sensible than the controversial one. Ofcourse the Amul ad delivered results , I am not sure whether VIP's ad delivered results.
Amul Macho uses the tagline " Crafted for Fantasies" which I am not sure as to its relevance.But for the TG I think it conveys the meaning.
The ad makes sense to the market it serves because it created instant brand recall and that is what is important in a cluttered mass market.
source:agencyfaqs

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

Celebrity Endorsements of Indian Brands- 2013

1. Frooti : Shah Rukh Khan
2. Thums Up : Salman Khan
3. Pepsi Atom : Sushant Singh Rajput
4. Luminous : Sachin Tendulkar
5. Godrej Group : Aamir Khan
6. Olay : Kajol
7. Britannia Tiger : Salman Khan
8. Wheel : Salman Khan
9. Maggi : Amitabh Bachchan
10. Yathra : Salman Khan
11. Shaadi. com : Chetan Bhagat
12. Lux : SRK, Katrina Kaif
13. Revital : Salman Khan
14. Nerolac : SRK
15. Berger : Katrina 
16. Slice : Katrina
17. Kalyan Jewellers : Amitabh Bachchan
18. Parle Goldstar Cookies : Amitabh Bachchan
19. Toshiba : Sachin
20. Panasonic : Katrina Kaif
21. Kent RO : Hema Malini
22. JK Cement : OM Puri
23. Binani cement : Big B
24. Sony Xperia : Katrina Kaif
25. Nokia : Priyanka Chopra
26. Nikon Coolpix : Priyanka Chopra
27. Garnier men :  John Abraham
28. Maaza : Parineeti Chouhan and Imran Khan
29. Tata Tea : SRK
30. Sparx Shoes : Akshay Kumar
31. Hyundai i10 : SRK
32. Dabur Glucoplus C: Ajay Devgn
33. Coca Cola : Sachin
34. Amul Macho : Saif Ali Khan
35. Onn Innerwears : SRK
36. Dollar Innerwear : Akshay Kumar , Prabhudeva
37. Dixcy Scott innerwear : Salman Khan
38. Orient Fans : MS Dhoni
39. Limca : Kareena Kapoor
40. Macroman Innerwears : Hrithik Roshan
41. Mountain Dew : Hrithik Roshan
42. Rado : Hrithik Roshan
43. Titan Raaga : Katrina Kaif
44. Honda Dream Yuga : Akshay Kumar
45. Appy Fizz : Saif Ali Khan
46. Berger Paints : Katrina Kaif
47. Nerolac Paints : SRK
48. Rasna : Virendra Sewag
49. Revital : Salman Khan
50. Cinthol : Virat Kohli
51. Xylys Watch : Farhan Akthar
52. Nescafe : Deepika Padukone, Karan Johar, Purab
53. Gujarat Tourism : Big B
54. Luxor Nano Clean : Big B
55. Colgate : Sonam Kapoor
56. BrookeBond Taj Mahal : Madhuri Dixit
57. Lakme : Kareena Kapoor
58. Bru Coffee : Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma
59. Lo'real : Aishwaria Rai Bachchan
60. Mirinda : Asin
61. Tanishq : Sridevi
62. Danone Milk : Karishma Kapoor
63. General A/C : Sania Mirza
64. 7 UP : Puneeth Rajkumar
65. Parachute Advansed : Deepika Padukone
66. Dabur Babool : Irfan Khan
67. Nutrogena : Prachi Desai
68. Toyota Etios Liva : Virat Kohli
69. Kellogg's : Juhi Chawla
70. Nestle Munch : Virat Kohli, Vijender 
71. Appolo Munich Health Insurance : Sourav Ganguly
72. Wild Stone : Dia Mirza
73. Fair & Lovely : Virat Kohli
74. Snickers : Rekha, Urmila
75. Sugar Free : Akshay Kumar

..... To be continued

Missed out many , please contribute to this list

Crusoe : Who Are You Inside ?

Brand : Crusoe

Company : Jagannath Textiles Company

Ad Agency : Black Swan Life

Brand Analysis Count # 465

It feels good when an Indian brand attempts something ambitious with careful thought and matches it with smart execution. One brand that caught my attention recently was Crusoe.

Crusoe is a premium inner wear brand from Coimbatore based Jagannath Textiles Company. The brand was soft-launched in South India on January 2010 and is slated for a national launch.

Jagannath Textiles Company is a Rs 300 crore company specializing in manufacture of quality yarn. The company later moved over to value added products like home-textiles and apparels.

Crusoe is the company's offering in the mid-premium segment of the highly competitive Rs 1600 crore Indian organized innerwear market. The brand will be fighting for its pie with a host of brands like VIP, Rupa, Amul Macho, Jockey etc.

Crusoe is positioned differently from the rest of the crowd. The brand chose to appeal to a higher level attribute from the launch phase itself ( Laddering ). The brand is calling itself an " Innerwear for Inner-Self ". Crusoe has adopted the tagline " Who are you Inside ? " which is a question that the brand asks its TG.

The brand website - crusoeworld gives the following insights into the tagline :-

Clothes don't just cover you up,

Clothes are a cover up.

Most of the times, it's how

you want the world to see you.

At other times , it's how the world sees you.

But underneath all those layers,

When you are in your bare essentials,

When all you have to impress is you ,

Ask yourself one question.

Who are you inside ?

The concept of ' Innerself ' ' True Self ' & ' Breaking Free ' etc is not a new idea. Many brands have dabbled with the theme before. Crusoe has executed the concept very well and related that to the product - innerwear. The brand is running a series ( 8 nos) of print ads featuring the theme. The brand has also invested in OOH media . The theme also distantly resembles one of campaigns of Kamasutra condoms ( What do you want to be tonight ! ). But the brand scores in the execution and the ads are striking.

Crusoe has three product line extensions - Base, Nxt, and Xtreme each catering to different price points. Xtreme is the premium line in the range of Rs 350 +.

Crusoe directly competes with premium brands like Jockey , Hanes etc . While Jockey talks about fun, Crusoe takes the opposite pole of serious contemplation. That was a smart marketing move on the part of Crusoe to think differently from the rest of the crowd. The mass market segment of the innerwear market is still stuck with humor and sex. Crusoe is a welcome relief.

As a customer, I am impressed with the thoughtful process that the brand has undertaken for their campaigns. The brand has to tread the thin line between aggression and profitability. To make a serious dent in the market, these start-up brands have to invest heavily in brand promotion as well as channel penetration. Experts tell that channels ( distribution) decide the fate of the brand in the innerwear segment.

Crusoe is an interesting brand to watch out for. If the brand is able to consistently invest in distribution and continue its current promotions, we will see the emergence of a powerful Indian innerwear brand.