Fiama Di Wills : Beautiful You Today , Tomorrow

Brand : Fiama Di Wills
Company : ITC
Agency : Law & Kenneth

Brand Analysis Count : 278

After the success of its super premium brand Essenza Di Wills, ITC has launched a new brand in the fiercely competitive Rs 2500 crore Indian branded shampoo market. The launch is significant since it marks the official entry of this FMCG giant into the mass personal care category.
Fiama Di Wills for sure is a premium brand but not in the super premium league of Essenza Di Wills.
Fiama Di Wills has entered the market with three variants

Every Day Mild : With Thyme and Juniper extracts
Aqua Balance :Moisturizing shampoo with Magnolia Blossoms and Watercress Extracts
Volume Boost : With Rosemary and Sage Extracts.

From the ingredients itself, we can see the positioning of this brand. Fiama Di Wills is positioned as a Shampoo which is a blend of Nature and Science. From the company press release, the brand boasts of the R&D from ITC Research center in collaboration with leading US based personal care research labs. The brand is trying to tap into the growing popularity of Natural Extracts and natural ingredients.
Fiama Di Wills is promoted with the tagline " Beautiful You Today , Tomorrow " . The brand is now promoted heavily through visual media

Watch the TVC Here : Fiama Di Wills

All though the tagline does not fully express the positioning of the brand, the ad throws certain light on the positioning strategy. Fiama is positioned as a Gentle Care shampoo that can be used everyday. Its gentle because it uses the natural extracts. The brand uses the sentence " Gentle Effective Care " to signify the positioning. I think the tagline " Beautiful you today tomorrow " signifies the longterm benefit of using this brand. How ever, the tagline and positioning is not a new idea since brands like Nivea and Garnier uses similar kind of positioning. The brand is also trying to differentiate on the basis of its packaging designed by International experts.

Fiama is priced at Rs 99 for 200 ml and Rs 54 for 100 ml which makes it a masstige brand. With the marketing muscle and distribution strength ITC aims to take on the market leader HUL at the premium segment first. With the heavy noise in the media, Fiama will get the attention of the Innovators and Early Adopters. Will it create a scare for HUL's Sunsilk is something to watchout for.

Related Brand
Essenza Di Wills

Olay : Love the Skin You are In

Brand : Olay
Company : P&G
Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi

Brand Analysis Count : 277

This July P&G launched its premium skin care brand Olay in India. Olay is a $2 Bn global brand has met with phenomenal success in all the markets it entered. Olay was born in the lab of a chemist Mr Graham Wulff in the early 1950's. At that time the brand was named Oil of Olay. Later when P&G acquired it, the brand was renamed Olay.
Olay was available in India as an imported product. Now P&G directly markets this brand with all the relevant marketing mixes in place.
Olay is tapping the premium slice of the Rs 2100 crore Indian skin care market. Olay has launched its first product in the anti-ageing segment with its Total Effects subbrand. Anti-ageing segment is still a niche with a market size of Rs 60 crore. The segment is but growing very fast.

Olay has launched its Total Effects anti ageing solution after much consumer research. It had conducted research on over 6000 ladies of age between 30-69 years from three continents and identified 7 signs of ageing.
1.Fine lines and Wrinkles
2.Sagging skin
3.Uneven skin tones.
4.Age spots
5. Appearance of pores
6. Dull skin
7.Dryness

Total Effects is differentiating itself through the presence of the ingredient VitaNiacin. VitaNiacin is a patented formulation that contains Niacinamide Vitamin B3 ,Vitamin E and Provitamin B5 Pathenol + sunscreen protection.
Olay true to the concept of Global Brand and Local strategy has launched itself with a series of promotional campaigns. The brand has the bollywood diva Sushmita Sen as the brand ambassador. Currently Olay is running two campaigns in the visual media. One campaign is th Olay brand building campaign featuring Sushmita Sen and another is for the Total Effects moisturizing lotion.
Watch the Tvc : Total Effects
For the Total Effects range, the company uses a testimonial type of campaign featuring a Model/TV Anchor. The focus is more on the functional benefits of the product rather than harping on any emotional benefits. The brand is positioned as a brand that celebrates beauty within and outside. The brand worldwide uses the tagline " Love the skin you are in ". The brand believes that Looking Good and Feeling Good are inseparable. Loving the skin we are in is the most beautiful feeling of all.
Olay Total Effects is priced at Rs 599 for a 50 gm bottle. By Indian standards, this accounts for a premium category. Olay Total Effects is targeting ladies between the age 30 - 60. Besides this anti-ageing product, Olay has introduced cleansers, facepack and moisturizing lotions. The brand is expected to introduce its blockbuster range of products in India in a phased manner.

The premium skincare segment was in a vacuum ever since HUL decided to cater to the masstige segment by repositioning Lakme and Ponds. Now with P&G and ITC seriously looking at premium segment, the market is going to witness a marketing war in days to come.

BSA Ladybird : Your Best Friend For Life

Brand : Ladybird
Company : TI Cycles
Agenc : Lowe

Brand Analysis Count : 276

Ladybird is the Sub-brand of BSA targeting the girls . Ladybird was the first brand to come out with a cycle for girls and it was a big hit. The brand targets girls aged 13-18 . BSA Champ has a girl's variant for those below 13 years of age. Ladybird is a classic example for segmentation based on Demographics ( more specific : gender).
Ladybird has been promoting itself heavily through media. It is interesting to see the evolution of this sub-brand. The brand had started with the campaign explaining the benefits of the cycle made exclusively for the girls. The step through feature and the shopping basket in front of the cycle and the ergonomics were promoted heavily.
The next step was to create the brand image. The brand used the message of gender equality to keep the brand appealing to the girls
Watch the TVC here : BSA Ladybird
The brand was not having much issues in the sales front because it had a high top of the mind recall. The new generation was lapping up this product since cycle is a natural step before acquiring the scooterette .
The brand also made sure that it keeps the brand exciting through relevant changes in the product. Ladybird introduced funky colors and even a sporty premium version to keep the brand rocking. The brand kept low at the promotion front and relied more on below the line promotion and positive word of mouth.
This year the brand has stepped up the promotion at the branding front. Currently the brand is running the campaign positioning the brand as one that gives FREEDOM to the girls. It is another case of Laddering Up. I think that the concept is one of the best I have seen in recent times. I strongly believe that Mobility is something that gives a terrific sense of empowerment to girls. Mobility gives freedom and that is what now Ladybird tries to own. No more waiting for the brother/father/boyfriend to drop you to school or beach or to theater. The agency has wonderfully executed this concept. The campaign targeting the urban young generation has rightly put the brand in proper perspective. An interesting fact is that Ladybird is using the same tagline (" Your Best Friend for Life " ) as its parent brand BSA. I feel that Ladybird should have something of its own.
The current campaign may not ring in sales : that is also not what it is meant to be. I feel that this has given some direction to the brand. Also this laddering has given the brand a great amount of energy to create more campaigns which ultimately will drive more sales. Another reason for such a campaign is the brand's idea to bring in more premium versions of cycles.

Brand Update : Horlicks

Horlicks which had a wonderful growth phase ( 12.8 %) in 2006 has stepped up its gas on the marketing front. The last few months saw this 138 year old brand is building on its successful positioning " Taller Stronger Sharper " . Horlicks is currently running a campaign encouraging the customers ( Kids) to take Horlicks EVERYDAY.

Watch the commercial here : Horlicks Everyday

The commercial is a logical extension of the Epang Opang Japang campaign which highlighted the benefits of the brand and helped the brand to differentiate strongly from the competition. The brand also takes the medical platform by labeling the product as " Clinically Proven ". Now that the brand is sure that customers are aware and convinced about the efficacy of the claim, the brand is trying to induce the customers to take Horlicks everyday. I feel that the brand managers got some insights about the non-regular usage of Horlicks because the message of the campaign focuses specifically on the brand usage. In marketing theory we talk about a strategy at the maturity stage of PLC is to increase the product usage. This campaign is a small example of pushing the occasional drinker to a more regular user.
This also throws light into the fact that a brand has to be careful about the customer usage patterns. Horlicks has convincingly told the customers that the brand can help the kids become stronger taller and sharper. But there is a catch, these results will happen only through a continuous usage of the brand. Hence the campaign is a subtle reminder that Horlicks is not a wonder drug.
Its interesting to note that globally this brand is positioned not as a good nourisher but as a drink that will give you a goodnight sleep.

Related Brand
Horlicks

Milkmaid : Makes Everything Tempting

Brand : Milkmaid
Company : Nestle
Agency : Publicis

Brand Analysis Count : 275

Nestle Milkmaid is the market leader in the Rs 150 Crore condensed milk market in India. Milkmaid is a heritage brand which was imported to India from the time Nestle started its operations 90 years ago. It was in the year 1969 that Nestle started manufacturing this brand in India.
Milkmaid is partly Skimmed sweetened condensed milk. This is a popular ingredient in sweets and delicacies and desserts prepared at homes. Milkmaid has more than 55 % share in the organized condensed milk market in India.
Milkmaid is positioned as a premium brand and is promoted with the tagline " Bana De Everything Tempting " ( Makes everything tempting). The brand is positioned as the inevitable ingredient in all home-made delicacies.

Milkmaid although was a market leader, the brand faced issue of product usage. There were certain factors that inhibited the product usage : price and convenience . Milkmaid was a premium brand and the shelf life of the product was limited , hence the affordablity of this brand was limited. Another factor was that many households were unaware of the use of Milkmaid other than as an ingredient in sweets and desserts.
The brand tried lot of promotional activities to increase the usage of the brand. The brand was promoted heavily through visual media and through cookery shows, the brand tried to educate the customers on the various recipes with Milkmaid.
The brand also came out with a package innovation. The brand created a variant Milkmaid Squeezy which was the tube form of Milkmaid. The purpose was to use Milkmaid as a topping for biscuits and breads.
Milkmaid faced intense heat of competition when Amul launched Mithaimate brand in the market. Mithaimate was priced much lower to Milkmaid and this forced Milkmaid to reduce the price to match the Amul brand.With the lower price, Amul was giving Milkmaid a tough fight for the marketshare.

This year saw a unique move by this bramd. Milkmaid has comeout with a brand extension. Milkmaid has recently launched Milkmaid Funshake : a fruit flavored milk targeting kids. The marketers predict a huge growth in the ' Alternate Milk Category " in the coming years. I think that Nestle had earlier tried out a Milkshake version of Nescafe but with little success. It was little surprising to find a brand like Milkmaid extending itself to a milk shake category. The ads are already on air. Funshake is available in Mango , banana and Chocolate flavor and comes in a tetrapack. The message is similar to Nido. The ad shows kids crying when their mothers try to give them ordinary milk and then seen enjoying taking Funshake. Old message and nothing new in execution .
In my personal opinion, Nestle needn't have sought the extension of Milkmaid for this product. Funshake could succeed as a standalone brand. By associating with Milkmaid, Funshake is not going to gain any positive association.
Milkmaid is facing two challenges now. One arising from the price war from Amul and host of other competing brands and second is to make the category popular in households. In this era of Sachets and single use packs, I wonder how Milkmaid miss out of small packs ?

Fevistik : Clean Sticking

Brand : Fevistik
Company : Pidilite
Agency : O & M

Brand Count : 274

Fevistik is a brand extension of Fevicol. But I feel that it is a good case of customer centric innovation. Fevistik is the market leader with over 90 % market share in the Rs 35 crore Glue stick market in India. The brand was the first one to introduce the glue stick product form in the country. This innovation has changed the entire segment.
Before the introduction of Fevistik, the glue was in the liquid form. The glue used in the office aswell as at school and home came in the ubiquitous blue glue- bottle. It was messy and non user friendly. Them came the glue in the tube form which was much more user friendly than the bottle version. The tube product form was an instant hit.
I was filled with Awe when during my student days ,I got the first glue stick gifted to me by a Gulf Returned relative. The brand was Pritt. I used it scarcely and wondered when an Indian brand will introduce it.
Although Fevistik was the brand that introduced this product form, the credit of innovating this product goes to the brand Pritt owned by the Henkel group. Pritt invented glue stick in 1969. Fevistik is the Indian version of Pritt. Globally Pritt is the market leader in the adhesives category.
Fevistik is targeting both the students aswellas the office segment. The brand ( extension ) has been promoting through separate campaigns aimed at both segment. Another innovation from Fevistik is the small pack named Fevistik Pocket priced at Rs 10. Fevistik is available at many SKU's of 8 gm, 15 gm and 22gm tapping the various user segment.
The brand has the following features :
Easy to use
Non Messy or Clean
Excellent quality
Good brand image and secondary association with Fevicol
Safe for Kids.
Although a small brand , Fevistik is an example of customer centric innovation. This brand has changed the dynamics of this product category and changed the way customers use this product. Fevistik has removed many issues that customers faced when using glue. Customers used to find their papers becoming messy when using liquid glue, the hands used to get dirty and most often the applicator fixed on the cap of the glue bottle used to fall inside the bottle . Now at one stroke, Fevistik made things easier for the consumer. The storage of this product also became easier. And I think even the shelf life became more with this product form. One innovation which I would like to see in Fevistik is Scented Stick. Still in India, the glues are not scented ( Although we seldom smell the glue . I still remember the Pritt was a scented one and was a surprise feature for a glue.
Another interesting fact I noticed on the Fevistik is that it is not manufactured in India . The pack which I have in my office right now is imported from Korea. That makes this small brand a global one....
It is not that Fevistik is riding on top of the world. Competition is intense with all major stationary marketers have their own brand in this category . An for a product like this, I feel that customers are not brand loyal . If Fevistik is not available, customers will chose either Camlin or any other familiar brand. Hence keeping a strong distribution and a healthy inventory at the retailer end is crucial for this brand.

Marketing Funda : Brand Rituals

A Ritual is defined as the combination of rites and rite is defined as a ceremonial act. According to BBDO rituals are defined series of actions that move people emotionally from one place to another.Rituals are sequences that are developed over time. Rituals are usually used in religion. We perform many religious rituals and some of these becomes an integral part of our life.

Brand ritual is the performance of an act by the consumers as defined by the brand ( Owners). These days brand rituals are a common strategy adopted by marketers. Some rituals become a part of our behavior over time.
A classic case of such a ritual is the checking of breath . The Ha Ha which we do with our hand was taught by Close- Up. The ritual in breaking the Kit Kat wafers is another successful brand ritual.
A global brand known for the ritual is that of Corona beer, the beer is to be taken through a lime kept at the neck of the bottle. Another famous one is the James Bond induced ritual for Martini " Shaken not Stirred" .
Not all brand rituals are successful. Munch is trying to recreate the success of Kit Kat with no success. Horlicks is also trying out a similar Hip rotating ritual.The latest Pepsi My Can also features a special way of holding the can which can be termed as a ritual.
Rituals are used as a brand element because of its stickiness effect. A popular brand ritual can make the customer remember the brand and stick to it. The ritual also involves the customer with the brand. It also creates a pattern in the consumer's mind which can trigger loyalty.

Another important advantage of brand rituals is that it acts as a differentiator. When product features become standardized, marketers look for non feature differentiation. Brand rituals often differentiates the products from the rest.

Marketers has to be careful while creating brand rituals. Some important guidelines for an effective brand ritual are given below:
Brand rituals should be

Simple : Complex rituals are failure for sure. Consumers should be able to do the ritual easily.
Relevant : Although this is not a rule, rituals will work better if its relevant to the brand.
Fun : Customers should enjoy performing the ritual.
Consistent : An important factor in the success of a ritual. Once the ritual is finalized, the marketer must ensure that there is consistency in promotion of the ritual.
Meaningful : The customers are not going to own a ritual unless it makes some sense for the customers.
If carefully created , brand rituals can be a powerful brand element. The ritual can be a double edged sword, if not created properly , the ritual can often diminish the brand's equity too.

Brand Update : Frooti

Frooti has been running a new campaign these days. The new campaign is significant because it reflects the return of the original tagline of Frooti " Mango Frooti , Fresh N Juicy ".

Watch the Tvc here : Frooti
Remember that Frooti had earlier changed the tagline to " Piyo Bindaas " . The new campaign gives the message that India has changed but the favorite fruit juice drink is still Frooti. Frooti has been facing lot of competition these days from brands like Maaza. With global beverages majors turning their attention to Non cola drinks, Frooti has the challenge of retaining its current market.

According to a report in Agencyfaqs, the brand is aiming to target the youth ( 15-24) which is considered one of the most toughest class of customers in India. The new campaign is the beginning of an image makeover of this heritage brand. Frooti has a strong customer base among kids. But with the TG growing up, the brand has the tough task of being relevant. The brand has also launched a below the line promotional series " Thank you Mango Lovers" .The campaign aims to express the brand's gratitude to both the trade and consumers for its support over these years.

I like the fact that Frooti has realized the need for a change and its a difficult task that it has undertook. I also like that Fresh N Juicy tagline is back. Somethings never change.......

Related Brand

Frooti


Source : agencyfaqs

Celebrations : Riste Pakne Do

Brand : Celebrations
Company : Cadbury's
Agency :Contract Advertising

Brand Count : 273

Celebrations is a unique brand. Actually Celebrations is a collection of brands which makes it more special. Celebrations is the gift packet from Cadbury's having an assortment of its chocolate brands like Dairy Milk, 5 Star, etc. In a lighter vein,using a brand Cadbury's is trying to sell a collection of its brands.

Celebrations is unique because its the first time that a organized confectionery brand is trying to cater the festive gifting segment on a mass market scale. Please note that Amul has built its chocolate brand using the positioning " A gift for someone you love " . In the case of Celebrations, the segment is different.

Celebrations was launched in 1990. During these 17 Years, Celebrations was focusing on Occasions like Raksha Bandhan, Diwali etc. The brand was trying to capture a slice of the market which was dominated by traditional Mithai and dry fruits.
This year, Celebrations is trying out a new strategy. From occasion focus , the brand is trying to look at segments outside the festive seasons. The reason is that Occasions limit the usage of the brand. People never look at the brand during non-festive seasons. Hence the brand loses relevance during non festive seasons. One option for the brand is to increase the occasions of usage of the brand ( example of Archies Cards popularizing various occasions of giving Cards can be noted in this scenario).
Here in the case of Celebrations, the brand moved out of festive based gifting to Social Gifting. That is a complete repositioning that the brand has embarked upon.
The new exercise is based on certain consumer insight. The company research has shown that usually gifts are hurriedly pulled out , dusted and rewrapped. That is the reason why we get so many Glass sets, clocks, casseroles. Most of the gifts are insincere. There can be many reasons for this - lack of time, lack of choices, forgetfulness etc.
Thus from this insight, came the big idea : why not position Celebrations as an effective Any Time Gifting Option. A gift which is sincere and easy to select.
The brand is now running a heavy duty promotion for the brand in the visual media.

Watch the TVC here : Celebrations
The ad is well made and the concept is simple : An insincere gift going full circle and coming back to the people who gifted it.The ad uses the song from the film Tohfa to great advantage. The brand is trying to tell the customer to chose Celebrations because it is a sincere gift. Ultimately the brand is positioned itself as one that facilitates strong relationships.

So a big idea backed by good advertising. Will it work ?
There are danger zones. The brand is trying to alter the social gifting behavior of the Indian customer which is not easy. Giving flowers and gifts are the accepted norm but will the Indian consumer accept Sweets as a Social Gift is something to watch out for.

For sweets / chocolates as gifts, there are premium foreign brands like Ferrero Rocher, Hershey's and Lindt already available in the market. Cadbury's is never considered as an "Aspirational " brand because it is affordable . And consumers are going to think " What will he think when he finds out that the gift is Chocolates ? "
Guess who wins the race ?

Clock or Celebrations ?
Tea set or Celebrations ?
Curios or Celebrations ?

Although I am skeptical about the success of this initiative, Celebrations is definitely a relief for me as a consumer, now there is an easy choice. This gift is useful when visiting a a friend who has kids. For giving it to adults ...... I need some more convincing.

Nestle Munch : Can't Stop Munching

Brand : Munch
Company : Nestle
Agency : JWT

Brand Count : 272

Munch is the second largest brand in the chocolate based confectionery segment in India. It is also the largest selling SKU in the industry. Munch was launched in 1999 by Nestle to counter the brand Picnic from Cadbury. But now Munch survived and Picnic is dead.

Munch is positioned as a tasty brand. The brand is a result of the intense war between Kitkat and Perk. When Kitkat was launched, Cadbury launched Perk to flank its flagship brand Dairy Milk. The war between Kit Kat and Perk resulted in a stalemate and the category itself became stagnant. Then Munch was launched by Nestle as a price warrior. At Rs 5, the brand became a blockbuster success cannibalizing Kit Kat and forcing Perk to launch a low priced variant.

Munch is an any time consumption product. The product is a wafer layer covered with delicious chocolayer. The brand is positioned based on its taste. Munch uses the tagline " Can't Stop Munching" to promote its taste as the USP.
In 2004, the brand roped in the Bollywood actress Rani Mukharjee as the brand ambassador. The brand is promoted heavily across the visual media.

Watch the TVC here : Munch

Personally I never liked any of the commercials of Munch. All though Rani Mukharjee is perceived to be smart and full of energy, I always felt a touch of artificiality in the ads. ( compared with Perk and Priety Zinta) . And I never believe that the brand succeeded because of the commercials. The prime factor behind the brand's success was the price factor. Rs 5 always enthused the customers to make that impulse purchase. The quantity was just right for the price and parents will have a feeling that kids are not eating too much chocolate.
Munch is brand which has been innovating to keep the excitement going. Munch earlier had come out with a Coconut variant . Another major innovative variant was the Munch Pop Chocs. Pop Chocs are chocolaty nibbles in the form of wafer cubes. This variant is also promoted by Rani Mukharjee.
There is another interesting fact about Munch . Like Kit Kat, Munch is also trying to create a Brand Ritual. The ad asks the customers to Take a Munch Pop Chocs, Twist it and Pop it into the mouth. I feel that this attempt of creating a Ritual is not going to meet with the success that Kit Kat had.
Although I have serious reservations about the campaigns, the market has given a thumbs up to the brand. The company has also invested heavily into the brand which has reaped rich rewards.

Coca Cola India : Little Drops of Joy

Corporate Brand : Coca Cola India
Agency : McCann Erickson


Brand Analysis Count : 271

Coca Cola India for the first time has came out with corporate campaign in India targeting its stakeholders. The multimedia campaign " Little Drops of Joy " is aimed at raising the corporate brand image of the company which took a heavy beating with a number of controversies it faced in different domains.

The new campaign is a part of a complete restructuring exercise in the Indian arm of this global change. Coca Cola recently announced its new corporate strategy called the " 5 Pillar " strategy. The company has identified the 5 pillars as

People
Planet
Portfolio
Partners &
Performance.

The Little Drops of Joy is a part of the communication strategy aimed at projecting the company as a responsible Corporate citizen whose main aim is to bring JOY into people's life. The main idea of this campaign is to lift the corporate brand from a single brand focus to a multi brand company ( a portfolio of brands). Little drops of joy campaign also aims at a image make over. The company plays down its size ( multinational ) and becomes more humble and approachable. The concept is communicated through the manifesto which now becomes the guidelines for future company operations. The manifesto is given below

A mighty ocean we’re not.
But we are the little drops that make one.
Because small things go a long way. At Coca-Cola India, we believe that there’s more to a little sip. It’s the moment of truth. A second of satisfaction. An instant of happiness. A bubble of hope. Because we don’t quench your thirst. We recharge your soul. For one moment. One drop at a time.

The new direction reminds me of the former Chairman of Coca Cola , Robert Goizueta who asked the company managers to capture the Share of Fluids taken by a customer rather than bothering about the competition from Pepsi.Likewise Coca Cola is trying to capture those little moments of joy.

Watch the TV Commercials here : Coca Cola Corporate

I cannot say that this commercial has a Big Idea. The idea is a copy of Mastercard 's Priceless campaign . The execution of the commercial is OK but for me its too much of Hindi (Havn't seen an English/Malayalam version.
The new campaign makes lot of sense for Coke since it has faced issues of pesticides , groundwater exploitation controversy at Plachimada in Kerala which hurt this brand more than the rival Pepsi.
Through this campaign , the company aims to gel with the Indian consumer as its own rather than a western one. Its sad since Coke has been more local in advertising than Pepsi but had to bear the brunt more than Pepsi in these controversies.

But will these campaigns help the makeover, I guess not. It will be actions that will speak louder than ADS in the case of Corporate Brand Image. Trusted corporate brands like TATA , Infosys and the likes has built its reputation through its actions rather than ads. Coca Cola globally is respected as a highly ethical corporate citizen. Its sad that in India, the company had to face unexpected setbacks from some of the stakeholders. The company has now identified its mistakes and these campaigns ( I hope ) are just a signal of the beginning of a new era for Coca Cola India.

Source: agencyfaqs.cocacola website

Sony Vaio : All Eyes on You

Brand : Sony Vaio
Company : Sony
Agency : JWT

Brand Analysis Count : 270

Sony Vaio is making lot of noises in the media with its latest repositioning campaign. Vaio is Sony's subbrand in the Laptop segment . Viao was created in 1996 and is a major player in the Notebook/Laptop market across the world. The brand came to India only in 2004. The delay is owning to the restriction in using Wi-Fi 802.11g by the government till 2004.

Vaio is the acronym of Video Audio Integrated Option which denotes the brand's positioning as a product that performs on both video and audio front. Like any other product from Sony, Vaio is also positioned ( and priced ) as a premium brand. Vaio launched its first series of Notebooks with a price ranging from Rs 80,000 - Rs 1,25,000 making it one of the costliest laptops available in India.
Sony has a market share of around 5.4 % of the Indian Laptop market which is estimated to touch a volume of 1.6 million units this year. It is this phenomenal growth of around 40 % that forms the basis of the latest launch of Sony Vaio CR range.
The Indian laptop market is dominated by HP ( 40 %) followed by Lenovo ( 17 %) and Toshiba. There is lot of activity in the notebook segment because of the lowering of the price barrier. Earlier the price of a typical laptop was costing upwards of Rs 45000. Now the entry level laptop price is anywhere between Rs 22,000 - 26,000. This has fueled the growth of this segment. The lowering of prices has attracted a whole set of new customers into this segment. Students , executives and businessmen began looking at laptops as a productivity enhancement tool. Companies began giving laptops to executives to keep them working when mobile. These happened without seriously hurting the sale of Desktops.
The interest of marketers in this segment is evident when we look at the promotions of leading brands in this segment . Most of them has signed up celebrities to endorse their brands. Acer has Hrithik Roshan, Compaq has Shah Rukh, Lenovo has Saif Ali Khan to promote the brand.

Sony Vaio has always tried to promote itself as an aspirational brand and resisted the temptation to get into the volume game. But here in this scenario , Vaio succumbed to the temptation. With technology no longer a major differentiator, Vaio understood that unless the brand repositions itself , it may be ousted by the feature rich rivals.
Viao CR was Sony's take on the new segment. Vaio targets the hip hop Indian youth aged 18-26 with the variant CR. The brand is now positioned as a fashion accessory rather than a learning/working tool. The new variant comes with attractive color options :
Blazing Red
Indigo Blue
Pure White
Beauty Pink and
Aroma Black. The new variant has some attractive features like Luminous Trim that reflects light which gives the laptop a shining look. Lustrous coating, custom Keyboard, and a personalized illumination LCD. The brand is now repositioned to reflect a playful spirit and a zest for life.
The brand now aims to catch the imagination of the youth market who looks beyond the speed and memory into design and aesthetics. At Rs 55000, Vaio tries to integrate aesthetics, brand image and technology to get into the minds of the young customer.


The brand is now running a high profile TV campaign now.

Watch the TVC here : VAIO

Viao now has the tagline " All Eyes on You" clearly spelling out its positioning based on the design or aesthetics. That is a clear shift from the rest of the brands in this segment who concentrates more on technical specs. So Vaio campaign breaks the clutter effectively.
Having said that the new campaign is definitely nice to watch but the positioning is nothing new. "All eyes on you " is used by many brands in various categories. There is no big idea in it. But the execution makes this old formula look pretty. To be more specific, I watch the ad to hear the music. Even the visualization is not something great compared to the blockbuster Bravio campaigns. Some sites say that the song " Look at me know " is sung by Anushka of the VIVA girls - V-channel fame ( to be verified) . Anyway the song make the ad sticky.

Aesthetics and design and obviously the more attractive price tag has helped Vaio a headstart in the new repositioning. But these factors are not sustainable over time. Soon the competitor will follow with vibrant colors and options. But Sony has the legendary brand equity that may help Vaio to take on the challenge. The war for Young Minds is definitely hotting up.
As of now Vaio can confidently say " Look at me now "

Bubbaloo : Funfilled Center

Brand : Bubbaloo
Company Adams ( Cadbury's)


Brand Analysis Count : 269

This brand is Cadbury's latest foray into the bubblegum market.Bubbaloo is the latest entrant in the Rs 180 crore bubblegum market. Bubbaloo is a global brand which came into existence in 1985. The original owner was Adams which later became the subsidiary of Cadbury's.Bubbaloo is now sold in 25 countries and is a global major in the bubblegum market.

Bubbaloo is a soft bubblegum with a liquid filled center. The brand is similar to the Center Fresh in the form . The brand is positioned as a bubblegum with FUN FILLED CENTER. The brand is targeting kids unlike Center Fresh which is more of a youth oriented brand. In the market, Bubbaloo is competing with Boomer and Babool which targets the same segment.
Like Boomer , Bubbaloo also has a mascot . The mascot is named Bubba : the cat. Bubba is a modern friendly stylish cat and the first commercial is already on air.

According to the company Bubbaloo is trying to differentiate itself by the product qualities. The brand is much softer and as its competitors , Bubbaloo make big bubble. Infact the brand is famous for the largest bubblegum bubble ever blown ( 58.4 cm). Bubbaloo comes in two flavors : strawberry and mixed fruit. Although the differentiation of being Liquid Filled is not a USP or a serious differentiator, in the confectionery market , it is the noise and the offers that matters. The brand is priced at Rs 1 and the company expects a market share of 10 -15 % in the near term.

The brand is in a market dominated by two major brands. Boomer and Babool together commands 87 % of the market. Again the market is flooded with consumer promotions ( free gifts and collectibles ) and establishing itself will be a challenging task.
But the silver lining is that Indian Bubblegum market is growing at 20 % which makes it attractive for new players. And since there are only two players, Cadbury's also thinks that there is a room for a third brand.
There is another interesting feature to this brand. Although Bubbaloo is from Cadbury's and Cadbury have a brand equity which is unmatched in the confectionery space, Bubbaloo does not associate itself with the parent brand. The reason is obvious. In theory we call it the Secondary Association. Having a secondary association with Cadbury's will have a negative effect on both Bubbaloo and Cadbury's because Cadbury is strongly associated with Chocolate. And a bubblegum never fits into this association. Hence the brand takes the parentage of Adams .
Bubbaloo has all the necessary brand elements to make it big. A mascot, globally successful product, lots of money to spent on advertising and the excellent distribution strength. Kid's Channels will see lot of airtime spent on the fight between the THREE B's

Onida Candy : RIP (1999 - 2002)

Brand : Candy
Company : Onida

Brand Count : 268

Candy is a sad brand story. This unique brand is a classic case of entire marketing mix gone awfully wrong. A good idea killed by poor marketing strategy. Or is it a failure because the brand was ahead of its times ?

Candy is the 14 inch Color TV launched in 1999 with much hype. In the early 90's the Indian brands were ruling the roast with no serious external competition. Then came the rush of Global brands to the Indian market. The market began to get crowded and technology no longer became the key differentiator. Candy was a serious effort from Onida to invent a new segment in the crowded undifferentiated TV market.
Candy was truly a Color TV, in the market where all TVs were either black or grey, Candy came with four color variants. The concept was good. Have a TV which is colorful and targeting young customers.
Candy was conceptualised based on certain customer insights. The young customers would like to hear loud which often created irritation with the grown ups. Hence why not have a TV which has a wireless headsets which would ensure privacy to the audience. The managers thought that the attractive colors on the cabinet and the cordless headset will act as a differentiator . Candy came in four colors : Berry Blue , Mint Green , Lemon Yellow and Cherry Red.

I feel that the brand managers was too ambitious about Candy. The brand was priced well above the existing 14 inch televisions. Candy was launched at a 40 % premium over the other brands. Candy thought that customers will be willing to pay a premium for the differentiators that Candy offered.
But the brand failed. Infact during 1999- 2001, the brand was selling like hot cakes but later the sales slipped. Ultimately Candy was no longer there in the market. What went wrong?
As mentioned above, Price was obviously the villain. The small TV market was the most price sensitive one and customers was not willing to pay 40 % premium for color alone. The brand failed to convince the TG on the value proposition of the brand.
There was segmentation issue also playing spoil sport. Candy was not focused on the TG because some where the brand wanted to attract the replacement market ( New TV for Old) rather than positioning itself as a second TV. This put additional volume pressure on the brand which was at best a Niche brand.

Because of the blurred segmentation, positioning also suffered. Instead of positioning as a youthful vibrant brand aimed at the youth, Candy was struggling to find the right positioning. It was trying to compete with the large TVs instead of creating a new segment. More over reports suggest that the four colors were not enough to create a vibrant brand. ( compare this to the 99 colors of Scooty) . Some customers felt that the colors are too dull to be paid a premium.
In 2001, Candy came out with a variant Candy Duet which had two colors. The brand made a big mistake by introducing a 20 inch variant further diluting the brand.

Candy when it was launched was touted as the APPLE ( brand) of Televisions. It was expected to do what Apple did to the Computer industry . The brand was to take aesthetics as the main attribute and revolutionize the market. But it neither had the aesthetics of Apple nor had the staying power. Candy is a case of poor marketing execution of a good product concept. An idea that could have carved a place in the market on its own. Onida had big plans for the brand . It planned to take Candy to the level of a multimedia brand but could not sustain the initial success. It failed to understand the value proposition of its consumers nor was it able to create a meaningful and sustainable differentiation . Some where in 2002-2003, the brand was quietly laid to rest.

Source : magindia.icfai case,businessline

Brand Update : Scooty Pep

Scooty has come out with a remarkable campaign - 99 color campaign. The brand now is available in an unbelievable 99 shades. I think it is the first time in the world that an automobile is available in 99 shades.

In marketing classes we use a quote from Henry Ford about the Model T car which was available only in black. " You can have any color as long as its black" ( although there is no proof that he said this).
Marketing has come a long way.....

TVS is now running a series of campaigns featuring the brand ambassador Trisha highlighting this feature.

Watch the TVC here : TVS Scooty

The move is unique and high risk. Scooty off late has been facing tough competition from Pleasure , Active and Krystal. Although the market share of Scooty has not been affected, the brand faces issue of differentiation. The competitors are feature rich and hence differentiation based on features no longer remains. All these brands are heavily promoted in the media. Hence to sustain the leadership, Scooty has to find a unique and serious differentiation.
Color never has been considered a differentiator in the Indian market. Marketers were skeptic about using colors as a differentiators because it is costly to manufacture products in various colors and customers may not be willing to pay a premium for the colors. But those thoughts were applicable in the past. Now consumer research shows that Colors has become an important attribute in the purchase of durables. One reason is that Features now no longer has the exclusivity. Another factor is the need for certain segments of the customers to express their individuality through colors. The affluent Indian middle class are also looking for aesthetics along with features. Hence while choosing a refrigerator, one may buy one which matches the color of the wall.
Scooty's new initiative is based on the consumer insight that customers are willing to pay a premium for unconventional colors. And individuals wish to express their attitudes through the colors. The popularity of Yellow Zen and the success of Godrej's EON range of refrigerators reinforces this insight.
And as the marketing theory suggests, when you have to promote a differentiation, do it in style. Differentiation should be important, distinctive,superior,preemptive, affordable and profitable. And 99 colors definitely makes a difference and significant too. But there are concerns. Concerns regarding the economies of scale . I still wonder how TVS managed to pull it through their production process. Managing the inventory will be a nightmare for TVS managers. According to reports, signs are encouraging. one out of four customers selects an unconventional color. Scooty charges a premium of around Rs 1000 for these colorful variants.

If I go by the theory, Scooty will be the brand which have the largest number of product line extensions. Cool....

Related Brand
TVS Scooty