Brand Update : SBI

SBI has been on an overdrive in the advertising world with a series of campaigns following the much acclaimed " Surprisingly SBI" campaign. The entire world was surprised because of the aggression of India's largest bank. The bank was successful in changing the perception of many new generation customers about the key advantages of SBI like " largest number of ATMs", branch connectivity etc.

Then came the second series of campaign " Every Indian's Banker".The ad was a big fall from the quality hype created by " Surprisingly SBI" campaign. The second series campaign was aimed at projecting the bank as a common man's bank which served no strategic purpose as such. Every one knew that SBI used to serve all class of Indians. The second series of ads served no business or brand purpose. Neither the ad gave any new information to the consumers nor it invoked any brand equity for SBI.

Then came the third series of the campaign. The series is currently running across media. The ad shows India's eminent personalities like Tagore, Bose to Tata with the caption - The Banker to this Indian. The brand is trying to show off that it was the banker to the most eminent sons of the soil.
Frankly speaking, I am not the least impressed by the new campaign. Nothing but just a waste of money.

SBI was right when it launched the 'surprisingly SBI ' campaign because it needs to remind the customers about the advantages of banking with the largest Indian bank. SBI obviously had lot of advantages like " government backing" , largest number of branches and lower rates. With the high profile ad campaign by both public sector and private banks, SBI needed such a campaign to keep its brand on top of its customer's minds.

But the second and third series aiming to create an emotional connection was a total disaster.
I was a poor customer who believed SBI claims that it had restructured itself and has shed all the previous "PSU" style functioning. Reports suggested that it had trained all the staff and has become more customer friendly than ever before.Even being a cynical fellow , I believed all the claims ..

Then one day, I visited the SBI branch to take a demand draft. It was during the Lok sabha election time. The person manning the DD counter flatly refused to issue me the DD saying that he had closed the counter early because he had to attend an election training program. I stood there wondering how can a bank refuse to issue a demand draft to a customer ? . I went to the manager and was really surprised when he admitted his inability to help me out because of staff shortage. I had to shout and threaten to file a complaint with the banking ombudsman inorder to 'motivate' the manager to take necessary steps to issue me the demand draft.

What ever that SBI do to prop up its image, nothing will work unless the bank take care of its service DNA. The bank is still to change its customer service culture. They are in the service business and people form an important part of the service marketing mix. Having said that,SBI can breathe easier because the service quality is not remarkable in other banks as well ( private banks included).

SBI just need to instill a DNA of customer service in their branches. In most of the branches, the bankers feel that they are doing some favor to the customers. In a service business, the brand is built at the moment when the customer avails the services not when he sees a campaign.

Hope that SBI will atleast once surprise me positively.

Some different perspectives : Adformula, Bhatnaturally

Related Brands
SBI

Flipkart : The book store at your door

Corporate Brand : Flipkart.com

Brand Analysis Count : 430

Flipkart is an Indian online bookstore modeled around Amazon . The site was started by two IIT graduates Mr Binny Bansal and Mr Sachin Bansal. The site became operational in 2007. Within a short span of time, Flipkart has created a lot of buzz among the book lovers.

I am a book lover and my job as an academician demands that I read a lot of books. I came to know about flipkart quite accidentally. I used to buy books from another famous e-commerce site where I was a loyal customer with a gold level book club membership.

Marketers know that it is very difficult to poach loyal customers from a competitor. Lot of factors cause customers to stick to a familiar brand. Inertia, trust , averse to risk are some of the factors that prompt customers to stick with their old way of doing things. I was also of that type.

One friend suggested me to check out flipkart and and when I did, it split my loyalty instantly. One of the main USP of flipkart is the ease of use. Unlike other e-commerce site, flipkart is very very easy to use. Searching books was very easy and the site was also minimalistic. During that time, my earlier bookstore revamped its interface and it became very difficult to search books in that site which prompted me to look for alternatives. The simple interface of flipkart and their fast delivery also inspired my colleague ( who is a voracious reader) to switch to this site.

In services marketing theory , often we teach that " high level of performance " is an attribute that can cause delight in customers. Flipkart is an example of a site that differentiate itself on its performance rather than low price.


According to reports, Flipkart 's USP is its simple interface, fast searching and free shipping. The owners have rightly identified the critical differentiating factors and their service delivery is also quite fast. According to the brand owners, the market for online bookstore is around Rs 25 crore out of the total market size of Rs 4000 crore ( source). Competition is slowly hotting up in this space also.

What is interesting about flipkart is that the brand does not rely on above the line promotions. Rather, the brand depends on SEO and word of mouth publicity to drive customer traffic to the site.

Not all things are perfect for this brand. I still buy from my old store after comparing prices. The lack of a loyalty program is a big minus for an e-commerce site like flipkart. I feel that bookstores' cashcow will be the loyal customers rather than unique visitors.

For a startup, flipkart has really succeeded in getting basics correct. The brand has the potential to lure or poach customers from other similar competitors because it can deliver its promise faster. But when the customer base grows, it is a challenge for the brand owners to keep the high level of performance intact.

Kudos for the flipkart team.

Brand Update : Rexona (Reborn November 2009)

HUL never ceases to surprise me. One year back , HUL decided to kill Rexona and migrate the brand to Hamam. The brand also launched a high profile campaign announcing the migration of Rexona to Hamam. It created a Hamam variant named Hamam Abhyangasnanam and all the ads screamed - Rexona is now Hamam Abhyangasnanam .
Yesterday , I was surprised to see a television commercial of Rexona. So the brand has been resurrected after one year. I am not sure why a company like HUL has such a complicated brand strategy. How can a company decide on killing one brand, spent crores of money in promoting the brand migration and after one year decide to bring back the killed brand??

If the company doing this is an amateur firm, then it can be seen as a learning experience but when the company is HUL, no logic can explain this. Can a company like HUL misjudge consumer mindset like this ?

The only reason I see is that there is some serious brand vision issue with HUL. The company has lost its vision for the brands. There is a discontinuity in the strategy for the HUL brands and this is evident in the way HUL has dealt with the brands in recent times. I have a feeling that the brand managers have lost a long term focus on the brands. They are now driven by the ROI and short-term profitability which is driving them in unnecessary brand extensions and migrations.
At the deo front , Rexona deo is a neglected brand . The promotions are not good enough and nothing exciting is happening at that domain. It is time that HUL devise some longterm brand vision for its brands before it is too late.

Anyways , as a customer, I am glad that Rexona is back. This is a sensible brand and have a potential to be a good simple family soap.

Related Post
Rexona

Snack Break : Creating new Category

Brand : Snack Break
Company : Agrotech Industries ( ConAgra )
Agency : FCB Ulka

Brand Analysis Count : 429

There is a new kid in the market for snackfoods. Agrotech Industries, which is an affiliate of the US food giant ConAgra, has launched Snack Break brand of snackfoods.
There are two interesting things about this new product. The first one is the category. Snack Break is the first major brand that has introduced "pudding " as a snack. Although Indians love pudding, no one has so far ventured into launching a branded pudding.

Snack Break is inspired from the Snack Pack brand from ConAgra. The Snack Break brand shares the same brand /product characteristics as the parent brand.
Snack Break is positioned as a tasty snack with the goodness of milk. The brand has three variants - Chocolate, Butterscotch and Chocolate Mud-Pie. The brand is priced at Rs 25 for 99gm and Rs 100 for a pack of 4.

The brand is currently running a campaign highlighting the " taste " factor and the nutrition. The brand has adopted the tagline " Simply Irresistible".
Launching a pudding brand is definitely a good idea. The brand is aiming youngsters and kids alike and the nutritional value makes a good reason to indulge.

The second interesting fact about this brand is that Snack Break is endorsed by Sundrop. In theoretical terms, Sundrop is the endorser brand for Snack Break. Sundrop is the popular cooking oil brand from Agrotech. It was surprising that a cooking oil brand is endorsing a pudding brand. Frankly it does not make sense. Oil brand and a snack brand doesn't go together . More over it can be dangerous association since Oil is considered unhealthy and so do snacks.
One reason that prompted Agrotech to endorse Snack Break with Sundrop is to familiarize the brand. Since Snack Break is new and the category is also new, the brand owners felt that a stand alone brand will not be able to make consumers try it. By endorsing it with the popular Sundrop, there is an increased chance of trial by the consumers.

Snack Break is priced a little high compared to the competitors. This high price can be a deterrent for regular purchase for this brand. Once in a while indulgence will be what a middle-class customer will feel about this brand. But for the affluent youngsters, Snack Break offers a new product category to indulge.

Brand Update : Sony Vaio

Sony Vaio is currently running a campaign featuring Kareena Kapoor as the brand ambassador for its Vaio range of ultra-portable laptops.

The brand is now running a campaign featuring Kareena.
Watch the tvc here : Vaio

My first question is whether Sony need a brand ambassador for the Vaio brand ?. Vaio had some brilliant commercials and had built in a premium image without the help of any stars. So why now take the help ?

Sony is positioning Vaio not as a netbook but as the ultra-thin laptop and also as a lifestyle accessory. But a discerning consumer will think twice before splurging Rs 85000 for such a product. The brand is fighting for the market along side the competitor Mac Air.

The ad is also not very impressive because the focus is more on the brand ambassador than on the product. According to reports, the brand is trying to cash in on the " Size Zero " rage popularized by Kareena. The brand is feeling that consumers will find a connection between the " thin " Kareena and the " thin " Sony Vaio.

But I think that for a brand like Sony, it could have depended more on the creativity of the ad guys to make the brand popular than piggybacking on some thin stars



Related Brand

Sony Vaio

White Ice : Play It Cool

Brand : White Ice
Company : Midas Care Pharmaceuticals.

Brand Analysis Count : 428

The list of deo brands that promises raving girlfriends is endless. We have one more to add to the list - White Ice brand of deos.Like any other brand in this category, White Ice also promises men of girls falling for them and attaining the " Nasal Nirvana".

Frankly I am at loss. Either it is true that girls do get easily seduced by the deo fragrances or men believe that deos work magic with girls. Either way, brands that take on this most "raped" theme of " girls chasing guys" are increasing day by day.

When I wrote a critical post on Denver (another deo with same positioning) , a reader pointed out that the sale of Denver increased many fold after their campaign. In that case , I assume thatthe number of frustrated Indian men is increasing at an alarming rate.

White Ice is a brand from Midas Care pharmaceuticals. Midas Care is a company that specializes on aerosol products and is famous for brands like Climax and Relispray.

White Ice is running a TVC in most of the channels highlighting its positioning as the ultimate women attractor ...

Watch the TVC here : White Ice

The brand joins the bandwagon of Axe, Denver,Setwet and Wildstone in harping on the same promise . I wonder whether there is any relevance in the concept of differentiation ???

It may be true that when a brand advertises, there is going to be a visible spike in the sales. But this may not be sustainable over time if brands doesn't care to differentiate. For example , a consumer may try out this brand after seeing the ad, but if the brand wants him to come back, it should create a distinct place in the consumer's mind. A marketer will not be able to spend huge amount of money in advertising to keep the high brand recall. A highly differentiated brand enable to reduce the advertising expenses over a period of time.

White Ice adopts the tagline " Play it Cool" which is the same tagline of John Players. I wonder if the ad agency ever bothered to check the tagline before making it public.

Most of the challenger brands fail in realizing the importance of investing in the long term. They are happy with the immediate spike in the sales and profits. Brand building can be possible only if the brandowners realize the need for proper differentiation. The more time they spent in identifying or creating differentiation, more sustainable the brand will be.

Bigger is the problem for Axe deo. Its famous and once unique positioning platform is now killed many times. It cannot wish that when other brands use the same positioning, Axe benefits. More than the new entrants, Axe is in a dangerous position and desperately needs to reinvent itself. It will be interesting to see how HUL takes on this ultimate positioning challenge.

Brand Update : Gems

Cadbury Gems is currently running a new series of interesting commercials. The brand has chosen a Giant Panda as the main character in the new set of ads.

Watch one commercial here : Rangeen Panda

Gems has been very consistent in associating with the attributes - color,fun and excitement. Over the last few years, the brand has been concentrating on associating " color" with Gems. The current campaign is trying to further reinforce the association.

Frankly , when I first saw the new Gems ad with the colored Panda, I did not understand any bit of it. Only thing I understood was that Panda became colored when it ate Gems. But my kid seems to enjoy watching the Panda.
Gems now have the new tagline " Rangeen Panda ka Rangeen Pasand". The earlier tagline of Gems was " Meri masti ka Partner ". The new tagline seems to be too tactical in nature focusing more on the Panda rather than the brand.

Gems is targeting the kids of age 8-14 yrs.(source) The way kids look at these messages are way different from how we adults look at the campaigns . Hence I am not venturing into analyzing the new campaign using my adult lens. However I think that the ad could have been more clear so that adults will also understand the essence of the message.

Having said that, the choice of Panda as the main protagonist is a very good idea. The animal evokes a sense of cuteness and stickiness to the ad. When marketing to kids, the presence of such a character will add more punch to the brand. The association of the attribute "color" to Gems also is a class act because it makes Gems unique compared to other brands.

Even though Gems does not have a competitor with similar product properties ( color candies), the consumer does not think in terms of categories while making a confectionery purchase. Most of the purchases are spontaneous and marketers can only wish that their brand is on top of the mind during that moment of truth. Let me hope that the Rangeen Panda helps Gems to capture that moment.

Related Post
Cadbury Gems

Blackberrys : Sharp,Smooth & Sure

Brand : Blackberrys
Company : Mohan Clothing
Agency : Arms Crestra

Brand Analysis Count :427

This post is not about the ubiquitous Blackberry smartphone but about an Indian textile brand. Blackberrys is a textile brand from Mohan Clothings. The brand just happens to share a common name with the world famous smartphone brand.

Blackberrys is one of India's leading premium textile brand. Blackberrys is known for its range of suits and trouser clothing. The brand was born in 1991 and was a pioneer in bring in fashion oriented suitings in India.

The brand have a strong presence in the North and East India and only since 2007, that the brand has made its presence in the southern states.

The brand was a silent player in the market so far. Most of the promotions were below the line and seldom did the brand ventured into high profile brand building. Even without much advertising, Blackberrys established a significant place in the premium suitings category. The brand which started off as a suits and jacket company is now offering full wardrobe solution to both men and women.

The intense competition in the premium textile category has prompted this brand to invest more in brand building activities. The brand is currently running a TVC across various channels.

Watch the TVC here : Blackberrys

The brand is targeting the upwardly mobile young executives who are looking for a fashion statement in formals. The brand has identified sophistication,confidence, youthfulness and power as its core brand values.
Blackberrys has adopted the tagline " Sharp, Smooth & Sure " to communicate its brand value.
Blackberrys is also a winner of many accolades and awards including the Lycra Image awards 2007 etc.
Although the brand has proved its credentials, the TVC was not able to communicate all those good things about the brand to the audience. I was not exposed to the brand since it is not available in Kerala. From the perspective of a new customer, the ad communicated very less about the brand.
According to the media reports, the brand wanted to convey the values such as style, confidence and easy-going attributes, but the TVC was not engaging enough. The theme was not fresh enough for a consumer to explore further about this brand.
It is for this reason why textile brands will do much better if they concentrate more on print media because they will be able to talk more effectively to the consumer using the print space especially when entering new markets.

Blackberrys is a brand which believes in capturing the market in baby steps. The brand moves to certain market, consolidates and then move on. It is one of the reason why the brand took so long to cover the entire market despite being launched in 1991.
The Indian premium textile market has witnessed a huge shift in the last decade. The premium category has witnessed segmentation with in itself and most of the global brands have reached the Indian shores. It will be interesting to see how brands like Blackberrys will hold up to the competition.

Mahindra Rodeo : Power Scooter

Brand : Rodeo
Company : Mahindra Two Wheelers

Brand Analysis Count : 426

After acquiring Kinetic Scooters in 2008, Mahindra two wheelers is on an overdrive to capture a fair share of India's emerging scooter market. While retaining Kinetic Flyte, Mahindra has launched two new scooters - Rodeo and Duro into the market.

Rodeo is positioned as a power scooter . The brand sports a 125 cc engine which churns out 8 bhp . Rodeo competes with Honda's Activa, Aviator , Hero Honda's Pleasure and Suzuki Access.

Indian scooter market is a classic example which shows how difficult it is for marketers to predict the market pulse. This is a market which analysts predicted a demise. This is a market which humbled the mighty Bajaj Auto from a position of market leader to a market follower.

When every one predicted the demise of this category, Honda redefined this market through their Activa brand. Now according to press reports , scooter market in India is expected to grow more than 25% in the next 3-5 years.
India produces around 12 lakh units of scooters every year. The market is dominated by Honda which has a market share of more than 55% ( source).

Mahindra is entering a market where there is no powerful No.2. It is common sense that there are always a space for a second player in any market. The million dollar question is how to break the stronghold of Honda brands in this segment.

Marketing wisdom shows that the challenger brands should have a powerful differentiation if it wants to successfully counter the market leader. And it is good to see that Mahindra twowheelers have found a powerful differentiation & positioning strategy.

Rodeo is being positioned as a " Power Scooter". The brand is claiming that it is as powerful as a motorcycle ( in a symbolic sense) and has all the advantages of a scooter. Power looks like a good attribute to differentiate because scooters never are perceived to be powerful. And by claiming that attribute, Rodeo will be able to get the attention of the youth.
The brand is currently running a TVC across channels

Watch the TVC here : Mahindra Rodeo

The important question is whether a typical scooter buyer considers Power as an important attribute in scooters. Scooter is a functional product. The convenience matter most in this category. Honda scooters gave consumers a high quality refined product and consumers loved it.

Rodeo is trying to make a space for itself in the market by attaching it to the Power attribute. The brand at the same time achieves parity with the competitor's qualities like ride quality, storage etc. Mahindra also priced the product smartly at Rs 41299 a tad below the market leader's price. The power proposition + attractive price + Mahindra brand will prompt many potential consumers to put Rodeo into their consideration set.

Mahindra was able to successfully identify a relevant positioning platform for Rodeo. Although Rodeo may not attract the youth segment, it will definitely appeal to those who is looking for a powerful alternative to motorcycles.

Related Posts

Bajaj Chetak
Kinetic Blaze
Scooty
Pleasure

Marketing Funda : Articles on Marketing #4

The Secret Sauce: Leveraging Social Media for Business http://bit.ly/1yDGr6 II common sense tips

Mobile App’onomy – Mobile users aren’t Loyal to Cool Apps http://bit.ly/RqXCk interesting stats

How To Attack The Leading Brand http://bit.ly/zAgmf II Must read for marketers

Sir, May I Clean Your Glasses? http://bit.ly/O276F II WOW Tom Peters love Kingfisher airlines..

Kill the Elevator Speech http://bit.ly/1GVPua II must read article on business communication

10 Traits of High-Performance Leaders http://bit.ly/3GltNa II how many u have?

5 Questions with GTD's David Allen http://bit.ly/CsHrm II getting things done tips

Top 5 Things to Remember When Doing a Social Media Campaign http://bit.ly/ICGgC

How Entrepreneurs Should Handle Succession http://bit.ly/ZarC9 II good one

Create a Special Unit to Drive Growth http://bit.ly/2OaTdr II nice read

Procter & Gamble and the Beauty of Small Wins http://bit.ly/Ebr69 II good one

Mobile Handset Market in India – The Great Indian Growth Story http://bit.ly/1bolTU

The Smart Way to Influence Your Boss http://bit.ly/3amYng II let me try :)

The Upgraded Brand Extension Threat http://bit.ly/4G0EK4 II must read for marketers

5 Retail Marketing Trends for 2010 http://bit.ly/Ptedg II nice one

The Business World's Biggest Wasted Opportunity http://bit.ly/ZLwgz II nice read

The Price of a Poor Experience http://bit.ly/2dDBuq II lessons in customer service

Best Practices For Social Media: The Basics of Program Planning http://bit.ly/NI660 II nice one

10 Ways to End Your Speech with a Bang http://bit.ly/1llZDC II xcellent article

Santander Brasil and the $8 Billion "Noble" Prize http://bit.ly/fFydI II lessons for Nonprofits

Too Big to Fail — Or Too Complicated to Succeed? http://bit.ly/XOZ3Q II nice read

How Smart Leaders Talk About Time http://bit.ly/gBlOJ II lessons for leaders

To Buy Or Launch A Brand? http://bit.ly/Y06Sa II vital lessons for marketers

Really this brand's story gave me goosebumps http://tinyurl.com/cr5nw4

More on Toms Shoes brand http://tinyurl.com/yktqaku

When will the world make fun of you? http://bit.ly/2XKDb5 II Toms shoes- what a brand !!

The three elements of full employment http://bit.ly/1ivoRx wisdom from sethgodin

Want to see worst possible PowerPoint presentation? Check out these videos:- http://bit.ly/XeJ0G

Why companies see prospects in rural india http://tinyurl.com/ns8wg3

Organisational structure can reveal manythings http://tinyurl.com/yfegtv6

The Brand Launch Myth http://bit.ly/QPBYr absolute funda...

innovative marketing by Moov http://tinyurl.com/yjvpmpl

Effect of context on branding http://om.ly/KUHj

Hero Honda business model http://tinyurl.com/yzqwdg6

A story of Reva electric cars http://tinyurl.com/yzfssac

Mobile Social Networking in India – Orkut rules the chart, followed by Yahoo and Facebook http://bit.ly/g3yMk

Social Media Usage Policies: Less Lawyering, More Encouraging http://bit.ly/4nAebL II practical ??

Three Questions to Remove Ego from Decision Making http://bit.ly/3W6juO II but is it possible ?

3 Ways to Pitch Yourself in 30 Seconds http://bit.ly/AngZR II the elevator pitch

When a Colleague's Mistakes Affect You http://bit.ly/Cb1BG II highly insightful

Why Entrepreneurs Sabotage the Succession Process http://bit.ly/1bkvbm II excellent one

If goods and services become more valuable... http://bit.ly/1rW9gs II nice perspective

Live Simply, and Save the Drama for Your Mother http://bit.ly/H2uu2 II That is it

The water purifier war http://tinyurl.com/yebocjv

The dove story in india http://tinyurl.com/yabxucg

Fighter Brand Strategy Considerations http://bit.ly/xnQVj II funda for marketers

Sumi-e, color, and the art of less http://bit.ly/jKm3A II nice tips 4 powerpoint presntions

Relentless renovation: Apple's App Store http://bit.ly/8yieu II nice read for online retailers

Festival advertising – lighting up hearts or lightening the wallet? http://bit.ly/9xlaj II interesting view

Think route to consumer, not route to market http://bit.ly/QJ5m2 II nice idea

Can an Online Community Shape a Strategy? http://bit.ly/2BJqCo II nice read

Brand Personality Inspiration http://bit.ly/6fKdG II inspiration from Brand Apple

Anchor Your Brand With Credentials http://bit.ly/MW4SH II must read for marketers

Five Ways to Realize Profits and Missions http://bit.ly/1gsR4d II interesting read

Apple's Next Revolution — And What You Can Learn From It http://bit.ly/4kZDW II insightful article

Marketing Funda : Articles on Marketing 3

Selling Simplicity — Not Just Marketing It http://bit.ly/23tGgd II simple is complex

Five Mind-Blowing Web Stats You Should Know http://bit.ly/MXCna II interesting

Becoming a Collections Expert: Seven Basic Tips http://bit.ly/2uPWp8 II the most difficult part

Celebrate Your Customers http://bit.ly/4SSHn II I wish business listened to this

Becoming P2P: Principal characteristics of the new Social Business http://bit.ly/1XdTc7 II nice read

Can We Break the Tyranny of Quarterly Results? http://bit.ly/9ETLL II nice insights

The Martial Art of Difficult Conversations http://bit.ly/uiD2q II nice on on communication

HOW TO: Become an Expert in Your Industry http://bit.ly/HeaRg II i would like to be one

How to Get Found http://bit.ly/sMo5h II wisdom from guy Kawasaki

Customer Service Sells (No, Really, It Does) http://bit.ly/lVCYq II nice one

Some people are better than others http://bit.ly/gPdjO II common sense from Seth godin

Marketing Is Not Communications http://bit.ly/drrIc II wonderful insights

Top Ten Integrated Marketing Trends for 2010 http://bit.ly/SoMZy II must read for marketers

Product Promise & Product Pillars – What you need to know http://bit.ly/7RSut II nice one

India Inc loses $2.46Bn due to disconnect in customer service http://bit.ly/1lFGB II too bad

Twitter's Business Model: Brilliant or Non-Existent? http://bit.ly/24Nv0h II nice one

When To Launch A Second Brand http://bit.ly/My4yI II must read

Facebook Overtakes Orkut in India! http://bit.ly/2uoS6v

How Cisco Created Their Own Talent Incubator http://bit.ly/Z4M7K II nice read

Post-recession branding: What Next? Part 1 http://bit.ly/Oq24R II nice one

Getting Started with Disruptive Business Design http://bit.ly/15O9Nv II must read

Do HR Managers Have the Skills They Need? http://bit.ly/16Nj0P II very very relevant

Kiva: A Cautionary Tale for Social Entrepreneurs? http://bit.ly/1bEv9c II excellent insights

The Breath of God Inspiration Method http://bit.ly/1pm9vx II inspiring as usual

Do you really need to use eye contact when delivering a business presentation? http://bit.ly/gDyv9

New ad for appyfizz and grappo fizz http://tinyurl.com/yzjc6ez ..cool

The Smartest Choice We Can Make http://bit.ly/tQhF0 II inspirational - perhaps ;)

Steering a Small Company Through a Turnaround http://bit.ly/A4GxK II nice read

Smith & Jones : Tadka Marke

Brand : Smith & Jones
Company : Capital Foods

Brand Analysis Count : 425

When I recently saw the ad of Smith & Jones, I thought that a new foreign player has entered the Indian noodles market. Much to my amusement, Smith & Jones is an Indian brand and has been in the market for a while.

Smith & Jones is a brand from Capital Foods - which are famous for its Ching's secret range of Chinese food products especially instant noodles.Smith & Jones is popular in ready to eat, sauce and jelly etc.

Smith & Jones is making lot of noise in the media for its masala noodles. The brand is taking on the market leader Maggi Noodles head on .

Watch the TVC here : Smith & Jones

According to news reports , the brand is trying to redefine the Masala Variant in the noodles category. Masala is a highly popular variant in the noodles segment and has become a generic variant with the same kind of taste offered by different players in the category.

Smith & Jones wanted to differentiate by offering an innovative taste in this category . According to the reports, the brand is trying to woo customers by offering a " Tadka " taste to the masala.

Tadka is a popular garnish ( seasoning) made out of various spices which are added to the food to make it more tasty. Smith & Jones claims that its Tadka is made of 52 Indian spices. The brand is differentiating itself using the " Tadka " ingredient. The brand has the tagline " Tadka Marke".

I still wonder why Capital Foods chose to extend Smith & Jones to noodles segment when it already have Ching's Secret brand of instant noodles. Smith & Jones was having products in the Sauce, Ready to eat segment etc and Ching's Secret was a popular noodles brand. Rather than extending Smith & Jones, Capital Foods could have introduced the new flavor under Ching's. By having two brands in the same category, the company is going to lose both share and money. There is a chance of cannibalizing one brand over the other. And to fight a market leader like Maggi, one needs to be very focused both on brands and also resources.

Another aspect of the brand is its insensitivity towards the linguistic diversity across the vast Indian market. Although I know Hindi, I was totally clueless about what a Tadka is. I did not knew the meaning of it till I made a conscious search of the word. If the customer does not understand the meaning of Tadka, the entire brand promise will be lost. The brand will have tough time in communicating its core differentiation across non-Hindi speaking markets unless it takes pain to find apt word in all those languages.

The brand has initiated sampling across 3200 schools across India and is sponsoring lot of events and contact program with the consumers. The brand is also trying product placement in movies and sponsor programs in kid's channels ( Source).

It will be interesting to see whether Smith & Jones will be able to make a dent in Maggi's stronghold in the Rs 1100 crore noodles market. Differentiation based on flavor is not sustainable proposition. It will be easy for any marketer to launch such a variant. That was one of the reason why I doubted the effectiveness of Smith & Jones' foray into noodles .

Related Brand
Maggi
Top Ramen