Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Brand Update : Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Mousse puts you in chocolate heaven

Under Mondolez, Cadbury as a brand is on a roll. The fans of the brand are seeing a host of thoughtful product launches which are thoughtful and unique. What is so good about Mondolez's approach towards its product is to look at each brand as a platform through which new products( variants) can be launched. The company is not afraid to launch variants which are unique and often risky. These launches make the brand look sophisticated and interesting. 

This season, Cadbury under the popular brand Silk has launched a new variant- Mousse. Mousse is a french food which is in a soft and aerated form. Cadbury has successfully incorporated this popular dissert inside the Dairy Milk Silk. The mousse seamlessly integrates with the soft nature of Silk chocolates. 

Consumers are looking for indulgence and unique experiences everywhere. A brand succeeds when it gives a unique experience with product consumption. It is vital in the snacking category that is growing leaps and bounds among young consumers. Mondelez game plan is to capture the snacking market with unique variants launched under its power brands like Cadbury and Oreo. 

Silk Mousse is promoted across the various platforms with the proposition of " heavenly indulgence". The variant has the tagline - Scoop into Chocolate Heave" which reflects both the product form and the nature of the variant. 

Silk has always being promoted in the platform of romance. For this variant too, the brand is banking on the romance and a very young couple. As usual, the advertisement ticks all the right boxes.



Thursday, January 21, 2021

Bumberry : Conscious Diapering

Brand: Bumberry
Company: Bumberry Baby Products Pvt Ltd

Brand Analysis Count: #606

Bumberry is a brand of cloth diapers for infants and kids which wanted to give an environmentally friendly alternative to the usual disposable diapers that are popular in urban India. Started in 2013, the brand is currently selling through online e-commerce platforms. 

The diaper market in India is worth around $800 million and is characterised by high growth and low penetration. The market is dominated by P&G and concentrated on the urban market. The earlier players like Huggies, Snuggy, Pampers created the market by educating the consumers about the benefit of diapers in terms of convenience and health. The market is growing owing to the demographic nature of India and the fact that the entry barrier in this category is only the brand power has encouraged many players who import these products from manufacturing hubs like China and brands it and sell in India. 

While disposable diapers are cheap and convenient, it is not without problems. Although the unit price is affordable to the middle-class, there is a cost in the long run because of the disposable nature of the product. Another big issue is the environmental cost of these disposable diapers. Further, these diapers can create skin-related allergy if used for a prolonged period of time. 
It is these problems that encouraged the founders of Bumberry to find an alternative. A chance encounter with cloth diaper imported from the ave the idea of a home-grown brand which is less expensive than the imported ones. 

Thus brand Bumberry was created. The brand is now an online-only brand and is marketed through influencers and other digital promotions. The product is basically a durable diaper with removable inserts. The cover diaper is cloth-based and hence environment friendly and re-usable. The USP of the brand is re-usability and comfort and design. Priced at around Rs 740, the brand is trying to offer value compared to expensive imported products. 
The brand with its value proposition will appeal to a section of consumers who are looking for a healthy organic alternative to the synthetic diapers. 
So the initial market will be niche and with the diaper market growing, the potential for such diapers will naturally grow. 
The challenge for a brand like Bumberry is similar to that of the brands which created the diaper market in India -educating consumers to change. While the pioneers wanted the consumers to change from using cloths to diapers, Bumberry wants the ordinary diaper buyers to change to cloth diapers. That requires an investment on a large scale in terms of promotion. To make these products mainstream will be a mammoth investment in terms of promotions. A startup brand like this can at this point can only rely on digital tools and influencer marketing. While the brand's main talking point is its environment friendliness, I think that attributes like fashion, comfort, image are more attractive at a consumer point of view. 

Monday, January 18, 2021

Brand Update : Coca Cola to Turn Up Your Day

 This season was a washout season from most product categories. The pandemic forced many firms into crisis mode with no money or energy left for brand promotions. After the massive lockdown has been lifted, things are limping back to normal so is brand promotions. 

Coca-Cola during these periods was steady in its brand promotions. During Diwali 2020, the brand was running a popular campaign featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Paresh Rawal and the theme was focused on relationships.

The best thing about the ads was that the focus was on the brand rather than the celebrities despite the presence of two powerful celebrity brands. Then came the new campaign featuring Ranbir. 

The problem with celebrity endorsement is that there is always a chance that the celebrity will eclipse the brand in terms of screen presence. You have to be very bold and creative to make the brand stand out in the presence of a celebrity. In the current campaign themed Turn Up Your Day, the focus is on the charm of Ranbir rather than the brand even if it is the brand that makes him dance. It is all celebrity when you show the girls head over heels over Ranbir and the poor Coke brand is just rattling in the fridge. 
The new brand tagline is Turn Up Your Day which is a sort of confusing! Internationally the brand is running a campaign Turn Up Your Rythm which links the brand to music. However, we get a dancing Ranbir here in India. 

Friday, January 15, 2021

Brand Update : Tata Safari is back to Reclaim Your Life

 It's happy news for Tata Safari fans. Tata Motors has decided to relaunch the iconic Tata Safari in a new platform. The brand which created the premium SUV market in India was languishing in the sidelines when the Indian market was gravitating towards SUVs. After 2016, there was no product improvements nor any campaigns. The only saving grace for the brand was that it was chosen by Indian armed forces to replace Maruti Gypsy.

Then Tata Motors did a coup. It began to launch a range of products under a more refined platform. Harrier was launched in the Land Rover platform quickly began to impress the customer with its road presence and refinement. I almost believed that Safari will be silently killed and the new era belonged to new brands. Tata Motors then began its work on a 7 seater SUV which was showcased as a new brand Gravitas. 

But then the twist happened. The 7 seater Harrier was decided to bear the name of Safari. The teaser ad is now on air and what is interesting is that the brand is retaining the tagline Reclaim Your Life. 

The advantage of launching Safari is the immediate adoption by Safari fans. Although many have migrated to other SUVs, still Safari brand commands a lot of traction among the auto-enthusiasts. Since Harrier has already established itself as a reliable machine, Safari will not have to worry about the mechanical issues which were the Achilles heel of the brand in its earlier avatar. 


Monday, January 11, 2021

Evion 400 : Nourish Your Cells

 Brand: Evion 400
Company: P&G Health Ltd

Brand Analysis Count: #605

Evion 400 is a vitamin tablet which is a market leader in its category. It is one of the most popular vitamin E tablets around. The products like vitamin and mineral tablets used to be marketed as drugs and in medical marketing terms- through ethical route. Around 2000, there were moves from the government and regulators to regulate the pricing of these drugs. To circumvent the price capping, many medical marketers began to sell products through OTC ( Over The Counter) route which means that these products can be bought without a doctor prescription. 
The challenge in such a move is that these brands will lose doctor's patronage in many cases. Doctor's tend to prescribe products which are classified as a drug rather than an OTC product. 
So brands in the OTC route needs to build all brand-related assets because, in OTC, it is the consumers that take the purchase decision. The strategy adopted by Evion is interesting in this regard. Rather than promoting the brand as a vitamin E supplement, Evion has positioned itself based on the benefits platform. One of the key benefits of vitamin E is the effect on the skin. Evion has smartly positioned itself as a provider of glowing skin rather than a vitamin supplement thus broadening the scope of the promotion. The advertisement of Evion looks like that of a skincare soap or a cream. In that way, the brand aims to increase the usage among the target consumers. 
The problem or challenge with most of the vitamin or health supplement is to ensure continued usage of the product. While consumers will start consuming such products because of some trigger or advice, often this enthusiasm wears down over a period of time. Evion believes that skincare proposition is something that may prompt consumers to use this product on a regular basis. 

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

Dabur Sanitize : Complete Family Protection

 Brand: Dabur Sanitize
Company: Dabur
Brand Analysis Count: 604


It was a launch that had to happen one day. The Covid pandemic accelerated the product entry into the new hot category- sanitizer. Dabur which is one the respected FMCG and health major in the country did not let the opportunity wasted. In March 2020, the company accelerated the product launch of its range of sanitizers and antiseptic liquid product range into the Indian market.

The corporate brand Dabur is associated with herbal/ayurvedic products and true to its heritage, the new product launch also has herbal ingredients like Turmeric and Aloe vera inside. What is interesting about the new product launch is the brand name. Dabur has decided to use the generic name Sanitize for the product range endorsed by Dabur brand. Under the brand name Dabur Sanitize, the company has launched a range of products like hand sanitizers, antiseptic liquid and soap. Another interesting thing is that it has another variant Dabur Sanitizer Plus which is an antiseptic liquid promoted in South India using the actress Simran. 

Dabur Santize antiseptic liquid is challenging the market leader Dettol. The USP of Dabur Santize is the properties such as antibacterial, antiseptic and no-burning (which takes on the Dettol ) along with natural ingredients like turmeric and Aloe vera. 

The market is currently flooded with products such as santizers, antiseptic liquids, creams, sprays and what not. The market now has the demand owing to the relentless spread of pandemic and fear. So the market is able to contain the supply of these products to a large extent. In that way, Dabur also will ride the wave of this category growth. The buzzword at this point in time is the ability of these products to reach the point of purchase. According to the news reports, Dabur Santize is available initially in online platforms. The brand will benefit from trend once it is available offline at a large scale. 

In a branding perspective, Dabur had chosen not to launch these products under a new brand or even a sub-brand. Rather it has used the generic product descriptor route for the new products. In one way the company has missed the opportunity for a new brand which could've offered more individuality and flexibility in terms of positioning and promotion.