Brand Update : Appy Fizz repositions to lose its cool factor

This summer, Parle Agro has made a drastic repositioning of its unique  product - Appy Fizz. Launched in 2005, Appy Fizz had carved a unique place in the Indian market with its fizzy apple drink. The brand was built on a cool quotient exemplified by the strategy of anthropomorphism. The drink became  the cool character and the ads too supported the positioning. Appy Fizz had one of the good taglines  " A Cool Drink to Hang Out With"

Now Parle Agro decided to undo all those with the new campaign. A lot of things have changed in the new repositioning.

• The package was changed. The logo was tweaked and the design is in line with the Frooti logo design.
• The tagline was changed to " Feel the Fizz".
• The Appy Fizz  character has been discarded.
• New celebrity endorser in Priyanka Chopra.

watch the ad here : Appy Fizz Repositioning

The new repositioning came as a big dampener. The brand changed its personality completely. The tagline " Feel the Fizz" is also a poor replacement of " Cool drink to hang out with". This " Feel " thing is an overused tagline. For example, the scooter brand Hero Maestro has the tagline " Feel the Josh". Ford earlier had the tagline " Feel the difference ". So Appy Fizz really fizzled out in the tagline section. 

Secondly about the celebrity endorser part. Appy Fizz was personified as a male. Now suddenly when the brand is endorsed by a female celebrity, I really felt odd. Moreover, the new ad is too much Priyanka and very less Appy Fizz. In all the earlier campaigns, it was the brand which had the prominence.  In all sense, Appy Fizz lost its coolness.

My hypothesis is that Parle Agro wants the brand to come into the mainstream. Appy Fizz by nature is a niche product. Because it is apple drink, the salience will also be low. Trying to change that would be a risky affair. At the same time, the brand can work to strengthen salience and build preference. The current route taken by Appy Fizz is too risky and unnecessary.

Cool Quotient is something that is very difficult to attain. Appy Fizz was fortunate to successfully position itself as a Cool brand. In one stroke,  the company has undone all the investment it has made in the brand. My forecast is that at some point in time, the brand will be forced to be a " Cool drink to hang out with ".

Brand Update : This summer, Frooti gets a major makeover

This summer, the 30 year old Frooti has got a bold makeover. Frooti has re-branded itself with a new logo, new packaging and ofcourse new brand communication. Frooti has a commanding 80% + share in the tetra-pack segment of the Rs 3500 crore Indian mango drink market. But the overall market share of the brand is only 11% in the total market. This is because the market is dominated by PET packs

The brands like Maaza and Slice dominate the market with their PET bottle variants. More over, the company feels that Frooti is perceived to be a kid's brand thus alienating the young/teen consumers who now form the majority of the consuming class of these products.

So along with the re-branding, Frooti has also changed the product formula with more juice pulp added to it. The re-branding also saw a change in the advertising agency . The company has roped in Sagmeister  & Walsh for this exercise.

The result is a bold logo, new color for the packaging and a new campaign.

Watch the tvc here : Frooti life

The brand has retained SRK as the endorser.

The ad uses the stop-motion animation and frankly I didn't get the plot until I read the detailed story line in an article. 

The theme revolves around the tiny people in a tiny world living a Frooti Life.

The brand which brought back the classic " Fresh'N'Juicy " tagline has dropped it in the new scheme of things. The new tagline it seems is " The Frooti Life".

The packaging is bold and refreshing. The ad is amusing because of the stop-motion animation but I am not sure whether it has the wow-factor enough to cause the youngsters to flock to it. The brand has attempted a laddering up from the highly functional FreshNJuicy proposition. But I feel that the plot is not that clear. 

While the brand has made a refreshing change, I am wondering what next for the brand ? How is the brand going to take the " Frooti Life " forward ? Just being amusing is a dangerous goal in a re-branding and re-segmenting exercise. 

The 2013 campaign was so good and bought back the freshness to the brand with SRK boosting the presence. A drastic change in the whole branding and segment is something which is quite intriguing.

Some how I feel a disconnect between the tiny people and SRK and Frooti Life ! May be  because I am out of the TG. 

Brand Update : LMN - Changing Brand Positioning

After the high profile launch last year, the brand is back with the latest campaign this summer. And sorry to state that it is a big let down from the last year's campaign. The new series of ads now running in the channels features two African Natives as the protagonists. The entire campaign revolves round the antics and comedy of these thirsty guys in search of water.

The brand had come out with a critically acclaimed launch ad last summer. LMN quickly captured the viewer's attention with its smart tagline " Emergency Lemon Refresher". The ads were based on the insight that people will have a 'shrinking feeling' when dehydrated.

The new campaign has changed the " Emergency Lemon Refresher" to " Thirsty - Lemon ". The new campaign seems to establish a strong association between the brand , thirst & lemon. The thinking is very good but the execution is nothing but miserable. I think the brand lost track while attempting to be Funny.

Watch the ad here : LMN new Ad

This summer is witnessing lot of competition between lemon based drinks. Nimbooz, Minute Maid, etc are running campaign aimed at creating association between " Home made Lemon Juice " and the brands. To be fair with LMN, the brand is trying a new path of relating Lemon + LMN + Thirst which is more powerful than competitor's pitch on home-made lemonade.

LMN has a strong brand name, and with initial brand familiarity has already established, it could have milked the initial tagline a little bit more than suddenly changing the entire brand theme.

The current ads does not establish the brand and the ad theme. There is no connection between the two characters, thirst,LMN and positioning. I personally think that LMN does not need campaigns to establish association with Lemon because the name itself does that job.

If the brand's aim is to just create some noise, any ad would serve the purpose .

Related Brand

LMN

Hippo : Fights Hunger

Brand : Hippo

Company : Parle Agro

Ad Agency : Creativeland Asia

Brand Analysis Count # 446

Another brand has entered into the highly competitive snack- food market. The brand Hippo was nationally launched recently by Parle Agro. The Indian branded snack-food market is worth Rs 6500 crore has now become a battle ground of titans.

Indian snack-food market growing at 25% p.a is witnessing marketing fight worth watching. The players are trying every tricks of the trade. This intense marketing competition has expanded the market and also created new segments. One such new segment is the healthy snack segment.

Marketers were aware of the gradual trend among consumers towards healthy foods. Although this trend is limited to certain sections of society, marketers are calculating that healthy snack-foods will become a mainstay category in the snack-food market. Infact Ms Indra Nooyi of Pepsico had openly stated her vision of Pepsico leading the healthy food movement.

The healthy snack segment in the Indian Snack market has got a big boost in recent times with the launch of Aliva brand by Pepsico and Monaco Smart Chips by Parle. Earlier, Lays tried its hand by launching a low-calorie version to counter Bingo's claim of 'baked not fried 'proposition. The high profile campaign of Monaco Smart Chips featuring Aamir Khan put the spotlight on the healthy angle of snacks.

Hippo calls itself " Delicious Baked Munchies ". This baked wheat based munchy is neither a potato chips nor a biscuit, but something in between ( source Business India). The munchies are available in Pizza flavor,Chinese Manchurian, Hot N Sweet, Thai Chilly , Yoghurt Mint Chutney and Indian Chatpatta. The brand is priced at Rs 10 per pack.

Hippo is currently running its launch campaign across channels.

Watch the ad here : Hippo

Hippo has tried to position itself differently from the rest of the brands. While the other snack brands have positioned itself on product properties, Hippo brand tried to take the generic need platform.

For example :
Lays is positioned as a convenient snack,

Bingo on the different tastes,

Aliva also on health + taste

Monaco Smart Chips on health ( baked ).

Hippo is being positioned as a hunger- killer. The brand wants to be a guilt-free snack for hunger moments. The brand is banking on two properties - made from wheat and free of MSG & GMO to prove its healthy snack claim.

The brand also chose a different way to communicating its positioning to the consumer . The brand is trying to tell a story. The story is based on the premise that ' Hunger is the root cause of all evil. So the brand motto is ' fight hunger, fight evil'. The brand has adopted the mascot Hippo who is in the forefront of eliminating hunger and thus eliminating evil. Hippo has the tagline " Hippo Fights Hunger ".

Although the brand has tried to tell a story and successfully created an initial hype, I have serious reservations about the differentiation of the brand. The brand has taken the " Hunger" platform, but how is it different from other snack-foods that offer same qualities ? How is Hippo different from a Bingo or Monaco Smart Chips ? .

I feel a lack of uniqueness in the brand. The problem of lack of differentiation will come into forefront when the initial consumer interest dies down. Without a clear USP, the brand needs to constantly stay on top of the Share of Noise to drive the sales. If you observe the campaigns of Parle Agro brands, the company adopts a " On/Off " kind of advertising strategy. Sometimes there are lot of ads, and sometimes, there is no sign of any brand communication. In a category like Snacks such intermittent burst of ads may not work. One needs to have a steady continuous stream of campaigns ( ATL and BTL) to drive the sales.

From the first campaign, I don't see any attempt from the brand to create a differentiation. What the brand had tried to do was to establish brand familiarity which it had done successfully. But the brand needs to find a meaningful differentiation if it wants to survive for the long term. The brand can develop its positioning further using its core brand promise of " Guilt-free snack for hunger moments ".

One of the most striking aspect about this brand is the packaging. The company has put in lot of work behind making the packaging stand out in stores. Since the purchase of snacks are highly spontaneous, the packaging offers immense strategic importance. Hippo has really differentiated itself from the rest of the crowd in the packaging front.

Another aspect of the brand is its emphasis on ' After-Marketing". After- Marketing is what the brand does after it has sold itself to the consumer. Like Appy Fizz, Hippo has cleverly used the packaging to engage the consumers after the purchase. The pack contains interesting information and one-liners which takes the brand-consumer conversations beyond advertising .

As a new product launch, Hippo has done all the right marketing moves. The brand has a catchy name , good product qualities, excellent packaging, nice pricing, distribution reach etc. It has also created right kind of noise in the media during the launch. The real test is after the initial euphoria. The brand is fighting players with deep pockets. It will be interesting to watch how Hippo takes on the giants.

Related Brands
Lays
Aliva
Bingo
Appyfizz

Brand Update : Mango Bite

Kaccha Mango Bite is a product line extension of Mango Bite . But over these years, this flavor has caught the fancy of the consumers so much so that almost all the candy makers have introduced the Kaccha Mango ( Raw Mango) flavor in their portfolio.

Parle also may not have thought that this flavor would become a rage. Now the situation is that Kaccha Mango variant is more widely distributed than the original Mango Bite. The the variant has now the status of an independent brand.

The raw mango taste is very unique and different. It is this uniqueness that has created a lot of interest in the consumers especially the kid's mind. Child's mind loves uniqueness and is always looking for new experiments. When all the candies are sweet, a little sour taste gives the much needed break from the usual.

The variant was also promoted extensively by Parle. The brand really owned the taste by a smart positioning . Kaccha Mango Bite is positioned as " Xerox of Raw Mango". It has the tagline " Kaccha Aam ka Xerox " .

I remember two ads which was spot on the positioning.

Watch the ad here : Xerox Ad

: Animation ad

By positioning itself as the Xerox copy of Kaccha Mango, the brand literally created a strong position in the consumer's mind. I think that the brand has changed the tagline to " Kaccha Aam ka Copy " because Xerox is a tradename owned by another company.

The success of Kaccha Mango Bite made the competitor entering the fray with their own versions. ITC launched the Natkhat Mango variant and recently the brands like Alpenliebe launched the raw mango flavor.

Kaccha Mango now have a generic status in the market for this flavor. No other brands have so far been able to crack the equity of this variant.

Related Brand

Mango Bite

Grappo Fizz : Another Cool Drink To Hang Out With

Brand : Grappo Fizz
Company : Parle Agro
Agency : Creativeland Asia


Brand Analysis Count : 398

Parle Agro has launched a " new brand " Grappo Fizz . Grappo Fizz is a sparkling grape drink similar to the successful Appy Fizz.

Grappo Fizz is launched as a cousin of Appy Fizz. Appy Fizz had created a successful niche for itself among the young consumers. The drink has a unique taste, look and also interesting positioning as a Cool Drink.Parle Agro is trying to replicate the success of Appy with the new grape drink.

I have a little confusion in the branding of Grappo Fizz. Should Grappo be considered as a brand extension or is it a new brand.

Theoretically , brand extension is where the company uses an existing brand name for new products. But Grappo Fizz is a new brand name which has significant association with Appy Fizz. Both these brands share a common term Fizz in their brand names.

Another similar case occured when Perfetti launched a brand called ChocoLiebe which has the same association with Alpenliebe.

Technically Grappo Fizz should be considered as a new brand . Then it become a unique case where two brands share common brand elements like packaging and even positioning. I would consider this as a new brand for theoretical purpose. For all practical purpose, Grappo is an extension of Appy. ( confusing isnt it?)

Marketing is more of a historical subject describing the past actions of marketers.So when the marketers devise new strategies, marketing academicians find it difficult to explain those with existing terms,concepts and jargons. Hence we come out with new jargons to explain the new practices. I would invent a new jargon - Association Extension to describe brands which are launched with significant associations with an existing brands.

Coming back to Grappo Fizz, the company considers this brand as an extension of Appy Fizz. In an interview with Business Standard , the CMO describes this brand as a product extension of Appy Fizz ( Read Here)

Grappo Fizz is trying to create another niche like its cousin. Grape is a neglected flavor in the Indian market. There are virtually no grape based drink in India except for some 100% fruit juice brands. Grappo is trying to fill in such a gap.

Like Apple drink, Grapes may not become a mainstay beverage but it will be a welcome option for those users who would like to have something different. I have observed that people tend to like grape juices, but seldom this flavor is marketed.

Grappo shares every branding element with its cousin . The packaging is the same , the nature of the drink is the same and the positioning is also the same.

Watch the launch commercial here : Grappo Fizz

Like Appy Fizz,Grappo also has a personality. The brand has a interesting CV which you can see in the packaging. He is a ex- call center employee who has lost his job because of recession. Grappo is a rap lover and loves rhyming.

The brand is targeting the same segment which Appy Fizz is targeting - The Youth.

Grappo shares the same positioning of Appy . Now the brands come together in ads and the tagline is " Two cool drinks to hang out with ".

I am a person who fears brand extension. So the same fear appears when I see both Appy and Grappo sharing a common positioning platform.

A few question arises in my mind.

I love Appy Fizz, so the fear is whether Grappo dilutes the positioning of Appy Fizz ?

Why should Grappo share the same tagline as Appy ? Will they always be together in ads ? If so then what is the differentiation of Appy ?

My personal opinion is that Grappo sharing the positioning will dilute the equity of Appy. When two brands say that they are cool, the question arises who is the coolest ?

My apprehension was deepened when I saw another campaign where Grappo outsmarted Appy . So is Grappo more cooler than Appy ?

Since the tagline is " Two cool drinks to hang out with " , has Appy lost is individuality ? Will we ever see an ad featuring Appy alone ?

Is there a chance of more drinks coming like Orange Fizz, Guava Fizz with the same positioning ?

Alries and Jack Trout always argues against extensions. Their argument was that by extension, the brand will lose its unique position in the mind of the consumer. It is true also. There was only one cool drink - Appy Fizz. Now there is two.. So Appy Fizz definitely is going to get affected interm of positioning.

In the company perspective, it makes sense to put these brands together because the cost of building a new brand is huge. Grappo could easily ride on the popularity of Appy. Since these brands are niche without much competition, the consumers will stay with these drinks switching between Appy and Grappo. Marketing costs will come down because one ad will sell both.

On a branding perspective, I would have loved the brand Grappo if it had an individual positioning. Appy Fizz should be the ultimate cool drink and no other brand even if it is the cousin should be allowed to take that mind space.

So which is the cool drink to hang out with ?




Related Brand

Appy Fizz

LMN : Emergency Lemon Refresher

Brand : LMN
Company : Parle Agro
Agency : CreativeLand Asia

Brand Analysis Count : 395

This summer is special . Special because this summer , Indian softdrink/beverages marketers suddenly found that Indians love lemon flavored drinks. They realised that despite Shahrukh, Aamir and host of celebrities endorsing cola brands, large section of Indian consumers quench their thirst with nimbu paani.

And surprisingly the revelations came to Indian marketers all at once and this summer everyone is after NimbuPaani-- our very own lime juice or in malayalam (my native language)- Naaranga vellom .

Ofcourse marketers are forced to go after numbers. Even if their friends and relatives chose lemon juice over bottled drinks, marketers are forced to look at numbers, trends and statistics. This summer statistics have told them that the market for lemon based drinks have a potential.

According to a report in Business Standard, out of the Rs 7500 crore sparkling drinks market,colas comprise of only 38% of the total market while flavors comprise of 54%. The realization came only after Sprite dethroned Pepsi to become the number two selling beverage brand in India.

What marketers did not see was the big picture. Business Standard estimates that out of 120 bn litres of beverages consumed in India, packaged drinks account for only 5%. Marketers failed to look at consumers but too focused on categories and micro segments. It is not this summer, every summer, Indian consumers were taking lots of lemon drinks but marketers failed to see the bigger picture while spending their energy on outsmarting competition.

The fire cracker in the lemon based drink segment was started by Pepsi with the launch of Nimbooz . Soon to follow was the brand LMN.

LMN is from the house of Parle Agro. This summer Parle Agro is in an over drive with new launches like Saint Juice, LMN and Grappo Fizz. It is encouraging to see an Indian company aggressively taking on the Cola majors.

When I first saw the ad of LMN, what striked me was the brand name. It is one of the best brand names I have seen in recent times.Pepsi has done a masterstroke by taking in the generic name Nimbu by launching Nimbooz. I thought Nimbooz will score because of the powerful brand name. But LMN proved to be a equal worthy competitor for Nimbooz.

Having a brand name which is generic has many advantages. It is easy for consumers to understand what the brand promise is and what the product will do for them. The downside is that the generic name restricts further brand extensions. There cannot be an Orange flavored Nimbooz or Orange LMN.

LMN is indeed a powerful brand name and the brand benefits out of that. While Nimbooz is desi LMN is modern. So the brand is aiming more at the younger crowd by the way the packaging is designed and also the way the brand is positioned. Having said that even Kids may like the brand because it is very simple and easy for them to understand what it is.

While Nimbooz is directly taking on the ordinary nimbu paani ( generic lemon drink), LMN is positioned as a refreshing drink little away from being pitched right against the ordinary lemon juice.

LMN is running the launch television commercial across channels. The brand is being positioned as a refreshing lemon drink and has the tagline " Emergency Lemon Refresher ".

Watch the TVC here : LMN

LMN compete with brands like Limca, Sprite, 7 Up and Nimbooz. But the interesting fact is that all these brands represents different categories.The basic difference between LMN and Sprite is that Sprite is a carbonated beverage while LMN is not.
Limca is a cloudy drink while 7 Up and Sprite are clear drinks. LMN and Nimbooz are non carbonated drinks while others are carbonated.

But am not sure whether Indian consumers are aware of these categories . But the situation in the beverage market is that marketers are too much focused on categories and micro categories. We have juices ( 100%,85% 50% ), fruit drink,fruit juice,nectar, artificial,carbonated,non carbonated and what not.. What consumers want is a very simple solution- quench the thirst. Brand that do it with style wins.

LMN has tried to innovate interms of its brandname and also its packaging. It has comeout with a 110ml package that costs only Rs5. This sounds attractive and many consumers would try out this mini tetra provided the quantity satisfies their thirst.

The primary issue for the Indian beverage players is the distribution reach. Pepsi and Coke had built a robust distribution reach. The power of distribution is evident in the case of Kerala. Here Pepsi rules the market with over 80% because of robust distribution strategies. The key to LMN success is how well Parle Agro is able to leverage its distribution reach for this brand.

LMN has a headstart with a good brand name and a cool packaging. The brand has a potential to be a serious player depending on the investment that the company will put in for the brand. To build a brand in the highly competitive beverages market, one should invest continuously and consistently. Hope that LMN will get refreshers from the company interms of brand building investments.

Related Brands

Sprite

Limca

Coke

Appy Fizz

Brand update : Frooti

Frooti has come out with a new campaign this summer. The brand had gone in for a complete makeover. The packaging and the positioning has changed. Infact Frooti for the past few years has been trying to catch hold of a consistent theme.

It had earlier moved away from the " Fresh'N'Juicy " positioning . From there onwards, the brand was on a sticky wicket and was not quite settling on a positioning. It had the Bindaas positioning and later " Frooti- another name for Mango " theme. But the brand was not quite stable on those platforms.

The new Frooti has a new modern packaging. The choice of colors and the logo has been tweaked to make the brand more contemporary. Now the packaging is lot more neat and cool.

What is more stiking is the change in the positioning of Frooti. Last year , the brand tried to pitch itself as an alternative to mango. Now the brand is trying to be more radical and a little mad.

Watch the new TVC here : Mango Frooti

The new campaign is based on a simple consumer observation. Most of us which drink Frooti Tetrapack will try to chase the last drop of Frooti. This habit has been continuing for generations. Last day I saw my daughter trying her best to capture those evasive last drops trapped inside the pack. Knowingly or unknowingly we make funny sounds using the straw when indulging with Frooti. And we all had the habit of breaking those packs for that sound. The agency had tried to capture all these in the new communication.

The brand also has adopted a new baseline " Why Grow Up". I think this positioning is a powerful idea which can be sustained for many years provided the creatives are able think fresh.Even in the new avatar, the brand is retaining the old famous tagline " Fresh N Juicy " which is good since Frooti has a very strong association with that tagline.

Another interesting move by the brand is the creation of Mango-emoticons . The brand will now be using mangoticons in its communication which is a really smart idea. The brand using emoticons can further strengthen the association of Mango and Frooti.

Also this mangoticons can generate instant recall with the brand. So even a 1 second splash of this emoticons in the TV screen can give the same effect of a 30 second ad. The brand currently have 3 emoticons and according to the agency , it is planning to increase it to 25 by next year. I hope that Frooti uses this emoticons beyond the product package. It is a powerful brand element which can be an asset to Frooti.

Regarding the new campaign, although the idea is good, I frankly did not get the idea the first time . I liked the ' Why Grow Up' Tagline but not the ad- may be because I did not like the look of the main character in the ad. Somewhere down the line, the ad lost the " Cool" factor .

You can read more about this repositioning from Raj Kurup of CLA here : Raj on Frooti repositioning

Related Brand

Frooti

Saint Juice : 100 % Juice , Nothing else

Brand : Saint Juice
Company : Parle Agro
Agency : Creativeland Asia

Brand Analysis Count : 374

Saint Juice is the new entrant to the fast growing fruit juice market.The brand is making a foray into a market which is highly segmented and often highly confusing (to the consumer) .
Indian beverages industry which is worth Rs 7000 crore is divided broadly into carbonated and non-carbonated categories.

The fruit based drinks market is highly confusing for a customer . Frooti, Tropicana, Maaza, Real etc are all fruit based beverages. Some tastes good and some not so good.

If you look at the products, there are different types of fruit beverages :

Fruit Drinks : These are those drinks where there is a less than 20% fruit pulp.
Frooti ,Maaza etc belong to this category. Fruit drinks is the dominant category which is worth around 250-300 crores

Fruit Nectar : These contains less around 25- 85% fruit pulp. Brands like Godrej Xs and Real Nectar belongs to this category. This is a small category worth around Rs 35 crore.

Fruit Juice : These are fruit beverages that contain 85% and more fruit pulp. Tropicana and Real belongs to this category. This category is worth Rs 150 crore.

With in the Fruit Juices segment , a new category is emerging which is the 100% juice category.
( A nice article on this here : afaqs )

Most consumers are not aware of this micro segmentation. Those who drink Frooti or Maaza does not know or is not bothered about the fruit pulp content. The reason is that ,they drink these beverages for the taste ( and quenching thirst ).

Unlike the fruit drinks , customers of fruit juices are health conscious. One of the reasons for them taking this product category is that they want a healthy drink. The product is more of a health supplement than a beverage. The fact that these products are less tasty compared to fruit drink is a proof that only the health conscious ones will take it.

The category of fruit juices are dominated by Dabur's Real and Pepsi's Tropicana. Real is the market leader with around 55 - 60% share and Tropicana takes the rest.

Saint Juice is a 100 % fruit juice. The brand is positioned as a 100 % juice. This positioning is relevant because consumers are confused about the category. I tend to believe that Real and Tropicana was 100 % juice. But later only I found that these were not.

In such a scenario, Saint Juice's positioning of 100% fruit juice makes sense for the consumers. As of now , the brand is very clear about the positioning. Another factor that appealed to me about Saint Juice is its minimalistic design. The packaging is uncluttered and very visible on supermarket shelf.

The brand is now being promoted in print media and inside stores. The brand has taken the tagline " 100 % Juice , Nothing else ". The message is Simple and straight forward. The name Saint has been chosen in line with the brand's core promise.


The 100 % juice positioning of Saint is a real threat to Real and Tropicana. Real and Tropicana had extended itself into fruit drinks and fruit nectar categories. Real have Real Twist and Tropicana have Twirl in the fruit drinks category. Both these brands have their nectar variants. Recently Real and Tropicana launched their 100 % juice variant. This is a typical case where a brand is trying to be everything to everybody.

As a ordinary person, my perception of Real and Tropicana was that it was a fruit Juice brand. Now they have diluted their core proposition for a larger market play.

There are ofcourse hurdles for Saint Juice. While proclaiming that the brand is 100% juice, it may also have to convince the customers that its competitors are not having 100 % juice . Since the customers are already confused, 100% juice positioning will be relevant to them only if consumer doubt other brands. Real has identified this threat and has rejuvenated Real Active as a 100% juice brand .

The current positioning of Saint Juice is targeting the consumer who is actively looking for a 100% juice. These are consumers who take juice as a part of their diet and also knows the difference between various fruit drinks and doesn't bother much about the taste. But the category is very small .

The larger category belongs to those who like taste but wants to have a healthy fruit juice. This is the category which has large number of customers. Here taste is a significant attribute. Customers in this segment may not clearly see a distinction with in the category. For these customers, any drink in tetra pack will qualify as a fruit juice. These customers may not see a relevance in the 100% juice positioning. It is going to be a challenge for Saint to bring these customers to its fold.

Hence the next challenge for the brand is to take the 100% pure proposition into certain benefits that a larger set of customers will appreciate.


When there is lot of clutter and noise in the market, it makes sense for the brand to talk straight. Consumers look for simple solutions to his needs.

Related Brand
Real

Brand Update : Poppins

Poppins has launched a new campaign with a catchy slang " Doon Kya " . The new ad is aimed to create a viral ,anchoring the slang.

Poppins always had a irregular promotional strategy with short bursts of promotional investment. The latest being the campaign " Goli Rainbow Wali". According to agencyfaqs, the brands feel that it is alienated from the intended target market i.e 8-10 yr old.

In the new campaign , the brand give the message that Poppins has so many flavors that you will give it to everyone.

These days marketers are using catchy slogans to sustain the interest in the brand. Its not a new phenomenon and we know the catchy slogans of Pepsi , Coke ,Frooti etc but the difference here is that now marketers depend on local slang to catch the audience's attention.

The advantage of using a popular local slang ( usage) is that if successful, the slang can sustain the brand for a long time. The disadvantage is that in a country like India where we have different languages, local slangs cannot have a national appeal. For example in the Poppins' case, the usage " Doon Kya " is alien to South Indians and you maynot be able to find an appropriate local slang to substitute the original one.

The fact is that most of the time advertising agencies are not sensitive to the language diversity of our country . In my experience , I have seen many ads created by reputed advertising agencies being messed up by unprofessional dubbing. Even agencies does not bother to approach native dubbing artists for the ad. In most of the ads dubbed in my language - malayalam, the dubbing is done usually by a Tamilian and usually it sounds horrible.

For the Poppins ' Doon kya' also the kids in South Indian states may not be impressed with the idea. On the other hand, there is also a chance that these things catch up with the non-Hindi speaking customers but the odds are less.

Watch the Poppins ad here : Doon Kya


Related Brand
Poppins

Parle Golgappa : Goli Mein Golgappa

Brand : Parle Golgappa
Company : Parle
Agency : Grey Worldwide


Brand Analysis Count : 302

Parle has launched a new unique confectionery : Parle Golgappa. Parle these days are very active in the confectionery business. Along with Mintrox, Parle has launched Golgappa . Golgappa is a traditional chaat dish which is very popular in North India .
Golgappa otherwise known as Paanipuri is a crispy dough "puri" filled with a watery mixture of potato , tamarind and chilli. This is a famous street snack in the North.
The launch of this flavor is a move by Parle to take on the ethinic route to increase its share in the confectionery market. As we know, confectionery is a low involvement product and often customers make spontaneous decisions rather than a planned purchase decision. Hence to survive in the market, one has to innovate in taste and come out with new flavors at regular intervals. Parle has been successful in its experiment with flavors like Kacchaa Mango ( raw mango).
It is a common trend among marketers to introduce traditional flavors in the market to attract the customers. Maggi introduced Sambar masala flavor for its noodles while Mcdonald also adapted to suit the Indian palate. Lays and Bingo build its popularity around ethnic flavors.

What I liked about this new product is its commercial.
Watch it here : Parle Golgappa TVC

This TVC is a simple one with powerful execution. The message is perfectly delivered and I am sure that the ad will prompt trial purchases. The tagline " Goli Mein Golgappa " ( Golgappa in the candy) also is simple funny and descriptive.
Since the flavors can be easily copied by the competitors, Parle Golgappa if successful will see many competitors launching similar tastes. For example Parle Mangobite Kacchaa Mango saw immediate competition from Candyman who launched a similar taste in no-time The fact to look for in this paanipuri flavor is whether the customer will buy this flavor repeatedly. But it is good to see Parle building its lost glory in the Indian market.

Mintrox : Life eej Hard

Brand : Mintrox
Company : Parle
Agency : Creative Land

Brand Analysis Count : 298

Mintrox is a new product launch from Parle Agro. After selling off some of its brands, Parle is making a comeback into the Rs 3500 crore confectionery market in India. Usually the mint based confectionery market faces competition from chewing gums especially in the platform of mouth freshness.
Mintrox is not a gum but a hard boiled sugar confectionery. As usual Mintrox is promoted using fun and absurdism which has proved to be an effective formula in the confectionery category. Mintrox is a hard mint with rock like shape. The brand has used this product characteristic as the big idea. Mintrox is using the cliche " Life is hard " as the basic platform for its campaign. The idea is that since life is hard , you need a hard mint candy.
Mintrox is now launched with four flavors - peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon mint and menthol mint. The brand is targeting urban 18-30 segment.
The brand is now promoting its two variants using visual media.
Watch the Tvc here : Mintrox cinnamon
The entire promotions of Mintrox evolves around the theme " Life is hard ". The tvc also executes this old idea in a refreshing manner. The second campaign involves a convict who escapes from the jail only to land up in a mental hospital. The brand uses the tagline ' Life eej hard' which I think has the potential to become a hit tagline in campuses.
What is interesting is that the brand has also started taking the OOH media also to promote the positioning. According to agencyfaqs, Mintrox is planning to brand the first two front rows of cinema theaters with the concept 'life is hard ' to sympathize with the viewers since these two rows are the most uncomfortable ones.
'Life eej hard' is a big idea that has lot of potential. The idea is also perennial . Agencyfaqs say that the brand has identified more than 40 situations which reflects the theme. I also feel that the concept of ' life is hard' can be used to capture the campuses. The potential is enormous.Most of the time confectionery marketers are struggling to keep the brand in the top of mind of consumers. Brands often run out of ideas for promotions which adversely affect the sales. Mintrox's has been fortunate to find out a concept that has lot of fuel to keep running.
That is the power of a good idea.

Mango Bite : With Real Mango

Brand : Mango Bite
Company : Parle

Brand Analysis Count : 284

Parle's Mango Bite is a highly successful brand which stood the test of times. The brand which was launched in 1990 stood up and faced competition from the plethora of brands which invaded the Indian market post liberalization.
Mango Bite as the name suggests is both a benefited and constrained by a Descriptive brand name. Benefited because the brand name Mango Bite without doubt conveys what the brand means to the customer. Constrained because Mango Bite cannot bring too many variants.
Mango Bite has been consistent in its focus as far as its positioning is considered. Mango Bite was positioned as a candy made of real mango pulp. The brand was promoted heavily and the jingle " asli yeh goli mango wali" was very famous.

Mango flavor has been close to Indian palate for a long time. Many brands have take a cue and made a successful brand out of this flavor. But the problem is that once registered, the brand will be strictly associated with this flavor by the consumer and brands like Maaza have burnt their fingers by coming out with different flavors.
So in a category where impulse buying is the norm, these brands have to struggle to catch the fancy of the customers. Marketers try to rely on new variants to create excitement in the market. Mango Bite also has made some effort in its looks with a Single Twist Wrapping and also in 2002 launching a juice filled candy variant Juizy Mangoh.
The brand in a way succeeded in the market because of the sheer taste of the product . The brand lived upto the expectation of a real mango bite.

The brand is now running a campaign of its new variant Kaccha Mango which is a new unique flavor ( raw mango flavor). Although the idea of Raw mango flavor was experimented by Frooti, Kaccha Mango Bite was more successful compared to Frooti's variant. Kaccha Mango Bite is positioned as a Copy of Kaccha Mango. The launch campaign featured a boy giving a raw mango to a Photostat Shop and asks for a Copy of the raw mango, what comes out was the brand. The idea was simple and the execution was too simple. But the concept got accepted by the market. Kaccha Mango Bite had that " Some thing different " in it which prompted the customer to not only try out the new brand and also make repeat purchases.

This variant is now running a much more quality campaign in the visual media which reinforces the positioning of this variant as an exact COPY of Raw Mango. Although Kaccha mango bite is entirely a different flavor, the company has been able to create some excitement into Mango Bite. Parle was able to work around the constraint of having a descriptive brand name. I feel that even Mango Bite could use a laddered up version of this COPY concept. The brand has been keeping low profile in the media for a while now and the company is now concentrating on the variant which later can bring the consumer towards Mango Bite.

Poppins : Goli Rainbow Wali

Brand : Poppins
Company: Parle

Brand Count:234

Poppins is a heritage brand. Although I am not sure when it was launched, I am pretty sure that this brand is more than 30 years old. Still this brand is existing in the market now in a second life. Poppins comes in the category of hard boiled candy in the Rs 1200 crore confectionery industry.According to businessline, the hardboiled candy market is estimated to be Rs 350 crore and is dominated by Alpenleibe.

Poppins is a unique product because of its product characteristics. For me, the brand evokes a feeling of nostalgia since this was among the most popular brand when I was a kid. Poppins was liked by us because of its taste, color and ofcourse economy. Where else can you get 10 candies in a packet that too in different flavours .
But things changed last decade with the entry of aggressive players and new products. The market witnessed lot of segmentation and new categories and product forms evolved. Poppins at that point of time had lost its way.
Poppins were positioned on the platform of its range of flavors and color. The brand during the early times spent lot of money on brand building. The brand used two characters Ram and Shyam and used cartoon stories to build this brand ( source:vishalpatel.com). Since there was not much competition from organised sector, the brand had a good run.
But during the recent times that is from 2000-2007, the brand kept a very low profile. Although there are reports of a rebranding exercise during 2002, I don't remember any ads on air during this period.
This year however, has seen some action for this brand. TVC's are now on air using the Colors as the main USP. The website and the wrapper shows the tagline "Goli Rainbow Wali" which points towards the rainbow colors of the candies. Although the TVC's looks OK, I don't see any meaningful positioning for the brand except that the ads highlight Rs 2 and also the colors.I think that the brand wants to say to the customers that in this expensive world, you still get a Poppins for Rs 2.
Parle Poppins like Cadbury's Gems is a unique brand because of its product characteristics. Although both of these brands face competition from fake products, there is no serious brand competition for Poppins. But still like all heritage brands, this brand also faces the issue of being relevant. I feel that Poppins is looking at small kids aged 5-10 as its target segment. Because the ads are too kiddish.But I am glad that Poppins is back...

Imagesource:vishalpatel.com

Parle Musst Bites: Too Tempting

Brand: Musst Bites
Company: Parle


Brand Count:227

Parle has ventured into the new sunrise product line of snack foods. These days the snack food market is seeing lot of action with ITC launching its Bingo range of snacks during the World Cup.
Parle is now put its weight behind its new brand Musst Bites.

Musst Bites is a launched with a series of humorous ads. Watch the TVC here: Musst

Musst Bites is positioned as a tasty snack food too tempting to be part with. Although this positioning is not something new ,the brand is favored by the reasonable execution. The ads are fun to watch and simple. But there is the problem of the brand not able to differentiate itself from the likes of the market leader Lays. In a way, the brand is taking the same positioning as the Lays. But Lays is far too good in terms of positioning.

Parle yet again has failed in its brand communication. Here in this case the brand was not able to find a Big Idea.Although the agency has done a reasonable job with the oft used idea, this will not help the brand in breaking into the bastion of Frito Lays.
Related Brands
Bingo

imagesource:agencyfaqs

Gold Spot : The Zing Thing ( RIP 1977-1993)

Brand : Gold Spot
Company:Coca Cola


Brand Count: 217

Gold Spot is a sad story in the Indian Branding world. This iconic brand was killed for paving way for Coke's brands in India. Every one knows the story but still...

Gold Spot was one among the three major softdrinks brand that ruled Indian market along with Thums Up and Limca. The brand was built by Rames Chauhan of Parle after the exit of Coca Cola from India during 1977. Chauhan spoted the opportunity and three mega brands were born.
When Coca Cola came back to India in 1993, it bought out the three mega brands from Chauhan for a consideration of $10 mn. These three brands had a huge market share (combined) of over 69 % of India's SDC market. Then came the expected move. Coke slowly began killing the Parle brands to make way for its own brands. Thums Up was sidelined in favour of Coca Coala. Limca was sidelined and Goldspot was killed to make way for Fanta.

Gold Spot was the orange drink with a Zingy taste. This iconic youth brand was positioned as " Zing Thing" and was promoted heavily through all media. The jingle " Gold Spot.. The Zing Thing" was one of the most memorable jingle at that time ( still that jingle lingers in the mind of old timers).
Gold Spot was positioned as the youth brand and the ads talked about being crazy about the brand . You can watch the Gold Spot ad here .
But the brand was killed. Fanta was launched but till now the brand has not being able to take the position of Gold Spot. Coke was not able to clearly focus on the segmentation of Fanta. Fanta is never perceived as a youth brand. Fanta is not viewed or targeted at college students/youth. This confused targeting may have crippled the growth of Fanta and still it couldn't reach the status of Gold Spot. Coke expected that the users of Gold Spot will migrate to Fanta but it did not happened.
We saw Limca coming back in 2006.. can we ever hope Gold Spot coming back ?

Related Brands
Limca

Melody : Chocolaty

Brand : Melody
Company: Parle
Agency: Grey

Brand Count : 153

Melody is one the oldest brand in Parle's Portfolio. The brand which has made a place for its position in the market because of its unique quality and taste is making a comeback. Melody is a unique 2 in 1 toffee with chocolate inside and caramel outside. The brand which was premium priced in early days had used its chocolate content as its differentiators.

But somewhere in its life the brand lost its way. The brand was not visible in the media or in the stores. With the entry of high profile aggressive marketers like Perfetti almost pushed Melody to oblivion. Also the brand managers at Parle was not spending enough on this old brand. Confectionery products are bought impulsively and hence the store placement and brand recall performs an important part in the success of a brand in this category. At one point of time , Melody lost on both of these accounts.

The brand thus was slowly forgotten by the customers. Melody had some unique attributes that made it once successful
a. Its unique taste
b. The brand recall and equity
c.The brand elements like its jingle and tagline and packaging.

Melody was famous for its jingle " Melody hai chocolaty" and " Melody khao khud jan jao" emphasising on the rich chocolate core and the high decibel campaigns in the past was so effective that now also people remember the jingle.
But those who remember the jingle and the brand has now become older and the younger ones are not knowing this brand. That is a big problem that this brand faces.
2006 saw this brand coming back to the Rs 1200 crore Indian confectionery market. The brand handled by Grey Worldwide is retaining the famous positioning of "Chocolaty" .The latest ads shows the famous question 'Why Melody is so chocolaty" has made a comeback.

In the analysis of competition, we often say that there is a competition for an Idea among marketers. Brands compete for idea or positioning. Here the " Question" that made Melody famous was hijacked by Chlormint which ask the same question in a different way " Log Chlormint kyon khathe hain". Hence Melody lost the exclusivity of the Q & A that made it famous ( to a certain extent).

But for a consumer who has liked this brand and missed this brand, the comeback is a welcome event. If Parle sustains its product quality and maintains its share of voice, Melody will lift the fortunes of its confectionery business.

source: agencyfaqs,parle.com,businessline

Appy Fizz : Cool Drink To Hang Around

Brand : Appy Fizz
Company : Parle Agro
Agency: Grey World Wide


In the 7000 crore Indian Soft drinks industry dominated by the cola majors, Parle Agro is fighting for its share with its mango- drink Frooti and the apple drink Appy Fizz. I have talked about Frooti in one of my earlier blogs.

Appy was launched in 1986 as an apple drink in tetra pack after the mega success of Frooti. But Appy was not that successful compared to Frooti. This year we saw the new avatar of Appy in Appy Fizz. Appy changed in to nectar based drink in 1993.Appy was launched with a new bottle and communication this summer trying its luck in this large Indian market.

In the fruit based soft drinks, Apple drink is perhaps at the lowest in the hierarchy. The taste is less popular compared to the Orange, lemon, mango and pineapple flavors and in all these flavors there is cut throat competition among the cola majors. So Parle is trying hard to create a new segment with this drink.

As a customer, I was never attracted to apple drinks. The only branded apple drink I remember seeing is the Himachal Pradesh Apple drink counter at the railway station. May be the popularity of apple drink is low in South India because of the availability and price factor.

Since there is less popularity for this flavor, even after 20 years, Appy has not become a major brand in the SD market. That may be one of the reasons why Cola majors are not looking at this flavor.

Appy Fizz is now being relaunched as a “Cool Drink to Hang Around With”. With its champagne shaped bottle and smart advertising, Parle has succeeded in creating a Fizz in the segment, which is basically the Indian Youth. Going by the demand in the College canteen for this drink, Appy Fizz has been able to catch the fancy of the early adapters.

The ads created by Grey World Wide are cool and projects some thing unique about this drink that forced the TG to experience this product. The product itself is good hence there is a possibility of positive word of mouth.

But it has to be seen whether Appy Fizz can be a volume player competing with Orange and Mango flavors. It is difficult because Appy is a heavy drink compared to Fanta or Mirinda. The taste may be popular with only a segment of the market hence limiting the scope of this brand. I would prefer cola or other flavors to this drink when I feel thirsty but will take a sip of this drink once in a while for a change (my personal opinion). In my home I feel it is risky to serve this drink to the guests because you never know how many will like this taste.

These factors limit this brand to be a niche player but a profitable proposition if this brand is promoted seriously and positioned as a premium drink. Appy can ride on the health factor too in comparison with the other SD’s. Another advantage of this brand is the golden color of the drink, which makes it an ideal party drink as a welcome drink or a drink for those “tea totallers”.
The brand will succeed if it can win the palette of the TG and with the current promotions, customers will give it a try.

Limca : Lime N Lemony

Brand : Limca
Company: Coca Cola
Agency:O&M

When Ramesh Chauhan sold his soft drinks brands to Coca Cola for 10 mn $, he may had some clue that the brand babies that he is selling will be left to die.But he may not have a clue that some of them will survive, Thums Up did. Now we see a very unusual ads in TV, ads of Limca, Who?

Limca was one of the brands that was sold along with Thums Up, and Gold Spot. Launched in 1971, Limca was the quintessential Isotonic drink that quenches your thirst, it was the lemon drink from Parle. Limca was virtually dead since it had no place in Coca Cola’s Indian plan.
This summer has proved that some brands have life of their own, Thums Up had that, now Limca reinforces it. Limca was a powerful brand of our times, it was the major Lime flavoured drink and was positioned as “ Lime and Lemony”. As usual the ads were catchy and depicted fun and enjoyment.How did Limca resurrected at this juncture? The answer is that in the first place there was no reason for it to die. Coke did not have a lemon flavored drink but some on in Atlanta thought that it could come out with such a variant later.
Now the Indian SD market is hotting up. With the traditional Coke- Pepsi war is hotting up with lousy ads from both sides : Pepsi with the rubbish Pepsi TV and Coke with an equal bullshit ‘ Thande ka Thadka” While Sprite has messed up with Sania, Mountain dew is stuck with the three Hooligans. While 7 up is trying to be more Clear, its agency had forgotten the fact that every time you talk about being Clear, Sprite comes to the mind. The brand element Fido has not been able to connect with the Indian psyche.The only silver lining is Thums Up surprisingly is back with its “ Taste the Thunder “ campaign ( it could have avoided the hyperbole). While Mirinda is nowhere remembered so is Fanta.

Hence there is enough space for a different flavour , a flavour that is most popular in India, lemon. And Limca makes perfect sense. The ads of Limca is in line with the earlier campaigns that shows lots of water and really urges you to take some liquid . In the earlier avatar, Limca had that COOL attitude while Gold Spot was the Zing thing.In India , lemon flavored drinks had to compete with our very own Nimbu pani, that is a reason why earlier nimbu version of Mirinda failed in Indian market. Hence Limca have to bypass the direct comparison with the cheaper Nimbu paani.

The resurrection of Limca is indeed a nostalgia and good news for all who knew this brand , we welcome you …

Frooti : Fresh N Juicy

Brand : Frooti
Company: Parle Agro foods
Agency: Grey worldwide

Frooti is the first tetrapak fruit juice in India. Launched in 1984, Frooti still holds a dominant position in the Rs300 crore tetrapak fruit juice (TFJ) market.
Frooti over these years have carved out a niche for itself in the market. Frooti instantly caught the fancy of Indian consumer with its tetrapak and some smart campaigns. Initially the drink was positioned as a kids drink. The product was perceived as a healthy fruit drink by the mothers . So within a short span of time ,the brand was an alternative to the “unhealthy” colas. The tetrapak had other benefits also . Fruit juice is a perishable product and tetrapak have extended the shelf life of Frooti because tetrapaks have 2 layers of paper and a plastic coating that ensured tamper proof and enhanced shelf life.

Lured by the success of Frooti, there was a lot of new launches in the TFJ market. Players like Godrej with Jumpin, kissan etc tried their luck in this market but failed to dislodge Frooti.

Frooti was positioned as a mango drink that is “Fresh-n-juicy” For over a 7 years, the company promoted the product using that famous baseline. The product have tried to create excitement in the market through a series of new variants and packing. But in late ninetees the brand was facing stagnated sales. The company tried to excite the market with an orange and pineapple variant but both the variant bombed. The came the experiment with packaging . The YO! Frooti variant came with a slim paper can aimed at the college going youth.

Worried by the stagnating sales, Parle tried to reposition the brand to appeal to youth aged between 16-21. The positioning changed to be more fun based. The package also changed. The old green color of the bottle changed to more bright mango color with lot of graphics added to it.

One of the most famous marketing campaigns India have witnessed took place during the repositioning. The campaign is the famous “ Digen Verma “ campaign. This campaign was considered as one of the most successful teaser campaigns in India. The campaign lasted for 15 days started in February 2001. The campaign was about a faceless person Digen Verma. There were posters and outdoors all across the markets that had messages like “ Who is Digen verma” “ Digen Verma was here” etc. This created lot of excitement in the market and “Digen Verma “became the most talked about faceless name at that time. The campaign was executed by Everest communication. But the campaign was not followed up and the hype was not translated to long term brand building.

Frooti is basically a nectar based drink so it is not 100% fruit juice, it also have some preservatives added to increase the shelf life. Although Frooti did not face much competition in the category it created, competition came from a slightly different category, 100% fruit juices. Parle saw the emergence of the “ 100% fruit drink market and launched “Njoy” brand but it did not clicked. Parle could have extended Frooti to this market also .The brand Real from Dabur is the main player in this category. Real effectively positioned itself as a premium healthy drink for adults. Frooti was not able to appeal to adults and was considered as a mango drink while Real is not restricted to any flavour. Frooti also changed its positioning statement from ‘ Fresh-N-juicy” to “ Juice Up your life” which have not clicked with the customers.

Although Frooti enjoys a commanding (75%) market share , Frooti is facing stagnation. May be some serious steps should be taken to increase the usage of the product. The launch of PET bottle Frooti is a step in this direction. Recently Frooti also launched a “Green mango” variant just to create some hype in the market. Frooti may have to reposition itself again to appeal to cola drinkers.