Brand Update : Honda Jazz RIP ( 2009-2013)

According to news-reports  Honda has decided to put curtains to their premium hatchback Honda Jazz. Honda Jazz launched in 2009 was the most expensive petrol hatchback available in the Indian market. The brand was priced in the range of Rs 8- 9 Lakh which was at par with lot of mid-segment sedans.

Although the brand had impeccable Honda Quality, the aggressive pricing made consumers give a luke-warm response to this brand. Only the hard-core Honda fans who wanted exclusivity opted for Jazz.

In 2011, Honda decided to rationalize the pricing of Jazz and reduced the price by almost Rs 1.5 lakh. Despite the price -drop, Jazz was quite expensive and the move was little too late. 

The shifting of Indian consumers to diesel cars coupled with new launches and offers from quality brands made Jazz less relevant to Indian consumer. The diesel-focused Indian car market has been giving lot of problems for  Honda . 2013  will see Honda entering the diesel car market with its Amaze brand. Honda is also rejigging its product offering and Jazz did not fit into the new plans. Although reports suggest a relaunch of Jazz in 2014, the brand is now dead for all practical purpose.

Things would have been different if diesel and petrol prices were the same in India. Had it been like that  Jazz would have found some takers . But the huge price differential between diesel and petrol is giving nightmares to companies like Honda who was late in developing diesel engines for India.  I thought that Jazz would come with the diesel version once Amaze is launched but surprisingly Honda decided to kill this brand and concentrate on the new launch.

Jazz is a lesson for marketers who in their aggression turn a blind eye towards value. Brands should first convince the customers about the value  it offers and then take pride in that. But being aggressive just because there is a well respected brand name is a big mistake. 

Related Brand

Honda Jazz

Brand Update : Tata Safari rejuvenates through Storme

Tata Safari  which is in a critical stage of its lifecycle has launched the much awaited Storme recently. The new Storme is a completely updated Safari and is expected to bring back the much desired consumer interest .

Tata Safari which is a true-blood Indian SUV failed to capitalize on its long innings and a hard-core fan following. The brand although came up with some wonderful brand campaigns however failed to address the quality issues that nagged the brand from its earlier days. Safari did not have any big mechanical issues but many customers opined that the brand failed to rise itself to the higher standards of quality that the competitors were delivering. But still there were lovers for the brand because Safari had a character which was unique and appealing to certain customers.

Despite the fact that Safari had a distinct brand character, the marketing minds of Tata Motors failed to address the quality issues which was creating a negative perception among the consumers. The laid-back approach of Tata Motors in addressing the nagging issues of Safari virtually put Safari in  to the sidelines .
Safari also failed to see the changes happening to the SUV market in India. The brand failed to see the rise of more compact SUVs and was less aggressive in addressing competition from Scorpio. The laid-back attitude of the brand owners has virtually made Safari a nominal player in a category which it once pioneered.
Although the brand tried to come out with newer versions, most of the changes were cosmetic rather than a radical one.

The new Safari Storme is reported to be a 100% new vehicle rather than a modified Safari. The entire product has been changed for the better. One can only hope that Storme will change the quality perception that is haunting Tata Motors ever since it ventured in to passenger segment.
What is sad about the new Safari is the promotion. Tata Motors has decided to do away with the " Reclaim Your Life " positioning of Safari. Instead, the brand has the tagline " The Real SUV" which I think has undone what ever brand equity which the earlier campaigns has built.
The new " Real SUV " campaign does not give any power to the brand.The promise should be believed by the consumers. In the new market where all global SUV brands are present, Safari's claim to be the Real SUV is only a joke. I don't understand why and how a brand can just discard a powerful story like " Reclaim your life " .
Watch the new campaign here : Safari Storme
The new tagline is big downer for the brand. The brand suddenly switched to a functional positioning from a highly abstract positioning . This sudden shift may confuse the brand's positioning in future.

Tata Motors should be appreciated for investing in Safari and making it survive for the last 15 years. The brand is now pinning its hope on Storme for delivering results. As a die-hard Safari admirer, I too hope the same.

Godrej Aer : Aer it Out

Brand : Aer
Company : Godrej

Brand Analysis Count : # 517

Godrej has entered the Rs 300 crore Air Care market with the new brand Godrej Aer. Godrej was instrumental in developing the category of air-freshners in Indian market through the JV Godrej - Sara Lee. Ambi-Pur was the brand which had created this category in India. But in 2011, Sara Lee sold its personal care division to P&G and the brand Ambi-Pur has moved to P&G.

Not to be left behind in the category which Godrej's JV had created, the company was quick to launch its own brand Aer in the Indian market. Godrej Aer is now running its launch campaigns across the Indian market. 

The brand has started off with some thoughtful branding strategies. To being with, Godrej has chosen a very powerful brand name " Aer ".Aer which is the marketer's way of using the generic word " Air" .

Ambi-pur is the most visible brand in the air-freshner category in India. Air-Wick is another brand which is focusing on the home category . There are also many local and imported brands in this category.Odonil was one of the pioneers in the room-freshner category but some how this brand is restricted to washrooms ( pun intended). This lifestyle product is expected to see better growth in coming years. According to reports, this category is growing at the rate of 20% each year.

Godrej in the launch campaign is focusing on the car -freshner segment of the category. 

Aer has tried to tackle the market using two differentiating attributes. First factor is the design. Aer has put lot of thought into the design aspect of the container. The design is eye-catching and very contemporary. Second differentiator ( in car freshner) is the ON/OFF switch. The brand is harping on this factor in the television commercial .

Watch the ad here : Aer 

Godrej Aer's focus On/Off switch  as the key differentiator may not be sustainable since any competitor can easily replicate the feature. Launching the brand purely on this easily copy-able feature is a marketing mistake on the part of Godrej. Its also surprising to see that Godrej is downplaying the wonderful design element of the brand. The brand is focusing on functionality + fragrance as the main focusing point. The brand has the tagline  " Aer it Out " and has put its mission as to change the way air smells and spells. The brand has priced the product a little above the Ambi-Pur but I feel that the design will encourage many consumers to switch to this product for a trial.

Related brand

Ambi-pur

Brand Update : Tata Safari and the Art of Laziness

I always loved Tata Safari. Despite the bad reviews, nagging product issues, this brand was always an aspiration for me ( yet to be fulfilled). The brand which was one of the first SUVs in India had something in it which attracted people like me. And as reports validate, there are die-hard Safari fans who cling to their brand despite frequent visits to the workshop.

Sometimes we look at certain products and say ' What a Potential Wasted'. Alas, looking at Safari, I am forced to think about a wasted potential. 

This brand was launched full five years before the launch of Scorpio and see where these two brands are now . Scorpio redefined the SUV market but Safari is still on the sidelines.

And till now the brand has not learned its lessons.

When was the last time you saw a Tata Safari Advertisement and said WoW. When was the last time the product was upgraded ?

It seems that Tata Motors suddenly lost its marketing acumen. More worrying is that the company has lost interest in investing on this ageing brand. According to news reports, Tata Motors is planning to launch the much  spruced up version of Tata Safari branded as Safari Storme later this year. But going by the fate of Aria, I don't give much hope to the new launch because suddenly Tata Motors seems to lose interest in brand building. 

Tata Safari lost one of the most opportune moments in its lifecycle. Indian consumers were shifting towards diesel models, markets were indicating potential of smaller SUV and new price points were opening up in the SUV market. But Safari was blind to all these. To my surprise, it did not even acknowledged the presence of new competing brands like Duster, Xylo, Evalia or even Scorpio. The brand was in a perfect blindness. 

There was no product improvement or campaigns for the brand in these times except for some dull discount ads by the dealers. 

To my utter disappoinment, Tata Safari is now an example of Myopic Marketing wasting a potential to build an iconic brand. 

Related Brand

Tata Safari

Brand Update : Scooty wants to Shake EM Up with Scootygiri

In its new campaign for Scooty Pep+ , the brand features the new celebrity ambassador Ms Anushka Sharma. The campaign titled Scootygiri projects the Scooty user as a young confident girl willing to question the status quo. The theme of empowered confident girl has been the major positioning platform on which Scooty has built itself to the current position. 

Watch the campaigns here : Scootygiri Romeo

                                           Scootygiri Dress code  

The brand now has the slogan " Shake Them Up with Scootygiri" exhorting girls to standup confidently and face issues head on.

The brand should be commented on being consistent in its message over these years.

An analysis of the brand's portfolio gives certain interesting facts. There are  three sub-brands under Scooty - Scooty Streak, Scooty Pep+ and Scooty Teenz.

Scooty Teenz is a sub 60cc scooter aimed at the first-time user of the product category. Scooty Streak and Scooty Pep+ are almost similar products interms of technical specifications. The difference is in the styling and promotion.Scooty now can be considered as a primary brand with sub-brands - Teenz ,Streak and Pep+.

Although Scooty has been performing quite well in the category , there is a gradual shift in the category moving in the direction of powerful scooters. This shift is now boosted by Hero Honda Pleasure and also gender-neutral new scooters like Access 125, TVS Wego Vespa etc. 

Scooty seems to be contented with the current technical specifications but it should not be blind to the fact that increasingly the ladies' scooter market is moving towards powerful scooters. TVS has a product Wego which is in the segment of powerful scooters . My contention is that Scooty should be modifying its product offering to reflect this shift. It cannot let Hero Honda Pleasure take up leadership position in this emerging  category. 

Scooty needs a presence in the higher engine capacity scooters to counter Pleasure . It cannot use Wego to counter Pleasure since Wego is a unisex scooter. Pleasure has been very aggressive in its promotions and will be creating a big chunk in the Scooty's existing customer base. The issue is much deeper that cannot be handled with high decibel ads or celebrity endorsements. Scooty has to see whether the entire category of ladies' scooter is shifting towards higher engine capacity ones. Ofcourse there will be a market for less powered scooters but that will be much smaller and unprofitable in future.

Related Brand

Scooty

Mahindra Stallio : RIP (2010-2011)

Brand : Stallio
Company : Mahindra 2 wheelers

Brand Analysis Count :  #513

Question : What else do you want for a  perfect product launch when there is a reputed Corporate Brand, Aamir Khan and a decent campaign ?

 Ans : A good product !

Mahindra Stallio is a sad story of a perfect plan foiled by a poorly built product. Mahindra Group was very vocal in its plan to enter into the Indian two wheeler market. It surprised the industry by acquiring the ailing Kinetic Motors' two wheeler division. The company  followed it up with the successful launch of automatic scooters Duro and Rodeo. Then came the much anticipated entry into the bike segment.

Rather than launching a macho, performance bike to impress the technological prowess of the company, Mahindra chose to enter the much crowded and highly competitive commuter bike segment. The first product in the bike segment was the 106 cc Mahindra Stallio. 

Stallio had a dream launch. The PR team of the company had built in enough suspense in the market. The entire automotive industry was looking for something similar to a Scorpio that will shake up the established brands like Splendor and Pulsar. Then Stallio happened. The brand instantly gained eyeballs through the endorsement of Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan's endorsement was a master marketing move. The actor had huge equity in the market and his endorsement of a two wheeler was something no one anticipated.

Stallio put on an aggressive face in the market with a cheeky campaign pitting against all those macho bike brands which advertised with more hyperbole than a Bollywood movie.
Watch the launch campaign : Mahindra Stallio1 
                                            Mahindra Stallio 2
Stallio was positioned as a commuter bike that combined style and performance. At a price around Rs 45000, the brand promised enough features and quality and was aiming to compete with the segment leader Hero Honda Spendour.

The brand sold more than 5000 units in two months time, then the problem started. The brand had serious issues in the clutch and gear box. Noticing this issue, the company stopped producing the product and the brand was withdrawn from the market. For a marketer, it is a nightmare come true. The issue was not a product recall but a complete withdrawal from the market. 

It has been more than 8 months since the product withdrawal and the company is still not able to relaunch the brand in the market. It is highly intriguing of the fact that a company like Mahindra would land in a product quality issue of this scale. 

As of now, Stallio is almost dead and it will be difficult for the company to revive the brand since it failed at the launch itself. Renewing the brand and regaining the lost trust will be Herculean task. Aamir Khan also lost his bike endorsing credibility and if he comes again to endorse Stallio, I wonder how the consumers will react. If Mahindra relaunches Stallio, it will be easy for the competitors to kill the brand by refreshing the past failure memories. How ever, Mahindra did  a good job in swiftly taking the brand out of the market thereby limiting the PR damage. Also the media has been benevolent about the failure with limited coverage on the debacle.

Vespa : Fashion Unchanged

Brand : Vespa
Company : Piaggio

Brand Analysis Count : # 512

Vespa is back in a new avatar or rather in its Original avatar. The brand which died in 2006 is being resurrected by its original owners is set to change the way Indian consumers think about scooters. Vespa initially came to India in 1960 with partner Bajaj  and later through LML. The brand had a tough ride in the Indian market with some few successes like LML Vespa Select. But the brand failed to bring in volumes which eventually led the demise of this stylish brand.

Although Vespa had a different image compared to its rival Bajaj, the brand was never considered to be lifestyle oriented. Consumers considered it as a stylish scooter and the image ended with that.

This 2012, Vespa has come back to Indian market with its original persona of an Italian Scooter. The launch is significant because of the iconic status that Vespa enjoys elsewhere in the world. It is also interesting to see how Indian consumer will welcome the second homecoming of the brand.

The main reason behind the relaunch of Vespa is the increasing interest shown by consumers towards the scooter segment. According to Economic Times, Indian scooter market is around 2.5 million units growing at CAGR of 20%. Lot of new launches are happening in this market and consumers seems to prefer the utility of this product.

What is interesting in Vespa is the brand's positioning as a fashion statement. For the first time in this segment, a brand is exploring the possibility of creating a new market - lifestyle scooter. The target segment is youth who wants to be different, make a style statement. Essentially a psychographic segmentation. The brand is now focusing on print campaigns which makes sense .

The brand has the tagline " Fashion Unchanged" and is drawing power from its legacy dating back to 1945. The brand uses funky colors and evokes as sense of youthfulness that fits a fashion brand.

The brand has done it right in terms of the product design. The scooters looks cute and stylish and the advertisements looks chic. Although the product reviews are average, Vespa is expecting to sell for its looks and more importantly its brand image. The brand owners are repeatedly telling that Vespa is not for power-hungry as an excuse for the poor engine specifications. But hope they don't forget that consumers should get a decent deal when the brands commands a premium. Poor specs cannot be masked through colorful advertisements and lifestyle positioning.

The challenge for the brand is to show value. The brand is expensive and the specifications is nothing special so getting Indian youth to open up their wallet for the sake of looking fashionable seems to be a tough task.

The silver lining is that this is the era of design and experience. Lot depends on the brand's ability to convey fashion statement through the product. 

The steep price will force customers to compare value with the workhorses like Activa, although Activa is not a style statement. There is a chance that the brand will remain aspirational restricted to a few. The brand could have done wonders if it was priced at an affordable range and get more on the road - some thing like an affordable fashion statement. But Italian arrogance is visible in the pricing. The brand with the styling and premiumness can make Indian consumers drool or will they ?

Related brand

LML Vespa

Mahindra XUV 500 : Inspired by Cheetah

Brand : Mahindra XUV 500
Company : Mahindra

Brand Analysis Count : # 508

Mahindra launched its first product from its first global SUV platform branded as XUV 500 in the Indian market. The launch was witnessed with great interest by motor enthusiasts since XUV 500 was perceived as a successor to the iconic Mahindra Scorpio. Mahindra virtually shook the SUV market in India when it launched its Scorpio brand in 2002. Auto enthusiasts were expecting something similar this time too.

And Mahindra did not disappoint at all.

XUV 500 excited the market with its bold masculine looks and a very aggressive pricing. The brand which priced itself at Rs 10.81 -12 Lakh for its two variants literally sent shock-waves to the  competitor landscape. The price was juicy for the C-segment car customers to think about XUV as an option. The company has rightly nailed both the product and the price.

According to the newsreports , through XUV 500, the company intends to create a category in the Rs 10-15 lakh segment. There is a gap that exists between Scorpio and the premium SUVs and this brand is expected to fill the gap.

Right from the brand's launch announcement, the company has been presenting the idea that XUV 500 was inspired by Cheetah. Cheetah which is known for its speed and agility was a perfect metaphor for the attributes that XUV wanted to project. 

The teaser ad for XUV launch was bang on with the idea of being Cheetah Inspired.

Watch the teaser ad : XUV Teaser

The idea of using the Cheetah as the metaphor is really smart because of the ease with which that convey's the brand's projected attributes. But all those build-up got wasted when I saw the launch campaign of this brand.

Watch the launch campaign : XUV ( I don't like Carrots)

This launch campaign would easily be one of the horrible ads in recent times. The client brief would be something like " Let us build a horrible ad and see whether a good product would sell despite bad advertising".

There is nothing much to talk about this launch campaign. The campaign neither has a big idea nor has some newness in execution. Jungle, hunk, scantily clad man-eating ladies and XUV... There is no trace of any logic or marketing thought behind the ad. To add to the insult, there are some phrases like " I hate Carrots " I am Hungry etc . May be the agency thought XUV 500 was a deo with some fruit and vegetable flavors ! What a waste !

Having said that, in the automotive market, it is the product that build brands and not the other way around. Despite this hopeless ad, consumers will buy this brand and may even evangelize it  if the product proves itself . Ads mainly play a supportive role in most cases. But there are brands which create an aura with smart advertising which later transforms the product dominated brand ( tangible attributes) to an intangible dominated brand. That is how iconic brands are created.  

XUV 500 wasted a terrific opportunity to build a brand using promotion. The brand was thinking about linking itself with adventure stories of its users but the execution killed that idea. There is no connection between Cheetah, the brand and the current advertising theme. Cheetahs are hunters but in the current ad, the brand user gets hunted.  Its just an ad but more than a poor ad, the brand lost a very crucial brand building opportunity. 

Force One : Be The Force

Brand : Force One
Company : Force Motors

Brand Analysis Count : # 506

Force Motors which is well known for its commercial vehicles like Tempo Travellor, Trekker etc has made a significant entry into the SUV market in India. The company recently launched an SUV Force One in the Indian market.

Indian SUV market is now appearing lucrative to auto majors. Indian car market is skewed to small cars. The market is dominated by small cars. SUVs were a niche. But recent trend is that consumers are purchasing more SUVs despite the poor infrastructure conditions and rising fuel prices. According to newsreports, 324000 SUVs were sold in India during 2010-2011. The growth of SUVs were infact more than the car segment. 

The Indian SUV market is dominated by Mahindra with its flagship brand Scorpio. Toyota Fortuner is the second largest brand but dominates the premium segment of the SUV market. The market has witnessed a slew of launches from all major brands in the world.Hence the launch of  a brand in this segment is very risky and difficult. Force One has took this challenge seriously and has done some serious homework before going for the launch.

Force Motors took a very smart step  by collaborating with Mercedes Benz for the engine of Force One. The company has already understood the benefits of tying up with a brand like Mercedes before in the success of its Traveller. So by sourcing the most critical element of the car from World's most respect company, Force One has almost negated the risk of Engine complaints and the Mercedes engine will give confidence to consumers about this newcomer's claims.

Second smart move was the design part. Indian SUV consumers like big mean machines. Frustrated by poor roads and rash and arrogant driving of larger vehicles like trucks and buses, most Indian consumers love to have a large vehicle to tame the arrogant truck and bus drivers. Hence Force One deliberately designed itself to look larger and meaner. 

The third and most important move was the promotion part. The brand almost shocked the entire auto world by roping Amithabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador. The brand knew that it is fighting with large and powerful brands like Scorpio, Fortuner, Safari etc and needs a trump card to get even with these established  brands. The roping in of Big B was a masterstroke and has given a terrific boost to the launch.

The fourth factor was the price. Force One has priced itself at around Rs 10 lakh. I am not sure about the effectiveness of the pricing strategy because it seems little pricey compared to Indian counterparts but not that much as compared to foreign brands. But my gut feeling is that it has not hit the sweet spot in the pricing and would have excited the market had it started of with a price of Rs 8 lakh. However, the Mercedes engine may be the reason for this confident pricing of Force One. It is to see whether Indian consumer is willing to pay that much for a new Indian SUV.

With Bachchan as the brand ambassador, one would wonder how the brand is going to structure its message. Force One had to convey a feel of ruggedness and premiumness inorder to gain consumer interest. The presence of Big B will assure eye-balls but if the communication is not right, people are going criticize the effort.

In the advertising front, the approach of Force One was surprising. I expected something that would project an international look and feel , something of the sort of a Reid and Taylor campaign highlighting the brand ambassador. But Force One took a very different route.

Watch the campaign here : Force one Kids, Force One Clean

The ads are very Indian and focuses on one aspect- Force. The brand has adopted the tagline " Be The Force " . In the ad, Big B says "India mein sirf Force hi Chalta Hai " meaning " In India only Force will work " . This message really strikes a chord with the consumers mind since everyone have felt this at some point in his life in India. 

With regard to the brand promotion, it is interesting to observe that the brand deliberately chose not to project itself as a premium. The brand I think is targeting those consumers who are pissed off by Indian roads. The brand is talking to the prospective sedan buyers and telling them that only a beast will survive in Indian roads.

The brand has started on a rugged communication route hence it has virtually closed its doors on premiumness. Infact this soundness of this strategy is validated by the launch campaign of Mahindra's X500 which calls itself a Cheetah. The brand has chosen  " Powerful " as its USP and uses the analogy of " Force " to communicate its positioning. The role of the ads for automobiles serve as a bait for the consumers for a test drive. No on buys a car just because of the ads. The product will sell itself if it excites the consumers and the influencers. 

Force Motors is a new entrant to the passenger segment. Like its peers Tata Motors and Mahindra, Force will also be perceived as a commercial vehicle manufacturer and the lack of expertise in the passenger car market will be the Achilles' heel for this company.Product Quality and quality  of its after-sales service is going to be very critical in the success of this brand. The brand has got its basics correct. This will be an interesting story to watch.  

Brand Update : Indica Vista Goes Sedan Class

Brand Indica got a big boost recently by the launch of the new Tata Indica Vista . The new Vista comes with a spruced up looks and classy interiors packed with goodies. While the competition is hotting up in the premium hatchback market in India, Tata Motors is leaving no stones unearthed to regain its position in the Indian car market. Tata Motors launched its Vista product-line in 2008. The attempt was to strengthen the brand's foothold in the growing premium hatchback segment. 

Although Vista was launched as a sub-brand of Indica, the car was built on an entirely new platform and the refinement and the quality was entirely superior to that of Indica V2. However, Tata Motors decided the new launch to be under the umbrella of Indica brand. This move however was faulty and the response to the premium offering from Indica product-line found reluctant takers despite being value-for-money package.

This year, the brand relaunched the Indica Vista with lot of refinement and tweaking in the pricing. The frequent fuel price hike proved to be a boon to the predominantly diesel focused Indica range. 

The new Indica Vista  finds its point of parity with the sedans. The brand compares itself with a sedan and tries to convey the message that the car is  " Like Sedan".

Watch the ad here : Sedan Class

The new Indica Vista has the tagline " Sedan Class " reinforcing the new positioning. The ad is very sensible and conveys the message quite forcefully. The brand's idea of exemplar comparison with another category is quite effective in communicating its USP of better space and comfort.

During the early months of 2011, there were several reports of the plan of Tata Motors to make the Vista brand independent. The visibility of Indica brand name has been made insignificant and Vista is made prominent. So technically, Vista has become the primary brand in this case. The question is why Tata Motors is reluctant to let go of the Indica endorsement of Vista and make Vista a completely independent brand ? The damage has already made by associating an value-for-money brand ( Indica) with a premium offering ( Vista). Vista is going to suffer by continuous association with Indica brand. Other wise, the brand should be priced significantly lower than the other premium competing brands. 

The confusion regarding the branding of the premium hatchback offering from Tata Motors is evident in the case of Vista. The initial mistake was to stretch the Indica brand to a premium offering. It is very difficult for a VFM brand to build an equity in the premium segment. Second was the reluctance to make Vista an independent brand together with the fact that the premium offering had lot of similarities in features with the VFM offering. On hindsight, I feel that Tata Motors lost an opportunity to build a premium hatchback brand Vista. Three years is pretty long lost years in branding world. Would be interesting to see how the New Tata Indica Vista going to play up in the market. The timing has never been so perfect for a diesel car launch. 

Brand Update : Scooty becomes Sinful

Last year saw a dramatic change in the brand personality of Scooty- the Scooterette brand from TVS.The brand is attempting a makeover to woo the young Indian consumer. In that process, the brand changed its entire persona to cater to the new target segment.

The change in the brand personality of Scooty also reflects its change in its targeting strategy. The brand is now targeting a much younger consumers. Earlier, Scooty was targeting lady consumers who were looking for a personal transport to office/college. The brand's initial communication was catered to young women who just started going to office. The message of a successful independent women was the positioning platform adopted by the brand.The brand also tried to ladder up using " Empowerment " as the core value. 

Last year, the brand went in for a complete makeover. The brand has become much younger, colorful and naughty. This was a drastic change from the earlier positioning based on style and power. The brand also rationalized its portfolio  to three sub-brands - Scooty Pep, Scooty Teenz and Scooty Streak. 

For Scooty Pep, the brand has made it more youthful and colorful by changing the advertising strategy. The brand has adopted the new tagline " Go Babelicious ". The brand campaign features the new age girl with the so-called bold attitude. The brand message is " Do your own thing, girls ". To support the new positioning, the brand has launched more colorful variants. 

Watch the campaign here :Go Babelicious

The brand is now running another brand campaign for its Streak  sub-brand. Scooty Streak was launched in 2009. The brand was aimed at young girls with more styling and colors. The brand also introduced additional features for the Streak . Scooty Streak used the ( then ) tennis sensation Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador.The styling was the key differentiator for Streak at that time. 

This year, Scooty became more bold for its sub-brand. The brand is currently running a campaign for Streak called " Sinfully Black ".

Watch the ad here : Sinfully Black 

The new campaign is a big shift in the overall brand personality of Scooty. From a positioning based more on rational aspects like features and style, the brand moved to a kind of hedonistic form of advertising. In the Sinfully Black campaign, the brand is featuring seven sins -

Lust

Greed

Pride

Envy

Gluttony

Sloth

Rage.

The brand is running ads for each of these sins. The brand is clearly targeting the new urban youth and is following the clichéd  image of the young urban Indian consumer. Most of the brands are now using a kind of a rebel, indulgent, sexy, naughty, independent image to portray the Indian youngsters. Scooty Streak is no different. So from a " empowered, rational " personality, the brand has moved to a naughty, indulgent, personality. For the campaign , the brand uses foreign models which again is to position itself as an aspirational brand. 

What I liked about the campaign is the use of seven sins in the campaign which makes the ads different and interesting. The use of positioning statement " Sinfully Black " is also different and I think the brand has done away with other color choices for Streak and is now focusing on black Streak with colorful graphics. This also is something that is not seen in campaigns targeting ladies. Earlier Bajaj Pulsar had launched a campaign for Black Pulsar 180cc. 

Another reason for the Sinfully Black campaign is to make the sub-brand relevant and different from Scooty Pep. Since Scooty Pep has also changed its targeting towards younger consumers, the Streak sub-brand will be occupying the same mental space with Scooty Pep. So by relaunching Scooty Streak with focus on black color + new personality, the company has effectively differentiated the two sub-brands from each other ( atleast in image).

The new campaigns of Scooty marks another interesting change for this brand. Scooty has been a market leader in this category for long . The brand is careful in making itself interesting to the TG. This time, the brand smartly uses promotional strategies to keep the interest alive in the market. 

Related Brand

TVS Scooty

Tata Grande : Size Matters

Brand : Grande
Company : Tata Motors

Brand Analysis Count : 501

Another Indian brand has moved from a sub-brand status to an Independent brand. Tata Motors has upgraded the Grande brand to an independent brand status delinking it from Sumo Brand. Tata Sumo Grande was launched in 2008. the brand was expected to raise the sagging fortune of Tata Sumo.

Tata Sumo which was launched in 1994 was a poster boy in the Multi-Utility Vehicle segment. The brand became hugely popular in the Taxi segment .

 But the launch of Innova, Scorpio, Xylo etc soon began to eat into the share of Sumo. Soon the brand began to be perceived as dated. Coupled with the bad PR and image about Tata Cars, the consumer interest began to shift to new MUVs and SUVs.

Tata Sumo Grande was launched as an attempt to shift the consumer's interest back to Tata MUVs. The Grande design was very different from Sumo and the positioning of Sumo grande was also different from the Sumo's positioning. Tata Sumo Grande had the tagline " More than Meets the Eye " focusing on the personality of the brand owner. 

In 2011, Tata Motors decided to make Grande brand independent. The new brand was soft launched and the brand is currently running the launch campaign in various channels.

Watch the campaign here : Tata Grande

The new brand has the tagline " Size Matters ". From the tagline itself it can be assumed that the brand is 

positioning itself as the most spacious MUV ( common sense !). Grande is also hoping to be perceived as a family car , rather than a commercial vehicle. The brand is priced at Rs 7.5 lakh +.

In one of my posts, I had criticized the Tata Motor's strategy of launching Grande under the Sumo brand. Now that that error was rectified, it needs to be seen whether consumers will perceive Grande as different from Sumo. My judgement is that it will be difficult since that association is already being made. So the task for Tata Motors is to put Grande out of the Sumo association as quickly as possible. Interestingly Grande is focusing on the USP - Size which is also the same USP of Sumo.  The brand has been priced competitively but Tata Safari is also priced in the same range so it has to be seen whether these two brands will compete with each other .

The launch of Grande is a move to strengthen the MUV portfolio of Tata Motors which suffered heavily because of sophisticated competing products. Sumo although was a well accepted product was rather getting old in terms of product and image. Tata Motors was not aggressive in making radical product innovations on Sumo or its image to counter competitors like Mahindra and Toyota. Tata Grande is expected to complement Sumo Victa in its fight against the sophisticated competitors. 

Image wise, Grande's launch campaign has done nothing. The ad is very basic and rational and will appeal more to the taxi segment rather than family segment. How ever the pricing and the spruced up interiors will definitely put Grande in advantage over its competitors. The brand could have burned the market if it had priced it less than Rs 7 Lakh. Tata Grande should have aimed at disruption and not incremental value addition since the market is mature and highly competitive. Mahindra is currently doing that with its XUV 500. 

Brand Update : Jazz Gets Reasonable

Finally common sense prevails over Honda Jazz. The brand is relaunched with a significant reduction in price marking the end of aggressive market posture by Honda. Honda have a terrific brand equity in the Indian market with its City being one of the most successful product which lead the premium sedan market in India. But with the aggressive product launches from Volkswagen, Toyota and others coupled with Honda's over confidence led to the situation where the brand was dislodged from its market leadership. This over - confidence has blinded the company from understanding the competitive landscape in the market which it operates. Even Honda is not immune to marketing myopia.

This attitude of aggression and over-confidence was evident in the company's attitude towards Jazz. Jazz was launched at a price of Rs 7-9 lakh INR and the attitude was Take It or Leave It. Indian consumers choose to leave the brand and sales floundered. But all through these years, the brand maintained its stance on not reducing its price and depending on the brand's strong image to lure customers towards expensive Jazz.

The sharp decline of the sales of Honda City  in 2011 was a wake up call for Honda. The company realized that a positive brand equity may not guarantee sales. The brand needs to make sense to the customer. It is a surprise that a reputed company like Honda was not able to understand the Psyche of Indian consumer . Honda also failed to see the changes that were happening in the Indian passenger car market. The entry of new players and the shift of consumer interest towards diesel paved the way for the Honda City's dethroning from the leadership position. These factors also made Jazz irrelevant in the Indian market. 

It is in this light that Honda decided to reposition Honda Jazz at the price point. The brand has reduced the price by almost 1.5 Lakh INR and Jazz is now available at price range of 5.5 Lakh to 6.5 Lakh INR . I think this price rationalization is too late too little for Jazz. The market is too negative for a premium priced petrol hatchback. Even at the current reduced price, Jazz is expensive compared to Toyota Liva and even Etios.

Having said that, the brand should be credited with an attempt to create the premium hatchback market in India but the timing was wrong and value proposition of Jazz was not good enough to justify the steep price.

Consumers may adore the brand but to make him purchase , the brand needs to make sense.

Related Brand

Honda Jazz

Maruti A Star : Stop @ Nothing

Brand : A Star
Company : Maruti Suzuki India Ltd

Brand Analysis Count : # 490

A Star was an ambitious brand for Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ( MSIL). The brand was expected to consolidate the massive leadership position of MSIL in the A2 segment of Indian passenger car market. The brand was also expected to penetrate into the highly lucrative demographic market of young Indians.

Launched in 2008, A Star was a global car made in India. The brand was touted as a World Strategic Model and was the first car to be fitted with the famed KB series engine. The brand was expected to fit in between Zen Estillo and Ritz priced around Rs 3.5 lakh to 4,.5 lakh.A1 and A2 segment ( together called as Small Car Segment ) constitutes around 80% of the Indian passenger car market.

A Star was launched with two objectives - to tap the export market and also to launch a model in the premium A2 segment. The first objective was met through a series of strategic alliances with Nissan and Volkswagen. The grand plans for the Indian market however hit a rough patch over these years with A Star failing to impress the Indian consumer after the initial enthusiasm

.

The brand started its journey with an aspirational note positioning itself as an aspirational- loaded- young- car for the successful ones.The brand was also a highly eco-friendly car that met the toughest European emission standards. The brand roped in Farhan Akther as the brand ambassador and adopted the tagline " Stop @ Nothing ". Farhan Akthar was reigning hot with his movie Rock On and A Star tried to capitalize on Farhan's image as a cool successful young man.

Watch the ad here : A Star Farhan 

The brand was projecting itself as a sports car for the youth and was one of the first car brands to show car stunts in their campaigns - Watch another ad here

Despite these attempts to position the car for the youth, the sales started sliding and was not meeting the expectation of the company. One of the major complaint about A Star was the space. Although the car was rated high on drive quality, the interiors was totally cramped even had less space than Alto. The back seat virtually was too crampy and as one of the reviewer commented - the car is suited for a bachelor . This single disadvantage threatened the entire life of the brand coupled with the fact that A Star was launched during the beginning of recession. It is an irony that Zen Estillo sold more car than A Star because it was more spacey although less modern.

In 2010, the brand faced another blow interms of a recall because of a fuel leak. The recall dented the image of A star as a unreliable car. 

To counter the sales decline, A Star tried to change the promotional strategy by adopting a functional thrust to the messages than the earlier emotional take. The brand also began to talk about A Star consumer profile inorder to boost it image as a car for youngsters who believe in themselves. Watch the ad here

2010 also saw a slew of product innovations for A Star. The brand launched an automatic version which was very well received by the consumers. Another innovation was the introduction of personalization option for A Star. The brand launched Wrapping kits using which consumers could personalize their car. The kits was pricey at around Rs 16000 which scared many consumers away from that option. 

2011 was the year when the brand got really aggressive and bold . The brand is currently running a campaign which talks about Whakypedia which is A Star's dictionary of commonly used terms like Stepney ,censored  test drive , etc. The brand uses the tagline " New Definitions for New Generations " for this campaign.

The ads definitely bring lot of youthfulness and energy to the brand and after the campaigns, there are lot of  A Stars on the road ( discounts too are a reason). But the brand's product deficiencies cannot be masked by smart campaigns. 

A Star will do well as a first car for youngsters. The brand will fit those customers who cannot afford a Swift or a Ritz but would love to have a reliable car ( predominantly Maruti choosers). Beyond that , A Star will not be able to impress a family man solely because of lack of space. 

Brand Update : Grow Up to Verito

After the rebranding of Logan to Verito, Mahindra has undertaken the most difficult task of positioning the new brand Verito. The task is tough because the brand needs to distance itself from its earlier avataar - Logan ( atleast in the positioning). And the latest campaign was able to do justice to the task of creating a new platform for the brand. 

Watch the ad here : Mahindra Verito

The ad takes the brand out of the Logan's rational positioning and puts some personality  into the brand. This is very significant for the brand because Logan was positioned purely as a rational brand and Verito needs to create a distinct personality away from Logan. Mahindra thus chose to do that literally by bringing in a personality called the Verito Man. Verito Man although has some legacy qualities of Logan like rationality, the brand has become more human. The brand has a new tagline " Grow Upto Verito" asking the small car owners to move up to the brand. The brand now is talking to the owners of small cars who are contemplating to move to a bigger car.

For a start, the ad seems to be good.The idea of a Brand Man is nothing new and idea has been used many times by different brands.In the case of Verito , this concept of Verito Man can be used to create a brand personality which will be critical for the brand's future.

 Verito's prospective buyers anyway is not going to be allured by the ads but will be driven by the logic of buying a value for money sedan. But Verito Man will definitely bring the brand into their choice set.

Soon after the rebranding, lot of Verito is on the road and that is a good sign for the brand. 

Brand Update : Bajaj Discover Zooms Ahead

It has been almost 6 years since I wrote about Bajaj Discover. A lot happened in these years about the brand. And those development was indeed surprising. Now Bajaj Discover is the second largest selling motorcycle in India . Since the introduction in 2004, the brand has moved through interesting phases to reach the top crossing the one million units sales per annum. 

The brand had a dream start with the endorsement from Jackie Chan. Discover instantly topped interms of awareness and image. The brand was launched as a part of the grand strategy of moving the consumers away from the 100 cc bikes towards more powerful 125 cc bikes. The commuter segment of the Indian motorcycle market was dominated by 100 cc bikes and Hero Honda ruled the segment.

The grand strategy failed and Discover was having tough times. Bajaj experimented heavily with the Discover brand by launching the brand in various engine capacities. Discover was initially launched in 125 CC later in 115 cc, then in 135 cc , then 100 cc and 150 cc. Most of these variants failed in the market. But somehow Bajaj decided to keep the Discover franchise alive. 

The fortune of the Discover brand turned with the launch of  the 100 cc variant. Ironically Bajaj resisted launching any products in that segment and it had the hypothesis that consumers will desert 100 cc m/cycle for more powerful bikes. But it had to bite the bullet and launch the100cc Discover and sales went through the roof.

The discovery of the potential of Discover was through a series of flawed product strategies. The dominant logic of the firm was that the era of 100 cc bikes were over which was a flawed logic. Consumers still found logic in using 100 cc bikes so Hero Honda thrived. 

The company got the positioning right for the 100 cc Discover . The brand talked about mileage ( 100 kmpl ) and that together with the premium image of Discover propelled the sale of the variant.The firm was right in pricing the brand competitively in the market. 

The success of Discover prompted the company to experiment more with the brand. Discover 150 was launched to act as a flanker brand for the premium Pulsar. Now Discover 125 is also being launched . It seems that there is hell lot of money at Bajaj for experimenting with brands.

Bajaj plans to use Discover for the volume game and the focus will be to give the right product mix to the commuter segment which forms the largest chunk of M/cycle market. The 100 cc and 150 cc experiment worked well for the franchise while the rest failed. 

Related brand

Bajaj Discover

Brand Update : RIP Logan ( 2007-2011) , Welcome Verito

Logan is being laid to rest. Mahindra Rise , the new owner of Logan has decided to rebrand Logan to Mahindra Verito. The death of Logan marks the volatile life of a brand and the logical end of a sour Joint Venture between Renault and Mahindra.

The death of Logan brings into life a new brand Mahindra Verito. The product has a new brand name and a new set of marketing mix elements too ( may be except distribution  channel). It is expected that Mahindra will make some cosmetic change to the existing Logan and bring in a new identity for Verito. Verito is derived from the Latin word Veritas which means truth. It is said that Mahindra is particular that its vehicles name should end with O hence the name change !

The good news is that Verito will ensure that the car which is considered to be a good product suited to Indian conditions will continue its life. Mahindra is keen to develop new products based on the Logan platform and this ensures that the legacy of the brand will go on. And the existing owners of Logan can be relieved because the service support will continue. All these however depends on the success of Verito and the future relationship between Renault and Mahindra.

The rebranding of Logan to Verito makes sense to Mahindra because it marks the formal entry of the company into passenger car segment. Since the product is good, Mahindra needs to work on the branding part and the service support and I am sure that Verito will be a formidable brand in the market. 

Related Brand

Mahindra Logan 

Brand Update : Accent refuses to die !

12 years and over 300,000 cars sold worldwide, Accent still proved to be relevant in the Indian market. In the marketing world where brand managers gets bored with the brand even before consumers do, Accent is a different story altogether. 

Launched in 1999, the brand is one of the oldest selling sedan in the Indian market. Despite poor marketing support from the company, Accent once again shows that value-for-money and product performance is the key to unlock the purse of an Indian consumer. This brand is surviving just because of these two factors.

Accent got little or no promotional support from Hyundai for the last few years. Most analysts have written off this brand with a view that Hyundai will eventually phase off this brand. But it did not happen that way. Despite being a perceived dated model, Hyundai still sells decent number of Accent in the Indian market. Priced between Rs 5 Lakh - Rs 5.5 Lakh, this is still the most affordable and reliable entry level sedan in the Indian market.

One of the major factors that contributed to Accent's long run is the lack of competition. Although many brands tried to cater to the entry level sedan market, very few have survived. The only noteworthy competitor being the Indigo CS. With the death of Ford Ikon, Accent's chances of survival got a boost.

Having said that, Accent should have been given more promotional support by the company. Brands don't die. It is often killed. Accent will die not because of poor product performance but lack of marketing support. Hyundai never tried to build a brand image for Accent. The brand never had a memorable positioning . There was never an excitement around this brand and people chose Accent through a rational decision. This lack of emotional quotient of the brand will prove to be the reason of its eventual death.

Ideally Accent should have been nurtured by the company. If BMW or Benz can retain its charm all these years, why not Accent ? 

While product performance helps bring the consumers to the brand, emotional engagement keeps the brand live for ever. There was no attempt from Hyundai to build any type of emotional engagement about the brand.

Hyundai recently launched the 2011 version of Accent. The brand gets a facelift and some cosmetic changes. The launch was a muted affair and the brand's micro-site doesn't have the new pictures uploaded. In one way Hyundai executives were forced to keep the brand alive because of external pressure - lack of competition and demand. Given a chance, they could have just killed the brand ! What a paradox.

TVS Wego : Body Balance !

Brand  : Wego
Company : TVS Motors

Brand Analysis Count : # 477

TVS is on a roll these days. The company's fortune multiplied ever since it broke up with its partner Suzuki in 2001. The company made a strong comeback in the two wheeler market with TVS Victor and later created a place in the market through TVS Apache motorcycle.

In 2011, the company has entered into gear-less scooter segment with the high profile , high decibel launch of TVS Wego. Wego is a unisex scooter  with a engine capacity of 110 CC and priced around Rs 42,000. The brand directly competes with the market leader Honda Activa. TVS has already built a strong equity in the 60cc scooterette market with its market leading brand TVS Scooty.

TVS Wego is in the market at the right time. The scooter market in India is growing at a scorching pace and dominated by one big brand- Activa. A large growing market  dominated by a single player is always an attractive option . There is always a space for a second brand provided it can offer a differentiated value proposition to the customer. 

In the Indian scooter market, the competitor is Honda and it is not an easy task to offer a value proposition that beats Honda. Many players have accepted defeat in this market including the erstwhile market leader - Bajaj Auto. Hero Honda is another strong contender with its brand Pleasure which is mainly targeting the lady commuter.

TVS has created a worthy challenger to Activa by launching Wego. Going by the reviews, there is a general consensus that Wego will be accepted by the consumers. More importantly , the brand was able to find a worthwhile differentiation to fight the market leader. Wego was launched at the right time when Honda is struggling to meet the demand for Activa. The long waiting period of Activa will force many customers to look for alternatives and this offers tremendous opportunity for Wego.

Wego is well styled and adequately powered scooter and is priced along the market going rate. The brand has found a unique differentiator  and has called it Body Balance . During the Bajaj Chetak era, balance was a critical issue since the engine of Bajaj Chetak was placed on one side and caused considerable imbalance. Vespa which was the competitor of Chetak was considered to be more balanced since the spare tire was kept on the other side to balance the engine weight. 

Although modern scooters like Activa and Pleasure doesn't seem to have such an issue, the body balance focus of Wego seems to be a relevant differentiator because balance have association with stability and safety.

The website of Wego explains the body balance in a detailed manner. Unlike the other scooters, Wego has a front inclined design which gives better stability while riding. The brand chose this feature as its USP and is going all out to promote body balance as its USP.

So the opportunity is right, the product has right features and has found a reasonable differentiation and the next critical stage is to communicate the value proposition to the consumers.Wego has really disappointed in the brand communication stage.The television campaign of Wego is one of the worst ads that I have seen in recent times ( strictly personal opinion ). 

One and only best thing about the ad is that it creates a strong association between the brand and the Body Balance feature. So in that perspective, the ad does its job. But on all other counts, be it creativity, execution , the ad is totally lost. The ad can be viewed once but not worth watching second time. 

Watch the ad here : TVS Wego Body Balance

I still don't understand why that old lady is carrying a monkey doll ???

My personal opinion is that  such features are best explained using a rational theme. Here in this case, the brand has tried to use humor  and hyperbole to convey the concept of body balance and the viewer is clueless about how this body balance works in practice.The counter argument would be that a normal user will checkout the website or showroom and find about the explanation about body balance and the campaign is just to bombard the consumer with this term . So to be fair to the brand, the ad works at some level but at the cost of refinement and creative execution. 

Unlike Hero Honda Pleasure, Wego has positioned itself as a unisex scooter for modern day couples. The entire communication is targeting couples . 

Wego can offer quite a challenge to Activa. Activa is currently struggling to meet the demand and the long waiting period can cause many customers to look at Wego. Activa recently launched a print campaign assuring customers of speedy delivery once they ramp up their operations. 

The success of Wego largely will depend on the performance of the product on road. The real customer reviews and word of mouth will be the acid test for this brand. 

Honda Jazz : Why So Serious !

Brand : Honda Jazz
Company : Honda

Brand Analysis Count : # 476

Honda Jazz is an interesting marketing story. The brand, which is from world's renowned automobile company, is struggling to find its space in India's automobile market. Indian passenger vehicle market is seventh largest in the world and despite the recession, the market grew at a rate of  25.6 % in 2010. According to an estimate from ICRA, the passenger vehicle market in India is expected to touch 2.5 million units in 2011. 

The small car segment is the largest segment in the Indian passenger vehicle market with a contribution of 79% of volume sold. The small car segment is classified as A1 and A2 segments with A2 segment denoting the premium hatchback cars. The market is dominated by Maruthi , Hyundai and Tata Motors with Ford and Chevrolet gaining marketshare at a rapid place.

Honda Jazz was a much awaited small car from Honda. The brand was launched in India in 2009 quickly disappointed the consumers with its arrogant pricing. Before going into the marketing practices, a quick look at the history of the brand. Jazz had its origins way back in 2001. Jazz is the Indian version of Honda Fit which  has achieved commendable success in other markets. Everyone expected Jazz to create a new segment of premium hatchback but alas.

When Honda  announced the intention to launch a hatchback, analysts were Gung-ho  about the prospects. Main  factor behind the excitement was the huge success of Honda City which created unmatched brand equity for Honda cars. 

Honda Jazz was undoubtedly the best looking hatch on the road ( personal opinion). The car is sexy and sporty and the Honda tag ads tremendous equity on Jazz. But despite all these, the sales was lukewarm. The main reason being the arrogant pricing.

Jazz was launched at a price point of Rs 6.98- 7.33 lakhs making it one of the most expensive mini hatchbacks at that point of time. The brand was priced around 2-3 lakhs premium from the nearest comparable hatchback . 

Another significant dampener to the success of Jazz was that its price was almost near the price of the best selling Honda City. While City was 1-2 lakh more than Jazz, potential buyers could easily stretched their budget to own the best sedan in the Indian market. Jazz being a petrol car also lacked the economy factor which is a significant criterion for Indian consumers. 

Honda seemed very laid-back about this issue. The company was in an arrogant mode and displaced this issue with an attitude " if one wants to buy Jazz, let him pay this price ". And consumer opted not to pay that price. 

The company never admitted that Jazz sales were low or below expectations and maintained that they were happy at the sales figures. In my personal opinion, Jazz had the potential to be the next Swift and lost an opportunity to become one. Its ambition of creating a super-premium hatchback also was not realized because of close pricing with Honda City.

Jazz was launched with a positioning of a sporty hatch . The brand had the tagline " Why So Serious " . The brand invested very little in terms of promotions .

Watch the launch campaign  : Honda Jazz

There was nothing great in the launch campaign and the company did not do much to strengthen the positioning of Jazz as a sporty car.

Recently there was lot of activity around the brand. Honda launched a spruced up version  Jazz X with a new campaign " Bring Back the Feeling ". The campaign was clutter breaking and focused more on the feeling of exhilaration rather than rational product features.

Watch the campaign here : Jazz 

The new campaign is not going to do much for the brand. Having said that the market has matured and consumers are now open to spending more on premium hatchbacks. Lot of upmarket hatchbacks are now on road which is a good news for Jazz. But the fact that Jazz is petrol is still the Achilles heel for the brand. 

Am still confused about rationale behind the pricing of Jazz. Honda is a master marketer and why did the company chose to play down the potential of Jazz ? It is common sense to anyone looking at Indian market to observe that pricing Jazz and City in a close range can be suicidal for Jazz. 

Any ideas ??