Raymonds: The complete Man :A complete campaign

Raymonds : Expressions : A Complete man

Headline: Leadership comes naturally to those who do not stand on ceremony.
Subhead: Presenting Expressions

Bodycopy: Fine suiting fabrics that are skillfully woven from a unique blend of fibres derived from nature like Bamboo, Casein, Soyabean, Tencel, Linen, Silk, Cashmere, Mohair and Angora.And super 100s and 120s merino wool. So light, smooth and supple, it's perfect for the gentleman who is at ease with himself and the world.

Baseline: The Complete Man.
Agency: R K Swamy/BBDO
Client: Raymond

Source : Agencyfaqs.com

Brand Count :4


Raymonds has struck a right cord with the positioning of "A complete man". Expressions range however is promoted as an aspirational brand emphasizing on the finer qualities of a complete man. This is a very sound strategy that allows the brand to expand using the core values .

The strategy has been executed perfectly using commercials showing the metrosexual qualities of a man. The current series of print ads tries to add the leadership quality to the complete man.

Raymonds also like not only sober personalities but also dynamic go getters to use the brand. So this range is essentially targetted at young achievers, not necessarily conformists.


Although I have reservations about the quality of print ads, since the brand is in line with the positioning, All is well.....

Key words : Brand, Positioning, Marketing strategy, Indian Brands.

Surf Excel : Dirt Is Good:So Is The Idea

Brand : Surf excel
Agency : Lowe

Baseline : Dag Ache hain " Dirt is good"
Brand Count : 3


Surf has been in the market for a long time and has effectively managed its product life cycle with the help of product innovations and great marketing strategy.

The recent campaign of surf excel with the base line that says "Dirt is good" comes as a pleasant surprise to the Indian consumers

We were associating Dirt with Bad. Advertisers too had established dirt with some thing to avoid at all costs.

Even our cricketers seldom dive in the field because it would soil their white dress and we have seen our Cricket players, sorry Cricket models escorting ball to the fence in their spotlessly clean dress. Dag ache nahin hain!!!!

I am not sure why HLL tries to shock the public by saying that dirt is good, may be it is to shock the public and we are pleasantly shocked.

This campaign has a huge significance. It says
It is ok to soil your clothes
It is ok to play in the mud
It is OK to enjoy life
Surf excel hai na!

There are innumerable spin offs that surf can do with this campaign . I will say that after " Lalithaji" ,This is the next "BIG IDEA......

Hats off to Levers and Lowe

Key words : Brand, Positioning, Marketing strategy, Indian Brands.

Toyota Innova: Classic case of celebrity endorsement

Brand : Innova
Company : Toyota
Agency: Densucomm
Brand Analysis Count: 2


Toyota Innova is an interesting brand. Interesting because it redefined the MUV segment in India and also it replaced the famous Toyota Qualis . Innova was launched in 2005. It replaced the successful Qualis when the sales of Qualis was at its peak.

Toyota decided to replace Qualis because of two reasons. Qualis was a major success among the tour operator segment but was not popular at the individual/home segment. Second reason was the increased competition from Chevrelot Tavera which was perceived to be a more refined upmarket SUV.
Toyota also wanted to bring in the latest products in the Indian market. Qualis was only a test product. Further, Toyota wanted to appeal to the individual/home users rather than the commercial segment.

Innova is positioned as a luxury MPV. The brand has the latest technology and is refined to perfection. The brand has roped in Aamir Khan as the brand ambassador. Innova is positioned as a vehicle for all purposes . The brand uses the tagline " All you desire " and the ads are also catchy. The brand is priced at a premium and is targeting families which are SEC A A+ and large in size.

It is already a well debated issue whether celebrities should be used for endorsements. I am of the opinion that the brand should be the center of attraction and celebrity should support the brand and they should not steal the limelight.

Innova has effectively used the charisma of Aamir Khan to promote itself. Recent newspaper reports suggest that the advertisement has clicked.

Let us see why Toyota has used Aamir for its product. The latest advertisement of Corolla with Rahul Khanna suggests that Toyota is bugged by celebrity paranoia.

The basic positioning of Innova is as a getaway vehicle that is spacious, trendy and upmarket. Innova has tried to distance itself from the Qualis ,its successful predecessor which was popular as a Taxi .
So it was necessary that Innova be promoted as an upmarket car that can be associated with the successful. So Aamir make sense. The execution was perfect so was Aamir.

The pricing of Innova was also inline with the positioning with over 7+ variants and priced at a premium.
Toyota would like to see less Innova Taxis and more families owning Innova.The current ad will help them in realizing that objective.

Key words : Brand, Positioning, Marketing strategy, Indian Brands.

Revised on 26/5/08

Bajaj avenger- Feel Like God

Brand : Bajaj Avenger
Company- Bajaj Auto Ltd
Agency : Lowe

Brand Analysis Count : 1

Bajaj Avenger was launched in 2005. The brand was the sibling of India's first cruiser bike - Bajaj Eliminator . Eliminator had a good start but the expensive price tag of Rs 92000 dampened the enthusiasm of majority of bikers.

More over Eliminator was underpowered with a 125 cc engine and the value conscious customers gave the product thumbs down. The launch of Yamaha Enticer also took some market away from Eliminator initially.

Taking a learning from Eliminator , Bajaj launched Avenger . Avenger can be termed as a rebranding for Eliminator. Avenger sported a 180 cc dtsi engine and came with an attractive price tag of Rs 60,000. The failure of Yamaha Enticer also made the category worth a try.


The new bike is positioned on the comfort platform. The brand comes with the tagline " Feel Like God ". The brand is promoted in both print and visual media. The basic brand premise is that you will feel like god when riding this bike. The big idea is from the insight that cruisers are powerful bikes meant for a laid-back comfort riding.

Cruisers are niche products. The category is virtually new in India. And Indian road and traffic conditions also are not favorable for cruisers. But the changing Indian consumers definitely points to a favorable market for cruisers. More than volume, cruisers also are great image boosters for the company. A successful cruiser can give a positive image boost for all other products from the company.

Avenger, priced at Rs 60000 is definitely attractive in terms of price. With that Bajaj tries to give more than just low price. The Pulsar engine ensures that Avenger has the power.Lack of power was behind the failure of Yamaha Enticer.

The ads of Avenger are well made and definitely motivates a bike enthusiasts to give a test ride.

Smart advertising works well only with good product : plain common sense isn't it? But this is often missed by all marketers. Hope the Avenger lives to the expectation and its customers feel like " god".

Otherwise customers will behave like " God", they will just kill the product.........

Key words: Advertising, Brand, Brand Management, Positioning

Revised on 21/05/02008

Joke of the day: making a wish

The Man and the OstrichA man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him, andas he sits, the waitress comes over and asks for their order.The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns tothe ostrich. "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich.A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be$6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out exactchange for payment.The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "I'llhave a hamburger, fries and a coke," and the ostrich says, "I'll havethe same." Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with theexact change.This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again."The usual?" asks the waitress."No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato andsalad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich.A short time later the waitress comes with the order and says, "Thatwill be $12.62." Once again the man pulls exact change out of his pocketand places it on the table.The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir.How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of yourpocket every time?""Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and Ifound an old lamp. When I rubbed it a Genie appeared and offered me twowishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, justput my hand in my pocket, and the right amount of money would always bethere.""That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for amillion dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you wantfor as long as you live!""That's right! Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exactmoney is always there," says the man.The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"The man sighs and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick withlong legs who agrees with everything I say........"

touching the customer

Are you serious about customer service?

Well then answer the following questions

1. How do you communicate to the customers?
2. Who is communicating with the customers?
3. Who listens to the customers?
4. Are they trained?
5. Is the feedback filtered before reaching the top management?
6. How are you handling moments of truth?


" Moments of truth" is an interesting term. These are the moments when the company come in face to face with the customer. If the company fail to impress, that is it!!!

Recently my wife was complaining about the increasing workload at her office where she work in the front office. The reason was that the company has decided ( wisely) to prun the staff. Hence with the limited staff they have to handle an increasing traffic.

By not managing the moment of truth, the company is losing on the longterm for shortterm benefits. Most of the companies try to cut those staff who are handling customers in order to save on cost( Thompson Harvey, The customer centered enterprise, Tata McgrawHill 2003). This will result in lot of dissatisfaction in customers which will eventually hurt the companies longterm future.

It is just commonsense.. You have to make sure that when you meet the customer you should put your best face forward. Have your best employees man the customer touchpoint. Train them and pay them well so that they are happy serving the customer. Companies spend lot of money attracting the customers to them and piss them off when customers meet the company.

to be continued......