Brand Update : Taj Mahal Tea

Taj Mahal tea has launched a new variant : Dessert Tea. The dessert tea comes in three flavors like French Vanilla, Butterscotch, and Dulce. The new range comes in attractive packaging and is promoted with the brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan.

Dessert teas are new to India ( as far as I know). But it looks strikingly similar to Cappuccino . May be the product is just creamy tea with icecream flavors . What ever it may be , the brand looks tempting.
Taj Mahal Desset tea has the slogan " Pamper Yourself " and the ads are already in various magazines. The brand also has a hip-hop website www.pamperurself.in.
The brand is being positioned as a beverage to indulge in. When you are at office or at home, taking this brand will carry you to another world.
The brand is hoping to replicate the success of Bru Cappuccino. The brand stands out with its unique packaging which gives it a premium look. For tea lovers, it is a break from the usual monotony.
One thing to worry for this new range is the limited success that other innovations had in the tea segment. Lipton Iced tea was not a success despite high decibel advertising. However these new flavors and variants will bring back the excitement in the tea segment. Marketers were worried about this category ( tea) losing its charm among the youth. If successful, dessert teas will open new opportunities for tea marketers .
Related Brand
Taj Mahal Tea

Accu-chek : Live Life The Way You Want

Brand : Accu-chek
Company : Roche

Brand Analysis Count : 293

Accu-chek is a unique brand. The brand is a pioneer in home blood sugar monitoring device market in India. Accu-chek is the brand of global diagnostics major Roche. Roche introduced the revolutionary blood monitoring device in 1983.
India is the facing the huge problem of burgeoning diabetic patients count. According to media reports 20% of world's diabetic patients are in India. This has created a market for diabetic related products in India which is estimated to be over Rs 1236 crore growing at 16%.
Like the brand " Sugarfree" discussed elsewhere in the blog, Accu-chek also treats diabetes as a lifestyle issue rather than a disease. Accu-chek is positioned as an lifestyle enabler rather than a medical device.
This smart positioning comes from the customer insight that diabetes is an obstacle to a person's way of life. Once detected, the person's life changes forever. The lifestyle changes and the enjoyment withers away.
One of the most important part of treatment for diabetes is the regular blood sugar monitoring. Doctors assure the patients that if they are able to monitor sugar levels and adjusts their life, diabetes can be contained. But monitoring blood sugar level involves visits to the lab which is a real boring and damning experience.
It is from this problem that innovative products like home blood monitoring devices were created.These devices are a boon of diabetes patients because of the convenience factor.

Accu-chek is actively promoted by Roche in India. The brand has the ace cricketer Wasim Akram as the brand ambassador. Wasim was diagnosed with diabetes during his peak career point. Most analysts predicted end of career for Akram. But with careful monitoring and control, Wasim came back to cricket and proved the doomsayers wrong. WasimAkram fits perfectly with Accu-chek's positioning of lifestyle enabler. Akram features in the ads of this brand and often participates various events sponsored by the brand.

Accu-chek uses the classic slogan " Live life the way you want". The slogan actively captures the brand's vision and I am quite impressed by the vision of the brand. The brand assures the customers that one can life a healthy life with diabetes.
To reinforce the positioning, the brand is very active in promoting information regarding diabetes. The brand had a CSR initiative in 2004 called Inspiration Series where the brand took up the cause of juvenile diabetes ( kids suffering from diabetes). The brand also leads in observing November 14 as World Diabetes day by organizing awareness camps and road shows.
The brand also is a smart innovator. Accu-chek has lot of variants like Accu-chek integra which was launched in 2007. This product is a premium product which has more advanced features. A typical blood monitoring device consists of a a meter, strip and finger pricker .

Accu-chek is not without competition. The biggest competitor is One Touch Ultra from Johnson and Johnson. The list is long with every major pharma players launching their own brands. All these products are priced higher starting from Rs 2500 and above. The testing strips are also very expensive and now there is a trend where companies sell the meters for low prices and make money on the strips. However for a consumer, these products are a boon and the increased competition may see the prices becoming less and the product becoming more affordable.

Brand Update : Vim

Vim has become better again. After launching the liquid variant to counter the attack of Pril, Vim has taken the battle to Exo.

Exo which is a brand of Jyothi Lab has been positioning itself as the dish wash bar with antibacterial properties. Exo has been promoting the USP of antibacterial bar using the ingredient Cyclozan. The differentiation was effective and the antibacterial attribute gave Exo sufficient consumer attention.
This year, Vim relaunched itself as Antibacterial Vim. The latest relaunch takes on the differentiation of Exo. In marketing theory , we talk about Competitor Points of parity . Competitor points of parity aims to neutralize the points of differentiation of competitors. The latest relaunch of Vim is a classic example of this concept.
Does Exo has a reason to worry?
I think there are two main reasons for Exo to worry. Firstly its USP is no longer unique. The same attribute is now shared with the competitor .
Secondly Vim has put Exo in a trap. The new Vim uses Neem + Lemon as the antibacterial agent while Exo uses Cyclozan which sounds like a chemical. So here again Vim scores over Exo.
Vim is a classic example of how brands sustain its marketshare through careful marketing strategies.
Related Brand
Vim

Brand Update : Kur-lon

After repositioning itself as a home decor brand, Kurl-on is back again focusing on its core product : mattress. The brand is now running a campaign focusing on the mattresses.
Watch the TVC here : Kurl-on
I like this ad because it is simple straight forward and excellently executed. This is a reminder ad to create brand awareness for Kurl-on. You will yawn after seeing the ad.
The new campaign makes sense because there can be a dilution of the of Kurl-on's association with mattresses since it had ventured into related products. So once in a while , the brand has to remind the customers about its main product.
From the beginning itself , Kurl-on had positioned itself as a sleep enabler. The new campaign is an execution of a smart execution of a simple idea.

Related brand

Kurl-on

Transitions : Healthy Sight in Every Light

Brand : Transitions
Company : Transitions Opticals


Brand Analysis Count : 292

Transitions is a niche brand in the 1200 crore Opticals market. Transitions is a pioneer in plastic Photochromic lens market worldwide. The company launched the first commercially viable plastic photochromic lens in 1990 . Transitions optical is a Florida based company formed as a joint venture between PPG Industries and Essilor. The company besides selling Transitions brand of lenses also supplies the technology for leading eyecare marketers across the world.

Transitions lenses are plastic photochromic lenses that automatically adjusts with the changing light conditions. It becomes dark as sunglasses when there is bright sun and become plain when the light is low.
Transitions began its operation in India in 2006 and this year the brand has decided to become aggressive in the Indian market. India is predominately a glass lenses market with a market size of over 75 mn pieces sold every year. The market is moving towards plastic lenses which offers a huge potential for a brand like Transitions.
Transitions is running a campaign in the visual media these days. The brand is positioned on its UV blocking attribute. The ad talks about the danger of exposing to ultra-violet rays and highlights the flexibility of usage of Transitions in various light conditions.
Watch the Tvc here : Transitions
The brand is positioned as an everyday eyewear and helps the customer to do away with having two spectacles ,one for indoor and another for the outdoor. Transitions use the tag line " Healthy sight in every light " true to the positioning of the brand. Priced upwards from Rs 1800, the brand is targeting the premium segment of customers.
The brand is facing an interesting problem in the consumer behavior front. A research by the company showed that Indian consumers spent 65% of the time selecting the frame and only 35% in choosing lenses. Hence the buyer behavior focuses very much on the style rather than the lens. There is again an issue with the branding of lenses. Lenses is still a commodity business and the branding only have just started.
What is making Transitions excited about Indian market is the growing population of IT professional who work across different time zones . The growing cases of VDU syndrome , Computer related eye problems have opened up a huge market for such lenses. These new work related diseases have increased the demand for anti-glare and photochromic lenses.
Transitions has been able to identify the emergence of a new market for branded photochromic lenses in India. The brand faces the competition from unbranded lenses but thee opportunity is too good to resist.
source : FE, Businessline

John Miller : Good Looking Rascal

Brand : John Miller
Company : Pantaloon
Agency : Publicis

Brand Analysis Count : 291

John Miller is a brand which is a decade old. This mid-priced executive apparel brand came into existence in 1995. The brand at that time was the logical extension of the Pantaloon in the executive segment.
The millennium changed the Pantaloon group from a apparel marketer to a retail giant. Hence all the brands of Pantaloon became private labels of Future Group. The early days of the retail initiative of Pantaloon focused more on the groups expansion of retail stores. Now time has come for this group to foray into private labels.
According to Kevin Lane Keller , Private Labels are products marketed by retailers and other members of the distribution chain.Private labels are called store brands when they actually adopt the name of the store itself in some way.
Future Group had identified seven brands to be promoted in the apparel category. One being John Miller. Globally Private labels are priced lower and is sold on the platform on value. While much of the promotions are done inside the store, there are private labels which are promoted aggressively through mass media.
John Miller is one such brand that is now making lot of noise in both print and in television.
Watch the TVC here : John Miller
This is poorly executed ad with an idea that has been used by different brands from time immemorial.
John Miller is being positioned as a value brand in the executive attire segment. The ad uses the statement " Good Looking Rascal Makes it Look Easy " to position the brand personality as a naughty achiever who gets things done . The brand uses the tagline " makes it look easy " . Its the first time I hear a brand calling its user RASCAL .
The brand can try the following descriptions for the brand user in the next campaigns :
Good Looking Bloody Fool
Good Looking Asshole
Good Looking *@#$%

The brand could have devoted some effort to find a better idea to position itself. Priced at a range of Rs 300- 600, John Miller is an attractive option for value buyers. If the brand is able to keep its quality level reasonable, John Miller can be a tough competitor for brands like Peter England. The brand is now available in the Big Bazaar chain and also on its online store .
John Miller can be called as the first Indian private label to embark on mass media campaigns. With its retail formats expanding at a massive pace, John Miller is a brand which will go places.

Source ; brand reporter