Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Pureit : As Safe as Boiled Water

Brand : Pureit

Company : HUL

Pureit is the first foray of the FMCG major into the consumer durable market. Pureit is the water
purifier appliance from HUL. Pureit made its test marketing debut in 2005. The brand was initially
launched in Chennai. During the test marketing, the result was pretty encouraging and the brand was
launched nationally in 2007.

The domestic water purifier appliances market is estimated to be Rs 450 crore ( HBL may 03/07) and is
dominated by Aquaguard from Eureka Forbes. As discussed elsewhere in the blog, this category was
not growing very fast because of the high cost of the product. The entry level water purifier was costing
anywhere between Rs 5000- Rs10,000 .

Pureit is a battery operated purifier . The company uses the following differentiation points against the
main competitor Aquaguard by claiming that the product works without gas/electricity thus the cost per
litre of pure water is very less. More over the brand is priced at a tempting Rs 1600 which makes it the
lowest priced purifier compared to Aquaguard or Kent.

Pureit is being positioned on the basis of its performance. The brand claims that the water from the
purifier is ' as safe as the boiled water ' . By claiming that it purifies water as safe as boiling water,
Pureit is trying to achieve Points of Parity with Aquaguard and Kent which also claims the same
feature. Along with this POP, the brand tries to differentiate on the following points :

a. no electricity/gas

b. Cost per litre low

c. Price of the product is also low

Pureit works on different cleaning layers to ensure purity. There is a fibre mesh layer which removes
visible dirt. Then comes a unique carbon trap that filters harmful pesticides and dirt. Then comes the
USP - Germkill processor which kills all the bacteria and virus. Then there is a polisher which gives clear
odorless water and a battery life indicator which tells you when to replace the battery. The product has
a capacity of 9 liters in the upper chamber and 9 liters in the transparent chamber. According to the
product website, the battery lasts for 1500 liters and the replacement battery costs Rs 250.

Pureit is now being promoted through all media. There are ads in local print as well as TV. Being the
FMCG major, HLL was able to place the product in most of the supermarkets and key consumer points.
The brand uses the tagline " As Safe as Boiled water'. The brand is mainly targeting households
(mothers ) which have small kids.
Apart these common above the line promotions, what has struck me was the below the line promotions
that HUL has undertaken for Pureit. A visit to my doctor proved it. There was a product displayed
prominently in his clinic with all necessary brochures and inquiry forms. The brand is using the
influencing power of the medical fraternity to its advantage. For the doctor, it just means that his
patient has access to pure water while waiting but for the brand this small gesture adds lot of
authenticity. HUL has done pretty good homework on this product. The brand is available in shops and
also sold through direct marketing associates.

Although the low price of this product will help it to penetrate many households , there are certain
issues also.

Pureit is a consumer durable that requires after sales support. When even specialist consumer durable
companies are blamed for offering poor after sales support, can an FMCG company deliver efficient
customer service.

Another issue is the replacement battery. Will HUL be able to offer this spare without delay?

At the consumer side, the problem is with the battery. It is crucial that the consumer replace the battery
at the right time and use this product. A delay in the supply of battery can cause non-usage for Pureit at
households thus causing bad word of mouth. May be it is because of this fear that HUL in its website
tells the consumers to buy an additional spare battery.

The brand has more chance of longterm survival if it is promoted through the direct marketing venture
(Hindustan Lever Network) of HLL .

Pureit is a product that is a boon to Indian consumers. It’s a boon because it has helped making a
category more affordable. More than that, the quality of potable water in our country is deteriorating
day by day creating health hazards especially for kids. By making a product at an affordable cost, HUL
has made another positive impact in its consumer's quality of life.

Best Marketing Practice : Customer Ombudsman

Best Marketing Practice #2

HUL has introduced a unique practice in India by launching a Customer Ombudsman. In July the
company appointed a retired Justice Mr M S Rane as the customer ombudsman. It is for the first time
that an Indian FMCG company has appointed an ombudsman for customer grievances.

Ombudsman are usually officials who are charged with the responsibility of representing the public by
investigating and addressing grievances and complaints of the public. ( Wikipedia).

The current move was a part of the Lever Care initiative of the company which was started in 2007.
Through Lever Care , the company wanted to provide a single point of contact for addressing
consumer complaints and feedback .
The Lever Care works through a system of call centers and designated officials who will handle the
complaint management process. The customers are encouraged to contact the Lever Care
numbers/email etc in case of a grievance.

According to the company, the complaint pack will be replaced by the company with a new one . Then
the complaint will be processed for further action.

According to the press release, those complaints which could not be resolved through Lever Care will
be routed to the Ombudsman who in turn will investigate the complaint .The decision of the mediator
will be binding on the company and not on the consumer.

I was intrigued by this news. Why should an FMCG company put so much pain in the complaint
management process. I was under the impression that FMCG companies will not be facing much
complaints compared to consumer durable companies and service firms.

According to a report in Livemint , HUL has around 200 cases in various courts against it ( I was
surprised ). Court cases can take away lot of time energy and money from the company. HUL hopes that
such an alternative will help both the customers and the company to handle complaints and grievances
quickly.

I think its a good proactive move by the company to make things easier for the consumer to address his
grievances. I think its a best practice because its usually a nightmarish experience for a customer to get
his problem addressed. Ombudsman helps genuine customers to get a speedy unbiased redressal.

Secondly HUL really doesn't need such a mechanism when compared to other businesses. Most of the
products are of high quality, less priced and the service element in its products are negligible. Still the
fact that the company has invested its time and energy in reaching out to the customers is quite
laudable.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Tata Ace : Small is Big

Brand : Ace

Company: Tata Motors

Brand Count : 97

TATA Ace is the classic case of marketing success in India. What ever factors that Kotler have spoken
about to successfully launch a new product, it is there in this product. Ace is Tata's answer to the
marketing myopia of three wheelers.

Ace is a .75 ton truck in the commercial vehicle segment which is dominated by large trucks. It can be
called India's first mini truck. Launched in May 2005, Ace has become a blockbuster and is expected to
create a huge dent in the three wheeler goods carrier market.
Till the launch of Ace, the sub one ton loads were transported by the three wheeler goods carriers.
Although the quality and performance of these three wheelers are less than desirable there was still
huge demand for these vehicles. It is this market that Ace is trying to capture. It is the transportation
at the "last mile" market that Ace has captured.

Ace had all the qualities of a winner. It is cute, the engine is good in terms of mileage and performance,
the comfort factor is very much there and more over it is a Truck and not an Auto. Priced competitively
at 2.25 lakh to 2.40 lakh, Ace is a value proposition that no one can refuse. The brand was launched at a
point where there was a need for transportation of good speedily and conveniently and in a cost
effective manner.

The target segment are those who want to upgrade from these three wheelers. The brand Ace has its
own limitations. Hence Tata was careful not to overhype the product so that it will "under promise " and
" over deliver".

Although the product took around Rs180 crores to develop, the brand is giving rich returns for Tata
Motors. The company is working overtime to deliver the orders and is looking for expansion of
production of Ace. Even Ace is looking at overseas and is exporting to Srilanka and Bangladesh.

The success of Ace has opened up a new category in the commercial vehicle market. It is reported that
Ace had already captured 65% of the small commercial vehicle segment and is expected to contribute
an additional turnover of Rs 2500 crore. It is again a sign that Tata Motors have identified the DNA for
marketing success in Indian market.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Bingo : A Challenger Brand

Brand : Bingo

Company: ITC

Brand Count: 214

Bingo is ITC's challenge to the monopoly of Frito Lays. This March, ITC launched Bingo in the highly
fragmented Rs 4500-5000 crore ($1 Billion) snack food market. Indian snack food market is dominated
by unorganised sector. The organised snack foods market is only Rs 2000 crore and is dominated by the
iconic Lays brand with over 77% market share. Having tasted success in Biscuits, staples and Ready to
eat market, Bingo will be another test for ITC's marketing muscle. It fights in this segment with none
other than Pepsi.

Indian snack food market is divided into : Traditional Snacks ( bhujiya, Chanachur etc) Western Snacks
and the newly created Finger snacks segments.

Bingo is entering both the potato and finger snacks market. According to the company press release,
Bingo comes in 16 flavors. Its potato snack has 4 innovative variants taking into consideration the
taste difference across Indian market. The Finger snacks line has six variants. The TVC's are now on air
and the company intends to position this brand as a fun brand targeting at the youth. The brand tries
to differentiate from Lays by focusing on innovation (in flavors). Snack foods : because of the low
financial risk (low price) for the customer, new tastes will be a key in marketing success. Lays
succeeded by offering great quality, variety and brand to reach the leadership position. Bingo it seems is
following the leader.

The task is very tough for ITC to fight with Lays. The golden line is that the market is so large that every
player will have a space provided, the brand keeps the promise. The high profile brand launch of Bingo
will see the market expanding thus benefiting all the players . ITC is aiming at a 360 degree brand
building effort to boost the new launch. The exit of Indian team from worldcup may force a re- look on
the media strategy for this brand since the company was trying to leverage the worldcup fever in India.

The brand takes the tagline : No Confusion Great Combination. The brand is promoted through a series
of funny ad which I feel is little too complicated. The ad tries to be funny but fails to make the audience
laugh. The poor execution can create problems for the brand.

Watch the TVC here; Vango Pongo

The launch of Bingo is going to see a fight between two marketing giants in the Indian market. It will be
a treat for marketers and consumers.. Bingo....

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Brand Update : Tata Nano

After a long and treacherous journey, Tata Motors have finally launched Tata Nano. No other product
had such an excitement in the Indian market as Nano. And no other product had to face those hardships
that this brand had to face.

Although the brand has been officially launched, consumers may not be able to get hold of Nano
anytime soon. The first car is expected to be delivered only in June and the company will be able to
meet the entire consumer demand only in a phased manner.

Nano now comes in three variant. The basic version is the One Lakh car and there are two upgrades.
The basic version will cost around Rs 1,30000 on Road and the premium version will cost around Rs
1,80,000.

Nano is a special brand. It is a brand that symbolises an entrepreneurial dream. It is also a brand that
symbolises determination , hardwork and innovation.

With the launch, Nano also have its tagline "Now You Can" derived from the famous campaign of Barack
Obama. The new tagline symbolises the brand's promise of an affordable car for the masses.
Nano also gives a very valuable lesson to the marketers. It shows that low cost does not necessarily
mean a 'cheap ' car. Nano suprised many with its stylish look, spacious interiors and a good quality
drive. All these comes with a very low cost.

Usually when we think about a low-cost product that is targeting the lower rung of the consuming class,
the focus is more on functionality and compromises. The resultant product is a poorly designed
functional product with rugged look and zero aesthetics.
Professor CK Prahlad famously remarked in the book "Fortune at the Bottom of Pyramid " that the
consumers at the bottom of pyramid wants an affordable product and not a cheap low quality
product.

Many Indian consumers irrespective of social class is going to buy this car because it is a very good
looking , highly functional car and not because it is a cheap car.

Tata Nano also gives the marketer a golden key to tide over the recession. Come out with a product that
catches the imagination of the consumers.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Brand Update : Bingo

According to today's Business Standard, Bingo has eaten into the market share of Lays. Six months into
the launch, ITC has really broke into the stronghold of Lays. The report cite the clever marketing strategy
and the localization of flavors as the main factors that aided the success of Bingo.

Although it is too early to praise Bingo or ITC on their success, I feel that getting the brand to a market
share of 16 % is something commendable. Bingo now aims for 25 % of the Rs 2000 crore branded snack
market. The share of Lays have reduced from 65% to 45%.

The brand had made a base for itself. There are various factors that aided the success of Bingo.

High Decibel Advertising : Although I have reservations about the quality of ads, Bingo was able to
capture the Share of Noise through its heavy spend. Helping that was the latest move of Lays to change
the famous tagline to “Har Program ka Main Food"

Novelty Factor: The snack market is driven by impulse purchases and Bingo had the advantage of the
ITC parentage that encouraged consumers to try out the product without much inhibition.

Regional Flavors : This is where Bingo beat Lays in their own game. Lays was the first to localise flavors
but Bingo specialized on local flavors and the key differentiator was the Localized flavors.

Distribution strength: If you ask me which is the most critical success factor of Bingo, I would put the
distribution strength as the numero uno. Go to any supermarket or kirana store, Bingo is highly visible.
In India there is no company that can match the distribution strength of ITC and this has helped this
new launch very much interms of Shelf Space and retailer support.
Having said that Lays cannot be written off. Whenever a new brand comes, the larger brands lose
market share . Like wise the high profile launch of Bingo has eroded the market share of Lays but things
can change very fast. Lays have already scaled up their marketing initiatives and new flavors are on the
anvil. The brand also have came out with pack costing only Rs 3 ( sachetisation) to induce non users to
try out the brand.

The war has started and for marketers and customers, its going to be a treat.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Bajaj Pulsar : Definitely Male

Brand : Pulsar

Company: Bajaj Auto

Agency ;O&M, Leo Burnett

Brand Count : 226

Pulsar is one of my favorite brands both as a bike rider and as a marketer. This bike has virtually
redefined biking in this country. Pulsar launched in 2001 is the market leader in the 150 cc +
performance bike segment. More than that , this brand changed the fortune of Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Before the launch of Pulsar, Indian bike market was divided broadly into Economy,Executive and
Premium Bikes. In 1999 Hero Honda created a new segment of 150 cc performance segment with its
CBZ. But Pulsar came and gave a new life into the Performance segment. Although not a pioneer, Pulsar
made the performance segment one of the fastest growing segment in the two wheeler market.

It was not only the bike's performance that triggered the brand becoming an icon, a major part of the
success was due to the classic advertising campaign by O&M. According to agencyfaqs, the birth of the
"Definitely Male" campaign is interesting. The creative honchos found the new product from Bajaj
distinctly different. It was Bajaj's first bike without Kawasaki label. The new bike was an R&D and design
marvel. Pulsar was designed by the renowned design house Tokyo R&D. O&M knew that the
communication of this brand should also be different. Starting with lot of ideas, O&M stuck upon the Big
Idea of India's He-Bike. Although lot of bike take the persona of Macho bikes it was more oriented
towards being "sexy". The Big Idea was to position the bike as World's first bike endowed with a Sex (
Gender).Thus born the classic campaign of all times " Definitely Male". The campaign together with the
design and performance catapulted the brand into stratospheric sales level.

Bajaj targeted the 18-24 with Pulsar but later found that the brand appealed to a much older
audience. This helped Bajaj to change its target audience to 21-35 years.

Unlike its old ways of doing things, Bajaj did not rest with the laurels. It knew that Pulsar is the golden
key to control the entire bike market. Hence Pulsar got undivided attention from the company. In 2003
another milestone event happened in the product lifecycle of the brand. Bajaj launched its new
technology DTSI. DTSi stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition which delivered more power and efficiency.
The increased performance of the brand took Pulsar to greater heights. 2004 and 2005 saw some
cosmetic changes in the brand which excited the customers and thus cementing Pulsar's position in the
market.

Pulsar came in two variants : 180 cc and 150 cc where 180 cc excited the performance bikers, 150 cc was
for the mileage conscious ones. The 150cc variant took lot of customers away from the executive
segment to the performance segment.

The brand had its share of marketing flaws also. According to reports, Bajaj reassigns its media duties to
two brands O&M and Leo Burnett, every six months. When DTSI was launched, the creative duty was
assigned to Leo Burnett. Leo Burnett did a big mistake on the brand by changing the positioning of "
Definitely Male" to "Digital Biking". Although the ads were successful in conveying the technological
superiority of DTSI and making that acronym popular, it deleted the most successful tagline from the
brand's elements.

After ruling the premium bike segment, Bajaj is taking their brand to another level. Bajaj recently
launched Bajaj Pulsar 200 Dtsi to take on the comeptition from Hero Honda and the like. The new Pulsar
boasts of spruced up engine, new digital console and new style. Pulsar is definitely getting better.

Pulsar 200 is being launched with a new campaign revolving round the concept of Free Biking. Free
Biking ( as defined by the brand Pulsar) is all about tackling obstacles. According to company officials, its
about how you ride rather than where you ride. The ads made by O&M is filmed at Hawana Cuba (
expensive). Set to pulsating Arabian music, the ad shows how two Pulsar riders discover new route
when their main way is blocked by traffic jam.

One word to describe this ad is HYPERBOLE and too much of it. What I feel is that the Big Idea od Free
Biking is good but execution is ordinary. What made Pulsar a super brand was its ability to come out
with different disruptive campaigns. But in the case of Pulsar 200, it is a sort of cut copy paste from
some Hollywood movie (James Bond). More over, the Big Idea is also not properly communicated
through the visuals. Also most of the time I was trying to make out some meaning out of the background
song, later to find out that it was Arabic.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Axe : The Axe Effect

Brand : Axe

Company : HUL

Agency: Lowe Lintas

Brand Count : 252

I was delaying writing about this brand for the reason that I doubted whether I will be able to do justice
to my favorite brand. An Icon for sure Axe is a success story that is so difficult to emulate. One can only
marvel and enjoy.

Axe has got every thing perfect for its success, It got its segments correct, the targeting was exemplary
and Positioning : something to drool for. And more over Luck was on its side.

Axe was born in France in the Year 1983. 24 years later, this brand is Unilever's Best selling brand
worldwide. It has an iconic status in whichever market it has entered. It is also one of the rare brands
which can boast of replicating its entire marketing mix across geographical boundaries. The campaigns
that you see in India is what the entire world is watching. For those who propound Glocalisation , AXE is
an exception.

Axe deo was launched in India during 1999. The brand launch was very quiet and theoretically the
brand was having the strategy of Slow Skimming i.e High Price Low Promotion. Axe at that time was
the leading men's deo brand in Europe and was popular in India in the Grey market ( available in duty
paid shops) .HLL may have launched this brand inspired by the volume of Axe sold in the Grey market. At
that time, the deo market was a nascent one with an estimated market size of Rs 72 crore. HLL had the
brands Denim and Rexona and was ruling the market. Axe was priced at a premium above the Denim
brand which was positioned as a male deo brand.

Axe initially was launched in the fragrance Java, Alaska and Atlantic. HLL did not bother to fine tune
its Promotional mix to Indian market but just imported the promotions .... meaning, the company just
ran the ads which was popular in the Europe and other markets. At that time , the product was also
imported from Europe. And IT CLICKED.... rest as they say is History...

Axe in 2002 was having a market share of over 35% and soon HLL phased out Denim brand to
concentrate on this Star.

Axe is the naughtiest brand in the Indian market. The brand is targeted at male aged 16-25 .
Internationally this brand targets male aged 15-25. I personally feel that it targets all 'Young at heart"
naughty guys. The brand has its brand values of Cool, Fashionable and Stylish. And world over, the
brand sticks to its core values. The biggest strength of this brand is the underlying message or the DNA
which is that the brand users are High on Confidence and always for the Axe users, Girls Makes The
First Move. I think the biggest competitive advantage of this brand is its complete monopoly over this
brand proposition. All its campaigns revolve round this central theme of Seduction where Girl makes the
first move.

I think it has lot of subliminal implications. The brand assumes that Men wants( Likes) to be Seduced .
That feeling ( of being seduced) gives a big boost of self confidence to a man. Although many brands
take this proposition, Axe just made it perfect.

I have seen lot of ads where girls are seen drooling over Hunks in Motorcycle or in Readymades, or even
in Innerwears, but in most of the Axe ads, there are no Hunks, only very ordinary or even skinny kind of
people getting assaulted by beautiful girls. That makes the brand more approachable. Had Axe used a
Hunk, the promotions couldn't have been so effective. The brand managers were so wise that when
they used a celebrity like Ben Affleck, They ensured that the brand is made approachable

See the TVC here : My Favorite Axe ad

Having said that, The males seen in Axe commercials are not Losers: the ads are careful to show them as
confident ( in one way or other) or a better term will be self assured. That is ultimate execution.

The power of this Big Idea has ensured that Indian consumers lap up the foreign commercials without
any hitch. I don't remember any India centric ad for Axe especially in Television. And Indian consumers
are not complaining either.

Along with these , the brand also ensured that customers are constantly engaged with new fragrances
and campaigns. In 2005, Axe had a high profile launch of its new fragrance CLICK and before that there
was Axe Land campaign and followed by Axe-Academy then Axe Voodoo and the latest one
Phenomenon. I have tried most of the fragrances and not all of them are good, but I try it because I like
the brand. That is the power of brand.

Axe is one of the rare brands that has embraced new media to the maximum extent. The brand has
started its Internet based marketing initiative in India with Axe Land which involved a virtual trip to
the Axe world. Globally also this brand has lot of online initiatives which are almost always naughty. In
UK the Axe is marketed as LYNX. Checkout the cool web initiatives of this brand :

Axe- feather

Axe Effect

Axe Phenomenon

and also a blog called Evan and Gareth

Not only the brand uses TVC's to its advantage, the print ads of Axe won several accolades in various ad
events. The creatives run amok with the kind of flexibility that they get from the positioning. Besides
Print, the brand also uses outdoors to its maximum impact. Axe is a classic example of 360 degree
branding effort. Now Axe has a common message in over 70 countries where Unilever sells this brand.
Iconic in a real sense.

One of the reports term the marketing strategy of Axe as "Adventurous Marketing" .That is true because
its risky because the brand deals with Girls & Seduction. Not always every one may like the theme or the
campaigns. In India especially there are self styled Cultural Policemen/Women who cries foul for
anything and everything. It is really surprising that so far, Axe has escaped their AXE. That also shows
that the ad agency is also careful about the concepts put across the Indian media.
While in a more liberal markets, Axe tests new levels of "Adventures", here the brand plays really safe. It
also ensures the campaigns run in Indian media is accepted because most often its the entire family who
watches the TV.

I know I just have touched the tip of Marketing Iceberg called Axe.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Asian Paints: Every Color Tells a Story

Brand : Asian Paints

Company: Asian Paints

Agency: O&M

Brand Count : 211

Asian Paints is the market leader in the highly fragmented and highly competitive Rs 7750 crore ($1.73
Bn) Indian paint Industry. The organised sector constitutes around Rs 5400crore ( $1.2 Bn).

Asian Paints started its journey in 1942 with four young men in a garage in Bombay. The name Asian
Paints was picked randomly from the telephone directory. The brand has traveled from that garage to
become a Rs 1000 crore brand. From 1968, this brand occupies a premium position in the Indian Paint
industry.

The story of the evolution of Asian Paints as a brand is interesting. The brand now has an iconic status in
the industry thanks to some blockbuster big ideas from O&M. The brand once positioned as a mass
market brand has evolved itself to a higher plane.

Indian paint industry can be broadly divided into two segments

a. Decorative segment which constitutes the wall paints : exterior and interior, wood paints etc

b. Industrial segment which consists of automotive paints, and paints for industrial sector.

Decorative segment constitutes around 75 % of the total paint industry and Asian Paints is the market
leader with around 44% share. In the Industrial segment, Nerolac is the market leader.

In the decorative segment, it is interesting to see how Asian Paints have changed the buying process of
the product like paints. Paints are usually considered to be a low involvement product. In earlier times,
the decision of the brand was taken by the builder/contractor and the home owners does not involve
much in the process may be the decision of color rest with the house owners.

Asian Paints realized the need for brand building even during sixties. But at that point of time, the
company had a wide range of brands/subbrands. The focus of the company was on product innovation
and service network and managing quality proposition. The brand focused on mass and rural market.
Asian Paints had a mascot called Gattu who was created by the celebrated cartoonist R K Laskhman.
These efforts made the brand a leader during the late sixties.

Then the company realised that although volume justified the leadership position, share of mind for
the brand was very low. That was the result of the mass segmentation adopted by the brand. Rightly so
because the industry was driven by channel driven promotions, building a brand at that time was"
uncommon sense". During 1983, the company tried to reposition the brand as a premium brand. Asian
Paints initiated the corporate campaign aimed to position the company as the number one player in the
industry. The objective was to upgrade to a more margin premium product marketer .The corporate
campaign "Spectrum of Excellence" was aimed to increase the Salience of the brand in a quiet market.

But this campaign failed to inspire any interest in the consumers and the company felt that the market is
moving towards a commodity market where price is the most important differential. Asian Paints
undertook a consumer research aimed at understanding the perception of consumers about the product
category. The research revealed lot of interesting insights. Consumers felt that paints could change the
mood of the space and it was a sign of festival and plenitude. It could make a gloomy place bright and
pleasant. From this insight came the campaign of Asian Paints associating itself with festivals.
Research also confirmed that customers tend to repaint their houses on the occasion of festivities. Thus
born the campaign "Celebrate with Asian Paints". The campaigns were carefully crafted and there were
different campaign for different regions. These campaigns effectively enhanced the brand equity of
Asian Paints and established itelf as a premium brand. More than that , these campaign ensured an
emotional connect with a brand in a low involvement category. The brand also phased out many
subbrands and rest of the subbrands was brought under Asian Paint's umbrella brand.

During the late nineties the brand had to be reinvented. Because no longer festivities formed an
important part in ones life. Since many brands went after festival seasons, the positioning platform has
become cluttered. More over the consumer buying behavior has changed. The category was becoming
less seasonal. People started associating more importance to home decor and interiors. The choice of
color became a high involvement decision. From a low involvement category, paint was increasingly
becoming a high involvement category.

The brand also went in a brand overhaul. The logo was changed to a contemporary upmarket one
designed by Entreprise IG based in Singapore.The logo/design was to convey self expression,
sophistication and Technology.

Thus came the birth of a wonderful positioning strategy created by O&M. The insight was that the
brand is about people and homes and homes reflect the people living in it. Hence " Har Ghar Kuch
Kehta Hai" translated to " Every Home has a story to tell". This campaign is a perfect example of a
brand laddering up and connecting to a higher level in the mind of the customer. The campaigns
reinforced the brand as a premium emotional brand.

Along with the campaign Asian Paints also ran parallel ads for its subbrands. Saif Ali Khan endorsed the
premium brand Royale .For Apex Ultima, the campaign was highly localized and was different in
different market.
View Asian Paints ad here : Pongal :Saif Ad

Taking a cue from the success of Ghar campaign , the brand took ownership of the COLOR. The insight is
that each color has a story to tell. The latest campaign reflects on the color and uses the campaign "
Har Rang Kuch Kehta hai" translated to "Every color has a story to tell". The brand is so serious about
the color that it has tied up with IIT to explore new colors and conduct research on colors.

Asian Paints is a classic branding story and the brand is still exploring and growing.