Research inputs ‐ advertising planning cycle

Familiarize

Hypothesize
Review
Tracking
Research Strategy 
Development
Research
Message
Evaluation Synthesize
Evaluate
Research

Creative 
Development
Research Inspire
Optimize

Strategy Development Research
• Determines – What I want to say to the 
consumer?
Strategy Development Research • Aims to answer questions such as
•Where we are
•Why are we here
•Where could we be

Strategy Development Research –
Information Areas
• Brand Familiarity & Favourability
• Understanding of brand, its history and its position in the 
market
• Consumer’s perception about our brand vis‐à‐vis competition
Case: Nerolac Paints
• Needs & Motives: 
• What drives the category in the market
• Users:
• Profile of the users
• Buying roles and influences
• Purchase and Consumption Process
• Level of his involvement in the purchase
• Cycle and pattern of his purchase

1
 Paint Market 2002‐03 Paint market – a snapshot
Media Spends – 02-03
Market Shares
• Asian Paints ‐ the market leader generated a high  Snowce

visibility through its advertising 50
GNP
m
2%
Others
3%
40 18%
• A market with Asian Paints on one side and others  J&N
Asian
Paints
30 1%
including Nerolac on the other 20
49%

ICI
10 16% Berger
Paints
0 11%
98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03
•Category leader dominates Market Share
ASIAN GNP BERGER/RPL ICI
and SOV

Source: TNS Mode Research

The competitive strengths Paint Consumption – Home Segment

Lasts for
100 •Asian paints is the clear leader 12 ‐ 20 weeks Buyer  home owner/customer
90
80
Level 1 Interactive
70 •Nerolac has all the characteristics of  & long decision Peers/Dealers/Self
60
50 a challenger  making process
Painter  reinforces the brand
40
Satisfaction 
30 •However, it was not reflected in the  Derived from  choice & applicator
20 Level 2 triggers 
10 market shares Level 1 Concern: Will the painter cheat me?
0
TOMA Spont Commu
Awareness Awareness •Where was the problem?
Lasts for
Nerolac Asian Paints Berger 3 ‐ 5 years
Level 2 A subject
Consumption  self/ socializing
of self indulgence, Concern: Will the new look add to my status?
GNP AP Self expression & 
•As compared to Asian Paints 
Mean score on leadership 40 80 social status
Nerolac lacked on parameters 
Mean score on dynamism 40 80 of leadership and dynamism
Complex, long drawn and high involvement consumption
Source: TNS Mode Research Source: Mind & Mood

Decision making on paint types, 
Consumer Buying Behaviour
shades and brands
• Consumer do not differentiate between paint brands • Type
• Any known brand will do as long as it is the shade of my liking – Decision made by CWE after evaluating various alternatives with 
• Buying Process: involved, time consuming painters and dealers
• Six month renovation mood – Dictated by budgetary constraints
• Clear metro and non metro divide
• Shades
• Consumer Beliefs:
• painting is important for looks of the house
– Dominated by wives and children, though a family decision
• premium brands add prestige and lasts longer • Brands
• leader brand is more trustworthy – Decided by CWE. Based on perceptions, peer recommendations and 
• painter & contractors cheat – need trusted painter and dealer shop visits
• application process more important than the brand
• Painting cycle: 3‐5 years
• Shop visits for rate negotiations and decision on colour 
code CWE was needed to be convinced more for the
brand preference
Trust and leadership important for end consumers
Source: Mind & Mood Source: Mind & Mood

2
 Nerolac’s objective for 03‐04 Strategic directions for Nerolac
• To attain a growth of 20% in 2003‐04 over  • Take a leadership stance in communication
2002‐03 – Exploit the leadership position of industrial segment
– Expected industry growth 8‐10% • Improve scores on TOMA
• To establish leaders in Industrial paints  • Bring the brand in purchase consideration set of 
end‐consumers
segment
• Influence the CWE and give him the conviction that 
choosing Nerolac is the right decision
• Build empathy amongst intermediate consumers
A difficult task to be achieved with a fraction of media
spends as compared to the category leader

Creative Development Research
• It determines – “How should I say it?”
• Aims to answer question
Creative Development Research •How can we get there?

Creative Development Research ‐ Creative Development Research ‐
Information Area Sources of info
• Understanding of customer’s culture • Primary research with adcepts, scripts or 
• Vocabulary and symbols consumers use  scratch films
when talking about your category • Discussions – extended creativity groups, 
brain storming sessions
• Secondary research
• Observations

3
 Projective Techniques
• Personification of a brand
Reveal important product dimensions, look
at a product from a new perspective
Eg: Imagine the product as a person/ a friend/ a hero
Lux was imagined as a filmstar
• Projective User
Important information about product/brand image.  See the product/brand in a symbolic/emotional
Possible competitive advantages of product
Eg:  Characterize the typical user of the  advertising
product or brand and speculates about his/her 
reasons to use the product
• Future Scenario
Identify unmet/not yet satisfactorily met consumer  Generate ideas for new products. Identify unmet
needs. Generate ideas for product improvement
Eg:  10 years from now, how would you wash your clothes?
• Picture Projection
Express things that are difficult to articulate 
verbally, reveal deep consumer desires, needs 
and beliefs, find symbols and analogies for 
products and brands
Eg:  Choose a picture that symbolizes….
What do I wish from the category/product? : For 
smooth skin, a woman could choose satin cloth as a 
symbol
• Collages:
 
context. Identify new relevant product 
dimensions. Generate new product ideas. 
Evaluate concepts, get input to develop 
Eg:  Create the ‘world’ of a product or the ‘world’ of a brand. 
If your child was healthy, what would his  world look 
like
• Specialty Shops
 
consumer needs
Eg:  Imagine a shop which offers a wide variety of products but only of 
one product class
4
• Creative Team • Tell a story
Get input for copy development. Generate new  Advantages/disadvantages of a product
concept ideas. Evaluate/improve already 
developed concepts Eg:  Invent a story about a person using a product, 
describing the usage circumstances, experiences etc. 
A story about two competitive products that meet each other
Eg:  Competitive teams (potential consumers) create an ad for a product 
/brand

• Role Play • Best Experience
Give descriptors for a product in consumer  Express consumer desires, describe product 
language, identify key benefits superiority and emotional benefits in consumer 
language

Eg:  A salesman tries to convince a customer about 
the product or two friends recommend a  product to the other Eg:  Imagine the best possible experience with a product and your 
feelings towards it

• Biggest Frustration • Analogies
Reveal the consumers fears and emotional  Shows deep consumer beliefs and ultimate needs. 
components of dissatisfaction Input for concepts and ad development

Eg:  Describe your worst possible experience with a product Eg:  Look for analogies for the working mechanism of a product or for a 

certain ingredient. Find  analogies to describe the positive results 
after using a product (fresh as…..)

5
 Creative Development Research ‐
Deliverables
• Judgment on how the ad strategy could be 
• Sentence Completion
communicated as creative ideas and 
Spontaneous reactions and TOM benefit enhancement of these ideas further
• Most persuasive way to promise
Eg:  If I would have plenty of money………
Drinking orange juice makes me feel like …..
I buy Head & Shoulders because……...

Nerolac: Creative Challenges

•The creative challenge for 2003‐04 
•To provide Nerolac with an aura of leadership
Case: Nerolac Paints •To change consumer mindset 
» In paints I can choose between Nerolac and 
Asian
•To change trade mindset
» Nerolac is the only challenge to Asian Paints

Nerolac Creative Decisions Celebrity Selection
• Use a celebrity to create high TOMA • Following celebrities were considered for the task
• Amitabh Bachchan
• Celebrity who can give stature of a leader to 
• Shah Rukh Khan
the brand • Sachin Tendulkar
• Celebrity should not dominate the brand and  • Priety Zinta
yet command a high respect from end‐ • Aishwarya Rai
• Aamir Khan
consumers as well as intermediary  • Rahul Dravid
consumers 
• The consideration was based on the popularity of 
• Leverage the leadership in industrial paint  celebrities at that point in time
segment

6
 AB seen as a true leader
Celebrity Selection
• Internal study using 
• A litmus and a spider was conducted to  litmus
check suitability of the celebrities for the  • No politician today seen as 
‘true’ leaders
brand • Among celebrities the 
• Each celebrity was checked on various  unanimous choice of a 
true leader was ‘AB’
parameters including leadership aura • Outlook study ‐ May 
• Amitabh Bachchan was found to be best  2003
suited for the task • Who would you want as 
PM of India?
• Amitabh Bachchan 90%

AB personality traits
Heritage, Indian
Family oriented
Amitabh Bachchan & ‘Nerolac’
Sophisticated
Smart conversationalist
Finding a personality fit Confident, Intelligent
Mature, Knowledgeable

Friend, philosopher, guide

Role model for youth

Enduring Source- Cogito Consulting study

Published secondary data
Larger than life

Nerolac brand personality
Personality Fit
• Indian, Traditional
• Family oriented
AB Nerolac
• Heritage
• Young
• Sophisticated • Mature
• Indian • Cool
• Confident • Knowledgeable
• Traditional • Fun
• Friend, philosopher, • Relaxed
• Family oriented
• Young, Cool guide
• Fun, Relaxed • Role model for youth
• Sophisticated • Technology savvy
• Smart conversationalist
• Confident
• Technology savvy • Enduring
• Intelligent • Reputed
• Larger than life
• Reputed
Source- Drshti
VIP Findings

7
 Personality fit ‐ AB and Nerolac Using Amitabh Bachchan
• No major disconnect between Nerolac & AB
• AB could be portrayed in one of the following  • Working with Amitabh Bachchan was not 
context easy
• Indian, Traditional, Family oriented •He is has a larger than life aura
• Sophisticated, Confident, Intelligent •He could have easily dominated the brand
• AB has a high aura and a larger than life persona  •Difficult to create a brand association with him as 
• whereas the personality of Nerolac is not that strongly  he was overexposed ‐ working in movies, TV 
established in the minds of the consumers shows and was endorsing too many brands
• Thus Nerolac can absorb some of AB’s qualities • They studied his movies and the 
• however reverse may not be accepted by the people advertisements he endorsed

AB in films 2002
How he reinvented  Three films released
himself
Only Kaante
did a little
better on
From angry young box office!
man taking on the To an Kaante: Played the tough, canny
leader
institution institution
himself
Hum kisi se
kam nahin:
Played a
comical
character
Aankhen: Played a negative
character

The transformed AB Brands endorsed by Amitabh 

Bachchan
• Maruti Versa • Parker
AB of 70’s AB of 2003 • Pulse Polio • Pepsi
• Using him in this avatar • Has immense relevance
is irrelevant today as today • ICICI • BPL
there would be major •Seen as a person with
disconnect in consumer’s stature and commands • Mirinda
mind respect in large part of
• Not successful in this India
avatar in last decade • Cuts across segments

Interface research May 03

8
 AB & other endorsed brand fit
Dipstick findings  Mirinda
Heritage, Indian - Fun
- Young
Family oriented - Frivolous
Unsuccessful

Brand Spont. Recall Pulse polio Sophisticated

BPL 27 Smart conversationalist Versa
Confident, Intelligent
Pepsi 27 Mature, Knowledgeable ICICI
Parker 23
ICICI 22 Friend, philosopher, guide
Role model for youth Pepsi
Versa 18
Enduring
Larger than life Parker

Parker Versa
Celebrity- huge fan following
But there is another side to
Frivolous style of conversation,
Competing with his son
BPL
Indian
Inference 1
him Confident/ great self
He is human like any of us belief/ pride
- Can be fooled/ not always But not arrogance
wise Inspiring, motivator • BPL has highest recall, despite being off air for 
- Can loose composure Deep thinker
- Has his weaker moments many years
ICICI
Pepsi 5 broad personality Friend, philosopher, – Gained the first mover advantage
Celebrity with huge fan traits of AB have been guide
portrayed in the various
following
ads -
Advisor, expert – Using him in a relevant persona has also led to high 
People willing to do anything
for him Pulse Polio memorability
But he can be humbled Friend, philosopher,
- by child who sees him as an Advisor
ordinary man Warm and caring
He has his weaknesses Firm and angry when
necessary
Responsible Indian
Pepsi
Mirinda Entertainer
social citizen
Entertainer
Traditional, Indian
Comical role
Can turn negative into a
Completely mass
positive
Lacks sophistication/ class

Parker Pulse Polio

No personality sync. Did Friend, philosopher,
Inference 2 Celebrity- huge fan following
But there is another side to
Versa
not work well for Versa,
Frivolous style of conversation,
Advisor
Warm and caring
him went against
Competing withAB’s
his son Firm and angry when
He is human like any of us acceptability boundaries. necessary
• Irrelevant brand personality will lead to  - Can be fooled/ not always
Fits well with low
wise Responsible Indian
brand losing out on AB’s aura involvement/
- Can impulse
loose composure social citizen
products.
- Has his weaker moments
BPL
• Mirinda has no recall No sync with high
Pepsi Personality options Indian
involvement serious 5 broad personality Confident/ great self
•Personality of AB was not relevant Celebrity with huge fan for Nerolac
traits of AB have been Option 2
belief/ pride
products.
following
•Postman who runs away with a woman People willing to do anything
portrayed in the various Authority,
But not arrogance
ads - Inspiring, motivator
for him Leader
• Versa failure But he can be humbled Deep thinker
- by child who sees him as an
•Failure could be due to a poor product ordinary man ICICI
Friend, philosopher,
•But failure could have been minimized by capturing  He has his weaknesses
guide
AB’s aura through relevant personality Advisor, expert
No personality sync. Did not Pepsi
workMirinda
well for Mirinda went Option 1
Entertainer KBC Promos
Entertainer Traditional, Indian Helpful advisor to
• Need to get perfect personality to have our brand stand out in the clutter
against AB’s acceptability
Comical role
Traditional, Indian ordinary citizens
Can turn negative into a
• Need to ensure that we do not convert the greatest opportunity into a mishap boundaries.
Completely mass Patriarch
positive Witty/ fun -playfully
Lacks sophistication/ class teases people

9
Nerolac Theme Commercial

Gillette Dry Idea (A)

DI Sales Revenue
DI Sales revenue
60000

Dry Idea Problem
50000
48102
45088
41139
40000

34997

30000
DI Sales revenue

21785
20000

10000

0
79 80 81 82 83

10
 Category Growth Trends Roll‐on Share
Market size (Units) Roll-on share
510000 36

505000 506000
35 35

500000 34.2
34 34

495000
33
490000
32
485000
31.2
31
Market size (Units) Roll-on share
480000
30
475000 29.6
29
470000

28
465000

460000 27

455000 26
79 80 81 82 83 79 80 81 82 83

DI Share Advertising Spends
16 10000

14.6 9000 8957

14 14 14

8000
12 12.1
7000 7111
6598
10 6362
6000
5762
8.7
8 DI Share of D/AP 5000 Media
DI Share of Roll-on Production
4000
6

4.8 3000
4.3 4.5
4 4.2

3.1 2000

2
1000
684
405 366
196 249
0 0
79 80 81 82 83 79 80 81 82 83

Key Issues Is it a good category to be in?
• What’s the real Problem? • Form driven market. No cross‐form switches
•Deo market and Dry Idea • External factors influence form preferences
•What drives Deo business from consumer point of 
view • Roll‐on share has come down from 32.3% to 
• Client and Agency positions on the creative  29.6% between 1978 to 1983
problem? • Clear shift towards sticks and solids
• Is the partnership going forward?
• What should Carol & the Bran team do?

11
 Deo market & Dry idea
• 506 mn. units in 1983, $1 bn. sales • P&G’s share in roll‐on market has actually 
• 75% anti perspirants in which Dry Idea competed increased by 0.5 share points (table B)
• Aerosols( 80% to down 25%), Roll on (30%), Sticks 
(16%) and Solids (22%) • Dry Idea shipments about 23 million units at 
• 6 key players dominate. Gillette #2 in overall share  $50 million manufacturer's revenue at an 
and #3 in roll‐on market share avearge $2.18 per unit. Somewhat more 
• Dry idea 4.2% market share which is about 26% of  expensive than the average market prices 
Gillette’s roll‐on business and just 10% of PCD sales (Exhibit 4)

No brand nourishment? Creative Problem?
• Advertising to Sales ratio from 1978 to 1983  • 1983 Copy test (advertising Pre‐test) results 
moved down from 54.1% to 12.5% whereas  • None of the new ads match the scores of 
dry idea share has moved from 1.4% to 4.2% even ‘Spokesman’ and the 1983 and 1984 
• Share of Spends = 121 mn./ 6 mn. = 5%. Little  norms on recall. 
over share of market • ‘All you feel is dry’ closer to norms but much 
• Category spends increased by 13% (pg. 6) less than ‘Spokesman’

What should Gillette Do? Client Positions
• Fire BBDO • None of the BBDO ads meet the norms
• All they care about their new commercials
• Give another chance to BBDO • They haven’t come up with good idea in last 5 
• ‘Bake‐off’. Competitive pressure. years
• We don’t have their best people/ talent on the 
brand
• We deserve 5 share points
• If we had better ads, we would have better sales
• For all the money we give them… ( in creative 
exploratory, research to support and of course 
commissions)

12
 Agency Positions Gillette/BBDO partnership
• Dry Idea Brand has no strategy • Significant disappointment in brand’s 
• All they care about sales and not long term brand  performance and participants’ positions 
image have been hardened over time
• They don’t give us room/ space to do our job • Gillette ultimately holds the money and is 
• All they care about is Spokesman not an equal partnership
• If they had a solid, it would sell
• Partnership is NOT working
• They are lucky to have 4 share points
• We don’t make normal commission (15%) in this 
business

13