IS THE FEMALE CONSUMER STILL IGNORED, NEGLECTED & UNDERVALUED?

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

While each person’s perspectives are different, there are four broad areas where any sane marketer and company would be well advised to look – and tap. They comprise food, fitness, beauty and apparel. Financial services and health care are also businesses worth zeroing-into. The challenge is to offer easier and more convenient ways to make purchases in an environment where – unlike Indian husbands, 71% of who pitch in on household chores – they get no support from their spouses.

It is believed that when the recession slowly moves out, women will occupy an even more important position in the economy. Then seat belts that cut into the neck, pedals that the woman driver can’t reach, badly designed seats, nothing for women who wear high heels when they drive; kitchen shelves so high that only men can reach them, low security inside apartments should be closely reviewed. Also, in this age of working women keeping long hours in unsafe metro cities, how about a phone that has alarm buttons, instead of the corny colour pink? Or a free beeper with every working moms phone so her kids could just beep and she could call back, pronto? These points apparently were mooted, but cell phone manufacturers found them unimportant and trivial and instead concentrated on pink/floral glitter phone!

It’s time companies and marketers wake up to this new reality, cast aside chauvinistic blinkers and convert these challenges into opportunities. There is a whole slew of commercial opportunities in women’s social concerns. Women seek to buy products & services that do good for the world and hence brands that resonate physical and emotional well being, provide care and education for the disfranchised of the world and encourage love and connection, will benefit. It’s time to recognise the power and equity of the women customers. They will no longer take crap, increasingly trash male-specific selling patterns, resist being stereotyped, segmented by age or income or worse – lumped together into a ‘one-size-fits-all’ woman club.

Beyond looking at them as ‘geographical market’, they should be viewed as intelligent, respected and cherished target groups, with their very own wants, needs, apprehensions, insecurities, dreams … and of course, [sometimes] deep pockets too! That would be the best way to gain breakout growth, loyalty and market share for a sublime and undervalued fraternity who occupy half the sky.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
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GILLETTE MACH 3

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

AGENCY: MEDIACOM

OBJECTIVE: To increase Mach 3 razor trials & increase market-share.

SITUATION & IDEA: Despite being present in the market for more than a decade, Gillette Mach 3’s sales were flat due to premium pricing. Research said that consumers thought highly of Gillette Mach 3, but not about shaving per se. But they did enjoy arguing. And so the ‘India Votes: To Shave or not’ idea was born, giving a chance to argumentative Indians to do just that.

EXECUTION: A first of its kind shaving survey was commissioned with questions like ‘Are clean-shaven men more successful?’ and ‘Does the nation prefer clean-shaven celebrities?’ The survey results were bombarded across TV, radio, print & online media. Actors Milind Soman and Kunal Kapoor were roped in to shave off their beards to entice consumers.

RESULT: Not only did the trials for Mach 3 increase 400 times after the campaign, the market share of the brand went up by 25%.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian :- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
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Will the ad world soon be mourning the death of brand Cadbury? Or perhaps Irene has a more ‘Krafty’ plan...

In a bid to create a “global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery & quick meals,” Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld has laid siege to one of the crown jewels of corporate Britain. Irene’s bold move to acquire Cadbury for $16.7 billion has shaken other confectioners like Nestlé & Hershey out of sweet reverie. After all, if Irene (who is sixth on the 2009 Forbes list of most powerful women) pulls off this coup, Kraft will become number one in the global confectionery market, creating a $51 billion company and its market share would touch a cool 14.9%, toppling the apple cart of Mars, which currently rules the market with a 14.5% share.

The advertising world too has been shaken out of its reverie. Even though the deal is far from done, Madison Avenue is already salivating at the prospect of the $2.7 billion advertising monster that the acquisition is likely to create. As per Ad Age, in case of a marriage, in the US alone, the merged entity would together spend close to $1.5 billion in marketing (See table for details).

With Mars’ acquisition of Wrigley last year, further consolidation in the industry was expected. And Cadbury being the second largest confectioner, it was perhaps ripe for the picking. Irene has said that Kraft is “eager to build upon Cadbury’s iconic brands & strong British heritage.” Irene’s altruistic vision notwithstanding, as it happens more often than not in such cases, the acquired brand gets absorbed into the host brand. In this case that will mean the end of Cadbury as we know it. Says Rob Frankel, Branding Expert “Chances are that Cadbury’s entire history and brand value will slide into oblivion, as Kraft absorbs it.” We have our fingers crossed. Do you?

Vareen Ray

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
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Digest this!

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Are you leading a healthy lifestyle? Too much of healthy food is actually unhealthy for you...

You may have been intrigued by friends who follow the Kareena Kapoor diet, eating every two hours in order to obtain the hourglass figure, and some other friends who “claim” they eat nothing at all during the day to lose weight yet you see them eating junk from others’ plate every hour or so. While there are certain others who cannot let go of their soups, salads and protein shakes and other healthy meals come what may. And when this becomes a fixation which they cannot let go, there certainly is something to be worried about.

Some people eat food to live, while certain others live to eat but what about those who live to eat right? While we may agree that to live a healthy life you must eat right but what when this “eating right” becomes an obsession? Steven Bratman, a Colorado M.D., coined a term orthorexia nervosa which means excessive focus on eating healthy foods. This focus might turn into an obsession, which may result in severe malnutrition or even death! Orthorexics or people suffering from orthorexia nervosa are very particular about what they eat. Sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, yeast, corn and dairy products are completely off-limits. In fact, products that have been chemically treated or have artificial flavouring too have to be avoided. This leaves them with few options to choose from and thus they end up looking, and being, malnourished.

Dr. Shikha Sharma rightly says, “There are some people who have obsessive personalities. It has nothing to do with eating healthy. They can be obsessed about their boyfriends, their children, their looks. It’s a sequence that has an inherent psychological disorder of obsession, only the subject changes. So, I would say the eating part is not as important as the psychological aspect or the kind of personalities they have. Any obsession affects relationships more than anything else because people who are obsessed become very difficult to live with. Kids find it difficult to live with such parents, relationships break down, and the person himself might go through depression or anxiety.

Basically, these are personality disorders. Even while giving a diet plan, we try and make sure to not give them extremes of diet plans. For example, we don’t tell them to avoid sweets altogether. We’ll tell them to always try to eat healthy things. So, instead of giving them a list of do’s and don’ts, we tell them to opt for healthy options. I have come across patients who would measure every calorie, they were very obsessive about everything including the way they would look. Even if they did not look alright for one day, they would crib. They were very demanding as patients as well. Ideally, they should see a psychological counsellor and side by side do yoga, particularly pranayam, because that helps people to unwind and de-stress.

But frankly, suggesting someone to see a psychological counsellor is out of question in India because people take it as an offense. But we still recommend yoga and pranayam to clients with behavioural problem because more than the physical weight loss benefits of yoga, it is the internal balance and positivity which is required, so we try and encourage that.”

Similarly, some people are obsessed with exercising and scientists believe that excessive exercise can trigger a reaction in the brain, which is similar to the reaction caused by drugs like heroin. And once a person stops exercising, he would tremble, have drooping eyelids and jabbering teeth, which, might we add, are also the symptoms of a drug addict. But as is often said, excess of anything is bad, even if it is healthy eating!

Aakriti Bhardwaj

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
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Brands that bombed

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• Apple iPhone
• ICL
• Hyundai Elantra
• Maruti A-Star
• Motorola

Just like any other Apple product, this one was ushered into the world on a wave of obligatory gushing. Billed as “your life in your pocket,” the Apple iPhone did not revolutionise the mobile market like the legendary iPod, which redefined the meaning of digital music industry. Motorola too could not impress upon the consumers much. After its last hit MotoRazr, Motorola has been struggling to deliver compelling applications. Its highly anticipated music software on the MotoRokr phone flopped miserably.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
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IIPM ISBE Programmes
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‘Push’ing growth...

Despite the cat-eat-cat competition, Motorola is quite confident about its upcoming Android OS based smartphones. “Motorola has figured out a way to push updates from social networking websites directly to a user’s phone; and it’s tied to the belief that folks want to stay connected to their social networking site real time much like they do with mail, SMS, and instant messaging,” reasons Rob Enderle, President and Principal Analyst, Enderle Group. He also believes in it “to be the most advanced of its type.” And why not? Neither Google’s Android phones, nor Apple’s iPhone support such a feature, despite their sophistication in many aspects. Though, the idea sounds great, it might have to face few challenges from players like RIM, who use a similar combination of software and a NOC to deliver email to Blackberrys. But then, there’s always that first mover advantage. What say?

Arun Roy

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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A Cannes metal does add weight to your profile

Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Chief Creative Officer, Rediffusion Y&R, who already has three Cannes under his belt, bluntly refuses to give the haloed status to winning a Cannes Lion. “It’s certainly not a career defining moment,” he says. Incidentally, when Sagar was felicitated at Cannes the first time around, he was merely an Art Director. Today, he proudly wears the hat of Chief Creative Officer at Rediffusion Y&R. But, Sagar says that it was only post his transfer to Mumbai that his career zoomed. “So my career defining moment came when I was offered the coveted transfer from O&M Bangalore to O&M Mumbai.” That was the first time Sagar came face to face with his idol Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman, India and South Asia, O&M. At that meeting, Piyush asked him whether he (Sagar) was a batsman or a bowler. Sagar replied that he is an “opening batsman” and a delighted Piyush gave him the nod to relocate to Mumbai.

Oh! And winning at Cannes seems to have become still another of those proud moments for Sagar, even as he just bagged a bronze for his Airtel campaign at the 2009 awards!

Take Rajiv Rao, now Executive Creative Director, O&M, South Asia, who has picked up three of these precious metals till date. He walked the red carpet for the first time in 2002 for his work on Cancer Patients Aids Association and collected two golds for the same. But the work, which he feels gave his career maximum momentum, was the one he did for telecom brand Orange in Mumbai and which never even made it to the Cannes shortlist. “The work that we were doing for Orange was mainly outdoor and the communication helped the brand to become Mumbai’s most loved brand,” explains Rajiv. It is this equity, created by Rao & team, that prompted Hutch to retain the Orange brand in Mumbai, even as elsewhere in the country, the brand was changed from Essar to Hutch. The latest feather in his cap has been the most-talked-about Zoozoos campaign for Vodafone. Interestingly, even Hutch’s pug and Vodafone’s Zoozoos have not managed to impress the jury at Cannes!

The Cannes saga has been a little different for ad-man Emanuel Upputuru though. Emanuel has bagged three Cannes Lions till date (the most recent being a Bronze Media Lion in 2009 for the Let ‘Gandhi Talk’ campaign). It was in 2004 that Emanuel (then Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi) bagged the award for his work on Sony Handycam. Two years later, when he was felicitated again, he was still a Creative Director, this time with O&M. Clearly, winning a Cannes Lion did not add much to his profile, at least in terms of designation. “My goal is to be incharge of an agency that is the coolest and hottest to work for. Designations don’t really matter to me,” exclaims Emanuel, presently in a cushy position in the industry as the National Creative Director, Publicis India.

Look carefully and you realise that winning awards is a different high, yet what works better in pushing your career graph is an opportunity to work on big-ticket brand names. You only have to glance across at the Who’s Who of ad-land to see the rewards that consistent “brilliant work on great brands” have reaped for the likes of Piyush Pandey (Bajaj, Fevicol), Prasoon Joshi (Coca Cola, Happydent) and even R. Balakrishnan aka Balki (Idea Cellular. Tata Tea Jaago Re). Preeti N. Chaturvedi (Surf Excel), K.V. Sridhar (RCOM, Thums Up) and more recently Rajiv Rao (Hutch, Vodafone) who are treading a similar path.

Ask Amit Akali, Group Creative Director, O&M Bangalore. He believes that while “a Cannes metal does add weight to your profile,” it’s the portfolio of work that counts. He reasons that the work he has done for ITC’s snack brand Bingo has been in many ways more satisfying (for him personally) than the creatives that helped him win at Cannes. Agrees Nandini Dias, Chief Operating Officer, Lodestar Universal (she and her team recently won a Cannes Bronze for Tata Nano). “Working shoulder to shoulder with the client to achieve a marketing goal is always more satisfying than winning an award,” she says, adding that these days instead of agencies, it is the clients that more often crave awards.

Echoes Sagar, “More than winning the award, I think walking that red carpet along with Piyush Pandey, Pushpinder Singh and Dan Wieden was the most defining Cannes moment for me.” Even Rajiv Rao grins as he adds, “more than the work (for Cancer Patients Aids Association) that got me my first Cannes, I remember screaming Bharat Mata Ki Jai with fellow ad men post the victory.” Joono Simons, Exec. Creative Director, South, Mudra (whose tally at Cannes runs into one gold, a couple of silvers and four nominations till date) believes that more than anything else, a Cannes metal boosts the morale of any agency. “I believe that my role as a play maker should now produce more winners and thereby multiply the success many fold.”

Oh sure, the kind of instant gratification that winning at Cannes can bring is unmatched. But as the Lions become more ubiquitous in India’s ad-land – a far cry from the days when India was not even invited for entries – their pre-eminence in the overall scheme of things is fast decreasing. An international award – that too the most prestigious in the business – may count a lot for first time winners at the vibrant festival. But for old-timers in the industry, it’s the day to day that counts more, quite apart from the quality of work and of course the brands that you have in your kitty. This does not mean that the gutter bar at Cannes is not cool. In fact, it’s still the only place that India’s ad-land forgets its rivalries and in a rare show of fraternity sings the jana gana mana in unison, even creating minor roadblocks. After all, the numbers at Cannes are swelling, both of Indian delegates as also of winning entries!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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DEATH-ON-SALE!?

Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You

The media also crashes in on the party. You simply have to look around at all the ratings-boosting coverage of MJ’s death for current evidence. TIME magazine has been particularly quick on the uptake. While the figures for their recent special commemorative issue on Jackson are still not available, a similar special issue on Princess Diana’s death by TIME sold more than 1.1 million copies. Natmags is releasing a commemorative 132-page Michael Jackson tribute magazine and a total of 200,000 copies of the glossy A4 title will be on sale for a month, priced at £2.99 per copy.

Memorial events too are going strong, where fans are ready to pay $50 to vendors for a picture next to a cut out of the King of Pop. Jackson’s funeral, in fact, has been the biggest in entertainment history, even bigger than Diana’s death and at par with the event of Obama’s presidential speech. Jackson’s cremation event was viewed by more than 750 million people. Going by Nielsen data, Princess Diana’s funeral saw 33.25 million viewers, while former President Ronald Reagan’s mid-day funeral drew 20.8 million people only.

Not to be outdone, even merchandise licensees from around the world have successfully tuned into manufacturing and distributing products using celebs who have passed away. In 2008, Elvis Presley Enterprises was sold by Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie, for $100 million. It should not come as a surprise therefore if tomorrow it is Michaels’ images and stamps. In the past, Diana dolls had become icons of the Princess after her death. They can still be bought for $188.95 from the Society for the Preservation of History. Franklin Mint’s porcelain portrait plate sells for $29.95 and Solid Silver Memorial Coin for $55.

If we are talking of legendary celebs, we can’t miss out on Marilyn Monroe. More than 40 years after her death, licensing her famous poses and pout have made more than $30 million in fees for Anna Strasberg, the wife of Ms. Monroe’s former acting coach, and her business partner, a professional peddler of dead peoples’ images. Marilyn Monroe’s images alone have pulled in more than $30 million since her death and $8 million in 2007 alone. In 2004, Robert Sillerman (a wealthy American businessman who deals in building and selling media companies) paid Lisa Marie Presley $100 million for an 85% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. And not to miss out on the Monroe frenzy to entice potential consumers, Mercedes-Benz still features Monroe (along with James Dean) in some of their ad campaigns.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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GUNNING FOR THE SUN

Sun Pharma’s two-pronged strategy – of making low-priced acquisitions and its cost control mechanisms – enabled it to run effortlessly ahead when others in the sector were panting during FY09!

DILIP SHANGHVI, MD, SUN PHARMA

Once considered ‘destined for greatness’, Wockhardt and Ranbaxy are bed-ridden today when it comes to operational excellence and India’s pharma sector, once considered immune to downturns, stands battered. So is it all bad for the bigwigs in the sector? Not really. Sun Pharmaceuticals has surprised everyone with its mind-boggling performance even in a recession- hit FY09!

Here are some numbers that stand testimony – while most players saw a dip in revenues and profits, Sun Pharma grew its topline by a smashing 27.3% y-o-y to garner Rs.4,272.3 crore, and its bottomlines by another handsome 22.2% y-o-y to touch Rs.1,817.8. So what enabled this $4.5 billion giant to take control in a situation when goliaths around the world were crumbling to the ground? We asked Uday Baldota, VP – Investor Relations, Sun Pharma, about the most critical strategies that help Sun Pharma beat the beatdown and he outlined two of them, “Success at acquisitions and cost leadership…”

True. In the recent past, Sun Pharma has proven critics of M&As wrong, having acquired 14 distressed assets over the years (at low prices) and turning them into profit-churning machines. And these turnarounds, which helped Sun to diversify into new drug segments, are showing signs of being the key drivers of revenues for the pharma major today. For example, when it laid hands on Dadha Pharma (Tamil Nadu), Sun entered the oncology space. With purchase of Milmet Labs, they acquired expertise in the opthalmological space and with Valeant, gained entry into the controlled substances niche. And if its $454 million Taro deal comes through (as per Baldota, “The deal is still on, with some court decisions awaited.”), Sun will get another headstrong entry into the dermatological market.

Besides, Sun has always remained a cost leader in the generics drugs platform. As Baldota reveals, Sun’s net operating margin is a tremendous (43%), which for the other top ten pharma players, is only a modest 10%! Sun also doesn’t believe in over investing in R&D (its R&D budget allocation is only 8% of revenues, while that figure for the industry stands at a much higher 14-15%)! Further, unlike major drug majors, it faces no danger of patent expiry, as Baldota clarifies, “We don’t have any problems of patent expiries as ours is a generics company…” Yes, one can claim that cost-control has been a key reason for Sun’s ultra-superior bottomlines even as the slowdown monster was gobbling-up profitability all around. “Focus on costs has remained a top priority for us (even) in good times…” confesses Baldota. For some, the year gone by looked duller than ever, but we guess that for others, the ‘Sun’ just didn’t stop shining!

Steven Philip Warner

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Sutanu Guru wonders why ‘financial’ years start in April and end in March – not counting for the Ides of March followed by April Fool’s Day...

IIPM only B-school in India to be Ranked Ahead of The IIMs in so Many Parameters! Regularly!

Memories have a habit of fading into indulgent nostalgia. And in this age of villains and betrayals, charismatic heroes are so hard to find that nostalgia becomes a handy substitute for a reality check. Detroit feels nostalgic about Lee Iacocca. Microsoft feels nostalgic about Bill Gates as a nerd. Republicans feel nostalgic about Ronald Reagan. Congress workers feel nostalgic about the glory days of the dynasty in India. GE feels nostalgic about Jack Welch. Wall Street feels nostalgic about unbridled greed. And this April, many Americans feel nostalgic about John F. Kennedy (with due apologies to Barack Obama)

And yet, when it comes to fool proof strategies for April, John F. Kennedy will arguably go down as one of the worst examples in history. His Camelot administration was responsible for the notorious Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in April, 1961 which ended in both military and propaganda disaster. Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for more than one generation after Kennedy was assassinated and Americans are still trying to count the costs of that April strategy of combating communism with a steel fist. The Congress President Sonia Gandhi too will always remember April as a month she should rather shrug away in embarrassment. For, it was in April, 1999 that her trusted strategic advisors prompted Sonia to stand in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan and show a sign of victory. That ‘strategic’ victory turned out to be chimera. It was an alliance led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee that swept the marketing sweepstakes and won decisive market share in the 1999 General Elections. Of course, unlike Americans with Cuba, Sonia Gandhi didn’t have to wait for ages for redemption and recovery.

In the world of business and marketing, such ‘foolish’ foolproof strategies probably do not change the course of history. But then, they at least end up making history involved in such foolproof strategies. Just think about it for one moment. Have you seen a single new ad on TV, print, outdoor or web of Pepsi. Sure, there was that one about ‘Youngistan’. But honestly, it is already more than half of April, 2009 and have you seen any new Pepsi slogan? Don’t you wonder if it is a deliberate strategy of the soft drink giant? And what could that foolproof strategy be when Coke is going to town with high decibel pitches? read more..

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Vitamin ‘C’ means Vitamin ‘Cola’; right?

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

The total size of the Indian beverages industry (including both carbonated & non-carbonated drinks) is Rs.7,500 crore. While a majority of it (80%) is dominated by the carbonated drinks segment, with fruit-based drinks being worth Rs.1,000 crore, the remaining Rs.1,500 crore is accounted for by the non-carbonated segment. Hence for drinks like PepsiCo India’s Nimbooz, Coca-Cola India’s Fanta Apple and Parle Agro’s LMN and Appy Fizz, there exists immense potential in the marketplace considering there aren’t many national players competing on this front. Elaborating on the potential this category holds, Alpana Titus, Executive Vice President-Flavours, PepsiCo India told 4Ps B&M, “The market for fruit beverages is too under-developed with not many players. If volumes go up, investment will automatically drive in the segment.” Interestingly, both Fanta Apple and Nimbooz have been launched under a strong parent brand – Fanta and 7UP respectively. Both these products (Fanta Apple and Nimbooz) have been pitted against Parle Agro’s Appy Fizz and LMN. Both LMN and Nimbooz are positioned as ready-to-drink, convenient and hygienic nimbu pani.

However, while Nimbooz is targeting the ‘on-the-go’ audience by thriving on the ‘Ekdum Asli Indian’ positioning; LMN is being promoted as a healthy drink for both youth and adults by highlighting the medicinal benefit of Vitamin-C in the drink. Commenting on the positioning of LMN, Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Parle Agro Pvt. Ltd told us, “Imagine LMN as a beverage that is found on business class of some of the most premier airlines of our country and the same beverage you find in the most rural markets of our country.” Both Fanta Apple and Appy Fizz are positioned as a youthful drink. Where on one hand, Fanta Apple compliments the bolder and expressive shades of the youth; Appy Fizz, on the other, is a drink for those fun-filled moments youth enjoys with friends.

But having a distinct positioning would not alone help these companies to capture a fair share of this price-sensitive market. Carbonated drinks have always lied in the low-involvement impulse buying category. Hence it is imperative that PepsiCo India, Parle Agro and Coca-Cola India get their pricing strategies right. The starting price point of Fanta Apple is Rs.8 and Rs.10 for 200ml and 300ml returnable glass bottles (RGB) respectively; Appy Fizz starts with Rs.18 for a 300ml stock keeping unit (SKU). Such pricing may prove to be a big blow to Appy Fizz, which although is a front-runner in the apple flavoured carbonated drinks segment, yet there isn’t much customer loyalty to the brand because the audience for the drink is niche and limited. Secondly, Fanta Apple carries the legacy of brand Coca-Cola India, which is the market leader. Fanta Apple also scores high with its 600ml PET bottle (Rs.22) as compared to Appy Fizz’s 500ml (Rs.25) and one litre (Rs.45) SKUs.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Monojit Lahiri examines the face-off that continues to plague adville and attempts to play ‘referee’!

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Whether advertising drives reality or reflects it remains a ball-breaker, hot-potato and one of life’s enduring and unsolved mysteries. Ad-bashers vociferously insist that the adfrat – like Bollywood – continue to get away with blue murder, invariably falling back on that old, moth-balled ghisa-pita line – “Why blame us? We are only reflecting the times…” – each time an ad of dangerously dubious nature screams into focus. The ad guys beg this lot to shake off their Rip Van Winkle robe, wake up and look around. In a globalised, youth-driven world, firmly in the embrace of new-age attitudes and aspirations, this brand of stone-age thinking, they believe, is both regressive and ridiculous.

Okay, so what gives? Is ethics in advertising really an obsolete word in the age of Britney Spears and Rakhi Sawant... or despite all the new-age blah-blah, do basic human values remain unchanged and a hit in that direction spells doom… or are both sides just over-reacting to this issue and in the process, missing out on the much-needed perspective, focus and main plot?

Eminent media commentator and author, Uma Vasudev fires the first salvo. The veteran writer believes that in these irreverent and youth-driven times “it is a fashionable thing – by shallow, self-proclaimed intellectuals and liberated spirits hysterically anxious to get their posturing right by sounding young – to trash anything that is solid, wholesome, traditional or conventional.” While she heartily agrees that some people tend to get too touchy and hyper to some ads [Sprite, MotoYuva, Axe, Virgin Mobile, Colgate], she suggests that some kind of moral policing must happen. “Remember, one man’s humour can be another’s tumour!”

Ex-Motorola and presently Tata Telecom’s Lloyd Mathias – whose (earlier) MotoYuva TVCs feature strongly in this debate – reacts in his usual, laid-back fashion. “See, advertising is about dramatising, blowing-up and exaggerating slice-of-life moments to make them interesting, appealing and engaging to the readers/viewers, while triggering the purchase intent. This has to be done keeping the sensibilities of the target group in mind. A total connect with them is a given.” Mathias points to the ad where the father raves and rants at his son’s shabby room and sloppy everything, while the kid, with earplugs, rhythmically nods to the song he hears on his audio. “It’s a hugely today’s situation and totally identifiable by most parents of teenagers and also the kids themselves. The ad emerged from human insight and was a light-hearted social commentary on the parent-child scenario of the day. It is not and was never meant to promote parental defiance or disrespect. It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on everyday, real-life face-offs between baap-beta!” Same is the case with all the cheeky MotoYuva ads blitzing the ad space, he insists.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The Boomerang Karma!

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

According to a report by FICCI and KSA Technopak on fuel retailing, the size of non-fuel retailing sales in countries like United States stands at a huge 39% of gross OMC sales! Even in Europe, countries like France have a non-fuel sales contribution of a smashing 35%! Compare that with India, where non-fuel retail contributes a measly figure of only 2% (Rs.1,000 crore). Just imagine the potential!

But to their credit, Indian OMCs are not acting blind. Market reports do now suggest that some Indian OMCs are working double time to cover up. Companies like Hindustan Petroleum Company Ltd (HPCL) have already made it compulsory for petrol pump owners to have a part of the land for retailing. The above mentioned report does suggest that if Indian OMCs can exploit the segment optimally, the market for non- fuel retailing at petrol pumps is going to stand at a whopping Rs.7,500 crore by 2013, registering a minimum 50% y-o-y growth for the next five years. “Petrol pumps in foreign countries are actually developed as standalone shopping destinations in their own right. India has mid-to-long term potential for the success of these retail models, depending on how well it adapts to actual consumer requirements and psyche,” states Sanjay Chugh – National Head-Retail BD, JLLM.

Till now, among the major three fuel retailers in the country – i.e. HPCL, Bharat Petroleum Company Ltd. [BPCL] and Indian Oil Corporation [IOC] – BPCL is one that has been able to make a healthy net profit (with a whopping 25-50% margin, depending on the outlet) from non-fuel retailing mainly because of its own In&Out stores. At the same time, HPCL has recently announced that the company will provide retail space to Vishal Retail. “HPCL has a chain of around 8,000 outlets across India and according to the MoU, we will open our stores or set up warehouses at some select HPCL outlets,” says R. C. Agarwal, CMD, Vishal Retail. Some other Indian OMCs have now entered into exclusive tie-ups with many companies like Nirulas, Dominos, Café Coffee Day et al and even with various banks for their ATM usage to provide retail space at their petrol pumps.

Strangely, while OMCs are generating a lot of interest, airport retailing is still not getting the expected response from the companies, despite non-aeronautical revenues already hovering around 35% of gross airport authority’s receipts. According to the results announced (in mid-Jan 2009) for the bids of the world duty free shops at the six relatively small (if compared to global standards) international airports in India, there were no companies interested in four of these airports – Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar and Thiruvananthapuram. However, Coimbatore received two bids; one from a renowned Dubai based airport retailer Flemingo International Ltd. and the other from the state-owned Indian Tourism Development Corporation. At the Pune airport, Flemingo was the only bidder.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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PINING FOR PINT-SIZED WHEELS!

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

Yeah... this too is about the US financial metldown and its after effects; but there’s more to the Indian consumer’s yearning for compacts than just less money in their back pockets...

After years of oohing and aahing over luxurious sedans, high-nosed SUVs and adrenalin-pumping sports machines, compacts are once again the flavour of the season. If the hype around the imminent launch of Tata’s Nano is anything to go by, there is more at stake here than meets the eye. Even as naysayers were talking about the demise of the Indian small car market, the year 2009 began with the launch of Hyundai’s premium compact i20 and estimates suggest that of the 50 car launches this year, a majority would be in the compact category. Some 563,398 (SIAM) compacts were sold during April-Nov. 2008 alone and every car maker wanting a bigger slice of the Indian market has a plan for the compact segment. Toyota Kirloskar is setting up vast networks throughout the country in line with launching a Yaris derived compact in India in response to archrival Honda Siel’s plans with the Jazz. Both Honda and Toyota are investing massive capital for the same. Last year, with its new plant, South Korean car maker Hyundai also romped up production from the erstwhile 300,000 units to a whopping 600,000 units for its small car designs. When asked about the company’s plans for compacts last year, Heung Soo Lheem, CEO, Hyundai Motor India told 4Ps B&M, “As soon as our new plant comes up, we will bring in a sibling to the Santro.” He followed up his promise with the new i10 and there could be several new compacts in the offing. General Motors India–despite its plight globally–is also basking in the success of its Spark compact in India. Not to be left behind, premium player Skoda has unleashed the Fabia–positioned as a high end mid segment product.

However, according to Indian small car parameters, a car is justifiable as a small car only if it is within proscribed length limits. But the new generation launches will hardly meet these specifications, given that they are substantially larger. Most car makers have to be content with B+ positioning for their products–a segment that’s out side the purchasing purlieu of most buyers upgrading from a two-wheeler. But market dynamics are gradually changing. A mere look at compact sales figures show that the ‘A’ segment is on a gradual decline, while there’s a steady shift toward large compacts. It all began with the Suzuki Swift (in the B+ segment), which intoxicated the nation with its looks and competitive pricing, just as its sibling did in 1982 (in the A segment). Now, first time buyers are becoming more carefree about cost differentials and are rather driven by brag value. A look at the fast rising sales charts is enough to motivate car makers to bring in substantially larger, new generation compacts (almost like a saloon), proving government rules obsolete. After the launch of the Fiat Palio, Indians got a taste of large roomy perceived small cars that were affordable, comfortable and surprisingly easy to drive in congested cities.

Sure, the financial meltdown and liquidity crunch are the key persuaders for consumers opting for compacts instead of copious four-wheelers; but as the market stabilizes, chimeras like the Mercedes-Benz A-class and that lovely Volkswagen Golf GTi (premium compacts) are just as capable of giving a new flavour to the power of small.

Karan Mehrishi

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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FROM CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, HE IS EVERYWHERE

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

FROM KHATRON KA KHILADI TO SINGH IS KINNG, BRAND AKSHAY KUMAR IS RULING BOLLYWOOD, THE IDIOT BOX AND THE AD WORLD!

His is a classic tale of beginning from scratch and making it big on the silver screen! After all, it’s tough for a man with no filmi background to make it so big in the cat-eat-cat world of Bollywood! But Akshay Kumar (or Akki, if you please) with his impeccable charm and effervescence has made it happen. With his no compromises attitude, this Dillii lad has established himself as a brand to reckon with over the last two years.

“Akshay has been in his true element since last 3-4 years. But the major reason for him being a brand is his great looks and modesty, as he represents the great Indian dream, equalised in true sense without any godfathers,” agrees Atul Kasbekar, Chairman & MD, Bling! Entertainment Solutions. True, but the one thing that has worked wonders for Akki is his single minded Khiladi positioning over the years – certainly an evolutionary brand rather than a revolutionary one. No doubt the former grows slowly but stays in action for a longer time. Moreover, Akshay has not just been a top-rung actor in films, but is also among the top grossers as far as endorsements go, with brands like Thums Up, Grasim, Microsoft Xbox and Levi’s already under his belt. But marketers are demanding more. Avers Jagdeep Kapoor, CMD, Samsika Marketing, “Akshay is one brand that has many more years to go. He is definitely incomparable when it comes to core values.” From selling food at a stall in Bangkok to selling pedigree brands, Akki has indeed come a long way. Agrees Kashmira Chadha, Director Marketing,

Coca-Cola India, “As a brand icon, Akshay Kumar has all throughout demonstrated his adventurous skills and has truly brought out the attitude of an Indian male. Action, attitude & adventure are qualities which one closely identifies with Akshay Kumar.” Akshay Kumar has been the brain behind building his own brand and has re-written the rules of the Indian movie business. He embodies the values of originality, sexiness and rugged masculinity that christened him as the global ambassador of Levi’s. “Akshay has lived his life unbuttoned... on his own terms, not dictated by box office norms, industry godfathers or stereotypes. He has challenged conventions throughout – just when the industry gave him the title of ‘action hero’, he demonstrated his forte in romance and comedy. And now when he is being appreciated for his comic roles in his recent blockbusters, he is going back to action movies,” avers Rajesh Gangwani, Sr. VP, JWT.

Even film critic, Taran Adarsh gushes, “Chandni Chowk to China looks promising as Akshay is on a roll these days with successive hits. Hopefully the year 2009 would also have something in store for him.” Now that’s what we call a simple story of a ‘King’ who pays homage to the classic formula of Bollywood movie ‘masala’ magic and that too from Chandni Chowk to Bollywood!

Neha Saraiya

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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And the final dope for 2009

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

Will number of movies reduce? Yes! But more because of worthless ones not even being planned. Will actor fees reduce? Yes! But more because they were anyway inflated till date. Will collection figures go down? Here comes the true blue Iacocca analysis from Shubho Shekhar of Planman Motion Pictures, “In simple and straightforward terms, if the movie is – simply put – good, and if there are no negative factors (like terror attacks) working against it, then recession or no recession, low budget or big budget, the movie will gross above average, if not better.” If Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has grossed over Rs.60 crores till date (trade reports confirm Rs.25 crores domestic and Rs.8 crores overseas in the weekend itself) despite having an average storyline, we should be perhaps paying Lee Iacocca his rightful due, an apology. Oh yes, Iacocca never made a movie in his lifetime. And the company he ran – Chrysler – is about to file for a billion dollar bankruptcy...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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On improving affordability...

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What reasons do you attribute to the prevailing slump in the auto sector?
Though the auto industry is witnessing a slow growth, but so far it still looks positive. It is a cyclical industry and is used to such downturns in the past. The overall economy is slowing and sentiments are weak, thus customers are postponing their buying decisions. With low penetration level and growing middle-class, the auto industry in India has a bright future, both in the medium and long term. Most manufacturers are betting on their future in India & China, where this industry is growing at its fastest. This is also evident from the fact that some more manufacturers are setting up base in India, taking advantage of the low production costs and growing domestic market.

So can we expect the end of this dark tunnel soon?
This is the time to tighten seat belts and increase efforts in terms of marketing and reach out to customers instead of waiting for them. It’s the right time for manufacturers to review their network strength, and build upon it, look at supporting the network to improve efficiency and financial health. This strong network will come handy as the situation improves...

What should the companies do to attract more buyers?
The companies need to focus and concentrate on small car production. India being a price sensitive market the manufacturers need to make cars more affordable...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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...and another G for GMR

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Cementing nations buildings – the GMR way

When one talks about infrastructure, its gets difficult to forget the other infrastructure giant making waves around the nation – GMR Group. Airports, energy, roads and urban infrastructure, you name it and we’ll show you how this titan has left its paw marks on the segment. GMR is today evidently on the forefront when it comes to public-private partnerships with its stakeholdings in every infrastructural undertaking in the country. And its financials too reflects success with its Q2 2007 net profits rising by a teeth-jarring 1,109.6% over the previous quarter to touch Rs.8.93 crores. To this Mr. G. M. Rao, Group Chairman, added, “Our numbers are growing as per expectations. The present results reflect only a small aspect of the true operating potential of our assets. As more of our businesses are operationalised to optimum capacity, we are confident of posting substantial growth in performance, thereby resulting in continued value accrual for all our stakeholders.”

GMR has made noticeable advances into the airport segment too; what with it bagging of the brownfield task to transform the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and also the much awaited greenfield project, the Shamshabad airport, Hyderabad. While the Indira Gandhi International Airport has undoubtedly been in the news for all the wrong reasons for quite some time, all that changes with GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd. in the picture. Revamping the scene is not the only thing that’s on their mind, GMR is making sure that the airport doesn’t fall short of its technical or hospitable capabilities earmarked with digital telephony, and new rapid exit taxiways, new business processes with IBM in the picture. And by the looks of things, the difference became all the more noticeable after Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) became recipient of the prized ISO 9001:2000 quality certificate.


Another significant achievement for GMR was is its infrastructure consortium was winning the tender for Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SGA) at Istanbul. Surely, this player has its eyes on the international markets too as Rao asserts, “We continue to consolidate our position as an innovative infrastructure player, moving in rapidly to identify domestic as well as international investment opportunities.” This year even marked several significant moves like the tie-up with Apollo Hospital in the Shamshabad airport and the 1,000 MW power project in Chhatisgarh. CSR activities of the group too found a place on its calendar, with its environmental initiative (‘Methane Recovery and Power Generation’ programme) and its social arm GMR Varalakshmi Foundation contributing towards community work. So, what makes GMR so admirable? As a knee-jerk response, Vijay Vancheshwar, Group Head & VP (Communications) opines, “It is GMR’s focus on excellence, willingness to learn and adaption of global best practices backed with solid ground-level preparations which makes the day worthwhile for it.” With its actions speaking louder than words in the year gone by, GMR is undoubtedly well on its way to fulfill its vision.

Edit bureau: Aveena Lopes

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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