Marketing review

Godrej Consumer plans soap brands in new segments
Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) plans launching soap brands in the baby care segment such as glycerine and healthcare. Earlier the company has launched an ayurvedic soap branded Nimin, which did not achieve much success in the market. Its sales are at present restricted to just a few states. Despite the failure of Nimin Godrej has recently launched Evita in the anti-aging segment of soaps, a niche area that at present does not exist in India. The company is now considering the possibility of extending stretching to face creams and may also its fairness skin care soap brand - Fair Glow into a face wash and a liquid hand wash.

However, the new glycerine and baby soaps may not come under Godrej's diaper brand Snuggy. The company is also strengthening its portfolio in the dish wash category. It has decided to launch yet another brand - Glossy, to take advantage of the growing liquid dish wash category which already has established brands such as Vim (HLL) and Pril (Henkel).

Pogo kids awards to be shown over 19 episodes
The Pogo Amazing Kids Awards this year will not be shown over one episode but would be spread over 19 fun-filled episodes, which would also enable children to vote for the short-listed kids in various categories through SMS (8558).

Apart from on-air promos inviting children to participate in the contest, the company is also planning a school contact programme in 3,000 schools across 25 cities to promote the event. It has also tied up with Bata and entry forms for the event would be available at Bata outlets across the country. The channel has roped in event management company Derek O' Brien Associates to manage the entire selection process. The winners would be given a child benefit policy for which Turner is in talks with insurance companies.

Canon rebrands itself
Digital Imaging Company, Canon has launched a promotional campaign with the tagline, 'Business Can Be Simple' to communicate the benefits of its business solutions. The tagline was inspired by Kazuto Ogawa, the company's CEO in Singapore, who always told employees to keep business simple for customers.

The $2.5 million campaign will run in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Philippines in 2006, before rolling out in the rest of Canon's south and South East Asian region.

The main objective of the campaign is to raise awareness of Canon as a provider of business solutions. The target audience of the campaign includes decision makers for IT purchases in small to medium enterprises and those who influence purchases within small work groups in larger companies.

The company has used the crossword puzzle as a key element in its advertising campaign, which
included newspaper, television and outdoor advertising.

The company says everyone is familiar with the crossword puzzle and how completing one often comes with a certain degree of challenge. The company says Canon is the answer to solving the crossword puzzle. This parallels the fact that Canon's business solutions solve challenges faced by its customers.

To reflect the new way of marketing Canon solutions, Canon has changed the name of its business solutions division from 'From to Office Systems Solution' to 'Business Imaging Solutions.' In keeping with this Canon employees underwent training sessions to help them understand and better articulate the "Business Can Be Simple" mantra to customers.

Star to offer comprehensive branding solutions
After MTV another television group the Star network will soon begin offering comprehensive branding solutions to its advertising clients this year.

A 30-second insurance commercial, for instance, would now become more interactive with a strap line prompting viewers to get more information on it by either sending an SMS to 7827 along with the name of the brand or logging on to the web site Indya.com, which would host a micro-site of the insurance company.

The company's focus is to talk to its advertising clients as partners in their brand solution effort and the company is even looking at coming up with a brand name for its comprehensive branding solutions effort.

However, Star India's immediate focus is to grow the various verticals such as its mobile vertical 7827 and the Web site Indya.com. The company is also shortly going to launch a separate vertical for events. The company is right now testing Indyasports, which would be a sports portal within Indya.com. Star TV also plans to focus on branded content in a big way this year.

Girl from Deccan wins Nokia Nseries 'Shake Your Hips with Shakira' Challenge
Guntur Tara Kumar from Hyderabad has won Nokia N series 'Shake Your Hips with Shakira' Challenge. As part of this initiative, Nokia N series in association with Sony Entertainment has sponsored an exclusive trip for the winner to attend Shakira's live concert in Athens.

Nokia N series rolled out the competition on 6 June, 2006, and conducted auditions across eight cities inviting Nokia mobile phone users to perform on Shakira's famous number 'Hips Don't Lie' or the 'Choopeta Dance Track 'from the album Margarita Island.

The performances of the participants were captured live using the advanced 2 mega pixel camera / video of Nokia N series multimedia devices (Nokia N70 & Nokia N91). A renowned panel of judges including Glen Demelo, Shiamak Dawar and Roshan Abbas selected the winners. Nokia N series 'Shake Your Hips with Shakira' Challenge was aimed at demonstrating the Nokia N series 'See New', 'Do New' and 'Hear New' experiences to consumers across India. The competition ended on June 25th 2006.

Congratulating the winner and sharing details of the Nokia Nseries 'Shake Your Hips with Shakira' Challenge, Gautam Advani, director, multimedia, Nokia India, said, "At Nokia we believe in connecting people with their passions. Through this exciting initiative we were able to help people to express themselves and at the same time demonstrate the full multimedia capabilities of the Nokia N series devices."

Pantaloon Retail ties up with Ruchi Soya
Pantaloon Retail (I) Ltd (PRIL) has entered into an alliance with Ruchi Soya Industries (RSIL) to expand its refined edible oil business through its Food Bazaar outlets. The two companies will look at creating premium products and brands and test market them at Food Bazaar outlets.

In addition, RSIL will also create exclusive private labels under the `Fresh and Pure' brand at competitive prices for Food Bazaar. `Fresh and Pure', Pantaloon Retail's private label brand, already sells items like flour (atta), ghee and butter, and will be including cheese in its portfolio in the next few weeks.

Ruchi Soya officials said the tie-up will help it cater to the growing demand for FMCG products and reap the benefits of rising disposable incomes.

Edible oil is emerging as a very important category for Food Bazaar accounting for more than 10 per cent of its revenues. Edible oils as a category can be expanded to about 15 per cent of the total category by partnering and experimenting with a large oil player.

Pantaloon has also tied up with three other companies, S R Foils, Fun Foods (makers of dips and sauces) and the Chaudhary Group, producers of Wai Wai noodles, for retail through Food Bazaar outlets.

VLCC opens health food chain
New Delhi: VLCC Retail, the retail arm of VLCC Group of Companies, has launched its low calorie, health food restaurant chain, Alive. The company plans to invest between Rs15 and Rs20 crore over the next two years in the restaurant chain. The company is planning to open four to five Alive outlets by the end of this fiscal with focus being in the NCR region.

The company plans to open Alive outlets in Tier-A cities such as Bangalore and Mumbai next year. Alive's USP is to serve food that relates to the health platform, such as low sugar, low calorie and fat free items in Indian, continental and Italian cuisine. The company also plans to open the health food eatery chain in kiosk formats called Alive Stations. These would be set up in shopping malls and movie theatres.

Alive restaurants will also have `Body Composition Analysers', which will help customers to choose exactly the amount of nutrients their body needs with the help of a nutritionist.

Jawed Habib to reposition itself
Hairstylist Jawed Habib plans to reposition his company, Jawed Habib Hair and Beauty, as a complete bodycare brand, instead of just a haircare brand.

Habib said his company would launch a range of hair and beauty products, which would be retailed through the salon route. Also on the cards is the acquisition of international beauty and hair care brands.

Jawed Habib Hair and Beauty already has around 80 salons across the country, and the company plans to increase the number to 300 in the next couple of years.

Within India, the company plans to explore new retail formats such as setting up salons in call centre premises as well as at airports.

South African company to offer radio consultancy
South Africa-based radio station company Kagiso Media is entering the Indian market through a joint venture with Primetime International Services an independent media sales company in India.

The joint venture Primetime Kagiso will offer radio consultancy services through its brand - Radio Minds which would offer comprehensive services to radio stations and advertisers; represent radio stations across the key centres of India; and will be a one-stop shop for advertisers.

Using research, the consultancy company will advise radio companies on programming formats and relevant programmes for its target audience, besides giving suggestions about managing, branding and positioning the brand of the radio station. It will also provide consultancy in ad sales as regards to managing the ad inventory to optimise the returns on ad sales from the radio stations.

CavinKare relaunches Nyle range
CavinKare has re-launched its Nyle range of herbal shampoos. The relaunched range will be in new packaging and product formulation. The company's new brand ambassador, Rashmi Ghosh, Miss Earth 2002 and TV actress will endorse the new range.

According to the company there is a perception that the herbal segment within shampoos is considered traditional and non-contemporary and it wants to change this perception and are expecting shares to go up for the Nyle brand post its re-launch.

The 13-year-old Nyle brand is present in the northern and western markets. Post- re-launch, there would be no change in the pricing of the products. The Nyle brand has a two per cent value share in shampoo segment while CavinKare's largest selling shampoo brand continues to be Chic, with a 20 per cent share.

Madura Garments to rejuvenate Planet Fashion, Trouser Town chains
Madura Garments' retail chains, Planet Fashion and Trouser Town, are will soon get a breath of fresh air as the company is planning top invest Rs150 crore and Rs170 crore into expanding its manufacturing capacities and retail business. The garment maker will also introduce its range of suits tailored in Italy. The `made in Italy' suit under the Louis Philippe brand, will cost as much as Rs45,000.

Madura Garments is also planning a slew of brand extensions for Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England.

The Planet Fashion stores will be bigger, there will be better display of merchandise, and the retail chain will be extended to towns as well. The `made in Italy' range of suits has been designed by Italians as well as tailored in Italy. These suits will be sold in all Louis Philippe stores.

Madura Garments is also planning to introduce a sub-brand `V.' (V Dot) under the Van Heusen label. This brand, with its range of party and casual wear shirts in the price range of Rs1,500 to Rs3,000, will be marketed under the `fashion forward' category.