Marketing review

Air Deccan celebrates third anniversary
Kicking off celebrations all through the month of August, to mark its inaugural Bangalore – Hubli flight on August 23rd, 2006, low cost airline Air Deccan has announced the PNR '00,' '50' offer.

Under this offer, effective from August 1, 2006, should the PNR of any Air Deccan ticket purchased for travel in the month of August (between 2 August, 2006, to 31 August, 2006), end with '00' or '50', the lucky traveler can take off again with a free Air Deccan ticket on any sector, any flight of his choice!

Travelers can win as many free tickets as the number of passengers traveling on the lucky PNR!
Moreover, the free tickets are transferable enabling the winner to gift them if they choose to.
The redemption on the free tickets won in a "once-in-a-lifetime offer" is valid for 1 year (until 31st July 2007).

Wrigley extends Orbit sugar-free gum range in India
Wrigley, globally the leading manufacturer of chewing gums has extended its range of Orbit sugar free gums by launching the tasty and crunchy strong mint cooling gum Orbit Winterfrost in India. Orbit Winterfrost comes attractively priced at Rs 5 for a pack of six pellets.

According to the company Orbit Winterfrost aids in dental care and the latest clinical research has shown that there has been dramatic reduction in the incidence of dental caries among people who chewed sugar-free gum after meals. The company claims that Orbit Winterfrost, being sugar free, helps protect teeth against tooth decay.

The makers of the product say, this is especially important today as our eating habits have changed tremendously to include more processed foods, snacks and soft drinks, which contain a high proportion of sugar, salt and fat, which leads to the danger of teeth being susceptible to plaque acids, which leads to manifold increase in demineralisation.

The company says it has been clinically proven that chewing of sugar-free chewing gums like Orbit Winterfrost for 20 minutes after meals helps protect against tooth decay by up to 40 per cent by stimulating saliva production. Its press release says "In fact the benefit of chewing sugar-free chewing gums like Orbit Winterfrost on dental health is recognised by the FDI World Dental Federation, the global body representing dentists worldwide."

Godrej Hi Care to expand in North India
Buoyed by the tremendous success it received in Mumbai, and the increasing
awareness of pest menace among consumers across India, Godrej Hi Care, India's leading professional pest management company, has now decided to expand its reach in the Northern cities. The company is expanding its services in North India, which includes New Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Ludhiana. The company is also planning to increase the number of franchisees in the North.

Godrej Hi Care will shortly introduce Fumigation services for effective
control of stored grain pests and termites. The fumigation service would deter pests in places like export cargo warehouses, storage houses, godowns, etc., where perishable commodities, like food
grains, are stored.

Kaya's hair loss prevention solutions
Kaya Skin Clinic has entered the hair care segment with the launch of its hair loss prevention solutions and several new hair care products and intensive hair root therapy.

Initially, launched as a pilot in Bangalore, the hair loss prevention therapy is set to be rolled out in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, besides its launch in Delhi, as part of its second phase expansion.

The services in the segment include hair analyses, grooming, diet tips and a set of the new range of products.

Pizza Hut launches desi flavours in intl format
Pizza Hut, the flagship brand of the Yum! Brands, Inc has launched `Great Indian Treat' — its first localised menu offering Indian flavours in an international format.

The company hopes that the local menu would contribute 30 per cent of its sales in the next few years. Though the company offered some localised products earlier, this is the first time it announced a complete menu in local flavours.

With plans to set up 40 more outlets this financial year to take the number to 163 the chain has signed up dancer-actor Javed Jaffari to promote the Great Indian Treat, available in vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions.

Tata Motors, Hyundai to enter used car market
Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor India are looking at entering the used car market.

While Hyundai has branded its new business as `Hyundai Advantage,' Tata Motors has yet to come up with a brand name. For Tata Motors the used car business would be part of the company's integral operations and therefore no division or subsidiary will be created specifically for it.

The company hopes the new business offering would help promote and penetrate the brand in the semi-urban and rural market. Industry analysts say the used car business is getting more organised with players like Toyota entering the market.

The used car business is estimated to be two to three times the size of the new car market and is governed largely by the unorganised grey market.

Street vendors want to be organised
Demanding the creation of a task force to implement the street vendor national policy, over 270 hawkers from all over the country congregated at the All India Street Vendors Jansunwayi (public hearing) in Delhi recently.

Under the aegis of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), Manushi Sangathan and the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), hawkers are demanding that a group of senior architects be commissioned and urban planners delineate Hawker Zones and redesign pavements to accommodate vendors without inconveniencing pedestrians or obstructing traffic.

According roadside hawkers, they contribute Rs86,000-crore annually to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) but the loss of income incurred by them due to bribes, confiscation and destruction of goods amounts to Rs500 crore in Delhi, Rs900 crore in Mumbai and Rs80 crore in Ahmedabad.

Flightraja offers on-line booking service for airlines
Bangalore: Flightraja a city-based travel solutions' company has launched an SMS- , kiosk- , agent- and online-based instant search and booking service for airlines. The agent-based model will tap into the retired and homemaker community and will provide them, "an earn from home" option and the initial roll out would be done with 110 online ticketing agents for flightraja in Bangalore and 70 in Chennai.

With as little as a Rs25,000-deposit, housewives and retired people can become a neighbourhood travel agent and will get to keep four per cent of all tickets they sell. The company's kiosks will be kept at several malls and public places where customers can book tickets through them.

Godfrey Phillips appoints Preity Zinta as its bravery-movement brand ambassador
Godfrey Phillips has appointed actor Preity Zinta as brand ambassador of the Godfrey Phillips' bravery movement.

According to the company statement, "Godfrey Phillips is poised to take the bravery movement to new frontiers, and we feel it is time to add momentum to connect afresh with the Indian people.
Preity is a conscientious person, with a proven record of having stood up for the right, in face of intense pressures. She also has a close connection with the three new areas that the Godfrey Phillips Bravery will encompass and all these reasons make her an ideal ambassador for us."