Marketing review

Allied Domecq to create buzz around its new brands in India
Allied Domecq, makers of premium scotch brand Teacher's plans to create a buzz around four of its global brands Ballantine's whisky, Sauza tequila, Kahlua coffee liqueur and Beefeater gin.

Though these brands are available in select cities and large shops, the intention is to take them national and increase offtake at the retail end.

This year these brands will be made available across major cities in India and will be promoted heavily to create awareness of the products as tequila and coffee liqueur new to the Indian market.

Apart from the introduction of new products in the Indian market, the company is also looking at doubling the volumes of its imported spirits.

Pizza Hut brings in 'Zero Gravity' salads
Pizza Hut, has introduced a new assortment of salads titled 'Zero Gravity Salads' across all its dine-in restaurants in the country. The salads are priced between Rs50 and Rs75.

According to Yums Restaurants International, the decision to introduce a wider range of salads to the menu is a move to meet customer expectations for freshly made appetising salads.

Innovatively presented in a tortilla shell, the new line of fresh, green, tasty salads includes two options each for the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians -

Garden Salad : a combination of exotic vegetables like broccoli, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, pickled cucumber, American corn and pineapple tossed together in an Italian herb dressing served in a tortilla shell.

Chicken Caesar salad: a popular non-vegetarian salad, which consists of smoked chicken breast, served on a bed of green lettuce, with an assortment of capsicum, broccoli, pickled cucumber and American corn, tossed in classic Caesar dressing.

Tropical chicken saalad: crispy lettuce in a tortilla shell with diced chicken and an assortment of cherry tomatoes, capsicum, black olives and pineapple tossed in an all time favourite Thousand Island dressing.

Shahrukh Khan is a perfume
After Amitabh Bacchhan and Lata Mangeshkar, its time for Shah Rukh Khan to be honoured by having a perfumed named after him. French perfume brand Jeanne Arthes has named a new fragrance `Tiger Eyes by SRK' after Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan.

The perfume will be available across all lifestyle outlets and malls and will be available both for men and for women.

Bausch & Lomb to be endorsed by `Jassi jaise' Mona Singh
Bausch & Lomb has announced that it has signed on Mona Singh, heroine of popular teleserial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, as its brand ambassador.

The company intends to leverage Jassi's amazing transformation to convey the message that opting for lenses instead of spectacles could mean the transition from just self-confidence to looking good and feeling good about ones self.

The company has announced its `transform yourself' scheme whereby anyone can walk into outlets stocking the company's products for a free pair of contact lenses for a trial period of one month.

The Hindu gets a new look
The Hindu newspaper has begun sporting a new look from April 14.

According to N Ram. editor-in-chief of the paper the purpose of the new design is to offer a "more contemporary, elegant and functional newspaper".

The redesign, piloted by Dr Mario Garcia and his team from Garcia Media, which has designed more than 450 newspapers round the world, gave pre-eminence to text, enabling photographs, graphics and white space to have an enhanced role on the pages.

The redesigned newspaper offers readers more legible typography, an efficient indexing or navigation system, a clear hierarchy of stories, a new and sophisticated colour palette; and provided advertisers better value and new opportunities.

According to Dr Garcia, The Hindu's new design is all about purity and functionalism of design at work: the typography is based on two main fonts, 'Interstate' and 'Chronicle', which render an elegance and clarity to the product. The colour palette mixes soft pastel colours to go with the content of a newspaper for which credibility, sobriety and intelligent reporting are the key. Overall, pure design implies no decorations, no artificial motifs, everything that is utilised has a purpose.

Tata Indicom, Reliance Mobile tie up with filmmakers
A number of filmmakers are tying up with telecom operators targeting the youth to sell the products.

Tata Indicomm has tied up with Sivaji Films for joint promotion of Chandramukhi, a Rajnikanth starrer and will participate in a unique roadshow organised across Tamil Nadu. The promotions targeting youngsters will include games, gifts and popular music from the movie with leaflets of the product portfolio of Tata Teleservices.

Reliance Mobile on the other hand has tied up with the makers of Siachen a Vijay starrer. The movies get publicity over the handsets to the mobile service providers' customers and the benefit to the telecom companies is that customers are online longer downloading ringtones, screen savers or listening to music.

Mobile phone users will be able to download ringtones, exclusive video clips of the movie, interact with the star cast through contests and even hear Vijay talking to them over their Reliance mobile on April 14.

The roadshow will be on till April 22.

Idea launches instant validity service
Idea Cellular has announced a new scheme according to which it would offer its prepaid customers instant conversion of talk-time to validity extension on request.

According to the company the new service is part of Idea's effort to help customers and comes in handy, especially for those who are constantly racing against time.

Maruti launches new-look Omni
Maruti Udyog has launched a new-look Omni with an upgraded engine to meet Euro III norms.

The new look Omni comes with a new front grille, clear lens headlamps, graphics on the side body and a new rear view mirror. Changes have also been made in the interiors with a re-designed dashboard and an instrument cluster. The new look Omni comes with a revised price at Rs 2.29 lakh (ex-show room Delhi).

Lotte to launch new products
Korean confectionery major Lotte, which is present in India through two separate ventures — Chennai-based Lotte India and Delhi-based joint venture company Lotte DS is preparing to launch a frontal assault on Indian confectionery makers by introducing products from Lotte's global brand basket.

Lotte India will launch two global brands — chewing gum Spout and bubble gum Booproo — after test marketing the two brands extensively.

The company has invested about Rs3 crore in putting up new machinery to manufacture these products. After evaluating the market response to these two products, Lotte India may consider testing the Indian palate with mint lozenges.

Lotte DS is also gearing up for the launch of new products in the country and has mandated AC Nielsen to conduct a thorough market research on consumer preferences in terms of taste, flavour and pricing so that the company can identify the products to bring here.

Rolls Royce comes back to India with Phantom
Rolls Royce Motor Cars has come back to India after a gap of 50 years, launching its Phantom super luxury sedan in the city.

The car is expected to cost in the region of Rs3.5 to Rs4 crore and the company hopes to sell 7-8 units a year through its dealer, Navnit Motors.

According to the company, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has emerged as the clear market leader in its class.

The current Phantom is the product of work on a new platform begun in 1998 after the Rolls-Royce brand moved into the BMW fold. The car made its debut in January 2003.

A convertible model on the same platform is expected in 2007.

Taj Business to increase presence
Taj Business Hotels plans to increase its footprint in the country with at least two hotels in all major metros.

The company wants a larger presence for its business hotels in the central business districts of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. In Chennai, besides the GVK Taj hotel, the company is planning another hotel either near the airport or near the IT corridor.

The company has also renovated all its business hotels and has also launched new hotels in this segment. It launched new rooms at the Taj Residency, Bangalore; the Taj Blue Diamond, Pune; the Taj Residency Visakhapatanam; and the Taj Connemara, Chennai.

Further, the company has invested Rs50 crore in relaunching its restaurants and bars. All food and beverage outlets such as the coffee shops, bars, specialty restaurants and pastry shops have been given a more contemporary and cosmopolitan look.

The Taj Connemara, in Chennai, has also thrown open its new restaurant, called Hip Asia, and the bar, Distil. At Hip Asia, the choice of cuisine acknowledges the South Indian influence on Asian food.

— Compiled by Mohini Bhatnagar