Marketing review

Reliance Info launches Rs10 recharge facility
Reliance Infocomm (RIM) has launched a pre-paid recharging facility that starts at Rs10. With the new facility RIM customers can recharge for any amount between Rs10 and Rs994 and as many times as they want.

By analysing call patterns the company found that 20-25 per cent of the customers put off recharging of the mobile phones till the month end when their salaries would be credited. He said these customers, who had to pay earlier upwards of Rs 55 as recharging fee to retain the outgoing calling facility, would now be able to do so for as low an amount as Rs 10.

E-recharge could also be done through SMS or even though R World on data enabled handsets only.

DuPont protects its trademark
New Delhi: Dupont India has taken local traders and manufacturers to court for infringing its trademark `Teflon,' used more popularly as a non-stick coating for cookware.

After DuPont India filed a cased through advocates Amarchand Mangaldas, the Delhi High Court issued a court order restraining a large manufacturer and several other wholesale traders in Delhi from using stickers labelled with the 'DuPont' or 'Teflon,' name according to a company release.

MRTPC bans LG advertisement
The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) has asked LG Electronics India not to release false, misleading or deceptive advertisement relating to its gift scheme in any form and in any Indian media.

The Director-General of Investigation and Registration, under the ministry of company affairs, had filed an application before the MRTP Commission alleging that LG Electronics released an advertisement titled, Mangal Hi Mangal, which was false, misleading and deceptive amounting to an unfair trade practice under the MRTP Act, 1969.

In the advertisement, the company had assured buyers of a gift with every purchase of an LG product. However, it did not specify the products and the conditions, which were applicable for eligibility of gifts to the customers.

The Commission has held the advertisement deceptive and has restrained the company from releasing such advertisement until further orders.

Heinz launches Heinz Champ
Heinz India, maker of Heinz Ketchup, Complan, Glucon-D, Nycil prickly heat powder and Sampriti ghee, recently launched Heinz Champ ketchup in the Indian market. The company is trying to gain market share in the categories it is present in.

In the last 18 months Heinz' market share has grown from less than one cent to just over six per cent.

The ketchup market size in India, estimated to be in the range of Rs150 crore and Rs180 crore (the other large segment is institutional) is dominated by Nestle's Maggi with a market share of 37 per cent, followed by Kissan with approximately 29 per cent share.

The company has launched Champ to correct the perception in the minds of Indian consumers that ketchup is junk food. The company says Heinz Champ is packed with nutrition such as vitamin A and C, calcium and lycopene, which neutralises harmful chemicals that damage body cells. Champ is priced at Rs49 for a 500gm pack, Rs7 higher than Heinz regular ketchup.

Bannari Amman to launch `refined sugar'
The `Bannari' brand refined sugar is expected to be available off-shelf at select departmental stores soon as Bannari Amman Sugars is planning to launch `refined sugar' for the retail market.

The company is already supplying refined sugar to the institutional segment such as pharmaceutical companies and confectionery industry.

For the present the company is targeting the southern States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

IBM taps SME customers for servers
IBM is trying to tap the small and medium size customers, in India and is offering a low EMI scheme according to which consumers can pay Re1 and take away an IBM server, and give the balance amount in installments.

The scheme is customised to India, and for customers buying IBM products worth over Rs5 lakh, The scheme was launched in the previous quarter, and the company says it received a good response basically because banks were unwilling to provide loans of around Rs5 lakh to customers. IBM, through its IBM Global Financing, provides finance to help small and medium size business (SMB) customers.

IBM has also introduced a city server bazaar to take the company's products to smaller towns.

Shipra Mall outer walls become an ad platform
Shipra Mall in Ghaziabad (Delhi-NCR) said to be the largest mall in India will have all its outer walls converted into hoardings.

The Shipra Group, a Rs200-crore real estate company has introduced high-resolution lens based PANI projection technology that would convert the three sides of the mall into an advertising platform.

The entire outer surface of the mall comprising 5,200-square metre space will be sold to advertisers. The fees would depend upon the time slot for the advertisement. Since it involves lighting up the walls, the medium would be effective from 6.30 p.m. onwards.

Shipra Group owns a chain of hotels in Delhi, Dehradun, Mussorie, Ghaziabad and Noida. Shipra Mall was constructed with an investment of Rs90 crore and has an area of 4.5-lakh sq.ft.

Tata Indicom gets Sania, Karthikeyan to join celebrations in AP
To celebrate notching up 7.5 lakh subscribers in Andhra Pradesh and the success of its Non Stop Mobile service Tata Indicom roped in Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan for a `Non Stop Mobile' roadshow in the State.

Karthikeyan thrilled visitors with his unassuming and friendly approach and was seen giving away prizes to fans at Hyderabad Central, the city's popular mall. The non stop mobile service is available on four mobile handsets priced at Rs3,999, Rs2,499, Rs2,999, and Rs3,249 respectively.

Yana to endorse Piramyd Megastore
Piramyd Retail has signed on the supermodel and actress Yana Gupta as the brand ambassador for its lifestyle retail brand `Piramyd Megastore'.

Nandan Piramal, vice-chairman, Piramyd Retail said, Yana personified what Piramyd Megastore, stands for.

Piramyd Megastore offers a wide selection of merchandise in menswear, ladies fashion, unisex casuals, kids apparel & toys, accessories, perfumes & cosmetics and home fashion.

Tibre' unveils `supercrease' pants
Gangotri Textiles, which markets its trousers under the `Tibre' brand, has launched two variants of its trouser range — Feather Touch and Martrix — using the patented `supercrease' technology that provides permanent crease to the garment. The advantage of this technology is that the crease need not be ironed and thus is spared the possibility of double-crease.

Feather Touch is an `ultra soft super strong trouser' available in five colours and is priced at Rs1,095 per piece. Matrix will have structural patterns and will be available in five different styles and the price range is from Rs945 to Rs1,295.

The company is also planning to begin manufacturing shirts from next year.

`Tibre' branded garments have notched up a sales growth of 40 per cent since their launch five years ago.

According to the company the new launches would provide the comfort of cotton even while they extend the advantage of the wrinkle-free effect. The crease is expected to stay for up to 100 washes and even after that it stayed and would require only light ironing.

FritoLay launches Quaker Oats
Fritolay, a division of Pepsico India Holdings, has breakfast cereal Quaker Oats, in India marking its entry into the branded Indian breakfast cereal market.

According to the company Quaker uses oats grown under dry Mediterranean weather conditions in Western Australia. The oats are then processed in the Quaker plant in Australia and exported to India.

Quaker Oats will initially be launched in metros followed by smaller cities and towns.

The size of the breakfast cereal market is about 14,000 tonnes of which oats comprise 4,000 tonnes.

The product is available in three pack sizes - 35gm-trial pack priced at Rs8; 200gm-carton priced at Rs 38; and 400gm-carton priced at Rs70. Quaker Oats comes with a recipe book and TasteMix sachets in two flavours — cardamom and masala to appeal to the Indian palate.

Carbon Presents the Duette Collection
Anniversaries of all kinds not just the conventional ones have become the flavour of the season.

In keeping with this trend- Carbon has launched a collection of 18K fashion accessories titled 'Duette', comprising a range of exquisitely styled ear tops, pendants and rings crafted out of precious diamonds and a unique combination of white and yellow gold weldded together.

The range is priced upwards of Rs 9500 and is available at exclusive Carbon boutiques across the country and MBOs like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Westside, Pantaloons and other leading retail outlets.

— Compiled by Mohini Bhatnagar