Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing
-
Promotions & Offers Parle seeks larger slice of Marie market Purvita Chatterjee
ACTRESS KAJOL
Mumbai , March 27
To revive its share in the Marie biscuits category, Parle Products Pvt Ltd has entered the premium segment with its new variant — Parle Digestive, unleashing a high profile campaign, featuring actress Kajol.
New variant
The biscuit major is offering the premium variant as its existing brand Marie Choice had failed to register healthy growth rates. Mr Praveen Kulkarni, Marketing Manager, Parle Products Pvt Ltd, told Business Line: "Digestive Marie is Parle's re-entry into the Marie section after the old brand Marie Choice did not work. It is a new and an improved product from Parle. The USP of the product is that it is a high fibre and low fat digestive biscuit that consists of psyllium husk that is generally found in Isabgol. Initial testing has also shown that it helps against stomach indigestion.
Kajol in new avatar
The new Parle Marie Digestive is the best snack for those into serious fitness. Moreover, Parle Digestive brings actress Kajol in a new avatar - "more fit, more attractive, and energetic too." Since 1998, Parle Products has made attempts to enter the category with variants such as Parle Long and Parle Time, but they did not take off due to product related issues. Marie Choice has been struggling to garner shares against Britannia's Marie Gold, which had the first mover advantage in the category and commands a majority share of 45 per cent. Marie Choice trails with a 9 per cent share, while ITC's Sunfeast stands at 7 per cent.
Price differential
Considering the price differential between Britannia's Marie Gold (Rs 12 for 200 g) and Parle's Marie Choice (Rs 10 for 200 g), Parle was hoping to gain volumes. "There was no great advantage for the brand in spite of the price differential, and the brand was not growing at all," said Mr Kulkarni. Parle has decided to change its strategy for the Marie category by introducing a more premium variant with a value-added proposition, even at the cost of affecting the shares of Marie Choice.
New campaign
In its campaign (by Everest Advertising) for Parle Digestive, Kajol says, "Marie khana chod do," (Stop eating Marie) to make consumers shift to Parle Digestive. "It is an attack on the category and the statement even affects our own brand. But we are willing to take a chance to have consumers upgrade to our new product," said Mr Kulkarni.
More Stories on : Promotions & Offers | Food & Dairy Products
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2006, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|