The Hindu Business Line : Unique challenges of Indian markets

Does the same size of Ariel, Close-Up or Red Label sell uniformly in all areas of the city? How does Surf Excel educate the consumers on how to use its products? Can you think of an Italian chewing gum with an American sounding brand name? Why is it that, with the exception of Chetak, other brand names from Bajaj have not made an impact on the psyche of consumers? For answers to these and more questions, here is Marketing and Branding: The Indian Scenario, by S. Ramesh Kumar, from Pearson Power (www.pearsoned.co.in) .

While there is an explosion of literature in the West with state-of-the-art concepts, there is very little conceptual awareness closer home, rues the author in the preface. "The Indian context offers unique challenges to marketers," he alerts in the opening note. "Cultural and economic diversity, a blend of Western lifestyles and strong cultural anchoring, and the rural/urban divide with islands of prosperity in rural areas are some of the critical factors that need specific-context treatment in terms of formulation of marketing strategies."

Watch out, therefore, for the sobering encounters that the market provides, so ably captured by Kumar in scores of boxes strewn throughout the book. One such `touch of reality' is about how changes in environment can be blissfully ignored even by seasoned players. "For example, Robin Blue used to be a household name, but the brand introduced the liquid variant only after Ujala introduced its offering. Colgate introduced its herbal variant long after herbal awareness on consumer products demanded it."

More important than your message is how the consumers perceive it. The author cites the example of Nestle, which roped in `a string of celebrities' for its brand of glucose called Nesfit. Only, it didn't perhaps fit well. Why so? "The packaging had a white background as against the green packaging (even offerings from unorganised sectors follow this packaging) normally associated with glucose." Kumar explains that consumers may perceive a lack of connection between the brand and the category when a brand `deviates' from the elements normally associated with the product.

Another example is of a brand of edible oil, which used a negative appeal in its ads - "on how heart problems could be associated with the usage of the wrong edible oil." This, even as most brands were highlighting "taste, warmth and health." The result was only heartache for the company. For consumers thought that the brand was "most suitable for patients recovering from heart problems," as Kumar postulates!

The book is packed with interesting statistics. Such as: Subhiksha's stores are so located that 80 per cent of Chennai's population is within 2.5 km of the outlets. About 70 per cent of volume offtake in the shampoo category is in the form of sachets. In the chocolates category, about half the volume is at prices below Rs 5. Almost four out of five footwear are from the unorganised sector. And more ...

Of value are the many insights that the author provides. He tells you how time-share in the vacationing market is still a niche market in India. And how, for almost two decades, there was only one brand of pure apple juice, which too wasn't widely available!

Unputdownable.

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

D. Murali