Man of the moment, flavour of the season or man for all seasons, call him what you will, Sachin Tendulkar is the toast of millions. Ever since he achieved his hundredth hundred, companies whose brands he endorses have been bringing out commemorative editions of their products to celebrate the achievement. Coca-Cola brought out a can in gold, the finalé in a series of nine earlier ones issued in anticipation of this feat. Adidas fashioned a golden shoe and Reynolds brought out a golden pen.

It's not difficult to imagine they would do well in a cricket-crazy, Sachin-crazy nation. Anil Babu, a 40-something professional who takes an academic rather than patriotic interest in the sport, bought the Reynolds pen priced Rs 1,000. “It is a style statement, exclusive, and is a collector's item,” says this pen lover, who also possesses a bat signed by the Master Blaster – he got it after test-driving a Fiat Palio which the sportsman endorsed at the time of its launch. Though he doesn't intend to, he sincerely believes that if he were to sell it 20-30 years later, it will fetch a handsome sum.

Sachin aside, how well do limited and special editions do anyway? They seem to pervade all categories, be they automobiles, cosmetics, beverages, writing instruments or what have you. Wasim Basir, Director (Integrated Marketing Communications), Coca-Cola India, says the first lot of golden cans flew off the shelves before the company could blink an eye, and they are running out of the second lot already. He says special editions do very well. “It's a little bit of extra value, and offers a premium without charging you much,” he says. Not all special collections have to cost more, though. The celebratory Coke can costs the same as any other – we can't charge extra for happiness, he quips, referring to Coca-Cola's ‘Open Happiness' positioning.

Keeping in touch

H. G. Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer, Watches & Accessories, Titan Industries, says the need to launch special editions relates to the consumer group a brand is addressing. The goal is not short-term, sales are not the criterion, but there are niche customers and it's important to be in touch with them, he explains. The watch company has launched quite a few limited and commemorative editions: Sonata's Dhoni series (despite the losses in Australia and England after the World Cup win last year – precisely “because it's a raging discussion”); Titan's Eternal Mumbai collection featuring the hotel Taj Mahal Palace's dome and the clock on the tower at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, which bore the brunt of the Mumbai 2008 terror attacks; and the WWF collection, inspired by India's endangered species. “It's extra motivation for the consumer,” says Raghunath. In the case of Eternal Mumbai and WWF, the money from the sales went into funds to help the victims and the cause.

Exploring dimensions

Rajesh Jain, Director and CEO, Lacoste India, says these editions show that the brand is contemporary, evolving, and well-rounded in that they help reflect its connections with fashion, sports, art, music and such. They also give the loyal customer a chance to flaunt an exclusive piece, and connoisseurs of the brand a souvenir. This deepens a customer's bond with the brand. As Lacoste's Jain puts it, “success is not only attained by the one-time sale of the product but with the intangible value it comes with.” As this story goes to press comes the news of Malaysia resident Lee Choon Chiek who has amassed a collection of Coca-Cola cans and McDonald's Happy Meal toys over 30 years. A cardboard Barbie Happy Meal he owns is worth over $100 now.

Lacoste says each of its special editions is an effort to bring very different aesthetics to the brand. Both its Robert George Collection, a tribute to the creator of the very first Lacoste logo, as well as its Golden Croc series released during one Diwali had an average sell-through of 65 per cent in two weeks – awareness drives through visual merchandising, marketing, and, above all, the design itself are key factors that make a special edition successful, he says.

Titan's Raghunath says that in the luxury space, a limited edition has tremendous value. It's important to keep its spirit alive – make only a few, make it really, really, exclusive. Success is measured in the intensity of emotional connection, he adds.

Brand strategy expert Harish Bijoor says special editions that have a unique promise, never offered in a regular edition, work best. For instance, an auto company can offer a gear shift that is totally unique – a special and a limited edition as well. Telling the world it destroyed the mould after 1,000 such special editions were rolled out would add to its value.

Bijoor says these special products work well in categories such as auto, better than any other, with soft drinks coming next. But Vishwadeep Kuila, Founder of outsourced marketing and brand consultancy BrandVectors, says customers won't buy a limited edition car unless they are already in the market for one. A premium so charged may not deter a potential buyer but hardly anyone will buy another car just to add to their collection, he says. In FMCG, it can work because it's low-cost and commemorative, and people won't much mind paying a premium on the price.

Bijoor says retro editions of well-known sports cars are super successes, such as a retro Volkswagen Beetle or, for that matter, a Lambretta. However, he says special editions “become gimmicks in soft drinks and beers and infect categories at large”.

Kuila points out that in many FMCG categories, a special edition “only works when the packaging is commemorative”, the product is incidental. The Coke can, for instance – the drink's the same, the can's the keepsake.

Bargaining chip

“Most marketers won't confess to it, but it's a very critical strategy to earn more shelf space,” says Kuila. Companies are always trying for a bigger presence at retailers' and a special edition comes in handy when they have to bargain for more space with the retailer.

“Special editions are really boredom breakers,” says Bijoor. “The key idea is to add some zing, and to get a set of new customers either through completely new buy-ins or through additional buys from existing loyalists.” Looks like the same zing is pretty much what drives customers to buy these shiny new avatars of their older siblings.

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