Wednesday, September 23, 2009

WAKE UP INDIA …WE ARE STILL SLEEPING.

Yugratna Srivastav , a 13 year old girl from Lucknow addressed the UNITED NATIONS Climate change summit in New York. Her speech won accolades from the world leaders including UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon and American Environmental activist and Nobel peace prize winner Al Gore.

Everyday, everybody speaks of environmental pollution. But how many of us are really doing something for it. India with its myriad cultures and heritage has been a global leader in spirituality and hospitality ; embracing millions in its warmthness and vibrant hues. Now India Inc is an international brand in the making, with a huge untapped potential amongst the youth and the children , who are not only intelligent but are also very much discerning about the various issues plaguing the society-environmental concern being one of them. Egs set forth like Yugratna expose our reluctant attitude towards this grave issue. Yugratna was first touched when she was in class 6, which prompted her to join a NGO called Tarumitra ( friends of the tress) and work passionately propagating her objective. Her passion made her the first indian child to get elected in the junior board of UNEP ( UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME) .


So when Infosys Chairman and Chief Mentor Narayan Murthy comments that India is guided more by slogans than action and to be a global leader it has to first shed off its bureaucratic attitude, Yugratna set a fine example where actions speak larger than words. We should all stand by her when she says that serious climate change issues like global warming, scarcity of food and water , outbreak of accentuated epidemics –the young generation of this century has witnessed it all and it is time the world leaders recognize the underlying energy and enthusiasm of these young heroes and channelize them in the right direction. It should be the responsibility of all of us by way of little actions that we can make this world a better place to live.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Dirt & stain triumphs…
The old saga of ugliness associated with dirt and stain has undergone a makeover since the surf excel campaign . The Surf Excel ads celebrates dirt and stain as a part and parcel of a grand occasion called LIFE encouraging , and experiencing it as one grows up.
Marketing is all about positioning. A product may be of exceptional quality, but without an effective positioning it will be lost in the clutter of the similar products available in the same category in the market. An effective positioning provides that extra edge to the product which helps to break through that clutter and make a permanent mark in the minds of the consumers , in this highly competitive market.
The brand surf excel provides an excellent example of effective positioning . The tagline ‘Daag Achche Hai’ has helped establish the brands positioning strategy. The advertisers have been prudent enough to harp on a popular negative concept and turn it into an advantage. Converting the common woman’s irritation into a great relief , the campaign has always been thematic and full of life and vigour in its approach. The DAAG ACHCHE HAI campaign started around five years ago with a revolutionary concept against the conventional idea of Daag Gande Hai ( dirt is bad). Starting from its first campaign , where a brother dives into the puddle, pounding on it , scolding it, threatening it, with dire consequences , if it does not apologise to his sister as it is responsible in spoiling her dress. The second ad too , in resonant with the first , showed two small boys staging a mock fight to stop their fathers from fighting. The third ad showed solving a hiccup problem through shock , quite a very unusual way though.
The latest campaign from this stable is the ‘dog boy’ campaign, wherein when a boy learns in school about the death of his teacher’s dog ; he immediately goes to her house , and starts playing the dog before her in order to make her smile. The voice over says – AGAR DAAG LAGNE SE KUCH ACHCHA HOTA HAI, TOH DAAG ACHCHE HAI , followed by the tagline – Surf Excel- Daag Achche Hai and the logo. The child has been used very strategically to convey the brand value as children in their numerous naughty ways , try to please the person whom they love, unmindful of the consequences or any obstacles; which in a way also show their innocence, purity, surrounding them. Arun Iyer group creative director , Lowe Lintas in one renowned magazine explained that children can demonstrate a lot of values through actions . Here it is the emotion of empathy. It is about how a child feels instinctively for someone’s pain even though he does not know what it feels like. When he sees he , he immediately understands the magnitude of her grief.
The brand philosophy of surf excel too echoes the same concept. Surf Excel believes that stains are good . This is because when children go out and play and get dirty, they don’t just collect stains . They experience life , make friends, share with each other and learn from each other. This helps them get stronger and get ready for the world outside.( www.surfexcel.in)

Friday, September 4, 2009

POSITIONING STRATEGY OF TATA NANO

The concept car …the word is too often heard in recent times . but what is it? A concept vehicle is a car prototype , that is built to showcase a concept, new styling, new technology and more, to gauge customer reaction towards it. Concept cars many times don’t go for further production considering the various reactions of the customers and the seriousness of its application. And even then those concept cars which make a foray into the real world , they are modified several times to maximize its practical utility.
Though many manufacturers had before attempted in building a concept car but the one which is worth mentioning and had made a place of its own in the history of car manufacturers is Henry Ford’s model t. comparing TATA Nano to Ford’s model T, Times of India comments-
"This raises the question: How have the Tata’s accomplished such a task? Pursuing this question a fascinating story unfolds that reminds one of Henry Ford's Model T that was built exactly one hundred years ago (September 1908). Ford wanted to make a car for the multitude, not for the elite, with the best material and the best design that the technology of his time could devise, and he wanted to make it, above all, at a price that was affordable. This is the example that Ratan Tata has followed with determination. When he announced the price of his car in an interview to the Financial Times during the Geneva Motor Show, his colleagues were 'aghast', but he had set his goal”. (Surendra Munshi15 September 2008, 12:00am IST. "LEADER ARTICLE: More Than Just A Nano — Edit Page — OPINION — The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/LEADER_ARTICLE_More_Than_Just_A_Nano
On 10th January 2008, just 100 years after model T of Ford was built , TATA Motors unveiled its concept car , Nano , at 9th annual Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Commercially Nano was launched on 23rd march 2009, following which a booking period from 9th to 25th April, 2009, was kept and which generated more than 2,00,000 bookings. On 17th July 2009, TATA Motors handed over the keys of the world’s first TATA Nano to Ashok Vichare. Closely following in his wheels was 2nd runner up Ashish Balakrishnan.
Positioned as the people’s car , it brought about a revolution in the automobile sector with a starting price of Rs 100,000, which is far cheaper than its main competitor, Maruti 800.TATA NANO received immediate media attention owing to its cheap acquisition price . The financial times reported-
"If ever there were a symbol of India’s ambitions to become a modern nation, it would surely be the Nano, the tiny car with the even tinier price-tag. A triumph of homegrown engineering, the $2,200 (€1,490, £1,186) Nano encapsulates the dream of millions of Indians groping for a shot at urban prosperity."( "/ Columnists / David Pilling — India hits bottleneck on way to prosperity". Ft.com. 2008-09-24. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e68ab572-8a3e-11dd-a76a-0000779fd18c.html)
Initially it was felt that would be the choice of bikers and the whole nation went tumultous on the above discussion, on whether bikers would be interested in shifting their preferences towards Nano? The bike manufaturers were intimidated by the different voices.. But then one month past the sales report says it all. Comparing the two would seem ridiculous as both would differ in their price, maintenance costs, and re-sale value. More –over the success of TATA NANO on roads is yet to be established and had a to go a long way. The target market for bikers are young teenagers , the mindset of whom resonate with the passion and the new found freedom . On the hindsight it can target buyers who are aiming for branded budget cars and are even looking at the second hand car as an alternative. Another potential target market can be the auto rickshaws which commute locally in the suburban areas.