New Products that did not do well in India Part I

Kingston Filter Kings: was introduced by VST (Vazir Sultan Tobacco). VST had earlier introduced a highly successful cigarette named Charms. Charms was a huge hit as it had a denim pack and it was the cigarette of the rebel. In the eighties it was considered very stylish to tap the charms pack and see a cigarette jump out. Riding on the Charms success Kingston was introduced.

Kingston was projected as the premier filter kings and it was positioned as the cigarette for the upwardly mobile. The promotion had Jamaican beaches, sun, sand and beautiful girls. All this made no sense to the Indians. Sun is available plentifully in India and getting tanned is never an Indian priority. Indians are naturally tanned. The beaches of Kingston and Jamaica meant nothing to the Indian whose ideas of the beaches were limited to Goa and Kovalam. As such there was nothing inspirational about Kingston and the brand died a natural death.

Vacuumizer: was one of the products that was marketed by ABC (Amitabh Bachaan Corporation) limited. Vacuumizer has a very unique promotional campaign. It did carpet bombing. In other words the entire commercials for the Sunday night movie on Doordharshan which that time had the monopoly of television viewers were booked by Vacuumizer. All the advertisements that were featured on that Sunday night were of Vacuumizer.

Inspite of the innovative promotion Vacuumizer failed. Vacuumizer was a product which could keep a product fresh for more than a month. The product can be kept in the Vacuumizer and the box can be sealed. The food will be fresh for a long period of time. For a country that is keen on fresh foods for obvious reason the idea appeared to be very alien. Vacuumizer was a product that came to India too early. If it were to be introduced now it would be a success.

Soy milk: This was a product that was introduced by Godrej. Again a product that came before its time. At the time of its introduction India still had not embarked on the mission of eating healthy food. Eating ghee laden food was the in thing (it still is!). So a product that promised a drink that is nutritious made no sense. And the taste too was alien and the product died a natural death.

Jelly drink: Product of Godrej again. Jelly-O met with cultural resistance. Indians are used to smooth soft drinks and a drink that had granules in it was not liked. And jelly-O had smooth and rubbery granules and the consumers gave it the kiss of death.

Newstime: was the English news paper introduced by the Telugu media baron Ramoji Rao. Ramoji Rao is the owner of the 4th most read Indian news papers and the most read Telugu newspaper Eenadu. Readers expected that Newstime would be successful too. The tagline of Newstime was “all things for all people”. Readers did not understand what Newstime stood for. In the modern world you can’t be all things for all people.