Name sake Competitors or Partners Planning for Market Domination!

Marketers always talk of competitors as being fierce and at each other’s throats. There is a saying "everything is fair in war and love". But is not really true. Most of it is only sparring. Check out what is happening on TV.

India Vs South Africa cricket series is playing out in South Africa and all other sports channels will try to divert our attention to their own programmes. They will show any other cricket match that is as close to India vs South Africa match as possible. Not that the viewers get confused easily, but it is par for the course.

Star Sports and Star Cricket are desperately trying to milk their contract with IPL for the next five years. They already have had prelude for the IPL auctions for 2018 season. They will try to prolong the auction process and the aftermath as much as possible. Trying to milk IPL when the Indian national team is playing does not cut much ice with the audience.  But they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, right!

But the TV channels are not really competitors! When one channel takes a commercial break – check out any other similar channel. All of them will be playing commercials. So as far as getting money from the advertisers all of them are on the same platform or frequency!

Most competition simply, is at the vey basic level and it is to get market share. Most companies maintain some sort of a status quo. When a huge controversy erupted in 2006 about presence of pesticide in Indian soft drinks, both Pepsi and Coca-Cola’s CEOs came on the same platform to address a joint press conference!

Yes, you have read it right! Pepsi and Coke on the same platform. And both companies proudly say in their advertisements that the cola wars are on and that they would not even utter each other’s names!

There was lot of back patting in that press conference and both the CEOs in unison were very magnanimous in declaring that their colas are absolutely safe. They finally hinted not so subtly that it is actually the contaminated ground water of India that is responsible for the pesticide in the colas and not their production process or their ingredients! And we continue to patronize the colas! Caveat Emptor! 

10th article published in HANS INDIA - "New Products from the Cola giants that failed to make a cut"

10th article published in HANS INDIA today (19th July 2014). It is an article about "New Products from the Cola giants that failed to make a cut". Incidentally the photograph next to my article features Prof P. Narayana Reddy (wearing tie). Prof P.Narayana Reddy was my first HOD in academics and he is my PhD guide, guru and mentor. It is a honour sharing media space with him. I am delighted.

9th Article in HANS INDIA (12th July 2014). It is about 'Colours in Marketing'

9th Article in HANS INDIA (12th July 2014). It is about 'Colours in Marketing'

A little too late - Ramesh Chauhan!

The Indian Press is agog with the news that Ramesh Chauhan the creator of soft drink brands like Thums Up, Limca and Gold spot will is back in action. And Ramesh Chauhan is banking on doing what he knows best – creating powerful long lasting brands that cock a snook at the global market leaders.

But is Ramesh Chauchan too late?  It is like shutting the stable after the horse has bolted. The biggest mistake that Ramesh Chauchan did in 1993 was to hive off Thums Up to Coke and that at a ridiculously low price of 40 crores.

The following are the reasons why I think Café Cuba (the new caffeinated cola from Parle) will not cut the ice with the customers.

The name is not very attractive. Café Cuba. It makes no sense at all. Why Café and why Cuba. And to think that Parle created iconic brand names like Thums Up, Gold Spot, and Limca ( still very ever green).

The American Cola giants are well entrenched and have strong brands. They do not have any unguarded flanks.

Let’s remember that Pepsi’s Atom and Pepsi AM a caffeinated cola drink did not do well.

Cola is a product category that is popular among the young people and I think that Coffee flavor or caffeinated cola will appeal to this demographic.

Things have changed and the present customers have no emotional connect with either Ramesh Chauhan or with the Brand Parle. It is just another company for them.

And the worst Café Cuba will have to compete with Thums Up and the loyal Thums Up customers may not easily move to a new brand.

Summers always bring the best out of the Cola giants and this summer will not be any different. Watch out for the sizzling hot action in the 30,000 to 35,000 crore chilled Indian cola market. Cafe Cuba expects to garner Rs 1,000 crore sale. May the best brand/s win!

Colours in Marketing!

Image credit: The Logo Company

Colours are exciting. Life without Colours would be very drab. We experience the world in Colour - Man is the only species that can see Colours. All other species see the world in black and white.

Thus it is not surprising that colours play a very significant role in the field of marketing. Most of the products and their packaging would be in the primary colours - Red, green and blue or a combinations of these three primary colours. Coca-Cola is predominantly red and Pepsi is blue and green is a Colour that symbolizes agriculture and is now the latest buzz is green field marketing or green marketing.

One other Colour that is very prominent in yellow. Yellow, Green and red are the colours that are used in traffic signals. Why these three colours? These are the colours that are attractive and visible from a distance. Precisely the reason why the golden arches of the McDonald are yellow. Yellow because they have to attract the travelers’ attention from long distance and induce them to stop.

Kodak too is heavily yellow. But as a marketer one needs to be careful about colours. Yellow is a very sacred colour in India. It is associated with the sun god.  

Colours have different symbolism in  different cultures. In South India white is seen as a sacred colour and white coloured clothes are worn for marriages and for holy occasions. But in the western part of India white is the colour of mourning.

I had worked in Ethiopia and once I wore a white flowing kutra pyjama to a college function. I was surprised at the reaction that I got. Many of my Ethiopian colleagues expressed their regret. I was shocked. On enquiry to my surprise I came to know that Ethiopians have the same custom as in the western part of India. White is for mourning. Talk of similarities of culture across the continents!

Similarly one needs to understand a culture before we try to assimilate ourselves into that culture. One US based company sent its senior executives to do business in Taiwan. The executives got off the plane wearing green caps. They conducted the entire day’s business wearing the green caps. Later that evening they returned to their Taiwanese hotel. The hotel manager almost fainted when he saw his US guests wearing green caps. He was laughing his head off. The crest fallen US business men were sheepish when they were told that in Taiwan wearing green hats by men signifies that the wearer’s wife has been unfaithful – unknowingly the US businessmen were going around the town proudly proclaiming that their wives have been unfaithful.

For the typical Taiwanese it made no sense at all. He could understand infidelity but why make a hue and cry about it. The behaviour of the US businessmen had left the Taiwanese stumped and bemused. Read more about colors in marketing at

https://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/ &
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233843