Is the Indian

consumer
brand-ready?

BEEEEEEEEEE
EEEP!
Wrong question!

Does she have

an alternative?

In fact, the key issue confronting

todays Indian consumer
can be summed up in one word

Look at the number of

cars marketed in India
today
Audi India
Bentley Motors
Limited
BMW India
Fiat India
Ford Motors
General Motors
Hindustan Motors
Honda India
Tata Motors
Toyota India

Hyundai Motors
Lamborghini India
Mahindra & Mahindra
Maruti
Mercedes India
Nissan Motors
Porsche
Reva
Rolls-Royce
Skoda Auto India
Sports Cars India

The market is flooded

with brands
In the last 12 months alone weve seen the
launches of . . .

20 new brands of toilet soap

Source: TAM

12 new brands of creams and

moisturizing lotions
8 new face packs and
astringents
Source: TAM

40 new brands or models of

kitchen appliances

Source: TAM

55 new models of cars

or motorcycles

Source: TAM

72 new brands/models of mobile

phones

Source: TAM

To add to the confusion,

By end 2007 there will be

50 hypermarkets
305 department stores
1500 supermarkets
10,000 exclusive retail showrooms
Source: Technopak

There are just too many options

in every category
And if thats not enough . . .

Life has become busier

The average commuting time of an urban
Indian has increased exponentially
Working hours have increased drastically
Work timings have changed - now we
must work when the US or Europe does

Need to get actual figures

The Indian consumer has

more choices and less time
to choose

? ??
?
?
?

So how does she choose?

It should be simple.

brand

She chooses a
and sticks with it

After all . . .
Our consumer doesnt know and cannot
process the totality of a brand or product
Nobody has the time to figure out whats
absolutely right in a purchase decision.

So she would infinitely prefer to have a

brand she can trust and with which she
can develop a relationship
A brand she can pick up blindly - without
wasting too much time

Why should she think about

which soap to buy?

Lux works
T
Pick up Lux!

Hey, its easier, doesnt waste time

and is altogether more relaxing

But . . .

Here comes the glass teat . . .

The current Size of the
entertainment industry is
Rs 40,230 Crore
With an estimated growth rate
of 20 % over the next 4 years

There are already 300

television channels
And the ad spend in India is
just 0.48 % of GDP versus a
global average of 0.96 %!
Source: Association of Indian Magazines

We haven't the ability,

time or desire to absorb even
a fraction of all this

And everybodys wooing the

consumer in the same way . . .

Ford says, Go Fida!

And shows a car

SX4 talks about real men

And shows a car

Indica says, You gotta be

dumb!
And shows a car

Verna talks about 250 horses

And shows a car

Isnt this getting boring?

L
BRANDS
?

The word brand is over-used, sterile

and unimaginative
Michael Eisner,CEO, Disney

In fact, the Indian consumer

isnt just brand-ready . . .
shes brand hungry
Starving . . .
Famished . . .
Ravenous . . .

Moment of truth:

Shes ready
but are we?

Are marketeers
differentiating
brands sufficiently?

Do all brands have a

unique value proposition?

Do they have a
unique emotional
proposition?

Are they based on

a
unique insight?

Do they have anything

unique

unique

about them at all?

Thats why theres a crying

need for scientific, processdriven branding
Because theres a crying need
for brands that consumers relate to
and choose automatically

Question:
How do you establish a brand
relationship?

Answer:
How do you develop a relationship
with anybody?

First youre attracted by his

or
her looks and personality

But what maintains the

relationship?

An appreciation
of each others intelligence

A likeability and
consistency
of behavior

Two dimensions, in short

Both of which apply to brands as well

A postulate
Branding today needs to be
more sophisticated
and cannot be restricted to the single
dimension of personality

After all, a brand is much more than a

product

Brand

Organizational
Associations

Product

Country of origin
User imagery

Brand
personality
Symbols

Scope
Attributes
Uses
Quality/Value
Functional
benefits

Emotional
benefits

Brand/Customer
relationships

Self-expressive
benefits

It is the business as a whole

Hence, it is critical for marketers to first evolve a
strategic Brand Identity
And it must be done before spending the big bucks in
creating the physical identity.
The strategic identity evolution needs to necessarily take
into account the macro- organizational perspective
And the business internal strengths and weaknesses
This means that Brand Identity must be based on a
dimension beyond conventional personality.

So what can be the

other dimension?

Brand Intelligence

 When Hindustan Lever launches a soap, the

basic intelligence of the brand will be very
different from a soap launched by Marico or ITC
That intelligence is inextricably linked to the
brand owners core strengths and weaknesses
Ergo, that intelligence must be reflected in the
way the brand behaves

Unfortunately this is something

most brand-builders ignore
We believe, while creating a brand, we must
take into account . . .

INTELLIGENCE

1.

PERSONALITY

Brand Intelligence:
1.

This reflects your brands fundamental abilities and internal

competencies: that is, your brands DNA.

2.

2.

It tells you what your brand can do

Brand Personality:
1.

Expresses your brands behavior: that is, how it reacts to

environmental factors and upbringing

2.

It tells you how your brand will do what it does

By taking into account

two dimensions,
a brand incorporates . . .

Realistic market
potential

Consumer attitudes

The environment

A companys internal
strengths

In short, the whole picture

Internal

Market
Consumer

Environment

So your brand identity becomes

more than just a branding tool
It becomes a
business
governance tool

One that gives you clear

directions for:
Product Portfolio Management
New Product Development
Retail & Channel strategy
Sales Organization Structure and training
requirements
Complete communication plan (both above and
below the line)
Detailed briefs for Ad Agencies, Designers and
Merchandisers to create appropriate creative
products

Some examples

TVS Tyres - where brand identity became

the brief for tyre design
Namdhari Fresh - where brand identity
dictated the way the store brands products
were designed
Greenlime Tissues - where brand
identity decided the distribution strategy

Implications for
the marketer

 Since the consumer decision making process is complex

and most of the times an irrational one, it is a common
belief across marketing and branding professionals and
consultants that there is no science behind it.
We at Vertebrand hold a contrarian view. For us,
marketing and branding is as much a science as it is an
art form.
The entire approach to understanding the minds of the
consumer and developing the brand identity and essence needs
to be scientific.
While this needs to artistically and creatively translate into
communication and market activity that is captivating.

Finally, all brands have only one

raison detre

Right?