Others’ hifaazat may also spell success...

4Ps B&M: Can you elaborate on your rural strategy? What proportion does rural business account for in Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance?
AM: The rural business has its own challenges in terms of acquisition cost and service delivery mechanism. As per the regulators, certain amount of business has to be from rural areas each year and we have been achieving this every year.

4Ps B&M: What was the idea behind the ad campaign “Safety Hai to Sab Hero” and the Ghajini TVC? How has been the response so far?
AM: Both these call campaigns have helped get instant recall to the brand. Also these campaign have instant connect with the mass audience as they were very topical in nature.

4Ps B&M: What have you done during last six months in terms of your marketing and how has been the response to it?
AM: The last six month saw brand Bajaj Allianz being a highly visible brand. We have carried on a communication strategy to be highly visible and remembered. We are very happy with our improved brand recall. Bajaj Allianz today is a popular brand and features in the top 50 service brands. Recently Bajaj Allianz has unveiled its new campaign ‘Jiyo Befikar’. This is the first campaign by Bajaj Allianz that directly emphasises the brand and not the products they offer. It highlights Bajaj Allianz’s promise to give you Hifaazat (protection) by enhancing your financial opportunities and protecting you and your family from all risks. This campaign also incorporates the new tag line – Bajaj Allianz Insurance, ‘Jiyo Befikar’. This deliberate shift from functional communication to a more expressive communication based on real life situations, has been developed on the basis of various consumer insights and research. These insights clearly revealed that there is a need to create a much stronger connection with Bajaj Allianz’s target audience.

At Bajaj Allianz, we believe in staying by the consumers’ side at every stage of his life and this translates into our new positioning. The new brand television commercial conveys these emotions through real life situations of people living carefree because they are protected by their loved ones. Conceived by M&C Saatchi and shot by Dungarpur Films, this film’s lyrics have been composed by none other than Oscar winner Gulzar, while the music has been composed by Vishal Bharadwaj and the song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh.

4Ps B&M: What innovative products do you plan to come out with in the future?
AM: Bajaj Allianz has launched several innovative products keeping in mind the needs of the customers. Some of them are – Capital Shield, Protection Plus. We have recently launched a sub-brand for women and child products under the name – Miss Confident.

4Ps B&M: A host of banks and others have evinced keen interest in setting up insurance ventures. Do you think this will lead to overcrowding?
AM: The Indian market is huge enough to accommodate a number of players. India had over 220 insurance companies prior nationalisation in 1956. At that time due to lack of control and lax regulations the sector could not be monitored as it is now. More number of players would only benefit the consumers and at the same time puts the existing players on its toes to perform better.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Rakesh Bharti Mittal, VC, Bharti Enterprises

“Indian retail has emerged...”

4Ps B&M: Bharti joined hands with Del Monte four years back. Why did it take so long to launch the Del Monte range of processed food?
RBM: When we tied up with Del Monte, the aim was to take Indian fresh fruits and vegetables to the international market and make India a global food hub. While we’ve managed to achieve that, we thought this was the right time to introduce our own range of processed food. The Indian organised retail has really emerged and the Indian economy too is on an upward swing. Our range of processed food will cater to the increasing consumer needs.

4Ps B&M: You are importing products and not manufacturing them in India. Won’t it add to cost pressures?
RBM: We’ve a manufacturing facility in Bangalore from where we are sourcing processed mango and guava. We’re also setting up a plant in Hosur in Tamil Nadu and plan to start production from there 2010 onwards. I don’t think there will be any cost pressure as we’ve good relations with our suppliers and moreover we will be providing international quality to our consumers.

4Ps B&M: What’s your vision for this range?
RBM: We’re already the largest exporter of fresh baby corn in India. I see ourselves as one of the top 10 players in the next five-six years.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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SUBRATA DUTTA, COO, SAMSONITE

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1. Amul billboards

2. Hutch’s ‘Where ever you go, our network follows’ campaign – in a very simple way, the brand conveyed the entire brand offerings, which till then no other telecommunication company had done.

3. Nirma’s ad campaigns launched in 2002 – the campaign had a high brand recall in rural areas

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Kerela’s bucolic symmetary

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Brand: Kerela Tourism
Agency: Stark Communications

Be it for its backwaters, Ayurveda or Mohiniyattam, Kerela has invited tourists from across the globe for decades. These already favourable winds enabled the agency to come up with the God’s own country campaign in 2000. The tagline gave Kerela a life of its own. As the campaign gathered momentum, the number of tourists grew. In 2005, 3.45 lakh international and 59.46 lakh domestic tourists visited Kerela. Next, Kerala Tourism signed up ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan to direct its campaign. Not only did this one work wonders for the brand but also a few others (like the ‘Rain, rain, come again’ print ad) which wooed potential tourists in certain West Asian countries

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Namita Chhetri, CEO, ICMR, Planman Consulting, disagrees

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If proof of the pudding is in the eating, then Tamagawa is putting his words into action. Walk into a Sony shop and you’ll realise that for one, the company has changed the branding of their exclusive retail stores – Sony World – to Sony Centre, brushed up their brand shops and upgraded their displays, ways of demonstration and even the quality of floor salesmen to world standard level. Tamagawa claims that these moves would provide new shopping experiences to the consumers that cannot be availed of in any other consumer shop in India.

Strangely, despite the recent excise duty cut, Tamagawa says Sony just might increase its product prices, “If the current exchange rate continues or further declines in FY09, we may not be able to avoid a price increase. Furthermore, the duty structure of India is still very high compared to other countries, and the consumer is the one who pays this high tax. The government should consider a reduction in the duty structure as a means to stimulate consumer demand.”

Namita Chhetri, CEO, ICMR, Planman Consulting, disagrees, “The real killer of all these glorious attempts of Sony is not the duty structure but Sony’s refusal to understand that providing consumer finance drives consumer sales in the Indian electronics industry!” There seems some sense in the logic as, while the industry average for financing products is at 40%, Sony India finances only a measly 5% of its total product sales.

At the end of the day, the fact is that Sony was the first foreign company to be allowed into India with 100% FDI. And it’s certainly not going to be the last. Unless Sony fortifies its consumer loyalty levels, rising competitive pressures and reducing duty structures might see a day when Sony ends up getting the shorter end of the market stick, both in differentiation and in price.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Articulate & savvy, the Cookie Queen speaks...

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4Ps B&M: The Danone controversy is resolved. The mood at Britannia?
VB: The mood in Britannia is driven by our performance and results and is upbeat because we have seen profitable growth. The shareholding pattern of Britannia does not impact our strategy in the profitable pursuit of growth.

4Ps B&M: You’ve worked with various MNCs across continents? Which one has been your favourite stint?
VB: (Laughs) Its very difficult to choose one. They’ve all been my favorites because there were different challenges in different markets & different companies. In some places it was about increasing the overall market because we were category leaders. In others it was a greater competitive focus. In Britannia, the task was different. I had to ask myself, what can I do with a brand that already has tremendous equity? So in each company, I had different sets of opportunities and challenges and I enjoyed each stint.

4Ps B&M: What has been your strategy for Britannia?
VB: Quite simply, about how to sell more biscuits, bread, dairy, et al, to more people in more places. Naturally, the questions you ask yourself are different. How to make biscuits an impulse purchase product? What are the personal consumption traits of the consumer? How to activate the brand at the point of sale, how to create a diversity of packages and price points, how to create operational excellence, both at the back-end and front-end, how to leverage the financial, marketing and technical strengths of the company to create a competitive advantage. The answers to these questions formed a path for me to follow and approach the market strategically.
4Ps B&M: You’ve implemented many structural changes at Britannia. Did you encounter resistance?
VB: Whenever there is a change, there is bound to be resistance, some people chose to leave, and they did. We brought in a lot of fresh talent and capability. But the important thing is when you are open about change, you can count most people in. For me, it was about creating an energetic, open & transparent environment, where people were inspired to do best work. That meant creating formal and informal channels of communication, making myself and the leadership team accessible to all. You’ll notice that anybody can walk into my room here or send me an e-mail or SMS and everybody gets a response.

4Ps B&M: How have these structural changes boosted Britannia’s growth?
VB: Apart from the 20% plus compound annual growth we have seen in the last three years, we have significantly increased our capability across the board. For example, in the last two years, we filed three new technology patents, outpaced the industry in innovation, won several awards for our products and advertising. We’ve doubled our bread, cake and rusk portfolio. Our dairy business is worth approx. Rs.200 crore today. We also acquired new businesses overseas.

4Ps B&M: Experts say Britannia lacks aggressiveness. Comment.
VB: Results drive reputation. If 22% growth is not aggressive, then I don’t know what aggression is. Isn’t having the largest product portfolio in the industry, out-pacing market growth and taking bold and responsible steps like removing trans-fats and fortifying 50% of the portfolio, aggressive? Also Britannia was one of the eight companies world-wide recognised by Time and Bill Gates as an example of Creative Capitalism. I think people get more enamoured by form rather than actual substance.

4Ps B&M: Plans for the coming year?
VB: The main driver of growth in 2009 will be superb execution right through the value chain. New launches in the coming financial year will also continue to drive growth. We’ll focus on a mix of brands, packs, geographies, categories and price points to deliver profitable growth. Our credo is everyday consumption – Marie is for morning tea, bread & cheese is for breakfast, NutriChoice is for the adult tiffin – and we’ll continue to enrich our portfolio with products that are healthy and delightful across bakery and dairy spectrums, different price points and geographies in line with that credo.

4Ps B&M: Your vision for Britannia?
VB: I want Britannia to be the best brand of India. It has already been ranked as the best food brand of the country. Now I want Britannia to be a “part of everyday life” of our consumers.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Multi Screen Media (MSM) is charging...

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In addition, the unreasonably high rates that Multi Screen Media (MSM) is charging have also pushed some advertisers to focus more on such kinds of deals. As per industry sources, MSM was charging Rs. 4 lakhs for a 10 second slot a couple of weeks ago (and mind you, these rates are for preliminary matches; the rates for finals and semi finals are even higher). But there were not many takers for the slots at such exorbitant prices. And thus, within just two weeks, the prices are said to have fallen down to Rs. 3 lakhs per 10 second slots. “IPL is hot property since the visibility is high; yet if you go by the cost benefit analysis, it’s not that hot for advertisers, considering the expensive pricing of the ad slots,” avers Havas Media’s Nayyar. Here is the cost benefit analysis Anita may be referring to: On an average, an IPL match delivered ratings of 4-5 and is costing Rs.4 lakhs per 10 second slot. A Balika Vadhu delivers an average rating in the range of 4-6 and costs Rs.3 lakhs per 10 second slot. So it makes more sense to advertise on Balika Vadhu over IPL.

Interestingly, IPL is also fighting for marketers’ attention with the T-20 gala – the ICC T-20 World Cup 2009, which is also around the corner, starting June 5, 2009. This is also one reason for the lack of interest among advertisers when it comes to booking TV spots. “The ICC T-20 World Cup is a major reason why advertisers are shying away from IPL as they will be getting almost the same visibility at a cheaper price,” said a media analyst requesting anonymity. Though experts agree that there’ll be a rush for TV spots once the League kicks off, they believe companies will focus more on deals that promise higher returns.

That’s life in a slowdown folks! When resources are scarce, collectivism wins. More for less is the mantra. And IPL, by virtue of its heady concoction of cricket, Bollywood, glamour, thrills – the works, turns out to be a much larger canvas than any individual celebrity. So KKR rules, at least for now. No hard feelings, Hrithik!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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We are here for long term

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Optimism in ads is equivalent to a ‘get well soon’ card. You send it not because you really want the person to get well but because you want that person to think you’re understanding and that you care for him
Manoj Shetty, Creative Director, O&M

I think optimism, hope and a better tomorrow will be the fulcrum of the times and the crux of communication in these bad times, as consumers will go for restraint and considered choice making
Swapan Seth, CEO, Equus Red Cell

We have already increased our marketing budget. We will be doing a 360 degree campaign for Linea, which will include heavy advertising on mass mediums like TV and print, apart from BTL activities
Tarun Khanna, Head-Marketing, Fiat India

Our marketing budget for 2009 is Rs.400 crore. Along with advertisements, we will focus on moments of truth, to make the shopping experience memorable for our consumers
V. Ramachandran, Director Marketing, LG India

There is no better and bad timing and we are not here for today or tomorrow, we are here for long term. To provide the best alternative (as an entertainment channel) in bad times will be our focus
Sunil Lulla, Director, Real Global Broadcasting

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Warren Buffett, now the world’s richest individual...

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Warren Buffett, now the world’s richest individual, wrote this brilliant analysis in a legendary letter to his investors in 2005, “Long ago, Sir Isaac Newton gave us three laws of motion, which were the work of genius. But Sir Isaac’s talents didn’t extend to investing: He lost a bundle in the South Sea bubble, explaining later, ‘I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men’. If he had not been traumatised by this loss, Sir Isaac might well have gone on to discover the Fourth Law of Motion: For investors, as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases.” Interestingly, if you’re looking at tax planning simply for saving taxes, you’ve still not understood Buffett’s motion principles at all... For tax planning is now purely about wealth creation!
By Gyanendra Kashyap

A smart move by witty Portia had enabled Antonio to escape Shylock’s wrath in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Alas, that was just a play; in reality we have millions of Antonios losing pounds of their flesh every year. Bemused? If you belong to the knowledgeable suited partisan clan playing to cliched galleries that consider taxes and death as inevitable, you’re our sweet Antonio! For death might be inevitable, but in the same way as you can delay death with a healthy lifestyle, you can also reduce your taxes – and increase your wealth – with a healthy tax planning lifestyle. Surprise surprise, modern day Portias do exist to trick the modern day Shy/Taxlocks.

‘Prudent tax planning’ is an issue that, in today’s busy world, is the last thing many keep in mind when they enter a new financial year. Sadly, it’s not just that people don’t care for tax planning (at least, till the last quarter before their due date for tax payment), but that they believe they’re the smartest tax whiz kids down the block because one fine morning, they can audaciously get up from their deep slumber, go to an agent and dump Rs.1 lakh in various ‘so called’ tax saving schemes.

Looking at the masses that show such radical characteristic, it seems as if people, of late, have developed an uncanny likeness for hustle, hassle and drainage of money. They consider this ‘year end deposit’ as a mere obligation to be fulfilled. But what they fail to realise is that this ‘mere obligation’ is actually working against their wealth. Even though it seems that they are actually accumulating a so called ‘fortune’ by adding a lump sum investment every year without fail, this falsity of a fortune is damaging their future income competencies considerably. Apparently, it is this massive failure of realisation that necessitates a careful assessment of the tax payer’s investment in terms of liquidity, security of investment, return and tax on such investments.

At the start comes a Zeusian philosophical change. The tax payer, instead of considering tax planning as mere obligation, must fanatically consider this as an extremely important investment for the future. The tax payee must believe that a planning strategy is not just for saving tax, but most for actual wealth creation; a process that he must follow with an utmost visionary zeal. If that philosophical change can’t be ingrained by a payee, then woe behold those who can’t make this process a successful exercise to take full advantage of all permissible tax deductions and rebates available on stipulated tax saving investments and to make optimum use of tax-exempted incomes.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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(G)lovely solution for the New Year!

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Now, “Pull my finger” has a whole new meaning. Ask Apple and iPhone fans...

Apple has announced another first in the name of ‘innovation’. The United States Patent and Trademark Office released Apple’s most recent application on January 1, 2009. And through the same, the company filed for patent protection for a ‘glove’, yes a handglove!

It is not a magical one though, just a power glove. The proposed patent (number 20090000010) is for what Apple calls a ‘High-tactility glove system’ designed to aid iPhone users in operating their multi-touch devices in frigid weather. As the application says, “When users, in cold weather, wear thick or bulky gloves, the loss of tactile feedback to the user may prevent the user from properly operating the electronic device, and may lead to frustration.” Therefore, this is another step from Apple ensuring that its users get the best of utility and comfort!

Apple’s glovely solution is a two-layer ‘system’, with an outer insulating layer and an internal conductive layer. In the fingertips of the outer layer there are ‘apertures’ through which the user may punch-in his or her desired digit, so that it appropriately provides for a multi-touch display, while still protected by the inner layer. These apertures, according to the application, may be closed by an elastic ring or cap in order to prevent rainwater from reaching the liner through the aperture, or to prevent cooling of the user’s fingers through the aperture.

Given above is the flow-chart (filed by Apple with the patent), which describes the activities a user must engage-in to enjoy fully the benefits of this innovation. Though the product has not yet been launched in the market, there is no doubt that active Apple fans, especially those in perennial cold weather will cheer its entry. As per market reports, The US Patent and Trademark Office is optimistic about granting Apple Inc. the IPR, as it feels that the innovative effort is “authentic.” So all we got to do now is to wait for this glovely solution to hit the global market. Yes, for fans, the warmth of scrolling, flicking, and punching-in digits looks interesting, but isn’t a hole in the finger of a glove taking IPR protection a wee bit too far? Apple doesn’t mind it though; do you?

Nura Yor

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Politics

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

Coup of the Year
Singh was proven king this year, once at the box office and when Manmohan Singh showed his skills at ‘Survivalonomics’. He not only staved off a no confidence motion moved against the UPA government on the N-Deal issue, but also went on to ultimately clinch the nuke deal!

The Counter Coup
Anti-incumbency became a casualty in the November 2008 Assembly elections, with Congress retaining Delhi, and BJP retaining Chhattisgarh & MP. Even Vasundhara Raje missed Rajasthan by only a whisker

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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This humble hack dares to be...

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This humble hack dares to be presumptuous enough to write with trepidation and a certain gumption that would hardly ruffle the feathers of a mighty and towering giant of an entrepreneur whose companies have been on a quest of global conquest in the last few years; albeit without the marauding violence and contempt displayed by the rampaging armies of George Bush Jr. I marvel at the vision, stamina, will power, fortitude, leadership skills and chutzpah you must have to manage a group with about 80 companies. I was an even more ardent admirer of your predecessor the late J.R.D. Tata.

Like all hacks, I was going through a bunch of newspapers the other morning when I stumbled upon this headline: “Tata Seeks Special Funds in Banks.” Like most hacks, I was curious; wondering if the mighty Ratan Tata now wants to buy up a bank or two after gobbling up Corus, Jaguar and Land Rover. After reading the story, I must admit I was puzzled; you may say even baffled and bamboozled. The question kept ringing in my humble head: the mighty Ratan Tata, the great global entrepreneur, the saviour of India Inc. and India, now going to the government with a hat in hand?

It seems you have found some time from your maddeningly busy schedule to write a letter to the humble Dr. Manmohan Singh. He must have felt elated because he was dejected when Barack Obama didn’t call him. In the letter, you have taken up the responsibility of saving the brightest jewels of India Inc. from distress and even disaster. In keeping with the Tata tradition of corporate ethics and social responsibility that was so exemplified by J.R.D. Tata, your mission is selfless and charitable. You want ‘select’ Indian banks to create a special contingency fund for ‘credit-worthy’ Indian companies. And what would that fund do? It would rescue allegedly top performing and leading ‘credit-worthy’ companies from despair, if the dollar and euro loans they have taken are recalled or have to be repaid in a hurry. That is because the global financial meltdown might compel many foreign banks and institutions desperate for liquidity to refuse to extend or roll over the loans after December 31, 2008, when they close their books of accounts. Visionary leader that you are, you have chosen to be pre-emptive and pro-active in saving the honour, the very izzat of ‘credit-worthy’ Indian companies and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs that are not considered ‘credit-worthy’ by you have no izzat anyway.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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“Many cosmetics contain animal by-products”

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Estella Lau of The Body Shop talks about how the beauty industry has seen a shift, with consumers wanting more natural products. By Savreen Gadhoke

Do you think that perception of the consumer toward natural products has changed since The Body Shop was launched three decades ago?
The Body Shop has a belief that nature’s way is the way to be beautiful. Natural ingredients used in our products are sourced from all corners of the earth to bring our customers the very best to enhance their natural beauty. The beauty industry has seen a shift, with consumers wanting more naturals in their skin care and make-up products. As knowledge & information becomes more accessible, consumers are more aware of the benefits of natural ingredients. They have also become more conscious of their health and have become more selective of the type of cosmetics and skin care products.

With so many beauty products floating around in the marketplace, how does The Body Shop maintain its base of customers?
The Body Shop recognises that the stresses of everyday modern living have taken a toll on customers’ lifestyles. This has led to the development of our new ‘Wellbeing’ range, which was recently launched. Each range contains active natural ingredients based on traditional herbal remedies providing top-rate performance formulations. Every product in the range contains of at least one Community Trade ingredient, so wellbeing needs are taken care of while a community benefits in the process.

After The Body Shop was sold to L’Oréal, was there any shift in the perception of the consumer toward it continuing to use natural ingredients? What efforts did The Body Shop take to sustain its brand image with the consumers?
L’Oréal has been committed to The Body Shop sitting as a separate entity within L’Oréal and has made it clear that we are to keep our existing identity and values. Because of this, our customers have been as supportive as ever of our business.

When you market your products, what attributes besides being natural, do you focus on?
When customers buy from The Body Shop, not only do they walk away with a quality product, customers also know that they are buying from a company that is working to have a positive impact in the world.

What about rumours that your products are not 100% natural?
The Body Shop is a global retailer of naturally inspired, ethically produced beauty & cosmetics products. Wherever possible, we source our natural ingredients such as plants, herbs, fruits, nuts and so forth from sustainable sources. We use naturally-based ingredients as constituents in our products, selected for their natural skin caring and moisturising properties and used in appropriate levels. As consumer safety is paramount, our formulations contain various levels of synthetics, preservatives & emulsifiers, which are needed to protect the products and consumers against bacteria, yeasts and moulds.

The Body Shop is also extremely committed to animal protection and we believe that no animal needs to be harmed to produce cosmetics. In 2007, we announced that all of The Body Shop products were ‘suitable for vegetarians,’ which means that our products are free of any ingredients resulting from animal slaughter, such as gelatin or animal hair. It may sound strange but many cosmetics do contain these animal by-products. Customers with strong vegetarian principles seek products that they can use without compromising their ethics, and we are keen to meet their needs.

Savreen Gadhoke

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Dominate Sony? Disrupt Zee? Displace Star?

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Even Zee has rolled up its sleeves and is launching a slew of new programmes. Three of them – Choti Bahu, Maa & Rang – are expected to debut soon. And one should never forget the strong comeback Zee made and the way it threatened Star Plus’ leadership a year ago. Talking about the new GECs, Zee TV’s Programming Head, Ajay Bhalwankar told 4Ps B&M, “New channels have focused on distraction based programming, which has got them viewers but that definitely cannot get them viewer loyalty that we have developed over the last 14 years.”

Sony’s Marketing Head, Khan agrees, “It’s too premature to say that Colors can lead the GEC race or not. Earlier NDTV Imagine and 9X also got higher ratings but they couldn’t sustain it and now they are behind us.” Sony has got its weekend ratings stronger due to Indian Idol 4. “We have got our weekend programming right. We are number one or two on weekends and now we are focusing on getting our weekdays programming right,” adds Khan. Sony has not been able to make a strong impact for the last one year. “Sony has continuously been trying and launching new shows different from the typical Saas-Bahu drama (like Sujata, Kuch Is Tara, and more recently Aanthva Vachan) but nothing has clicked strongly for them so far,” says a media analyst. Right now Sony is focusing on launching programming based on female protagonists but with a regional set up. One such soon to debut programme is Meet Mila de Rabba, which is built around a Punjabi set up and feel. One may see a lot of weekday programming based on different regional areas on Sony in coming times.

Undoubtedly, Colors is promising both for audience and advertisers. As Nayyar admits, “Earlier when a marketer needed reach they had to look up only to Star, Zee or Sony, but Colors has come as a good break with a strong reach.” The only challenge for them is to sustain their performance. Basabdatta Chowdhary, COO, Madison Media warns, “My only word of caution is that once Big Boss (which is a huge rating grosser for Colors) goes off air in November, this may impact the ratings of the channel.” So the replacement for Big Boss will decide a lot for Colors.

Moreover, with ADAG’s Big Broadcasting to launch two channels in the category by the year end, the competition will get even more intense. Affirms Rajesh Sawhney, CEO, Big Entertainment, “We don’t believe in doing what others are doing. We will not only sharply define our target audience but our programming too.” And as ADAG’s aggressive DNA goes, Big Broadcasting will surely do its best to disrupt the segment and pose a bigger threat to Star and Zee. At that time, the biggest challenge for Colors will be to hold audience interest and not fade out after the initial kick it got.

Interestingly, Colors and other new GECs have expanded overall entertainment viewing on the telly. Before the entry of Colors, 9X & NDTV Imagine, the category was averaging about 950-975 GRPs. Now the category has regained some share from movie, news & kids channels and is averaging at 1,200 GRPs over the past 4-6 weeks – a clear growth of 23% in a years’ time. Do we hear GEC honchos setting aside rivalries for a while and unanimously yelling the hurrah?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Consumer’s perspective; yes, they still matter

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Despite what you, I, my cook and my dear SUV manufacturers were thinking all these years along, strangely, consumers do matter [damn you Kotler]! Going back to a historical time line, when Honda launched the third generation of its SUV, CR-V in India and made waves in the automotive circles, it was not serendipity at all. Masahiro Takedagawa, CEO, Honda Siel, had told this magazine, “The all-new CR-V is targeted at a young audience with an average age of 35-40 years. It is meant for people who are educated, tech-savvy and adventurous.” SUVs [Sports Utility Vehicle, for sweet mercies] were the kind of words which were supposed to infuse a ‘virile adrenaline powered boost in your body every time you heard them pass by’... Uh, ok, I copied that term in the quotes from an auto manual. But hey, cynicism apart, the fact is that most creators seemed [and still seem] to describe an SUV from my planet, Mars! The rationale of providing a diesel engine, four wheel drive, wheel locking and robust multi-variate technically super advanced gadgetry was that when one would take out the SUV off-road, the vehicle would simply not break down!

The small little mistake was, the majority of consumers were and still are not buying the SUVs for taking the vehicles off the roads. A typical SUV buyer still wants a larger then life ‘big’ vehicle which looks ‘big’, has ‘big’ tyres, ‘big’ bumpers, and most importantly, exudes ‘big’ class but would never perhaps want to take it off the roads. The maximum that SUV buyers – and my boss – finally got down to do was to travel interstate on pristinely maintained highways. Unfortunately, there were too few of even such buyers. Leading to companies even testing out the Softloaders. When Toyota launched the Prado in India, it preferred a petrol engine instead of a diesel and so did Suzuki with the XL7.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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WHY FOUR ISN’T LUCKY FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS...

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After its incorporation as a new entity, AEBC in 2008, its core focus in the country – that of providing plastic money services to its Indian consumers – was back. “The Indian card market provides ample of opportunities to players like us; thanks to the huge untapped market with increasing consumers’ disposable incomes, buying habits et al,” explains Hennin. The consequent rise in consumer expenditure, growing affluence levels and consumer sophistication have all led to a robust growth in its credit card business. So far so good. But the question really is: does it make sense for AEBC to focus so much on its credit card business in India, while financial companies the world over are complaining that debt levels have risen? Surely, statistics prove so. As per the 2007-08 RBI Report, the total value of transactions made on credit cards during the year amounted to an incredible Rs.579.58 billion, an increase of 40.1% as compared to 2006-07. Moreover, the total number of credit card transactions too rose by a swashbuckling 34.6% y-o-y to touch an incredible 228.2 million during 2007-08. Now this compared to a poor 8.6% growth during 2006-07 is definitely good news for AEBC! As per N. Wadhwa, Director, SKI Capital, “The credit card market is growing at a healthy rate of 30-35%. The total card market today in terms of billings is growing at 30-35% p.a. and is estimated to reach over $20 billion this year. It definitely holds great promise for those who want to bet on it!” Also with just 2% of total consumer spending in the country being made via cards, the future looks anything but gloomy!

AEBC today caters to its consumers’ needs through cards like the Green and Gold Charge Cards, Green and Gold Credit Cards, Airline co-brand Cards, Corporate Charge Card, Platinum Charge and Credit Card. One unique strategy from this plastic money provider which helps it minimise defaults to negligible (as company officials claim) is that it only caters to a niche audience. Surely, this would not help it garner market share but it would give it the critical hedged position needed in a financial market where you deal with commodities (in this case credit) which never guarantee you immunity.

“In the current scenario, India presents unprecedented opportunities to Amex to further its strategy to own and serve the premium segment. Amex’s strategy to work with the premium segment fits in very well in the present Indian environment,” clarifies Amit Dutta, VP, Brand & Customer Engagement, American Express India. But as encouraging as the current situation sounds, the low income levels in the country makes work difficult for Hennin. “With others too targeting people from all possible segments, the competition only gets tougher for American Express,” explains A. Jainani, VP (Research), Khandwala Securities.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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One more, below the belt!

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Maheshwari agrees, “The launch of Google Chrome could shake the dominant position of Microsoft in web browsers industry, which accounts for more than 70% of the browser industry.” However, the short term impact doesn’t seem much severe as much of the systems in work across the world have Internet Explorer as their default web browser. Switching to other browsers isn’t that easy for users when they are comfortable with an existing one. Its initial move cannot be considered as an assault on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, but the long term strategy may indeed be an assault on other products, like Office.

Currently, a majority of the browser market is being held by Microsoft, followed by Mozilla, and thus, leaving just 3% to 5% share of the browser industry for other players like Opera, Safari, and Netscape. Google already enjoys a dominant position in the search engine market, and combined with its own web browser with differentiated features, it holds the true potential to bring about a ‘disruption’ in the industry, resulting in restructuring of its market landscape. As competition often results in innovation of one sort or another, it will further lead to intensified competition in the industry, which, in turn, would lead to the introduction of more improved and innovative user-friendly features in the industry. Maheshwari believes that “Chrome’s impact on other browsers will be quite noticeable if things go well as per planned by Google.”

While the competition between Microsoft and Google is likely to produce many improvements for consumers, the likely fallout from the battle will be other browser makers that have only recently begun to pry market share away from Microsoft. Firefox could become a victim of “friendly fire” from Google as many of its users are the same early adopters who are most likely to switch and try a new browser. Other browsers, like Opera and Apple’s Safari might suffer loss of popularity too. The impact of Chrome on Opera will be minimal as Opera’s growth on the desktop is limited. But Opera will face challenges in the mobile space (where Opera’s potential lies) when Android or mobile version of Chrome will be released at the end of this year.

So far, the launches of new browsers by other companies have not been able to dent Microsoft’s dominant position. Only Mozilla has been successful in snatching a small chunk of the industry from Microsoft.

But with the entry of Google, one can expect some serious browser wars now. And while “who should we be rooting for” in this war is still a matter of ‘economist’ speculation, one thing’s for sure - considering how Google is moving towards destroying Microsoft’s citadels step by step, the latter needs to be very very worried...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
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