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Ringside is a report that provides an overview of happenings in categories of Airlines, Alcohol, Cars, Computers, Consumer Durables, Financial Services, Food and Beverages, Hotels, Real Estate, Retail, Telecom Service Providers, Two-wheelers, Skin Care and Athletic Shoes.

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This tracker has been compiled from external sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Links provided will take you to the full articles appended at the end of the file.

© 2008 Zenith Optimedia.

 

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Full Articles

 

 

27. Coke To Promote Brand New Kinley

23 July, 2008

 

Playing the pure and transparent card, Coca-Cola's Kinley brand of packaged drinking water is in repositioning mode.

 

In line with the brand's ongoing 'Boond Boond Mein Vishwas' tag, Coca-Cola will be launching a countrywide outdoor and TV campaign with an all-new packaging for Kinley. The curvy blue bottle relies on "transparent labelling and will be easy to hold", says Coca-Cola India marketing director Avinash Pant.

 

When asked whether the Kinley re-launch will eat into the market share of yet another Coca-Cola water brand, Bonaqua, Mr Pant declined comment with a cryptic, "Kinley continues to be our flagship brand".

 

In the whole repackaging/repositioning scheme of things, pricing has been left unchanged (Rs 13) in some territories like Delhi, but is pegged at Rs 15 in UP and other areas. When asked about the escalation, a Coca-Cola India spokesperson maintained that some bottlers have hiked prices owing to inflationary pressures.

 

The company's own Dasna-based Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages is one such bottler. The campaign hits the market on July 25, and, according to Mr Pant, has been designed to build trust along the product line. "The change in the shape of the bottle was a result of consumer feedback and we decided that convenience was the need of the hour," he says.

 

 

 

28. Now, UB Group Plans Kingfisher Himalayan Water Brand

22 July, 2008

 

Every drop counts. Water is going to become a full blown business for the group with the possibility of it even being spun off as a separate company in the future.

 

As the slugfest between Bisleri and the Tatas continues over the infringement of the ‘Himalayan’ trademark, the UB Group has decided to enter the category with its Kingfisher Himalaya Natural Mineral Water.

 

Having registered this name as its trademark the liquor major is now planning to unleash its natural mineral water sourced from the Himalayas.

 

“We intend launching our natural mineral water in the next few months and as long as it is sourced from the Himalayas we will be using the word Himalaya for our brand.

 

“Kingfisher Himalaya Natural water has already been registered as a brand and we will definitely go ahead and use it as long as the source for the mineral water is rightly mentioned,” said a senior UB group official.

 

In fact, water is going to become a key business for the UB Group as it has decided to treat it as a separate business and may even float a new company for the same.

 

“Water is no longer a surrogate product and after natural mineral water, we are looking at more categories such as enhanced water as water is going to become a full blown business for the group with the possibility of it even being spun off as a separate company in the future,” said the official.

 

Meanwhile, Bisleri International has approached the Intellectual Property Appellate Board in Chennai for rectification of the ‘Himalayan’ trademark.

 

“We are challenging the exclusivity of the Himalaya word as it is descriptive in nature and is an indication of the quality and nature of water as it is derived from a specific geographical location,” said Mr Ramesh Chauhan, Chairman, Bisleri International.

 

Bisleri International has been made to reduce its font size for the words ‘From the Himalayas’ in its communication for its Bisleri Mountain brand of ‘Himalayan’ water after Mt. Everest Mineral Water (a Tata Group Company) moved court against Bisleri for infringement of its trademark in terms of using the ‘Himalayan’ word in its brand name and packaging.

 

“If we succeed in winning this case, Himalaya will cease to be a trademark but just a word and this will lead to other players who have also entered this segment to use this word in their brands,” said Mr Chauhan. Currently, there are natural mineral water brands such as Catch, Hello, Paras, Qua and Natural which source their water from the geographical region of the Himalayas.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Pradeep Poddar, Managing Director & CEO, Mount Everest Mineral Water, said, “Though we have yet to go through the trademark rectification order, we are working towards.

 

 

29. CavinKare Forays Into South Indian Snacks Segment

31 July, 2008

 

Shampoos to foods company CavinKare Pvt Ltd is all set to launch a range of traditional South Indian snacks. To start with, it will introduce mixture, murukku (in variants including garlic), and plantain chips under the brand Chinni’s Cruncho.

 

“As this is the first ever range of branded South Indian snacks, we stand a good chance in the market,” says Mr C. K. Ranganathan, Chairman and Managing Director of the Rs 500-crore company. According to him, these products are to be sourced from a manufacturer in Coimbatore “to the company’s specifications, and packed hygienically”. The products will be initially rolled out in Tamil Nadu and then in other southern markets.

 

CavinKare is also set for a national roll out of its fruit drink brand Maa. In addition to doubling its current 1.2-crore litre facility at Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, it is planning a greenfield facility near Hyderabad to manufacture fruit juices. “Both these would involve a capital expenditure of Rs 20 crore,” says Mr Ranganathan.

 

CavinKare acquired the company Maa Fruits Pvt Ltd early this year for a consideration of Rs 28 crore. Currently, Maa’s range includes four juices (mango, pineapple, apple and guava) and is present in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

 

“The brand, which has been popular mostly in rural areas, has now been visible across markets, thanks to our wide distribution network,” he said.

 

Personal care
In the personal care segment, the company has introduced a new shampoo variant – Chik Satin, which is being test marketed. According to the company’s marketing strategy, the new product is also available in sachets priced at Rs 1.50.

 

 

30. 'P' for Pepsi, 'P' For Padhai?

27 August, 2008

 

Beverage brand Pepsi is moving forward on the Youngistaan route. PepsiCo's relatively new brand ambassador, MS Dhoni, has made his second appearance for Pepsi in its new TV commercial. The cricketer’s story of not being good in his studies will find a number of takers, especially among the youth and children.

 

The film takes off with Dhoni getting hauled up by his teacher in college for not being up to the mark. He goes into introspective mode, musing that there is no life without 'padhai' (study). His field of study, he says out aloud, was cricket and he studied every detail of the game. As a cricketer, he studied the pitch and the minds of his team members, and as a batsman, he studied the minds of the bowlers.

 

Sreesanth waltzes in at that point and makes him confess that he hasn't been able to study the latter yet. Dhoni signs off saying, "Padhai chahe kuchch bhi ho, life main pyaas honi chahiye (Whatever your subject of study, there should be thirst in your life)."

 

Hari Krishnan, vice-president, JWT, Pepsi’s creative agency, says the concept of Youngistaan has seeded into the young souls of India. "Youngistaan is a philosophy, a way of life. In that context, the campaign has achieved its objective. This commercial takes it a step further. The youth are judged by what they do and society accepts a select few things as good career options. This film encourages the youth to do whatever they like with passion, stressing that education is not necessarily restricted to conventional studies."

 

In Dhoni’s first appearance for Pepsi, the Jharkhandi cricketer was made over as a South Indian, in typical Rajnikanth style. The ad was timed for the DLF Indian Premier League in April.

 

When asked which of the two brand ambassadors – Dhoni and actor Ranbir Kapoor – represents young India better, Krishnan says diplomatically, "Both are equally befitting as brand endorsers, but it would be difficult to judge between them because they belong to different platforms – Dhoni to cricket and Kapoor to entertainment. Dhoni is experienced in his arena, while Kapoor is still gearing up, but he is definitely getting there."

 

The TVC’s creative team included Soumitra Karnik, vice-president and executive creative director, and Surjo Dutt, associate vice-president and creative director, JWT Delhi. The film has been produced by Kersocene Films and directed by Rajesh Saathi.

 

Among the peer group, Thomas Xavier, chairman and national creative director, Orchard, analyses the ad in detail: "Now that schools and colleges have reopened, I think Pepsi has tried to create an ad to ride on what is top of mind for kids now – studies! As a strategy, I like this positive opportunism on the part of Pepsi. Picking Dhoni (and not Kapoor) is also apt because sports is definitely a more acceptable reason to flunk in one’s studies than acting.”

 

“I sort of like the script, but not the final commercial so much because the script just sticks out too much. By that I mean that whatever emotional impact one feels comes from the scripted words and not from the performances. That is the usual problem when we cast sport celebrities in speaking roles. They are too focussed on getting the lines right. The ad's creators could have avoided what has become a cliché – ribbing Sreesanth for his dancing,” explains Xavier.

 

His final take: “Finally, why is Pepsi just a prop? Where is it pushing the narrative forward? Why can't this be a film for Reebok with the product shots replaced? The line about 'pyaas' is just not enough. Overall, another average Pepsi ad. Anyway, I hate advertising which has celebrities giving you 'gyan' about life. Let me tell you what I want see for Pepsi. I want to see an ad that makes me THIRST for Pepsi!"

 

Sandipan Bhattacharyya, executive creative director, BBDO, believes that the ad delivers what it is supposed to, but is not among the brand’s most memorable ads.

 

"The celebrity layer makes the brand more mass and popular. This film resonates with the Youngistaan concept and is in continuation. The construct is not new – we have seen Dhoni in a similar situation in the 7Up Aur Main Bann Gaya Dhoni film in 2007 and in the Dhoni and Shah Rukh Khan Videocon TVC, which talked about embracing whatever role life offers you. The ad for Kaun Banega Crorepati 3 depicted Shah Rukh’s life. These ads have already used this construct – the same character in the same situation about not being good at a particular thing and opting for an alternative. As long there is no fatigue level, I guess it could work," says Bhattacharyya.

 

Sainath Saraban, executive creative director, Leo Burnett Delhi, agrees with Bhattacharyya. He says, "I've been observing the Youngistaan work since it began. Thankfully, this one is much better than the first few Youngistaan ads. There is a clear Youngistaan message here – about not sticking to conventions to get to where you want. The first few ads were just trying to be smart. This one seems to have purpose."

 

Saraban says further, "The good parts are Dhoni's performance. The bit about Sreesanth seems somewhat funny. But one thing that struck me was that the ad was very disjointed. There's no flow and the more I see it, the more I find parts where the story jumps. I found a lack of connection with the film. If you remember the Shah Rukh-John Abraham 'My Can' ads, they were quite nice and you kinda bonded with them. Overall, a piece of communication that seems to be headed in the right direction for Pepsi, but could have been better in its form."

 

Dhoni also endorses the snack brand of PepsiCo, Frito-Lay. Recently, he starred in a commercial with long-time brand ambassador, actor Saif Ali Khan. Apart from brands from the PepsiCo basket, Dhoni is also the brand ambassador for Dainik Bhaskar, Reebok, GE Money, Reliance Money, Parle Milk Shakti, Videocon, Big Bazaar, Godrej Sara Lee, Siyaram's, Orient PSPO, Sonata and Royal Stag.

 

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