Mountain Dew - Dabanggify-ing The Ads

Tracked By VARUN VASUDEVAN

What happens to a campaign when it is rebooted by a larger than life personality of contemporary India? Brandwagon follows the journey of Mountain Dew India and plays soothsayer for the new Mountain Dew campaign – by reading ‘between the lines’

Mountain Dew came to India with a fearsome reputation. It was the third largest selling soft drink brand in the U.S.A*. It was from that ‘master marketer’ Pepsi India’s stable. And they came out with a cocky promotion. See TVC –

The initial success

Within 3 months, it claimed a 5% share in the Indian soft drink market** and with good reason. Mountain Dew had got its marketing basics right. It was aimed at the 18 to 30 year old middle class urban Indian male (demographic targeting) who was full of spunk, energy (psychographic targeting) and adventurous with his tastes (lifestyle targeting). Kotler would have framed its positioning statement as – ‘To the above target consumer, Mountain Dew is a soft drink which satisfies the thirst – of your parched throat, of your longing for adventure and energises you to live a life of spunk. What’s more, every target consumer was talking about the ‘Cheetah Bhi Peeta Hai campaign’. And boys hung around with the macho looking bottles (notice the distinctive ‘beer’ shape of the 330 ml bottle). So the stage was set.

The 2007 muddle

But somewhere along the way, the launch brouhaha was not being sustained. Or so thought someone in Pepsi India and the most cited reason (atleast on online forums) was that ‘the adventure sport’ attitude did not get transferred to the Indian youth. Despite strong growth, PepsiCo decided to restage the brand in 2007 with a new positioning aimed at the same target population. And the “Darr Ke Aage Jeeth Hai” TVCs were born –

 

So what was the new positioning? – To our target population, Mountain Dew is a soft drink which will quench your thirst for taking that audacious and daring step forward in life by helping you overcome those starting fears. The ground research by PepsiCo seemed sound - India was on the cusp of breaking into the big league and young India was a reflection of that march. And common logic suggested that there were those initial butterflies in the stomach.

But PepsiCo in my opinion got it horribly wrong when it came to the TVCs. For me, the advertisement failed on a major front – Planting the brand’s image into the head and heart of the target audience. The advertisements were not ‘gripping’ enough and its influence on consumers, atleast in my opinion was poor. I don’t remember anyone from my age group (was in my middle teens that time) purchasing Mountain Dew with the reason of wanting to associate himself with it. So Mountain Dew clearly could not do a ‘Nike’. What’s more, the advertisements relayed their messaging through a similar ‘adventure sport’ medium – one of the very reasons why the earlier commercials were replaced.


Also, the brand's association with a flop movie like Mission Istanbul did not help its cause.

The 2007-2010 paradox

But strangely Mountain Dew sales, according to newspaper reports had been increasing steadily***, despite poor above the line promotional activity. So what worked for Dew?

• A strong product (functional benefit of extreme citrus taste and fizz) which appealed to the target consumer who likes to see himself as bold and manly (hence would like a strong drink)This would also include most of the target consumers who would mix it with hard drinks
•  Packaging (continues to reflect that macho image which boys would like to be associated with)
•  Well entrenched distribution network
• Competitive pricing and SKUs  

Also, Mountain Dew started to focus on tier 2 cities through well planned below the line promotions like the ‘Get Grip on Your Fear campaign’****, a road-show which encouraged youth to try out various adventure sports set up by the travelling Dew team – on the spot. The logic for the success of such a promotion is simple – Watching someone else do a bungee jump on TV and firsthand experience of the same are two entirely different things and I am more likely to remember the latter. And I was drinking Dew when I did something bold. Some other Johnny who sees my daring act would think about himself on similar lines, want to be associated with me and being in my group would mean drinking Mountain Dew. Don’t we all do that? We try to conform our habits to that of the group we wish to be seen in or to that of the personality we aspire to be.

However, BTLs are no substitute for the mass reach of TVCs and in an industry where even the most popular shout incessantly for attention, Mountain Dew could have drowned in the noise.

2011: Old drink in a better bottle

So finally on December 23^rd 2010, Mountain Dew named Salman Khan as its brand ambassador while retaining the Darr Ke Aage Jeeth Hai branding. And came out with the following advertisement - 

Does this 2011 TVC work? –

In my opinion, it should. Besides being well executed and so typically ‘Salman’, the TVC has three major advantages –

• The basic positioning was never at fault and required the charisma of Salman to make it come alive on screen. Salman, through his Dabangg and Wanted movies has re-branded himself as someone who suppresses his inhibitions, dares himself to go achieve ‘whatever’ he wants. So the communication has the potential to be very effective
• Moreover, Salman is riding high on the success of Dabangg and his popularity is at an all-time high among the target audience – middle class boys of metros and tier two cities and towns. So the ‘reach’ factor is assured
• Last but not the least, the TVC has been well executed vis-a-vis its predecessors with appealing visuals and pertinent-fast paced music, both of which play such an important role as sensory branding elements

The is best exemplified by the flood of 'likes' for this TVC on Facebook. 

Based on the above logic, Mountain Dew should get ‘thumbs up’ from its target consumers. I know that the ‘original’ Thumbs up won’t like this. Nor would Sprite. But, one can’t expect less from the makers of ‘Nothing official about it’.


References for facts and data:


* http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?sid=5486_Pepsi+India+proposes+to+do+the+dew+with+Mountain+Dew
**http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/mountain-dew-grabs-5soft-drinks-mart/130773/
***http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/food/PepsiCo-India-clocks-highest-volume-growth-in-a-decade/articleshow/5562401.cms
****http://www.technicstoday.com/2010/05/jagran-solutions-takes-mountain-dew-get-grip-on-your-fear-campaign-across-7-cities/

Asian Paints - Royale Exclusivity?

Tracked By ANIKET KHARE

A look at a recent advertisement of Asian Paints Royale forced me to think how the definition of premium and exclusivity has undergone a significant change within a decade or so - no longer are homes painted only once in 6-7 years (typically when the father of the house gets a raise/performance bonus/has a marriage to host), homes are repainted just for the sake of variety these days.

Look at the colours too - 10 years ago, a wall painted lavender itself was considered a style statement, else you would get those typical icecream colours of pista green and Butterscotch yellow etc . . . the other day a close relative of mine got a whole wall in his hall painted in MAROON - the surprising part was that we all felt it looked great . . . which means it could have been done several years ago too. But the public mindset just wasn’t conducive enough for that!!!!

Also gone are the days when creativity and its manifestation was considered the job and privilege of a selected few. In the ad we see Saif himself trying something out as if to indicate “I like what I do. If you don’t like it, I don’t give a damn!!!!” .This unleashing of personal creativity in public without inhibition and with mass ego-boosters like facebook doing the rounds, this trend is only likely to increase . . .

As a admirer of Asian Paints for several years for several reasons, I do not find it surprising at all that they have done such a good job of segmentation of their products . . . . right from Utsav for the grass root level customers . . . . to Royale for the Saifs and the like . . . . but the credit goes to them because keeping up with the rapid pace of fashion at the high-end segment is not easy . . . . and yet every subsequent ad of Royale reflects these changes without ever losing out on their general public acceptability . . . . thats Marketing Management for you !!!

The Changing Indian Consumer via Bajaj Auto TVCs

Contributed By NITESH WARKE


Bajaj Auto Ltd - A Brief History

• Started in 1945 as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. In 1959, obtained license from the Government of India to manufacture two- and three-wheelers and it went public in 1960.
• Extensively used the 'Hamara Bajaj' marketing Campaign and maintained a near monopoly in the pre- liberalization period

The Hamara Bajaj Campaign (1989)


TVC 

    

• Represents an image of a confident and elevated Indian Society striding forward
•  It also shows how Indians love and respect their possessions
•  Shows how people belonging to different strata of society drive the same scooter
•  Thus it acts as a metaphorical “bond” between the people of India.  

The Hamara Bajaj Campaign (2001)

TVC

• This Commercial also stresses on the fact that though the culture has evolved, the roots are still intact
• And, most importantly, once again the one thing which is common among all these people is the brand “Bajaj”

The Bajaj Pulsar Campaign (2007)

TVC

• Synecdoche: The group of bikers represent the whole of India
• The commercial focuses on the fact that India is growing at a very fast pace which is represented by the speed of the motorcycle
•  At the same time, the ad also addresses its target segment which are the youth by exercising some of the stunts

Johnnie Walker - Achieve Immortality

Tracked by KASHYAP KRISHNAN R

Concept - Johnnie Walker has selected every aspect presented in this ad very carefully.  There is a library with books and busts of famous personalities. These things bring to mind, the past and its glories- revealing to us time- which is the essence of this setting. The sun rises and sets, which is an expression of the way JW has stood with time. Then the android speaks about the brand. The android is Johnnie Walker. If you watch closely the words spoken and the imagery, there is correlation. You can see fluids moving inside as the android speaks. They bring to mind the whiskey itself and makes you associate it with modern technology. This technology angle is a new one in whiskey marketing.

Target Audience - Since this product is niche in its category it is targeted at people who are rich and successful and also people who wish to be rich and successful. The setting and the accent of the android both cater to these segments.

The android is a tool, used to allow Johnnie Walker to talk to us. In the end, we are the future- the ambitious, the great, and the entrepreneurial.

“You can achieve immortality simply by doing one great thing… KEEP WALKING”

Listerine - The 'Incomplete' Branding!

Tracked by VARUN VASUDEVAN


Today morning, during our IT class, I asked my friend a question which caught him completely off-guard – “What is the first word which comes to your mind when I say Listerine?”

“What? Why suddenly?” he asked.

“Just tell na” I prodded him. “Hmm........Bad breath” he replied and got back to what he was doing.

“Interesting” I thought, considering the fact that many of the 8058 people who have ‘liked’ the Listerine India page on facebook think on similar lines. With ‘projective techniques’ being such an ‘in thing’ in the market research industry and the increasing importance given to consumer expressions on social networking forums, it is interesting to note the dichotomy between the aforementioned ‘facebook fact’ and Listerine India’s current positioning. So is there more to this Listerine branding than that meets the eye? 
Brandwagon explores and opines.

Here is the Listerine commercial which was doing the rounds in 2010 –

Like the quintessential marketers, we start with marketing 101 –

Segmentation – It seems apparent from the advertisement that Listerine India has mainly considered geographic (urban-rural maybe even further segmenting city-wise), demographic (the trio of income-education-occupation) and behavioural (lifestyle) factors to seek out its audience.

So who is the target segment? – Educated middle class and upper middle class people who live in the metros and tier-A cities, who lead a healthy lifestyle and are becoming more aware of products which could help them pursue such a lifestyle.

And which need of this target consumer does the product attempt to satisfy? The J&J marketing guys may have discovered that the number of visits to dentists in India has increased and that the target audience must have been ‘whispering’ about ‘brushing teeth’ not being enough. We all have our share of gum problems, plaque and bad breath, don’t we? 
And therein lies the positioning of Listerine India – purely based on the above functional benefits it offers – protection against plaque, gingivitis and bad breath (against germs left behind after brushing your teeth)

In India, Listerine is available in three flavours – original (since time immemorial), cool mint (the bestseller), and fresh burst (a 2011 introduction). And these flavours are available in three SKU’s – 80 ml, 250 ml and 500 ml priced at 40, 85 and 150 bucks respectively. Considering their target audience’s income level, the 40 rupee bottle has obviously been brought out to induce trial among those of ‘em who have had their latent ‘oral care’ want aroused by the promotions.

Is Listerine India trying to expand the mouthwash category? You bet! Here is the list of their promotional activities besides the above TV advertisement –

• They have been giving away free Listerine samples (register through facebook or their website). While this is a good start, they may need to select some other medium to ‘promote’ this promotion to increase awareness levels – Advertisements/Coupons in lifestyle magazines/Times of India or targeted facebook ads etc. Not all of their target audience will check out the Listerine page when they log onto facebook! 
• Reason to believe through continuing wall posts on facebook such as – ‘According to IDA, teeth are only 25% of our mouths. So brushing may not be enough to kill the hidden germs’. Plus, Listerine is IDA approved. So they have managed to address the safety parameter as well.

• Also, Listerine went for a massive ‘mouthwash’ usage exercise in a popular mall in Mumbai on World Oral Health day, 2010 where hundreds of volunteers, gargled Listerine for about 30 seconds.

Now all this seemed to bearing fruit for Listerine India which as of September, 2010 held a 70% share in the OTC mouthwash market*. So are the marketing guys at Listerine satisfied? How can they be? We had mentioned something about expanding the product category – getting more and more first time triers.

So Listerine India comes up with a commercial which incorporates an emotional benefit too – feeling complete (are you committed to a healthy lifestyle as much as your committed to other important things in your daily routine), trying to speak to the target consumer in a language he/she knows. The TV advertisement – 

Listerine seems to be betting big on this plank with a full-front page advertisement in the Times of India and a facebook dare with free blackberry phones thrown in.

They have also introduced a new flavour – Fresh Burst which seems to be in hot demand if you ask the shop-keepers. 


So where can you purchase Listerine from? The J&J distributors seem to have done a great job as Listerine bottles in all the aforementioned flavours and SKUs are available in all medicos and chemist stores (where I stay atleast).

Ain’t that a good story for Listerine? Then why all my fuss about projective techniques and Listerine’s branding at the beginning of this article? If you go to Listerine’s facebook page and read people’s opinions about the product, there are three words/expressions which are omnipresent – Refreshing, Cool and Confidence. This consumer opinion points to a major reason why a lot of people buy Listerine – the escape from bad breath and the feeling of confidence which emerges from the same. Go deeper and we can see the need for affiliation surface.

So, maybe Listerine needs to explore this emotional benefit a little more, retaining its ‘dynamite against germs’ branding. Yes, they have introduced ‘Fresh Burst’, but it would not hurt Listerine to ensure a more ‘visible’ point of parity (vis-à-vis Colgate Plax which uses the bad breath plank) along with its ‘Lister-in, germs out’ (courtesy facebook)

After all, Listerine created the legendary ‘Halitosis’ condition in the USA. And J&J (in 2009) was willing to bet on this ‘condition’ alone to be a sole crowd puller in India as well – 

Reference for facts and data: 


*http://www.financialexpress.com/news/j&j-to-promote-listerine-in-urban-markets/682094/