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LIC
The insurance major needs no introduction. It’s only nimbler now in the face of private competition
With 200 million Indians insured under the LIC shelter, the brand is doubtlessly one of the most trusted one in India today. Known for its deep rooted ethics and customer service, LIC well understands that it’s not only about doing business, but as a government organisation it has a social responsibility to fulfil as well. Despite the deluge of private insurers, LIC has maintained its numero uno status with an overwhelming 75% market share (and with annual premium income touching a splendiferous Rs.559.35 billion)! It leads the pack by a yawning margin with ICICI Prudential coming second with just 7% market share (phew). The company is also mulling over strategies to enter into the credit card business in India. LIC’s key strengths – like a far reaching distribution network that penetrates to the grassroots of India and its huge free cash reserves remain as impregnable for its competitors. Over the years, LIC has tried various ways of giving itself a facelift, including increased spending in branding and advertising plus thoroughly revamping its web portal. This public enterprise is really turning the heat on… and its enhanced brand image is only singeing competitors.
RAYMOND
The last year has seen an influx of luxury apparel brands in India causing Raymond to slip in our rankings
He walks in with effortless ease at every social gathering, caricatures an aura of himself at every board meeting and affably displays his softer side; he is none other than The Complete Man – that’s the Raymond man donning the Raymond brand hat! Concentrating primarily on promoting quintessential quality and finesse in its offerings, Raymond unlike its competitors continues to pay attention only on its products and not on roping brand ambassadors. Whilst giving a wide ranging collection of fabric, irrespective of the occasion, Raymond has stepped up its retail network by launching its 350th ‘Raymond Shop’ store in April 2007, Gautam Hari Singhania, Chairman, Raymond, while speaking about the store stated, “Its friendly ambience and wide selection of apparel and textiles, continues to make it the preferred choice. Retail is intrinsic to our business and we continue to push aggressively on this front, touching the 950 store mark by 2010.” If this was not enough, Raymond has also recently introduced ESSENSUAL fashion in collaboration with Italian apparel major— GAS. We’ve seen it play the perfect man’s part to the T and so have our parents, and this wine continues to taste better with age!
TCS
Down now, but TCS has immense potential to bounce back among the crčme in the 4Ps B&M rankings soon
An important player in the booming IT sector, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) boasts of possessing more than 70,000 associates worldwide. Courtesy its fledging state-ofthe- art consulting services and enviable Global Network Delivery Model, TCS recorded revenue earnings of a staggering $4.3 billion for FY07. Agnello Dias, National Creative Director, J. Walter Thompson’s attributes TCS’s success to the company managing to outlast prevailing market trends and ride over them. “They were steadfast with their vision irrespective of the circumstance,” he says. Looking to strengthen its position in the global market, TCS launched “Experience Certainty” during the last quarter, which made it the first Indian corporate to come out with a global branding and marketing campaign. The campaign seeks to promote brand assurance among clients and is a part of the company’s vision to be counted among the top 10 players in the industry by 2010. The campaign backs the brand proposition by claiming that 96.63% of TCS deliverables are achieved on time. However, the Indian consumer does not seem unduly excited. TCS slipped from Rank 29 last year to Rank 51. This could be a spillover from the controversies in Singur and Nandigram that the Tata Group is embroiled in. Even then, 2006 has been quite rewarding for TCS, as business revenues have continued to zoom up.
DETTOL
Just a whiff of Dettol, and one immediately remembers their last encounter with a cut or bruise. Right?
Here is a brand that needs no introduction. The flagship brand of Reckitt Benckiser, Dettol has soothed the nerves of many a harried mothers and guardians for decades. In fact, such is its popularity that Dettol has almost become a generic name in the category of antiseptic lotions. Though competitor Savlon’s entry made a dent in their monopoly, yet Dettol clearly remains the market leader. To cash in on its brand equity, Reckitt Benckiser has launched various extensions of the brand, each revolving around the basic Dettol forte viz. germ protection – Dettol Sensitive Liquid Hand (enriched with glycerine), Dettol Cool Soap (with menthol) and Dettol Body Wash (in the new modern format of a shower gel), to name a few. The brand’s new summer campaign (on air from May 20) is also a hit. Chander Mohan Sethi, Chairman and MD, Reckitt Benckiser India, says, “Dettol’s strategy over 2006-07 has been all about innovation and delivering better solutions to our customers, while highlighting the need for germ protection in their lives.” No guesses then, as to why this brand has gone up by 3 notches to sit perched at Rank 52 in the current year.
CADBURY’S
The real taste of life in Palampur, in true Cadbury ishtyle. That’s what the offerings comprise...
So what do women love more than jewellery? You guessed it right, chocolates, and when you talk of those sinful dark slabs, it’s only the blissfully ignorant who’d not automatically conjure up the Cadbury brand name. From sweetening childhood memories to festive celebrations to sending marriage invites, Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Perk and others have been helping people celebrate just about any occasion with kuch meetha ho jaaye. While initially the brand positioned itself on the lines of ‘a gift for someone you love’ in the Indian market – the last few years have seen a virtual change in positioning, with an impressive deck of ads, which had dollops of emotional connect. In a bid to tap the traditional sweetmeat market, the brand positioned itself as an alternative to Indian sweetmeats, and is reaping good rewards today. The effect of appointing the Big B as brand ambassador, starting January 2004, provided much required thrust and momentum to the product through FY 2006–07 as well. The case of infestation due to unhygienic storage conditions was erased from most memories and forgiven by many. Roping in the ‘perky’ Preity Zinta for portraying Perk as a common pastime also paid off! Thus, the jump from 57th to 53rd doesn’t surprise many. But despite another reason to rejoice, Cadbury cannot afford to sit easy on past laurels. The market is swarming with competition: Nestle’s Kit Kat, Munch, plus recent entry of global chocolate biggie - Hershey ...
DLF
Now that SEBI has given its nod, DLF’s elusive IPO may yet become a reality
Amidst a host of real estate brands that have mushroomed in the last few years, DLF stands tall by possessing a staggering 574 million sq.ft. in terms of designed projects and an astonishing 220 million sq.ft. in terms of offered development. Now, with the company getting ready to churn out a few more millionaires with its historical IPO, DLF has become a household name. With its flag firmly hoisted in the capital, KP Singh led DLF is getting ready to roll out its pan India presence, having already announced plans to invest Rs 8,000 crores in Madhya Pradesh (housing, industrial SEZs and IT parks) and has partnered with the Orissa government for the state’s first SEZ. To cash in on the sentiments of a cricket crazy country, DLF associated itself with cricket last year, but has now shifted gears to Bollywood. Says Shalini Vig Wadhwa, GM – Corporate Communications: “Our major campaign ‘Building India’ features SRK all over.” Not surprisingly, this brand has scaled up 40 places (from 94 last year!)
FORD
This one’s an I(K)onclastic brand. So, have you gone fida over this Detroit biggie yet?
It may be a world renowned brand, but it took the company a little while to arrive in India and even more time to make a mark. But Ford finally got it with the Ikon and Fiesta. Great launches, well thought out campaigns and AB junior have helped Ford climb up the brand ladder in the past year. With Ikon - the josh machine - a global brand was given an Indian feel for the first time, and the moment redefined auto marketing in India. After the initial stint, Ikon started losing charm but the subsequent entry of Fiesta into the Indian market changed Ford’s fortunes in India forever. Ford was again back in the limelight and this time with a greater bang. ‘Go Fida’ was what every Indian tuned into and the twin concepts of Diet Diesel and powerful performance, made Fiesta a runaway success. Being one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world, the Detroit biggie has immense clout, which the brand was able to leverage swiftly in the Indian market. Having lost its global supremacy to GM more than 75 years ago, Ford is highly keen on the Indian auto market. Delivering great performance has been Ford’s focus here, and that has indeed become their brand identity as well.
MRF
The tyre major must focus more on its image-building exercise to extend its already acquired lead over peers
MRF’s mascot ‘Muscle Man’ (born in 1964) is still scoring high for this brand, much like its celebrated ambassador Sachin Tendulkar. However, this brand’s image is not solely built on its exceptional marketing strategies, but also on its world-class product portfolio and high customer satisfaction. The tyre major acquired the number one rank for the fifth time in J D Power Asia Pacific Customer Satisfaction Index (Indian tyre industry) released on May 3, 2007. Says Mohit Arora, Sr. Director, J D Power Asia Pacific: “MRF’s industry-leading performance is driven by particularly high ratings from customers in all five factors, the brand posts year over-year improvements in all factors, and their customers note particularly high advocacy and loyalty intentions.” Moreover, the company has caught on to the rising racing and rallying inferno in the country, adding more value to the MRF brand. Moreover the company is instrumental in changing the way tyres are being sold in the country, by initiating the tyre saloon concept (MRF Tyre & Service) – all tyre services by trained professionals under one roof, helping MRF to further boost customer loyalty. However, competition from other tyre biggies in the sector – Ceat, Apollo, Goodyear – has been taking a toll, but with 25% market share, MRF continues to be a leader in the sector.
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