How far is too far?

What’s Marico up to?

This is one company with a few successful brands created over the years. Mostly, being pioneers in entering the market with a common product with extreme mass appeal. If you look the way a product, coconut hair oil was introduced in a market (country) where almost everyone is used to applying hair on their head. It tapped a very important segment of the market where a packaged hair oil product provided convenience and the promise of purity. But, today in order to tap the opportunity seen in brand extension, innumerable products have been created. Right from parachute advansed, parachute aftershower, parachute gel, parachute HOT oil. Why would somebody want something touching their skin and becoming hot? Its a horrible thought !!!


There is a famous example of things goin wrong as far as brand extensions go. Miller Beer. They had very successful core brand in Miller. They launched a brand extension called 'Miller Lite' in the 80's. Then, came a whole lot of extensions. There was still Miller High Life (hanging on by a thread) and Miller Lite, but also Miller Lite Ice, Miller High Life Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Genuine Draft Lite, Miller Reserve, Miller Reserve Lite, Miller Reserve Amber Ale and the very short-lived Miller Clear. The trouble was not so much that there were too many Miller brands (although that was indeed a problem) but that they were variations of each other, rather than a variation of one core brand. The problem of identity was their biggest problem. Whereas drinkers could go into a bar and say to the bartender, ‘I’ll have a Budweiser,’ causing little confusion, if they said, ‘I’ll have a Miller,’ the bartender would inevitably ask, ‘Which Miller?’





The other brand that they own - Saffola. The first ones to identify an opportunity in this segment for healthy oils. Today, again they resort to extending this brand to introduce cholestrol management and diabetes management products. Worst of all there was a product which was launched targetting the instant foods category !!!

‘Leverage is good, too much leverage is bad,’ says brand guru Tom Peters.

Has Marico lost confidence in its ability to create new brands??? Or is it guided (rather misguided) by the concept of play safe just to make short term gains. At least there are no visible attempts to come up with a new brand to expand its product portfolio.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, it’s a product’s or campaign ability to bring in the moolah consistently over a period of time that determines the success or failure of a brand.

I will try and put my views in this blog about some of the biggest brands that are in India today and are part of our everyday life. These brands had and continue to fascinate me from my childhood. Their evolution, their successes, their failures give an amazing insight into the way Indian companies have dealt with the economy opening up, competition from foreign co.s and their bid to globalize their products today, fearlessly.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the above article are in no way malignant towards one company. But, just a critique from whatever little understanding I have about marketing.

Do you see it?

I am someone who falls between the category of an atheist and a believer in the concept of God. There is a belief in the existence of this power/energy which is existent in all of us. Mankind has evolved over the years and advanced in technological prowess over the last two centuries at an incredible pace. But, our knowledge about our existence is limited. There are limited answers to the origin of life and the universe. Then, there is the spiritual side, which deals with the basic need for our existence as animals, on this planet.

We have a few answers to these questions by researchers who have reserched over many years, and many for a life time to draw scientific conclusions. The big bang is supposed to be the mother of all that is existence today. But, wat existed before the big bang. Well, we don’t have the answers to those questions as yet. In fact, the big bang theory has been questioned. Then, coming to question of our evolution. Out of the millions of years of existence of earth, we are the only intelligent creatures to have ruled the earth as per our knowledge. Or, is it? Is there a possibility, that there was a life form more intelligent than us, in existence a few million years before us. The concept of time and space are amazing among themselves.

Why is that only man has evolved as fast as he has, to become the dominant creature on this planet? Or, is it a case of surreal existence, something like what The Matrix Trilogy presents? We were meant to be food for carnivores for a very long time as per historians. Then, we turned preadators in some parts of the world.

We have this unique concept of Gods in my native, Udupi, Karnataka. People worship the elements called the "Pancha Bhoota" or the five elements in nature. Probably, the closest it gets to my understanding of God or nature.

We are the most intelligent creatures on earth. Some set of scientists must have figured out a lot of things which we havent been informed of, fearing anarchy cos the finding might be too complicated to understand.

I hope one day i develop the understanding of some kinda connection between the real and the unreal world.