The brands that make every Indian wedding

Family has been a very intrinsic part of the Indian culture and value systems. No wonder the coming together of families through a wedding is also rated as a very big event. A new beginning of sorts is marked with a hell lot of new stuff which floats amongst the families. There is a lot of shopping activity that happens prior to the actual wedding and there are a few brands which have actually carved a niche for themselves as far as Indian weddings are concerned. Yes, there are a lot of local players in each category, but for some verticals- these brands stand as the gold standard primarily through the years of advertising that they have sincerely followed.

 Amongst the unwritten rule for the groom or the majority of the male population is to be dressed in a formal suit for the reception or some occasion during the wedding. At this point only Raymond’s can make a man complete. It may be tailored next door, at a Raymond’s Made-to- Measure store or be it a readymade, the fascination with a suit in Raymond’s fabric is like a must. In more recent times, Raymond’s has tried to make the man a sensitive father, a retiring teacher, a caring son and husband; but as a brand they also have an unmistakable connect with weddings. The man in Raymond’s has the charm to break a traditional sangeet into an impromptu ball dance, express his love in a manner suited to the shining armoured knights and also turn a reluctant arranged partner fall in love. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87lrVrz3Pv0)

The domination of Raymond’s in this space is so high that competition like Siyaram, Grasim suiting’s, Reid & Taylor have all had celebrity endorsements and placed themselves in the office wear category to distinguish themselves from Raymond’s. People can be so particular in terms of the suit fabric that even a fabric worth over 10K or a final suit worth 30K is not looked upon as splurging.

When we talk of traditional wear for men and women, it has been an area which was strongly dominated by local market players. The bling value on traditional clothing for both genders has always been different and varying as per the regions and customs that go around in every part. Not to mention for the ladies, sarees and their patterns have held traditional weavers as the highest authority. When it comes down to stitched wear, designers and tailoring shops still carry a high regard. It has again been a bit different for the guys as various styles of kurta are the only possible variations. Manyavar seems to be making a heavy in roads on this front. Apart from a very heavy team sponsorships in IPL, the brand has also made an impressive TV ad showcasing that they will lead the pack in organised occasion wear for Indian men. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I4Qd1wbAV4)

Now so much for men- the ladies segment has a whole lot of saree and jewellery stores which are local market chains like Roopmilan, Kala Niketan, Nallis or the PC and Ghanasingh jewellers and many more like them. Clothing somehow does not have one brand which has the kind of appeal that goes beyond the product and how it makes you feel. But jewellery has had a larger emotional and social angle in terms of brands. A bride without gold to adorn the dress is like unheard across socio-economic strata in India. So apart from the traditional and family attached jewellers, there are big jewellery brands like Geetanjali or TBZ which have added a touch of glamour and a royal appeal to wedding and occasion wear ornaments. But a national brand which may stand out in my opinion is Tanishq by Titan. I see them as a brand which had communication which went on a note that it could inspire the “not interested” to get in the marriage mode. Which other brand thought that they could also add a touch of glitter to a 2^nd marriage? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqggcpL79qw)

 While we are on Titan, watches were always a part of the accessories which could also be a gift for anyone in the family; father to their ward, amongst siblings, as a gift for send-off… but can you propose marriage with a watch? Well in a way, Titan just redefined that space occupied by a diamond ring with a watch in the most refreshing and ‘without words’ emotions. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYSvzmqD4fQ)

There are so many other examples I can think of which have become a part of the Indian wedding saga. The woman get a space of her own in a new environment and the first stage of trust in a new relationship is established by a Godrej cupboard. A whole lifetime of memories shifts to a new space safe and sound in VIP luggage. A lot of brands are trying to break into this wedding space; a lot have already owned this space for themselves.

There is nothing to deny, marriages in India is a big affair and with anything between a million and ten million marriages taking place every year and an average of four members in each family- it is also a considerably large sized market for brands to look forward to. Not restricted by economic conditions or political scenarios; the big fat Indian wedding is USD 40 billion industry which is here to stay and just boom on. 

Hindustan Unilever Ltd: A segmented universe to an asteroid belt

I don’t think anyone in India who is anyway related to marketing does not dream to be working for this organization- Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). It is hardly a wonder that it was voted the No. 1 employer of choice by B-School students across India in for the fourth year running in 2013. Not to mention, it is always an interesting bit to keep track of to get some indication of the market dynamics.

Amongst the biggest spenders on advertising in India, HUL is also amongst the companies which has a long history of presence in India since 1933. If god said, ‘Let there be light’, Unilever broke the dawn of brands in India with Sunlight. I guess the choice of category to enter India was spot on considering use of soap for washing clothes was basic to any household in India. It was merely an act of deviating people from the task of making soap at home with something now available at a shop in ready form.

This might have been the easiest of tasks as far as we talk of migrating customers to switch from traditional Indian ways to branded packaged products. Personal care products used aspirational value through association with film stars (or some of it was taken from the colonial rulers of the time). Competition was always around with Indians companies like Tata Oil Mills (TOMCO) and Godrej soaps also making a mark on the market, while global giants like P&G came into India in the 1950’s to capture its share.

Today, HUL has a dominant presence in the Indian market across four key verticals of Personal Care, Home care, Foods and Water purification products. Significantly, most of its dominant brands are home grown. It is some fringes in personal care like Lakme, Hamam (both acquired from Tata) and Foods (Kissan and Modern bakery) are acquisitions. A definite mention required- PureIT water purifier is the only product which bears the mother brand - Hindustan Unilever Limited mentioned across its face right up front.

A recent look at the brands under the personal care range put up a few questions in my mind though.

Look at the range of soaps HUL has today- Axe, Breeze, Dove, Hamam, Lifebuoy, Liril 2000, Lux, Pears, Rexona, Aviance Marine Soap. Of which I’m sure, other than Axe, Dove and Aviance, all have at least two or more variants, taking my available options to a conservative 20 (Lux has in excess of 5 for sure). While this might sound impressive, I see this as a segmentation challenge and a daunting marketing task. I agree, some segments are well defined here- Axe is for men, Dove and Aviance for skin care, Lifebuoy is hygiene, Liril 2000 and Rexona both talk of freshness, Pears is glycerine based and Lux is a beauty soap. I would have guessed Breeze and Hamam hold the bottom of the pyramid market for beauty and hygiene.

But when I went into a price comparison from an e-shopping portal, I was totally confused. For a 75 gms bar, Dove was at Rs. 46, Pears was Rs. 36 and Lux variant was Rs. 27. Liril 2000 was priced at Rs.29.In the 100gms bars, Hamam was Rs.26 while another Lux variant and Rexona were Rs 24. Lifebuoy was for 125 gms Rs. 24 which was actually the cheapest in the weight to price comparison. I could not get any indication for Aviance. Bottom line; was there a price segmentation or the entire affair was running only by means of product variants? Besides, the category is not isolated of competition with Vivel and Fiama Di Wills from ITC, Cinthol and Godrej No. 1 from Godrej and other players like Santoor, Himalaya and Nivea also flooding the market.

A look at the shampoo segments was equally appalling. HUL has Clear, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Dove, TRESemme and all their variants against a battalion from P&G, Nivea, Garnier, L’Oreal, Pantene and Himalaya all vying for the same purse.  

For the moment, I’m a confused customer when I have to buy bathing soap. I really cannot differentiate the products if Lux, Rexona, Breeze and Fiama Di Wills are placed before me. As a buyer, a difference of under Rs.5 doesn’t even register. On a given day, if my choice of soap is not available at a retailer, I don’t think brand loyalty will cause me not to defect to another brand. Customers today will be spoilt for choices of variety in terms of product features, packaging and all at a price they are willing to pay as per their need of the hour.

A question I pose- is there brand loyalty alive in products where product variation and price differences have shrunk to almost negligible?

I guess segmentation in recent times has virtually come down to retaining a customer by offering a yes to every need posed. You want fragrance, glycerine, hygiene, moisturizing, herbal; name it and I have a soap which can satisfy your need. If more than one- that is also possible. Add to it price promotions and bundled offers, and a customer will take no time to switch to a new brand. Every need today will have a bombardment of choices thrown at it. I guess HUL or any other company these days, is willing to offer a chance for a customer to look at any other shelf for anything they need.

The universe for a customer was once possibly as well segmented as the solar system. Every brand possibly had its own unique place which the others did not share. I guess it is the mass consumerism in India that has promoted all this competition which has made it more of an asteroid belt.