Brand Asset Valuator Analysis for Bisleri & Levi's

Levi's:

1. Differentiation: From updating classics with the latest finishes, fabrications and colors, to reinventing five-pocket jeans, Levi's is always creating new, innovative products. Levi's rates high on Differentiation.

2. Relevance: Levi Strauss & Co. has sales in more than 110 countries. There is no other company with a comparable global presence in the jeans and casual pants markets. Levi's has a high relevance.

3. Esteem: Levi's markets its products under leading brand names that are among the most successful apparel brands in the world. Levi's ranks high on Esteem.

4. Knowledge: Levi's brand is one of the most widely recognized brands in the history of the apparel industry. Levi's rates high on Knowledge.

Since Levi's rates very high on both Brand Strength and Brand Stature, on the BAV Power Grid Levi's should occupy the Leadership Position.


Bisleri:

1. Differentiation: Differentiation is the ability for a brand to stand apart from its competitors. Bisleri stresses a lot on safety, ensured with its safety seal which is not possible to break and reseal. Moreover is is cheaper than its competitors like Aquafina, Himalaya etc. It is moderately high in differentiation.

2. Relevance: Relevance is the actual and perceived importance of the brand to a large consumer market segment. This gauges the personal appropriateness of a brand to consumers and is strongly tied to household penetration. Bisleri has very high relevance. The bottled water industry in India is growing at the rate of 40 % every year and is the fastest growing industry in the beverage sector.

3. Esteem: Esteem is the perceived quality and consumer perceptions about the growing or declining popularity of a brand. Bisleri has been awarded the Reader’s Digest ‘Most Trusted Brand’ twice. Bisleri carries high esteem.

4. Knowledge: Knowledge is the extent of the consumer’s awareness of the brand and understanding of its identity.  Bisleri, since its inception has become a name synonymous with safe drinking water. People use the word Bisleri and Mineral Water interchangeably. Therefore Bisleri ranks high on Knowledge.

Since Bisleri rates very high on both Brand Strength and Brand Stature, on the BAV Power Grid Bisleri should occupy the Leadership Position.

Success of Saamanjasya , VGSoM , IIT Kharagpur

Saamanjasya or Collaboration is the call of the day. We cannot any longer seclude us from the rest of the society and progress. This is even more relevant for corporate houses in today’s competitive world. This has led to the genesis of Samanjasya at Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur.

Saamanjasya ’10 was organized with the aim of bringing together Corporates and NGOs on a common platform to ensure inclusive growth and inculcate a culture of giving back to the society in our aspiring and educated youth. Saamanjasya ‘10 highlighted the importance of a symbiotic Corporate-NGO Partnership.

My Poem Printed in "Kgp Pulse", IIT Kharagpur

Lord Says...

Economic Times Summary (Marketing) 22-24 March

1. DLF,the countrys biggest realtor,has sold three-fourths of its upscale flats in central Delhi at Rs 4 crore apiece within two days of launch in a sign that demand for such properties is alive and well despite the drift towards affordable housing.

2. Indian hospitality industry has become an attractive investment destination for global hospitality companies.Many global hotel chains plan to enter India and some that are already present in the country want to expand,betting that a shortage of hotel rooms in the country offers business potential going beyond the current slowdown.

3. Food and beverage companies in India say they are not seeing dip in demand for sugary or fried salty foods.Even though diet foods are flooding retail shelves,companies say consumer offtake of such products is limited.

4. COCA-COLA is making a silent entry into the dairy business.The worlds largest beverages firm is currently testing a milk-based mango drink under its Maaza franchisee. The product is expected to target children and young adults and will likely be marketed in schools.

5. BMW is betting big on its soon-to-be launched preowned car business in India and hopes that this will contribute at least 30% to its total sales in the country.

6. Philips India has said it would equally focus on energy saving LED lightings market in the country and expects India to have 50 million LED points by 2015.

7. World's top razor blade maker SuperMax has chalked out an elaborate plan to expand its India operations and is in the process of introducing complete international range of products in the domestic market.

8. For FY11, ITC's John Players has devised major expansion plans like opening new stores,adding portfolios to the existing range of categories as well as entering new markets.The company plans to open 75 exclusive John Players stores by the end of the next fiscal,Chand said.

9. Bubbly is the brainchild of San Francisco-based Bubble Motion,which has chosen to launch the service first in India,not its home base in North America.Not yet officially launched,the Bubbly mobile voice blogging service has already added some 5 lakh users in just over a month and is spreading fast,quite appropriately,through word-of-mouth endorsements.

10. Future Group has forayed into the toothpaste category under the 'Sach'brand and will launch more products under the same label by the end of 2010.The Sach brand of toothpastes will be cocreated by cricket giant Sachin Tendulkar and is aiming to achieve at least 25% of its in-store toothpaste sales from the private brand within six months.

11. Members of P&Gs global board of directors will fly into the country to get a firsthand orientation of the $80-billion companys operations here by watching consumers do laundry,shave or use skincare products,as the firm looks to topple Hindustan Unilever in the Indian market. The two-day visit will include home and dealer visits,essentially focusing on detergents,diapers,hair and skin care and the male grooming segment.

12. Maruti Suzuki plans to invest around Rs 2,500 crore for supplementing engine and plant capacities and setting up an R&D centre at Rohtak in Haryana.

13. Tata Group's retail arm Trent will soon start selling 58 private label products of Tesco,the worlds thirdlargest retailer and its wholesale jointventure partner,through its hypermarket chain Star Bazaar.

Hosting Slogan Shogan @ Saamanjasya,VGSoM,IIT Kharagpur

As a prelude to Saamanjasya, we presented a string of small online events. The First such event was "Slogan-Shogun" . The competition required the participants to let their creative cells romp into action and prepare slogans for all NGO's related to Saamanjasya.