Proud to be an INDIAN

Proud to be an INDiAN....yes this is the line in the mind of every Indian these days....
Gone are the days when we were looking for support from developed nations......Now is the time to take initiatives and make things operational from ourselves.

It has been happening in every sector,....be it in IT, Banking, Healthcare or any other.....so is for the sector booming like never before......'Aviation'....

The word Indian is of so much significance that it is making strategic changes.....This is true for the recent change in name took place from INDIAN AIRLINES to INDIAN.

"An Indian today is considered as making a difference, and his say is of significant value. That positive image of an Indian is being utilised well with the dropping of the suffix, Airlines," says Harish Bijoor, brand consultant and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Competition in the Indian airspace is increasing exponentially. Civil aviation ministry estimates place the growth in domestic passenger movement at over 50 per cent in the past three years: from 26.36 million in 2001-02, to 40.09 million in 2004-05.

The state owned airline operator is facing some serious pressure and competition from the newly started budget private airlines like GoAir and Kingfisher. Air Deccan is another hot player in the market, which has with their innovative schemes impressed the frequent fliers.

"With a young staff, ad campaigns and offers galore, the newly-launched airlines are a force to reckon with," says an industry analyst.

However, the change is more to do with the Emotions attached rather than anything else.....

We can say that it is a good move but with the alliance of Jet and Sahara airways and the moves from Deccan airlines and Kingfisher airlines, it may not prove enough alone...............

You just can't beat the heat..............

Pizza Hut is India’s no. 1 pizza brand with 125 restaurants in 31 cities has a growth rate of over 45 per cent and over 70,000 footfalls per day across the country, Pizza Hut is geared to create an ideal eating out experience for its patrons in 2006.

This year, Pizza Hut is rounding up 10 years of operation in India. And obviously, it is a reason enough to celebrate. The result is a new offering called Treat Bundles which comes with a rather catchy slogan, “Treat You Just Can’t Beat.” where Javed Jaffery goes Egzzactly again with his Salaam Namaste maniac. The offer is not only in the nature of a lip-smacking treat that one would indulge in, but comes at unbelievable price point of Rs 75 per head.

The fast food retail chain plans to shift its focus from pizzas to full meals and ‘treat bundles’. In the process, the group is set to change its punchline from “Good Time, Great Pizzas” to “Treat You Just Can’t Beat”. The group’s business has planned to change its focus from ‘pizza’.

The management feels that it is mandatory to change its positioning for reaching out to a wider customer profile.

In fact, Pizza Hut is also eyeing an expansion in its targeted customer profile. The ‘socio-economic group B’ is clearly the target audience of the company’s repositioning strategy.
Said Sandeep Kohli, MD Yum Restaurants, " In India, eating out is not just about good food, but also about having a great time, fun and sharing happy moments. This is the focus of the Pizza Hut repositioning – a destination for celebration and treats. Our entire brand focus is dedicated to providing our customer with good food, maniacal service and a great experience- EAT-ER-TAINMENT.”

All the best all other Pizza makers ..........

"Physical Evidence" the lifeline for service companies....

Physical Evidence one of the 7 p's of Service Marketing plays a crucial role in Service sector companies. Take an example of a restaurant where you have gone for a date with your girlfriend/boyfriend. You are very much satisfied with price, people, process etc.........but you don't get seats comfortable enough to sit for long. They also have sprayed strong room freshner which is making you to fight to breath....Utensils are not cleaned etc..etc............Result..your date gets spoiled.

Take another example.......You have gone for a business meeting in summer and the company has arranging for you to stay in a Five star hotel.....You stayed there for a night and to your surprise the AC was not working ...and so you have managed with the fan only for the whole night...Result...you may not want to stay in that hotel on your next visit..... It therefore becomes necessary to make all efforts to be intact with all 7P's of service sector.....you just can't ignore one... The Campaign below is such an attempt by ITC's Maurya Sheraton...
Headline: Name: Adam Stevens

Age: 43
Designation: CEO
Time: 11.28 pm
Place: ITC One, Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi

Subhead: -

Bodycopy: Deep sleep is more than just the right bed. It is about an environment that soothes all the five senses. Experience our rooms and know how it feels to sleep like a baby again.

Baseline: -

Agency: -

Client: ITC - Welcomgroup

The campaign is successful enough to maintain its brand as one of the best Hotels in India. The move is infact necessary to keep attracting the tourist as India is becoming one of the most favoured coutry to visit.

The ad really gives the feel of the comfort and what a Service sector should cater to. An awesome Ad, feel like spending one night at Maurya.
ITC-Welcomgroup was the one of the first hotel chain to recognise the specific needs of the discerning business traveler, leading to the development and nurturing of ITC One, Sheraton Towers and Executive Club brands.

That is about one P....keep visiting the blog for the other 6 P's in my next few articles....

"Bholu - The X-Picpocket". is what SBI thinks....

The case study on banks that we did in our Marketing class was indicating only a part about the SBI's strategy to move into the upper class segment. However I just came across an article in Hindu Business Line "MORE GLAMOURS TOO", was talking a new story about SBI.

The "pickpocket" campaign for its debit card was just another innovation on the part of SBI.
The ad besides being a strategic move from SBI has a social meaning also.
The character in the ad BHOLU....an Ex-Pickpocket...can no longer continue with his profession because people no longer carry cash with them...

The ad is shot with a simple idea about creating a cashless world. At the same time addressing a social menace such as pickpocketing and how it is being taken away from the streets".

The campaign is conceptualized by Mudra. The commercial could trick one into thinking that it is a documentary done by an NGO on how a pickpocket transforms into a hard working labourer. It is only later that the brand message steps in and the viewer gets to know that the message is all about how much safer it is to carry a debit card in your wallet than large sums of cash.


Ravi Kaul, general manager, ATM, SBI, explains, “The strategy is to induce people to conduct their transactions in a cashless world. We have done this by highlighting the main reason for owning a debit card – security. Therefore, the idea of showing a pickpocket going jobless fits like a glove.”

SBI has successfully helped a large number of its customers migrate from cheque transactions to ATMs. The aim is to now make debit cards the next popular item in the value chain. The SBI Debit Card was launched in 2002 and, currently, the bank has around 1.4 crore cardholders, but it feels there is still tremendous scope to expand this segment.