Bislery case study

Background Market leader in 1971 Increased selling in 250 towns in 1997 from 60 towns in 1993 In the early 1990s, Parle Bisleri became synonymous with branded water and had a market share of 70% Faced competition from new entrants in late 1990’s In 1990’s focus was on pure and safe water

Background In , it faced another challenge from Cola majors, Pepsi and Coca-Cola and the confectionery giant, Nestle Distibution network was a problem In September 2000, Parle Bisleri launched its Play Safe ad campaign Added fun element to Bisleri to rejuvenate the brand The ultimate aim was to increase Bisleri's turnover from Rs 4 billion in 2000 to Rs 10 billion by 2003

Need identification

Everyone positioned their products on the purity platform, so the need to differentiate arose Large shops and commercial complexes were fast emerging as attractive targets and Bisleri attracted them with bulk packs People were hygiene conscious so Bisleri started pure and safe campaign

Need identification Bisleri planned to target the soft drinks market by adding a fun element to the product Small packs to attract the market where there were no competitors Bisleri sensed that a strong distribution network would help in the long run. Bisleri identified that the 1 litre pack was not considered trendy

Segmentation,Positioning,Targeting

The market was segmented into premium, popular and bulk They changed their segments as per market situation keeping the old intact They changed strategy and grew market share in Bulk segment Every new entrant in the mineral water market adopted the purity so shift necessited The ad campaign of play safe saw a shift in positioning from "pure and safe" to "play safe“

Packaging and pricing

Use of packaging to differentiate their products Introduction of tamper proof seals In 2000 Bisleri's 5 and 20 litres packs accounted for 20% of its sales In 2000, Bisleri launched the 1.2 litre pack. This added to the five pack sizes that Bisleri had (500 ml, one, two, five and 20 litres) The new pack was priced at Rs 12

Packaging and pricing In 2000, Bisleri also launched smaller packs like the 300 ml cup The new design of 500ml and 5 lt bottle was patented The new pack allowed better brand display Vertical labelling was easier on flat sleeved packages It made label information visible from all sides of the bottle In place of the round ringed bottles, Bisleri would be available in hexagonal flat-sleeved bottles

Distribution

Kinley and Aquafina made huge investments in bottling plants and distribution Kinley and Aquafina got the advantage of their distribution network in the country through Coca Cola and Pepsi Coca-Cola India’s Kinley unit planned to double the number of water bottling plants to 16 Pepsi’s Aquafina announced that it would add seven more plants to the existing five

Distribution Branded mineral water which sold in only 60 towns in 1993, was available in 250 towns in 1997 In 1998, Bisleri's market share came down to 60%, while Parle Agro's Bailley had 20% The remaining 20% was shared by regional players In 1998, the branded mineral water market had grown to a 424 million litre business, valued at Rs 4 billion

Distribution In contrast, Bisleri had only 15 bottling plants and three franchisees Kinley had 500,000 outlets compared to Bisleri's 350,000

Advertisement

Late 1990s ad campaign brand image—'There is just one Bisleri’ Print-and-TV campaign - "pure and safe." Safety feature - tamper proof seals Weakness of conventionally sealed bottles - "breakaway" seal

Advertisement September 2000 Play Safe ad campaign to make its brand stand apart Targeted the youth and hoped to convey a social message Shift in positioning from "pure and safe" to "play safe“ "Our observation is that people consume mineral water not for the minerals, but for safety. Hence the word "safe" is critical." -Mr. Chauhan CEO of Parle Bisleri Ltd

Current Situation

Tough competition from competitors to the aggressive marketing strategies of bisleri Kinley trying to build market on trust factor Coca-Cola announced that it would enter the bulk segment where Bisleri was a dominant player The 20 litre bulk water packs would be targeted at institutional and home segment Cola giants are shifting their focus to branded water in India

Learning

Segmentation, targeting and positioning is very important Distribution network plays a very important role Packaging and pricing play an important role in brand building and brand recalling Innovation is the key for success of a firm so it is important to change with time Advertisements help in promotion of the brand Customer is the king

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