Every brand resorts to a particular set of rules when it comes to marketing their products. The product placement method comprises 3 stages – segmentation, targeting and positioning.
Segmentation is the first stage where the entire mass of consumers is identified and segregated into sections which would help the brand in targeting a particular sector and thereby sell the product. These groups consist of like-minded individuals or have a common factor in all of them.
Next in line comes the targeting where, after evaluation, one segment is selected as the target to which the company intends to sell their product. This is an accumulation of people who will treat or receive the product in a similar fashion. The advertisements and the marketing schemes are crafted keeping in mind the references of this target audience.
Finally, positioning is the image that the brand wants to uphold in front of the audience. It is the perspective that the consumer has of the product. This can be identified by a symbol, image, design, name or a combination of the above.
There is an ocean of products in the market and every product falls under a broader category. Taking this into consideration, I have taken 3 umbrella products – soft drinks, talcum powder and shoes, to explain the implementation of these marketing strategies.
SOFT DRINKS
Thums Up : Thums up is an age old product from the house of Parle Argo. The brand had clearly segmented the consumers in terms of who are energetic individuals and can involve this drink in their parties, from people for whom it is harmful to consume sugary carbonated drinks. Therefore, automatically the popularity among the youth and students is more than any other sections of the society. Along with that, it targets parties where there is requirement for a base for cocktails, thums up is one of the most sought after drinks. Now comes positioning of the commodity. Thums up has always presented itself as an energetic drink, has a strong taste and finds itself synonymous to enthusiasm, power and liveliness. The long borne tagline of the product has been “Thums Up – taste the thunder”. They have chosen brand ambassadors like Salman Khan, Mahesh Babu and Ranveer Singh who are essentially youth icons. The very act of ‘thumbs up’ instills the idea of cheerfulness and positive motivation just like the message it bears about achieving new and more challenging goals and pushing everyone to achieve greater heights. Thums up has the maximum market share of 47% when it comes to soft drinks because it has a youth oriented target and it’s USP is that it is a strong and frizzy drink having a very masculine and adventurous look to it.
Frooti : Frooti was a pioneer in its field to have introduced the first fruity drink, that too in a tetra ack. the marketing strategies taken up by Frooti when it began its journey was to check who could be their consumers. The market was segregated in portions like who could afford the drink, the age of the consumer, where the drink would be actually available and finally the acceptance of a mango drink. Following this, the next step is always targeting potential customers. Frooti has targeted children, youth, working individuals and elderly people. The secondary targets of the company are the travel industry and recreational activities. Various packages have been brought out for different sections of the society like the smaller tetra pack to make it handy for the kids, the 1 liter family pack is for the consumption of a family and smaller 10 rupees packs for the financially weak section. Finally, the ositioning of the brand is that they do not want to ass the roduct as a drink for children only so they have crafted advertisements that involve the youth and romance, family and familial bonds. With the ‘Bindaas campaign’ the company wants to tell the audience that its ‘cool and trendy’ to drink Frooti. The brand ambassadors like Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan and Varun Dhawan has given the brand better exposure. It is the idea of an “on the go” mango drink is the USP of the Frooti. “Mango frooti- fresh and juicy” and “why grow up?” are jingles and taglines worth remembering and therefore seems aligned with the positioning of the brand that, i.e. a fruity mango drink for all. It covers a market share if 25.6% in the Indian market.
Sprite: Sprite is the drink for all and everyone who are looking for some soft to quench their thirst. The entire market is segmented veryordinarily between who want to have a simple and honest drink and on the other hand who want caffeinated and coloured drinks. Since the brand has no inhibitions on whom to specifically target, it has a huge market and it targets more or less all age groups as well as people from all the backgrounds. Sprite has a very straightforward positioning which states that the drink is fashionable and uncomplicated – “Seedhi baat no bakwas”. The USP of this drink is that it is clear and has a lemon flavor. Sprite occupies a market share 7.1%. The name of the product ‘Sprite’ meaning spirit goes the idea of high spirited people and their beliefs of “University of Freshology”.
TALCUM POWDER
Dermi Cool : Dermi Cool is a product that primarily falls under the category of prickly heat powder. It is very evident that they will target the ones who affected due to too much heat and suffer from rashes or body odour. The segmentation is also done on the basis of the geographical location of a place because the powder will only be effective in areas that have hot and humid temperature. Even the positioning of the product is very to the point, that during the sultry summers, one should use dermi cool to avoid rashes and remain odourless by killing bacteria and keeping the individual cool and relieved. The USP of the good is – it not acts as a coolant but also has a bacteriostatic formula. The very name of the product mentions the word ‘cool’ and makes the strategy crystal clear, “Aya mausam thande thande dermi cool ka” is their tagline which tries to give a positive angle to the soaring tempertaure and dripping sweaty weather.
White tone face powder: The name is very suggestive of what the USP of this talcum powder is. It is the job of the powder to provide instant fairness – “De gora nikhaar, instantly”. Segmentation is done on the basis of, which talcum powder provides fairness and targets mainly women from the urban section of the society who want to lighten their skin tone. The positioning of the brand is closely knit to the USP and the tagline of the commodity which says that if girls use white tone face powder before leaving home they get instant skin toning and lightening as well as are protected from the tanning. The market share of the product of
Ponds :Ponds has been recognized as a product that is known for its fragrance and the fact that it helps women take care of their skin which is also their positioning strategy. It occupies around 65% of the total market share. They mainly target urbane women as well who are conscious of their skin. Their main motive is to mostly render individuals odourless. The brand has taken in actresses like Aditi Rao Hydari to promote their brand name. “Pond’s, has been listening to women’s needs and desires for 150 years and delivering new products customized to their skincare needs”- is the USP of the brand.
FOOTWEAR
Bata : Bata has been ranked 3rd in the market analysis all over India. Bata has been always been seen as a brand which romotes school shoes for kids. This was how it was previously positioned. However, Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput had been hired to actually break this myth and make people believe that even Bata makes high-end fashionable footwear for everyone, men, women and children. Bata has no specific target consumers, they try to take in people from all sections of the society and make their reach as extensive as possible. The tagline –“shoes for all” also re-emphasizes the idea of inclusiveness of all, which again is the USP of the brand along with the promise of making comfortable shoes for all.
Nike: Nike is a world renowned brand with 47% of market share. It has one of the most famous taglines –“Just Do It”. Very much like its tagline, the positioning of the company is done accordingly. The image of the company is that of an athletic brand, the range of shoes are for people who are physically active and that is exactly what the company tends to target. Innovation and inspiration are the two main ideas behind the positioning. The USP of the brand is that they have moved from product focus towards focusing on attitude so that they can bring about some change.
Woodland: This company occupies 5% of the market share. Woodland sounds like a rough and tough shoe that is durable and strong which is the USP of the brand- “Tough soles.. for the tough soul”. Outdoor & trek footwear & accessories is the segment what the company focuses on and in it targets the people who are adventurous and want to go out on treks and tedious outdoor activities. They position themselves similarly, stating that they are an outdoor brand for shoes as well as claim to be eco-friendly.
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