When I was in Vegas a few weeks ago, I got to hang around with Jonathan Coulton a bit. One of things I needed to do was meet him at the TWiT booth and make sure he got to Quark's bar for a scheduled interview. As we were walking for the Expo to the bar, he was stopped a bunch of times to be interviewed or photographed. I hung back, sort of listening to the interview questions and one of the exchanges went something like this:
INTERVIEWER: You have really found a niche for your music on the internet, Jonathan.
JOCO: Yes, they really seemed to have cottoned to it.
INTERVIEWER: A lot of your fans seem to be geeks and nerds.
JOCO: That appears to be the case, yes.
INTERVIEWER: So, how does it feel to be King of The Geeks?
I kind of chuckled to myself. Being called "King of the Geeks" a few years ago would be grounds to have your face mashed onto the fresh-mown grass and not a badge of honor. So I told JoCo that I would illustrate that, since it seemed so ripe for parody. So, here is the illustration, done quickly on Vellum Bristol board on a balmy Saturday afternoon and colored quickly in Photoshop. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I first concepted it, but it seemed to come together nicely. Plus, the video of Felicia Day and Coulton playing "Still Alive" made everything feel that much more appropriate. A tip of the hat goes to Fourteen at GOTA for her inspiration on this piece.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Nerd Convergence
Things like this only happen at PAX. Jonathan Coulton and Felicia Day playing "Still Alive". Way cool, gang.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Loreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder
Loreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder
Brand New, Still in packaging!
Available in the shade of Light Ivory W2
Loreal Waterproof Panoramic Curl Mascara
Loreal waterproof panoramic curl Mascara (6ml)
Brand New, Still in packaging!
Available in the shade of Blue Lagoon & Intense Black
Loreal Color Riche Lipstick
Brand new Maybelline WaterShine Lipgloss (unopened, still sealed in plastic wrap)
Color Shade : 502 Lilac Sugar
Loreal Color Riche Lipstick
Brand New, Still in packaging!
Available in the shade of 514 Coral Magic
Aqua Shine Collection Lipstick from L'Oreal Paris
Brand new L'Oreal Color Riche Aqua Shine Collection Lipstick from L'Oreal Paris (unopened, still sealed in plastic wrap)
Condition: Brand new with ORIGINAL PACKAGING (FACTORY SEALED)
Color Shade : 102 Sakura Pink
Condition: Brand new with ORIGINAL PACKAGING (FACTORY SEALED)
Color Shade : 102 Sakura Pink
Brand new Maybelline Lip Smooth Extra Care Lip Balm (unopened, still sealed in plastic wrap)
Condition: Brand new with ORIGINAL PACKAGING (FACTORY SEALED)
Favor : Orange Mandarin 03
Condition: Brand new with ORIGINAL PACKAGING (FACTORY SEALED)
Favor : Orange Mandarin 03
L'OREAL DERMO-EXPERTISE (BRAND NEW)
GENTLE LIP AND EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER FOR WATERPROOF MAKE-UP
GENTLE lip and eye make-up remover is a unique formula which instantly removes the most tenacious eye and lip make-up, even waterproof. So gentle it is suitable for sensitive eyes.
(125ML)
GENTLE LIP AND EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER FOR WATERPROOF MAKE-UP
GENTLE lip and eye make-up remover is a unique formula which instantly removes the most tenacious eye and lip make-up, even waterproof. So gentle it is suitable for sensitive eyes.
(125ML)
Sexy Eye Mascara
Missha M Sexy Eye Mascara - 4 Line Brush
Missha M Sexy Eye Mascara - Multi Brush
Missha M Sexy Eye Mascara - Special Hallow
Blush On for My Pink Cheek
Gold
Pink
Missha M Multi Blusher
Colors: Gold, Pink
Information: A 4 color blusher containing sparkling pearls to enhance a shimmering effect.
Show Powder Blusher
Heidi
Tyra
Devy
Missha M Show Powder Blusher
Colours: Heidi, Tyra, Devy
Information: Blooming Effect of a Jewel-like complex makes the skin bright and luxurious and containing pearl makes the skin shiny and luminous. Multi & Fun cosmetic, which can be used for blusher and highlighter. It will give you fun makeup with tapping on the bottle.
Colours: Heidi, Tyra, Devy
Information: Blooming Effect of a Jewel-like complex makes the skin bright and luxurious and containing pearl makes the skin shiny and luminous. Multi & Fun cosmetic, which can be used for blusher and highlighter. It will give you fun makeup with tapping on the bottle.
Skin Food Cream for Your Sexy Girls
Missha M BB Cream 50ml
Information: UV Block + Moisturizer + Makeup Base + Foundation
M B.B Cream contains natural ingredients that do not damage or irritate the skin. With continuous use, your sensitive skin will be calm, protected from redness and keeps it health.
Missha M BB Cream is natural care cream for sensitive skin, naturally covering the irregularities on the skin as well as making skin texture soft. Containing botanical ingredients such as ugwort, sweet pumpkin, etc & nutritional ingredients keep the skin moist and silky. This 4 in 1 multifunctional cream soothes, moisturizes, protects and covers the skin. Na-complex (for soothing the skin) + Anti shadow complex (for skin protection). No SPF.
Missha M Vita BB cream SPF20 50ml
Information: 1 shade suits all
Vitamins + Make Up Base + Make Up Foundation
Contains 7 essential vitamins complexes derived from natural ingredients, and help to improve the skin. Multi-function and convenient to use moisturize, protect, correct skin tone and block the harmful UV.
Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream SPF42 PA+++ 50ml
Information: NOT AVAILABLE IN SG! Highly Raved!
Comes in 2 shades #21 (very fair skin tone) & #23 (normal skin tone)
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream offers a novel skin care concept with BB Cream, which lighten skin tone by healing visible wrinkles and blemishes with excellent skin cover ability and prevent skin aging through effective whitening and anti-wrinkle properties.
Skin Food for Your Sexy Face
Skin food Mushroom BB Cream - SPF 20
Skin food Gingko BB Cream - No SPF
Skin food Aloe BB Cream - SPF 20
Do choose which color you want for your skin tone.
It can be used any time of the day and can be used as a moisturizer, foundation and makeup base. It you want more coverage, you can apply 2-way cake on top of it. It can be used alone or under a foundation if you want more coverage.
Differences between the 3 creams are the flavor and SPF value. Skin food keeps improving the flavors as new products come up. Currently, mushroom is the best according to reviews.
It can be used any time of the day and can be used as a moisturizer, foundation and makeup base. It you want more coverage, you can apply 2-way cake on top of it. It can be used alone or under a foundation if you want more coverage.
Differences between the 3 creams are the flavor and SPF value. Skin food keeps improving the flavors as new products come up. Currently, mushroom is the best according to reviews.
Brand Update : Timex
After around two years of media silence, Timex has launched a new campaign for their latest collection of watches. The collection is branded as Conversation Starters.
Watch the campaign here : Timex
The new campaign is a repositioning exercise for the brand which was earlier positioned as a rugged watch for the outdoors.
The new
campaign is trying to make the brand appeal for the hip-hop fashion conscious young generation. The brand is also not using the slogan " What Next " which it used for the last two years.The brand is aiming the SEC A youth aged between 20 & 25. Earlier ads were targeting more mature guys like the young professionals who loves the outdoors. The new range of watches aims the younger generation who love socializing.
It makes sense for Timex to target these segments because there is no brands aiming this age group. Fastrack is aiming the college segment while Titan is for mature ones. Hence Timex through this collection is aiming to target the highly lucrative youth segment.
Related Brand
Timex
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Jawbone #219: An Ode To Bacon
Tonight's show is an ode to bacon. On this action-packed show , we feature an original musical composition by The Schnauzer Radio Orchestra (feat. Scott Fletcher), baiku (bacon haiku), weird admissions, Nora's hatred for Facebook and much, much more. Please feel free to enjoy!RSS feed.
Download now.
New Rock Band 2 Intro
I was starting to get a little played out on Rock Band. And with the technical miscue this week on the Rush "Moving Pictures" DLC delay, I had no reason to want to jump in and play. Then this intro trailer comes along and now -- Man, I cannot WAIT to play this! Also, check out the main story for news on some upcoming full album releases this year. Stevie Ray Vaughn? More RHCP? Can anyone else smell the death of the Guitar Hero franchise?
Behold The StyroBot!
This is just too cool to pass up:"For years I've been saving the styrofoam packing that protects the new devices that arrive in our American household. A year ago I saw pictures of two styrofoam robots created by Michael Salter at a museum in North Carolina (before he exhibited one in San Jose this past June). They were stunning. Not only was it art from junk, but it looked easy to do. My son and I could handle this. A recycled styrobot would be the perfect geek dad project.Check this thing out here. Thanks to Dan for the heads up.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Creating With Cubes
Ever have the itch to see some of your favorite pop culture icons in cube form? Well, today is your lucky day. Behold CubeCraft - a site that allows you to download, print out and create versions of your favorites cube shaped characters. I think I'm going to print out a few of these and line my desk up with them. I need more clutter. Thanks to Chad for the find.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hanung Toys : Bringing Smile to the World
Corporate Brand : Hanung Toys & Textiles
Agency : Oxygen
Brand Analysis Count : 345
Agency : Oxygen
Brand Analysis Count : 345
Hanung is a less celebrated brand in India. This company is India's largest soft toy manufacturer and a preferred supplier to some of the well known global retailers like IKEA.
Hanung Toys & Textiles came into existence in 1991. Conceived by Mr Ashok Kumar Bansal, Hanung became a leader in the soft toy market in India within a span of ten years. The company started with a modest order of Rs 6 lakh from IKEA. From there on, Hanung was on the growth path becoming the largest exporter of soft toys and then later diversifying into soft furnishing products during the early 2005.
The company has collaboration with a South Korean company.It adopted the Korean name. Hanung which means - Stem of Tree. The logic is simple, to get the international look., you need an international name Even in India Hanung is perceived to be an International brand rather than an Indian one.
Hanung now manufacturers about 11,000,000 pieces of soft toys and about 1,250,000 furnishing sets per year. The company supplies to retailers across Europe, US , Latin America and Middle East. The highlight of the company history is the Rs 600 crore order it received from IKEA in 2007 which catapulted Hanung to the big league . Till 2007, Hanung was a licensee for Walt Disney in India.
But how many of us know about this company. Although Hanung is an exporter, the company has strong domestic presence too. Infact its the market leader in the soft toy category in India .
Indian toy market is estimated to be around Rs 2500 crore and the organised soft toy market is around Rs 200 crore. The market is in utter mess because of cheap Chinese toys.
With regard to the Hanung brand in India, the company have two domestic brands . Hanung has launched a chain of toy store under the brand Play-n-Pets which is a more upmarket brand. It also have another brand Muskan which is a more affordable range of toys.
What I feel about Hanung is that it is not utilizing its potential in Indian market . I have bought a couple of Hanung Toys ( thinking its a foreign brand ) and is absolutely satisfied with the products. The product has quality and affordable price.
The brands from Hanung gets a good retailer support but on the promotional front, Hanung is almost silent in the media. It could have made these products a rage in the Indian market. But I think they are more focusing on the export market which is more lucrative.
Both the domestic brands Muskan and Play-n-Pets are nice brand names and can catch the fancy of Indian consumers. As a parent, I am now concerned about the quality of toys which my child plays with. I think Indian consumers are slowly waking up to the quality issues in Toys.
Now I check the toys and the manufacturer before buying it and Chinese toys are now out of my shopping list. So there is a growing market for quality brands like Hanung.
Competition is also in the offing. Reports say that Reliance Retail is planning a category killer in the toy retail space. Hanung will only benefit out of these since they can supply to these retail giants .
As a consumer I accidentally discovered this brand and now become a loyal customer .There will be many customers who need such a brand but unaware of its existence.Its a marketing mistake to under utilize the potential of such a wonderful brand.
Related brand
Funskool
Hanung Toys & Textiles came into existence in 1991. Conceived by Mr Ashok Kumar Bansal, Hanung became a leader in the soft toy market in India within a span of ten years. The company started with a modest order of Rs 6 lakh from IKEA. From there on, Hanung was on the growth path becoming the largest exporter of soft toys and then later diversifying into soft furnishing products during the early 2005.
The company has collaboration with a South Korean company.It adopted the Korean name. Hanung which means - Stem of Tree. The logic is simple, to get the international look., you need an international name Even in India Hanung is perceived to be an International brand rather than an Indian one.
Hanung now manufacturers about 11,000,000 pieces of soft toys and about 1,250,000 furnishing sets per year. The company supplies to retailers across Europe, US , Latin America and Middle East. The highlight of the company history is the Rs 600 crore order it received from IKEA in 2007 which catapulted Hanung to the big league . Till 2007, Hanung was a licensee for Walt Disney in India.
But how many of us know about this company. Although Hanung is an exporter, the company has strong domestic presence too. Infact its the market leader in the soft toy category in India .
Indian toy market is estimated to be around Rs 2500 crore and the organised soft toy market is around Rs 200 crore. The market is in utter mess because of cheap Chinese toys.
With regard to the Hanung brand in India, the company have two domestic brands . Hanung has launched a chain of toy store under the brand Play-n-Pets which is a more upmarket brand. It also have another brand Muskan which is a more affordable range of toys.
What I feel about Hanung is that it is not utilizing its potential in Indian market . I have bought a couple of Hanung Toys ( thinking its a foreign brand ) and is absolutely satisfied with the products. The product has quality and affordable price.
The brands from Hanung gets a good retailer support but on the promotional front, Hanung is almost silent in the media. It could have made these products a rage in the Indian market. But I think they are more focusing on the export market which is more lucrative.
Both the domestic brands Muskan and Play-n-Pets are nice brand names and can catch the fancy of Indian consumers. As a parent, I am now concerned about the quality of toys which my child plays with. I think Indian consumers are slowly waking up to the quality issues in Toys.
Now I check the toys and the manufacturer before buying it and Chinese toys are now out of my shopping list. So there is a growing market for quality brands like Hanung.
Competition is also in the offing. Reports say that Reliance Retail is planning a category killer in the toy retail space. Hanung will only benefit out of these since they can supply to these retail giants .
As a consumer I accidentally discovered this brand and now become a loyal customer .There will be many customers who need such a brand but unaware of its existence.Its a marketing mistake to under utilize the potential of such a wonderful brand.
Related brand
Funskool
Sweet Almond Mint Texture Balm
A finishing product designed to give your hair definition, separation, and texture. Use texture balm on mid-shaft and ends, or just on specific pieces. Texture balm comes in a push up stick and is applied with your hands. Great for short, sassy, spiky, disheveled hair, as well as long sexy, controlled hair.
WEN Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner
A cleansing conditioner which cleanses the hair and scalp without any detergents or sodium laurel sulfate. Therefore not stripping your scalp or hair of its natural oils. Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner can be used as often as necessary. Due to its healing and medicinal properties, it is formulated to help those with sensitive, dry or flaky scalps. Tea Tree works exceptionally well on those with medium to coarse, wavy to curly, and ethnic hair. It is also recommended to be used as a leave-in conditioner.
WEN Styling Creme Sweet Almond Mint
A styling product which gives you moisture, shine, and body all in one product. Eliminating the need for leave-in conditioners, polishing glosses, and gels. You can now achieve all your styling options with sweet almond mint styling creme. Works great on straight, wavy, and curly hair types.
WEN Fig Cleansing Conditioner
A cleansing conditioner which cleanses the hair and scalp without any detergents or sodium laurel sulfate. Therefore not stripping the scalp or hair of its natural oils. Fig Cleansing Conditioner can be used as often as necessary. due to its rich dense nature it is formulated to strengthen and rehydrate the hair. Fig is a universal cleanser, but due to its moisturizing properties it performs amazingly well on dry, heat damaged, color treated, medium to coarse, wavy to curly and ethnic hair. It is also recommended to be used as a leave-in conditioner.
Brand Update : Sugar Free Gold
Sugar Free Gold now running an aggressive marketing campaign. It has roped in two celebrities . Now Sugarfree is endorsed by the Tamil actress Simran in the South and Bipasha Basu in the North.
Watch the TVC here : Sugarfree
The new campaign is interesting because of two factors.
As discussed in my earlier post, Sugarfree has been positioned as an healthy alternative for Sugar. Now the new campaign takes a slight variation in the positioning from health to fitness. While both health and fitness are in the same level , fitness platform is more appealing to a broader set of younger consumers than health.
Health is defensive while fitness is proactive.
Another interesting factor is that the new campaign tends to associate the unique shape of the Sugarfree with body shape. I think its a smart move by the agency to link the shape of the bottle and a perfect body shape.
But there is something for the brand to worry about.
Recently I was talking to a doctor friend of mine and the subject of this brand came into the conversation. He mentioned that these products contain Aspartame which is bad for the health.
Sugarfree has different variants which have different ingredients. Sugar Free Gold have aspartame while Sugar Free Natura have sucralose which is a healthy substitute to sugar than aspartame.
I think that its the price that is not making this product category to expand. Although I am health conscious and a tea lover, I have a perception that Sugar Free will burn a big hole in my pocket. So unless the prices of these products come down, this product will not be accessible to a large mass of potential customers.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Best Marketing Practice #1 : Creative Lab
Creativeland Asia which is the new generation advertising agency founded by Mr Sajan Raj Kurup is launching a Creative Lab in Kochi. The excerpts of press release is given below
"
"
While Creativeland has been strengthening its forays into the international/ Asian market with strategic tie-ups with local Asian agencies across markets, it has also been consolidating its presence in India.
Just one year into the business, and Creativeland Asia is all set to open its second and third offices. While the office at Kochi will open its gates in the last week of September, news is still awaited on the other office which is also slated to open in the South. The Kochi office will also host the CLA Lab, India’s first creative laboratory for communication, brand and marketing ideas.
CLA Lab will be a laboratory, a planning space and an ideas library. Exclusively for advertising & marketing minds of Creativeland, its clients and all its Asian partner agencies. CLA Lab will be used as a hub to workshop ideas, test market new ideas and test launch new advertising and marketing concepts and strategies. In addition to the physical space to huddle and brainstorm,
CLA Lab will provide the complete back-end support required for such activities.
Speaking on the developments, Sajan Raj Kurup, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia, says, “Creativeland has been looking for the right time, the right way and the right people to expand its business."
"
I think its a best practice because its for the first time where an advertising agency is trying to see creativity in advertising and brand promotion as equivalent of Research and Development (in product development ).
And such a focus on creativity will be a nice playground for the amazing creative talent we have in our country. Right now creative talents are having difficulty in finding the right kind of platform in our country. The recent Cannes is a proof that India has that creative talent to make itself into a leading hub for creative outsourcing for global marketing giants.
Another factor which prompted me to write a post on CLA's new venture is that they are opening this Lab in Kochi ( my place of work ). Kerala is known for its militant unionism and is often not a preferred destination for manufacturing companies.
But the state is known for its consumers. Its a hard core consumer state and a preferred test market for most of the consumer goods . I believe that if a product succeed in Kerala, it has the potential to make it big in India. Hence Kerala offers huge potential for consumer research especially on the youth segment. Its a homogenous market with a high degree of literacy. The media penetration is also comparatively high. Hence a ideal location for any knowledge based venture. ( I know I am biased ).
One thing that used to surprise me is the fact that none of the major advertising agencies have an office in this vibrant market. To my knowledge no top advertising agencies have an office in Kerala except for Mudra & TBWA. The reason is that none of the major clients have their base ( HO )in Kerala.
Having said that , yesterday I visited a textile shop - Jayalakshmi Silks in Kochi and was absolutely stunned by the massive crowd shopping there. This is Onam season and a season where the Malayalees loose their purse strings. According to Malayala Manorama newspaper, Malayalees spent around Rs 5000 crore in this season alone.
The Kerala consumers spend around Rs 45000 crore in an year. This spending is fuelled by around Rs 18000 crore send by Non-Resident Keralites into the state. Hence Kochi makes a fertile ground for exploring consumer behavior through research .
The only issue for any such initiative is to attract and retain talent. Retaining talent in Kochi can be a tricky issue since Kochi does not have the vibrancy of Mumbai or Bangalore.
Just one year into the business, and Creativeland Asia is all set to open its second and third offices. While the office at Kochi will open its gates in the last week of September, news is still awaited on the other office which is also slated to open in the South. The Kochi office will also host the CLA Lab, India’s first creative laboratory for communication, brand and marketing ideas.
CLA Lab will be a laboratory, a planning space and an ideas library. Exclusively for advertising & marketing minds of Creativeland, its clients and all its Asian partner agencies. CLA Lab will be used as a hub to workshop ideas, test market new ideas and test launch new advertising and marketing concepts and strategies. In addition to the physical space to huddle and brainstorm,
CLA Lab will provide the complete back-end support required for such activities.
Speaking on the developments, Sajan Raj Kurup, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia, says, “Creativeland has been looking for the right time, the right way and the right people to expand its business."
"
I think its a best practice because its for the first time where an advertising agency is trying to see creativity in advertising and brand promotion as equivalent of Research and Development (in product development ).
And such a focus on creativity will be a nice playground for the amazing creative talent we have in our country. Right now creative talents are having difficulty in finding the right kind of platform in our country. The recent Cannes is a proof that India has that creative talent to make itself into a leading hub for creative outsourcing for global marketing giants.
Another factor which prompted me to write a post on CLA's new venture is that they are opening this Lab in Kochi ( my place of work ). Kerala is known for its militant unionism and is often not a preferred destination for manufacturing companies.
But the state is known for its consumers. Its a hard core consumer state and a preferred test market for most of the consumer goods . I believe that if a product succeed in Kerala, it has the potential to make it big in India. Hence Kerala offers huge potential for consumer research especially on the youth segment. Its a homogenous market with a high degree of literacy. The media penetration is also comparatively high. Hence a ideal location for any knowledge based venture. ( I know I am biased ).
One thing that used to surprise me is the fact that none of the major advertising agencies have an office in this vibrant market. To my knowledge no top advertising agencies have an office in Kerala except for Mudra & TBWA. The reason is that none of the major clients have their base ( HO )in Kerala.
Having said that , yesterday I visited a textile shop - Jayalakshmi Silks in Kochi and was absolutely stunned by the massive crowd shopping there. This is Onam season and a season where the Malayalees loose their purse strings. According to Malayala Manorama newspaper, Malayalees spent around Rs 5000 crore in this season alone.
The Kerala consumers spend around Rs 45000 crore in an year. This spending is fuelled by around Rs 18000 crore send by Non-Resident Keralites into the state. Hence Kochi makes a fertile ground for exploring consumer behavior through research .
The only issue for any such initiative is to attract and retain talent. Retaining talent in Kochi can be a tricky issue since Kochi does not have the vibrancy of Mumbai or Bangalore.
Ode to Bacon
I've been going through a bit of a bacon renaissance the past few weeks. I've been frying up some bacon and making some delicious turkey clubs. I've been sharing bacon with my in-laws at Sunday brunches. I just can't get enough bacon. Bacon is one of those quintessentially politically incorrect foods. The kind of food that- according to health experts - everyone should avoid. Yet the growing consensus is that bacon cannot be resisted. It seems to be more accepted than shunned these days. Take the Bacon Alarm Clock. What better way to wake up than to the smell of frying bacon? I went online while researching this blog post to find some poetic verses about bacon, but was sorely disappointed when only finding the poetry of this hack.So I will share with you my own Ode to Bacon:
Ahem.
Bacon,
Crispy and brown.
Fried to perfection.
You exist to harden my arteries.
Yet, you make my mouth water at the thought.
We are in different worlds bacon, you and I.
But we're both
dipped
in
fat.
Eggs!
Discuss.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Jawbone's Party Place
Ok, the secret is out. We have had our own party place at a mini-golf course in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Dan from Traveling Munchies took his sons there to party like rockstars. He thought the art looked like some of my Monster By Mail stuff. And then, he discovered my secret party place (SPP). And yes, you can rent out this place for kid's birthday parties. Just make sure it's a kid you hate.
Brand Update : Horlicks
Horlicks has caved into the temptation for celebrity endorsement. The brand has roped in the young celebrity Darsheel ( Tare Zameen par fame) as the brand ambassador. The brand already has run two commercials featuring the new brand ambassador.
The brand also had made some changes in the communication message in this new campaign. The brand f
or now has moved away from the famous " Taller Sharper Message ". The new slogan is " Badlo apni bachpan ka Size " .Iam sorry that I cannot translate that to English without losing the intended meaning.
The new ad is truly Hip Hop stuff with a funky rap thrown in as background music. The ad shows Darsheel with his friends questioning old practices and exhorting to change what they don't like. A sort of non-conformist attitude is projected throughout this ad.
According to a report in afaqs, the company says that the new generation is now questioning the age old practices and Horlicks wanted to relate to the new generation.
It makes sense. But my doubt is whether the target audiences will understand the new message ? One thing for sure is that Darsheel and the ad has a sticky factor which will attract young consumers to the brand. So another bulls eye for Horlicks.
Its also a nice extension of the Taller- sharper-stronger positioning adopted by the brand in the past commercials.
I think that Horlicks has not discarded the earlier positioning but used the current ad to create some freshness to the brand communication.
While Afaqs reports that the positioning has changed, I don't think that Horlicks is stupid enough to discard a highly potential platform of " Taller Sharper and Stronger ".
The brand also had made some changes in the communication message in this new campaign. The brand f
or now has moved away from the famous " Taller Sharper Message ". The new slogan is " Badlo apni bachpan ka Size " .Iam sorry that I cannot translate that to English without losing the intended meaning.The new ad is truly Hip Hop stuff with a funky rap thrown in as background music. The ad shows Darsheel with his friends questioning old practices and exhorting to change what they don't like. A sort of non-conformist attitude is projected throughout this ad.
According to a report in afaqs, the company says that the new generation is now questioning the age old practices and Horlicks wanted to relate to the new generation.
It makes sense. But my doubt is whether the target audiences will understand the new message ? One thing for sure is that Darsheel and the ad has a sticky factor which will attract young consumers to the brand. So another bulls eye for Horlicks.
Its also a nice extension of the Taller- sharper-stronger positioning adopted by the brand in the past commercials.
I think that Horlicks has not discarded the earlier positioning but used the current ad to create some freshness to the brand communication.
While Afaqs reports that the positioning has changed, I don't think that Horlicks is stupid enough to discard a highly potential platform of " Taller Sharper and Stronger ".
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Jawbone #218: What's The Baby Using?
Burning questions answered. Vegas wrap up. Jawbone weekends. Nutty voicemails and more Olympic talk. If you're just joining us, thanks for listening and please subscribe!Music:
Chance | Independent
RSS feed.
Download now.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Clean & Clear : Clean Clear and Confident
Brand : Clean & Clear
Company : Johnson & Johnson Consumer products
Agency : DDB Mudra
Brand Analysis Count : 344
The brand was initially launched by Revlon in 1957. The name was chosen because the products had no fragrance and dyes and left no residue
after rinsing ( source : wikipedia). In 1991 Revlon sold Clean & Clear to J & J.
J&J repositioned the brand focusing more on acne control.
The brand was existing in India long back ( I don't have the launch date). But the brand was languishing because of the lack of support from the company. Infact I have never seen this brand before.
The company has rejuvenated the brand and ads are now running in many TV channels.
Clean & Clear is targeting the teens. The brand has launched a series of products like cleansers, oil and acne control creams. etc .The brand is using the cleansers as the flagship product to attract the consumers. ( source : campaign India)
Clean & Clear is being positioned as a Teen Skincare expert . The campaigns are more functional oriented and the endorsement by Johnson & Johnson further strengthens the brand positioning.
The brand has the tagline " Clean Clear and Confident " which I feel has potential and flexibility for creatives to work on. Infact confidence is a virtue that will attract the attention of Teens. Teenagers has a view of themself as adults. So confidence can be a platform to attract these young minds into this brand. I remember the ad that enabled Lifebuoy 's repositioning where the young girl says " I don't care " ( about my skin ) which is a show of confidence.
Indian skin care market is huge and lucrative. Its estimated that the market is worth around Rs 2000 crore. But the market is crowded with local and global brands. So its not easy for Clean & Clear to break into this market.
What Johnson & Johnson has is the enormous brand equity it has in the Indian market. I would say that the company has not quite leveraged the brand equity to other products. It had earlier burnt its fingers with the brand Savlon which may have prompted the company to focus on the babycare and female hygiene products.
With regard to the Clean & Clear, the brand should associate itself with the core brand values of the parent brand. But have to be careful about not being perceived as a baby's product.
Marketing to youngsters is a different ballgame. The trick is to induce the trial first. Compared to the Point of Purchase displays of brands like Ponds and Lakme, Clean & Clear is almost invisible in supermarkets. In this market half-hearted efforts will accelerate failures.
J&J has the money , distribution and brand power to make it big in the skin care segment. The brand has done right in identifying teens as the target segment. But its marketing effort is not aggressive enough to push it through the clutter.
Company : Johnson & Johnson Consumer products
Agency : DDB Mudra
Brand Analysis Count : 344
Clean & Clear is the skin care brand from the house of Johnson & Johnson. The brand was relaunched last month marking the foray of J & J into the highly competitive skin care market in India. Clean & Clear is a global brand of J &J with a presence in over 41 countries.
The brand was initially launched by Revlon in 1957. The name was chosen because the products had no fragrance and dyes and left no residue
after rinsing ( source : wikipedia). In 1991 Revlon sold Clean & Clear to J & J.J&J repositioned the brand focusing more on acne control.
The brand was existing in India long back ( I don't have the launch date). But the brand was languishing because of the lack of support from the company. Infact I have never seen this brand before.
The company has rejuvenated the brand and ads are now running in many TV channels.
Clean & Clear is targeting the teens. The brand has launched a series of products like cleansers, oil and acne control creams. etc .The brand is using the cleansers as the flagship product to attract the consumers. ( source : campaign India)
Clean & Clear is being positioned as a Teen Skincare expert . The campaigns are more functional oriented and the endorsement by Johnson & Johnson further strengthens the brand positioning.
The brand has the tagline " Clean Clear and Confident " which I feel has potential and flexibility for creatives to work on. Infact confidence is a virtue that will attract the attention of Teens. Teenagers has a view of themself as adults. So confidence can be a platform to attract these young minds into this brand. I remember the ad that enabled Lifebuoy 's repositioning where the young girl says " I don't care " ( about my skin ) which is a show of confidence.
Indian skin care market is huge and lucrative. Its estimated that the market is worth around Rs 2000 crore. But the market is crowded with local and global brands. So its not easy for Clean & Clear to break into this market.
What Johnson & Johnson has is the enormous brand equity it has in the Indian market. I would say that the company has not quite leveraged the brand equity to other products. It had earlier burnt its fingers with the brand Savlon which may have prompted the company to focus on the babycare and female hygiene products.
With regard to the Clean & Clear, the brand should associate itself with the core brand values of the parent brand. But have to be careful about not being perceived as a baby's product.
When I visited a supermarket, I found Clean & Clear bottle along with other J & J baby products and not in the personal care section of the supermarket. I think its suicidal for the brand to be kept alongside baby products. In this era of competition there is no space for such mistakes. I had to spent considerable time checking whether the cleanser is for baby or for grown ups . What ever promotion is done, all of which will be useless if the product is not placed properly in the retail outlets.
Marketing to youngsters is a different ballgame. The trick is to induce the trial first. Compared to the Point of Purchase displays of brands like Ponds and Lakme, Clean & Clear is almost invisible in supermarkets. In this market half-hearted efforts will accelerate failures.
J&J has the money , distribution and brand power to make it big in the skin care segment. The brand has done right in identifying teens as the target segment. But its marketing effort is not aggressive enough to push it through the clutter.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
LEN TV: What's The Baby Using?
Len TV returns after a long hiatus! This time, I travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to the New Media Expo and ask the burning question "What's the baby using?' Find out now! Enjoy!
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