Bisleri Brand Dossier

BRAND DOSSIER BISLERI MINERAL WATER Bisleri - “To provide the highest quality product, keeping in mind all aspects including freshness purity and safety and making it easy available to the consumer at very affordable price.”

GROUP MEMBERS: ASMITA DATTA (B12012) HARSHIT PAREKH (B12017) SANKET BALGI (B12042) SUBHRA DUTTA (B12050)

INDEX Serial no

1.

Particulars

Page no

Early history of the brand and its 3 evolution over time.

6

7.

Initial positioning and subsequent repositioning Advertising, sales promotion and segmentation strategy followed by the brand Analysis of product and generic competition to the brand Strategies adopted over time by the brand to tackle competition or prime market expansion. Distribution strategy followed by the brand Summary regarding the future directions for the brand

8.

References

22

9

List and justification of hypothesis

25

10

List of information required

26

11

Sampling plan and sampling size

27

12

Questionnaire

28

13

Analysis of data

32

14

Analysis of hypothesis and inferences 45 drawn Net take away and conclusion 46

2.

3. 4. 5.

6.

15

8 14 18 19 21

PHASE 1

EARLY HISTORY OF THE BRAND AND ITS EVOLUTION OVER TIME Water sustains life and we need ample supply of clean water to sustain human culture. In ancient times, the Egyptians devised a number of filtration systems to make use of the Nile‟s silty waters. Even now, clean drinking water is a necessity for human civilization no matter how developed a nation is, it still is not able to find an alternative to clean drinking water. Personal hygiene became a concern in the late eighteenth century in Europe. People visited mineral springs to drink or bathe and this became fashionable. This trend was mainly set by the wealthy who could afford to buy water. This was known as curative water.

Many well-known curative waters have been distributed throughout Europe as luxury drinks since ancient Roman times. The water used to be free; the only cost was shipping. But the owners of the now-famous spas soon realized that they could earn revenue by selling the water for off-site use. This mineral water was sold in stoneware jars, porcelain demi-jars, and, later, glass containers and bottles. This was not only restricted in Europe and the whole world started experiencing packaged mineral water. Presently there exists 3300 registered plants manufacturing bottled water in India, about 48% are located in the south, and almost 22% are in the west and study estimates that there are more than 12000 unregistered plants in India. Of them Bisleri holds a respectable position in the market for drinking water. It was the first mineral water selling brand in India. Over 100 brands are vying for the Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10 billion) bottled water market and are hard selling and advertising their products in every way possible - better margins to dealers, aggressive advertising and catchy taglines. In such a scenario, let us take a look at how it all started - with Bisleri.

Bilseri originated in Italy at a place called Nocera Umbra from a spring named Angelica. Selling of bottled mineral water in India was the brainchild of Signor Felice Bisleri. Bisleri had the first mover advantage in the mineral water market in India. But selling it in India was not easy for the company initially and it ran into troubled waters and was about to shut down. At this point of time, Parle Group bought Bisleri and things started to brighten up with considerable effort. Parle had a formidable distribution and the brand Bisleri was created sensibly, through attractive promotion and good product quality. Bisleri belongs to a trust laden category and once the trust was established it became virtually synonyms with the category. Once this happened it became very difficult for the other players to displace Bisleri as it had cemented its place. Therefore Parle‟s decision to sincerely invest in the brand without much high hopes and create a relation with the consumers, paid off in the long run.

BISLERI AND INDIA: IT’S JOURNEY 1965 – Bisleri, originally an Italian company created by Signor Felice Bisleri, who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. Bisleri originated in Italy in a place called Nocera Umbra from a spring called Angelica. Bisleri then was introduced in Mumbai in glass bottles in two varieties – bubbly & still (carbonated & non-carbonated).

1967 – The first plant to manufacture Bisleri bottled water was set up in Mumbai. 1969 – The Italian company was unable to market bottled water in India and wanted to exit the market and sold Bisleri Limited to Parle, who also did not see any potential in the product at that time.

1971 to 73 – Bisleri was introduced in plastic bottles and later pet bottles, which gave a boost to sales. 1991 – Bisleri introduced 20 litre economic home and office pack. 1993 – Bisleri soda was doing well but the production had to be discontinued as Parle sold their soft drink brands to Coca-Cola. 1995 – Introduction of pet bottles of 500ml at Rs 5 and sales shot up by 400%. 1998 – Introduces tamperproof and tamper evident seal. 2001 – Bisleri Trust inaugurated the first check dam in Bhara near Bhuj in Gujrat for rainwater harvesting. May, 2002 – Bisleri‟s market share came down to 15.8% over time due to the introduction of Coca Cola‟s Kinley and Pepsi‟s Aquafina. June 6, 2002 – Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recommended suspension of operations of RC bottling plant in Delhi on issues of safety and health because Bisleri water bottles were served in Alliance Air flight without the ISI mark. June 20, 2002 - The controversy takes a twist when BIS insists Parle violated rules by continuing production after the license was cancelled. The Government renewed the license within a month. October, 2004 - FDA orders Parle Bisleri to stop its production in two of its units. 2005 - Bisleri launches “Break away Seal”, “Fear Factor” and “Play Safe” campaigns to ascertain its purity and safety. 2007 - Bisleri chalks out aggressive corporate strategy. Market share was 60% at that time and there were 23 plants across the country. 2010 - Bisleri launched Vedica Natural Mountain Water from the Himalayas. Limited editions of celebration and celebrate cricket labels in 250ml and 500ml bottles are launched. June, 2011 - Bisleri planned to enter Middle East countries. It consider setting up more manufacturing facilities outside India. 2011 - Bisleri launched the “Stay Protected” campaign with Bisleri spreading the message to “Protect the ones you Love” and introduced a home pack of 15 litres. June, 2012 - Bisleri plans to enter West Asian countries to expand its overseas presence. Currently it exports Bisleri packaged water to Singapore and Japan.

INITIAL POSITIONING AND REPOSITIONING

From Pure and Safe to Play Safe to Stay Protected:

POSITIONING The business of pure water in India has never been as simple as the product (water) itself. Since the journey of the brand, the entire positioning strategy revolved around spreading the awareness about the necessity of safe drinking water and what the product is all about. It was available not only in medical stores but also at regular FMCG stores and at stations. Poster boards were also put up in a large number of mom-n-pop stores across the country to ensure that the product was able to catch the attention of the Indian population.

REPOSITIONING Bisleri being the first mineral water selling entrant in the market had an advantage in being able to capture the trust of the consumers strongly. Bisleri was going strong till in the early 1990s when Parle Bisleri‟s market share began to erode as new players started penetrating the market. The new players positioned their products as pure drinking water (same as Bisleri) and Bisleri felt the need to differentiate itself from the crowd. In the late 1990‟s, Bisleri‟s “Pure and Safe” ad campaign was launched. This created a strong platform for the brand but was not enough to grab considerable market share. 2006 saw PepsiCo and Coca Cola venture overshadowing Bisleri. Therefore, it felt the need to gear up. While the consumers were was paying attention to the new entrants and were engrossed with the blue factor, Bisleri came up with new bottles designed in green and a new punch line- “The Sweet Taste of Purity”. In addition to this, when Kinley

of Coca Cola and Aquafina of Pepsi mainly highlighted the Indian culture, the “desi” Bisleri chose an English song as its jingle and adding a global touch to the product. Bisleri resorted to spreading awareness about drinking safe water and highlighted the purity of the product by showing mountains and fresh dews in their advertisements. Another aspect highlighted by Bisleri was its tamper proof seal and hence create doubt in the customer‟s mind about the authenticity and quality of the products produced by the other brands and point out that Bisleri is the only one that guarantees purity. In 2000, Bisleri decided to penetrate every possible segment of the market by introducing more pack sizes and establish the brand strongly through trendy packaging. It launched the 1.2 litre bottles in the market priced at Rs 12. In 2000, Bisleri also launched smaller packs like the 300 ml cup. These 300 ml cup were targeted at large gatherings like marriages and conventions. Bisleri came up with new designed bottles, in place of the round ringed bottles, Bisleri introduced in hexagonal flat sleeved bottles. The new pack was already introduced in 500 ml and 5 litre sizes beforehand. They patented the new design to prevent it from being copied by others brands. The new pack also allowed better brand display as vertical labelling was easier on flat sleeved packages and the label information visible from all sides of the bottle. In September 2000, Bisleri launched its Play Safe ad campaign. In the print ad, a lady in a bikini was shown lying face down, soaking in the sun and a part of the lady's body is shielded by a bottle of Bisleri bearing the message: Play Safe on the bottle, while the television version of 45 seconds mainly targeted the youth and tried to convey a social message: “Young people need to make sure they are safe even when they are having fun.” The ad campaign saw a shift in positioning from "pure and safe" to "play safe.” After the introduction of this new and young image and the vibrant Bisleri bottle the company‟s sales hike by almost 60 percent. At present Bisleri seems to have dumped its clichéd images of springs and mountain ranges, replacing it with wholesome humour and stunning visual drama that reminds the viewer of a page from children‟s book using high tech graphics. The advertisement continues for 60 seconds and the message gets communicated to the viewer clearly- “Stay Protected” (“save yourself from the monster by offering Bisleri”. Bisleri has always been in clear about its communication with the viewer. It is spending Rs50 crore for its latest brand campaign. Innovation and communication go hand in hand with Bisleri. It has always generated awareness about safe drinking water and has come up with campaigns to communicate it differently at different point of time

ADVERTISING SALES PROMOTION AND SEGMENTATION Bisleri was the first mineral water brand to set off its sail in Indian market. One of the most important initial challenges it had to face was to build up the trust in the customer and the consumer‟s mind. The promotion technique of Bisleri reassures the consumers of its purity and safety. Bisleri is very particular about the message it passes to its consumers and takes ample care in advertising and promotion. SALES PROMOTION

ADVERTISING

PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX

WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING

INTERACTIVE MARKETING

SALES PROMOTION: Sales promotion is one of the aspects of promotion of a brand. Sales promotion can be targeted to consumers, sales staff or to players in the distribution channel. Some of the ways of sales promotion can include contests, coupons, freebies, point of purchase displays, product samples, rebate etc. The main idea behind sales promotion is to encourage sale and purchase of goods. Some of the ways Bisleri has promoted itself are as follows:

Bisleri-20% extra free This offer was introduced when special packs of the product were developed containing more quantity at a proportionately lower price. Instead of 1L they offered 1.2L at the cost of 1L pack. This offer fuelled continued usage and increased consumption.

EVENTS

Increasing volume and then the price Initially 500ml bottles were introduced at a price of Rs. 5, though the company was not making much profit. The idea was to increase the volume and then increase the price gradually. Now the price for 500ml bottle is Rs. 7. This adds considerable revenue to the company.

Visibility The mineral bottles are kept at the front end of a shop so that it is visible to the customer. This ensures that the customers knows about the brand and becomes aware of the choice. Bisleri bottles are such kept that they are visible to the passers-by.

Holding contest Bisleri regularly holds contests in shopping mall for the shoppers. One such event was held in Infinity Mall in Mumbai. Such contests increase the awareness of the product and drives up the sales.

Flash Mobs Flash Mobs is a recent phenomenon where a group of young people starts dancing in a shopping mall, train stations or a busy market. The group puts on tshirts with the brand name and spreads awareness of the product. Such promotion has gained momentum since the past one year. Bisleri has adopted this strategy to promote the product.

Point of purchase displays Parle promoted the product by displaying specially designed bottles in retails stores and roadside shops. These stores were selected in high traffic area and the probability of the product standing out increases.

ADVERTISING Bisleri decided to do something different by talking about protection. In early 1990‟s investing in a mineral water was considered a luxury. When Bisleri was new in the market, there was a perception that the product was made for people who were suffering from water-borne diseases. There were a lot of challenges that the company initially faced. They had to get rid of the perception that the product was made for sick people. They had to focus on the „depth‟ and „width‟ of the country. Bisleri (India) Ltd. found it difficult to sell mineral water in glass bottles. In late 1980‟s soda bottles were sold on railway stations and people consumed them. Though they did not enjoy the soda but they were looking for a safer drinking option. The company saw potential in the bottled water segment. This led Ramesh Chauhan into focusing on the mineral water industry. But the problem was that there was no market. So to create a market for the product, the company focused on the packaging of the product. The glass bottles were changed to PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and later to PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The company removed soda water from the market and focused its attention to packaged drinking water. Initially the buyers were foreigners and NRIs and there were no competitors. So to create a market share they adopted a low price strategy. The mineral water was kept low priced so that it was affordable for the middle class. The initial advertisements by Bisleri did not target any group. Since it was plain, colorless, tasteless and odorless bottled water, it was hard to advertise. Therefore the brand focused on promoting it as a healthy product and the Italian name added class to it. The first print ad of Bisleri showed a butler with a bow tie, holding two bottles of Bisleri and this added an international essence to the brand. The punch line was “Bisleri is veri veri extraordinari”. The campaign was successful and it got noticed as a safe, classy and healthy drinking water. In 2001, Bisleri introduced tamper-proof seals in its 20L jars in a bid to reinforce its image of purity and safety. At the same time Bisleri launched „pure and safe ad campaign that was built around the tamper-proof seals. The TVC showed a woodpecker trying to damage the seal of the 20litre jar. The objective of the campaign was to remove any doubts from the minds of the consumers. The company wanted to ensure that the customers did not feel that the bottles were tampered. This created a strong platform for Bisleri but it was not sufficient to create a considerable market share.

They needed a strong brand image and a catchy punch. This was the time when Bisleri launched a TVC with a tag-line „Play Safe‟ .The advertisement targeted the youth of the country and conveyed a social message-young people need to make sure they are safe when they are having fun. This campaign connected with the target group and enabled Bisleri to acquire a market share of 40%. But this did not last long as many other brands like Kinley and Aquafina entered the market

In 2009-Bisleri did a makeover in its packaging by introducing a „celebration pack‟. According to Anjan Ghosh, director of Bisleri International, the central idea was to position it as a brand for all occasions and something that will connect to the customers at all points of time. The new bottles were made available in 250ml and 500ml packs. The idea was to strengthen consumer connect.

In 2011, advertising agency Red Lion came up with a new TVC for Bisleri with a new thought „Stay Protected‟ but with the same baseline „The sweet taste of purity‟. The idea was to portray danger as a water monster that spares the man with a Bisleri. People buy mineral water to keep themselves safe from tap water. Other competitors were using the concepts of „pure‟, „fresh‟ and „safe‟ in their advertising strategy and Bisleri decided to do something different by talking about protection. One of the most successful undertakings by Bisleri was its “Go Green” initiative. Green is the symbol of tranquility, health and nature. The colour represents health and freshness associated with water. The transformations helped the brand in getting more customers and also strengthen the relationship with existing customers. The young and vibrant image of the bottle helped in catapulting the sales by 60%. Apart from TVC, Bisleri has utilized outdoor advertising to promote its product. They have used billboards, newspapers and banners to promote their product. Since product differentiation on the basis of quality is difficult so the company focused on the packaging and distribution strategy to stay ahead of its competitors.

SEGMENTATIONIt is important to divide the market into different segments where customers in each segment share the same needs and wants. With many companies entering the market, Bisleri had to ensure that it stayed ahead of the competition. In 2000, Bisleri decided to penetrate each and every segment in the market by introducing different pack sizes and the packaging was made trendy. Bisleri was available in 500 ml, 1l, 2l, and 5,20l bottles. Bisleri also launched 1.2l bottles for consumers who wanted little more than a litre.

GEOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION: One of the important geographic segmentation variables is the absence of clean drinking water. In such areas, the demand for mineral water would be higher. Wherever the demand is higher, the distribution strategy must be well planned. Domestic tourists while travelling across the country prefer mineral water as it is a safe source of drinking water. Foreign tourists are averse to nonfiltered water so they prefer mineral water.

DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION The market is divided on the basis of age, family size, gender, income, occupation, social class etc. On the basis of age, Bisleri has targeted the youth. The youth today have become fashion conscious. Soft drinks and fruit drinks have been positioned as fun and health drinks for the young generation. Bisleri also has to position itself in this segment. Many households in India still do not have access to clean drinking water. Complexes which do not have filter plants need to rely on bottled water. PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION The buyers are divided into different groups on the basis of personality traits, lifestyle or values. Lifestyle plays a significant role in consumption of mineral water. Many households prefer 20L jars over tap water. Bisleri introduced 300ml cups which could be used in marriages, parties or outdoor gatherings. 300ml cups are a convenient source of clean drinking water.

The market could also be segmented in terms of pack sizes: SIZE OF THE BOTTLE

TARGET CONSUMERS

250ml

Marriages and gatherings where mineral water had to be served in disposable cups

500ml

Teenagers, college students, travellers

1L

General consumers drinking water

1.2L

Consumers demanding little more water than just a litre Showrooms, institutions, shopkeepers, retailers

5L

who

want

safe

ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCT AND GENERIC COMPETITORS OF THE BRAND

Market Share 18% 36% 6% Bisleri Kinley 15%

Aquafina Bialley 25%

Others

Indians carried drinking water in earthen pitchers, plastic or PUF bottles. But increasing cases of typhoid and other waterborne diseases began to be reported. The market started growing an astounding rate of over 100% per annum. The fact that there were very few players in the market meant that their business grew by leaps and bounds. The major foreign players are Coca-Cola promoted Kinley and Pepsi‟s Aquafina.

GENERIC COMPETITORS The generic competitors which give tough competition to Bisleri are products which belong to different categories and different brands; some are cheaper than the one litre bottle of Bisleri some are priced same as the latter. Competition with generic competitors is possible when Bisleri is available wherever the other competitors are available. So, place becomes critical. To ensure that Bisleri is widely available, the company has invested heavily in increasing the production capacity. Bisleri currently has 152 plants in India and in future it is going to increase its production capacity. The distributors are selected on the basis of their influencing power. The idea is to focus on a small area and reach out to as many retail outlets as possible. This increases the availability of Bisleri and makes it competitive with its generic competitors.

Some of the generic competitors of Bisleri are as follows1) Soft Drinks- Soft Drinks prove to be a strong competition to Bisleri. They are available in the same price range and solve the same problem of quenching thirst. Wherever safe drinking water is not available, soft drinks prove to be useful. People generally prefer soft drinks over mineral water as a fun drink. 2) Lassi- The problem with lassi is that it is not as common as mineral water. Lassi is available mostly in eating joints and sometimes in roadside shops. Lassi has a far lesser reach than drinking water. 3) Fruit juices- Fruit juices are healthier and have a taste. These PODs give an advantage over mineral water. But they are expensive and not readily available. 4) Butter-milk- Butter milk is a part of diet of Indians. It can either be made at homes or can be purchased from retail outlets. Many companies like Amul have launched butter milk in tetra packs. Though mineral water and butter milk are different products but both solve the same problem of thirst. 5) Nimbu-Pani- In rural areas people look for cheap source to quench their thirst. Since nimbu pani is available at a low cost people generally prefer it over mineral water. Many companies have launched bottled nimbu pani which is very popular in urban areas. They are available at same price as mineral water and solve the same problem. Pepsi Co launched 7UP Nimbooz in 2009 and it is available at Rs.10 and Rs.15. Since it is hygienic and convenient it gives tough competition to Bisleri. 6) Carbonated water with wide array of variants: lemon, ginger, club soda. 7) Water Pouches- Water pouches are available in many states at low prices. They are available near railway stations, roadside shops or any other crowded place. People tend to buy water pouches instead of investing in a mineral water. They give a tough competition to Bisleri in terms of pricing. But they are not considered as safe source of drinking water. 8) Flavoured Milk-Flavoured Milk is available in the same place as mineral water. Though it is priced high, it is healthier than soft drinks.

Some direct competitors of Bisleri are as follows: Kinley

Kinley is a brand of still or carbonated water owned by the CocaCola company and sold in many large European and Asian countries, including Pakistan and India. It has the second highest market share in India. Coco-Cola had first introduced Kinley Soda in the country and they had a strong distribution network. Within 2 years, Kinley had 20 bottling plants in India. It became successful because of aggressive marketing and strong distribution strategies.

Aquafina

Aquafina was first launched in the US in 1994. With its unique purification system and great taste, Aquafina soon became the bestselling brand in the country. In India, Aquafina‟s journey began with its launch in Bombay in 1999 and it was rolled out nationally by 2000. On the strength of its brand appeal and distribution, Aquafina has become one of India‟s leading brands of bottled water in a relatively short span of time.

Aquafina is the face of PepsiCo‟s water conservation initiatives and builds awareness about PepsiCo‟s efforts to replenish and restore the water table through its pack labels.

Oxyrich

OXYRICH employs a patented oxygenation process to infuse more oxygen in water by 300% . This is done by physically dissolving pure oxygen by a wellresearched scientific method, using state of the art equipment. It is the only packaged drinking water with extra oxygen for healthy living. This ensures that whenever you have a sip of OXYRICH, your body is enriched with more oxygen leading to improved metabolism, enabling higher energy levels and promoting wellness. The dissolved oxygen is more than 300% more than found in normal drinking water.

Himalayan

Himalayan stands out as an authentic brand in the mineral water market. Its association with the Tata group enhances the trust and faith that it inspires among customers. The recent re-launch has enhanced its brand equity.

Rail Neer

Rail Neer was launched by IRCTC as there was a demand of clean and hygienic drinking water in trains. According to IRCTC, there is a huge gap between demand and supply of Rail Neer bottles. To bridge this gap manufacturing plants are being set across the country and the supply chain is being improved so that variable costs can be reduced. A manufacturing plant is being set up in Ambernath in Mumbai which will be operational by 2012-2013.

STRATEGIES ADOPTED OVER TIME TO TACKLE COMPETITION OR PRIME MARKET EXPANSION

Bisleri takes on Kinley-Coco-Cola introduced Kinley mineral water in India

on August, 2000. Within 25 months of operation they had replaced Bisleri from the number one position. The market share of Kinley was 35.1 percent while that of Bisleri was 34.4 percent. Coco-Cola had first introduced Kinley Soda in the country and they had a strong distribution network. Within 2 years, Kinley had 20 bottling plants in India. It became successful because of aggressive marketing and strong distribution strategies. Bisleri focused on the bulk segment to regain its position. Bisleri did not focus on the 20l bottle segment. Due to the increased sale of 20l jars, the revenue shot up and Bisleri was successful in regaining its numero uno spot.

Bisleri tries to do away with marketing myopia- Bisleri came out with

the „Play Safe‟ in October, 2000. The main idea was to position it as a fun product. Bisleri was targeting the soft drinks market. According to Ramesh Chauhan, soft drinks were meant for quenching thirst and having fun. As a product, mineral water could not be innovated beyond a point. So the company came out with the ad to target the youth and to add a fun element to the product. The campaign was successful and Bisleri managed to increase their market share.

Bisleri enters different markets- Bisleri over the time has adopted a dual distribution strategy. It has penetrated the rural market as well as the urban market. In the rural markets, they have reached out small kirana stores and

even highway hotels. While in the urban areas, it has penetrated the institutional segments like hotels, government offices, offices etc. With such strategies, Bisleri has actually expanded the market for mineral water.

Bisleri stands out from the competitors- Bisleri changed its packaging

color from blue to green. The main reason was to set itself apart from the competitors. It was sure that companies like Coco-Cola and Pepsi would not be able to do so because of international standards. Bisleri was successful and became leader in the mineral water industry.

Bisleri reinvest in the brand-In 2006, Bisleri decided to invest 100cr into

the brand. It is in this year that Bisleri decided to change the brand color to aqua green from blue that Bisleri was associated with. Out of 100cr, Bisleri invested 30 cr in its two new manufacturing plants in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, 60 cr in advertising the new identity and product. The rest was invested in infrastructural developments. More plants across the „width‟ of the country reduce the distribution costs. This benefits not only the company but also the distributors as the products are closely available.

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY FOLLOWED BY THE BRAND

Place is one of the 4P‟s of marketing. In case of Bisleri, there are different types of consumers. Institutional buyers would not prefer going to the retailers to procure mineral water jars. They would rather prefer going directly to the distributors, as these buyers would be getting better discounts.

M A N U F A C T U R I N G P L A N T

INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS

PARTY ORDERS

COMPANY WAREHOUSE

DISTRIBUTORS

TRANSPORTATION

RETAILERS

CONSUMERS

Bisleri distributes its products in the following ways: B2B - Direct distributions through its own road vehicles-To meet the growing demand for mineral water, Bisleri has more than 2500 trucks-on call. These trucks ensure that Bisleri jars are available in all retail outlets and households in a city. Most of the revenue from this distribution comes from the state of Maharashtra. Due to distribution, Bisleri is able to stay ahead of its competitors.

Retail Outlets - Through area distributer/local agencies- The Bisleri bottles reach the retail outlets via the distributors. The distributors generally cover a small area in a city. The idea is to cover as many retail outlets in that area as possible. So in a city there is more than one distributor. From the retail outlets the consumers can avail the bottles. These retail outlets even supply 20L jars to those households where clean water is not available. The retailers get a share in the number of bottles sold.

Home Delivery - Through small depots in the cities-20L jars are supplied to institutional suppliers through small depots. The bottles reach the depot either through the manufacturing plant or through distributors.

Bisleri Shoppe - Around 10 Bisleri Shoppes have been set up in Bangalore and the goal is to open another 100 Bisleri Shoppes by the year end. These are retail outlets that sell exclusively Bisleri bottles. No competitor in the mineral water segment has started such initiative and this will give Bisleri a competitive edge in future.

SUMMARY REGARDING FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE BRAND

Bisleri has initiated a lot of measures to stay ahead of the competition and also increase customer base. Some of the measures are discussed below: 1) To boost brand visibility and counter competition, Bisleri has set up „Bisleri Shoppe’, an exclusive retail format to sell bottled water. 10 Bisleri Shoppes have already been launched in Bangalore and more are planned for Mumbai, Chennai and other key metros. Bisleri wants to open another 100 retail outlets by the year end. The company is deciding to invest 3-5 lakhs per outlet. 2) Bisleri is planning to enter facial spray segment by introducing a new brand. Currently the face spray segment has a few players like Dabur‟s Gulabari and couple of other international brands like Evian. It is expected that the facial spray may not be flavoured and may be an extension of the water business. The company is planning to keep the pricing affordable to suit the Indian consumers. 3) Bisleri plans to ramp up global presence by setting up manufacturing facilities outside India. To expand its global presence, Bisleri is planning to enter West Asian countries. At present Bisleri exports packaged drinking water to Singapore and Africa. Bisleri had earlier announced plans to enter countries like Sri Lanka, UAE, Bangladesh and Oman. But the plans were shelved due to lack of right partners and constraints of manpower.

4) Bisleri is planning to increase its production capacity by setting up more manufacturing plants in the country. Before 2000, the company had 15 plants and 50,000 outlets. Currently, it has 152 plants and 1,50,000 dealers in India. By opening more plants, the company can save distribution costs in the long run. Each plant can serve upto a radius of 100-150kms. In the past Bisleri has set up plants in Pune and Nagpur. The consumers are becoming more aware of the brand and the aspirations of youth are increasing in Tier II and Tier III cities. For these the reasons, Bisleri needs to be close to the consumers

REFERENCE

1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisleri 2) http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bisleri-to-set25-newbottling-plants/362641/ 3) http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/10spec.htm 4) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Bottled-watermarket-grows-at-Compound-Annual-Growth-Rate-of19/articleshow/14390583.cms 5) http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-1012/news/30271000_1_bisleri-water-bottled-water-brand-identity 6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felice_Bisleri 7) Articles from Economic Times and Business Standards 8) Marketing Management- Philip Kotler

PHASE 2

List of Hypotheses 1. Bisleri is the most preferred mineral water because of its availability 2. Advertisement has helped Bisleri to differentiate itself from other brands

Justification of the Hypotheses Based on our literature survey we will be justifying the hypotheses given above:-

1. Bisleri is the most preferred mineral water because of its availability Bisleri was the first entrant as a mineral water producing brand under the trusted name of Parle in India. It remained uncontested for a long time since its inception to late 1990‟s and has a first mover‟s advantage which helped the brand have an experienced and efficient distribution channel. This ensures wide availability in the market.

2. Advertisement has helped Bisleri to differentiate itself from other brands Bisleri for a long time has been associated with safe drinking water and synonymous with mineral water in India. Therefore it holds a place in the mind of the consumers. It has always been innovative with advertising and packaging, and tried to pass message to the audience about necessity of drinking safe water. We would like to analyze whether Bisleri has been successful in making an impact in the customer‟s mind with its advertisements and catchy taglines.

List of Information required for the research We need the following information from Bisleri/mineral water consumers for our analysis:

o We need to know if customers prefer other packaged drinking water or Substitutes over Bisleri, if Bisleri and its substitutes are freely available in the market. 

Consumer awareness on associating Bisleri with tagline and change in look and feel of bottle.

Instruments of data collection The two main instruments for the collection of primary data required for conducting any marketing research are as follows: 1. Questionnaires – Questionnaire is an instrument to record and gather information about the respondents through a series of questions. 2. Qualitative Measure – Qualitative measure of research in marketing is that instrument where data is obtained from a relatively small group of respondents and no statistical inference is drawn.

Between the two measures, we, as a team, opted for the questionnaire method of data collection, which is the most common and respondent friendly instrument for this purpose. It may be conducted in a large scale without much inconvenience to the data collector as well as the respondent. The questions are closed ended and the probable answers are specified, hence they are easy to interpret and associate with the hypotheses. We avoided inclusion of more open ended questions as it allows the respondents to stray away from the objective of the questionnaire. We chose questionnaire as our method of data collection for the following reasons: 1. The hypotheses we have chosen is based on the awareness of the respondents about the mineral water brands, their views and perception about them. To reach a conclusion, we have selected a set of closed and open ended questions for our questionnaire. 2. The survey will be conducted taking into consideration about 100 people and questionnaire is a suitable method in this case. We will be able to draw a conclusion about the hypotheses we selected on the basis of the information collected from this survey.

Sampling Plan and Sample Size A sampling plan is a blueprint for how a sampling event or program will be executed. It provides all the details needed to ensure that representative samples are collected, handled, analyzed, and reported in a manner that meets the needs and objectives of our analysis.

Target Population: For conducting our survey we desire that our respondents drink packaged drinking water more than once a month. Sample Size: 100 Sampling techniques: The survey will be conducted online as well as on a oneto-one basis.

Questionnaire 1 (a) Do you drink packaged drinking water? o Yes o No (Survey Terminated)

(b) If „Yes‟, how frequently do you need to purchase packaged drinking water? o o o o

Daily Not daily but once or more every week Not every week but twice or thrice a month Once a month or less often (survey terminated)

2 (a)What are the brands that come to your mind when you think about mineral water? (Open Ended Question) (b) Are you aware of these Packaged Drinking Water brands: Yes

No

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Oxyrich Bailey Himalayan

(c)Out of these brands, which ones do you remember for their advertisement?

(Open Ended Question) 3. Rank the brands according to your preference (1st being your most preferred brand) Brands

Ranks

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Bailey Oxyrich 4. Please have a look at this scale and tell me which phrase related to availability of packaged water fits best for each brand given in the Table 1 below Very easily available – can find it in almost all shops that stock packaged drinking water Easily available – can find it in most of the shops that stock packaged drinking water Available – but cannot find it in many shops that stock packaged drinking water Not easily available

4 3 2 1

TABLE 1 (TICK OR CIRCLE ONE OPTION FOR EACH BRAND THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF) Very Easily Available

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Bailey Oxyrich

4 4 4 4 4

Easily Available

3 3 3 3 3

Available

Not Easily Available

2 2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1 1

5. Match the colours with the following mineral water brand Pink Kinley Himalayan Bisleri Aquafina

Green

Blue

6. Choose the tagline of Bisleri o o o o

The purest part of you Boond boond mein vishwas Stay protected Live natural

7. Rate these attributes according to your consideration while purchasing Bisleri (5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest) 1

2

3

Price Availability Hygiene Retailer/Shopkeeper Recommendation

8(a) o o o

when you buy packaged drinking water, do you: Ask for the shopkeeper‟s preference I am not bothered Ask for a particular brand

(b) If you ask for a particular brand, which brand is it? (Open Ended Question)

4

5

PHASE 3

ANALYSIS OF DATA 1 (a) Do you drink packaged drinking water?

o Yes o No (Survey Terminated)

The first question of our survey is aimed at selecting those respondents who consume packaged drinking water. We terminated those surveys in which the answer was a „No‟. Only those respondents who answered a „Yes‟ were considered eligible. Out of 156 respondents, 139 answered in affirmative. We continued to the next question with these 139 respondents.

(b) If „Yes‟, how frequently do you need to purchase packaged drinking water? o o o o

Daily Not daily but once or more every week Not every week but twice or thrice a month Once a month or less often (survey terminated)

For further analysis we rejected those respondents who don‟t consume packaged drinking water more than once a month. This further reduces our sample size to 90 respondents. These 90 responses include those who drink packaged drinking water more than once a month.

After fulfilling the two conditions the number of responses is shown below:

2(a) What are the brands that come to your mind when you think about mineral water? (Open Ended Question)

This question is to find top of the mind recall of the consumers when it came to the context of packaged drinking water. Bisleri scores over the brands in this context. There may be several reasons for this like advertisements, availability, historical significance etc. Through our research we are going to find whether advertisements and availability has helped Bisleri in scoring over the other brands. Bisleri is closely followed by Kinley here. Kinley comes second when we talk about top of the mind recall of the consumers. Brand recall also gives an idea of the popularity of the brand.

80 70

No. of respondents

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Series1

Bisleri

Aquafina

Kinley

Himalayan

Bailey

Others

68

38

58

9

3

11

2(b) Are you aware of these Packaged Drinking Water brands: Yes

No

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Oxyrich Bailey Himalayan

When it comes to brand awareness Kinley, Bisleri and Aquafina are almost at the same level, with Kinley being the brand of packaged drinking water consumers are most aware about, followed by Bisleri and Aquafina. Oxyrich scores the lowest in terms of brand awareness. Brand awareness can be due to many reasons like advertisements, distribution strategies, retail push, etc.

120.00% 100.00%

96.40%

97.80%

96.70%

80.00%

68.90%

74.40%

60.00% 41.10% 40.00% 20.00% 0.00% Aquafina

Kinley

Bisleri

Oxyrich

Bailey

Himalayan

Awareness

While we were conducting our survey near Behala, we had a talk with many retailers regarding the sales of Kinley and Bisleri. We came to know that Kinley was giving better margins to the retailers. Retailers in turn pushed Kinley to the consumers. This could happen in many areas but at least in Behala, Kinley was more commonly available in retail shops than Bisleri.

2(c) Out of these brands, which ones do you remember for their advertisement? (Open Ended Question)

Advertisements are an important factor in brand awareness and top of the mind recall. Bisleri had spent almost 50 crores for the last brand campaign. Bisleri scores over the other brands in terms of advertisements. But we cannot conclusively say that advertisements have not helped other brands. Kinley or Aquafina may have gained market share due to its advertisements. To prove this we need further information. But when we consider brand awareness due to advertisements, Bisleri is ahead of its competitors.

40 35

No. of respondents

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Series1

Aquafina

Bisleri

Kinley

Himalayan

17

37

27

16

3 Rank the brands according to your preference (1st being your most preferred brand) Brands

Ranks

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Bailey Oxyrich

Brand Preference 300

Weighted Score

250 200 150 100 50 0 Series1

Bisleri

Aquafina

Kinley

Oxyrich

Bailey

225

283

266

210

222

For this question we had asked the respondents to rank the brand according to their preference. The weighted score was calculated. According to the data we can say that Aquafina has emerged as the most preferred brand. Bisleri is ranked third. This data does not correlate with the data that is collected from Q8b where we had asked the respondents which brands they ask for while purchasing packaged drinking water.

4 Please have a look at this scale and tell me which phrase related to availability of packaged water fits best for each brand given in the Table 1 below Very easily available – can find it in almost all shops that stock packaged drinking water Easily available – can find it in most of the shops that stock packaged drinking water Available – but cannot find it in many shops that stock packaged drinking water Not easily available

4 3 2 1

TABLE 1 (TICK OR CIRCLE ONE OPTION FOR EACH BRAND THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF) Very Easily Available

Aquafina Kinley Bisleri Bailey Oxyrich

Easily Available

4 4 4 4 4

Available

3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2

Not Easily Available

1 1 1 1 1

DATA COLLECTED 4 3 Very Easily Easily Available Available

2 Available

1 Not Easily Available

Aquafina

40.0% (36)

33.3% (30)

18.9% (17)

7.8% (8)

Kinley

54.4% (49)

28.9% (26)

10.0% (9)

6.7% (6)

Bisleri

61.1% (55)

26.7% (24)

6.7% (6)

5.6% (5)

Bailey

10.0% (9)

28.9% (26)

42.2% (46)

18.9% (17)

Oxyrich

6.7% (6)

12.2% (11)

32.2% (29)

48.9% (44)

Availability plays a crucial role in the packaged drinking water. In an industry where products cannot be differentiated on the basis of quality, availability can make or break a product. Our question was to identify what is the availability of different brands in the market. Our respondents were asked to rate the brands mentioned on a scale of 4, measuring their availability in the market. The data collected showed that consumers selected Oxyrich & Bailey as the least available brands of packaged drinking water in the market. The three most available brands in the market are Bisleri, Aquafina and Kinley respectively. 61.1% percent of the respondents said that Bisleri is widely available in the market. Therefore Bisleri is preferred drinking water as it is widely available in the market.

5 Match the colours with the following mineral water brand Pink

Green

Blue

Green

Blue

Kinley Himalayan Bisleri Aquafina DATA COLLECTED Pink Kinley

3.5% (3)

5.8% (5)

90.7% (78)

Himalayan

68.4% (54)

22.8% (18)

8.9% (7)

Bisleri

0

59.3% (51)

40.7% (35)

Aquafina

6.1% (5)

4.9% (4)

89% (73)

Our question was to check whether the respondents can relate the colour to their respective brands. This will help us to identify whether the consumers are aware of the colours portrayed by the brands in their advertisements. From the data table and the bar graph we can say that almost 90% of the respondents correctly related colour blue to Kinley and Aquafina, 68% correctly related colour pink to Himalayan. 100 90 80 70 60 PINK 50 GREEN

40

BLUE

30 20 10 0 KINLEY

HIMALAYAN

BISLERI

AQUAFINA

Blue is the most common label colour when it comes to the packaged drinking water industry. But Bisleri differentiated itself by changing its label colour to green. 59.3% of the respondents are aware of Bisleri‟s label colour.

6. Choose the tagline of Bisleri o o o o

The purest part of you Boond boond mein vishwas Stay protected Live natural

Live Natural (Himalayan) 8%

Tagline Awareness

The Purest Part of You (Aquafina) 22% Stay Protected (Bisleri) 33%

Boond Boond Mein Vishwas (Kinley) 37%

Catchy taglines communicated through advertisements, print advertisements, hoardings can help a brand to differentiate itself in a big way. The responses for this question gives us a mixed result as the majority of the respondents have given the incorrect answer. Bisleri tagline is not a reason for its popularity. Hence, the message it tries to pass on to the consumers through its taglines is not conveyed properly.

7. Rate these attributes according to your consideration while purchasing Bisleri (5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest) 1

2

3

4

5

Price Availability Hygiene Retailer/Shopkeeper Recommendation DATA COLLECTED 1

2

3

4

5

Price

12.2% (11)

20% (18)

21.1% (19)

30% (27)

16.7% (15)

Availability

5.6% (5)

6.7% (6)

15.6% (14)

24.4% (22)

47.8% (43)

Hygiene

2.2% (2)

6.7% (6)

10% (9)

23.3% (21)

57.8% (52)

Shopkeeper/Retailer’s Recommendation

23.3% (21)

13.3% (12)

30% (27)

15.6% (14)

17.8% (16)

In this question, we asked respondents to answer which factors they consider for which they purchase a bottle of Bisleri packaged drinking water. It was observed that for Bisleri hygiene and availability are two most important factors that consumer consider. Since prices for all the brands are almost the same, it is not a crucial factor. Similarly respondents have not considered Shopkeeper‟s recommendation as an important factor. 52 respondents feel that Bisleri is hygienic so they have rated it an important factor along with availability.

8(a) o o o

when you buy packaged drinking water, do you: Ask for the shopkeeper‟s preference I am not bothered Ask for a particular brand

Responses 10%

Ask for Shopkeeper's Preference 27% I am not bothered 63%

Ask for a Particular Brand

Through this question we were trying to analyze the consumer behavior while purchasing packaged drinking water. 57 respondents asked for specific brand when they go to a shop. The next question asks the brand preference of the consumer. Only 10% have asked for the shopkeeper‟s preference. This can be linked to the above question where respondents have not given shopkeeper‟s recommendation an important consideration. The percentage of respondents who are pre-decided about a particular brand is more than the percentage of the respondents who are not pre-decided. 27% (24) of the respondents answered that they are not bothered what brand of water they are handed. 10% (9) go with the shopkeeper‟s preference and the majority, i.e. 63.3% (57) ask for a particular packaged drinking water brand.

8(b) If you ask for a particular brand, which brand is it? (Open Ended Question) In our next question, we take the responses of the 57 respondents who only replied that they ask for a particular brand when they buy packaged drinking water.

Brand Preferance 5%

5%

Bisleri 42% 29%

Aquafina Kinley Others Himalayan

19%

Out of those 57 respondents, brands like Bailey, Oxyrich, Rail Neer (under „Others‟) and Himalayan are asked by 5% of the respondents each. Aquafina was preferred by 19% and Kinley by 29%. Bisleri was preferred the most by the respondents, showing that 43% of them ask for Bisleri. This question is directly related to the previous question. 42% of those who asked for a particular brand have asked for Bisleri. This question can be linked to the question where we asked for the most preferred brand. Bisleri had emerged as the most preferred brand. Similarly in this question we saw that consumers asked for Bisleri as the most preferred brand. This shows that Bisleri is the most preferred brand among the respondents.

ANALYSIS OF HYPOTHESIS AND INFERENCES DRAWN The answers to question number 1(a), 1(b), 2(a), 2(b) are required to select our respondents who consume packaged drinking water and to check the top of the mind brand recall and awareness about different brand. They help us to pave the path for the rest of the survey. 1. Bisleri is the most preferred packaged drinking because of its availability

water

The data available from question number 4 helps us to state that out of the brands of packaged drinking water considered in our survey; most of the consumers find Bisleri widely available in the market. Data from question number 7 helps us to conclude that Bisleri is preferred as a packaged drinking water brand due to its hygiene factor and availability. We also tried to find whether consumers ask for a particular brand of packaged drinking water while buying with the help of question number 8(a) and 8(b). Hence we can ACCEPT the first hypothesis and availability is one of the reasons why Bisleri is preferred as a packaged drinking water brand.

2. Advertisement has helped Bisleri to differentiate itself from other brands Question 2(c) helps us to identify whether consumers remember any particular brand of packaged drinking water for its advertisements. From the data collected we can see that more people remember Bisleri for its advertisements than any other brand. But when we focus on question number 5, we can see that 51 respondents had given the correct answer while 35 had given the incorrect answer. The difference between the numbers is not very huge. Had the number of correct answers been high while the number of incorrect answers been low then we could have arrived at a conclusion that it was able to differentiate itself completely from other brands. Bisleri had purposely changed its label color to differentiate from its competitors. But many respondents have not been able to make out the correct color.

When we focus on question number 6 we can see that almost 67% of the respondents have given the incorrect answer. Majority of the respondents are not aware of the taglines of brands in the packaged drinking water industry. So, catchy tagline has not helped Bisleri to increase its popularity. From the above arguments we can conclude that advertisements have not helped Bisleri to differentiate from its competitors. Hence we can REJECT the second hypothesis .

NET TAKE AWAY



Bisleri is preferred because of its availability.



Advertisements have not helped Biseri to differentiate from its competitors.



Bisleri is considered hygienic.



Bisleri scores above the other brands in terms of brand awareness.



Majority of the people ask for Bisleri when they purchase packaged drinking water.

CONCLUSION After collecting and analyzing the data we can ACCEPT the first hypothesis and REJECT the second hypothesis.