Posts Tagged ‘brand’

Luxury @ China

March 7th, 2010

luxury goods
Luxury products can be defined as mature products which have historical attachment, global recognition and high perceived value or in short ‘a story to brag about’. These products are mildly correlated to the consumption and economic conditions of the consuming country. China, the biggest developing country of the world has surpassed US to become the second largest consumer of luxury products. It now consumes 27.5% of the worlds luxury goods. This reflects the economic power of this mighty country. Currently, the largest consumer is Japan.
Most of the luxury goods bought are western products just because China in itself does not have any big luxury brands. In-spite of having products like Maotai, Wuliangye and Shuijingfang; fashion labels like Septwolves, Baoxiniao, Bosideng and Yongzheng; and jewelry labels like Dongfangjinyu and Nobel Jewelry which are extraordinarily priced, the demand for western luxury brands is more because of the historical connection and their global recognition.
Thus, luxury is not only about price but also about BRAND!

Rogues

Fashion of recalls!

February 24th, 2010

maruti a-star
The automobile companies have made it a habit to recall their vehicles or is it the season of recalls. This time it is neither Toyota nor Ford but it is India’s largest seller of passenger cars Maruti. Last year it launched its A-Star in Europe to cater to the entry segment cars. The Indian version of this car already has a big pie in the small car segment. However, the 100,000 A-Stars exported is said to have some problem with oil seals (o-rings) which failed in a number of instances.
Why so many recalls?
I think that the quality checks performed before launch of the cars are not being followed religiously or there is a loophole which is being exploited liberally or the recession has made the companies to cut cost at the cost of quality. In-spite of knowing the fact that such recalls may tarnish the brand image of the company, the companies give green flags to new models to reap the benefits of first mover advantage in respective segments. Let us hope that these organizations at least continue to own responsibilities for such debacles.

Rogues

Toyota’s calls and recalls

February 14th, 2010

Cause of Toyota recalls

Global automobile giants like Toyota and Honda created a furor among their customers by announcing massive car recalls. Toyota plans to recall more than eight million vehicles while Honda has to recall more than one million. Toyota says that the drivers of these vehicles have reported unintended acceleration of their vehicles which is caused by the improper design of the pedal and the floor mat. Honda vehicles are facing problems with airbags and a switch which could cause fire. To rectify these defects a massive reverse logistic exercise will cost them millions of Dollars.
» Read more: Toyota’s calls and recalls

Book review: The making of the classic “Sholey”

January 12th, 2010
Gabbar

Gabbar

“Ye haath mujhe de de Thakur”, is one of the many famous dialogue of this movie. It is said that the film industry of India is categorized as pre Sholey and post Sholey. The book written by Anupama Chopra is crispy and covers even the finest details about the movie from concept to release. The author has penned down even the details like how the name of the characters ‘Gabbar’, ‘viru’ & ‘Jai’ evolved. It also covered the problems faced by the movie because of the censor board. It revealed that the story had a different ending, in which Gabbar was to be killed brutally by Thakur. Alas! it was changed on the request of the censor boards just two months before the release date of the evangelical brand Sholey. » Read more: Book review: The making of the classic “Sholey”

Story behind Wrigley’s Chewing Gum!

December 25th, 2009

Two of Wrigley’s now classic brands, Doublemint and Yellow Juicy (Fruit), grabbed the world’s attention at the Chicago Expo in 1893 courtesy of a young salesman named William Wrigley Jr.

Wrigley traveled from Philadelphia to Chicago in the spring of 1891. He was 29 years old, had $32 in his pocket and possessed endless enthusiasm.

His started his career trying to sell Wrigley’s Scouring Soap, which was produced in his father’s factory. Wrigley offered free gifts to merchants to increase sales, knowing that such » Read more: Story behind Wrigley’s Chewing Gum!

Dreams of “The Shanghai Gang”

December 14th, 2009

The most talked about country took the most unexpected turn against its best brand called Shanghai. Why?

Mega plans fueled with high growth and investments gave birth to high levels of kickbacks, commissions and arbitrage in the 90s. The average per capita income in China increased more than 11 times in a period of 30 years.

Every small rule by the party was followed by a plethora of unrest among the peasants, thanks to the Kleptocracy of the party members at all levels. In the late 90s the Chinese » Read more: Dreams of “The Shanghai Gang”

Taxonomy in life: Branding of Everything!

October 16th, 2009

How do you differentiate a common product from your favorite product? What is that makes your buying decision easier?
These questions were answered as early as 1300 B.C. Artisans used to put a mark on their products which made it different from others. In return the customers found it a reliable method to evaluate the products and thus giving birth to the concept of brand loyalty. This branding was passed on to many ancient products like watermarks on paper, bread marks and other crafted goods. Branding of products instilled a sense of security among the buyers and lead to flourishing of the best producer.


Let us conceptualize it:
» Read more: Taxonomy in life: Branding of Everything!