The
brand new world of Birla Cellulose
Birla Cellulose Viscose
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Birla Cellulose Modal |
Birla Cellulose Excel |
"During
a GMT interview session, I asked a young
girl a simple question 'What would you rather
do, work with a company with established
well-known brands or for one which is in
the process of carving out a brand identity
for itself?' She didn't even blink before
replying that she would choose the latter
as building a brand was like giving birth
to a baby, and watching it grow into a force
unto itself would perhaps be the most rewarding
experience that a marketer could hope for.
The GMT in question was Ms. Swati Varma,
and she has been working for Birla Cellulose
for three years since that day.
We,
at Birla Cellulose, are still feeling the
aftermath of birth. It is perhaps an experience,
which is both tiring and exhausting on one
hand, and extremely rewarding and fulfilling
on the other.
Creation
of this brand was a minor miracle in its own
right because the team was new and the product
was a commodity product with little differentiation.
To make matters worse, we had to launch a
product that at the very best, carried negative
baggage or total ignorance for the trade.
Further,
lax labeling laws and absence of trade guidance
had left consumers totally unaware of its
existence.
There
were also apprehensions in our own ranks
as to whether we would be successful in
marketing "old wine in a new bottle"
to a trade, which is well-aware of its pitfalls.
Further, it would also be a harrowing experience
in terms of getting the logistics right
as viscose was several stages removed from
end consumers, and had to depend on channel
partners to make the campaign a success
and prevent dissonance at point of purchase.
However,
there were enough people who knew that to
brand this commodity and bring it closer
to the hearts and minds of end consumers
was the only long-term alternative to survive
in a marketplace which is facing severe
competition from cotton which was riding
high based on its merit of comfort —
not to mention the aggressive promotions
on a global war footing by Cotton Incorporated,
and polyester which was beating us hollow
— both on price and durability. To
add to our miseries, imports from China
and the imminent entry of Lenzing, our major
competitor into the Indian sub-continent
in the near future, could not be ruled out.
We
figured
that the pull created among actual users
by branding was the only solution to this
multifaceted onslaught.
Months
of intense deliberations among the team
as well as with our marketing consultants
— Quadra Advisory and our ad-agency
Lemon led finally to the creation of a new
brand identity, which at the same time connotes
naturalness, as well as a feeling of comfort,
softness and unique hand feel. These are
also the intrinsic benefits offered by viscose,
which is extremely soft, comfortable, skin-friendly
and most importantly, of natural origin
and entirely biodegradable. Further, the
new stylised logo also brought into focus
the fashion element for which viscose fibre
is globally popular amongst the world's
leading designers.
The
mother brand — "Birla Cellulose"
would be a unifier for other sub-brands
like Birla Viscose", "Birla Modal"
and "Birla Excel" which represent
the different generation of regenerated
natural fibres hierarchy.
The
new brand identity, the concerted promotional
plan along with a slew of world-class marketing
initiatives should help make Birla Cellulose"
the preferred cellulosic fibre brand, globally."
Thomas Varghese
Senior Executive President
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