Reinventing Bisleri

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Bisleri Feels The Heat Contd...

However, one area in which Bisleri seemed to have an advantage over Kinley and Aquafina was the bulk segment. In 2000 Bisleri's 5 and 20 litres packs accounted for 20% of its sales. In 2001, the company planned to have 75% of its sales from bulk packs of 5 and 20 litres. According to analysts the bulk segment had vast potential, and was expected to grow fast. In 2000, 40% of the branded water consumption was in eateries, homes and restaurants.

Large shops and commercial complexes were fast emerging as attractive targets for mineral water marketers and Bisleri wanted to be the first to establish itself in the bulk pack segment. Bisleri reportedly wanted to focus on the bulk segment because Pepsi and Coca-Cola seemed to be strong in the retail segment and would take some time to strengthen their presence in the bulk segment. Said Vibha Paul Rishi, executive director (marketing), of Pepsi, "The bulk segment is not our core strength, so we would like to confine Aquafina to the retail segment for the time being."5 To strengthen its presence in the bulk segment, Bisleri was investing heavily on marketing and distribution. According to some analysts the competition between Pepsi and Coca-Cola in India would shift to branded mineral water. With the cola market having remained stagnant for the past few years, the branded water market, with 40% growth would be an attractive option for these companies.

Coca-Cola planned to invest Rs 700-750 million in its water business by 2005 and Pepsi around Rs 800 million to Rs 1 billion. In 2001, Kinley contributed 5% to Coca-Cola's revenues in India and Pepsi claimed that by 2002, Aquafina would contribute 7% of Pepsi's revenues in India.

From "Pure and Safe" To "Play Safe"

In the late 1990s, Parle Bisleri launched an ad campaign to create a distinct brand image-'There is just one Bisleri.' Hoardings and point-of-sale promotion material backed an aggressive print-and-TV campaign, and every interaction with the consumer was used as an opportunity to reinforce the message that Bisleri was "pure and safe."

The entire campaign was built around the tamper proof seals. The campaign focused on the safety provided by the "breakaway" seal, by illustrating the ease with which conventionally sealed bottles could be refilled and recycled. Said Ashok Kurien, CEO, Ambience D'Arcy, Bisleri's ad agency, "Our objective with the campaign was to highlight the tamper-proof seal and create doubt in the consumer's mind of the purity of the other brands.

That is, Bisleri is the only one that guarantees purity." In 2000, in the face of competition from the new entrants, Bisleri decided to penetrate every possible segment of the market by introducing more pack sizes and to establish the brand strongly with trendy packaging. In 2000, Bisleri launched the 1.2 litre pack. This added to the five pack sizes that Bisleri had (500 ml, one, two, five and 20 litres). The new pack was priced at Rs 12.

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5] Business Standard, Strategist, August 1, 2000.

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