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| Tuesday, 25 May 2004 |
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Lankan brands stand the test of time by Prasanna Perera, Marketing and Management consultant, Chartered Marketer, CIM, UK When brand names are mentioned, several reputed international brands come into mind, such as Coca Cola, Microsoft, Gillette, Pepsi and Malboro. But what about the Sri Lankan brands? Looking around the market place we can identify Sri Lankan brands that have withstood the test of time and remain strong. Brands such as Siddhalepa, Sunlight, MD, Elephant House, Maliban, Munchee, DSI and Kandos come easily into the reckoning. Let us briefly discuss the market performance of these brands. Siddhalepa is a household name across the breath and depth of Sri Lanka, as a herbal remedy for aches and pains. Siddhalepa is positioned as the "doctor in every household!" Distribution of the brand is extensive across the the country, since availability is key for success. Word of mouth endorsements have traditionally been a power tool for marketing Siddhalepa. Very limited mass media advertising is carried out but merchandising and outdoor advertising activities are prominent. Kandos is a brand name synonymous with chocolates in Sri Lanka. Kandos itself has a long history and is the undisputed leader in the market place. Competitive brands are mainly Edna, Cadbury's and Ritzbury. Kandos has maintained quality over the past years, although it cannot be said that they are innovative. Basically, the same variants are available, such as Orange Milk, Milk and Nut, Mil Chocolate, Rum and Raisin, Brand loyalty for Kandos is high, primarily because of the long history of the brand. Brand loyalty Sunlight is a heritage brand, which is synonymous with Sri Lankan culture. Sunlight is a generic for washing soap in Sri Lanka. Brand loyalty and image is very strong, despite the multitude of competitive washing soaps available in the market. Sunlight is a mass market brand, which is positioned as "a soap for washing clothes clean". Sunlight is available in soap bar as well as powder formats. Over the past years, the brand has been re-launched on several occasions, to keep the sales momentum going. Hence, it can be said that the Sunlight brand is being managed professionally. In Jams and Cordials the brand "MD" comes to mind. MD is a household brand for Jams and Cordials, Sauces and chutneys. brand loyalty and familiarity is high. One cannot say that brand development activities have been carried out, except the introduction of new variants and packaging. Brand management is not seen for MD, with the emphasis being placed on new variants and packaging. As a brand "MD" is well established, although there is great potential for future development. Public emotionality Elephant House or Ceylon Cold Stores markets the extremely popular "Elephant" brand soft drinks, ice creams and processed meats. Elephant brand soft drinks and ice creams are market leaders, despite the heavy competitive pressures faced. Elephant brand soft drinks have been re-positioned as "proudly Sri Lankan", playing on the emotionality of Sri Lankan public. (Be Sri Lankan, buy Sri Lankan). Each product brand of soft drinks has been positioned clearly, so as to achieve a competitive advantage. Elephant Soda the kind of the chase, EGB the one with food, Elephant Cream Soda, puts the pop back into your life, and Elephant Bitter Lemon for members only. In the consumer durable sector, Singer is household name in Sri Lanka. Although Singer is a multinational brand, I believe that the Singer brand equity is the strongest in Sri Lanka. (Hence considered as a Sri Lankan brand). Singer was synonymous with sewing machines but in the last 20 years has built a large product portfolio. The success of the Singer brand can be attributed to excellent distribution, an islandwide after sales service network and in-company hire purchase facilities. The brand has been in the forefront of sports sponsorships in the country and thereby, the brand equity has been further strengthened. In the fashion wear industry, DSI is a powerful brand, which has excellent equity among the Sri Lankan public. The positioning of the DSI brand has been revolving around Sri Lankan culture, heritage and nationalism. Excellent distribution and good customer service has helped the brand to become popular across the country. Innovative policies When service brands are considered, Ceylinco Insurance as a corporate entity comes to mind. Life insurance has been the forte of Ceylinco and very innovative policies have been introduced. These policies have been marketed aggressively, supported by advertising and good customer service. In motor insurance, Ceylinco pioneered the concept of "on-the-spot cash" which was basically a breakthrough. Another Sri Lankan service brand that is growing in stature is SriLankan Airlines. Despite adverse publicity and several problems over the years the SriLankan Airlines brand has slowly but surely, built awareness, image and reputation. The strength of the brand is based on excellent in flight service, synonymous with the Sri Lankan culture of hospitality. Key learning based on the success of the brands mentioned The brand name should be easy to remember, easy to pronounce and be short. Examples DSI, Maliban, MD, Anton, Astra. The positioning of the brand should be clear and consistent. Siddhalepa - Vedamahattaya, Elephant - Proudly Sri Lankan, Food City - Gedara yana gaman. Regular advertising is a must, to maintain brand awareness, interest and recall. Sri Lankans have short memories, and therefore have to be constantly reminded. The brand should be involved in certain sponsorship activities that has national reference. For example arts and culture, and sports such as Football/Cricket. Once brand loyalty has been built, every effort must be made to reinforce grand loyalty. In order to do so, the brand image and perception needs to be maintained. The brand needs to be "activated" frequently, through meaningful consumer promotional activities. The brand should be always "living" in the market place and consumers should have the opportunity of "experiencing" the brand. In this article, I have shared some views about successful Sri Lankan brands. These views are entirely my own, based on my experiences in the Sri Lankan market. There are several other successful Sri Lankan brands, too numerous to mention. Therefore, we now need to make these brands truly global. This is the challenge |
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