UJALA THE SUPREME WHITENER..

Case submitted by:Neha Maheshwari(11093) Shashank Pote(11098) Rajnikar Kumar(11103) Saurabh Mandal(11108)

THE STORY SO FAR.

He wears only white and swears by white.Economics times said for Mr. Ramachandra, the man behind UJALA. 1972- set up a small factory in Kerala, producing a batch of 500 bottles. 1983- began a fabric whitener business, Jyothi. Focused mainly on southern states in the initial stages. Became market leader in southern India with 90% share in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 1998- went national. Captured 25% market in the country within a year. In 2001, it captured 60% of the market.

UJALA- THE SUCCESS .

Well planned and executed marketing strategy of Jyothi. A bit of luck and good timing also. No share price worries, no foreign parent to please. Increase in market share with a rapid growth rate. Robin, leader in the sector, neglected Ujala as just another local brand. R&C did not provide Robin with sufficient marketing support. Robin lacked visibility, readability and proximity in spite of its initial popularity.

CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN INDIAS FABRIC CARE MARKET BEFORE UJALA.

Indians used Blues after washing in contrast to the concept of unified detergent as in west. Blues - related with countrys societal system and cultural values. Highly fragmented Indian fabric whitener market. Mostly small players existed in local areas. ROBIN, only big player in the organized sector. R&Cs ROBIN BLUE - synonymous with Blues.

MARKETING MIX...
PRODUCT. A new product - whitener in a liquid form; First in fabric care segment. Earlier blue used to form clots that resulted in wastage. A violet colour liquid, that dissolved easily in water. PLACE. Focused on rural markets as it was the primary market in this segment. A strong distribution network with 4000 distributors and 2.5 Million retailers.

PRICE. UJALA raised its market share though was priced higher than Robin. Focus on Value for money.

PROMOTION. Direct Marketing enabled to realize ground reality. Advertisements aired on FM Radio, AIR and TV. Advertisements - regionalized in terms of language but uniform in content and message. No limited budget set for advertisings. Word of mouth publicity. Influencers were ladies.

JINGLE.. Aaya naya Ujala, char boondo wala, became a hit. This jingle drove home the idea that only 4 drops were required for whitening clothes. The violet colour was justified with a catch line safedi ka naya rang.

RATIONALE OF DIVERSIFICATION. The fabric whitener segment reached a saturation point. As in maturity stage, Ujala may face decline in sales.

Generation of net cash. Can be utilized to finance the R&D and growth of new products.

Hence, decision to diversify is justified.

JYOTHI WILL FIND DIFFICULTIES IN NEW SECTORS

UJALA NEW FMCG PRODUCTS

Competition was less.

One big competitor was R&C.

Competition was high.

Market occupied by many big competitors like HUL.

Innovated and new product Rural areas- untapped.

Existing products like dish washers, mosquito repellent, etc. Most segments were already occupied

STRATEGIES FOR OTHER PRODUCTS.

EXO dish washing bar and scrub.. Market development Was south centric. Geographical expansion required. Feature addition. Dissolve less in water. Target new segment Approach restaurants to use Exo for washing utensils.

MAXO COIL...
It had gained 20% market share. Quality improvement. Introduce coils that were irritation free from smoke. Advertise the same advantage of irritation free coil through various mediums. Introduce liquid repellent. Change cross section of coil from rectangular/trapezoidal to triangular shape that results in higher frequency of usage.

MAYA INCENSE STICK

New offerings. Provide stick stand within packet like in mosquito coil. Introduce new fragrance varieties. Promotion Promote it based on spiritual aspects of people. Use field staff to penetrate the market nearby temples.

JEEVA AYURVED SOAP

Jyothi seemed to have played it safe by entering a niche market. Promotion. offer some scratch and win prizes. combo offers. Product line extension. introduce different sizes. E.g.- small packets for travellers. Target new segments. approach hotels.