Continued from Part 1
Zepto
The quick commerce brand’s task is unenviable in a market that also has two big players who already have a system in place because of their main businesses – Swiggy (Instamart) and Zomato (Blinkit). And yet Zepto has managed to grab a share of wallet and mind. Since the context is positioning, I will refrain from inflicting any burn comments!
To be honest, I quite liked the “India’s last minute app” positioning that Blinkit uses. But I don’t know if it has registered enough. However, the simple, tangible and specific positioning that Zepto has used – 10 minute delivery – does seem to have struck a chord. Even though, as per news reports, the median delivery time is close to 12-13 minutes.
After the original campaign (below) by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in 2021, they kept the communication fresh through different ways of storytelling – example 1 (feat. Kailash Kher), example 2. The latest set features Jasprit Bumrah, a smart move.
Finolex
Given the nature of the category, one would wonder what exactly to land, and how! But things become very easy when Piyush Pandey is involved. The positioning itself is quite counterintuitive because it not just acknowledges the low recall for the category at large, but finds a way to use it to its advantage.
Using Sehwag was a good touch because his quips on Twitter are quite famous. I found this to be fantastic storytelling – “jo cheez chalti rehti hai, woh kahaan yaad rehti hai?” – in just 30 seconds. The campaign (2021) theme was “Ek baar lagwayyie, aur hamara naam bhool jaayie” and had multiple spots featuring interesting situations ranging from Sehwag’s home ground (a cricket pitch) to the Eiffel Tower to my favourite one (below).
Sebamed
What do you do when your competitors are giants in the industry? Make your launch a litmus test, pretty much literally. And that’s what Sebamed did, pitching its pH level against Dove, Lux, Santoor, and Pears. (ironically something that Dove itself has done earlier in Canada) Of course, it did attract a lot of controversy (free publicity) and a legal case, but by the time it was all said and done, the point had been made.
A year later, they took a less acidic potshot. This time, using a celebrity to point out that celebs aren’t really skin experts, and reiterating the reason to believe – because… science!
BrookeBond Red Label
Tea is so universal and generic (in India) that doing something fresh with it is indeed a difficult task. That’s why I found this take by Red Label – positioning tea as a social network – very refreshing! The campaign, by Ogilvy, was launched on World Social Media Day (June 30) last year.
To be noted that this didn’t come out of the blue. For years, the brand’s storytelling has revolved around tea being the icebreaker for interactions with neighbours, potential in-laws, and those at the fringes of society , among others.
Yes, technically , given that this is a legacy brand, one would not strictly list it in brand positioning examples, but the unique framing that the brand adopted in their storytelling earns it a place in this list.
Colgate-Palmolive
Another legacy brand with a fresh framing that resonates really well. As befits the experience and stature of the brand, ‘The Sweet Truth’, made by WPP@CP, is based on an excellent insight on consumer behaviour – sweets after dinner. But what makes it special is the very quirky way of presentation. Despite an obvious reference to the product category, it intrigues the viewer, and forces them to pay attention.
Again, I list this among brand positioning examples because once the broad narrative of the category has been played out, the opportunities are in the contextual interventions. Unless you want to be Sensodyning all your brand life! #BrushTonight is a great way to ‘land grab’ not just the high ground of ‘oral hygiene’ but also the specific usage of the product.
As with the previous post that featured brand positioning examples from India, these campaigns should have given you an idea on how positioning can create mental availability for the brand, and if done well, can be of great value in building and sustaining businesses.