BRAND NEW YEAR - All’s well, that starts well

 BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

A brand new year has begun. Well begun is half done. All’s well that starts well.

In the world of marketing and branding, the trends of the new year are very positive. India is going through a great time and the world now respects India not only as a knowledge powerhouse, but also as a huge consumption opportunity.

‘GROWELL’
The GDP of the country is in the “GROWELL” mode, being one of the leading growth countries in the world. Along with the economy, comes the growth of the purchasing power of its people and also the rise of the marketing and brands. Brands are growing very well. A Samsika Marketing Consultants study shows that on an average an urban Indian, consumes 44 brands daily. Well, who says, we are a developing or an underdeveloped economy. We are growing well, but maybe we are an under noticed country and therefore “Brand India” also needs to “GROWELL”.

‘TRAWELL’
The consumers of India want to travel well. The “TRAWELL” phenomena is catching up. People are upgrading from rail travel to air travel, whether by Kingfisher or Air Deccan or Spicejet. The original favourites are doing well whether Jet Airways with its high standards of service or the popular Sahara or the new avtaar of Indian Airlines – Indian. The latest launch of the metro rail at Delhi will enhance the “TRAWELL” experience. The world traveler from India is being wooed by world airlines like British Airways. Well, The Indian traveler is in for some good “Trawell” times. Even internal trawell through world class cars and betterment of roads and expressways is helping “TRAWELL”.

“DWELL”
The Indian construction industry is booming and housing and housing finance is helping to meet the great Indian “DWELL” dream. Owning your own home is a great aspiration and with the growth in purchasing power, this is being met.

Not only is the ‘DWELL” part of the Indian consumer’s desire being met, but also the Interiors and paints and tiles and finishes are being spruced up to make dwelling, a delight.

“WELL”
Health and hygiene are sought after by the Indian consumer and healthcare, wellness centers and spas are mushrooming very fast. Excellent facilities at hospitable hospitals is making the Indian very ‘WELL’. Well, Well, Well.

“JEWEL”
The branded jewellery industry has decided to showcase itself and portray what a ‘gem’ it is in the Indian economy. The industry has just launched a series of brands in the last few years. The Indian woman now has a wide choice as per her tastes and preference and the industry may turnout to be a “JEWELL” in the crown of the Indian economy.

“SWELL”
The FMCG industry and the consumer durables are having a “SWELL” time in terms of sales and one can see their order books “SWELL” with the advent of modern trade, malls and new format franchise stores. Not only are all these industries doing well, but also the industry that I call “FMCS” is doing extremely well. In my opinion “FMCS” stands for “Fast Moving Consumer Service”. Banking, telecom, insurance, hotels, courier, retailing and a number of IT industries, all find “SWELL” markets, making their customer base “SWELL”. The foreign exchange reserves, education, food grains and stock markets are also in the SWELL mode.

So it’s a BRAND NEW YEAR for Indians in 2006 and all’s well that starts well.
Happy New Year.

Copyright © 2005, All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor – Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
No part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document.
The author is Jagdeep Kapoor, Brand Guru and Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy.
Tel: (022) 28477700/7701 (022) 28470214/15 Fax:022 28477699
E-mail : jkapoor@samsika.com