Retail Glossary: Asymmetric Retail Units

The 30% yoy growth of modern trade in India is leading to an increase in demand for retail design innovation. As part of the DY Works retail scanning activities, we bring to you a new trend that seems to be surfacing – Asymmetric Retail Units.

Here are a few brands that have recently deployed Asymmetric Retail units – Black Label, Loreal and Tata Tea – Tea Veda.

Images from Point of Purchase Magazine

The thought is fairly simple – take a traditional FSU; create visual strata (layers) and rotate each layer around the vertical axis.

Advantages

1. Breaks the visual clutter
2. Point of differentiators for early adopters
3. For stand alone, four side open units, these enhance visibility from multiple angles

Disadvantages

1. The design is not easily to units that have less than four side open
2. Are not efficient in terms of stacking efficiency
3. May not perform well under conditions of regular handling or movement
4. If not executed well, it might appear gimmicky

It would be interesting to hear from you on your views about these units ... sure there are loads of better examples out there. Will they only create a disruption in the short run for early adopters? OR can they become innovative units that add significant value to the retail rollout plan for a brand.

Contributed by Devatanu Banerjee, VP - Retail & New Media at DY Works.

Resources

1. Growth of Modern Trade in India
2. Black Label
3. Loreal
4. Tata Tea – Tea Veda
5. Point of Purchase Magazine

DY Works Press: Women & Brands

DY Works Press: Women & Brands

Alpana Parida, President of DY Works is featured in MXM, March 2012.

WOMEN & BRANDS 

Coming to the most important questions of them all, what the brands need to do for women to purchase their brands or influence their husband to do so? Explains Alpana Parida, President, DY Works, Mumbai “The first thing to keep in mind is to stop talking down to them. Brands see women as caricatures of themselves as the woman who waits for her husband’s smile or for children to say she is the best. No doubt these are important payoffs in a woman’s life – but brands tend to make simplistic associations. To truly earn their loyalty and advocacy – brands need to understand the women more deeply. Understand their layered dreams and unfulfilled desires, help her achieve than become her savior. For instance, Maggi allows her to add her own creativity and thus, nutrition to the basic noodles rather than wait for the beaming smiles of her kids.”

Adds Madhuri Sapru, “Other than for women’s personal products, marketers have barely started “marketing” (and I don’t mean just a media plan skewed towards day time audiences) to women. We do not have any media isolation opportunities created as yet, and hence it is difficult for marketers to communicate to them in isolation.” Brands indeed acknowledge the value of engaging female consumers – increase in their purchasing and decision-making powers has not gone unnoticed. Last five years have seen a huge increase in product categories and brands (beyond FMCG) specifically targeting women – including computers, mobile phones and financial products.

Retail Glossary – PARASITE

Richa recently introduced us to the term “Retail Parasite”. While we have always been designing these ‘wall hanging solutions’ for retail, the term ‘Parasite’ immediately caught my fancy. Read on to see why this would be one of my most recommended retail units for general trade as well as modern trade.

DY Works - An Outsider's Perspective

Is it an advertising agency? Is it a design house? Is it that space where creativity finds a home?  Or that room where strategy finds a platform?

As someone who has never been a part of the inner wheels of this elephant mechanism, the experience of visiting DY Works can be bizarre.  If you feel a trifle lost and largely overwhelmed, you are just experiencing the introduction anxiety which many face once they have crossed the glass doors into the main office.  The whispers from the cafeteria try to warn you of the energy which lurks in the corridors of the seemingly quite office space. Nothing can prepare you for the storm of thoughts and ideas which assault you upon entering the work space.

The passion behind every thought, the conviction behind every idea, and the greed for constructive criticism has you turning your mind over in attempt to be a part of the energized discussions. What at first glance looked like a chic, demure office space is now alive with activity. You long to belong. You resign to the idea of being a mere spectator of one of the most colorful carnivals and search for a sideline to retire to. At DY Works there are no sidelines.

Irrespective of whether you are a new recruit, an external consultant, a visitor or a client, you will find that space where you fit in so perfectly that you feel it was created with you in mind.

It is not a loud boisterous place which gloats about every idea which worked and did not. It is not filled with posters with wicked one-liners on the management or work ethics. It does not splash color like the world is about to run out of a couple of shades. Its demure, it’s subtle and it’s proud.

It is like a finishing school for Client thoughts.

It is where raw, half-baked ideas get processed through layers of understanding to evolve into a language which communicates with the desired TG.  The evolution of every thought follows an almost scientific process. Every space you step into you will find thoughts being doctored in their various stages of development.

It is a work space with an attitude which screams  “We’re fun people who take our work seriously.”

Contributed by Hitesha Deshpande, who is an avid blogger and author. DY Works had the pleasure of hosting her at our Mumbai office.

Deconstructing ‘Brand Language’

As markets become complex and the competition is intensifying, traditional manners of keeping the brands alive and talking to its consumers are being challenged.

In this dynamic environment, corporations, who have a broad and diverse portfolio; operating in a number of different categories with a series of product offers designed for varying customer needs…, a well-devised strategic approach gives clarity on portfolio roles, and chalks out relationships between the masterbrand and the child brands.

This leads to a mutually beneficial, optimal relationship both for internal portfolio management as well as external image perceptions. 

Dynamic environments, ever changing consumer needs and evolving brand portfolios have given rise to what is called a ‘Brand Language / Visual Vocabulary’. The nomenclature has its origin in alphabets : combinations create different words albeit in the same language...

The language approach essentially can keep the two entities in a constant comfortable dialogue; offer a non-restrained adaptive behaviour to the brand as an entity.

It facilitates innovative and optimistic solutions to inspire millions of consumers and employees and enable them to effortlessly live the brand. It can be designed to help deliver the brand experience across touch-points,while maintaining consistency and clarity about what it is and the expression of its promise.

Based on principles devised from the brand positioning and strategic pillars the Language has ‘building blocks’ like Creative Catalyst, Key Visual Gesture, Colour Palette, Tone of Voice, Image Style, Illustration Style, Brand Specific Symbolism, etc.

DY Works helped create Brand languages for Godrej & Boyce and its child brands: Godrej Construction, Godrej Material Handling, Godrej Tooling, Godrej Electricals & Electronics, Godrej Storage Solutions, etc.

Using the ‘Godrej’ Masterbrand promise of ‘Brighter Living’ as an anchor, DY Works helped the sub-brands with their strategic positioning, and creating future-ready unique visual expressions.

Simple, modular, the Language acts as a visual narrator across entire gamut of communication making each dialogue from the brand easy for its consumer.

A bridge which would help these brands move from the staid and commonplace B2B to a energized and vigorous B2B2C; from cold, drudged business vertical to a living, breathing brand. Thanks to its ‘Brand Language’



Prashant Shingade, Associate Creative Director, DY Works, prashant@dyworks.in

Beyond logo

India Inc is finding compelling reasons to invest in corporate identity.
Arijit Barman / Business Standard Mumbai July 25, 2011, 0:49 IST

When the Burmans of Dabur approached DMA Yellow Works, now DY Works,  for a makeover of their corporate identity and brand, they wanted to actually drop the Banyan Tree from their logo. But DMA persuaded the promoters to rejuvenate the tree; tweaked the font and through a series of interventions that saw newer packaging, product extensions and communication, galvanised a more holistic change.

It took a survey of 10,000 people across the country for Sanjeev Goenka to step out of his father’s shadow and create a legacy of his own. He also wanted his new group corporate identity — RP-Sanjiv Goenka — to reflect the clear demarcation of the business empire between him and elder brother Harsh. “I had been wondering whether staying together could lead to a potential confusion between my son and nephew,” he candidly explains with heir apparent Shashwat next to him.

Anil Ambani group rebrands: stocks surge; ad gurus split

DNA, 1st January 2011, Arcopol Chaudhuri MUMBAI

Four years after embarking on a rebranding exercise, the Anil Ambani group has retweaked its masthead, emphasising on 'Reliance' and erasing 'ADAG'.

So, R-ADAG now is just the 'Reliance Group' very similar to the name of elder brother Mukesh's empire. That was enough grist for the stock market mill: talk was this could mean a bigger deal between the brothers, which lifted shares of the group.

"It's possible the market is reading the new branding as reconciliation between the brothers," Jayesh Shroff of SBI Funds Management told Bloomberg.

Sanjay Behl, group head of branding and marketing at the company told newswires it was an attempt to consolidate all companies of the group under a single 'iconic' brand.

Behl told Dow Jones while Reliance Mobile will be called just Reliance, its 3G service will be called Reliance 3G and its GSM service Reliance GSM. Among the bigger brands, BIG TV will become Reliance Digital TV and BIG Pictures will become Reliance Pictures.

But the redesign, by Bonsey Design of Singapore, has experts divided Anand Halve, co-founder, Chlorophyll Brand Consultancy said he is not sure how the logo change will pan out.

Referring to previous incidents of logo changes such as that of Airtel, Godrej, Videocon, he said that branding makeovers are 'very expensive non-exercises'.

"I'd like to know what the new logo means for Reliance, besides a change in visiting cards, office stationery and letterheads. The brand has to change, not the logo alone. For an average Joe buying a Reliance CDMA connection in, say, Kanpur, there is just one company. It's Reliance - he isn't sure and probably doesn't even take sides to choose if it's Anil's or Mukesh's. But it may get the investor community excited."

Halve said there are many family-owned corporate businesses which have strategically retained or changed their name, depending on how profitable group companies were. "Bajaj Auto and Bajaj Electricals, K Raheja Group, Aditya Birla Group are some examples where company nomenclature has been strategically decided."

He said it must have taken a great salesman to make Anil Ambani drop the ADAG from the title of his group.

But Alpana Parida, president of DMA, a strategic branding and design firm feels that the ADAG' tag had diluted the strength of Reliance.

"By dropping it now, Anil is going back to the basics. It makes his group look stronger. It doesn't look like ADAG is something under an umbrella of Reliance. It makes ADAG the umbrella itself. Hence, just the title, Reliance."

Parida also believes there must have been some communication between the two brothers before deriding on the title that was announced on Thursday "Rebranding can often help rejuvenate the group. We did it with Dabur; globally Johnny Walker has also benefited from it. In the case of Reliance, there will be some confusion but the advantage will be Anil Ambani's."

Meanwhile, the group's stocks had a field day: shares of Reliance Communications and Reliance Broadcast Network rose 4.99% each, while Reliance Infrastructure popped 4% on Friday Other listed entities of the group surged between 1.8% and 2.6%.

The group's market capitalisation was up Rs. 3,741 crore to Rs. 113,026 crore on Friday.

ASSOCHAM DESIGN LINK - Adding value

Original Article from Business India - October 31st.

Design contributes great value to business/ was the underlying statement at the Design Link, held recently in Mumbai and organized by the ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) National Design Committee. The meet held that with innovations ruling the marketplace today, along with thriving competition, companies need to realize the value and potential of product design and integrate that into their business models. Speakers from leading business houses, as well as independent design studios demonstrated this by talking about how design can be used as a powerful management tool to create world class brands, products and services.

Until now, design was associated with industries like fashion, apparel, home decor, etc. But its use extends to much more than that; whether it's retail or even real estate. Companies like Titan Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, etc, have incorporated product design into their business strategies successfully, showing how it reflects on sales growth and long-term benefits for businesses.

The evening saw presentations ranging from brand building through design, to product engineering and design and even interesting insights on bridging design and business in the workplace. Revathy Kant, design head, Titan Industries, spoke about the growth of Titan Raga as a brand and how, through innovative and trend-setting designs, the brand has seen a growth of over 30 per cent. They now aim to take it further and become a Rs.5,000 crore brand. "Design strategy needs to be aligned with brand strategy. Today, contexts have changed. Design isn't just cosmetic and it can lead to more value creation," she says.

Speaking about business in design, Alpana Parida, president, DMA Yellow Works, Future group, spoke about how design can explode markets and change consumer behavior. She emphasized that we often miss opportunities because we consider design the last factor. "Organizations that don't embrace design will have to work harder to create value," she said.

Advertising has ceased being as effective, and the costs have escalated: Alpana Parida, DMA Yellow Works

From Exchange4Media - Oct 07, 2010

Design and branding firm DMA Yellow Works, part of the Future brand network, has been focusing on creating business solutions through design and branding. The agency has created brand experiences that encompass packaging, retail solutions and communication leading to success at the purchase moment. Alpana Parida, President, DMA-Yellow Works, shares her views on the challenges in coping with the Indian market for design and its vision for DMA in India.

The agency has a roster of blue chip clients such as Dabur, HUL, Heinz India, Air India, Unilever, Godrej, Marico, ITC, Amul, GlaxosmithKlien, Diageo, and UB, among others, creating holistic brand solutions for all.

On tackling conflicting business interests, Parida said, “We have created watertight vertical silos with aligned strategy, creative and marketing teams, who do not work on competing businesses. Additionally, we have elaborate security systems in IT. Also, we typically work on short term projects and ensure that no direct conflict occur for that period.”

Sharing recent developments, Parida said, “We are the only international agency for General Mills US, and now we are starting an exchange programme for design talent with a US based design house. In that regard, we have already recruited an advertising talent from Saatchi & Saatchi, New York.”

According to Parida, to get clients to see design solutions as smart marketing solutions gave them the biggest bang for the buck and not just aesthetics. She said, “Advertising has ceased being as effective, and the costs have escalated. There are simple, but very effective design solutions that can create a disproportionate market impact, but still allocate 85 per cent of budgets to ATL and 15 per cent to BTL. Usually, this part of the budget is a footnote, with tactical interventions and no real strategy.”

However, Parida did agree that design industry in India was still seen as only being in packaging design and identity creation. But she asserted that design solutions could encompass everything – from advertising to organisation design.

She further noted that surprisingly, some of the largest and most sophisticated marketers were letting the digital design opportunity go. “Digital design is not just websites and e-mailers, it is also about creating social communities, online review systems and promotional activities that actually drive offline sales,” she stressed.

Commenting on several ad agencies starting their individual design cells within the agency, Parida said, “I am not sure if the best talent goes there. But as per my experience, best talent is still reserved for the 30-second ad film.”

Speaking on the vision for DMA-Yellow Works, Parida stated, “The vision is to become strategic brand partners for all our clients and become the biggest brand solutions firm in the country.”

Airtel: A brand's journey from India to Africa

By Sagar Malviya, March 31, 2010 (Mumbai) - NDTV Profit

For Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecom network provider, crossing boundaries was never that easy, especially in a market where global telecom giants are already spending millions of dollars to create their brand identity.

Bharti's latest acquisiton is not just about adding 42 million subscribers, but it also means transition from a home grown brand into a larger than life global brand. And similar to the Indian market the African continent will have its own challenges.

“There would be challenges which is why Airtel has to make sure it creates their campaign keeping the local touch in mind. It is actually Zain becoming Airtel, so in their rebranding exercise they will have to create a transition with proper connect,” said Ajay Chandwani, director of Percept.

That's exactly how Orange Mumbai was at first rebranded to Hutch and then to Vodafone in the Indian market.

But this time it is a continent with over two dozen countries. And experts feel consumers in Africa might be rigid when it comes to rebranding of consumer products but technology could just pass the test.

“It will actually work for Airtel because Indian brand is considered as a foreign brand and African continent is very much like the Indian consumers with different tastes and preferences. So it will be welcome as Indian brands is looked upon by large number of Indian diaspora who are also influencing,” said Rekha Pamani Gulati, Director – International & New Business at DMA Yellow Works.

But the key issue for Bharti is to convince consumers that Zain will remain almost the same only a bit better now.

The company would also hope that Airtel as a brand manages to survive in this continent known to be the land for survivors.

Links

1. Original Story at NDTV Profit
2. DMA Yellow Works website

Pepsi to launch Pepsi Max in India

Softdrik brand Pepsi is planning to launch one of its global brands Pepsi Max to compete with its arch rival Coca-Cola's brand Thums Up.

Pepsi Max, is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by Pepsi Co as an alternative to regular Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. However, Pepsi is tight-lipped about the launch.

“We have diet Pepsi but its share size is very small. We can't push the consumers towards it because consumers are not used to the diet concept here,” said Punita Lal, ED, marketing of Pepsi Co.

That's precisely the reason in India Thums Up continues to dominate the over Rs 8000 crore carbonated soft drink market.

While Pepsi is the second largest brand, Sprite from the Coca Cola stable is fast catching up while Coke itself is at the fourth position. Pepsi which has so far restricted itself as a youth brand now wants out to reach out to a wider consumer base.

Though experts feel if they do so its brand identity could be at stake. Pepsi has always been a peppy and youth oriented brand. If it tries to have a masculine image like Thums Up then it could confuse the brand identity,” said Snehasis Bose, VP Strategy at DMA Yellow Works.


Link

1. Read the original article at Info Indyan 
2. More on Brand Solutions at DMA Yellow Works 

Design is the King

By - Urmimala Banerjee - Mid Day, Feb 12, 2010

ALPANA   Aria   has   recently joined Future Brands as the president of DMA Yellow Works. An IIM-Ahmedabad graduate, Alpana has worked with firms like Rediffusion and Titan. She tells B2B how the tight design makes a huge difference

The right design

While verbal language is easy to define and evaluate, a visual language is very hard to decide. And yet, visual communication has the power to get embedded deep in consumer minds in a way that no amount of words can. A picture speaks more than a thousand words.

I remember working on an Amul Shrikhand campaign. Now, shrikhand was found only in traditional Gujarat and Maharashtra homes. It was a baring dessert, but it had on opportunity to enter homes as a replacement to ice-cream. Design was entirely responsible in successfully generating trials for shrikhand in national markets and becoming

part of a household's purchase as well. The new design helped to achieve a change in consumer behav¬iour and generate volume.

Brands with great designs

The new Citigroup logo and its simple arch that communicates brand values and houses all verticals for a highly diversified set of services in B2B as well as B2C space, is fabulous in its simplicity and conveying of an overarching broad value.

Google — for its use of inclusive design makes it a 'living brand'. Us regularly changing face underwrites its brand values of customized experience and people friendly values.

Changing perceptions

In India, we still live with transposed design, whether it is airports, most of the retail chains or even products. We do not create for the Indian context. I am still hoping tor on Indian solution to our contextual needs.

Businesses designed around the understanding of the Indian consumer behaviour have done phenomenally well. For example, Big Bazaar or Muthoot finance or Nano yet we transpose design.

However, I do think that the Indian consumer is demanding and rewarding design that caters to his/ her needs. It is up to the marketers to wake up to that need.

Future plans

We want to partner diverse organisations to provide solutions that accrue quantum gains. We are picking up business aggressively — nationally and internationally.

We are also growing rapidly employee strength (85 and counting 2nd 2010-11 will see the emergence DMA yellow Works as a serious player in providing complete brand solutions — from brand strategy advertising, BTL and direct marketing. We hope to help create a launch innovative products and service formats in the country.

urmimala.banerjee@mid-day.com