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 it’s initial popularity.

CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN INDIA’S FABRIC CARE MARKET BEFORE UJALA.

Indians used Blues after washing in contrast to the concept of unified detergent as in west.

‘Blues’ - related with country’s 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&C’s ‘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 it’s 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. Competition was high.

One big competitor was R&C.

Market occupied by many big competitors like HUL.

Innovated and new product

Existing products like dish washers, mosquito repellent, etc.

Rural areas- untapped. 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.

THANK YOU….