BW Communities

114-Year-Young Or Old?

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[Three years back, the group launched amidst much fanfare a more colourful and vibrant Godrej logo. That was largely because the youth were fast becoming the largest consumer segment in India, but they had a feeling that the Godrej brand was better suited for their parent's generation. To correct this perception the group launched not just the new communication exercise but also started designing new products that would excite the younger set and help them identify better with the Godrej brand. Has that exercise worked? Internally, the group is leaving no stone unturned to show off its younger side. A young girl from the design cell at Godrej & Boyce designed a multi-purpose chair cum bed with a table lamp and sockets for a laptop or a music system as attachments and so on. The designer told the senior executives at Godrej who were inspecting her design that "young people like us live in tiny rooms and we need everything together. Our music players and laptops are close to the bed and are invariably shared with a partner." A veteran from the group was quick to respond. "The only regret is that you could have made the sofa a little broader as both of you won't fit in it at the same time." Mixing old-world knowledge with the new-age tastes to design new products that are sharply targeted at the young set is increasingly becoming the norm in the Godrej group. Ramesh Chembath, a senior executive, who's part of the marketing function at Godrej Appliances says that his business division does consumer research mostly among the 23-28 year-olds as this includes the age-group that's planning to set up a new home and also has couples who have been married for a couple of years. Even the television commercials that once featured young couples with children, now have young couples minus the children to send a message that it's an ‘even younger' audience being targeted with its products. And these products range from a refrigerator with an attached music system, that can play your favourite music during cooking, or a LCD television set preloaded with games to cater to an audience that's addicted to gaming and so on. Even old-age products like Godrej Powder Dyes have been relaunched in a gel form. Arijit Ray, president, Mudra-West, whose agency handles the communication of several Godrej brands says that the brand relaunch is effective from the point of view that "it has been undertaken in a caliberated form, so that it does not look like a sudden departure from the past". But another advertising executive says: "There's a century of heritage, but also a lot of baggage. The results of trying to look youthful will not be visible overnight."