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Taste marketing
The Economic Times — August
14, 2002
Tata Chemicals proved to be one of the biggest surprises of
all. In this year's survey, Tata Salt was included in the
brand list, in acknowledgement of its pioneering role in India's
15 lakh tonnes
(Rs 500 crore) branded salt market. Confirming feedback from
users and the trade, Tata Salt weighs in at a high number
four, displacing traditional favourites like Lux and Coca-Cola.
Ever since its launch in 1983, Tata Salt has been synonymous
with iodised salt in India. The right mix of packing and advertising
saw it reach urban and semi-urban markets as easily as rural
markets.
In a low-involvement category, Tata Chemicals decided to
move away from just product advertising into a more involved
health platform. Various other brands have taken stands like
shudh, free-flowing, more iodine etc. for marketing their
brands, but Tata Salt still enjoys top-of-the-mind recall.
HLL's Annapurna Salt emphasised health and technological advantages
rather than take on Tata Salt's purity benefits head-on.
Tata Salt was relaunched in October 2001, emphasising its
purity factor, and maintains its lead with over 39-per-cent
market share in national branded salts, and around 18-per-cent
in the iodised segment. New marketing activities are also
underway. For instance, Tata Salt is now distributed by Tata
Chemicals itself, and no longer outsourced to Vardhman Chemicals.
In May 2002, the company undertook a training programme for
its distributors and sales force, beginning to align its salt
as an FMCG product, and not just a commodity.
Perhaps the most loyalty and goodwill Tata Chemicals earned
was when it advertised in 1998 that there was no shortage
of salt in India (as was rumoured at the time) and that salt
was available at Rs 6 per kg. And you thought salt was a low
involvement commodity?
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