 "Ramesh Chauhan")
Our market research showed that consumers are tired of the taste of regular colas and want something new, Ramesh Chauhan tells Ritwik Sharma
The Indian packaged bottled water industry has grown dramatically since Bisleri's launch a couple of decades ago. In this period, what has been the key learning for the company?
The bottled water industry in India witnessed a boom in the late 1990s soon after we launched the packaged drinking water in the country. From 1994 itself, a conscious attempt was made to build Bisleri. But it was still groping in the dark. Over the period that you have mentioned, we worked hard to build the water brand. So the key learning is that there is a huge demand for Bisleri and our job, primarily, is to be able to cater to the needs of our customers and reach as many consumers as we can.
The Indian consumer is faced with a multitude of mineral water brands today, and the ubiquity has also led to negative public perceptions of safety standards followed by bottled water suppliers in general. Have you faced this and in what ways have you tried to win and retain consumer trust?
Yes, we have faced problems due to the presence of a large number of players in the unorganised sector for bottled water. A consumer who is paying for the water should be a little more demanding and insist on Bisleri alone when she has asked for Bisleri. And on our part, we should ensure the availability of Bisleri in maximum outlets.
Bisleri has been a symbol of purity for the past 50 years and consumers trust the brand completely.
Bisleri is synonymous with mineral water in India, which can also be a disadvantage as a company that is identified with an entire category can cause the customer to be blind to the brand and only concern herself with the product. Have you addressed this problem, by possibly focusing on creating brand awareness?
Brand awareness for Bisleri is very large, but what needs to be communicated to the consumers is that "don't settle for any bottled water, insist on the brand Bisleri". It is amusing that a consumer goes to a shop and asks for Bisleri, but when the retailer hands her an "XYZ" brand, the consumer settles for it! She must be adamant that if she has asked for Bisleri and is paying for it, she should get Bisleri.
Bisleri has also recently re-entered the soft drink segment with its launch of Bisleri POP. Was the decision guided by any market research that encouraged a specific kind of product and differentiation, as it is an increasingly competitive segment?
Our widespread market reach along with our strong brand reputation gives us an added advantage. Bisleri POP has products with flavours which are distinctive and different from any other drinks available in the market. Consumer trust in Bisleri is so high that Bisleri POP has been accepted well and it has become easy for us to make way through the market.
We have been developing the drinks for over a year and after final testing and development, they were launched. A certain amount of market research has been conducted and it was concluded that consumers are tired of the taste of regular colas and they want something new.
People are more open to experimenting with flavours now than earlier, so this gave us the courage to consider these options. Each variant that we have launched is completely new and was never seen in the market before. Our products from the POP range bring a surprising twist to the soft drink segment.
How critical is packaging when it comes to marketing of packaged bottled water? Also, do you consider doing away with PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, which some studies have identified as unsafe?
We firmly believe that PET bottles are very safe and used all over the world. We have carried out a number of tests which clearly state that PET doesn't affect the quality or safety of the product in anyway. All controversies are related to other plastics like PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polycarbonate and others. You can be sure that PET is not dangerous in anyway whatsoever.
Also, PET bottles are 100 per cent recyclable. Recycling helps save energy, reduce waste and useful non-edible articles can be made out of them.
Apart from our mission to ensure access to pure safe drinking water, we also make a conscious effort to keep our environment safe and healthy.
