So far, so fit

BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Godrej bets on new flavour variants for Sofit, as action in the fitness drinks category hots up.

Godrej Industries' foods division has launched two new variants of Sofit "" its brand of flavoured Soya milk. Kesar pista elaichi and malt chocolate. These add to this 2004-launched fitness brand's flavour portfolio of mango, apple and malt.

The flavours were picked on the basis of research conducted by an external agency: these two were found to be the "most preferred" in the flavoured milk category. Soya is a milk substitute, so the flavours considered palatable are typically the same as those of milk.

The brand's core proposition remains what it was on launch: stay fit with soya. The company acknowledges that soya drinks have narrow appeal compared to other "fun" drinks, so the audience addressal efforts are kept focused on likely targets "" at gymnasiums, health clubs and health clinics.

Some advertising has been used as well. In March 2004, Godrej ran a print campaign. And as Sofit's turnover grew close to Rs 2 crore in early 2005, the company decided on a television commercial.

The Sofit commercial depicts athletes from different countries running with packets of Sofit, in a shot reminiscent of Olympic athletes carrying the famous torch. The signoff: "It's a soya movement called Sofit: wellness for now, health forever".

Says Mohan Pusalkar, executive director and president, Godrej Industries, "We wanted to suggest that if you adopt Soya, you adopt a healthier life style." By way of these efforts, the company has managed to make Sofit a Rs 4 crore brand.

Interestingly, Godrej has flirted with soya even in the past. In the late 1980s, the company had launched Great Shake, again a flavoured soya milk drink. But the product failed, as it could not disguise the very distinct taste of the soya bean, which was a put-off to many.

Pusalkar claims that Godrej Industries has managed to get rid of this taste in the case of Sofit. "Great Shake as a product was much ahead of its times," he says, "but Sofit is bang on time."

Analysts and market consultants tend to agree. Says marketing consultant, Deepali Naair, "In India, soya as an ingredient, is bound to be more popular in the future on health grounds. Hence any company investing in soya based products is making the right move."

The company, of course, thinks of soya adoption as a "movement" on the verge of mass adoption. Once that happens, Godrej hopes to reap the rewards of playing the health drinks pioneer. Analysts of

FMCG markets, however, think that soya drinks may need even greater proactive efforts. Or even something unplanned, perhaps.

Would it take some news-making event, a sort of "tipping point" in Malcolm Gladwell's terminology, for the movement to gain force?