Udvs India Arm To Launch New Whiskey Brand

The company has also chalked-out an aggressive marketing strategy for this season, which will focus on promoting four products of UDV India - Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Gilbey's Green Label and the new whisky brand, which it intends to launch in September.

"The new whisky brand will be launched on September 20 in the three Indian states," UDV India managing director Deepak Roy told Business Standard.

The brand will be developed and marketed in India besides being exported to Middle East, South East Asia and parts of Africa, he said, while declining to disclose further details of the proposed brand.

The sources, however, said that the new whisky brand of UDV India will be placed at a segment which lies between the regular and the semi-premium Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) market.

 

The company is also weighing the option to enter into Indian beer market in the due course of time. "The growth of beer market in India is very slow. Where per capita beer consumption in China is 10 litre and Germany is about 100 odd litre, the beer consumption in India is merely 0.5 litre. The potential of Indian beer market is, however, great. We may enter into this segment," Roy said, while ruling out the possibility of launching UDV's international beer brand Guinness.

The company may acquire domestic beer brands or develop its own brands to make foray in Indian beer market in due course.

The company is re-launching an advertisement campaign for its regular whisky - Gilbey's Green Label - which is growing at a rate of 18 per cent, ahead of the market growth of regular segment by 10 per centage point, Roy said.

"A new commercial has been already finalised and it will be launched in the later half of September. Our intention is to make Gilbey's Green Label one of the top three brands in its segment-- after Bagpipers and Director's Special.

To maintain its over 30 per cent growth in the white spirit segment, UDV India is planning to launch a new advertisement campaign from 1 September 2000 for its vodka -- Smirnoff.

It also plans to extend the annual Smirnoff International Fashion Award to Delhi and Pune from this year. The event was limited to Calcutta, Bangalore, Goa and Mumbai until last year. The event is scheduled to be held in the capital on September 30.

Elaborating on the brand promotion of Johnnie Walker, Roy said, "Johnnie Walker is an iconic brand, hence does not require aggressive advertisement campaign for itself. In the light of lifting of quantitative restrictions (QRs), however, there is a need to further augment the brand value."

"We are launching a 'Keep Walking Foundation,' based on the brand positioning of Johnnie Walker in the next 2-3 months," he said. The foundation will further help those people who stand in society against odds and continue their efforts to realise their dreams inspite of obstacles, he added.