| | What's in a Name? Everything... | Consumer market in February '08 grew with similar pace and trends of the previous month. This month also observed its share of new launches and expansions (Women's Horlicks, Costa Coffee, ICICI Prudential). Further the consumer continued to pace up the luxury path. Premium brands were found cashing on this trend by expanding their product profile. Luxury car segment (at a price range above Rs 25 lakh) was seen growing at a fast rate in India. BOSE launched its latest Lifestyle V-Class home theatre systems. But with these conspicuous features of consumer market, there has been an even more visible change. It is in the way brands are being created, recreated and marketed. And this change will definitely catch up even more in coming times. Major FMCG companies are employing marketing strategies that play up the brand image and the experience of using it. Recently, Lakme Lever, part of the Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) opted for a novel strategy to market its new launch 'Lakme Pure Defense'. It deployed a group of beauty advisors at 1200 Lakme retail outlets across the country in order to promote its new launch. Its rival Procter & Gamble India (P&G) also started a consumer activation programme to popularize its skin care brand 'Olay' in Mumbai. The stress was on 'direct consumer contact' in the form of providing skin care consultancy at major retail outlets. Similarly, Coca-Cola India announced the launch of integrated brand communication initiative for its orange flavored beverage Fanta. The campaign, which is expected to start in early March 2008, would focus on enhancing the distinct 'Orangy' taste experience of the drink by launching the New Orangy Blast formulation of Fanta. Importantly, two leading banks, Canara Bank and AXIS Bank have recently undergone major re-branding exercises. AXIS bank wanted its new name to retain the perception of professional and friendly service associated with the legacy brand UTI but at the same time shed its bureaucratic image. Canara Bank's website states that new brand identity for Canara Bank represented the close ties between the Bank and its many stakeholders (customers and employees to investors, institutions and society at large. Typography of the name and logo colours were carefully chosen to reflect specific characteristics of the brand. These brand building exercises would seem more relevant in the light of a recent study that points out that only two Indian banks, namely, State Bank of India and ICICI, figure among the top 100 global banking brands. | 
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