Sanjib Dutta
"Old cola rivals Coke and Pepsi are discovering there is more money in water than coloured water. Things are warming up in the Rs 10 billion bottled-drinking water market and competitors, including Parle 's Ramesh Chauhanjace the threat of a whitewash."
- Business Today, September 16, 2001.
The case talks about the various marketing strategies adopted by Parle Bisleri Ltd. to arrest the sliding market share of its branded water brand-Bisleri. Bisleri mineral water was the market leader in the early 1990s. The brand started losing its share due to increased competition and the entry of multinationals such as Coke and Pepsi into the market. Bisleri tried to regain its share by repositioning its brand. The case discusses in detail the ad campaigns and other marketing strategies used by Bisleri to reposition the brand.
Introduction
In the early 1990s, Parle Bisleri Ltd 's (Parle Bisleri 's) Bisleri1 had become synonymous with branded water and had a market share of 70 percent. In the late 1990s, Bisleri 's market share began to erode with new players entering the market. The new players also positioned their products on the purity platform and Bisleri felt the need to differentiate itself from the crowd. In the late 1990s, Bisleri launched its Pure and Safe ad campaign to convince the consumers that it was the only pure and safe branded water in the market.
However, in 2000-01, Bisleri faced another challenge. The Cola majors, Pepsi and Coca-Cola and the confectionery giant, Nestle, also entered the branded water market in India. Pepsi and Coca-Cola had an established distribution network. Bisleri realized that with the new players also clambering on to the purity plank, it had to reposition itself to arrest its declining market share. In September 2000, Parle Bisleri launched its Play Safe ad campaign. The company tried to add a fun element to Bisleri to rejuvenate the brand. The ultimate aim was to increase Bisleri 's
References: 1. Kaushik Neha, "Coke 's Plans hold water", HinduBusinessLine, November 29, 2001. 2. Mitra Moinak, "Water Wars", Business Today, September 16, 2001. 3. "Water Water Everywhere", A&M, August 31, 2001. 4. Bhatnagar Jyotsna, "Chauhan spins fresh strategies to flood markets with Bisleri", Financial Express, March 21, 2001. 5. Datta Jyothi P.T., "Will water find its mark?" The Hindu Business Line - Catalyst, January 18, 2001. 6. "To fetch appeal of water", Business Standard - The Strategist, January 16, 2001. 7. Kaul Pummy, "Bisleri 's growth strategy", Financial Express, December 27, 2000. 8. Sinha K Suveen, "The Kinley Affair", Business Today, October 21, 2000. 9. Pande Shamni, "Nestle sugar-coats its growth pill", Business Today, November 6, 2000. 10. Krishnamurthy Narayan, "What 's the catch?", A&M, August 15, 2000. 11. Pande Bhanu, "Will this man 's gameplan hold water?", Business Standard - The Strategist, August 2, 2000. 12. Kaul Pummy, "Coke steps into Bisleri 's turf", gears up for launch of Kinley, Financial Express, July 19, 2000. 13. Pande Shamni, "Getting high on water", Business Today, May 22 - June 6, 2000. 14. Jivitha Crasta, "First-mover, on the move", Business Standard - The Strategist, December 7, 1999. 16. Chuganee Bhakti, "A market uncapped", Business India, September 8-12, 1997.