Advertising and marketing research A research project on the brand Halls and a study of the brand in relation to its

market, customers, competitors and other factors. - Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Preface This is An in-depth study of Halls as a brand in India, so as to help gain further insight into the brand as well as provide data to help develop a better marketing strategy to establish Halls as the no.1 brand among its competitors, direct as well as indirect in the sugar confectionery/cough drop line.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Acknowledgements This research conducted by the author would not have been possible if it hadnt been for the following people who he is greatly indebted to: Mr. Hanif Lakadawala for sanctioning this project and guiding us on how to execute the entire project. Rylan Almeida, Sunny Mascaranhas, Mr. Nobby, Asian Chemist, for keeping time aside for conducting interviews. A special thanks to my Mom (Marilyn Almeida) and Dad (Richard Almeida) for their motivation and guidance throughout the entire project. I also would like to acknowledge how much I am grateful to the various sources of information obtained from numerous places, without which I would be lost. I am appreciative of all that I have learnt from working with various individuals who have generously given their insights and experiences.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Table of Contents Preface. Acknowledgements . Introduction . Statement of the problem. Significance of the problem. Purpose of the study. Hypothesis. Assumptions Limitations Review of related literature (summary and analysis) Design of Study Description of Research Design and Procedures Used Sources of Data Sampling Procedures Methods and Instruments of Data Gathering Analysis of Data Re-statement of hypothesis Conclusion

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Introduction Halls was first launched in India in 1968 & soon established itself as a therapeutic candy competing in the cough lozenge market. Halls has been sold in India as part of the Pfizer & Warner Lambert networks before it came into the Cadbury fold in 2003 as part of a global merger with Adams Confectionery. Statement of the problem Re-capturing its former glory that it had in the market.

Overtaking competitors within its category like Vicks, etc as well as giving competition to products like Clormint, Polo, Mint-O, Mentos etc.

Establishing a good distribution network as well as marketing strategy to make its brand more visible and likable at the Kiosks, typical paan-bidi and hole-in-the-wall outlets (basically grassroots level).

Significance of the problem Halls at its peak achieved nearly a 90% market share, up till the point when they revamped their pricing strategy to 75 paise which led to disastrous outcomes.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

However, Warner-Lambert did make valiant attempts to regain lost ground and succeeded, to some extent. They also extended the brand to a multiple of flavors to increase exposure as well as market share. Industry sources say its market share, too, has increased to about 30 per cent. Cadbury, now stepping in wants to further this journey and is doing so by setting up an entire new division and distribution network .The mass market division will target small kiosks, typical paan-bidi and hole-in-the-wall outlets. The problem now, lies in its marketing strategy, how to create a marketing strategy powerful enough to overthrow the competition. To do this we need to gain a deep insight to the brand to find out how to make it click with the audience in that short span of time when they make their decision. Purpose To ease to switch to Cadbury from Warner-Lambert in the minds of the consumers, also to make it a cut above the rest in the 50 paise category sweets. And to do this by gaining a better understanding of the average consumer of these sweets, by finding out what are his preferences, why does he buy Halls, or why not, why do the shopkeepers get sales only of certain products and not others, and what will entice them to consume more of the product, or make him more loyal towards Halls, if brand loyalty exists in this category.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Statement of hypothesis Makeover or overhaul of the product, as well as a modification of the marketing strategy or a more aggressive one is needed for the brand to be more impact full to hit it on the mark of todays generation because the brand is becoming stagnant. Assumptions

That Halls is a therapeutic candy competing in the cough lozenge market. It is priced at 50 paise and will not change in the near future. Its competitors are Vicks, Cloromint, Mint-O, Mentos, People may buy this brand because its on the top of their mind as far as awareness goes, however they have little or no loyalty towards it if it lacks availability.

Its current market share is 30%.

They are more likely to switch to another if not available.

Increased visibility, availability and this will increase sales and demand. That one cough lozenge is as good as another, so what USP is Halls providing to create brand uniqueness and will this uniqueness help in creating sales.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

Limitations Shortage of funds. Shortage of understanding of the procedures involved in carrying out the research. Shortage of time. Inability to get desired results from the subjects interviewed due to time constraints, shyness and improper framing of questions. Review of related research Summary and analysis As far as awareness goes, halls is as high as 90%, but after committing mistakes in the past while dealing with the critical `P' of marketing, i.e. Pricing, it was time to rectify it. (Product brief) From the cough-and-cold platform, Halls was transformed into a cool and refreshing candy. The brand also, for the first time, reached out to women and younger adults by launching softer flavors that were fruitier with less menthol traditionally, Halls has always targeted young adult men. Cadbury India's foreign parent acquired Pfizer's interests in the confectionery business for $4.2 billion. That included the WarnerLambert product portfolio, known best for Halls, Clorets and Chiclets. Then, after the take over, Cadbury's re-launched and re-packaged Halls, one of Warner Lambert's brands to push sales. The company says Halls has begun doing well after the re-launch.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

On the companys plans, says Mr. Sanjay Purohit, General Manager (Marketing) We are looking at various retail initiatives to enhance the visibility of our brands. In fact, we plan to set up special Halls dispensers at retail outlets. Our aim is to increase our retail presence. Special Halls Jar with a blue tinge will be placed to increase visibility for the brand. To support its mass media ad campaigns, the company is planning to launch a slew of abovethe-line-communication initiatives. Halls new ad campaign is designed by advertising major Contract Advertising.

Design of the study

a. Description of Research Design and Procedures Used Exploratory research was conducted to test the hypothesis of this advertising and marketing research project. The purpose of the exploratory research was to know the unknown. The Exploratory research was undertaken to understand what alternative courses of action might solve the problem and thereby reach the final objective.

Benson Almeida, T.Y.B.M.M.

b. Sources of data Secondary sources http://www.cadburyindia.com/brands/conf1.asp http://www.domainb.com/marketing/general/2005/20050107_sugar_free.html http://archives.digitaltoday.in/businesstoday/20070506/features3.html http://in.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idINBOM27917220070704 http://www.expressindia.com/news/fe/daily/20001116/fst16025.html (It must be noted that subject matter may not be accurate due to its date of print. it may be outdated.) Primary Sources In depth interviews have been conducted by the researcher with the following people Mr. Rylan (St. Andrews College), Mr. Sunny Mascarenhas ( St. Andrews College), Mr. Richard Almeida(Marketing Manager- Wallace Pharma), Ms. Marilyn Almeida ( Housewife), the owner of Nobby Stores, the manager of Asian chemists and These interviews lasted for 15-20 minutes on an average with each individual, some longer than others. They were asked a few questions about the brand as well as competing brands, also they were asked about their preferences towards the brand as well as need for improvement or change.

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c. Sampling Procedure For this research, the interviewer chose the respondents on mere convenience as well as proximity and relationship with the interviewee, as well as a balance was taken of interviewees which included shop keepers, students, working class people, chemists, smokers etc. The need was to obtain an all round view of Halls from different backgrounds. Thus Non-probability Convenience sampling method was used wherein six individuals where interviewed.

d. Methods and Instruments of Data Gathering There were two methods used to gather data. For the primary data, face to face in-depth interviews were conducted with 6 individuals in an unstructured format giving the interviewee freedom to speak at will. For the secondary data, one widely used source was various websites that provided articles as well as other information about the along with other research material.

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Analysis of data Most of the analysis comes from the primary data gathered due to its recent factor. The brand Halls was viewed by some as a mouth freshener, but as a cough lozenge, few could differentiate although they knew that it was. The unique and in my opinion after research, bitter-sweet fact of the matter is that it has an unclear and indistinguishable identity to itself. People at the chemist preferred Vicks and Strepsils over to Halls, whereas in the hole in the wall store, preferred Halls to that of its competitors. Sadly, there was absolutely no brand loyalty towards the product as people said when I asked, that they would buy any product be it Vicks, Funda-mint, Halls, Clor-mint, etc,etc. In the chemist, they mentioned that Halls was bought only to make change or get rid of extra if any. Majority of the people said they preferred Halls because of its intensity of its flavor and their flavor of choice was the mint one. The brand, as far as awareness goes, is well-known of and does not need customers or the general public to be reminded of it. Its been around longer than any other brand, and is even synonyms with mints. So, awareness is not the problem. Also while conducting the interviews with the chemist and the shop owner, they both pointed out something that the stock of Halls was all out and when we asked them why, they replied saying that it was a change in distributor and they hadnt received any stock for quite some time. This
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made me think whether the problem of sales could be with faulty middlemen. Though that may be a good reason, that wasnt the problem because it was only in the past 1 or 2 months that this happened. Eevn it was mentioned in the brief that they are going to set up an entirely new distribution chain to sell these type of products from Cadbury. May be its not yet come into action. Finally, after crossing out distribution, variety in product line, awareness and competition, it made me look towards the brand as what it is in comparison to others. What is it about the brand that lacks that certain something to catapult it to the forefront in sales? This was the question put forth to all individuals. Hence, I realized that it wasnt just one thing that needed to be changed but many. Halls is a brand that lacks that X factor or factors needed to push it sales up. The following things, I feel are needed to get the brand back on track and killing the competition Product packaging The product has a simple standard pillow casing which has been used for donkeys years now. Brands like Protex, Happydent are all new and their packaging is completely different. Even Mentos comes in different styles as well. Halls needs to upgrade and diversify its look to suit todays trends or make it look entirely different for a larger quantity package and still retain the 50p product size version.

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Brand visibility The brand is recognized by all and known by all, but theres nothing beyond that. Its like its just there like a face in the crowd. No one would care if the brand suddenly dropped out of the market, though there would be a little remorse, it would soon be forgotten. Halls need to make itself stand out from the crowd, it needs to make its presence felt through sponsorship, hosting events etc. Strepsils, its direct competitor have their own website online, however Halls India, only have a single web page. Halls needs more visibility on the internet as well. Brand user relationship In this market the loyalty to one particular brand is very negligible. Halls needs to build a good rapport with its customer to help gain a little bit of loyalty towards it. More advertisements or public relations must be kept so as to increase contact between the customer and the brand. The brand must have a unique identity to make customers fall in love with it all over again. Though this cannot happen with a 50paise product, it can happen with a larger quantity of it. Brand personality Halls, I feel is in dire need of some personality, not necessarily a strong one, but one that matches its features of freshness, smoothness, coolness etc. may be a brand ambassador is required or a character like Fido etc. but due to the change in preferences of consumers, and a variety of them, many users are needed to target different audiences rather than just one person.
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Competitors Halls is still the in-between brand between Vicks and Strepsils on one hand and all the mints on the other. In the fight of the cough lozenges, Strepsils wins hand down because it concentrates more on the medical aspect of the brand. Between Vicks and Halls, they both share an equal place in the minds of the interviewees. So, what Halls needs to do now, is make its identity clearer and visible by confirming itself as the mouth freshening cough lozenge thereby giving the best of both worlds to the consumer.

Re-statement of the hypothesis

Makeover or overhaul of the product, as well as a modification of the marketing strategy or a more aggressive one is needed for the brand to be more impact full to hit it on the mark of todays generation because the brand is becoming stagnant.

Conclusion
The hypothesis is partly right, but an aggressive strategy is not required for it may turn customers off the brand. They simply need to re-connect with the customers that exist and just need to make their presence felt and not be just another mint/cough lozenge in your pocket.

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Bibliography
http://www.cadburyindia.com/brands/conf1.asp http://www.domainb.com/marketing/general/2005/20050107_sugar_free.html http://archives.digitaltoday.in/businesstoday/20070506/features3.html http://in.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idINBOM27917220070704 http://www.expressindia.com/news/fe/daily/20001116/fst16025.html Marketing Management (twelfth edition) A South Asian perspective http://www.jsu.edu/

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