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Marketing Hosiery : Some Insights

Health : Practice of Weaning in Children under two years in Urban India

Capital Market : Do Regulations Really regulate the Market?

RPG Cellular Launches International Roaming Services

Traffic Scenario in Chennai - Part II

In India, the inner wear market is segmented between the organised and unorganised sector. Innerwear ceased to remain a utility item in the ‘80s. However, with change in lifestyles and better buying power, consumers have become more selective and demanding. And this has resulted in branded wear gaining ground.

During the past few years, there has been a significant rise in corporate interest towards the inner wear segment for various reasons. One of the reason being the huge domestic market that today demands for better quality products and also the growing export prospects, especially to Europe. Companies like the Chennai based Tatia group that have realised this are cashing onto it and are proving to be a front-runner for many a company that wishes to diversify into this.

In earlier days discussions on inner wear was taboo, usually confined to the mother and daughter but today all this has changed. Inner wear is increasingly being looked upon as a fashion accessory. What with inspiration from our dream merchants in Bollywood, who display an array of tantalising inner wear probably prompting our men and women to demand the same from their companions.

The future of the inner wear market looks hot and positive as more MNC’s are stepping into the arena with their unparalleled marketing strategies and their latest product range that is in tune with fashion trends the world over.

But the undergarment sector in India, till recently was one of the few markets that did not witness the entry of multinationals. However, with globalisation of the Indian economy, international innerwear giants like Jockey International Inc. and VF (Vanity Fair) Corporation have entered Indian markets. Thus, the market, with the entry of new brands is set for a buoyant trend. Also the role of the media cannot be ignored. With globalisation came magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Vogue to name a few that showed Indians to pay equal attention to the innerside as well as the outside.

Then come the various beauty contests and manhunt shows, where our folks sashay down the ramp dressed in their scantiest for that glittering piece of metal. And in the process serve as inspirational material to scores of dreamers. So popular are these contests and shows that inner wear companies have started launching their product range at exclusive lingerie shows like the one by Liberblu Enterprises for launching ‘Liberti World’. Aptly titled ‘Passion for Fashion’, many a guests that night would have taken a deep breath and wowed to add to their shopping lists.

In a market like that of India, where competition is on the uptrend, the role of effective communication plays a vital role (apart from design innovations, quality and distribution) in making the brand a success. Below are discussed some of the ad strategies in marketing hosiery in the Indian market.

The Fairy Story

Vanity Fair, a premium lingerie brand from the US-based VF Corporation has entered the top end of the Indian market for women's undergarments. Vanity Fair is trying to get India's upper-middle class women hooked to the idea of buying world class lingerie at world-class prices. For Vanity Fair, the target audience is not buyers of local brands; but, the urban, affluent women who know about foreign lingerie. The other potential buyer segment is that of to-be-weds.

The company also plans to target men, who are expected to buy lingerie as gifts for their wives or girl-friends. The company’s promotional plans include credit card offers through direct mail.

The company has targeted the brand at the upwardly mobile modern young women. The company has positioned Vanity Fair as a brand for young women from the very beginning. Comfort and product superiority are reflected in the advertising which drives home the message that wearing Vanity Fair is a tactile and sensuous experience.

The VIP Strategy

VIP Umbrella - Brat, Frenchie, Beny, Designer, Nawab, Bonus, Feelings and Flora.

Through its VIP brand, Maxwell Apparels has put the intimate clothing category on a branded platform. A number of strategic moves won it leadership in this new market which it created.

The company has retained its leadership in the market through the following techniques:

The company pushed the concept of branded underwear, the medias being radio, press ads and TV commercials.

To justify branding of its underwear, the company had to establish a perceivable difference in its products. Quality was the biggest factor at the time which could be used as a marked point of reference. So, the company went for backward integration by setting up of a new processing unit to take care of the dyeing and bleaching processes; and to maintain the quality of elastics, Microtex Industries was set up. Further, a spinning mill was also set up by the company.

A good distribution network through wholesalers and retailers was activated.

To sum, design innovation, along with quality-oriented backward integration and distribution innovation helped establish VIP. Also VIP resorted to unorthodox advertising like the commercial in which the lady on a shopping expedition chased by a youth is rescued by her husband in a VIP Frenchie and nothing else . This was bold and unorthodox advertising during the 80’s when no manufacturer would risk such an exposure towards his product but for VIP it turned the company’s Frenchie bikini briefs into a best-seller.

Further, the company has learnt the art of leveraging brand value constantly to stay ahead. Every time the competition caught up, it created a new value for its brand, without losing the old one and introduced newer designs thus ensuring that its consumer base was intact.

Dora : For Everyone

Dora changed its business approach when the hosiery industry moved into the branding mode with increased competition.

Dora’s advertising communication had a wide field to cover: cities, small towns and secondary metros. Magazines were flooded with Dora ads, being the ideal medium for innerwear advertising. For ladies wear, they advertised in magazines ranging from Savvy to Grihashobha, and for menswear, right from Filmikaliyan to Manohar Kahaniyan to India Today.

The company developed independent brands to suit every income segment and varying tastes. Dora’s brands: Pocketwala, Trend, Arrow, Cute, Ribco, Simi and Lehar.

To maintain its stronghold, a new jingle for radio - a tried and tested method for instant brand recall - was developed. A strong distribution network numbering 175, and a 17500 retailer network is another strength of the company.

You : Different form the rest

TTK’s You ads at the initial launch, did not show the product, since the company and the ad agency felt that Indian women do not like to see underwear in an ad, it downgrades the image of the brand. The advertising is more emotional, showing the different moods of a women. The visual is trying to create the imagery while the copy gives the rational reason to buy the product. however, the present ads of You do show the product.

Thus as the industry is hotting up and consumers becoming more demanding inner wear in India is all set for a new avatar, breaking many beliefs and giving shape to many a figure and dreams.

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Preamble

Weaning means the addition of other foods to a diet of just milk from the breast or the bottle on which the baby has been fed since birth. This term also refers to the process of starting and acclimating the baby to solid foods.

Weaning should be started when the infant is about four months of age and completed by the time he/she is about nine months. The type of food that the baby is started on will depend partly on the doctor’s advice and partly on family habits.

Nutritional disorders result from deficiency or excess of any nutrients. But, in India, the majority of problems are related to deficiency rather than excess. The most important reasons being poverty, ignorance and illiteracy.

Malnutrition is a major pediatric problem and it is responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality. Following are the major causes for malnutrition: inadequate diet, chronic vomiting, diarrhea and infections, congenital diseases, faulty feeding and prolonged breast feeding.

To highlight further on weaning habits a study was conducted, the results of which are there for all to see.

The Data

This study is based on primary data collected from two Government Hospitals in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, namely, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Institute of Child Health Hospital.

The respondents (mothers of children between 8 months and 24 months) were contacted randomly. Thus, the method of data collection was through direct personal interview method. Totally, 100 such informants have been contacted.

Please note that the respondents fall under very low income category.

Major Observations and Findings of the Study

• 83 per cent of the children had a normal birth weight and 10 children had low birth weight.

• Majority of the children (64 per cent) fall under the weight group of 5 to 7 kilos, followed by the weight group 8 to 10 kilos where 33 per cent fall under.

• As far as the height of the children studied are concerned, 33 of them had a height in between 71 to 75 centimeters, 27 per cent fall under the height group of 66 to 70 cent meters, 24 are in 76 to 80 centimeter group and 11 in the 60 to 65 centimeter group.

• In the study sample, majority (65 per cent) of the children had head circumference in between 41 to 45 centimeters.

• In immunization details, about 91 per cent of the children have been given all the three dosages of polio and it was 86 per cent in the case of DPT. BCG was given to 94 per cent of sample and 69 per cent of them were immunized against measles.

• Three children were not breast fed from birth due to congenital problem.

• In many cases breast feeding was continuing.

• Most of the mothers have started weaning between 4 to 6 months.

• Majority of the children are receiving adult foods. Only few receive some specially made food. Many prefer a combination of home made and formula foods.

• 19 children had health problems when weaning was introduced, the major problems being vomiting and diarrhea.

• 71 per cent of the children had/have respiratory infections and 28 per cent has/have ineffective diseases.

Recommendations

• Mothers have to be educated about: the importance of breast feeding, proper time to start weaning, advice against indulging in harmful feeding practice and family planning (if they have more than two children).

• There is a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Similar kind of centres may be started in these lines in the study area.

• A Health and Nutrition Survey may be conducted in Chennai. If conducted, it may be highly useful for the policy making purposes and to prevent malnutrition.

• The Government can create creches, preferably at free of cost, for low income group of people, which may be highly useful in the families where both husband and wife are working.

Concluding Remarks

This study, which is preliminary in nature, if extended to other areas (semi-urban and rural) with larger sample size, including other income groups and covering other aspects, such as, social and economic aspects and their influence on weaning practice, may yield results which may be highly useful for a better understanding of the subject and for the policy makers to arrive at an appropriate policy decision, which may in turn lead to superior weaning practices in the nation.

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From time to time, Government of India (and its regulatory agencies like RBI and SEBI), to ensure proper functioning of stock exchanges towards their economic role in the financial system, appoints commissions and committees to enquire into the working and efficacy of the rules governing the working of stock exchanges.

A careful comparative examination of the recommendations given by various expert study groups, from Gorwala Committee (1951) to Melegam Committee (1995) - irrespective of the committees objective to study primary or secondary markets - reveals that, again and again certain major policy recommendations have been repetitively stressed by these studies.

Most of the committees have recommended either one or more of the following:

(ii) There should be fair dealings and protection of investors.

(iii) There should be a network of unified national market.

(v) Uniform settlement system in all stock exchanges and in all shares.

(ix) Modern trading and settlement systems should be adopted by all stock exchanges.

(x) Stock exchanges should provide adequate investor support services.

Thus, these recommendations do tell us what Indian stock exchanges lack or in other words, where Indian stock exchanges have to be regulated.

It is very obvious that all the recommendations mentioned above by different study teams, at different time periods are valid even today, implying the fact that the real crux does not lie in identification of the problem nor in proper recommendations, but in the execution of the recommendations.

A study by the World Bank (January 1995) on emerging markets (inclusive of India) identified lack of high quality of regulatory framework as one of the important barriers to global equity-market integration. Also, organisational and informational inefficiencies may affect the role of the stock market in overall economic development in the long run.

Thus, the government or its policy making wings, instead of wasting their time and resources in appointing study groups one after the other, and getting the same recommendations again and again, should revamp the Indian stock markets, swiftly, especially, at this juncture when Foreign Financial Institutions are entering the Indian capital market with vigor so that industrial securities are accurately priced and financial resources are efficiently employed leading to allocational efficiency in the capital market, which, in turn, will lead to long-term economic growth.

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Chennai’s leading cellular service, RPG Cellular has launched its international roaming services. Branded "Power Roam" this service enables RPG Cellular users to use their cellphones in other countries they travel to. What’s more, they can be accessible on the same cellular number they use in Chennai. The customers pay for the services used in rupees as the billing is done by RPG Cellular as part of their regular monthly bill.

The Power Roam service is now being offered in eight countries : Australia, Belgium, France, Hongkong, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE and UK. The company plans to extend the service to many more countries by the year end.

Within a month of its launch, over 1000 subscribers have signed up for the International roaming service. The company expects many more of its customers to opt for the service in the months to come.

Apart form the international roaming facility, RPG Cellular also offers domestic roaming services which is now available in almost all states of India. A few remaining areas like UP, West Bengal and the North East will also become part of the national roaming network shortly, according to company information.

Along with this, RPG Cellular is now offering its customers one more advantage. Multiple operators in each of the cellular circles are being tied up with so as to extend to its users the benefit of coverage of both operators. Active on this list are both cellular operators in Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi, Ap, Karnataka and Maharastra. The second cellular network in other cellular circles will also be accessible in the near future.

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After browsing through the first part of this article last week, you would have had enough time to experience personally the reality of the situation on the roads of Chennai.

Or rather, the potholes of Chennai, because that is the current state today. What a glorious vision of a "Singara Chennai " , our worshipful Mayor has. And to add to that confusion is the ambition of his father, the Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to turn Chennai into a city of bridges and highways. I suspect that this wish of his has got something to do with the phrase "Information Superhighway" . Whether he achieves in the former or not, he is fulfilling his ambition by building bridges or flyover as he chooses to call it. As a result, even the smallest of roads like Peters Road and TTK Road in Alwarpet (already congested to the point of choking) has been dug up for laying flyovers realising little that the width of the proposed flyovers are more than the existing road width.

This is probably one of the biggest problems facing motorists and the traveling public alike. Chaos, diversions, accidents, one-ways etc. are the order of the day. Can’t our esteemed planners visualise this in advance. Anyway there are other problems facing us today like :

Speeding lorries, transport corporation buses, fish carts, omnibuses, Autos etc. all driving as if they own the road. Vehicles derive unlimited pleasure in going through a one way or crossing a junction even after the signal has turned red. This is so because, our traffic policemen are mute spectators as most of the vehicles are owned either by their own higher-ups or by MLA’s & MP’s. But who is the scapegoat in this so that the police department can achieve their targets ?

You guessed it right, it is the poor two-wheeler rider. Always caught on one pretext or the other and squeezed for 50 or 100 bucks as the mood and occasion may warrant.

The other day there was an article in The Hindu, where the reader gave a heart rending narration of his experience at the hands of these traffic behemoths. All that he had done was park his two-wheeler at the side on Nelson Manickam Road to step into a shop. On his return he found it about to be towed away. On enquiry he was told that he had parked his vehicle in a no parking zone. When it was mentioned that there wasn’t a board indicating it, he was threatened to be put in jail and his vehicle towed away ignoring his pleas.

A resolute man that he was, he decided to pursue the matter with the inspector concerned at the police station where the vehicle had been towed away. The not-so-polite inspector there was kind enough t o inform him that as the CM was to pass that way, this action was resorted to and that he could pay the fine of Rs. 100 and leave or attend court the following week. At this point his resoluteness gave way to common sense and he left with a lighter pocket as he didn’t have much confidence in the Judicial system.

The above incident is not a rare one and happens to scores of people everyday, here I refer to the common man like you and me.

On the other hand speeding lorries and dumper trucks have been causing accidents with impunity. Driving mostly on the pavements where poor laborers sleep or crashing into two wheelers from the back.

What then is the solution to all these problems ?

The first and foremost solution could be in improving infrastructure in terms of roads, functioning signal systems, wider medians free of hawkers, proper foot overbridges, well lighted and policed subway crossings etc.

Next could be a disciplined and honest police force that is more of a friend than a terror to citizens. Here too care should be taken to curb the influence of politicians.

Then would come revising the existing laws that date back to ages and tightening loop holes to ensure the offender doesn’t escape. Ensure accountability right from the RTO level where driving licenses are issued to all and sundry without proper tests upto the legislators and traffic planners.

Last but not the least a common sense approach is needed from us. By this we mean that as responsible citizens, we should realise that the roads belong to each one of us and that if everyone tries to test their vehicles performance unmindful of the pain caused to others it will result only in chaos. Quite often we have seen owners cheering their drivers to break all rules or even defending him when he has broken the law. This only gets reflected onto our children, who after growing up tend to drive in much the same way with not even a sign of protest from parents.

Let us make a start today by driving responsibly and carefully. There is always the racetracks for speed maniacs. As responsible citizens of this glorious city, it is upon us to make that first gesture be it in allowing someone to overtake or reprimanding a fellow traveler for rash driving. Once we all start doing our bit, this could turn into a movement and force the hands of the Govt. in improving the traffic conditions.

...Concluded

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