Umbrella branding THE ECONOMIC TIMES
At the sign of the first monsoon showers, they almost < = src="https://www.india-forums.com/jss/news/square_banner_in_story.js"> magically sprout like mushrooms - a sea of umbrellas in all sizes, designs and colours, bobbing up and down as people scurry down drenched streets. Look closely and you'll find that many of them sport the colours and logos of prominent consumer brands.
The use of umbrellas as a branding medium - we couldn't resist calling it 'umbrella branding' - appears to have caught the fancy of Indian marketers. From FMCG to pharma companies, banks to mobile service providers and television channels, a variety of companies are tapping the ubiquitous umbrella as a low-cost and effective brand building tool, and in innovative ways.
In 2003, when Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India was looking to create buzz around its soon-to-be launched Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, it sent out flash mobs carrying pink 'Jassi' umbrellas around Mumbai. For broadcasters, branded umbrellas have also served as a timely gift and strong reminder tool for their most important segment - current and potential advertisers - especially when launching a new channel or programme.
"It's convenient, it's appreciated and is top-of-mind with our target audience," says Aditya Tripathi, director, marketing, Discovery channel, which distributed 2,000 branded umbrellas last year to its business associates and the press. Yes Bank, which began its operations last year, gave away over 1,000 branded brollies last year to key clients, business associates and employees as part of its launch exercise, and is repeating the exercise this year as well. "Since we're a new bank, umbrellas are a good way of getting familiarity and brand visibility, though they may not have measurable results. It's a very ambient kind of media, not in-your-face," says Yateesh Srivastava, chief marketing officer, Yes Bank.
Visibility is not the only advantage - umbrellas compare favourably with other promotional items on sheer cost-effectiveness, making them popular among marketers. "It's like a mobile hoarding, which is damn cheap, and it also keeps the client's brand alive in the mind of the user," echoes Aziz S Currim, partner at Mumbai-based Ebrahim Currim & Sons, which produces customised umbrellas for some of the leading brands in the country such as Mercedes-Benz, Novartis, Standard Chartered, Colgate and Jet Airways. Interestingly, it was 25 years ago that Currim's firm received its first order for branded umbrellas - from London Pilsner. Today, almost 15-20% of the firm's revenues comes from this segment, which is growing at a fast clip.
According to Jagdeep Kapoor, chairman, Samsika Marketing, branded umbrellas offer three distinct areas of opportunity for marketers - as a point-of-purchase medium, as a promotional incentive tool for increasing sales at the trade level, driving consumption at the consumer level or rewarding the sales force, and finally as a source of marketing innovation. And it's the third area where marketers haven't adequately leveraged the branding opportunity, says Kapoor, who suggests taking the branding idea a step further by making umbrellas objects of desire which reflects the personality of the target consumer. "There's no reason the umbrella can't be used as a fashion accessory, which becomes part of your attire. There must be some aspiration involved," he says.
HSBC, which has traditionally been gifting its branded umbrellas to select clients, business partners and employees has, for the first time, integrated the brolly into its marketing programme. This year, the bank has been offering its customised red-and-grey umbrellas to customers who register online for its internet banking service within a specified period during the monsoon. Though it's a seasonal tool during the monsoon, umbrellas of other types - like garden umbrellas, beach umbrellas and golf umbrellas - are equally popular to get the message across to a wide audience, in a more subtle, unobtrusive way.
Beverage companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola use large branded garden umbrellas as part of their on-ground visibility strategy in open areas like restaurants, shopping malls and during cricket matches. "They lend themselves greatly to an on-ground presence, and look good on camera too," says Amitabh Bose, GM-marketing, flavours, PepsiCo India. "It's also part of our deal when we tie-up accounts." Bose emphasises that ensuring the brand connect with the relevant consumer set is critical when using an 'umbrella branding' strategy: "The umbrella is a salience builder and reinforces the connect with the brand. We're all about refreshment and the umbrella gives a breather from the sun."
Design and how the logo is used, also play an important role. "If your branding is overt, consumers will be put off," says Bose. According to Sangeeta Pendurkar, head, marketing, HSBC India, umbrellas can offer a cost-effective means of visibility "This tool will be effective only if you have a large number of umbrellas branded with your logo, to create an impact." Samsika's Kapoor suggests that branded umbrellas, like other promotional elements, need to be integrated into the marketing plans on an on-going basis, and not as a one-off exercise every monsoon: "It's not been seen as a business opportunity."
Vikas Bhalla seems a multi-talented star. He has dabbled in films, television and a singing career. 
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
