INTRODUCTION

In this project I am trying to figure out bottled mineral water market in Sitapur with

reference to Bisleri in Sitapur city.

Water is a key to social equity to environmental stability and to cultural diversity.

Water is also firmly linked with health. Pure and safe drinking water has always been

a necessity. The tradition and style of serving drinking water, in India, has however

changed quite dramatically during the last decade. Almost a decade ago, the

introduction of bottled water or “packaged mineral water” has changed the tradition of

serving and consuming drinking water. This has ushered in very strongly, the use of

polymers or plastics as materials for water storage and distribution.

The categories of bottled water in India are Packaged Natural Mineral Water and

Packaged Drinking Water .Bottled water industry,colloquially called,the mineral

water industry,is a symbol of new life style emerging in India. The packaged drinking

water in India, which is estimated at Rs.850 crores with over 200 brands floating in

the market, most of which have restricted territorial distribution. This is a growing

market in India as quality consciousness among the consumers is on the rise. The

bottled water market is growing at a rapid rate of around 20%.At this growth rate, the

Rs 7000million per year market is estimated to overtake the soft drinks market soon.

Multinationals, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and others are trying to grab a significant

share of the market.

Indians currently spending about $330m a year on bottled water, analysts estimate.

The packaged water market constitutes 15 per cent of the overall packaged beverage

industry, which has annual sales of at least $2.6bn.  Almost all the major international

and national brands water bottles are available in Indian market  right from the malls

to railway stations, bus stations, grocery stores and even at panwala's shop. Before

few years bottle water. was considered as the rich people's choice, but now it is

penetrated even in rural areas. The growth and status of Indian Bottled Industry in

comparison  with  Western or Asian market, India is far behind in terms of  quantum,

infrastructure, professionalism and standards implementation. The per capita

consumption of mineral water in India is a mere 0.5-liter compared to 111 liter in

Europe and 45-liter in USA.   Also As per UN study conducted in 122 countries, in

connection with water quality, India's number was dismal 120. In comparison to

global standards India's bottled water segment is largely unregulated. 

  Former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has urged youngsters on July 17, 2010 to

be aware of water conservation techniques to avoid grave water crisis in future."It is

so sad that today, people are forced to buy water in plastic bottles. I am told that

bottled water industry is worth nearly 10000 crore rupees and even big companies

like the Coke and Pepsi are involved in this bottling of water and making money. So,

it is imperative that we ought to save water," he added. 

  Do not be surprise if today's bottles water industry becomes next Oil industry by

2025.

The market leader is Bisleri International, which boasts a 40 per cent share. It is

followed by Coca- Coca’s Kinley (around 25 per cent) and PepsiCo’s Aquafina

(around 10 per cent). The top players in bottled water industry in India are the major

international giants like Coca cola, Pepsi, Nestle and noticeable presence of national

players like Mount Everest, Manikchand, Kingfisher, Mohan Meakins, SKN

Breweries , Indian Railways   so on. With increasing competition, this sector will

register a robust growth in 2010, predict industry analysts.

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  To take on rivals in this sector, PepsiCo India is drawing up a fresh game plan which

includes, investment in capacity enhancement, packaging initiatives and below-the-

line activities to pump up volumes in the over-crowded category. Meanwhile,

swadeshi major Parle Agro is extending the manufacturing facility for Bailley from

29 to 60 plants this year. While swadeshi major Bisleri  International is beefing up its

distribution, manufacturing and marketing  operations, Coca-Cola India is sharpening

its focus on packaging initiatives of Kinley to woo new consumes. In essence, the

packaged water industry in India will soon witness a major tussle between swadeshi

and videshi players to gain market and mind share. 

The western region accounts for 40 per cent of the market and the eastern region just

10. However, the bottling plants are concentrated in the southern region - of the

approximately 1,200 bottling water plants in India, 600 are in Tamil Nadu. But a

major problem is southern India, especially Tamil Nadu, is water starved. 

  Top multinational players such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been trying for the

past decade to capture the Indian bottled water market. Today they have captured a

significant portion of it. However, Parle Bisleri continues to hold 40 per cent of the

market share. Kinley and Aquafina are fast catching up, with Kinley holding 20-25

per cent of the market and Aquafina approximately 10 per cent. The rest, including

the smaller players, have 20-25 per cent of the market share. 

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COMPANY PROFILE

The origins of Bisleri lie in Italy, and the brand owes its name to founder Felice Bisleri, an

Italian entrepreneur. In India, Bisleri set up a plant in Mumbai for bottling and marketing

mineral water, which was first of its kind in India. However, it did not quite work. Among

other reasons, the fact that the Indian consumer was unprepared to accept bottled mineral

water was responsible for its failure. Consumer mindsets were more geared towards boiling

water at home.

In 1969, Parle bought over the' Bisleri' brand. In those days Bisleri water was available in

glass bottles. Parle's taking charge of Bisleri did not make a dramatic difference to the brand's

fortunes immediately. While it did gain in terms of visibility and reach (piggybacking on

Parle's existing distribution network), efforts to expand the bottled water market were not

exactly painstaking. Parle at that particular time was interested in making soda water and not

mineral water. There were just minor initiatives on part of the company for making mineral

water as it was not considered to be a very profitable business at that time a people still

considered boiling water to be a safer bet than mineral water. Moreover they were not ready

to pay for a commodity like water which was so abundantly available.

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In 1972-73 Parle changed the packaging of its bottled water to plastic bottles and that

significantly made a difference in the sales. The buyers, then, were mainly the upper class -

the trendy people.

In 1993, Coca-Cola bought parle’s soft drink brands- thums-up, limca etc. While Coca-Cola

actually bought over Parle's beverages, it agreed to a settlement that allowed the multinational

to bottle and distribute Bisleri soda for a time frame of five years. The charge of Bisleri water,

however, remained with Parle. The upsurge in the sales of Bisleri started from this point as

Parle sold off its stable of brands to Coca-Cola. This was the time when its started

concentrating on making Bisleri a success in the domestic mineral water market. The reason

why Parle chose to retain the Bisleri name was that Parle saw a fairly lucrative business of

mineral water in Bisleri's equity.

The real shift in company’s policy towards mineral water industry came in 1998, although the

conscious efforts had already been started in 1994. This change was primarily because of the

fact that the people, at this time, had started becoming more health conscious.

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PRODUCT PROFILE

“It’s a compliment being generic to the category, but its not very good when consumers think

any mineral water brand is Bisleri”

Bisleri, a product established in India by Ramesh Chauhan, Chairman of Parle Aqua

Minerals has become a generic brand. Bisleri was the first marketed bottled water in a

totally virgin market. The brand has become synonymous with mineral water; consumers

accept any brand offered by the retailer when they ask for Bisleri.

So far Ramesh Chauhan’s Bisleri enjoys the largest market share of 56% in the Rs1100

crore mineral water market and is growing at the rate of 180% per annum. Annual

sales of Bisleri have touched Rs400 crores. In seventies, 'Bisleri' was the only mineral water

which had national presence and the sale was to the tune of approximately one hundred

thousand cases valued at about Rs.60 lacs.

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MANUFACTURING

A quick look at Bisleri's manufacturing reach indicates that it is represented across the

country – North accounts for 35% of sales for the industry, West accounts for 30%, South

20% and the East 15%.

In order to be available in untapped areas Bisleri has setup 16 plants located all over the

country - three-fourths of which are company owned. The balance are run by franchisees.

Bisleri has 5 plants in the North, 5 in the West- two of which were setup in the last year at

Ahemdabad and Surat, 4 in the South and 2 in the East. The company has bottling units

located in Chennai, Bangalore, Goa, Calcutta, Mumbai, Sitapur, Jaipur, Uttar Pradesh,

Punjab, Indore and Nepal. The new plants are being set up in states like Kerala, Orissa, Bihar

and North Eastern States, which hitherto have been unexplored by the company.

It is also changing its production strategy and shifting to a 10-hr production schedule with

sudden increase in demand planned to be met by additional production.

Bisleri has planned to expand its operations by investing Rs 60 crore in the upgradation of

facilities. The 120-bottles per minute (BPM) capacity of the 16 units across the country will

be increased to 240 BPM.

Conscious of the environmental implications of its PET bottles, the company is to set up

recycling plants at Sitapur and Chennai, each with an outlay of Rs.50m. These will process

500 kg of PET per hour. The processed material will be an input for polyester yarn

manufacturers. In centers other than Sitapur and Chennai, the company will set up crushing

units to crush the used PET bottles.

The company's expansion plans will see its water bottling capacity go up from the present 400

million litres to 500 million litres. Parle Bisleri Limited (PBL) is planning to invest Rs 200

crore to increase its bottling capacity and double its turnover. The expansion will also

increase the number of company's bottling plants from 16 at present, to 25.

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DISTRIBUTION

It's obvious that availability holds the key to the market. For any product to be successful the

distribution system has to be really good. Large tracts of the country have not been explored

by the national brands,which explains the proliferation of smaller brands.

Bisleri’s strategy is to build a direct distribution system at an all-India level. Currently,

Bisleri has around 80000 retail outlets in the country with about 12000 each in the

Metros of Sitapur and Mumbai. It is intended to increase this number to 10 lakh outlets

in order to expand brand’s reach.

That means serious investments in company-owned trucks and carts. Parle hopes to double its

existing fleet of 1000 trucks. This would make it the largest fleet owner in the country.

In order to service the home segment, the 5 litre packs are being pushed through the route

of “Fat Dealers”( wholesale dealers) who are retailers as well as stockist and serve as

supply points from where customer can pick the required quota. The customer can call

the fat dealer and place order for home delivery of the 5 litre pack. 180 of these dealers are

already functional, and more are in the process of being appointed. "The idea is to make

Bisleri all-pervasive,".

The company plans to have its own distribution network in places where it has its own plants.

Franchisees would manage the distribution in their respective areas of operation.

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PACKAGING

Variety is spice of life. Today for any business organisation to be successful it has to provide

its customers with the differentiated product that is a value buy for them. In order to cater to

the changing needs of the customers the business has to continuously come out with the

variants of the product so that it can target the maximum segments.

Today, Acqua Minerals offers a variety of packaging options:150 ml, 300 ml, 500 ml, 1 litre,

2 litre, 5 litre, and 20 litre. The 5-litre bottles account for 35 per cent of sales showing a

growing health concern among the Indian society. 1 litre bottles account for 30 percent of the

share, whereas the 500 ml bottles taking up 15 per cent. The remaining sizes share the rest of

the contribution.

The 2 litres bottles were introduced to slowly and steadily replace the conventional 1 litre

bottles. This would give them an advantage over others. The 500-ml category was re-focused

as a trendy product, targeted at the teenage crowd and for the roadside consumers.

Acqua Minerals is currently a supplier to Indian Airlines with 125-ml cups. The five-litre

packs, launched in December 1999 in Goa, are currently available in six cities, including

Sitapur, Bombay and Bangalore, and sell over 5,000 bottles a day.

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Following is a quick overview of the various packaging options provided by bisleri

along with the target consumers:

Size of the bottle Price per bottle Target consumer

500 ml Rs. 7 Teenagers, college students and roadside consumers.

Also aimed to supply to the Indian Railways.

1 litre Rs. 10 General consumers and travelers.

1.2 litres Rs. 12 Consumers demanding a little more water at just a little

more price.

2 litres Rs. 18 Small offices, shopkeepers, households

5 litres Rs. 20 Households, institutes, offices, retail shops, showrooms

20 litres Rs. 40 Households, institutes, offices, schools and colleges

In addition to the above mentioned sizes, Bisleri also provides 150 ml cups – for Indian

Airlines travellers, and 300 ml cups – for marriages and parties.

The following pie chart clearly shows the sales wise distribution of the various pack

sizes:

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CHALLENGES IN FRONT OF THE BISLERI

The company had the share of more than 50% of the national market. But now the share of

the company is going down, in the pie of the national market. Until recently there was

competition with only the unorganized sector. Now, having drowned out by the small-scale

emulators with a 40% share of the national market, company now is limbering up for another

contest – from the multinationals.

Other than the financial constraints up to an extent, the company has to focus on the

marketing management of the product. In light of the challenge in front of the company and

its current strengths and position, we have incorporated the marketing mix to counter the

marketing strategies of the competitors by developing its own marketing strategies.

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PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY

Advertising Campaign of Bisleri before Launch of Acquafina & Kinley

Every brand needs a good ad campaign to establish itself in the market. So it becomes very

imperative to look at various ad campaigns that Bisleri undertook to build itself as a brand.

Bisleri started its game-plan with the punch-line of ‘Pure and Safe’ and used the same

catch-line for advertising. But with the advent of many new players, all claiming the

purity, it became very imperative for Bisleri to differentiate its product so as to stand

out in the market. Bisleri found the answer in ‘sealed cap bottles’. It claimed 100%

purity.

While the bottles of the other brands, it claimed, could be refilled with ordinary, or even

germinated water, Bisleri’s seal capped bottles ensured the consumer of purity of water and

single-used ness of the bottles.

The ad showed a milk-man and a child showering their buffaloes and filling the ‘so-

called’ mineral water bottles with the same water and packing them with the simple

polythene seal and the consumer not knowing about the ‘purity’ of the water he is

drinking. Next clip shows the Bisleri bottles being sealed with plastic caps and ensuring

the purity of water. The ad did work for Bisleri and it got its much needed product

differentiation.

In 2000, some giant brands like Pepsi and coca-cola entered the mineral water industry

with a big bang. Bisleri now had a big threat of maintaining its market cap. While Coca-cola

introducing its brand ‘Kinley’ as a health care product, Pepsi projected ‘Aquafina’ as

something as pure as ‘Your own body’.

Pepsi targeted the young generation and introduced Aquafina as a fancy product to carry.

The ad campaign of Aquafina emphasized as ‘70% of your body is water’ and thus give your

body the purest water. The ad showed young vibrant models and created the atmosphere

of youthfulness. Water, Pepsi claimed, was no longer a simple beverage, but was

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something highly fashionable. They complimented it by giving their bottles an attractive

look. This soon caught the eye of the consumer. All these factors made Pepsi the biggest

upcoming competitor of Bisleri .

Where as Kinley lagged behind the race, showing a doctor advising a family to take

Kinley for pure water – not a very attractive ad campaign.

Bisleri, to counter-attack the new ‘Feel-Young’ fever had to even bolder steps. They first

changed their base-line from ‘Pure and Safe’ to ‘Play Safe’. They tried a brand new ad

campaign to catch the fancy of consumer.

The new ad showed a young romantic couple on a marooned island, when the girl

seductively attracts the guy and he follows her in trance. The moment he gets hold of

her, she whispers something in his ears. The next few shots show the guy looking for

something in frenzy…can not find it….rushes towards the chemist’s shop….buys

‘something’ (keeping the audience in suspense…or rather implicitly pointing for ‘……’).

The girl opens it and….POOF….takes out a bottle of Bisleri and quenches her thirst.

Caption: “Play Safe”. This campaign was to catch the attention of youth and a new

Indian society which is supposed to be ‘not-so-prudish’. Thus Bisleri has taken a very

bold step. The T.V. ads have been complimented by print ads also. The campaign is

reported to be doing pretty well.

Advertisement Campaign of Competitors:

A drop-dead gorgeous body flexes its muscles on the screen. This starkly arresting black and

white image is then splashed with water. A voice-over informs you that 70 per cent of your

body is water. Why not give it the purest ... Aquafina Bottled water from Pepsi.

This kind of advertisement campaign used by the competitors is giving the company a tough

time. The competitor, Pepsi, is utilizing the brand image built by it and is again targeting the

“Generation X” maintaining the company image.

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It’s an unusual ad for this category. Till now, most marketers have focussed on educating the

consumer on how bottled water is a safer option, with the lead, of course, taken by the

popular national brand Bisleri.

But Pepsi chose to junk this approach, and it could well afford to. Bisleri, after all, had

already done most of the hard work needed to build the bottled water category. What Pepsi

needed was to establish its brand in this crowded, fragmented market. Our task was made

easier because Bisleri had concentrated on educating the consumer, instead of building its

own brand values,” says Rohit Ohri, vice president and client services director,

Hindustan Thompson Associates Limited (HTA).

"We wanted the imagery to position Aquafina as a youthful, premium and fun brand,”

says Vibha Rishi, executive director, Pepsi. The idea, she says, was not to objectify bodies so

that one could drool over them. “Instead, we are talking about your body and the need for

each one to take care of his or her body.” The ad copy, which spoke of the water content in

our bodies, was actually trying to establish how important water was to our well- being and

how we need to continuously replenish it.

While the thinking was clear that the imagery had to be built in and around purity, HTA did

toy with a couple of other ideas and situations. Initially, the idea was to focus more strongly

on the fun aspect and create a story line complete with a smart idea and a twist at the end .

“But we gave it up because we felt that the story might take the mind away from the

purity aspect that was a must to highlight,” says Ohri.

So HTA adopted a minimalist approach and created a film with little clutter and no props,

which tried to capture the emotion of “feeling good about yourself”. While the film and the

imagery are completely the work of HTA, the strategic thinking comes from the Mother

Company in the US.

Aquafina, in fact, is the largest-selling bottled water brand in the US with a 12 per cent

market share, and India is the first country outside of the US where Aquafina is being

bottled.

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ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

While designing the advertisement campaign, it is necessary to keep in mind the opinion

leaders. Youth are the opinion leaders of the present time. And thus it becomes

necessary to design the campaign keeping the youth in mind. The opinion leaders would

further trickle down the message to the less active members of the society.

This is exactly what Bisleri is doing. Bisleri has started an advertisement campaign

stressing the point of purity and flaunting the patent right the company has over the

breakaway seal. The company has tried to put the message across louder, by using the ad

campaign that catches the eye of everyone, specially the youth. Otherwise, we find no

reason of making an advertisement of mineral water look like an advertisement of

condoms.

MESSAGE CONTENT OF THE CAMPAIGN:

Bisleri that was looking for a differentiator decided to make the breakaway seal the

symbol of purity. The tamper-proof seal was developed, around which the

communication was woven. The campaign stresses the safety provided by the

breakaway seal by illustrating the ease with which conventionally sealed bottles can be

refilled and recycled.

The objective with the campaign would have been to highlight the tamper-proof seal and

create doubt in the consumer’s mind of the purity of the other brands. That is, Bisleri is the

only one that guarantees purity and keeps you Safe

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

COMPETITION:

The mineral water market is set to explode and hit the Rs.2,000-crore mark in the next couple

of years. This is drawing the big guns attention. First Britannia launched Evian. And

recently, soft drinks giant Pepsi entered the fray with Aquafina. Now, Nestle too is

reportedly planning a foray. Meanwhile, Parle Agro’s Bailley has been growing steadily.

Small local players too are breathing down Bisleri’s neck riding on better trade margins

and intensive distribution (in their respective areas of operation).

The competition facing Bisleri can be categorized into a few brand

names like

Parle Bailey

Hello

Pepsi Aquafina

Coca Cola Kinley

With Parle’s Bailey being the main competitor and second in market share in the organized

market, Bisleri faces tremendous competition from the unorganized sector.

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Aquafina

The advantage for Aquafina is that though there are over 300 labels of bottled water in the

Indian market, few can be called brands. It is necessary to remember that every product

with a name is not a brand, even Bisleri has become generic to this category.

It does not have any emotional values attached to it. So there was no difficulty for Pepsi in

creating space in such a market which is completely different from the soft drinks market,

where it will be very difficult for any new player to find a slot . So the creative team at HTA

virtually had an empty canvas to work on. And it came up with a campaign that did

have people talking. First, a series of teasers, followed by a film that showed healthy

bodies and youthful people and, of course, lots of water.

Although Aquafina is only available in a 1 litre pet bottle, priced at Rs.10, is competitive.

And it is safe. In addition to the tamper proof seal, there is a reliable method of checking

whether the bottle has been refilled. The date of manufacturing has been written on the cap

as well as on the bottle. Thus a person who is refilling it would have to find a matching cap

and bottle, the probability of which is very low.

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Coca Cola Kinley

Coca-Cola joined the race by announcing the imminent launch of its own brand of water and,

in the process, putting to rest rumors of its so-called takeover of Bisleri. Kinley is

targetting institutions.

Parle Agro’s Bailey

Bailey the brand that is owned by Ramesh Chauhan’s brother Prakash Chauhan is very

popular in the southern part of India. Southern part of India accounts for 20% of the sale of

the whole water market industry. Bisleri would have a tough competition from Bailey since

the company plans to spread its presence in that part of the country. Another thing that

makes the competition difficult for the company is the price at which it’s competitor is

offering the product. Like Bisleri it also gives the 1 lt. For Rs.10. The only strength point

of the company which it can capitalize is it’s generic name. And also the company would

have to enter that market with a strong distribution base. We know the fact that Bailley has

grown at a rapid pace using the route of franchising which Bisleri has not adopted as yet. This

is another point which the company would have to take care of to face the competition.

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STRATEGIES THAT BISLERI SHOULD FOLLOW IN ORDER TO RETAIN

ITS MARKET SHARE:

The soft target:

Selling bottled water requires constantly expanding the market. The company should also

target the market for soft drinks. All the soft drinks addresses three issues: fun, thirst and

refreshment followed by status to some degree. The thirst and the status value of the mineral

water is well accepted. There is very little the mineral water brands can do to add the fun

element around the product. Again here, it becomes important for the company to have a

good distribution network. It should be understood that if the mineral water is easily available

everywhere then it can be said with confidence that it would be able to replace the soft drinks

as thirst quencher. If we try and look at the reasons that why consumers buy soft drinks as

thirst quenchers: we would find the answer as that either water is not available or if it is

available then safety is not assured. Therefore backed by a good distribution network

mineral water industry can grow at a rapid rate.

Getting in shape:

The another improvement the company needs is in terms of packaging. It is often seen that

the youth are the opinion leaders, therefore it becomes very important for any consumer

product to make a mark in that generation, if it really wants to grow. The company for that,

would have to come with packaging that is more sturdy and portrays itself as a hep brand.

Distribution network:

The need for improving the distribution network is not only when the company wants to

target the soft drinks market. If it wants to enter every part of the country and would face

competition from competitors like Bailley it becomes a prerequisite for the company to have a

strong distribution network. take the example of Bailley, it can be seen that this company has

grown rapidly in the past and is still on that trend. One of the important reason for this rapid

growth is franchising.

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THREATS

Bisleri will be taking the packs back and refilling them. But the packs cannot be sterilized

since the material used is PET and cannot withstand high temperature. So how can they

ensure purity?”

Strategy to counter threats

Bottles are subjected to chlorine washes, hot water washes and ozone washes before

refilling the bottles.

The company is betting on the home segment. It is often seen that customers are not satisfied

with filters and water purifiers. The reason being that filters and water purifiers also need

to be cleaned periodically and still do not guarantee absolutely clean water. In order to

service this segment, the five liter packs are being pushed through the route of fat dealers

(wholesale dealers) who are retailers as well as stockiest and serve as supply points from

where customers can pick up the required quota. In future, consumers will be able to call the

fat dealer and place orders for home delivery of the five-liter pack.. This is a high turnover,

low-margin retailer who does not keep a store but serves a similar purpose with other

items such as rice .

OPPORTUNITIES

So far, company has not used the franchising route very aggressively unlike Parle Agro’s

Bailley which has grown very fast using this route. He has around six franchisees in

Mumbai, Sitapur, Chennai, Bangalore, Goa and Rajasthan. They shunned this route so

far because in most areas where they had no presence, it was imperative that they did it

themselves. Now for further expansion they can afford to use the franchisee route.”

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Price or competition

Pricing is the next most important consideration for the consumer. they have crashed

the prices of the one liter and 500 ml offerings. “At Rs.5, that is half the price of the one

liter pack, the 500 ml pack is a steal,” says Company.

But what about the smaller pack eating into the one-liter sales? Answers Company,

“Interestingly, the smaller pack has pushed up the one liter sales. There has been a very

good rub-off.” Schemes for retailers for a combination of both packages are on create the

push. However, one liter packs which accounted for 50 per cent of the company’s turnover

has come down to 30 per cent. The two-liter packs, which have practically disappeared

from the shelves, have come down from 20 per cent to five per cent. The growth has come

from the 500 ml and the five-liter category, which account for 15 per cent and 36 per cent of

turnover respectively.

Earlier, Bisleri was selling at a premium of Rs.12 for the same size. But beginning last

year, it has been selling its one- liter bottles at Rs.10 each. Aqua Minerals attributes the

Price slashing to retailer margins being on the higher side earlier.

The competitive Rs.10-price tag has been working well for the brand. Points out Chauhan,

“Our sales prove that the Indian consumer is getting smarter by the day. If he can buy a

high- quality product for the same price, why will he opt for an inferior brand?” For

frequent consumers, Bisleri introduced a half-liter bottle priced at Rs.5 some six months

back. There’s also a two-liter bottle for Rs.18.

In what could be a masterstroke, Aqua Minerals is testing out the possibility of mass

marketing 20-litre Bisleri bottles for an MRP of Rs.40. That works out to Rs.2 a liter. If

the logistics, manufacturing and distribution do fall in place, it could change the face of the

purified water market for keeps. In the current scenario, mineral water is picked up more by

travelers, less by households. With its big capacity jar, Aqua Minerals wants to change

that. “they are trying to break the home market with the 20-litre jar,” company

discloses.

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PURIFICATION PROCESS

Bisleri is producing by painstakingly rigorous process. Source water is put through- 7 –stage

Purification process. It is then packaged in tamper proof packs with the unique "breakaway

seal" And all is done in completely automated plants to ensure it reaches you perfectly pure

and safe. The process is Natural spring water is drawn from deep wells then

l. CHLORINATION-Kills microorganisms, removes organic matter.

2. SAND FIL TER---Removes suspended matter and turbidity.

3. CARBON FILTER-Removes residual chlorines and odors

4. ULTRAFICATION-Removes bacteria and make water sparkling clean

5. MICRON FILTERS---Additional safety measures of filtration

6. REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM---Controls total dissolved solids (TDS).

7. 0Z0NATION-Ensures water remains bacteria -free for longer shelf life.

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FUTURE PLANS

Bisleri was the first to market bottled water in a totally virgin markets and naturally people

associate the brand with bottled water .now Bisleri is perhaps already 10 steps ahead of its

competitors and will endeavors to widen its gap in the times to come, Some of the future

plans of the Bisleri

1. New pack sizes in bottles and cups.

2. Increase the distribution network with an investment of over 200 crores.

3. Strengthen presence in traditionally weak areas by setting up 12 new bottling

facilities at the cost of Rs 150 crores.

4. Bisleri planning to diversify into fruit juice business. It has already set up a fruit -

juice plant in Chittor AP.

5. The company plans to go in the neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan.

6. The company planning to open the Bisleri retail outlets ---these ere the shops where only

Bisleri will be sold.

23

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

MAIN OBJECTIVES

The main objective of my project is to analyse brand value and market position of

Bisleri in Sitapur.

Sub Objectives

The following are the sub objectives of my Research study:-

1. To conduct a market survey of Bisleri.

2. The affects on Bisleri sale, profit and market share after the launch of

‘Acquafina’ by Pepsi and ‘Kinley’ by Coca Cola.

3. To find out the current position of Acquafina, Hello and Kinley mineral

water.

4. Threats caused by Aquafina, Kinley and Hello to Bisleri.

5. Strategies and measures adopted by Bisleri to counter the competition by

Hello & Kinley.

24

RESEARCH METHODOLGY

A Research Methodology defines the purpose of the research, how it proceeds,

how to measure progress and what constitute success with respect to the

objectives determined for carrying out the research study.

The appropriate research design formulated is detailed below.

Exploratory Research: This kind of research has the primary objective of

development of insights into the problem. It studies the main area where the

problem lies and also tries to evaluate some appropriate courses of action.

The research methodology for the present study has been adopted to reflect

these realties and help reach the logical conclusion in an objective and

scientific manner.

The present study contemplated an exploratory research

25

NATURE OF DATA

PRIMARY DATA: Data which is collected through direct interviews and by

raising questionnaires to retailers.

SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data that is already available and published.

Various internet sites, newspaper, magazines like A&M

were searched in order to find information useful for

completion of this project.

It could be internal and external source of data.

Internal source: Which originates from the specific field or area where research is

carried out e.g. publish broachers, official reports etc.

External source: This originates outside the field of study like books,

periodicals, journals, newspapers and the Internet.

DATA COLLECTION

Primary Data: The primary data has been collected by conducting a survey in

Sitapur Muncipal Limits.

26

SAMPLE DESIGN

Sampling unit: Residents & Retailers in the above mentioned

areas.

Sample size: 100 persons

SAMPLING PROCEDURE

Simple Random Sampling to select the sample

DATA COLLECTION

Sources of data: 1) Primary Data which included the input received

from directly the residents through Interview.

2) Secondary data from the Industry manual, policy

manuals, books and internet etc.

Method of collecting data: Interview method

27

DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATIONS

1. Out of 100 retailers, everyone stored mineral water and basically

these shops were centrally located to the market and were basically general store,

confectionery shop and small kirana shop.

The survey revealed that almost every shop stored mineral water, therefore it

can be interpreted that mineral water in current market scenario is on

general demand and retailer enjoy selling it, as the get good margin out of it.

2. Brand of mineral water kept by the retailers

The survey revealed that out of 100 retailers surveyed, all over Sitapur, 70%

of the retailers kept Bailey's mineral water, 25% Kinley, 30% Aquafina, 40%

Yes and 50% the retailer kept Hello mineral water.

However it can be noted that retailers prefer Bisleri mineral water which has got a

share of 70% this is so because people or customer recalls mineral water with the

brand name of Bisleri. The new entrants basically Aquafna and Kinley is been

kept by 30% and 26% of the retailers and they consider that this product will

soon capture market share as the brand name will speak its quality.

28

Pie chart showing percentage of different mineral water being kept

by the retailers

29

3. Weekly sales of mineral water from the outlet

Out of 100 shopkeepers surveyed all over Sitapur, the weekly sales of the mineral

water averaged approx 225 bottles of 1 lit. each which means that a total number

of bottles case or cases sold from the single outlet averaged around 15 cases. Out

of this Bisleri mineral water is sold most i .e. approx. 45% of the cases sold from the

single outlet belongs to Bisleri mineral water, whereas Kinley acquired average

of 7-8% of the total sale. Aquafina sale constitute of 10%, Bailey's sale on an

average constitute of 20% of the total sale. However other mineral water sales

comprised of 18% of the total sale.

Thus from the above analysis it is very clear that Bisleri still holds on dominant

position in the mineral water market, but at the same time new entrants like Aquafina

and Kinley with market share of 10% and 8% respectively may pose threat to Bisleri

in the long run.

30

Piechart showing percentage sales of following mineral water in a

week

31

4. Frequency of distribution visit

Distribution is an important parameters which holds on key position for any fast-

moving consumer goods as the sale of this particular type of product highly depend on

distribution network and its availability, also frequency of distribution is taken into

consideration for the sale of this kind of product. Therefore it can be interpreted

that sale of any product depend on its distribution and thus we can say that

distribution and sales are interrelated.

The total number of retailers covered for the purpose of my analysis is 100, and

out of this almost every shop considered gets the mineral water of each brand on

a regular basis i.e. on a daily basis, therefore linkage is always there with the

company regarding the demand for mineral water. This is good sign for an

almost all the company as they are in regular touch with the retailers.

32

Bargraph showing frequency of distributor visit to retailers

33

5. Analysis on the credit policy of the distributor/company

It was found out that no company gives the mineral water to the retailers on the

credit basis that is basically they like to sell there products on a cash. However,

this can one of the area where one can come and find a way to capture longer chunk

of market share by offering credit to the small retailers who doesn't have

sufficient liquid to invest in items like this, there if credit policy is being offered

by any one of this companies for small period of time, say for a day or two, then this

small retailers combined together may able to push the product in the market in a

successful manner. The company must think in this content and should follow

push strategy, where by they will able to have larger chunk of market size from a

limited market share.

34

6. Analysis regarding information about the scheme

The consent regarding the prior information about the schemes from the retailers

show varying percentage

BRAND Yes No

Bisleri 56% 44%

Aquafina 60% 40%

Kinley 63% 37%

Bailey's 57% 43%

Hello 70% 30%

Others 40% 60%

Retailers are very sensitive regarding the schemes. They prefer those product which

gives them more margin and for this they depend mainly on schemes provide by

the company. However, from the analysis it was found out that retailers prior

information regarding the schemes is maximum in case of Kinley that is 63% of

retailer gave consent regarding the prior information on of the scheme in the

case of Kinley where as rest of the 37% are not informed about the scheme.

Followed by Aquafina, 60%, Yes ad 40% No, then Bailey’s 57% yes and 43%

NO, and Information regarding Bisleri scheme is 56% Yes and 44% No.

35

7. Availability of the various mineral water among retailers shows

varying percentage

Easily Get but not

often

Does not get

Bisleri 73% 18% 9%

Aquafina 75% 15% 10%

Kinley 60% 15% 10%

Bailey's 70% 20% 10%

Hello 65% 20% 15%

Others 60% 20% 20%

From the data, it can be interpreted that availability of Bisleri mineral water among

the retailers is 73% of retailers gets the product easily, whereas 18% of them feels

that they do not get the product offer and rest of the 9% retailers feels that they

do not get this product at all. Thus it can be said that, distribution system of

Bisleri is good and should try to maintain this pattern in order to compete with

Kinley and Aquafina which have strong distribution network due to their soft

drink link.

36

However, in the case of Aquafina 65% of retailers gets the product regularly,

18%f get the product on an irregular basis whereas rest of the 15% retailer do,

not get the product at all, therefore Aquafina should use its full distribution

network of Pepsi in order to capture large chunk of market size.

In the case of Kinley 60% retailers get the product easily whereas 15% of the

retailers get this mineral water on an irregular basis and rest of the 25%

retailers do not get the product at all.

In the case of Hello 65% retailers get the product easily whereas 20% of the

retailers get this mineral water on an irregular basis and rest of the 15%

retailers do not get the product at all.

Therefore Coca-Cola should do something with its distribution network in order

to capture more market share as it does not need to create it separate

distribution network for mineral water, this is because they have already strong

presence in the market due to its soft drink link. Thus it can pose major threat to

Bisleri in a long run, if its potential is used at full capacity.

Bisleri’s has strong presence in the market as it can be seen from the table that

70% of retailers gets the product easily. 20% retailers gets the mineral water on

an irregular basis, where as rest of the 10% retailers feels that they do not get

the product at all.

Other mineral water accounts 60% in case of easy availability, 20% feels that

they do not get the mineral water in a regular basis and rest of the 20% retailers

feels that they do not get the product all.

37

8. Analysis regarding the sale of Bisleri and other mineral water

prior to the launch of Kinely and Aquafina

The total number of outlet covered for this purpose is 100; and coverage sale of

mineral water from a single outlet is approximately 15 cases of 1 lit. each. Prior to the

launch of Aquafina and Kinley, the market size of each of the mineral water is as

follows :

Bisleri 8/15 53%

Bailey’s 3/15 20%

Others 4/15 27%

Piechart showing market share of Bisleri, Hello, Bailey’s and prior to

the launch of Aquafina and Kinley

If we compare this data from the analysis of third question data, then we will find that

sale of Bisleri has gone down by 8-10% after the launch of Aquafina and Kinley

Thus we say that new entrants like Aquafina and Kinley which has very strong

brand name attached to its tag ad with strong distribution network and

aggressive promotional strategy can push away Bisleri ad may pose threat to it

by capturing larger chunk of market size.

38

9. Analysis regarding the forecast of demand in the near future

The analysis regarding the forecast of demand of particular brand is derived out by

taking an average of 100 retailers ranking. The percentage of demand for the

particular brand of mineral water in the near future are as follows:

Bisleri 3/5 60%

Aquafina 4/5 80%

Kinley 4.5/5 90%

Bailey’s 2.5/5 50%

Hello 2.5/5 50%

Others 2/5 40%

Pie chart showing % of demand for the particular brand of mineral water in the

near future

The demand for the Bisleri mineral water will be little higher than the medium i.e. it

will have approx. 60% of the demand, where as Aquafina demand will be high

suggesting that its demand will go up to 80%, Kinley is predicted to be higher in

demand due to its pricing, quality and brand image, the average of 100 retailers feels

that, it will have 4.5 (on a scale of 5,) demand i.e. its demand will be approx. 90% in

the near future. Bailey's demand will be some where around 50% as its average is

coming out to be approx. 2.5 on a scale of 5, whereas other mineral water demand is

predicted only 40%.

39

10. Analysis of the particular brand that retailers are satisfied with regard to the

following parameters

Margins

Satisfied Not satisfied

Bisleri 37% 63%

Aquafina 73% 27%

Kinley 78% 22%

Bailey's 80% 20%

Hello 67% 33%

Others 80% 20%

Margin is key factor due to which the retailers keep the product their product is being

able to push away to further to the final consumer.

The survey conducted among 100 retailers convey that only 37% of the retailers

are satisfied with the margin of Bisleri mineral water as they feel that the margin

provided by them is minimum as compared to other mineral water. They only get a

margin of Rs. 1 in a 1 lit. of bottle, whereas in other mineral water they get the

margin of Rs. 1.50 to Rs 2. 0.

They enjoy keeping local brand as they get maximum margin on them. in the

case of Aquafina they get a margin of Rs. 1.50 and Rs. 2 in the case of Kinley and

Bailey's. Therefore rest of 63% retailers are not satisfied in this particular point.

40

Aquafina

In the case of Aquafina, 73% of the retailers feels that margin that they are getting is

good enough and rest of the 27% retailers are not satisfied with the margin.

Kinley

In the case of Kinley, 78% of the retailers are satisfied with the margin level whereas

22% retailers are not happy about the margin level.

Bailey's

Bailey's stands parallel with Bisleri with a 80% of satisfaction level from the retailers

and rest of the 20% retailers, does not feel good about margin level.

This is again on positive point for Bailey's to compete in the market and increase its

market size.

Hello

In the case of Hello, 67% of the retailers feels that margin that they are getting is good

enough and rest of the 33% retailers are not satisfied with the margin.

Others

Other mineral water like Hello, Yes, Ganga, gives good margin to the retailers and

therefore 80% of retailers enjoy its margin level where 20% are still not happy about

it.

41

Graph showing % satisfaction level in terms of margin

Satisfied Not satisfied

Bisleri 37% 63%

Aquafina 73% 27%

Kinley 78% 22%

Bailey's 80% 20%

Hello 60% 40%

Others 80% 20%

Satisfaction level of the retailers with regard to stock pressure

Out of 100 retailers surveyed almost cent percent retailers are satisfied with

stock pressure of the various brand. Therefore this is not a major issue that has to

be dealt with great concern. Instead the all of this brand should force the retails to

keep to thrive product in order to increase their sale level.

42

Satisfaction level of the retailers with regard to replacement policy

The satisfaction level regarding the replacement policy is cent percent among the

major competitors i.e. Bisleri, Aquafina, Kinley, Hello and Bailey's. where as

30% of the retailers are satisfied with the replacement policy of other mineral

water (Ganga, Glacier Yes, etc.) and rest of 70% has not shown their consent

regard the replacement policy.

Thus his parameter too, does not need to be taken care off by the major competitor

and should carry on like this in order to meet the challenges in the near future.

Satisfaction level of the retailers with regard to the quality of the product

Bisleri 65%

Aquafina 95%

Kinley 80%

Bailey's 60%

Hello 70%

Others 40%

Pie-chart showing satisfaction level among the retailers regarding

quality of the product from the various players

43

After calculating % of retailers satisfied with the quality of mineral water, it was

found out that the Aquafina is leading ahead with its competitors, as 95% of retailers

feels that quality of this particular brand is much better than the other mineral water,

followed by Kinley, where 80% retailers are satisfied by its quality then the Hello

70%, followed by Bisleri 65%, Bailey's 60% and other mineral water 40%.

This shows that the quality of new entrants like Aquafina and Kinley is much better;

thus it can give tough competition to the retailers in the particular parameter.

Therefore Bisleri and Bailey's should do something in terms of its quality in

order to maintain its existing market share.

44

Analysis of satisfaction level among the retailers with regard to brand name

Bisleri 70%

Aquafina 95%

Kinley 90%

Bailey's 30%

Hello 60%

Others 13%

Out of 100 retailers covered all over Sitapur, it was found out that, Bisleri has got

strong brand image in terms of mineral water. Infact mineral water has become

generic with a brand name of Bisleri. 70% of the retailers are satisfied with the

brand image of Bisleri whereas 30% are not.

In the case of Aquafina 95% of the retailers are satisfied with the brand image of

Aquafina, which is considered to be very good and thus it can give major threat

to other mineral water by aggressive promotional strategy. With this type of brand

image it can capture larger chunk of market size from the pie.

45

Kinely too enjoy strong brand image as 90% retailers feels that being on

Coca-Cola product, the brand value is more and therefore they find it easy to sell this

particular product.

Bailey's brand name infront of competitors like Aquafina, Kinely and Bisleri is

not that much; therefore only 30% of the retailers are satisfied with its brand

name.

Hello brand name infront of competitors like Aquafina, Kinely and Bisleri is not

that much; therefore only 60% of the retailers are satisfied with its brand name.

Other mineral water like, Glacier, Yes, Ganga etc. does not have strong

brand image. It can be seen from the table that only 13% of the retailers are

satisfied with its brand image rest of them does not.

Therefore it can be concluded by saying that brand image of Aquafina, Hello,

Kinley and Bisleri is very high and if properly milked can lead to increase in the

market share.

46

Analysis regarding the price of mineral water among the retailers

High Reasonable

Bisleri 10% 90%

Aquafina 70% 30%

Kinley 5% 95%

Bailey's 20% 80%

Hello 15% 85%

Others 10% 90%

47

From the data it’s very clear that the price of Bisleri mineral water is reasonable. As it

can be seen that almost 90% retailers feels the price of Bisleri mineral water is

reasonable whereas 10% feels price to be high, therefore Bisleri should stick with the

same pricing policy and try to expand its market size.

Aquafina price was felt high by the retailers as 70% fo the retailers say that

750 ml of water costs Rs. 10 which is comparatively higher than the other

mineral water, therefore it caters to different sector and as a result its sales is not able

to increase inspite of the fact that it has best quality and to support this they are very

aggressive in advertising, therefore if they look on the parameter and try to do

something, then definitely they will have an edge over their competitors.

Kinley 1 lit. bottle cost Rs.10 and 500 ml bottle is costing Rs.4 which the

retailers feels that its price is reasonable by showing their consent. Almost 95%

retailers feels that the price is reasonable and rest of 5% still consider its price as

high.

However it can be interpreted out from this that if they follow this strategy of price

then large market size as they have strong brand image of Coca-Cola attached

with these tag, which will help them to capture larger market share.

Bailey's pricing is considered to be reasonable as 80% of the retailers rated in

this column to support these point, whereas rest of the 20% does not feel so.

Hello pricing is considered to be reasonable as 85% of the retailers rated in

this column to support these point, whereas rest of the 15% does not feel so.

Other mineral water like Ganga, Yes, etc. has been rated as reasonable on its

pricing policy.

48

12. Analysis regarding role of advertisement in increasing market share of following

mineral water

Yes No

Bisleri 60% 40%

Aquafina 92% 8%

Kinley 72% 28%

Bailey's 30% 70%

Hello 46% 54%

Others 10% 90%

Advertisement in today's competing environment plays an important role in

increasing market size of any particular product.

It can be interpreted from the given table that advertisement has played a major role in

the case of Bisleri to maintain the current market size and compete in this competitive

environment. 60% of the retailers feels that advertisement of Bisleri has played major

role in maintaining its current market size whereas 40% does not think so.

49

In the case of Aquafina, retailers feel that advertisement for this particular

product has helped it to grow and capture the market size and with this

aggressive advertisement strategy, it is expected that in market share will

increase in near future. 92% of the retailers feels that due to its advertisement,

this particular product is being accepted in the market, whereas rest of the 8%

have varying reasons.

30% retailers feels that Bailey's sale is due to the advertisement whereas 70% of

the retailers does not feel so. therefore if Bailey's want to increase its market

share then it should do something in this field also.

46% retailers feels that Hello sale is due to the advertisement whereas 54% of

the retailers does not feel so. therefore if Bailey's want to increase its market

share then it should do something in this field also

Other mineral water like Kinley too is banging on its add ad promotional strategy to

capture larger chunk of market size. Its very clear from the data that approx.

70% retailers feels that sale of Kinley is due to its aggressive advertisement,

whereas rest of them does not feel so (Ganga, Yes, Glacier, etc) does not follow

aggressive advertisement, 10% of the retailers say that advertisement has played

a role in increasing the market share whereas 90% does not feel so. Therefore to

conclude, it can be said that advertisement has major role to play in the near

future when the mineral water war has begun from the major giant players like

Pepsi, Coke and Bisleri.

50

FINDINGS

Out of 100 retailers, everyone stored mineral water and basically

these shops were centrally located to the market and were basically general

store, confectionery shop and small kirana shop.

The survey revealed that almost every shop stored mineral water,

therefore it can be interpreted that mineral water in current market

scenario is on general demand and retailer enjoy selling it, as the get good

margin out of it.

Brand of mineral water kept by the retailers

The survey revealed that out of 100 retailers surveyed, all over Sitapur,

70% of the retailers kept Bailey's mineral water, 25% Kinley, 30%

Aquafina, 40% Yes and 50% the retailer kept Hello mineral water.

However it can be noted that retailers prefer Bisleri mineral water which has

got a share of 70% this is so because people or customer recalls mineral water

with the brand name of Bisleri. The new entrants basically Aquafna and

Kinley is been kept by 30% and 26% of the retailers and they consider

that this product will soon capture market share as the brand name will

speak its quality.

Out of 100 shopkeepers surveyed all over Sitapur, the weekly sales of the

mineral water averaged approx 225 bottles of 1 lit. each which means that

a total number of bottles case or cases sold from the single outlet averaged

around 15 cases. Out of this Bisleri mineral water is sold most i .e. approx .

45% of the cases sold from the single outlet belongs to Bisleri mineral

water, whereas Kinley acquired average of 7-8% of the total sale.

Aquafina sale constitute of 10%, Bailey's sale on an average constitute of

20% of the total sale. However other mineral water sales comprised of

18% of the total sale.

Thus from the above analysis it is very clear that Bisleri still holds on

dominant position in the mineral water market, but at the same time new

51

entrants like Aquafina and Kinley with market share of 10% and 8%

respectively may pose threat to Bisleri in the long run.

Distribution is an important parameters which holds on key position for any

fast-moving consumer goods as the sale of this particular type of product

highly depend on distribution network and its availability, also frequency of

distribution is taken into consideration for the sale of this kind of product.

Therefore it can be interpreted that sale of any product depend on its

distribution and thus we can say that distribution and sales are

interrelated.

The total number of retailers covered for the purpose of my analysis is

100, and out of this almost every shop considered gets the mineral water

of each brand on a regular basis i.e. on a daily basis, therefore linkage is

always there with the company regarding the demand for mineral water.

This is good sign for an almost all the company as they are in regular

touch with the retailers.

It was found out that no company gives the mineral water to the retailers

on the credit basis that is basically they like to sell there products on a

cash. However, this can one of the area where one can come and find a way to

capture longer chunk of market share by offering credit to the small

retailers who doesn't have sufficient liquid to invest in items like this,

there if credit policy is being offered by any one of this companies for small

period of time, say for a day or two, then this small retailers combined

together may able to push the product in the market in a successful manner.

Retailers are very sensitive regarding the schemes. They prefer those

product which gives them more margin and for this they depend mainly

on schemes provide by the company. However, from the analysis it was

found out that retailers prior information regarding the schemes is

maximum in case of Kinley that is 63% of retailer gave consent

regarding the prior information on of the scheme in the case of Kinley

where as rest of the 37% are not informed about the scheme. Followed by

Aquafina, 60%, Yes ad 40% No, then Bailey’s 57% yes and 43% NO, and

Information regarding Bisleri scheme is 56% Yes and 44% No.

52

CONCLUSION

The players who will endure will be those who have a strong regional presence. Take

the case of Team, which enjoys immense popularity in TamilNadu. Similar

brands with a regional presence are Siruvani, and Koday. Thus, new players will

be looking for a distinct positioning. One such brand is Pepsi’s Aquafina, the

largest selling bottled water brand in the US. After its successful test launch in

Mumbai and Bangalore, Aquafina was released in Chennai, Ahmedabad,

Vadodara, and Pune. Pepsi has invested over Rs.5 crore in the new Aquafina

water project in Maharashtra, which is the only Aquafina plant outside the US.

According to the executive vice president, corporate communications, Pepsi Foods

Ltd. “Aquafina will be helped by Pepsi’s network. Moreover, Aquafina will be

served absolutely chilled.” That makes sense too, since surveys have indicated that

an overwhelming majority of the bottled water that is consumed in India is by people

who are travelling.

With the big players, who have the support of the financial muscle and a large

consumer base in other categories with them, like Pepsi, Britannia, Nestle and

Coke — the battle is the tougher arena of brand building. All the multinationals

are looking at high-octane advertising targeting specific consumer segments. Sensing

troubled waters ahead,

53

LIMITATIONS

The project has many limitations as it is confined to Sitapur city only.

The duration of the project was very limited

The view of a person cannot be implemented on whole population so the

answers given by respondents may vary

54

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Advertisement to build the brand image that will provide the required ground to

establish the authenticity to the product.

2. Flavoured water without sugar and artificial ingredients could be introduced

so that the consumers also has a healthy substitute to the softdrinks.

3. Bulk water delivery to home at no additional cost.

4. Company like Acquafina & Kinley should come up with other big bottles

variant.

5. POP (Point of Purchase) displaying the cost of water at Rs. 2 per mlt as the

perception of the people is that mineral water cost Rs. 10 per Lt.

6. Awareness programs at health club , schools & Nursing homes.

7. To win over the consumer belief and faith over the genuity of the product.

8. Display of hot and cold dispensers and bottles at places like hotels, clubs and

airports where upper class group visits as they are the potential customers.

Place like departmental stores, petrol pumps and super bazaars can also be

considered.

9. Mineral water in polybags like milk be more convenient to the consumers.

10. The company should organise camps at various part of the city also road show to

bring about the difference between mineral water and filter/purified water

and to tell the people how mineral water is more hygienic than filtered

water/purified water.

11. To aware people the cost benefit analysis to the customer of how the mineral

water would cost less and benefit more, because people using purifier system

cost too much.

12. From the study it has been found that majority of the people does not have any

brand preference. The company should establish brand image in mineral

water with the help of advertisement & better service to the customers.

13. To win over the consumer faith over the genuinety of the product the company

should have redressal forums where people can convey their grievance.

55

14. Water storing fridges should be provided to retailers by big brands.

15. 'Buy two bottles get one' like offers can also be introduced by big brands.

16. Pirated or copied variants of branded water to be stopped.

17. Plastic quality of bottle can be improved as specially middle class segment

don't want to throw plastic bottles after water consumption and like the same

bottle to be used in future or domestic purposes.

The redressal forum should be located zone wise and the company should see the

zonal head reports every day regarding the grievances of the customers. The

company should make proper arrangements to get away with the grievances of

the consumers as soon as possible.

56

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS & JOURNALS

MARKETING MANAGEMENT BY PHILIP KOTLER.

"THE EFFECTIVE USE OF MARKET RESEARCH" BY ROBIN BIM.

BUISNESS WORLD, BUISNESS TODAY.

MARKET RESEARCH BY KOTHARI

WWW.BISLERI.COM

VARIOUS ISSUES BUSINESS WORLD, BUSINESS TODAY

A&M, BRAND EQUITY

WEBSITES

WWW.BISLERI.COM

WWW.COKE.COM

WWW.PEPSI.COM

WWW.PARLE.COM

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

WWW.INDIAINFOLINE.COM

WWW.REDIFF.COM

WWW.HELLOMINERALSWATER.COM

57

ANNEXURE

CUSTOMER QUESTIONNAIRE

Name :

Address:

Contact No:

1. Do you use mineral water

Yes

No

2. If no then why not

Price is the concern

Carry home water

Health is not an issue

3. If yes then why mineral water

Health conscious

Convenience is the key

Others

4. On what occasions do you usually use mineral water

When travelling

In college

To the office

At home

Hotel

others

5.Do you think of a specific brand when you think mineral water

Aquafina

Kinley

Yes

Bailey

Bisleri

Hello

Evian

Others

None

58

6. If any specific brand then the reason

Price

Purity of water

Trust in the brand

Availability

Others

7. Do you have aqua guard, zero B, etc., at home

Yes

No

8. If the price of another brand of mineral water is reduced would you

shift your brand?

Yes

No

THANK YOU

59

RETAILER QUESTIONNAIRE

Name of Retailers: ...................................................

Name of Shop/distributor/stockist: ...................................................

Location: ...................................................

1. Are you aware of the fact that there are 186 brands in today's mineral water

industry?

Yes

No

2. Which is the brand you stock more?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

3. Which brand offer best retailer margin?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

4. Which brand offer best credit scheme for retailers?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

5. Which brand offer maximum variants of plastic bottles?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

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6. Which brand spends more on advertising?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

7. Have ever receive complaints regarding any existing brand? If Yes which brand?

(a) Bisleri (b) Acquafina (c) Kinley

(d) Yes (e) Hello (f) Kingfisher

(g) Evian (h) Bailey (g) Any other (Pl. Specify?__)

8. What is the weekly sale of your famous brand?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. How often do you promote local brands and why?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

10. Do you feel any major differences between branded and unbranded mineral

water?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. How often do your customers asked for Bisleri, Kinley & Acquafina?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. What advantages do you get by stocking Bisleri, Kinley & Acquafina?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

13. How frequently you receive Bisleri, Kinley & Acquafina from their respective

distributors?

(a) Monthly (b) Weekly (c) Twice a week (d) daily

THANK YOU

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