Description
Four years ago, Pidilite Industries,
the largest adhesive manufacturer
in India, celeberated 50
years of enduring success of its
Fevicol brand. These past five decades
have been a magical journey for the
brand, which is the largest selling adhesive
in
Asia
with
a
presence
in
over
50
countries.
Not
only
has
Fevicol
become
synonymous
with
glue
in
India,
its
extensions
such
as
Feviquik,
Fevistick,
Fevitite
are
being
used
in
schools,
offices,
households
and
do-it-yourself
segments,
making
the
brand
a
part
of
every
Indian’s
vocabulary.
From
the
school-going
kid
who
uses
the
Fevicol
adhesive
for
his
arts
and
crafts
lessons
to
the
neighbourhood
carpenter
who
considers
Fevicol
his
best
friend,
the
brand
has
come
to
forge
an
inseparable
bond
with
people
who
influence
the
product
–
consultants,
builders,
architects
and
carpenters.
So it’s not
surprising that even the latest Bollywood
blockbuster Dabaang 2 has an item
song, whose lyrics “Chipka Le Saiyan
Fevicol Se” seems like a paean to the
bonding strngth of Fevicol.
30 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 31
F
our years ago, Pidilite Industries,
the largest adhesive manufac-
turer in India, celeberated 50
years of enduring success of its
Fevicol brand. These past ?ve decades
have been a magical journey for the
brand, which is the largest selling adhe-
sive in Asia with a presence in over 50
countries. Not only has Fevicol become
synonymous with glue in India, its exten-
sions such as Feviquik, Fevistick, Fevitite
are being used in schools, of?ces, house-
holds and do-it-yourself segments, mak-
ing the brand a part of every Indian’s
vocabulary. From the school-going kid
who uses the Fevicol adhesive for his arts
and crafts lessons to the neighbourhood
carpenter who considers Fevicol his best
friend, the brand has come to forge an
inseparable bond with people who in?u-
ence the product – consultants, builders,
architects and carpenters. So it’s not
surprising that even the latest Bollywood
blockbuster Dabaang 2 has an item
song, whose lyrics “Chipka Le Saiyan
Fevicol Se” seems like a paean to the
bonding strngth of Fevicol.
But the manner in which a utilitarian
product transformed itself into becoming
one of India’s top brands is a fascinating
saga of brand journey, which Fevicol has
traversed over the last ?ve decades. The
?rst stretch of this journey began in 1954
when Pidilite founder Balvant Parekh
started out as a small trader. He and
brother Sushil, who is Pidilite’s Vice
Chairman, took to manufacturing pig-
ment emulsions that were used for textile
printing. At that time these had to be
imported and cost much time, money
and effort. In 1959 the brothers spotted
an opportunity to make synthetic glue to
replace the natural glue that carpenters
were using at the time. The Parekh
brothers ?gured they would have a ready
market if they could make a cheaper
product locally. Thus was born Fevicol.
For the ?rst 5-7 years the challenge
before Pidilite was to make Fevicol the
most preferred glue for making furni-
ture. As the trade was used to glues
based on natural products, selling a syn-
thetic glue was a dif?cult proposition,
which required patient working with the
end users. Fevicol also had to contend
with some other small-scale local man-
ufacturers of white glue and multina-
tional brands like Movicol (currently
product line extension, followed by nu-
merous user-friendly packings that
have kept the process of reinvention on.
This was again a smart strategy in view
of the fact that the cost of adhesive
comprises only 1%-2% of the entire
furniture’s cost, and so the major chal-
lenge before the brand was to make
carpenters understand the need for us-
ing a quality product.
This process of engagement with
end-users, which Fevicol has achieved
over the years by introducing a series
of programs for carpenters, has helped
it build a strong relationship with them.
The company introduced Fevicol Fur-
niture Books which showcased furni-
ture designs with illustrations and
measurements. These books helped
enlighten carpenters on new styles and
trends in the furniture market, apart
from building awareness for the brand.
The Fevicol Champion’s Club (FCC)
was another initiative introduced by the
company. It served as a platform for
carpenters to increase their social con-
tacts and be part of a social network.
These initiatives in turn have ad-
NOT ALL PRODUCTS BECOME GENERIC TO THE PRODUCT CATEGORY.
FEVICOL’S 50-PLUS YEARS OF SINGLE-HANDED DOMINANCE OF THE
WHITE GLUE MARKET IN INDIA IS A TESTIMONY NOT ONLY TO THE
BRAND’S INHERENT STRENGTH AND QUALITY BUT IS ALSO ABOUT THE
INGENUITY OF ITS ADVERTISING AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, WHICH
HAVE HELPED IT OWN THE TERRITORY OF BONDING SEAMLESSLY
OVER 50
YEARS OF
STICKY
SUCCESS
discontinued). These products were
marketed through hardware stores and
timber marts. In order to wean away
end-users from natural glues and oth-
er synthetic adhesives available at the
time, Fevicol embarked on a bold mar-
keting game plan. Instead of selling
through stores, Fevicol approached car-
penters directly. This direct marketing
initiative was one of the most success-
ful strategies employed by the company
and helped the brand gain a strong
foothold in the white glue market.
With its signature white and blue
packing, Fevicol was marketed directly
to consumers (majorly carpenters)
against competitors like Movicol, which
were only available at hardware stores.
And it has been a continuous evolution
of retail strategies with product line
extensions and packaging transition
that have scripted the success story for
Fevicol and helped it become a generic
household name in the white glue cat-
egory. One of the USPs of the brand
has been its ease of application. Back
in 1970, a 30-gram collapsible tube was
launched as a part of Fevicol’s ?rst
From a utilitarian product Fevicol
transformed itself into becoming
one of India’s top brands
Anirudh Raheja
32 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 33
managed to reach out to every Indian
thanks to the brilliance and humour of
the campaigns,” says Abhijit Avasthi,
National Creative Director, O&M.
Thanks to Fevicol’s continuously in-
novative approach to own ‘bonding’
through a mix of communication strat-
egies that are imbued with a touch of
humour and come peppered with typi-
cal Indian ?avour in catch phrases like
“Dum laga kar haisa, zor laga kar hai-
sya” and “Pakade rehna, chhodana
nahi”, Fevicol today owns the territory
of bonding seamlessly. Today everyone
asks for ‘Fevicol’ and not adhesive.
“Picking out simple events of life, mar-
rying these with the brand’s message
and picturizing it in such a manner that
the audience can ?nd a connect with
the brand has been the philosophy of
all the campaigns that we have done for
Fevicol,” says Avasthi.
Thanks to its consistent quality, ef?-
cient distribution network and com-
mendable CRM practices, Fevicol has
been able to establish itself deep into
the minds of consumers. It did not have
much competition to start with and half
a decade later it ?nds itself on an even
stronger perch with a little help from its
smarketing campaigns, which will likely
keep it in the numero uno spot for many
more years to come. Just like one of its
TV ads with the tag line ‘Yeh Fevicol ka
mazboot jod hai, tootega nahi’, which
has been playing on the television for
over two decades now, Fevicol’s overrid-
ing dominance in the glue market looks
unshakable and unwavering. 4Ps
and white tub of Fevicol has witnessed
the introduction of new variants at regu-
lar intervals. Through repackaging, the
brand became available in tubes, then
glue-sticks (Fevistick), Fevicol Glue
Drop and other usage-friendly versions.
The brand has also spawned off sub-
brands comprising other products such
as Fevicryl (arts and crafts products) and
Fevikwik (instant glue). In the indus-
trial space, Fevicol’s latest variants in-
clude Marine Fevicol (launched in 2010)
and Fevicol SpeedX (2012). “Fevicol Ma-
rine provides very strong and durable
bond even when exposed to water while
SpeedX is a quick drying adhesive that
saves time and enhances productivity,”
says Malhan.
While these variants have helped to
successfully create niche adhesive cat-
egories besides strengthening the over-
all brand equity of the mother brand,
Fevicol’s creatives and TV campaigns,
handled by advertising house Ogilvy &
Mather, have further helped to rein-
force the big idea about Fevicol’s bond-
ing strength. For instance, the TV
campaign for Fevicol Marine reiterates
its strong bond in water with the tagline
‘Wahi mazboot jod, paani mein bhi’. In
fact the creative strategy that O&M has
employed for Fevicol is “to make bond-
ing a Fevicol attribute,” and its adver-
tising has used intelligent humour to
convey this meaning. “Although Fevicol
is not a consumer product, but it has
dressed a dual purpose for the company
– it has kept updated the TG’s knowl-
edge and helped refresh their awareness
about the brand itself. In order to maxi-
mize the brand’s recall factor, Fevicol has
lots of interesting tie-ups with the indus-
try by way of sponsorships, training pro-
grammes, product demonstrations, etc.
Says Vishal Malhan, Chief of Marketing,
Fevicol, “In the 53 years of Fevicol’s jour-
ney in India, the ?rst 30 years were all
spent on winning the trust of applicators
and consumers. This phase continued
from 1959 to the mid 1980s, or till the
late ’80s. Then the next 20 years were all
about building the proposition and own-
ing the proposition of bonding – from
the 1990s to 2010. Around this time, we
also started offering more specialized
variants to the consumers, and the cur-
rent phase is about developing new and
innovative variants.”
As a ?agship product of the Rs.137.72
billion Pidilite Industries, Fevicol com-
mands a 70% market share in in the
white glue segment. Today over 40% of
Pidilite’s turnover comes from Fevicol
while the rest comes from its other
brands such as Ranipal, M-Seal and oth-
ers. Such a formidable grip on market
share would make any brand preen with
pride and act smug. Not Fevicol. The
brand has never lost sight of the fact that
it must stay relevant through constant
repackaging and introduction of new
variants. As such the ever-familiar blue
A print ad shows how eggs joined by Fevicol are unbreakable. All Fevicol ads have a tinge
of humour to them, which helps them break out of the clutter and entertain viewers
Source: Company reports
Pidilite’s sales break-up (FY12)
Adhesives lead by a big margin
AD
Adhesives & Sealants Constructions & Paints Art materials
and others Industrail resins Industrial adhesives Organic
pigments and preparations
51%
20%
7%
8%
8%
6%
34 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 35
VISHAL MALHAN
CHIEF OF MARKETING,
FEVICOL
How has Brand Fevicol evolved over the
years has this evolution strengthened
the brand’s key attributes?
We have always found innovative ways to tell
people that Fevicol is the ultimate adhesive.
In fact, since the time we started investing
on brand building, Fevicol has made initia-
tives, which have appealed to everyone and
has helped us in owning this proposition of
bonding. Starting with Fevicol Marine in
2010, we had come out with the campaign
showcasing the bonding strength of Fevicol
even when furniture is exposed to water.
Three years down the line the sales of Fevi-
col Marine has shot up by nine times. Sim-
ilarly, learning from the experience of Fevi-
col Marine, Fevicol SpeedX was introduced
in 2012, which gives you the same bonding
strength of Fevicol but at a much faster
speed. In the last one year the business for
Fevicol SpeedX has grown three times in
less than a year of its launch.
The specialised offerings seem have
worked well for the mother brand. Are
you also thinking of leveraging the
Fevicol brand for launching more new
extensions?
I agree that specialised offerings have
worked well for us. Obviously the associa-
tion with Fevicol makes our work much
easier in extending the portfolio as the
brand symbolises trust and quality. So, that
is something we would not like to change
even when we are diversifying into offering
new solutions. But as far as adhesives are
concerned, we would like to continue the
strategy of offering superior and specialised
variants under the Fevicol name.
So what are your plans for taking the
brand into the future?
Fevicol is now a 53-year-old brand. The
?rst 30 years, in fact, was all about winning
the trust of consumers. Thanks to the
quality of the product, Fevicol has success-
fully established itself as the ?rst choice in
the adhesive market. This phase, of build-
ing trust, continued from 1959 to the mid
1980s, or till the late ’80s. The next 20
years were all about building the brand
proposition, which lasted from the 1990s
to 2009/2010. That describes the journey
Fevicol had for ?rst 30 years and for the
next 20. Thereafter, we have adopted the
approach of strengthening the brand and
at the same time offering more specialised
variants to consumers. But the mother
brand remains most critical to our busi-
ness and you will get to see a lot of initia-
tives and a lot of creative work happening
on the mother brand in the days ahead.
Your reach is pan-India now – you are
present in rural India, you are selling in
tier 2 & 3 cities. So what are your plans
now in terms of distribution logistics?
We are present in more than 60,000 outlets
across the country. But the next challenge
is how to reach beyond tier 2 & 3 markets.
We have formed a separate team, which is
helping us now to reach to markets which
have a population size of less than 10,000.
And we have also formed a separate verti-
cal, which connects all the markets with a
population of less than 10,000. In this man-
ner we have been able to cover more than
5,000 such markets apart from the main-
line cities.
What’s the difference in your market-
ing mix now as compared to the 1950s
or the ’60s?
Fevicol today has become part of our pop-
ular culture so it is not only about advertis-
ing. We are now very conscious of the role
played by social media and that is some-
thing which is now part of our media mix
going forward. The next challenge is going
to be how effectively we make use of it to
reach out to people, whom we may have
have missed out on so far. 4Ps
“As far as
adhesives
are con-
cerned, we
would like
to continue
the strategy
of offering
superior and
specialised
variants un-
der the Fevi-
col name”
FEVICOL IS NOW PART OF THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS BUT IS NOT SITTING ON ITS LAURELS.
THE BRAND IS READY FOR THE FUTURE AND WILL LAUNCH MORE NICHE PRODUCTS.
“WE WILL OFFER MORE
SPECIALISED FEVICOL VARIANTS”
AD
Ashish Kumar
36 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
ABHIJIT AVASTHI
NATIONAL CREATIVE
DIRECTOR – O&M
Please tell us about your agency’s as-
sociation with brand Fevicol and how
fruitful has been this relationship?
We have been associated with Brand Fevicol
for the last 35-40 years and it has been a
fantastic experience working for the brand
all these years. Our creatives and campaigns
for Fevicol have brought a lot of fame and
acclaim for Ogilvy & Mather. The cam-
paigns have also done extremely well for
building Brand Fevicol over the years. Al-
though Fevicol is not a consumer product,
but it has managed to reach out to every
Indian, thanks to the brilliance and humour
behind the campaigns.
Fevicol has managed to ensure a high
recall value for the brand even in to-
day’s highly competitive environment
and in spite of belonging to a largely
B2B product category. How do you ex-
plain its success?
There are multiple reasons for the success
of Brand Fevicol. First of all, you need to
applaud the courage shown by the client.
They have always encouraged us to do stuff,
which was out-of-the box. Be it the televi-
sion ads, radio voice-overs or billboards, the
same brief has been followed. This is why
we have managed to surprise as well as
charm the audience every time we come out
with a new campaign.
Many campaigns and ads take the path
of controversy when they are released
in order to grab eyeballs. On the other
hand, Fevicol has always used humour
to reach out to the audience. What is
your take on this?
These are some very subjective areas. Some
people thrive on controversy and some oth-
ers don’t. Ogilvy as well as Fevicol believe in
keeping people laughing. We believe that
this way consumers remember the brand
better. The ads are not just humorous but
they also have an accompanying sensibility
that help to better appreciate and under-
stand the message. But a viewer has to make
the ?nal interpretation on his own. Picking
out simple events of life, marrying these
with the brand’s message and picturizing it
in such a manner that the audience can ?nd
a connect with the brand’s message has
been the philosophy of all the campaigns
that we have done for Fevicol.
Can you share some of the more memo-
rable anecdotes and incidents that you
came across during this long lasting re-
lationship with the brand?
There are many incidents to share. But the
most amazing thing about Fevicol is that eve-
rybody in the country has a fair idea of Fevi-
col’s TVCs. Wherever I go, when people get
to know that I work for TVCs of Fevicol and
they always come up with their own sugges-
tions. For instance it happened when we were
returning from Jaisalmer after shooting for
Fevicol’s bus ad. The security in-charge at
the airport discovered my pro?le and he said
that he has an idea for the Fevicol ad. These
are some moments which make you realize
the value of your work. Similarly, we receive
a lot of mails every day, offering suggestions
on these TVCs.
What have been the challenges in work-
ing with such a brand?
Of course, there are challenges. To be able
to make people laugh and surprise them year
after year is not easy. With every passing cam-
paign, this becomes tougher.
With the evolution of things like social
media and other tools of communica-
tion, have you made any changes in the
way these campaigns are designed?
We believe that the most important part of
any campaign is the idea behind it. The idea
gets adapted according to the medium. The
fundamental approach does not change with
the medium.
4Ps
“The ads
are not just
humorous
but they also
have an ac-
companying
sensibility
that help to
better appre-
ciate and un-
derstand the
message”
COMING UP WITH INNOVATIVE AND HUMOROUS AD CAMPAIGNS YEAR AFTER YEAR IS
NOT AN EASY JOB. BUT OGILVY & MATHER HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT FOR FEVICOL
“HUMOUR IN THE MESSAGE HELPS
CONSUMERS CONNECT TO FEVICOL”
Ashish Kumar
doc_399574129.pdf
Four years ago, Pidilite Industries,
the largest adhesive manufacturer
in India, celeberated 50
years of enduring success of its
Fevicol brand. These past five decades
have been a magical journey for the
brand, which is the largest selling adhesive
in
Asia
with
a
presence
in
over
50
countries.
Not
only
has
Fevicol
become
synonymous
with
glue
in
India,
its
extensions
such
as
Feviquik,
Fevistick,
Fevitite
are
being
used
in
schools,
offices,
households
and
do-it-yourself
segments,
making
the
brand
a
part
of
every
Indian’s
vocabulary.
From
the
school-going
kid
who
uses
the
Fevicol
adhesive
for
his
arts
and
crafts
lessons
to
the
neighbourhood
carpenter
who
considers
Fevicol
his
best
friend,
the
brand
has
come
to
forge
an
inseparable
bond
with
people
who
influence
the
product
–
consultants,
builders,
architects
and
carpenters.
So it’s not
surprising that even the latest Bollywood
blockbuster Dabaang 2 has an item
song, whose lyrics “Chipka Le Saiyan
Fevicol Se” seems like a paean to the
bonding strngth of Fevicol.
30 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 31
F
our years ago, Pidilite Industries,
the largest adhesive manufac-
turer in India, celeberated 50
years of enduring success of its
Fevicol brand. These past ?ve decades
have been a magical journey for the
brand, which is the largest selling adhe-
sive in Asia with a presence in over 50
countries. Not only has Fevicol become
synonymous with glue in India, its exten-
sions such as Feviquik, Fevistick, Fevitite
are being used in schools, of?ces, house-
holds and do-it-yourself segments, mak-
ing the brand a part of every Indian’s
vocabulary. From the school-going kid
who uses the Fevicol adhesive for his arts
and crafts lessons to the neighbourhood
carpenter who considers Fevicol his best
friend, the brand has come to forge an
inseparable bond with people who in?u-
ence the product – consultants, builders,
architects and carpenters. So it’s not
surprising that even the latest Bollywood
blockbuster Dabaang 2 has an item
song, whose lyrics “Chipka Le Saiyan
Fevicol Se” seems like a paean to the
bonding strngth of Fevicol.
But the manner in which a utilitarian
product transformed itself into becoming
one of India’s top brands is a fascinating
saga of brand journey, which Fevicol has
traversed over the last ?ve decades. The
?rst stretch of this journey began in 1954
when Pidilite founder Balvant Parekh
started out as a small trader. He and
brother Sushil, who is Pidilite’s Vice
Chairman, took to manufacturing pig-
ment emulsions that were used for textile
printing. At that time these had to be
imported and cost much time, money
and effort. In 1959 the brothers spotted
an opportunity to make synthetic glue to
replace the natural glue that carpenters
were using at the time. The Parekh
brothers ?gured they would have a ready
market if they could make a cheaper
product locally. Thus was born Fevicol.
For the ?rst 5-7 years the challenge
before Pidilite was to make Fevicol the
most preferred glue for making furni-
ture. As the trade was used to glues
based on natural products, selling a syn-
thetic glue was a dif?cult proposition,
which required patient working with the
end users. Fevicol also had to contend
with some other small-scale local man-
ufacturers of white glue and multina-
tional brands like Movicol (currently
product line extension, followed by nu-
merous user-friendly packings that
have kept the process of reinvention on.
This was again a smart strategy in view
of the fact that the cost of adhesive
comprises only 1%-2% of the entire
furniture’s cost, and so the major chal-
lenge before the brand was to make
carpenters understand the need for us-
ing a quality product.
This process of engagement with
end-users, which Fevicol has achieved
over the years by introducing a series
of programs for carpenters, has helped
it build a strong relationship with them.
The company introduced Fevicol Fur-
niture Books which showcased furni-
ture designs with illustrations and
measurements. These books helped
enlighten carpenters on new styles and
trends in the furniture market, apart
from building awareness for the brand.
The Fevicol Champion’s Club (FCC)
was another initiative introduced by the
company. It served as a platform for
carpenters to increase their social con-
tacts and be part of a social network.
These initiatives in turn have ad-
NOT ALL PRODUCTS BECOME GENERIC TO THE PRODUCT CATEGORY.
FEVICOL’S 50-PLUS YEARS OF SINGLE-HANDED DOMINANCE OF THE
WHITE GLUE MARKET IN INDIA IS A TESTIMONY NOT ONLY TO THE
BRAND’S INHERENT STRENGTH AND QUALITY BUT IS ALSO ABOUT THE
INGENUITY OF ITS ADVERTISING AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, WHICH
HAVE HELPED IT OWN THE TERRITORY OF BONDING SEAMLESSLY
OVER 50
YEARS OF
STICKY
SUCCESS
discontinued). These products were
marketed through hardware stores and
timber marts. In order to wean away
end-users from natural glues and oth-
er synthetic adhesives available at the
time, Fevicol embarked on a bold mar-
keting game plan. Instead of selling
through stores, Fevicol approached car-
penters directly. This direct marketing
initiative was one of the most success-
ful strategies employed by the company
and helped the brand gain a strong
foothold in the white glue market.
With its signature white and blue
packing, Fevicol was marketed directly
to consumers (majorly carpenters)
against competitors like Movicol, which
were only available at hardware stores.
And it has been a continuous evolution
of retail strategies with product line
extensions and packaging transition
that have scripted the success story for
Fevicol and helped it become a generic
household name in the white glue cat-
egory. One of the USPs of the brand
has been its ease of application. Back
in 1970, a 30-gram collapsible tube was
launched as a part of Fevicol’s ?rst
From a utilitarian product Fevicol
transformed itself into becoming
one of India’s top brands
Anirudh Raheja
32 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 33
managed to reach out to every Indian
thanks to the brilliance and humour of
the campaigns,” says Abhijit Avasthi,
National Creative Director, O&M.
Thanks to Fevicol’s continuously in-
novative approach to own ‘bonding’
through a mix of communication strat-
egies that are imbued with a touch of
humour and come peppered with typi-
cal Indian ?avour in catch phrases like
“Dum laga kar haisa, zor laga kar hai-
sya” and “Pakade rehna, chhodana
nahi”, Fevicol today owns the territory
of bonding seamlessly. Today everyone
asks for ‘Fevicol’ and not adhesive.
“Picking out simple events of life, mar-
rying these with the brand’s message
and picturizing it in such a manner that
the audience can ?nd a connect with
the brand has been the philosophy of
all the campaigns that we have done for
Fevicol,” says Avasthi.
Thanks to its consistent quality, ef?-
cient distribution network and com-
mendable CRM practices, Fevicol has
been able to establish itself deep into
the minds of consumers. It did not have
much competition to start with and half
a decade later it ?nds itself on an even
stronger perch with a little help from its
smarketing campaigns, which will likely
keep it in the numero uno spot for many
more years to come. Just like one of its
TV ads with the tag line ‘Yeh Fevicol ka
mazboot jod hai, tootega nahi’, which
has been playing on the television for
over two decades now, Fevicol’s overrid-
ing dominance in the glue market looks
unshakable and unwavering. 4Ps
and white tub of Fevicol has witnessed
the introduction of new variants at regu-
lar intervals. Through repackaging, the
brand became available in tubes, then
glue-sticks (Fevistick), Fevicol Glue
Drop and other usage-friendly versions.
The brand has also spawned off sub-
brands comprising other products such
as Fevicryl (arts and crafts products) and
Fevikwik (instant glue). In the indus-
trial space, Fevicol’s latest variants in-
clude Marine Fevicol (launched in 2010)
and Fevicol SpeedX (2012). “Fevicol Ma-
rine provides very strong and durable
bond even when exposed to water while
SpeedX is a quick drying adhesive that
saves time and enhances productivity,”
says Malhan.
While these variants have helped to
successfully create niche adhesive cat-
egories besides strengthening the over-
all brand equity of the mother brand,
Fevicol’s creatives and TV campaigns,
handled by advertising house Ogilvy &
Mather, have further helped to rein-
force the big idea about Fevicol’s bond-
ing strength. For instance, the TV
campaign for Fevicol Marine reiterates
its strong bond in water with the tagline
‘Wahi mazboot jod, paani mein bhi’. In
fact the creative strategy that O&M has
employed for Fevicol is “to make bond-
ing a Fevicol attribute,” and its adver-
tising has used intelligent humour to
convey this meaning. “Although Fevicol
is not a consumer product, but it has
dressed a dual purpose for the company
– it has kept updated the TG’s knowl-
edge and helped refresh their awareness
about the brand itself. In order to maxi-
mize the brand’s recall factor, Fevicol has
lots of interesting tie-ups with the indus-
try by way of sponsorships, training pro-
grammes, product demonstrations, etc.
Says Vishal Malhan, Chief of Marketing,
Fevicol, “In the 53 years of Fevicol’s jour-
ney in India, the ?rst 30 years were all
spent on winning the trust of applicators
and consumers. This phase continued
from 1959 to the mid 1980s, or till the
late ’80s. Then the next 20 years were all
about building the proposition and own-
ing the proposition of bonding – from
the 1990s to 2010. Around this time, we
also started offering more specialized
variants to the consumers, and the cur-
rent phase is about developing new and
innovative variants.”
As a ?agship product of the Rs.137.72
billion Pidilite Industries, Fevicol com-
mands a 70% market share in in the
white glue segment. Today over 40% of
Pidilite’s turnover comes from Fevicol
while the rest comes from its other
brands such as Ranipal, M-Seal and oth-
ers. Such a formidable grip on market
share would make any brand preen with
pride and act smug. Not Fevicol. The
brand has never lost sight of the fact that
it must stay relevant through constant
repackaging and introduction of new
variants. As such the ever-familiar blue
A print ad shows how eggs joined by Fevicol are unbreakable. All Fevicol ads have a tinge
of humour to them, which helps them break out of the clutter and entertain viewers
Source: Company reports
Pidilite’s sales break-up (FY12)
Adhesives lead by a big margin
AD
Adhesives & Sealants Constructions & Paints Art materials
and others Industrail resins Industrial adhesives Organic
pigments and preparations
51%
20%
7%
8%
8%
6%
34 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 35
VISHAL MALHAN
CHIEF OF MARKETING,
FEVICOL
How has Brand Fevicol evolved over the
years has this evolution strengthened
the brand’s key attributes?
We have always found innovative ways to tell
people that Fevicol is the ultimate adhesive.
In fact, since the time we started investing
on brand building, Fevicol has made initia-
tives, which have appealed to everyone and
has helped us in owning this proposition of
bonding. Starting with Fevicol Marine in
2010, we had come out with the campaign
showcasing the bonding strength of Fevicol
even when furniture is exposed to water.
Three years down the line the sales of Fevi-
col Marine has shot up by nine times. Sim-
ilarly, learning from the experience of Fevi-
col Marine, Fevicol SpeedX was introduced
in 2012, which gives you the same bonding
strength of Fevicol but at a much faster
speed. In the last one year the business for
Fevicol SpeedX has grown three times in
less than a year of its launch.
The specialised offerings seem have
worked well for the mother brand. Are
you also thinking of leveraging the
Fevicol brand for launching more new
extensions?
I agree that specialised offerings have
worked well for us. Obviously the associa-
tion with Fevicol makes our work much
easier in extending the portfolio as the
brand symbolises trust and quality. So, that
is something we would not like to change
even when we are diversifying into offering
new solutions. But as far as adhesives are
concerned, we would like to continue the
strategy of offering superior and specialised
variants under the Fevicol name.
So what are your plans for taking the
brand into the future?
Fevicol is now a 53-year-old brand. The
?rst 30 years, in fact, was all about winning
the trust of consumers. Thanks to the
quality of the product, Fevicol has success-
fully established itself as the ?rst choice in
the adhesive market. This phase, of build-
ing trust, continued from 1959 to the mid
1980s, or till the late ’80s. The next 20
years were all about building the brand
proposition, which lasted from the 1990s
to 2009/2010. That describes the journey
Fevicol had for ?rst 30 years and for the
next 20. Thereafter, we have adopted the
approach of strengthening the brand and
at the same time offering more specialised
variants to consumers. But the mother
brand remains most critical to our busi-
ness and you will get to see a lot of initia-
tives and a lot of creative work happening
on the mother brand in the days ahead.
Your reach is pan-India now – you are
present in rural India, you are selling in
tier 2 & 3 cities. So what are your plans
now in terms of distribution logistics?
We are present in more than 60,000 outlets
across the country. But the next challenge
is how to reach beyond tier 2 & 3 markets.
We have formed a separate team, which is
helping us now to reach to markets which
have a population size of less than 10,000.
And we have also formed a separate verti-
cal, which connects all the markets with a
population of less than 10,000. In this man-
ner we have been able to cover more than
5,000 such markets apart from the main-
line cities.
What’s the difference in your market-
ing mix now as compared to the 1950s
or the ’60s?
Fevicol today has become part of our pop-
ular culture so it is not only about advertis-
ing. We are now very conscious of the role
played by social media and that is some-
thing which is now part of our media mix
going forward. The next challenge is going
to be how effectively we make use of it to
reach out to people, whom we may have
have missed out on so far. 4Ps
“As far as
adhesives
are con-
cerned, we
would like
to continue
the strategy
of offering
superior and
specialised
variants un-
der the Fevi-
col name”
FEVICOL IS NOW PART OF THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS BUT IS NOT SITTING ON ITS LAURELS.
THE BRAND IS READY FOR THE FUTURE AND WILL LAUNCH MORE NICHE PRODUCTS.
“WE WILL OFFER MORE
SPECIALISED FEVICOL VARIANTS”
AD
Ashish Kumar
36 4Ps BUSINESS AND MARKETING 15 FEBRUARY - 14 MARCH 2013
B I G I D E A F E V I C O L B R A N D J O U R N E Y
ABHIJIT AVASTHI
NATIONAL CREATIVE
DIRECTOR – O&M
Please tell us about your agency’s as-
sociation with brand Fevicol and how
fruitful has been this relationship?
We have been associated with Brand Fevicol
for the last 35-40 years and it has been a
fantastic experience working for the brand
all these years. Our creatives and campaigns
for Fevicol have brought a lot of fame and
acclaim for Ogilvy & Mather. The cam-
paigns have also done extremely well for
building Brand Fevicol over the years. Al-
though Fevicol is not a consumer product,
but it has managed to reach out to every
Indian, thanks to the brilliance and humour
behind the campaigns.
Fevicol has managed to ensure a high
recall value for the brand even in to-
day’s highly competitive environment
and in spite of belonging to a largely
B2B product category. How do you ex-
plain its success?
There are multiple reasons for the success
of Brand Fevicol. First of all, you need to
applaud the courage shown by the client.
They have always encouraged us to do stuff,
which was out-of-the box. Be it the televi-
sion ads, radio voice-overs or billboards, the
same brief has been followed. This is why
we have managed to surprise as well as
charm the audience every time we come out
with a new campaign.
Many campaigns and ads take the path
of controversy when they are released
in order to grab eyeballs. On the other
hand, Fevicol has always used humour
to reach out to the audience. What is
your take on this?
These are some very subjective areas. Some
people thrive on controversy and some oth-
ers don’t. Ogilvy as well as Fevicol believe in
keeping people laughing. We believe that
this way consumers remember the brand
better. The ads are not just humorous but
they also have an accompanying sensibility
that help to better appreciate and under-
stand the message. But a viewer has to make
the ?nal interpretation on his own. Picking
out simple events of life, marrying these
with the brand’s message and picturizing it
in such a manner that the audience can ?nd
a connect with the brand’s message has
been the philosophy of all the campaigns
that we have done for Fevicol.
Can you share some of the more memo-
rable anecdotes and incidents that you
came across during this long lasting re-
lationship with the brand?
There are many incidents to share. But the
most amazing thing about Fevicol is that eve-
rybody in the country has a fair idea of Fevi-
col’s TVCs. Wherever I go, when people get
to know that I work for TVCs of Fevicol and
they always come up with their own sugges-
tions. For instance it happened when we were
returning from Jaisalmer after shooting for
Fevicol’s bus ad. The security in-charge at
the airport discovered my pro?le and he said
that he has an idea for the Fevicol ad. These
are some moments which make you realize
the value of your work. Similarly, we receive
a lot of mails every day, offering suggestions
on these TVCs.
What have been the challenges in work-
ing with such a brand?
Of course, there are challenges. To be able
to make people laugh and surprise them year
after year is not easy. With every passing cam-
paign, this becomes tougher.
With the evolution of things like social
media and other tools of communica-
tion, have you made any changes in the
way these campaigns are designed?
We believe that the most important part of
any campaign is the idea behind it. The idea
gets adapted according to the medium. The
fundamental approach does not change with
the medium.
4Ps
“The ads
are not just
humorous
but they also
have an ac-
companying
sensibility
that help to
better appre-
ciate and un-
derstand the
message”
COMING UP WITH INNOVATIVE AND HUMOROUS AD CAMPAIGNS YEAR AFTER YEAR IS
NOT AN EASY JOB. BUT OGILVY & MATHER HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT FOR FEVICOL
“HUMOUR IN THE MESSAGE HELPS
CONSUMERS CONNECT TO FEVICOL”
Ashish Kumar
doc_399574129.pdf