Similarly, when a reason to choose a branded commodity is created, the reason for not choosing an unbranded commodity is simultaneously born. All brands have indifferent, habitual; and loyal buyers. Only the salience varies across these. In most sectors in India, branded commodities seem to be fighting the unbranded commodities for a slice of the market, rather than branded competitors. So far it looks like the brands are winning. .
Manufacturers need to prove that their branded alternatives are the only possible solution to their problem. The ultimate goal in the Indian context is to have people say, "I know the branded alternative costs three times as much, but nothing else will do. Now go out there and get it!" When this begins to happen, we will see a revolution in Branded Commodities in India. .
INTRODUCTION.
An orange is an orange. Unless that orange happens to be Sunkist, a name that 80% of consumers know and trust. - Russell Hankin, CEO, Sunkist Growers.
This one sentence encapsulates the essence of Commodity Branding. Very often we can see this happen in our daily lives. For example, one day a friend and I had gone to the local departmental store because we needed to buy some oil. We stood in front of the oil section and scanned the different containers. We had no particular brand in mind so we bought Sundrop. Why did we do that? Have all those years of advertising made us a captive to this brand? Maybe so, because we eventually did buy Sundrop Oil and did not think twice about comparing it with the other oils on the shelf on criteria like price, nutritional value, volume, style, or even taste.
This is what good brands do - they work their way into our lives, becoming familiar and valued signposts helping us to navigate the consumption landscape. We live and move among them almost without thought. Most of the time, we disregard them. But when the occasion arises to make a consumption choice, there they are beckoning and reassuring.
