Evolving with the times

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Guess what makes Madonna hip and relevant almost three decades after she burst into the pop music scene with Everybody? It’s because she’s had a finger firmly on the pulse of the market and just when critics declare her 15 minutes are up, she’s launched herself as an entirely new avatar. Though this “chameleon” characteristic is her trademark, she has never taken her eyes off the competition (remember how she kissed Britney Spears during an MTV awards show under full public glare?).

Reinvention. That is her story in brief.

While all the rules of showbiz may not apply perfectly to the world of brands, one theme remains constant: like Madonna’s chameleon appeal, a brand has to be “a cultural bloodhound always on the scent of the fresh, the cool and the credible” (Madonna by Andrew Morton).

One brand that seems to have mastered the art of reinvention—that too in a category that is among the most difficult to crack—is Bournvita, which started its life’s journey six decades ago as a taste additive to milk. Today, Bournvita is not just a health drink. It’s a quiz show, it’s a book of knowledge, it’s a talent hunt, an online game… In other words, a lot more than just a taste-enhancer.

Little wonder Bournvita has sustained over time and competition to grow to Rs 100-crore-plus brand today, with over 17% share (the original chocolate Bournvita and 2006 extension Bournvita 5 Star Magic put together) in the brown segment of the health food drink (HFD) market. Here a little clarification might be necessary. The Rs 1,600-crore health food drink market has two constituents—the white, which has a bigger 55% share (Rs 880 crore), and the brown, which has a smaller 45% share (Rs 720 crore). And Bournvita’s journey in this has been extraordinary, to say the least.

“Unlike many brands Bournvita is not just a promise,” says Santosh

Desai, CEO and MD, Future Brands. “It’s success lies in the manner in which it has delivered on the promise. The promise of Bournvita is a combination of mind and body and this concept of overall well being of children is at the heart of middle-class aspiration in India. Above all, within this broad promise Bournvita has not been shy about changing its physical form if the times demanded it.”