This document compares Horlicks and Complan, two popular health drink brands in India. Horlicks is manufactured by GSK and targets children, women, and the elderly. It has 50% market share and is available in over 5 lakh retail outlets. Complan is manufactured by Heinz and targets growing children, athletes, and busy adults. It has 20% market share and is available in over 7 lakh retail outlets. The two brands engaged in advertising wars comparing nutritional claims and prices, with Horlicks positioning itself as more nutritious and less expensive. Comparative advertising is beneficial when providing truthful information to consumers, but not when claims are false or misleading.
3. Introduction
It is a sales promotion technique that compares the
products or services of one undertaking with those of
other competitors.
It is designed to highlight the advantages of the goods
or services offered by the advertiser as compared to
those of a competitor.
It drives sales by comparing the features or services of a
brand with that of its closest competitor.
4. Brand War Reasons
Some of the reasons for brand wars are:
To generate attention and larger number of views.
To make certain claims that they are better than
their competitors.
A creative way to show that competitors claims are
not sensible.
6. Introduction
Horlicks is the name of a company and of milk hot drink developed by
the founders James and William Horlick.
It is now manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the United
Kingdom, South Africa, New
Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Jamaica, and under licence in
the Philippines and Malaysia.
Horlicks has been a popular brand in India since 1930.
The Horlicks available has been scientifically developed and specifically
caters to the nutritional needs of the Indian diet.
Horlicks alone enjoys 50% of the Health Food Drinks market.
7. Introduction
Complan Foods is a British company that makes powdered
milk energy drinks. It was acquired by Danone in 2011.In India
the Complan brand is owned by the H. J. Heinz Company.
Complan was launched by Glaxo in 1954.
Complan was launched in India in 1964.
As part of Glaxo's Farley Health Products subsidiary, the
Complan UK brand was sold to Boots in 1988.
In India, Complan remained with Glaxo until 1994, when it was
acquired by Heinz, who also acquired the UK brand in the same
year.
Complan – the Complete Planned Food in a Drink – is
formulated as per the World Health Organization (WHO)
guidelines suggested for growing children.
In 2002 a majority stake in the UK business (Complan Foods)
was sold to the Saatchi brothers‘.
8. Product Positioning
Horlicks initially positioned itself as food for convalescing
and a nutrient supplement for kids only.
Later on it introduced other variants to reposition itself
from children segment to other segments.
Its brand image too have changed from a boring health
drink to something that is nourishing& enjoyable.
Complan proclaims itself as a Complete Planned Food for
growth with 23 nutrients.
Later it gave up its comparative positioning & tried to
match the product claim & the customer needs.
9. Target Audience
HORLICKS
Earlier Horlicks believed, white
drinks are for the entire family in
contrast to the browns, whose
prime target audience is children.
It
targets
mothers
for
its
nourishment and kids for its great
taste and variety.
10. Target Audience
COMPLAN
Complan mainly target growing children
because children need adequate and
balanced nutrition to help them achieve
their maximum growth potential.
Complan is also ideal for busy adults
(especially housewives and rushed officegoers), expectant and nursing mother,
elderly people and athletes.
11. Range of products
Both Complan & Horlicks are available in
different flavors in different package sizes
with different price points.
13. Marketing Strategy
HORLICKS
Initially, horlicks was just a nutritional drink
positioned only for the sick patients and mal
nutritioned.
But later it repositioned itself as “complete
nutritional drink”.
With the slogan “HAPPONG , OPPANG , CHAPPONG” .
It again improved itself to “TALLER, STRONGER,
SHARPER”.
It soon came up with Junior Horlicks , Mother’s
Horlicks and Horlicks Lite thereby pulling in new
customers.
14. Marketing Strategy
COMPLAN
Milk has a unique position in the consumer’s psyche.
It positioned itself directly against milk. The ad said,
“YOUR BODY NEEDS 23 VITAL FOOD, “MILK GIVES 9
COMPLAN GIVES ALL 23 NUTRIENTS”.
The strategy went through a radical change. It was now
decided to position it-not by competitor-but by target
user and usage occasion.
COMPLAN is complete with 23 vital foods for the body.
It
repositioned
itself
as
a
drink
fulfilling
the
nourishment needs of people who cannot or do not eat
enough.
18. The Ad War
The Complan boy goes on to say, “MINE MAKES ME TALLER”
with the show of measuring up the height on one's shoulder at
the Complan ads, the Horlicks boy replies, “MINE MAKES ME
TALLER, STRONGER & SHARPER”.
The Complan boy then says, “MINE COSTS RS. 170” and
the Horlicks boy replies, “MINE COSTS ONLY RS. 131”.
Horlicks thus highlighted the nutritional content and
price gap between the two brands, and showed
Horlicks as a better and more inexpensive health
drink.
19. Conclusion
Similarly comparative advertisements
are important and beneficial from the
consumer’s and producer’s point of view
only to the extent it is providing
information about the product and
making them aware.
On the other hand comparative
advertisements are not beneficial if
advertisers comparisons are false &
misleading.