Tailoring to perfection

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Saville Row is still miles away from the indian sub-continent. But here’s a man who’s taken it upon himself to create space for his brand on the global stage

Sparkling lights, dazzling crystals, glamorous dresses and pulsating beats… one just cannot desire for more from spectacular models walking the ramp with unique fits and royal cuts. And who deserves credit for all this? Well, it’s none other than the Indian Textile industry which is currently upbeat and all enthusiastic about its much exaggerated novel innovations and celebrity endorsements. So there we were, all set for an encounter with S. Krishnamoorthy, President & Head of Textiles Unit, Grasim Industries Ltd, a flagship of the Rs.175 crore Aditya Birla Groupwhich has been synonymous to urbane chic fashion and classy apparels for ages now.

We entered his office and the sight that greeted us made us believe that in the midst of this glitz and shimmer surrounding the word fashion and apparels, there still exists ‘simplicity’! We shook hands with a man whose impeccable simple charm and efficacy has enabled him to roll aside the biggest boulder on his path to success. Krish, as his business card pronounces his name (and not the fantasy Indian Super Hero) was somewhere in his sixties, simply dressed and was taking his brunch bites off his plate. He was done with it in a while and then began our chat session with a man whose friendly approach and warm smile was unbelievable considering the industry to which he belonged.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science (in 1973) and has further completed a Diploma in Wet Processing of Textiles from City & Guilds, London. His industry ride started in 1974 with a stint at Madura Fabrics and later on joined Arvind Mills in 1995. There, he laid down a plant which later proved to be a marvel as it turned into a shopping place for all the premium brands in the world, currently producing about 34 million meters of high value shirting. On being asked about his alliance with Grasim for 8 long years, he humbly asserts, “The experience with the Birla group has been awesome. We have certain values like integrity, commitment, speed, passion et al.” Crowned as one of the most dynamic Sales & Marketing personnel in the Indian textile industry and credited with the growth of Grasim Brand in the domestic arena, he claims that, “To dominate in Indian market you need to have a strong brand image. And that’s what I have done with Grasim. I made it a Grasim Brand; the brand from then to now. And today, we command a huge 15% market share!”

Taking key consumer insights into consideration, Grasim earns many applauds for its fabulous product range which includes sub-brands nurturing a whole array of choices such as Freedom (the softest fabric currently available), Ice Touch (a fabric which keep body temperature at 5 degrees cooler), Venetia (the latest line of Italian stripes and checks), Medova (international fabric launched for the first time with Modal), Caramel (soft, smooth and light weight fabric) and many other exclusive showroom products. Today the Grasim group has forty-five exclusive brand stores under its umbrella and plans to add thirty more by next year. And what about its global operations? Well, it is fast spreading its wings across continents and is foraying into European and many other markets explaining which he adds, “In our case, 50% of our total revenues come from the domestic market and the rest comes from exports. And that is because we have focused on both the markets.” Grasim is also belligerent about increasing its pan-India presence through its strategy of establishing itself in the tier two and tier three cities as well. And apart from roping-in Akshay Kumar as its brand endorser, it has also tied up with Godrej Aadhar and ITC’s eChoupal to tap the ever growing demand and revenues in the rural and rurban markets. “I think the overall industry has grown phenomenally during the past two years. Globally speaking, the reason for this forward march is the abolition of quota systems and in the domestic market the prime reasons are an increase in purchasing power and of course, the retail revolution,” asserts Krishnamoorthy who is also an active participant in the Indian textile industry and a member of CII for textiles.

But while there’s prosperity for one, the others are not deprived of the furious pace at which the industry (both in India and globally) is marching ahead at; and that’s precisely where competition creeps in. When asked about the same, he calmly responds, “We might not have created a strong brand name and though we are invisible in the global markets, yet our revenues are equally distributed geographically...” Confidence for sure in his tone, something most expected from a veteran who has had his share of experience in domestic & global sales, marketing and exports as the President of Grasim Industries.

With an ode to the enormous amount of success attained so far, we couldn’t help but wonder about his next agenda. “We are also looking at the JV route; we are talking with some European markets together for technology & design for womenwear...” Sure enough, this man exuded confidence that would ratle his competitors and please his customers. Meet this leader and you’d believe us when we say that Krish is indeed a “self made man”!

Edit bureau: Neha Saraiya

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Prudence

When rivals in the banking sector are aggressively wooing numbers, HDFC is moving with characteristic caution. Their prudence may well pay off

The target audience for HDFC Bank is unique as it’s targeting the youth. Besides, since the focus is on the retail market, HDFC’s sturdy brand name helps. The bank has segmented its services according to the customers, where I think it has a competitive advantage over others. Though, the pace of deposits at HDFC have slowed down in the recent past, yet I think it will improve in the future. The bank’s current strategy is thus prudent enough.

By Nilesh Parikh, Banking Analyst, SSKI Research


Punctuality
Remember how your door-bell rang within 30 minutes, the last time you ordered a pizza? And what about the assurance that the brand gives you? All that has been built through hard-to-erase action, and is always on your mind. Think about it – 30 minutes is all that it takes!. Hungry Kya?

Punctuality is something that has helped us to create a strong brand image for Domino’s and undoubtedly it has also helped us to create a clear-cut distinguisher. Punctuality in delivery has been our USP and our positioning has revolved around it. To maintain such punctuality, whenever we decide to open a new outlet, we first find out whether we can deliver the product within 30 minutes to cutomers in the vicinity. Our team members personally go there and visit each and every corner of that locality by scooter and find out the feasibility of delivering the product in 30 minutes in all circumstances. That’s how we have been sustaining our punctuality! We have 4,400 delivery boys, and in places where there’s heavy traffic, we have introduced delivery by cycles. All this is done to enhance the brand image created by Domino’s and it is helping us to become the fastest growing pizza company in the delivery segment.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)

IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

IIPM makes business education truly global

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)

IIPM Campus

“Stooges of modern retail behemoths”

The apprehensions continue despite a slew of reports from PricewaterHouse Coopers, KSA Technopak, ICRIER, CII et al, all stating that modern organised retail is an idea whose time has come. Irrespective whether you call these organisations “stooges of modern retail behemoths”, the fact is that most of them conclusively opine that modern retail will, in fact, not harm the 12 million mom & pop stores and hawkers that the protestors are routinely brandishing. “In fact, most of this 12 million small retailers affected are in small town and rural India, while the $35 billion proposed modern retail investments are specifically targeted at bigger cities and towns, as of now,” explains Sen, adding that even in these cities, a modern retail outlet will at best displace only the mom & pop stores in the vicinity and not all of them operating of them. “KSA Technopak believes that, in effect, only about 3,00,000 grocery stores across the country will be effected and certainly not all 12 million.” The buzz is that even the still un-tabled ICRIER report, commissioned by the government of India to study the impact of organised retail on grocery stores and vendors has ruled out any major negative impact on them, although an e-mail to ICRIER expectedly went unanswered.

What’s more, most reports go to great lengths to explain the benefits of modern organised retail on the economy. A CII-PwC joint study titled The Rising Elephant forecasts more than eight million additional jobs; increased investment in the economy by both domestic and foreign retailers; organisation of the last mile distribution and supply chain for Indian agriculture, reducing wastage due to the present fragmented supply chain; farmers benefiting from rising productivity and better prices; enhancing sourcing and exports from India, among others. As of now, a fragmented and ill-equipped supply chain causes over 40% of India’s farm produce to go waste. The only organised sourcing by domestic companies is being done by Bharti FieldFresh and ITC, most of it is for export market.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

“...But can a minority really make a difference,” asks adman Prahlad Kakkar

IIPM - Admission Procedure

There were times when social causes or issues were picked in advertising only with the purpose to add some creative awards to your kitty. Very few ads involving social messages were made by mainstream brands. The reason was simple: clients were not willing to take the risk. They are always scared of entering into any sort of controversy that such ads may lead to. For example, if a brand started addressing the issue of reservations and says that reservations should be abolished, it becomes controversial and the brand may have to face some opposition from a certain set of people in the society.

However, in the recent past there have been numerous changes in the advertising landscape. Marketers are now ready to take a little risk and they are picking up realities of Indian society and incorporating them in their communication. This is a huge step and a very welcome change that the advertising fraternity is taking. I believe that marketers and advertisers should incorporate social message in their communication, instead of restricting it to a plain vanilla selling exercise. However, ads like this have a risk of eliminating certain set of people from the usage of the brand. Take the recent Idea commercial (featuring Abhishek Bachchan) for that matter. There is a risk of alienating sections of society, especially fundamentalists. However, gradually a minority of clients are waking up and incorporating such issues in their commercials. But it’s a silent minority. What we should do is that we should create a forum where we can discuss issues like this. Once we start discussing such issues as planting trees, education, corruption, we will surely go a long way.

Another reason why marketers usually shy away from incorporating social issues in their ads is that advertising is something that is used to sell a product or service. So people might get the impression that you are using a social cause to sell your product. It may give the consumer a feeling of being conned, which can prove fatal for the brand. But, if treated correctly, such ads have the potential to generate immense goodwill for the brand and for their marketers!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!