Question: What strategies should a company adopt to launch a new brand, which is going to be a part

of its portfolio? (With respect to the case study on Mysore Sandal millennium)

For any company to launch a new product in its existing portfolio, it is very important that they

understand how they want to position their product so that it is in sync with the brand image of the

parent company and its existing products. They should adopt a certain brand architecture, look at

differentiation strategies and keep a tab on their NPD activities.

For Mysore sandal millennium soap to enter the market and adhere to its current brand Mysore Sandal

Soap, the following measures can be taken:

The strategy they have adopted is a BRAND EXTENSION strategy. They have aimed at a VERTICAL

EXTENSION strategy. ( aimed at category extension).

1. In order to enter an existing portfolio, the brand must be in sync with the mother brand.

2. In case of Mysore Sandal millennium, the owner name which is KS&DL doesn’t have any

relevance. The mother brand Mysore Sandal has all the brand equity. Thus, when any brand is

launched, it should adopt the mother brand in its name connecting the existing customers to it.

3. Being a luxury segment brand, it is important for any brand to adopt Source brand architecture

since the customers only relate to the mother brand name. However, this can have a negative

impact on the brand identity of Millennium if people perceive it as any other sandalwood brand.

MYSORE SANDAL MILLENIUM

Mother Brand : Mysore Sandal

Brand: Millenium

Modifier: Super premium soap

The whole packaging here shows that they have decided to follow a blend of Master brand architecture and Source Brand architecture

Date & Group no : 11/05/2015 – Group 1 CEO: Aishwarya Paraskar

Cohort : MGB – SBR 2 (Mysore Sandal Millennium) Members: Anushree Mathuria, Ameya Sonkusale, Anish Sharma, Ansh Garg

KS&DL is the owner of the Mysore Sandal products

and they decided to launch a super, premium

luxury product for the high end segment.

4. Snowball strategy can be used wherein the company decided only to target a small number of

customers and then slowly build their base. This is important for a brand since if it fails, it

shouldn’t have a negative impact on the portfolio

5. The makers should position the product in such a way that customers know it is different from

the regular Sandalwood soap. This can be done via ANSP sources.

6. In the future, Millennium should aim at becoming a CATEGORY in the portfolio. The brand

should be a balanced portfolio and hence when the soap reaches a point of saturation, they

should aim at extending the category by introducing new products in the millennium range.

However, the purity of brand has to be considered while taking these decisions.

7. Track the progress of the brand and monitor its Product Life cycle. Check and recheck.

8. Being a premium ranged product, differentiation from competitors is essential to take a unique

place in the market as well as the brand portfolio. They can position themselves as a sweet

smelling, environment friendly soap with the finest, fresh ingredients.

9. Thus, in order to launch a new product, many factors have to be considered.