Garnier International Marketing Strategy

Over time, because of the changing needs of people and the tastes that we acquired as a result of globalization, the product categories we consume have undergone changes. If earlier it was ‘one fits all’, today we need different products for different needs. For example, when we look at the market of shoes, its sub segments like Jogging shoes, Formal shoes, Casual shoes etc. are so huge today that there is huge opportunity in each of those segments. It is interesting to understand how companies manage to operate in different segments with a portfolio of brands. This is another reason that prompted us to study brand architecture strategies.

Budget is an important aspect of every business. It is not possible to build as many brands as we want.

According to Kapferer (2008), it’s also a matter of deciding on the value flows that have to be created between the different parts and products of a company1. If we observe the portfolio of ‘Garnier’, we can see that it is a branded house. It’s a house with a certain set of values that in turn has an impact on the positioning of different brands in the Garnier portfolio. Parent brands act as a source of values which are shared by the products or sub brands under it. These sub brands in turn have their own personality, which suits the consumer segment, product category or function it is catering to. Levi’s initially had tried a simple brand extension - Levi’s Tailored Classic, before they launched Dockers. Levi’s as a brand was perceived as a ‘rebellious’ brand. It couldn’t have been rebellious and classic at the same time. Another brand ‘Dockers’ had to be launched to offer ‘classic’ apparel. So this study can be useful for those who want to launch a new product/brand under an existing

Brand names can contribute to this1. Brand architecture gives this flexibility to create differentiating brand names staying within the whole portfolio.

The project flow

• The first step is to identify and understand the different brand architecture strategies. This will be done through literature review.

• The next step is to look around us, study brand portfolio of different companies operating in the Indian market and understand their brand architecture.

• We would identify some interesting examples out of these. If possible, we will choose brands with different brand architecture strategies from the same category.

• The next step is to study their communication, logo, packaging etc. and analyze their relationship with the brand architecture.

• Primary research will be conducted to understand the awareness and perceptions, about the brands we have picked up, in the minds of the consumers.

• The final step is to draw the link between brand architecture and brand perceptions and the various factors that are at play in this