This document discusses brand wars between consumer product companies through comparative advertising campaigns. It provides examples of wars between Rin vs Tide detergents and Horlicks vs Complan health drinks. For Rin vs Tide, the war began when Tide's sales increased, threatening Rin's market share. Both engaged in price cuts and advertising attacks. For Horlicks vs Complan, each targeted different audiences and positioned their products differently over time, leading to ad campaigns comparing their benefits. While comparative ads can inform consumers if truthful, they can also mislead if making false claims about competitors.

1. Brand Wars

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Rin Vs Tide VS

5. Introduction of Rin It is a product of HUL. Rin was launched in India as a bar in 1969 with the iconic lightning . Rin powder was launched in 1994 as Rin Power White. The advertising campaign 'ZARA SA RIN' which means 'just a little of Rin' achieves superlative whiteness. This was hugely successful in establishing a superior brand image in the consumer's mind.

6. Introduction of Tide It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble. The brand in India was launched with only two types of products namely Tide detergent and Tide bar. Consumers believe that white clothes once dirtied or stained can never look new again. Tide wanted to change this very belief of the consumers by bringing to life the Tide dirt magnets property.

7. The War Begins Initially Tide was trailing behind Rin but since 2007, sales picked up, and its market share rose posing a threat to HUL whose share started eroding. In December 2009, P&G Home Products introduced Tide Natural, a new version of Tide, at a price lower than HUL’s Rin brand targeted at the rural segment. Competitive intensity had increased after the launch of Tide Naturals by P&G in the mass segment. HUL had responded with aggressive price cuts in Rin and a formulation change and thus the war begins.

8. Price Wars In Jan 2004 new Rin powder was launched with double whiteness proposition. Rin was priced at Rs. 42 for 1 kg pack, and Rs. 20 for 500 gms and Rs. 10 for 250 grams. Seeing the bold & confident move from Hul and realizing that pricing being of one reason for not being accepted by market even P&G slashed the prices of Tide. The Price was brought down to Rs. 23 for 500 gms as against previous price of Rs. 43 , Rs. 50 for 750 gms as against Rs. 70.

9. The Ad Campaign Rin launched a commercial in 2010 comparing Rin and Tide naturals. In the ad the boy using rin questions “AUNTY CHAUNK KYU GAYI?” with the obvious reference to tide caption “CHAUNK GAYE !” Thus claiming better whiteness than tide naturals at an affordable price.

10. Tide Vs Rin P&G takes HUL to court over Rin advertisement. The practice of pulling down rivals in one’s marketing communications is not new in India, yet, the ad took the industry by surprise because it was an open war declared by one powerful company against the other. P&G has filed a case in the Calcutta High Court against Hindustan Unilever's new ad campaign, which openly challenged the superiority of its product Rin over P&G's Tide.

11. Marketing Strategy The price wars enabled P&G to popularize the brand and increase the penetration. Tide had found its formula highlighting its whitening power against HUL’s Rin which has the same positioning. On the other hand war entered a new episode when HUL launched its “RIN SAFEDI KI CHALLENGE” campaign . Apart from this there is also a layer of celebrity power in the form of bollywood actor Kajol as an additional punch .

12. Horlicks Vs Complan VS

13. Introduction 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. Complan was launched in India in 1964. Complan – the Complete Planned Food in a Drink – is formulated as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines suggested for growing children.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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 office-goers), expectant and nursing mother, elderly people and athletes.

17. Range of products Both Complan & Horlicks are available in different flavors in different package sizes with different price points.

18. Overall view

19. 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 HorlicksLite thereby pulling in new customers.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Conclusion As you all know that “Every coin has two sides” 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.