The DS Group started in 1929 as a manufacturer of fragrances and diversified into tobacco products in the 1930s-1950s, becoming a leader in India with brands like Baba and Rajnigandha. In the 1980s they expanded into food and beverages by acquiring Hi-Tech Foods and launching products like Catch salt. The DS Group uses a customer-driven strategy of closely meeting customer needs through new product innovations, obtaining feedback, and building loyalty programs to gain customer referrals.

1. CUSTOMER DRIVEN STRATEGY OF DS
GROUP
By: Barkha Chawala
Sanjana Choksi
Varsha Baid
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2.  Dharampalji Sugandhi (Dharampalji) set up the Dharmapal
Satyapal Group (DS Group) in 1929, as a manufacturer of
fragrances. In 1935, it diversified into flavored chewing
tobacco.
 By 1950, Dharampalji's sons had introduced many varieties of
chewing tobacco. In 1965, they launched the first branded
chewing tobacco in India.
 This was the first saffron flavored chewing tobacco in the
world. In 1979, the DS Group launched Tulsi Zafrani Zarda
(tobacco powder) and Rajnigandha gutka (tobacco powder
mixed with beetle-nut powder).
 By the mid, the DS Group became a leader in tobacco-based
products with brands like Baba, Tulsi and Rajnigandha.
 In 1983, the DS Group entered the food and beverages
market when it acquired the Noida-based Hi Tech Foods Ltd.,
(Hi Tech).
 In 1987, Hi Tech created a niche market for tabletop salt with
its 'Catch Salt Shaker.' Satyapal, the then proprietor of the DS
Group, felt that branded free-flowing table salt was exactly
what many Indian homes were looking for. 2
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3. CUSTOMER-DRIVEN MARKETING STRATEGY
A customer-driven marketing strategy includes elements
like identifying your target market and reacting to their
needs. It should also detail ways to retain customers and
use them to help you gain additional business.
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4. TARGETING MARKET
 A customer-driven marketing strategy targets a specific
market segment.
 A target market consists of a set of buyers who share
common needs or characteristics that the company
decides to serve.
 Use marketing research to identify common
demographic characteristics within your customer base,
such as age, gender, occupation and income level.
 The more you know about your customer base, the
easier it is to develop a strategy that will appeal to these
characteristics. As a result, you waste less time and
money trying to reach unlikely prospects. 4
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5.  DS group targeted whole market as a large. First they
entered in the market with the introduction of BABA
products in 1964.
 Their targeted customers mostly were male and was for
+20 age group.
 So as to target teenage group also DS group introduced
rajnigandha in 1983 which had no tobacco contain.
 Then came pass pass in 1999 first all natural assorted
fun mix refreshes the entire nation. Targeting from
children to adults.
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6. MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS
 A customer-driven marketing strategy focuses on
meeting the needs of your customers and examines how
your products or services can meet those needs.
 For example, your initial research may tell you that your
customers are extremely interested in receiving a high
level of service. You may be able to meet this need by
offering free deliveries or extended hours of operation.
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7.  DS group always tried to satisfy its customer’s current
and forthcoming need and demand.
 Be it journey through BABA to rajnigandha , rajnigandha
to pass pass and pass pass to their recently launched
products chingles.
 They saw the upcoming demand in this product line and
became First to launch branded chewing tobacco in India
in metal packaging and First and only chewing tobacco
company in India to get ISO 9001:2000 certification .
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9.  DS group also saw customer’s unrecognized demand in
ready to drink product like rasna.
 DS group has set its eyes on the rapidly growing
beverage concentrate market with launch of YOMIL — a
milk-based drink concentrate.
 “With YOMIL, the industry’s first ever milk-based
powdered beverage, we are expanding our product
portfolio. With this product we aspire to build a focused
consumer connect while catering to evolving customer
requirements,” said Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman DS
Group.
 DS Group's YOMIL is milk-based. DS Group claims a
ready-to-drink milk concentrate powder is the first of its
kind in India.
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11.  The repositioning of Catch salt & spices is in sync with
the needs of consumers today, who demand more from
the brands that fill their shopping basket.
 It highlights the value of buying Catch spices which
are made by Low Temperature Grinding (LTG)
technology that prevents the evaporation of volatile and
delicate oils.
 This gives the consumer the benefit of spices that
retain their original aroma giving a wholesome, authentic
flavour to the food.
 The new brand strategy adopted by Catch also aims to
break the myth that premium quality comes at a
premium price.
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13. BUILDING LOYATLY
 Manufacturing and supplying quality products as per
norms of customers and dealers. The do manufacture a
quality products as per the requirement
 By making repetitive deals and doing business with
repetitive or long run customers
 Proving their original quality and of peoples taste and
selection
 Coming up with more new products especially for youth
and new generation like tobacco free products
 Building up mutual benefits schemes and policies
 Providing special privileges
 Availability of the products
 Changing or altering the products as per customer
feedback and suggestion
 Providing well response to customers creating brand
image
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15. CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
 Customer feedback are taken by post and E-mails
follow ups, social networking sites, on calls or
phone lines, faxes, surveys & questionnaires
 Making free samples available to consumer through
magazines, daily newspaper, or with their own
product by spot-marketing or advertisement
 Product reviews & rating by famous tele house and
magazines
 Sales based suggestions & feedbacks through
retailers & dealers
 Building open relations with customers gives
broadened feedbacks & reviews.
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16. GAINING REFERRALS
 Make generating referrals a part of your customer-
driven marketing strategy. Encourage your existing
customers to spread the word about your business
to gain new customers.
 DS group Implements a referral program where
customers are rewarded for sending new business
your way by giving them additional discounts or free
merchandise.
 They even hold a contest to see which customer
can send you the most referrals in a specific
amount of time.
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