RPG Group's Brand Strategy

1. TEAM NAME: BrandWagon IIM KOZHIKODE
CASE: RPG Group-Brand Strategy, Phase-I
Anshul Kumar Apurba Gorai Atul Sharma
anshulk15@iimk.ac.in apurbag15@iimk.ac.in atuls15@iimk.ac.in
Ph: 8086087963 Ph: 8943305059 Ph: 8943453454

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
 Various audiences of RPG’s Brand are unaware of its existence and its composition
 Very few unique traits for which the group is known as a whole
 Inexistent saliency of RPG Enterprise as a parent brand of its group companies
OBJECTIVES
 Identifying chief drivers of awareness for a group like RPG
 Identifying target segment that the group caters to
 Giving a roadmap to RPG to increase the brand awareness in the masses
RPG BRAND REINFORCEMENT LOOP
Important to group branding
*Source: Research, Weber Shandwick

3. CHIEF DRIVERS OF AWARENESS FOR A GROUP
Increased Awareness Increased top of the mind recall by a customer
 Brand Awareness refers to the strength of a brand’s presence in the consumer’s mind
 A group is only a brand if people think of imagery and associations when they think of that particular group
Group Personification (Reputation) by people: Indicator of Awareness Brand Iceberg for a group
Groups work extensively for the hidden elements
TATA- A mature, reliable, honest, socially concerned, middle-aged and a
middle class man •Name
Mahindra- 30-35 years of age, strong, rugged, semi-urban and a •Advertising
trustworthy man •Logo Visible
RPG- Personification is difficult, hence the recall is less •Brand Identity
•Environments
•Products and Services
•Brand Values
Needs Hidden •Management Control Structure
•Internal Communication
to reach
•Business Process
here
•Investor Relations
•Customer Relations
•Training Quality
•Staff Motivation
•Knowledge Management
•Recruitment Policies
RPG needs to move up the ladder •HR Policies and Processes
•Technology
*Source: B2B International
On this branding ladder, the challenge is to move beyond the
graphic symbols and metaphors to get to the more difficult *Source: http://www.brandchannel.com/images/papers/bankonthebrand.pdf
cultural uniformity that customers and potential customers
recognise and value. Increased value of the hidden elements Increased top of the mind
awareness of a group

4. KEY DRIVERS OF AWARENESS FOR A GROUP
Stakeholder Touch Point Corporate Brand
Group Brand Awareness Group Brand Reputation Stakeholders Behavioral intentions
Experience
•Product and Services-
•Company Representatives- They are the corporate touch points for buyers, suppliers and investors
•Online and other auxiliary services- Social Media presence, Corporate web site, workshops and seminars
Communication
•Advertising & Media-
•Name, Colors and Symbols
and Logos
Others
•Influencers- Previous/experienced users of the group’s product and services, employees
•Scholarships and Rewards- Sir Dorabji TATA Scholarship, Aditya Birla Group Scholarships, OP Jindal Scholarship, KC
Mahindra Education Trust
•CSR- Mahindra Finance, TATA Steel CSR initiative, Aditya Birla Group Model Villages
•Competitors- Competitive rivalry raises awareness specially in the B2B Space
•Group
Institutes-
*Source: Customer and non-customer perspectives for examining corporate reputation
Hamed M Sharma, Salah S. Hasan

5. KEY DRIVERS OF AWARENESS FOR A GROUP
Stakeholder Touch Point Corporate Brand
Group Brand Awareness Group Brand Reputation Stakeholders Behavioral intentions
Emotional Appeal- Group brands associated with nationalism, empowerment, social
upliftment, trust and sports
Products and Services- Quality, value offerings and differentiation in the form of
innovation, R&D etc
Vision and Leadership-
Alignment of group
vision with that of the business divisions
Social and Environmental Responsibilities- Green Initiatives, Workplace Health Safety
Standards, workplace environment (open corporate culture, growth opportunities, flat
organization)
Group Performance- Market Leadership, Profitability, Strong Fundamentals and portfolio of
successful brands
under a group
*Source: Customer and non-customer perspectives for examining corporate reputation
Hamed M Sharma, Salah S. Hasan

6. KEY DRIVERS OF AWARENESS FOR A GROUP
Stakeholder Touch Point Corporate Brand
Group Brand Awareness Group Brand Reputation Stakeholders Behavioral intentions
Intensions
Positive Word of mouth Outcomes
Stakeholder loyalty to group
Intension to invest
Driven by Group
Stakeholder commitment to group Reputation
Intension to seek
employment
Intension to purchase
organizational products
and services Long term exposure to awareness builds up group reputation-
>positive group reputation helps in setting up stakeholders’
behavioral intentions->Positive reinforcement of these intentions
lead to desired outcomes such as commitment and loyalty to the
group brand. All the three parameters discussed above create
brand awareness for a group
*Source: Customer and non-customer perspectives for examining corporate reputation
Hamed M Sharma, Salah S. Hasan

7. TARGET SEGMENTS FOR A GROUP
Internal Target Segment External Target Segment
Employees and Management Suppliers
Strategy & Goals for Brand Awareness Customers
Create an Organization culture that creates group Investors
awareness (For ex. Google)
Investment Analysts
To communicate a consistent Value system within
the organization Potential Employees
To align the employees with the stated values of
Society
the corporation (mission and vision)
Standardized policies across all the group Government
companies that help in creating a brand identity
Strategy & Goals for Brand Awareness
•To communicate the group’s offering of services and
products, quality and reliability
•Emotional connect with the target audiences
•The policy of criteria based associations (explained
later) of the sub-companies with the group- Assures
investors of the robustness of the brand
•Organization culture and perceived fairness within the
organization to be communicated to the potential
employees
•Image of a community citizen and a local contributor
*Source: Aspara.J, Tikkanen.H , Adoption of corporate branding by managers, Brand
Management Volume 16

8. BUILDING A STRONG RPG B2B BRAND
*Source: http://www.circle-research.com/b2b-marketing-research/case-studies/documents/B2Bbrandingresearch_001.pdf
RPG’s brand promise must be relevant A Brand is only valuable if it is able to offer a clear benefit which is of
to a real need value to the customers and the other stakeholders
RPG’s brand promise must appeal to In B2B markets, the decision is more rational. But a strong brand can tick
the rational and the emotional all the rational boxes and offer emotional benefit of working with RPG
RPG should be in a state of constant RPG should evolve to ensure that the brand promise continues to be
evolution relevant in a changing environment
RPG should analyze Gap between Identifying areas that would make the business partner outstanding
Vision and Reality
RPG should Measure and Respond Regularly monitor the health of the group brand and sub-brands. Use
insights to make sure that all brands remain relevant and compelling
Holistic Brand Strategy Publicity
Emotional
Brand Communication
Connect PR/Advertising
RPG
Standards of RPG
Web Site/ Web
Banners
Innovation; Collaborators Customers
R&D Interactive
Excellent Employee Marketing
Training
Networking The Branding Triangle
Publications *Source:http://www.pfoertsch.com/wiki/uploads/OnlyforStudenst/textchapter3.pdf

9. ROADMAP OF A SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE BRAND FOR RPG
Brand Brand
Affinity Relevance
Successful Corporate Brand
Glorified As the RPG group evolves, monitor the brand health and keep
Brand
it updated to maintain the relevance
Monitoring the
brand health to stay
relevant in changing
times
Use colors, symbols and do corporate brand
Aligning the other group companies of endorsement for group companies other
RPG with the rejuvenated corporate brand than CEAT also; like Raychem, RPG
of RPG and communicate the uniqueness LifeSciences etc
of the brand RPG and its promise
Revitalizing the RPG brand by identifying relevant Mixture of aspirational
group brand characteristics and leveraging upon the
Brand image of RPG and
CEAT brand insights
CEAT brand insights
Identifying the brand promise of
the flagship company (CEAT) Selection Criteria:
Success, Quality, Strength, strong customer
orientation and strong Value proposition (CAIRO

10. THANK YOU!