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'Capernaum' - Movie Review

 

Nadine Labaki, one of three women directors among the 21 in competition at Cannes Film Festival, said she filmed 520 hours of footage over six months as her novice actors, many of them young children, improvised – to achieve the intense realism. The film is the official Lebanese Foreign Language submission for the 91st Academy Awards. The film ultimately took home the Prix Du Jury (Jury Prize) at the festival and had a December 14, 2018 release date in the US theaters.

Set in the present-day slums and shacks of back-alley Lebanon, Capernaum (original title: Capharnaüm) documents, as written, the story of a boy attempting to sue his parents. However, it’s barely a court drama. Director and writer Nadine Lebaki’s story darts all over the social issues of today: a chaotic and not beautiful portrait of child abuse, negligent parents, human smuggling, trafficking, prison crowding, and more. It is a story that works hard to explore all of these issues from the point of view of a precocious Zain (played effortlessly by Zain Al Rafeea), who’s home life is chronically troubled and threadbare as he has no documents and doesn’t even know his age due to his poor and reckless parents. His ritualistic lifestyle is handled through gritted teeth, but he is patient until the potential that his sister could be given away to marriage becomes unbearably real. This sets off a multi-week excursion on his own, where society’s dwindling interest in his livelihood is countered by other invisible people such as refugees and illegal workers supporting each other the best they can.

Nadine Lebaki’s directing style is raw and clear- some of the most stunning yet heart-wrenching moments are domestically violent yet graciously choreographed- bottled-up rage spilling into the street (often literally) in a moment of extreme emotion. Critics are quick to assign moments of the movie to be competing for your emotions- such as Zain’s sister being sold into marriage. These moments should be raw and rare and confusing and worrying. It is not about competition. Nadine’s story does try to weave in many social issues, and it is mostly successful, but viewers are absolutely pummelled with an overwhelming amount of stress.

Zain ends up in the shack home of Rahil (Yordanos Shifera), an Ethiopian refugee who has a child. She works odd jobs and ends up trusting Zain to oversee her child’s day-to-day life, something Zain is somewhat already inclined toward doing, given his caregiver status in his real home. Rahil is detained for working illegally in the country, and Zain is left to care for her son, played flawlessly by Boluwatife Treasure Bankole. The repetitious yet pure interactions between Treasure and Zain add a strong desire for their success, even as Zain is worn down. The holy land of anywhere but here captures Zain’s interest and he returns home, only to learn his dear sister died after her marriage. This leads Zain to stab her husband out of rage.

The most startling and treasured moments in Lebaki’s work are the seconds of peace, despite dire circumstances. They are the moments of Zain’s siblings huddled together in a room- often sleeping, or in Rahil’s oddly-cozy home in the slum, complete with dim lighting and an inflatable pool for her son. Fadi Yousef‘s performance as a smuggler and shop keeper is also delightful if not resultantly sinister. His personality is based on pop culture and his status. It is the contained style of status that regionally looks impressive. Throughout the film, there are moments of regional intrigue and observational wit, be it a peculiar setting; a funny circumstance; a backhanded remark from Zain.

This film is heavy, but its lows are matched with oddly satisfying highs of hope. Its documentary style and realist execution (literally- most of the actors are indeed refugees or have lived the circumstances presented in the film) may confuse people for being a true story, but it is indeed a composite. Look toward it for a degree of hope, but mostly to understand that this is reality. Heavily researched and as legally accurate as possible, the film is ultimately entertaining and not academic.

'The House That BJ Built' - Book Review

 

Before Anuja Chauhan came into the picture, who even knew what ‘chutney fiction’ was? The whole concept of chutney fiction or commercial fiction was brought into the Indian book market by the one and only Anuja Chauhan. Preceded by “Those Pricey Thakur Girls”, this story has everything and more that you saw in its prequel. Having a way around the decidedly post-imperial English that she uses, she mixes the language with some tangy, cheek-in-tongue Hindi words, and you can be sure what you read becomes all the more fun. Released in 2015, this book proved yet again why Chauhan is one of the funniest and wittiest writers India has offered.

The readers that Anuja Chauhan has oh-so devotedly built knows why they like her a lot. Be it the bold and quirky way that she writes, or the perfectly relatable descriptions she gives about situations in people’s lives, the fan in me definitely knows what to look for in her story. When I read her books, I look for a crazy family just like mine, a goofball love story which I wish to have, and of course, lines like ‘…it was better to demolish the house and keep the family together than demolish the family and keep the house together.’ With her sprinkle of Hindi words into English and inventing fun words like ‘incomepoop’ (you figure out what that is!), she’s sure to keep you hooked.

The subject of this novel is none other than Banaoing, the family home of the alphabetical sisters, Anjini, Binodini, Chandrakanta, Debajini, and Eshwari. While “Those Pricey Thakur Girls” followed their lives, the heroine of this novel is not these women, but Bonita, the sole heir of Binodini. Living with her grandparents after a tragic accident happened in her life, Bonita AKA Bonu does not want to sell the house. Just like he aunts have strong reasons to sell it, she has her reason not to sell it. When Eshwari’s young lover Satish Sridhar arrives with a prospective sale, a long, drawn-out battle ensues. To complicate matters further, there’s a wily uncle who has his eye on the property and Samar Vir Singh, BJ’s grandson, who must mediate the sale, and try not to fall in love with Bonu.

The crux of the story is more or less the same. With the sisters trying to sell off the house and claim their share, self-proclaimed ‘fashion knockoff designer’ Bonu gets in the way. Of course, how is an Anuja Chauhan story complete without a toe-curlingly sexy love story? If the prequel was all about Debajini and Dylan, the sequel is all about Bonu and Samar. Samar, a famous movie director in Mumbai may or may not be “shaadi-shuda”, as his aunts say. However, both Bonu and Samar have a tough time keeping their eyes off of each other. The hilarious situations that occur with them and their love story is what the rest of the story encapsulates. 

This book being Chauhan’s darkest yet, it does not show the sisters in an angelic light anymore. If the alphabetical sisters were all cute and sweet earlier, this book takes a sharp turn to the opposite side. The protagonist of the story, Bonu, is no sweetheart either. Just into the book, you’ll realize that you are going to have a hard time connecting with her. But, the one thing that has remained constant in her books are bold, ballsy, and brilliant women.

As expected, just like any other romantic comedy would end, Bonu and Samar end up defeating all odds. The various subplots that Chauhan introduces into the story all tie up. It’s not like you will ende up wondering “What happened to that minor character?”, because everything would have been sorted by the end. Readers, you will not even feel the slightest pang of disappointment after finishing this book. She’s written it so beautifully that you will feel light-hearted and happy that everybody ultimately got what they want. “The House That BJ Built” gives its readers, and its characters, exactly what they needed at the end.

E-Commerce and it's Pros and Cons

 Continuing the wave of the last article, let's discuss the various pros and cons of e-commerce. We all know that not one day can go by without the help of e-commerce. But, have we ever thought about the implications of using e-commerce can be?

Pros of e-commerce:

1. Lower Cost: The products found in sites have no middlemen. That results in bringing the price lower than is found in shops. These sites also have massive sales where products can be bought at discounted rates.

2. Save Time: Earlier, we had to spend a lot of time visiting various shops and then buying what we needed. But, after the advent of e-commerce, we can sit at home, surf different websites, and find the perfect product.

3. Wide range of products and services: Due to space constraints, a vendor with a physical store will not be able to sell a lot of products. But, when they go online, they have the space to sell whatever they want. And we as customers can buy anything we want after going through a lot of options. 

4. Convenience: How many times were you stuck at home, not able to go out to buy something you needed? That problem no longer exists if you switch to e-commerce. No matter where you are in this world, you can get what you need. No worry, no hassle!

5. Simplicity: Queues are a thing of the past now. E-commerce gives you an opportunity to just make a few clicks and boom! You are done ordering what you want. 

Cons of e-commerce:

1. Shipping charges: Sometimes, even though the cost of the product will be lesser online, you may have to pay a huge amount for shipping. 

2. Faulty products: A product that you buy from online cannot be felt. We solely have to go on the pictures given. At times, it can happen that the product is entirely different from what you had ordered. 

3. Privacy leak: When shopping online, you are giving away your address and your credit card details. This can result in you falling prey to various scams. 

4. Hard to return: Once you buy something, it's very hard to return it. There's a whole process you have to go through and even at the end of it, you may not get your money back.

5. Long delivery time: If the product that you've ordered is not in stock or has to be shipped from another seller, the delivery can take a long time. It would be easier for you to buy it from an offline store. 

So, what we just discussed were the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce. It's great to know more about a service before you buy anything from it.

"Dear e-commerce and m-commerce, you have my social life!"

 I still remember the day I joined Orkut. Of course, many of you here wouldn't even remember what Orkut was. Anyway, I was excited beyond words. I could connect with people, make new friends. There were endless possibilities! Cut to 2020. Here I am at home, attending online, doing an internship online, and connecting with my friends through Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook. Gone are the days when I had to ring somebody to talk to them. Today, I can just message them and poof! they would reply right back. I can't' even begin to talk about the ways e-commerce and m-commerce have impacted my social life. 

Like I said, gone are the days where the only way to reconnect with my friends was to call them up and hangout. Now, I can just message them to join me on a video call and the whole gang can have a night out! They can eat, drink, and gossip. They can even watch a movie together. Ask me how? With the arrival of Netflix Party, you just have to use the same code and join Netflix and you and your friends can watch a movie together!

Feel like going shopping? No worries when e-commerce is here! From the comfort of your homes, you can surf through Amazon, Flipkart, and thousand of other sites to find what you want. You can also compare the prices and make the perfect purchase. Feel like getting a new TV but don't have the energy to visit many shops? Why fear, when you can sit right at home, go through many options, compare prices, and then buy the best one.  

Remember when you had to scramble around for change in the pits of your handbag? No right? Me neither. For a long time now, I have had the easiest time paying money. And the answer to my problem? Google Pay. With the invention of apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm, it has become that much simpler to pay money. Went to have food at a restaurant and don't have enough money in hand? Just scan the QR code displayed at the reception and just like that, the bill is paid. As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about robbers and thieves when you are not even carrying any money around. Roaming around wearing jewelry, well, that is an article for another day. 

With this being said we have to understand that it has its bad days as well. With so many people online, you can consider your privacy and safety to be zero. When you make a purchase online, almost all your personal details get etched in the vast and big internet database. You can fall prey to phishing, other scams, and of course, the betrayal of being promised one thing and then getting something that's completely different. These drawbacks have to be kept in mind while you devour the world of e-commerce and m-commerce.

There are no limits to the way technology is progressing. Maybe, when I look back at this article ten years down the line, I may think to myself, "Damn! How much easier has my life become since then!"

My Life through Product Price Value Perception

 

Let's jump straight to the article, shall we?

Product-price value perception has 9 segments. These are:

• More benefits and more price
• More benefits and same price
• More benefits and less price
• Same benefits and more price 
• Same benefits and same price
• Same benefits and less price
• Less benefits and more price 
• Less benefits and same price
• Less benefits and less price

In the first segment, the product I have used is an Xbox. Although it is pricey, it is the best in the market and it has better functions, better quality, and great games. 

In the second segment, I have used Philips LED Bulb. Almost all the bulbs in the market are priced in the same range. However, I have chosen this brand as it has a better performance and lasts longer than the bulbs that are produced by the other brands. 

 For the third segment, I have chosen the Eyetex Dazzler nail polish. Priced at a lesser rate than the other nail polishes, this nail paint is smoother, is more pigmented, and dries faster than the other nail polishes. 

Coming to the fourth segment, a product that I have used is a bodyspray by Adidas. Having the same benefits of a regular-priced bodyspray, the bodysprays that Adidas produces are costlier and has the same benefits. 

A product that I have used which has the same benefits and the price is Lays. Just like all the same-priced chips in the market, Lays too has an assortment of flavors with no major differentiation.

For the sixth segment, a product that I am taking is a locally-made floor cleaner. With the same benefits that you get from a regular floor cleaner, this product is placed at a lower rate and this does all the things that a pricey floor cleaner would do. 

In the seventh segment, I have chosen beauty products by high-end brands. In my experience, certain products don't have the benefits for the money we are paying them. Cheaper products perform better than some of these expensive brands.

The eighth segment reminds me of BSNL. Just like the other phone operators in the country, BSNL is of the same rates. But, it has way lesser benefits when compared to the other networks.

The last and final segment and the product  I am taking is a sanitizer. After the current situation we are living in, we can see a huge increase in the number of sanitizer manufacturers. While some of these are made by famous brands, the others are made by local enterprises. Some of these locally made sanitizers are priced low and have lesser benefits as well. 

These were the nine segments of the product price value perception. I hope that you have been able to imbibe something meaningful from the insight I have offered.

"How to be the Salesman of the Year" By Rocket Singh

There are many films that discuss the field that is marketing. One such film is 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'. Although it is a commercial film, it imparts many lessons during the course of the film. Directed by Shimit Amin and starring Ranbir Kapoor as Harpreet Singh Bedi, these movies portray the various turmoils that a salesperson has to go through before settling down at work. An extremely underrated film, it surprises you with some valuable life lessons.

"Tune yeh kaise kiya yaar?" "Thodi conversation, persuasion, aur negotiation." (Translation: "How did you do this man?" "With a little bit of conversation, persuasion, and negotiation.") This is what Harpreet's (Ranbir Kapoor) character is asked when he convinces the DJ to stay a little longer. This is the moment when he decides to become a salesperson. But, the world of sales and marketing is not as glittery and easy as Harpreet thinks it would be. Right from the moment, he steps foot in the company to join as a salesperson, he is tortured both physically and mentally. His life is made a living hell just because he tries to be honest in the business. 

Some of the challenges that salespersons face are: 

1. Anxiety:  Pressure and anxiety go unsaid along with the job. The constant pressure to cross the targets, get orders, and reach the goal is very pressurizing. This movie has perfectly portrayed the stress that a salesperson goes through prior to securing a sale. They behave like dogs that have marked their own territory. People even say things like, "Agar meri sales churayi na, to teri waat dalungi." (Translation: "If you steal my sale, then I'll finish you.")

2. Gaining Commitments: Harpreet doesn't become ready to offer a bribe to a prospective client when he asks for it. This mistake, although he was just being true to his work, lands him in big trouble. We can see that salespersons have a hard time getting commitments from clients. While some need crooked tactics to promise the sale, others need honest and sincere service. 

3. Facing Rejections: From his first day at work, Harpreet is pushed around. Nobody is interested in knowing what his skills and strengths are and an honest mistake ends up in him sitting at his desk attending cold calls. If you plan on being a salesperson, You have to be ready to face rejection. Be it from the employees, clients, or colleagues, you may have to face rejection from all walks of life. 

While promising a sale, you have to be mindful of the fact that the customer is king. You can't promise the customer one thing and then not give it to them. When Harpreet starts his own company, 'Rocket Sales Corporation', the one thing that he insists on is client satisfaction. He wants the client to receive what they promise the client that they would get. We can see that while AYX Corporation did have a strong sales record, all of their clients had complaints about their service. What we have to understand is that while rushing to make your sales and finish the target, customer preference matters. A lot. 

The short and long-term impacts are best understood through the sales techniques that AYX uses. When we are initially introduced to their sales manager, Nitin, he is a shrewd guy who bribes the security to get the information he needs. He uses cunning tactics to secure the clients he pushes for. Although these tactics prove to be great, when Rocket Sales Corporation enters the market, They realize all their techniques have become 'history'. Rocket Sales uses long-term sales techniques like a 2-year free warranty, 24-hour service, etc. to attract the clients. The inference here is that while crooked sales techniques are awesome for the short run, it is not a plausible method to follow in the long run. 

"Risk toh Spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai, main to phir bhi salesman hoon." (Translation: "Even Spiderman has to take risks and I am just a salesman.") A dialogue that is repeated several times in the movie, it just stresses on the fact that no matter what your occupation is, you will have to take risks. Nothing will ever come easy to you. You will have to take risks, fight for it, and then earn it.

Style, Fashion, and Fad and its Relationship with Society

 In the previous article, I talked about the various stages of the Product Life Cycle. However, style, fashion, and fad are three terms used to describe the life cycle trends of a product. The three trends are depicted are as follows: 

In relation to the time, sales, and the four stages, these three terms are used to describe the life cycle trends that a product goes through. 

The 'fad' is one trend that comes and goes quickly. Fads can see a fast increase and decrease at the same pace as well.  A trend that gains fame through the hype, fads are unreliable and cannot be trusted. Some of the products go through a phase in their life cycle where they have a fad-like increase and then, a just as quick decrease. A fad is just a temporary period of unusually high sales that happen to a product. It is driven by customer enthusiasm and immediate product or brand popularity. 

To see how a fad affects society and it's consumer behavior, the best examples are the Rubik's Cube and oversized t-shirts. When these fads appeared in society, the consumers went into a buying frenzy and had to have one of them. There was not one household that did not own a Rubik's Cube. Suddenly, every one of them wanted to solve these cubes and prove themselves to be geniuses. Just like it had come, it disappeared. All variants of the Rubik's Cube like the mirror cube, pyramid cube, and others got wiped away from existence as well. 

Oversized t-shirts were quite the trend, or so I thought. Turns out, they were a fad after all. It became a very big fad. Everyone, especially girls wanted to own an over-sized t-shirt. All the major brands went into overtime after they started manufacturing these products. After a steep increase in sales for a month or two, the fad quickly disappeared. Nobody wanted to buy them anymore. 

A fad affects society and it's consumer behavior for a short span of time. It makes the consumers run hither-tither for a product and dies down pretty soon as well.

As you would have already figured out, style is one trend that is unpredictable. No matter how much you think you know what the style is going to be, it will always manage to surprise you. Style is a trend that comes, goes, and then comes back again. Throughout the life cycle, we can see situations where the style dips and then rises when the customer interest is renewed. When one style fades out, another style is introduced.

The two examples that can be used to explain style are palazzos and denim-on-denim. Since the fashion industry is one that has major changes in style, examples from the same will easily explain the style trend in the life cycle. The palazzos were introduced in the 1960s. During that time it was a huge trend. The palazzos were worn by both men and women alike. Everyone wanted to have their share of popularity by wearing them. Slowly, it went out of style. You can see that these pants have come back in style. with its comfortable model and breezy material, who would not want to wear a palazzo?

When denim came out in the '70s, nobody thought that it could be worn as denim-on-denim. In the late 90s, it became a big style statement when everybody rocked the trend of denim-on-denim. People bought denim jackets and wore them along with jeans. It again popped back up as a trend in 2010, when people started wearing and exhausting the trend again.

A particular style trend can influence society for quite a long period of time. It gives everyone to catch up to the trend and make style statements of their own. 

The last trend in the product life cycle is fashion. More progressive trend than the others, it comes and goes away slowly. A fashion trend enters a market, grows steadily, and then declines gradually. A fashion trend will be around for a long time. It will start off as something that is used by the prominent personalities and then will fizzle out to a trend that people from all walks of everyday life will follow. 

The first example I would like to use to drive the point home is sparkly clothes. A huge trend at a point in time, this was initially made popular by celebrities from Hollywood. Catching on to the trend, people followed suit as well. A fashion trend for a very long time, it slowly declined and ended up being a fashion trend that was once there. 

The second example is that of hair coloring. A fashion trend that has been around for a very long time, it still has not faded away. What started off as subtle streaks of bright colors have become full-fledged colors. Other trends that have come up in association with this are coloring your hair ombre, highlighting it, and so on. As the trend is still going on, it is not known as to when this will stop being a trend.

A style trend affects society the most. They have to understand the trend and then decide if they want to go along with it or not. The consumers will have to take a decision regarding the same as a style trend is going to be there for a very long time.

 

How does the PLC Play a Role in my Life?

 

The Product Life Cycle(PLC) talks about the various stages that a product goes through in its lifetime. The four stages of a PLC are:

1.      Introduction-Here, a new product is introduced in the market.

2.      Growth-In this stage, the product sees an increase in its sales and profits

3.      Maturity-The product is established and it works to maintain its hold

4.      Decline-Here, the market for a product will start to shrink

While coming to the various stages of a PLC, I will be explaining each stage with the help of products in my life.

As I said before, the first stage is the introduction stage. The two products that I am going to take here are Medimix and Sensodyne. Although both the products are extremely well-established, I only started using them recently. Previously, I have used soaps such as Dove and Santoor. Medimix is just like any other soap. Since it's in the introduction stage, I still don’t know its benefits and the level of liking I have towards it. The next product is Sensodyne. Even though I had used CloseUp all this while, I recently shifted to Sensodyne after hearing about its ability to work as a ‘medical toothpaste.’ Having sensitive teeth, I have always been on the lookout for a toothpaste that would help in reducing my pain. After having used Sensodyne for just a week, I can see considerable changes as far as the pain is concerned. I don’t know if I will go back to using CloseUp, but Sensodyne seems to be doing good, as of now.

The second stage is the growth stage. For me, the two products that are in this stage are Rorito Flymax and Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala. Ever since I remember, I have used the Teen Gel to write. But, after Covid-19, there was a shortage of almost everything. Haven't you heard that desperate times call for desperate measures? So, I started using Rorito’s Flymax Gel. But, to my surprise, this pen turned out to be good! It was more smooth and fast than the pens I have used earlier. I know for a fact that I will prefer this pen more than the other one now. The next product was Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala. Being a big fan of Pav Bhaji, I have always searched for the right Pav Bhaji Masala. With the discovery of Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala, I realized that my Pav Bhaji becomes much spicier with the use of this masala. When this gets over, I’ll buy another packet that’s for sure. These are two products in my life that are in the growth stage.

Coming to the stage of maturity, the two products for me in stage would be Adidas and Body Shop. The first product that I brought from Adidas was a slipper. Soon after I bought it, I realized that there was no turning back. Although I was as open to trying new brands and exploring other products, nothing ever clicked for me until Adidas came along. After the slipper, I bought a t-shirt, a cap, and even a bag. There is no limit to the number of slippers that I have bought from Adidas. No matter the number of brands and products that come into the industry, no matter their price and their quality, Adidas will be #1 for me. Being a sister of an aspiring football player, I always tell him to buy a boot from Adidas, whenever the need arises. The second product is the Body Shop. Introduced to the brand during my teenage years, I have never since been able to let go of it. Be it their skincare or haircare range, it always seems to do the trick for me. After having used this brand, I have used several other brands like Bath and Body Works, Sephora, etc. But nothing matched the wonders Body Shop did for me. My association with the brand has reached a point that I no longer need to test any other brands. I can blindly believe this brand for my skincare and haircare.

The last stage of the PLC is the decline stage. The two products have chosen for this stage are Fastrack and Parachute. Inevitable to my existence at a point in time, both of these are products that I don’t use anymore. Fastrack used to be a brand I trusted my watch at. I own around 5-6 watches by the brand. But after discovering many other brands, the interest for Fastrack has declined. I no longer am interested in buying watches from this brand. My interests have begun to sway from massy to classy. I no longer seem to enjoy the quirky and fun watches from this brand. I know that this brand is going through a stage of decline in my life. Parachute is a necessity in every Malayali household. A brand of coconut oil that was a staple in my life, I don’t use it now. I have switched to other oils like olive oil and almond oil as it is better for my hair. I rarely use oil, but when I do, I never use Parachute nowadays. Parachute has gone through all the 4 stages and finally ended up at the decline stage.

Through this article, I hope you have understood the various stages of the PLC and how it can be applied to the everyday life of a common person.

Brands from the POV of Competitive Analysis Framework and Porter's Generic Strategies

 1. E-Commerce Brands

2. Telecom Services Brands

3. FMCG Brands

4. Indian Startup Brands

5. Media Brands

While the competitive analysis framework has been done above, let's move on to analyze these brands with the help of Porter's Generic Strategies.

Porter's Generic Strategies is divided into four, ie, Cost Leadership, Differentiation, Cost Focus, and Differentiation Focus.

While coming to the cost leadership strategy in the E-Commerce Brand, the three products that we took were Nykaa, Ajio, and Myntra. When we compare these products according to this strategy we can see that Ajio has more cost leadership than the others. With the latest technology and a lot of capital available, Ajio can easily become the cost leader of this segment. Although Nykaa and Myntra have various sales and offers to attract customers, Ajio has more cost leadership than the others.

When it comes to the strategy of differentiation, Nykaa takes the lead. One of the first beauty apps to have online shopping, the website became very successful. It offered a variety of products from different brands and from different price ranges. It always has some or the other sales going on. While Myntra is trying to make itself unique by introducing online trials of clothes, it is Nykaa which has a perfect strategy of differentiation going on.

As far as my study goes, I do not think that any of these e-commerce products are cost-focused. While all three of them initially had a strategy of differentiation focus(catering to online customers), that strategy can no longer be used because of the current situations we are living in.

In the telecom services, cost leadership can mostly be seen in BSNL. An undertaking by the Govt. of India, BSNL offers plans at a much lower rate than other services. It has all the funding it needs and is backed by the State. While we look at Jio and Airtel, they are a bit more expensive for the common man. Although Jio came up with a lot of offers to attract customers, and Airtel said they are the fastest network, it was BSNL who had the last laugh.  

Both Airtel and Jio follow the differentiation strategy. While Airtel launched a new app and collaborated with several other brands to attract users, Jio brought forth exciting postpaid plans which include 3 OTT platforms. BSNL did not do anything of this sort and hence, did not have a differentiation strategy.

No cost-focus strategy between these three products as well. Coming to differentiation focus, BSNL caters to the common of India, while Airtel and Jio focus on the new and thriving generations of the country.

Indian startup brands that I took were Byjus, Ola, and Curefit. Coming to the cost leadership strategy, all the three brands follow it. With the latest technology and huge amounts of capital all three of this products follow cost leadership. We can say that all three of these products follow the differentiation strategy as well. 

In differentiation focus, Byjus try to cater to students, Ola caters to the college students and office goers, and Curefit tries to bring a gym to your home.

Lastly, the three media brands I chose were Netflix, MTV, and Comedy Central. Coming to the cost leadership strategies that they have, Netflix has a lead. While MTV and Comedy Central are channels, Netflix offers Rs 199 mobile pack for people who can enjoy a variety of shows on this OTT platform.

All three of these products have a differentiation strategy. While Netflix is the first and the best OTT platform, MTV is a music and entertainment channel. And, Comedy Central is a channel that only telecasts comedy shows.

Coming to their differentiation focus, only Comedy Central has one. It focuses on the audience who enjoy and want to watch comedy shows.

Through this article, we've seen everything from the eyes of the competitive analysis framework and Porter's Generic Strategies. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Through the Lens of BCG Matrix and Ansoff Matrix-Maruti Suzuki

 

Maruti. Suzuki. Two brands that once were separated joined hands in 2000. And they became one of the most successful automobile brands the world has ever seen. They account for about 50% of the domestic market in India. They have vehicles for the upper class, middle class, and even the lower class. A household name, Maruti Suzuki's history cannot go unsaid.

Looking at the journey of Maruti Suzuki form the point of view of the BCG Matrix, the BCG matrix shows the market growth. It has four areas. The first is the 'star' of the company. These are the products that have a high market share and growth. The second is the products that are the 'question marks' of the brand. They have a low market share and high market growth. The third are the 'cash cows' of the brand. They have a high market share and a low market growth. The final is the 'dog' of the brand. These are the products that have a low market growth and share. 

Starting from the year 2000, when both the brands became one, this was the year that they launched Alto. A small car for the middle-class family, it was affordable and low-maintenance. When it was introduced into the market it quickly became a star, while later on it got reduced to a cow. 

When they introduced Maruti True Value, a sales purchase and trade of pre owned cares in 2002, it was an instant hit. A new venture, it attracted both consumers and customers alike. It continues to reign as a star product under the hat of Maruti Suzuki.  

In 2005, the extremely famous Swift was launched. From its introduction to its sales today, it continues to remain a star amongst Maruti Suzuki's other products. While many other variations of the same has been launched, the original continues to be much sought after. 

During 2007-08, they launched a new variation of the WagonR and this year also witnessed the launch of the brand new SX4. While WagonR thrives as a cow in the company, SX4 does not even exist anymore.

At the end of this decade, Maruti Suzuki faced a situation that made them a question mark in their journey. All this while when they were producing vehicles for the middle-class man, they realised that the rich man wanted a car that was made for them. That's when they realized if they didn't produce for the high-class man, they would be facing losses in the future. That's when they decided that they have to start the manufacturing of sedans, and SUVs as well.

In 2010-11, Suzuki Kizashi India launched its first sports luxury sedan. It became a cow in the brand's portfolio.  

 In 2012, the Delhi Auto Expo bore witness to the introduction of Ertiga- Life Utility Vehicle. This was Maruti Suzuki's entry into UV segment. Although the vehicle itself became a cow of the brand, the brand became the star it earlier was because of its introduction.

In 2014-15, it launched a series of successful sedan cars which were known as Ciaz. Initially it started off as a star of the brand and now, continues to shift between star and cow. The S-Cross was also launched in the same year. A hybrid of a sedan and an SUV, it continues to be a star of the brand. 

In 2015, Maruti launched Nexa, a dealership for the sealed of premium vehicles. Nexa continues to strive as the biggest star of Maruti Suzuki.

One of the most successful cars to be sold from Nexa, Baleno was launched in 2015-16. Very shortly after its launch, there was a 6-7 waiting period for the car. It reigns as a star. 

In 2017, to continue their great journey, Maruti Suzuki declared that they would be opening up modernized retail stores. This was another feather in their cap.

As of 2020, Maruti Suzuki released many other cars such as Spresso, Brezza etc and many other cars.

Coming to understanding Maruti Suzuki from the point of view of the Product-Market grid or the Ansoff's Matrix, we have to know that the grid has 4 parts. The first is market penetration where we see how the existing products in exisiting markets are faring. The second is product development which is about new products in existing markets. The third part is market development where they bring existing products into new markets. The last part is diversification which is new products in new markets.

Maruti Suzuki has market penetration with quite a few cars of theirs. While some do not penetrate the market that well, others like the Baleno have penetrated the market very well. 

The product development is an area Maruti Suzuki performs very well in. They keep on introducing and launching new products in their Indian market. 

Coming to market development, Maruti Suzuki has a market in Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan etc. These markets have been around for a long time. They have the existing vehicles. Based on the case study that I did, I did not find a new market that the brand has invested in recently.

Finally coming to diversification, my case study did not result in me finding a scenario where the brand has introduced a new product in a new market. 

So, this is all about the journey that Maruti Suzuki went through and still is going through.