Rohit Sharma

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRODUCT

Complan was first introduced by Glaxo in the United Kingdom, as an essential

nutritional supplement for soldiers at the frontlines during the Second World War. It

was introduced to India in 1964 by Glaxo Laboratories who marketed it through

doctors as a convalescence drink. In 1969, Complan went OTC though image

perceptions continued to be ethical. Hence, from 1969 to 1973 the product

advertising was focused on the ‘Goodness of Complan’ as a means to compensate

dietary deficiencies. The brand’s next major milestone occurred in 1975. In order to

expand the user base, it was decided to establish Complan as an ideal nutritional

supplement for growing children. Thereafter, Complan has gone on to become the

most trusted brand for children’s nutrition in India. “I’m a Complan Boy, I’m a

Complan Girl” remains one of the most well loved and instantly recalled jingles

even today.

In 1994, Heinz bought out Complan from Glaxo. Given Heinz’s commitment to

quality and leadership, Complan has evolved into India’s premium health beverage

for growing children. It has now come to stand for the Gold Standard of Nutrition

(Source: Pathfinders Track -Kolkata). The brand’s positioning as the ‘Drink for

growing children’ coupled with its superior nutritional formulation are its greatest

strengths today.

Since its entry into the Indian market in 1964 and as an over-the-counter (OTC)

product since1969, Complan has come a long way. It has kept pace with a growing

market which itself has evolved into a mature category. Complan derives its name

from Complete Planned Food which is exactly what the product aims at delivering.

Complan Page 2

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

Complan operates in the category of Malted Food Drinks and the most important

concept behind the advent of such product is twofold:

.

The normal food does not take care of the daily requirements of children who

need that some extra nutrients for healthy growth.

This is a newer concept and a hidden motivator for all health drink segment.

The parents and especially the mothers always feel that her child does not get

adequate nutrition. It is precisely due to this reason that Complan utilizes the

sentiments of mother’s love in its advertising

Also it claims to increase the height of the children.

Complan Page 3

PRODUCT SEGMENTATION

No company can win if its product and offerings resembles every other product and

offering. Today, most companies are guilty of strategy convergence – namely,

undifferentiated strategies. Companies must pursue meaningful and relevant

positioning and differentiation. Each company and offering must represent a

distinctive big idea in the mind of the target market; and each company must dream

up new features, services and guarantees, special rewards for loyal users and new

conveniences and enjoyments.

POSITIONING AND TARGETING

Positioning is the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a

distinctive place in the mind of the target market. The end result of positioning is

the successful creation of customer focused value proposition cogent reason why

target market should buy the product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the

prospect. That is you position the product in the minds of the prospect.

Stage 1

 Complan was first launched by Glaxo, UK, during World War II. It was part of the

ration for the soldiers. Since then, the brand has travelled a long way.

Stage 2

 In this stage, Glaxo launched Complan for the mass market. It had to find an

appropriate positioning. Glaxo positioned it as supplementary nutrition, for adults

in convalescence. Doctors recommended it. The brand got the image of ‘sick man’s

source of nutrition’. This positioning did not bring much success.

Complan Page 4

Stage 3

Glaxo reviewed the positioning and studied the health drinks market. Though

Complan was superior in many respects to other brands, it suffered the image of a

sick man’s drink. Glaxo found the health drink market growing, but Complan was

not growing. It also found ‘the growing child’ as the big market segment for health

drinks. Complan took a new positioning ‘A Complete Planned Food for Children,

as a health builder. The differentiation theme was that it was superior to milk,

nature’s best nutrition for children. It carried 23 nutrients, which milk did not

carry. It carried milk protein as well. This positioning too did not bring the desired

success. Two problems came up:

1. The taste was not agreeable to children

2. “Superior to Milk” proposition did not sell because, the Indian mother still

held milk as an essential natural diet for children. Glaxo improved the taste

of Complan; introduced the chocolate flavor and other variants to please

children. Still Complan did not take off.

Stage 4

The new positioning was against Horlicks, while the old one was against milk.

Horlicks was doing well as the preferred health drink. Here a new problem emerged:

Price of Complan was double that of Horlicks and buyers shied away. It came to be

sparingly used anyway. The search for the right positioning continued.

Complan Page 5

Stage 5

Glaxo gave up the comparative positioning. It tried to match the product claim and

the customer need. Target user and usage occasion became major considerations in

the new positioning. New user segments and new uses for the product were

identified. The new positioning: Fulfilling the nourishment needs of different

segments of people who faced different kinds of problems on the ‘diet front’. The

only health drink that is complete and suits varied occasions and users. Only

Complan, with 23 nutrients, is complete for the body. The ad campaigns clearly

showed the new positioning Complan was for:

The child, ‘the problem eater’.

The young executive, too busy to eat.

The grandpa, too ill to eat

And the young housewife, of course in good health, but needed extra

nourishment for all the strain she takes and to guard against hidden diet

deficiencies.

In other words, in the family everybody had some use for Complan. The new

positioning was as a distinct product in its own right. Flavors like cardamom

and strawberry were added; new packaging also came. Complan finally found

a good orbit

Complan Page 6

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE

Complan Page 7

Introduction Stage

Originally launched during World War II, it was part of the ration for soldiers.

After the end of the war, Glaxo launched the product for the mass market for which

the positioning was decided as a product meant for adults in convalescence.

However this positioning did not bring much success as Complan got dubbed as a

“sick man’s source of nutrition”. It was repositioned and reintroduced as a complete

planned food for children, superior to milk, which too found the going tough as the

children did not like the taste of Complan and because the Indian mother did not

agree with the notion that it could be superior to milk. In this stage the profits were

low because of low sales high distribution and promotion expenses

Growth Stage

With the last repositioning Complan finally went onto the growth orbit and

continued to gain new converts to its folds. The growth with this positioning was

explosive. Earlier adapters continued to buy and later buyers started following their

lead and the market got expanded. The firm used several strategies to sustain rapid

market growth as long as possible. One of the campaign theme was “I am a compaln

girl”. It spent a lot of money on product improvement, promotion and distribution to

capture a dominant position.

Maturity Stage

With the passage of years, especially with the opening of the Indian economy, the

consumer started demanding more than just the values that Complan defined. They

wanted a fun feel with the product and in this scenario Complan started becoming a

product of the pre-1991era.It faced a lot of completion from Bourn vita and

Horlics.These competitors begin marking down prices, increasing their advertising

and sales promotion and upping their product development budgets to find better

versions of the product. The growth started saturating and Complan faced the

danger of moving into the decline stage in many parts of India.

Complan Page 8

Decline Stage

The subheading is inappropriate as the brand has never really gone into decline. The

parent company has repositioned the product by way of redefining the product

communication or repackaging etc to bring it back into relevance. However there is

a danger of Complan slipping into the decline stage unless it changes the image of

Complan of being a ‘serious drinks’

BCG MATRIX

Complan Page 9

Relative Market Share

Question markBournvitaComplan

Cash

Cow

B C G M a t r i x

Market growth rate

Complan has around 15 percent shares in the Indian Health Food Drink industry. On

the other hand Horlicks has over 54 percent market share. Complan has changed its

positioning over the years and is trying to increase its market share in the growing

Health Food Drink market. Horlicks continue with their aggressive marketing

strategies and line extension to maintain and increase their market share. With retail

coming up in a big way, product visibility and availability at the point of  purchase

will play a key role in growth.

T h e D o g s :

This category belongs to the products which are having low market growth and low

market share. These are primarily Malt ova, and Milo. As the market is occupied by

major players there is not much for these brands in terms of visibility.

The Question Marks:

This is basically the product with low market share but high market growth rate. In

Indian Health Food Drink market there is good growth but Complan is having

market share which is significantly low as compared to its competitor Horlicks. In

this category there are two brands that are Complan and Bourn vita.

The Stars :

The Star is clearly Horlicks as this has over 54% market share and also having

advantage of high market growth.

The Cash Cows:

The Cash cows are low growth and high market share products. These SBUs need

less investment to hold their market share. As of now there is no product in this

industry which falls under this category.

Complan Page 10

Features Comparison

Product Features

Benefits- Horlicks

Benefits – Complan

Proteins Helps growth & development,

aid tissue repair

Rapid growth & development

of body

Fats & Carbohydrates Provides energy Provides energy & mental

alertness

Sodium & Chloride Electrolytes Maintenance of water level in

body

Vitamin D, Calcium,

Phosphorous

Bones growth & maintenance Strong healthy bones & teeth

Vitamin B12, Iron, Iodine Support mental & physical

development

Keeps mentally sharp &

physically alert

Vitamin A/C/E, Zinc Healthy Immune system Develops body resistance to

fight resistance

Vitamin B11, Niacin Helps release of energy

from food, healthy heart

& nervous system

NA

Vitamin K NA Helps if blood clotting to

stop bleeding

Complan Page 11

Communication Strategy

Complan targets the audience of age group 5 to 15 years. There are several ways by which

Complan reaches its target customers –

TV Advertisements

News Papers

Retails Outlets

Schools

Complan Ad

With the help of this ad Complan gave the tagline “Ab mai bhi Complan boy” The ad is explained below –

1. Kid Steps into the bus & start laughing.

Two girls in the bus also starts laughing

2. They are laughing on a boy inside the bus hanging from top bar of the bus

3. Seeing this one boy advices the poor guy, "Sirf latkne se height nahin badegi, Mummy ko bolo Complan pilaye."

4. Voice - "Apka ladla theek se khata nahin, to zaroori poshan aur protein kaise milega?

Complan Page 12

5. Voice: "Complan mein hai sau pratishat milk protein, teyis atya avashyak poshak tatva, jo de extra growing power."

6. As the two friends meet up again, the adviser asks, "Latkna band? Kyon Mummy ne Complan dena shuru kiya na?"

.7.With an enthusiastic, "Haan", the shorty jumps up and shows off how much taller he is than his friend.

8.Speaking up excitedly, the boy says, "Ab main bhi Complan boy."

Conclusion - By this Ad Complan is trying to tell that Complan has right amount of proteins &

Vitamins which gives your child an extra growing power.

HORLICKS AD –

1. In the start of the ad Mother says for his child – “Jab football khelte hai to Goal Chahiye”

2. Then another mother says - “Test mai ache marks chahiye, boxing mai knock out chahiye”

Complan Page 13

3. Then they all says –“ Kya kare hum mothers ko sab chahiye” “aur jab sab chahiye, jo bachho ko kuch aisa dena hoga jo Sab de”

4. Then a dietician comes and says – “Sirf Horlicks apke bache ko Stronger, Taller, Sharper banana ke lea clinically pranamit hai”

5. The ad finishes with all mothers with kids says – “Hum maa ko sab chahiye - everything”

Conclusion

This ad of Horlicks tells about there are various expectations of mothers from their child, and for

fulfilling all those a kid should get all the proper nutrients which they gets only from Horlicks.

Complan Page 14

Distribution Network of Complan

Distribution network of Complan is throughout the length and breadth of the

country.

Heinz and Complan have a colossal network in India. Heinz has a strong

distribution network which its major brands leverage for market penetration.

There are over 1600 Distributors reaching out to 4.5 lakh retailers across the

country.

The Distribution cycle is explained with the help of the flow chart below -

Complan Page 15

Pricing of Complan

Complan is available in different flavours in different package sizes with

different price points. Below are some of the most popular Complan flavours

and their packing sizes and the price points at which they are sold.

Complan is priced higher than other competitor because of its nutrients

content & there is no compromise on quality & price is given a second

thought when it comes to health.

COMPLAN

Weight (gm) FlavoursChocolate Plain Mango

200 68 55 75

500 140 120 150

1000 245 - -

Pricing of Horlicks

To enable consumer choose different flavours, Horlicks is now available in Chocolate, Vanilla,

Honey Buzz, in a new package. The price of Horlicks are mentioned below which is lesser than

that of Complan.

HORLICKS

Weight (gm) FlavoursElaichi Chocolate Honey Buzz Vanilla

200 57 57 - -

500 108 108 108 108

1000 199 - - -

Complan Page 16

Territory Pricing

There is no territory pricing done by Complan. This means the price of a Complan available for

Rs. In part is available in the same price in other parts of the country too.

E Commerce

Although all the information related to the brand is available on Heinz Company’s website, The

information such as flavors, nutrients contents, benefits, recipe, etc but you cannot purchase

Complan bottle from their website also not from any other third party website.

Marketing Mix of Complan

Marketing Mix - A mixture of several ideas and plans followed by a marketing representative to

promote a particular product or brand is called marketing mix. Several concepts and ideas

combined together to formulate final strategies helpful in making a brand popular amongst the

masses form marketing mix.

Elements of Marketing Mix

The elements of marketing mix are often called the four P’s of marketing.

Product

Goods manufactured by organizations for the end-users are called

products.

Products can be of two types - Tangible Product and Intangible Product

(Services)

An individual can see, touch and feel tangible products as compared to

intangible products.

A product in a market place is something which a seller sells to the

buyers in exchange of money.

Complan Page 17

Price

The money which a buyer pays for a product is called as price of the product. The price

of a product is indirectly proportional to its availability in the market. Lesser its

availability, more would be its price and vice a versa.

Retail stores which stock unique products (not available at any other store) quote a higher

price from the buyers.

Place

Place refers to the location where the products are available and can be sold or purchased.

Buyers can purchase products either from physical markets or from virtual markets. In a

physical market, buyers and sellers can physically meet and interact with each other

whereas in a virtual market buyers and sellers meet through internet.

Promotion

Promotion refers to the various strategies and ideas implemented by the marketers to

make the end - users aware of their brand. Promotion includes various techniques

employed to promote and make a brand popular amongst the masses.

Promotion can be through any of the following ways:

Advertising

o Print media, Television, radio are effective ways to entice customers

and make them aware of the brand’s existence.

o Billboards, hoardings, banners installed intelligently at strategic

locations like heavy traffic areas, crossings, railway stations, bus

stands attract the passing individuals towards a particular brand.

o Taglines also increase the recall value of the brand amongst the

customers.

Complan Page 18

Word of mouth

One satisfied customer brings ten more customers along with him whereas one dis-

satisfied customer takes away ten more customers. That’s the importance of word of

mouth. Positive word of mouth goes a long way in promoting brands amongst the

customers.

Product

What is Complan?

Complan is much more than a nutritious drink. It is a complete planned food in a deliciously

flavored drink. It is easy to prepare. Each cup of Complan contains a balanced combination of

all the 23 vital nutrients your body needs every day. It is therefore an ideal supplement for

those with special nutritional needs. Complan works when taken regularly every day. If you are

recovering from illness, a healthy, nourishing diet is more important than ever. You may not

feel up to proper meals but you still need all the nourishment you can get to speed you on your

road to recovery and Complan can provide it. Complan will give you all the nourishment of a

complete meal in a delicious, easy-to-prepare drink or healthy cereal. Just one serving is

equivalent to 250 calories – and it is fortified with 50% of the RDA of 11 essential vitamins,

25% of the RDA of vitamin A as well as 40% of the RDA of 6 minerals. In fact, Complan

provides half your daily allowance of vitamins C and E as well as being an important source of

iron and calcium. So, there’s no surprise Complan is recommended by doctors and healthcare

professionals all over India.

Complan Page 19

Vital 23 Nutrients

Approximate composition per 100gm. Energy value 429K cal.

Protein 20g

Fat 13g

Carbohydrate 58g

Calcium 800g

Phosphorous 780g

Sodium 400g

Chloride 500mg

Potassium 920mg

Iron 13.5mg

Iodine 110mg

Vitamin A 1060 I. U.

Vitamin D 150 I.U.

Vitamin E 3mg

Vitamin K 0.045mg

Vitamin B1 0.45mg

Vitamin B2 0.57mg

Complan Page 20

Vitamin B6 0.76mg

Vitamin B12 0.76mcg

Vitamin C 30mg

Niacin amide 6.0mg

Calcium Pantothenate 3mg

Chlorine 65mg

Folic Acid 75mcg

Ingredients:

Skimmed milk powder, sugar, and vegetable oil containing permitted antioxidants caramel,

beetroot juice powder, added flavors, minerals and vitamins.

PlaceComplan believes in more or less Direct Selling kind of distribution channel hence it does not

have many middle man like C&F Agents, Wholesalers, Stockiest etc. this help the company to

charge less to their customer and give them more or less personalize treatment. And the less no

of middlemen also helps to increase our profit margin.

Target Market:

Complan mainly target growing children because children need adequate and balanced

nutrition to help them achieve their maximum growth potential. Complan with 23 vital

nutrients in planned proportions is the ideal food supplement during these crucial years. Other

Complan Page 21

than children they also target other person like active people, which needs the extra

nourishment for traveling & sporting activities. Busy Executives, who now & then have to skip

their meal due to increase work load. Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers, because they

require nutrients during these vital periods.

Price

Complan is priced higher than other competitors because of its nutritional contents and there is

no compromise on the quality of the product and price is given a second thought when it comes

to health.

Complan Flavors

Weight(gm) Chocolate Plain Mango Chocolate (Jar)

200 68 55 60 75

500 140 120 - 150

1000 245 - - -

Promotion

Complan is a very old highly nutritional drink in Indian Market and may be one of the first in

this category. Hence it doesn’t require an aggressive kind of promotion techniques. Hence

complan is now concentrating on sponsorship of various sports related events and also

introducing various schemes such as window display scheme etc.

The various sports event it sponsored are: Complan Junior Squash Open 2011, sponsored by

Heinz India Private Limited. The Complan junior Open may be the highest junior prize money

tournament in India. The total value of price distributed was Rs. 2.25 lakhs. Heinz India has

launched the Complan Under-15 National Cricket Talent Search, in which a galaxy of former

India captains like Polly Umrigar, Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde, Hanumanth Singh, Bishen

Complan Page 22

Singh Bedi and former Australian captain Bob Simpson, are involved. Young under-15

schoolboys from all the five zones across the country ” North, South, East, West and Central

are being put through a rigorous regimen on the fundamentals of cricket.

Over all Analysis

Advantages

Complan contains the recommended daily dosage of many vitamins and

minerals.

There are several flavors available.

The website encourages users to lose weight at a healthy pace.

Disadvantages

There are ingredients in Complan that may actually cause weight gain if this

product is consumed too often.

This product is expensive when compared to similar products.

There are no user testimonials available on the website.

There is no satisfaction guarantee for Complan.

This product contains milk and milk products so those with lactose

intolerance should avoid this product.

Conclusion

Complan doesn't really stand out from the rest of the meal replacement shakes available today.

There is also no absolute evidence to prove that this product will work for everyone. The

combination of ingredients in this product do not address the essential elements for successful

weight loss so those who are seeking to lose weight may want to research other products that are

intended for weight loss. Users will need to assess their health and fitness goals and decide if

using Complan is right for them.

Recommendations

Complan Page 23

It is recommended to help support a healthy weight and not to help users

lose weight .

It can make its website interactive and more informative by involving user’s

testimonials.

It should increase its promotional activities.

Bibliography

Complan Page 24

References for this project is taken from following sources –

1. http://www.ranisworldfoods.com

2. http://mbatermpapers.com

3. http://www.heinz.co.in/complan/

4. Book – Philip Kotler

5. http://blogs.siliconindia.com/StrategicMind/

Consumer_Behavior_in_health_drink

6. http://www.financialexpress.com/news

7. http://www.youtube.com/

8. http://www.horlicksnutritionacademy.com/

Complan Page 25