Thread by @parsh_kothari

It was 1851. You go to a shop and ask for Bisleri.

They hand over an 'ALCOHOL REMEDY DRINK'.

Yup, that's Bisleri, in 1851.

A couple of centuries and a couple of smart men later, even Camels Prefer Bisleri water.

Here's the story behind the iconic Bisleri Brand:

It was 1851.

Felice Bisleri started selling some alcohol remedy drinks with his brand Bisleri.

But, after his death in 1921, his family doctor, Dr. Rossi, took over the company.

Later, in 1965, he and his friend Khushroo Suntook somehow got a brilliant idea - to sell WATER.

They were tired of the poor quality of water selling in Mumbai.

For the lower classes, it was OK. But for the rich and the foreigners(like them) it was a HUGE problem.

So they ditched the old Bisleri, started a water plant in Mumbai's Thane, and entered the Indian market.

But looks like their leadership didn't work.

They wanted to exit India in just 4 years,

Grabbing this opportunity, Parle's 'Chauhan Brothers' got the firm in 1969 for ₹4 Lakh.

And they made this purchase worth it.

Using their processing plant, and spending on advertising, they got a firm hold over India's water-bottle market.

But a problem still remained.

You see, Bisleri sold water as a premium product, only available in 5-star hotels and restaurants.

Which was strange for a country with >44% poverty rate.

But as soon as Ramesh Chauhan (his son) got control over Bisleri, he changed it all.

He wanted Bisleri to be for ALL, not just the rich.

So - he employed 2 strategies:

1 - From Glass to PET.
2 - The ₹5 Masterstroke.

1/ From Glass to PET.

Glass is expensive. To sell water in it is even more expensive.

To make the bottle cheaper,

Ramesh gradually changed the bottle from Glass to PVC, and finally to PET (what we see today) in the mid-80s.

This ensured they could make the bottle for cheap.

Cause, after all, India is a price-sensitive market. Every rupee counts here.

And, with a transparent bottle, you could show the customer just how 'sparkling' your water is.

Still, the real change happened after the:

2/ ₹5 Masterstroke.

In 1995, they launched the iconic 500ml ₹5 bottle.

This little change helped them achieve a mind-boggling 400% growth, and a 40% market share in the country.

Why?

There are 3 reasons why sales boomed after this

1. Its low cost made it affordable for tourists (both Indian and foreigners).
2. Its small size ensured PORTABILITY.
3. And made it easy to not waste water. FYI, Indians dislike wasting anything. (hence, 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘢𝘥)

And, it was CLEAN and SAFE!

Or else, how can you justify selling something available everywhere, but now with a ₹5 price tag on it?

But engraving the message that their water was safe and clean wasn't easy.

They had to spend $MILLIONS on campaigns to market this.

But as they were growing, problems were growing too.

Bilseri. Brisleri. Biseri.

I know you skimmed that text, read it again.

Such lookalikes, competition by Coca-Cola, and Pepsi gave a tough fight.

So how can you differentiate yourself in selling something generic like WATER?

It was all boiled down to - the customer's choice.

To ensure customers ONLY choose Bisleri,

They first changed their colour from blue to green. (in 2006)

And, later, launched the BEST ad campaign:

"Har Paani Ka Bottle Bisleri Nhi Hota" (2018)

They portrayed a camel being fed water. He rejects other bottles and only chooses Bisleri.

This line is my favourite - "I'm a Camel. Not a Donkey."

This campaign used humor, and the customer's EGO in the perfect manner through this line.

And the shopkeepers who mis-sold water

when a customer asked for Bisleri, were now confronted with demands for JUST Bisleri.

We can see its effects even today, where sometimes people don't ask for water, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪.

So that's how Bisleri was launched. And how it grew so big.

So what other reason do you think contributed to their success?

Let me know down below,

and until the next time -

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