MAM
GUEST COLUMN: Brand Positioning in FMCG sector is more than just good packaging, logos
Mumbai: The FMCG sector happens to be one of the toughest and volatile categories to succeed, often regarded as modern branding’s birthplace. The FMCG market in India was valued at $110 billion in 2020. The overall market size of FMCG had nearly tripled as compared to 2012. Furthermore, by 2025, the market is expected to grow to 220 billion dollars.
There are numerous brands in India catering their products to millions of people across the country and generating immense capital. However, to become recognised as a household brand, it takes a lot more than just good packaging and ‘nice’ logos. Brand positioning needs synchronised efforts of different moving parts to create a perception in the marketplace that drives the business forward.
What is Brand Positioning?
Brand positioning in simple words can be defined as the place a brand wants to own in the target audience’s mind. It’s about identifying, exploring and refining the distinctiveness of a brand through an effective positioning strategy. The most important aspect of positioning the brand is that it allows a company to be distinct from its competitors which helps communicate value, increase brand awareness and justify the pricing. All these factors impact the bottom line in a significant way.
Strategies that Act as Allies to Brand Positioning Efforts
Successful brands incorporate different strategies to create authentic customer experiences around their products. These brands provide their target audiences with a compelling reason to buy through effective communication and reaching out to them. While deciding to position the brand in the marketplace, there are certain strategies that can be adopted to stay ahead in the race and drive towards increasing consumer engagement.
Creating Brand Loyalty
At the heart of every successful FMCG company lies returning customers. This is especially true for the FMCG segment where products are usually consumed frequently and quickly. For long-term success, brand loyalty is critical that helps ensure consumers become tunnel-visioned concerning a brand. To drive brand loyalty, many companies make the mistake of competing alone on price. It is important to understand that consumers aren’t just looking for the cheapest products. Typically, they look for the right blend of value and quality. Value is not only about price but involves a complex mix of the brand promise, brand culture, brand values, corporate social responsibility, customer experience, etc. that all add up to enhance the perceived brand value.
Aligning with the Needs of the Target Audience
While this may sound odd but to become a household brand, it is desirable to be appealing to the right target audience instead of a broader audience. Apart from knowing the market, competitors, the sector’s environment intimately and understanding what the ideal customer wants, it is also essential to know how the offering can enhance their lives. It’s only when there is a proper understanding of the consumer needs, loves, hates and aspirations that companies can craft a focused and concise brand message that cuts through the noise. In the present age, customers are bombarded with messages from multiple channels throughout the day. The challenge is to put forward the right message, on target to grab their attention, at the right time and then, most importantly, to hold that attention. Companies can develop a customer avatar that they can use to underpin their brand’s proposition and profile. The brand should indicate why and how it’ll meet the consumer needs and that it understands what really matters for the audience.
Evolving with Time
The FMCG market is undergoing constant evolvement and brands need to be flexible to be at par with the changing times. Successful brands quickly recognize trends and act on them with shifts in strategy that helps them to stay relevant and meet market requirements over the years. With increasing digital media consumption, the evolution of business models and proliferation in internet connectivity, FMCG companies have vast opportunities to create value by leveraging digital media across the value chain to drive the effectiveness of operations and efficiency. However, there is a thin line between incorporating new trends and staying relevant versus losing sight of what the brand stands for. Instead of ‘muddying the waters’ with an excessive range of confusing brand messages, brands must always remain true to the core of what they stand for.
(Dawinder Pal is head of marketing at Bikano. The views expressed in this column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
