Case Study

Fevicol – The Iconic Bond

• This direct marketing initiative was one of the most successful strategies employed by the company
and helped the brand gain a strong foothold in the white glue market.
• Fevicol introduced Fevicol Furniture Books called “Fevicraft”which showcased furniture designs with
illustrations and measurements. These books helped enlighten the carpenters on new styles and
trends in the furniture market, apart from building awareness for the brand.
• The company conducted training and activities for carpenters throughout the year to train them about
the product and provided them with an opportunity to interact with the fraternity.
• The Fevicol Champion’s Club (FCC) was another initiative introduced by the company.
It served as a platform for carpenters to increase their social contacts and be part of a social network.
• The company went a step further by sponsoring activities to build relations with the families of the
carpenters.

This enabled the company’s sales force to continuously build their relationships
locally with the carpenters.
Q.2 What steps did Fevicol take to build brand equity?

• The company focused on core benefit. They offered the best product formulation for furniture
adhesives application. This approach started building confidence among the
users, and gradually fevicol became the benchmark for the “Best Adhesive”.
• The company opted for market/trade friendly policies. The customers related to the brand as their
own.
• Fevicol connected people with humour–it’s advertising campaign used intelligent humour to convey
the message.They used catch phrases in their TV ads like "Dumlaga kar haisya, zor laga kar haisya";
"Fevicol ka majboot jodh hai, tootega nahi" and"Pakade rehna, chhodana nahi" which are also used in
day-to-day conversation. It helped the viewers to connect with the brand and the impact was long
lasting. Fevicoland the other brands from Pidilite have received more than their share of space in the
media as well.
• Their print ads very equally humours and catchy.
• Pidilite spent between Rs 10 crore and Rs 15 crore on advertising Fevicol which is not really a mass
consumer product. The primary target consumers for the brand are interior decorators, carpenters,
dealers and architects who can certainly be reached through more prudent ways. But they believed
that besides the carpenters and architects, it is essential to talk to the household owners who influence
the decision on purchase of adhesives. Also, Fevicol and its brand extensions such as Feviquik,Fevistic,
Fevitite are being used in schools, offices, households segments.
Q.3 Analyse the CRM strategy adopted by the organization?

• The Fevicol Champion’s Club (FCC) was a unique initiative started in 2002. It offered
craftsmen and contractors an opportunity to interact with their fraternity leading to both professional
and social growth.
• They organized a lot of events like–Pilgrimages, Workshops, Competitions where the contractors and their
families participated.
• Most promising events that the conduct every year is the “Shramdaan Divas” – the participants donated a
day of their labour towards repair work of facilities used by the under privileged and needy.
• They also celebrate “Vishwakarma Day” which helped them build a trust among the labour workers.
• The trust and respect that the brand enjoyed was strengthen by these activities.
Q.4 What market strategies can Fevicol adopt against competition?

Fevicol has almost 70% market share in this segment–almost a monopoly. Fevicol has competitors like
JACPL , Asian Paints, etc. Fevicol has a very loyal customer base and only very
price sensitive customers shift to any other brand. Till now Fevicol’s brilliant advertisements and CRM
activities has created a very strong presence for it’s brand. Here are some marketing
strategies that Fevicol could adopt :

• Offering discount for more volume so that even price sensitive customers can buy
fevicol and it’ll somehow push the sales as well.
• Educating people about the superior quality of fevicol even more than earlier.
• To target the direct consumer sales by adopting better packaging and ease of use.
• Adding new products to the portfolio to which the end consumer can relate.
Q.5 Analyse the marketing communication mix adopted by Fevicol, and was it successful?

• The "Dam laga Ice haisha" (put all your might into it) television commercial. The brand advertised
heavily during the cricket world cup and IPL season. The brand exposure increased hugely due to the
viewership.
• The Bollywood movie, "Dabangg had a dance number starring two very famous actorsthat dramatically
emphasized the strength of the Fevicol bond.
• In 2009, Pidilite Industries and O&M got together to celebrate 50 years of adhesives brand, Fevicol.
This culminated in a film entitled "Moochwali". A young girl performed male role in a play, wearing a
moustache stuck on with a dab of Fevicol. It never came off. She grew with it, lived with it, and died
with it. She even reincarnated with it and the nation of a billion-plus loved it. It was an irreverent,
smart, and funny advertising that one would not necessarily associate with a BB (or business to
trade,at best) advertising until two or three decades ago. It is what we today call the“Fevicolkind of
advertising”.
• The brand's film involving the overcrowded open bus is a pride of India relates to everyday life of the
common man. The advertising campaigns whether in film or in print emphasize focus on the strength
of the adhesive by a metaphorical representation.
• For Fevicol Marine, the campaign was so devised that it would communicate thestrength of the
adhesive even when immersed in water for longer periods of time.Wahi mazboot jod, paani mein bhi"
(the same bonding strength is also possible under water) was the tagline.
• Fevicol won the Silver E.MVIE in the Best Ambient Media in 2013-14 category for an innovative free
store activation at a city mall in Mumbai wherein 87 wooden items of all shapes and sizes were on
display. Visitors were offered the opportunity to pull off any of these items and walk away with it.
However, none of the wooden items could be removed, thereby reinforcing Fevicol as the ultimate and
most reliable glue.
• Another publicity event was when Fevicol participated in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in
2013, where a group of people wearing the Fevicol branded shirts were doing a "standing run", which
is running on the same spot as if they were glued to the place. This funny behaviour at a marathon
attracted huge attention from all the participants and the media coverage created quite a stir in the
press.
• The company believes that talent and excellence are paramount and both should be rewarded and
recognized. A Pidilite Knowledge Series was initiated where leading architects and interior designers
participated and shared their know-edge and experiences with each other. This lead to
building stronger customer relationships not only amongst contractors but also amongst
interior designers and architects.
• Fevicol Design Ideas was launched on the digital platform in 2013 with a new website and a mobile
application. This website connected home-owners to professionals like interior designers and
contractors. There are 10,000 interior designers and 15,000contractors on the website and show-cases
approximately 50,000 design ideas.

So, these activities helped Fevicol to create brand awareness and interact with the customers in a very
healthy way such that they could remember the brand.
Thank You