bira 91 " looks like we have got a monkey in the market "

October 13, 2017

bira 91 " looks like we have got a monkey in the market "

Just chill bro have a beer...

That is what Mr. Ankur Jain is saying to all beer brands in India

A company found by Mr. Jain whose first venture as an entrepreneur was in healthcare is an irony in the face of a monkey.

Initially, in India, around 85% of the beer market was dominated by strong beers (more than 8% alcohol content) such as Kingfisher, Kalyani Black Label, Carlsberg Elephant, Budweiser Magnum and Miller ACE, according to the All India Brewers' Association (AIBA).

Kingfisher, owned by United Breweries, leads the market with a 37.2% share in 2016 in terms of total volume, down from 41.5% in 2011, according to market research firm Euro-monitor International. Technavio, a research firm, estimated India’s beer market to reach $9.03 billion in 2018 from around $4 billion in 2014.

But the mystery remains how this brand in its few years of existence has done so well?

The answers is the “GAP”

The gap in the market for a trendy, unorthodox, fun and smart brand of beer that could be positioned between Indian brands and the expensive imported beers. The focus was on taste and experience in a market that is dominated by strong beers. In almost every country.

The Branding and the design

The brand has a fun, slightly quirky imagery that resonates with the audiences.

The beer was never advertised like this before. it had the sense of desiness and coolness about it.

Well, it all starts with the brand and the vision behind the brand.

The brand was introduced in the India with a target audience in a craft beer for the youth.

The logo of Bira 91 is a reverse B, which Jain says shows “a spirit of rebellion against the conventional”.

Packaging and design has also played a very important role in the overall success Bira 91 (the number stands for India’s country code) the mascot is a monkey because most of us have a monkey inside us.

Bira 91 was "Imagined in India"

Packaging and design have also played a very important role in the overall success.

The packaging of 330 ml bottles and 500 ml cans only rather than a traditional 620 ml has helped create an image of a youth beer.

Taste

Taste also played a major role in the success of the brand globally.

The beer came in medium bitterness and low bitterness then it introduced high bitterness. The taste is on the sweeter side which is a distinct taste of the beer than any other in the market right now thus easily adaptable and fun to drink.

The Marketing

Marketing was not what it needed when it started As Jain puts it, all it needed was right placements When he started, Jain just made Bira available at pubs and restaurants. “People tasted it, liked it and it had gone viral,” he said.

People loved bira and much like love u can’t explain why it happened.

The bars and restaurant started to promote as it attracted the youth

The youth started posting snaps and stories with bira.

People wanted to try the brand. This was almost too much for the company to handle and it ran out of stock also the problem grew further as the arrangement with its sole bottler in Haryana fell through.

This indeed help the company’s image in some way, It helped maintain that buzz and hype in the market. The pubs and bars that had the beer in stock promoted the beer as it became exclusive.

This helped the company tremendously. The supply chain problem became a blessing in disguise.

Inspired by coke studio B9 Beverages, which recently teamed up with music streaming app Saavn in India, is working on a plan to create a platform for local artists.

At present, the company spends about 30-35% of its revenue in marketing, which Jain said would eventually come down to around 25%.