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 brands 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 childrens nutrition in India. Im a Complan Boy, Im 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 Heinzs commitment to
quality and leadership, Complan has evolved into Indias premium health beverage
for growing children. It has now come to stand for the Gold Standard of Nutrition
(Source: Pathfinders Track -Kolkata). The brands 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

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 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 mothers love in its advertising

Also it claims to increase the height of the children.

Complan

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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 companys 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 mans
source of nutrition. This positioning did not bring much success.

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 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 mans 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,
natures 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.

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 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

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PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE

Complan

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 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 mans
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.

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 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

Relative Market Share

S
B
C
G

Hig
h

M
a
t
r
i
x

Lo
w

High

Complan

Low

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M
ar
k
et
gr
o
w
th
ra
te

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.

The Dogs:
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.

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Features Comparison
Product Features

Benefits- Horlicks

Benefits Complan

Proteins

Helps growth & development,

Rapid growth & development

aid tissue repair

of body

Provides energy

Provides

Fats & Carbohydrates

energy

&

mental

alertness
Sodium & Chloride

Electrolytes

Maintenance of water level in

body

Vitamin

D,

Calcium,

Bones growth & maintenance

Strong healthy bones & teeth

Support

Keeps

Phosphorous
Vitamin B12, Iron, Iodine

Vitamin A/C/E, Zinc

mental

&

physical

mentally

sharp

&

development

physically alert

Healthy Immune system

Develops body resistance to

fight resistance

Vitamin B11, Niacin

Helps release of energy

from food, healthy heart
& nervous system

Vitamin K

NA

NA
Helps if blood clotting to
stop bleeding

Communication Strategy
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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?

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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

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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
Horlicks apke
banana ke lea

dietician comes and says Sirf

bache ko Stronger, Taller, Sharper
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.

Distribution Network of Complan

Distribution network of Complan is throughout the length and breadth of the
country.
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 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 -

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.
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 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)

Flavours
Chocolate

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)

Flavours
Elaichi

Chocolate

Honey Buzz

Vanilla

200

57

57

500
1000

108
199

108
-

108
-

108
-

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
Complan

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Although all the information related to the brand is available on Heinz Companys 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 Ps 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.

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.
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 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 brands 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.

Word of mouth
One satisfied customer brings ten more customers along with him whereas one dissatisfied customer takes away ten more customers. Thats the importance of word of
mouth. Positive word of mouth goes a long way in promoting brands amongst the
customers.

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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, theres no surprise Complan is recommended by doctors and healthcare
professionals all over India.

Vital 23 Nutrients

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

Protein
Fat
Carbohydrate
Calcium
Phosphorous
Sodium
Chloride
Potassium
Iron
Iodine
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Niacin amide
Calcium Pantothenate
Chlorine
Folic Acid

20g
13g
58g
800g
780g
400g
500mg
920mg
13.5mg
110mg
1060 I. U.
150 I.U.
3mg
0.045mg
0.45mg
0.57mg
0.76mg
0.76mcg
30mg
6.0mg
3mg
65mg
75mcg

Ingredients:
Skimmed milk powder, sugar, and vegetable oil containing permitted antioxidants caramel,
beetroot juice powder, added flavors, minerals and vitamins.

Place
Complan

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Complan 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
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
Weight(gm)
Complan

Chocolate

Plain
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Flavors
Mango

Chocolate (Jar)

200
500
1000

68
140
245

55
120
-

60
-

75
150
-

Promotion
Complan is a very old highly nutritional drink in Indian Market and may be one of the first in
this category. Hence it doesnt 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
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.

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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

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 users
testimonials.
It should increase its promotional activities.

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Bibliography
References for this project is taken from following sources

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

http://www.ranisworldfoods.com
http://mbatermpapers.com
http://www.heinz.co.in/complan/
Book Philip Kotler
http://blogs.siliconindia.com/StrategicMind/Consumer_Behavior

_in_health_drink
6. http://www.fi nancialexpress.com/news
7. http://www.youtube.com/
8. http://www.horlicksnutritionacademy.com/

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Complan

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