Sosyo, a brand of Surat-based Hajoori & Sons presents an interesting example of comeback. Sosyo enjoyed customers in a niche market who liked its unique fruity taste. The brand was mainly limited to Western India with its presence in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Its presence, over five decades, made Sosyo the preferred brand by certain sections of society. It enjoyed strong brand loyalty and commitment not from all market segments but a selected few. Gujaratis particularly exhibited special preference.
With the arrival of the mighty Cola brands along with other non-Cola offerings, the pressures mounted on Sosyo. The intensity with which Cola players fought it out amongst themselves and the way consumers were attacked, drowned and lured, it appeared as if the life of a brand like Sosyo was over. Driven by this perception, the management decided to pull the brand out of the market. The brand presence was limited to online section for the brand.
The company, Hajoori & Sons, in order to make up for the loss of business, took up franchise of a soft drink company, which entered the market after Pepsi and Coke. But once the Cola war became bloodier, Cadbury Schweppes whose franchise the Sosyo owners had taken, began to feel the pinch. Its brands like Crush and Canada Dry were not doing all that well. The pressure to survive was intense. The competition which was hurting Cadbury Schweppes began to inflict wounds on Sosyo owners. The company was sandwiched between the
vanishing Sosyo brand whose following it appeared was declining on the one hand and pressured franchise business on the other.
The company was in a fix as to what to do to wriggle out of a difficult situation like this. One option was to completely abandon the Sosyo brand because it seemed to have lost its values and customer loyalty. The Cola blitzkrieg apparently signified drying up scope for a conventional brand like Sosyo. But quite contrary to what was visible, the company thought of brand resurrection. Sosyo had something unique about it. It symbolized something which a select section of the market preferred and longed for. The brand loyalty was not dead.
The result
Sosyo brand was relaunched in order to win back its customers who apparently had drifted away to other aerated drinks. The relaunch had wonderful results. The brand got immediately connected with ‘its customers’. Returning
to its roots paid off for Sosyo. The brand managed to re-establish its presence.
Also Read the interesting case study of Countering Competition: The Nirma Way
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