brand analysis of royal enfield

1 BRAND ANALYSIS OF ROYAL ENFIELD

BY: ASHISH JUDE MICHAEL (21012PGX105) , BALAKRISHNA P (2012PGX116), LIANZAL VAPHAI (2012PGX113), P.BRAHAMIAH ( 2012PGX118), SATYABRATA SAHOO (2012PGX127),VENKATESH RAO (2012PGX133)

I N D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F M A N A G E M E N T , S H I L L O N G

BRAND ANALYSIS OF ROYAL ENFIELD


Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all the people who were involved with this project and whose

support and encouragement helped us complete the project. Indeed working on this

project has been a truly enriching experience for us as a team.

We are extremely grateful to Professor R.Kamle for entrusting our group with this

huge responsibility. We wish to express a profound sense of gratitude to Professor

Kamle for his generous suggestions and valuable insights, without which this project

would not have been a success.

Last but not the least, we would like to thank all our team members who participated

and contributed towards the successful completion of this project.

Entire Group

Brand Analysis of Royal Enfield 3

Table Of Content

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Product Line

4. Change In Strategy After Year 2000

5. Communication & Distribution

6. Missing Communication

7. Brand Analysis of Iconic Brand

8. Conclusion & Recommendation

Executive Summary

Executive Summary


Executive Summary

The Research is aimed at the study of Royal Enfield Brand in Indian Markets – So far

how they have performed and suggestions for them to grab more market share and be

profitable. Every year, they have sold modest numbers but despite low numbers, they

continue to command a position of respect and awe in the Indian motorcycle market.

The objective of the study was to study the different product lines, marketing strategy

and Brand Management of Royal Enfield Bullets in Indian market.

1. Bullet riders are mostly Value-Expressive, with an internal locus of control

and a strong sense of independence.

2. The company has been cashing in on the iconic status it has and has done

little to reinforce its image amongst an exploding two-wheeler market.

3. The pricing of the motorcycle might also be looked upon as conservative.

Royal Enfield has for a while now targeted the youth market with lure of freedom.

However, they have done little to reinforce their position. Maybe advertising

campaigns targeted at the Value-expressive customer would enable the brand to reap

the benefits of its iconic position in a much more productive way. Also, most users

find it imperative for the company to improve its After Sales Service and Spares

availability.


Introduction

Indian automobile industry The automobile industry in India is the ninth largest in the world with an annual

production of over 2.3 million units in 2008. In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth

largest exporter of automobiles, behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

India’s automobile sector consists of the passenger cars and utility vehicles,

commercial vehicle, two wheelers and tractors segment. The total market size of the

auto sector in India is approximately Rs 540 billion and has been growing at around 8

percent per annum for the last few years. Since the last four to five years, the two

wheelers segment has driven the overall volume growth on account of the spurt in the

sales of motorcycles. However, lately the passenger cars and commercial vehicles

segment has also seen a good growth due to high discounts, lower financing rates and

a pickup in industrial activity respectively.

Major automobile manufacturers in India include Maruti Udyog Ltd., General Motors

India, Ford India Ltd., Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, Daewoo Motors India, Hero Honda

Motors, Hindustan Motors, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., Royal Enfield Motors, TVS

Motors and Swaraj Mazda Ltd.

With the economy growing at 9% per annum and increasing purchasing power there

has been a continuous increase in demand for automobiles. This, along with being the

second largest populated country, makes the automobile industry in India a very

promising one.

Indian two wheeler market

Ever since the old Lambretta scooter was replaced with the flurry of vibrant two

wheeler models, Indian two wheeler industry has seen a phenomenal change in the

way they perceive the Indian market. Two wheeler manufacturers are now competing

in an ever growing consumer market by bringing out new products and features. The


country has now grown into the second largest producer of two wheelers in the world.

Currently there are around 10 two-wheeler manufacturers in the country, and they are

Bajaj, Hero, Hero Honda, Honda, Mahindra/Kinetic, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, TVS, and

Yamaha.

There have been various reasons behind this growth. Because of poor public transport

system, the citizens found convenience in two wheelers. Added to this is the fact that

the average Indian still does not have the purchasing capacity for a more expensive,

four wheeler.

The Indian two wheeler industry can be divided into motorcycles, scooters and

mopeds. The consumer has changed his preference from mopeds to scooters and then

to motorcycles. The trends seen in the past few years include females increasingly

using two-wheelers for their personal commutation and various two wheeler

manufacturers designing vehicles specially to cater to needs of this segment. One of

the earliest revolutions in this industry was Kinetic’s introduction of the concept of

electronic/self-start and automatic gears which made two wheelers comfortable and

useable by women, when compared to old Bajaj Chetak advertisements which showed

middle aged females riding a Bajaj Chetak scooter. A recent trend in the industry has

been electric vehicles, which mostly leverage on their eco-friendliness and low

operating costs, but is still not accepted well due to the lack of reputation of the

manufacturers and lack of trust on technology, which is still being perceived in the

nascent stages, especially battery and inverters which prove to be very expensive

components. TVS recently leveraged this opportunity by launching a hybrid model of

their non geared scooter – TVS Scooty. The end of the last decade saw Bajaj taking a

radical decision to do away with the Scooter range and completely concentrate on

motorcycles, especially stating change in customers preference as the main reason.

The customers are left without a choice in most cases than to migrate from the

traditional scooters of the Indian family to the all youthful bikes that one’s son rides

to college.


Profile of the Organization

In 1893, the Enfield Manufacturing Company Ltd was registered to manufacture

bicycles by 1893, as Enfield Manufacturing Co. Ltd. By 1899, Enfield were

producing quadricycles [ with De Dion engines and experimenting with a heavy

bicycle frame fitted with a Minerva engine clamped to the front down tube. In 1912,

the Royal Enfield Model 180 sidecar combination was introduced with a 770 cc V-

twin JAP engine which was raced successfully.

Royal Enfield motorcycles made in England were being sold in India from 1949. In

1955, the Indian government looked for a suitable motorcycle for its police and army,

for patrolling the country's border. The Bullet was chosen as the most suitable bike

for the job. The Indian government ordered 800 350 cc model Bullets. In 1955,

the Redditch company partnered with Madras Motors in India to form 'Enfield India'

to assemble, under licence, the 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle

in Madras (now called Chennai). The first machines were assembled entirely from

components shipped from England.

Royal Enfield are the makers of the famous Bullet brand in India.

Established in 1955, Royal Enfield (India) is among the oldest

bike companies.. Bullet bikes are famous for their power, stability

and rugged looks. It started in India for the Indian Army 350cc

bikes were imported in kits from the UK and assembled in Chennai. After a few

years, on the insistence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the company started producing

the bikes in India and added the 500cc Bullet to its line. Within no time, Bullet

became popular in India.

Bullet became known for sheer power,

matchless stability, and rugged looks. It

looked tailor-made for Indian roads.

Motorcyclists in the country dreamt to


drive it. It was particularly a favorite of the Army and Police personnel.

In 1990, Royal Enfield ventured into collaboration with the Eicher Group, a leading

automotive group in India, in 1990, and merged with it in 1994. Apart from bikes,

Eicher Group is involved in the production and sales of Tractors, Commercial

Vehicles, and Automotive Gears.

Royal Enfield made continuously incorporating new technology and systems in its

bikes. In 1996, when the Government of India imposed stringent norms for emission,

Royal Enfield was the first motorcycle manufacturer to comply. It was among the few

companies in India to obtain the WVTA (Whole Vehicle Type Approval) for meeting

the European Community norms. Today, Royal Enfield is considered the oldest

motorcycle model in the world,spanning 3 centuries and still in production and Bullet

is the longest production run model.

The company is marching on with its tagline- "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet"

Profile of the Products

Royal Enfield Bullet 350

One can be a part of classical prominence by

having a ride on Royal Enfield Bullet 350, a

macho bike which is stylish as well. The brawny

is laden with plenty of attention grabbing

features like traditional designing, astonishing

power of 18 bhp from air cooled, 4 stroke

engine, large wheels, and better sitting for

superior riding. This has been the classical offering from Royal Enfield and the

engineering and the design has remained unchanged over the years. It has remained

the flagship product with the other products being perceived more as derivatives of

this motorcycle rather than standalone products.

Royal Enfield


Bullet 500 (Cast Iron)

Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is a classic bike having vintage styling. The bike has hand-

painted pin stripes, a 4-speed transmission, double leading shoe front brake and was

touted as the powerhouse model with a whopping 27 bhp output. While the bike

looked mostly similar to the Standard 350cc offering, its bigger engine made it a more

potent vehicle to have on long rides.

Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 4S

Royal Enfield motorcycles were renowned for having problems starting because of

their CB Point Ignition systems. In an attempt to break this negative image, the

company came up with Electra. Electra was in effect a Standard 350cc but had a CDI

Ignition system.

This paved the way for the newer bikes from Royal Enfield which now have Digital

TCI as a a part of the standard package.

Royal Enfield Lightning 535

Looking for an image makeover back in 2001, Enfield came up with Lightning. It was

a Limited Edition 535cc motorcycle. The

single-cylinder, air-cooled 535cc engine was

the largest SCAC engine for any motorcycle

in the world. The bike received limited

acceptance amongst users and was

discontinued after 2006 but it succeeded in

rebuilding the power-bike image of Royal Enfield amongst the enthusiasts.

Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 5S

With Electra 4S receiving quite a lot of

acceptance, Royal Enfield decided to add

a few

more


features to align themselves with the more contemporary manufacturers. From a right-

hand side 4-speed gear shift, they moved to a left-hand side 5-speed gear shift. Disc

brakes also made an entry, with the 280mm disc being the largest in the country. This

has been one of the most successful models from Royal Enfield and was to a large

extent responsible for the revival of the brand during the turn of the millennium.

Royal Enfield Bullet Machismo

Machismo is Royal Enfield’s “chrome monster”. Resplendent with chrome, they are

available in both 350cc and 500cc variants. They were the first bikes to have the now

legendary Lean Burn AVL Engines. These were the result of Royal Enfield’s

collaboration with an Austrian Engine manufacturer, AVL.

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Bike

Royal Enfield Thunderbird is a powerful bike

which for the first time broke off from the ‘Bullet’

look. They were modeled similar to the cruisers

available worldwide and were positioned as a

tourer’s choice. It has developed into a strong

marquee itself and continues to remain a brand

name despite engineering changes that went into it. It started as a 350cc AVL Single-

Spark Engine. Today the Thunderbird Twinspark is a 350cc Unit Construction Twin-

spark Engine with about 20 bhp output.

Royal Enfield Classic

In 2008, Royal Enfield unveiled its latest offerings – the Classic 350 and the Classic

500.Styled in the vintage 50’s look, they came with

18 inch tyres, Unit Construction engines and the look

and feel of a vintage. Priced at 1.3 lakhs and 1.7 lakhs

respectively, the 350cc and the 500cc variants are

slowly gaining popularity amongst users for the lower

ride height, the greater power and above all, the

vintage feel of the bike.


Change in Strategy after Year 2000: Marketing Mix:

Product: Product which is the ruff & tuff all terrain motorcycle. It has been upgraded

with technology such as EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) for better response, heavy

cast iron diesel engine of the earlier model has been replaced by a lighter but equally

power full single cylinder four strike petrol engine which is made from aluminum.

The gears have removed from the right side to left side to need general standards. But

it was ensured that the “VINTAGE” and “Macho” appeal of the bike is not damaged.

Place:

The market of Royal Enfield can be divided basically into two segments:

1. Metropolitans: Teir 1 &Teir 2 Cities.

2. Small Cities: Teir 3 &DH (District Headquarters)

But in both the market it commands premium position.Hence the showrooms must be

opened in the prime locations of the cities irrespective of metropolitans or small

cities.

Promotion:

It is promoted in MENs magazines, Adventure magazines, local print media,

adventure trips ie. Himalayan Odyssey and Fan Clubs.

Price:

It is premium product hence demands a premium price.

Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning (STP)

Segmentation: It is segmented as a leisure and adventure curser bike. Though in Tier

3 & DH market it is associated with the social/status symbol.

Targeting:It is targeting Bikers in the age group of 25-45 years of age, they are

working executives as in the case of Tier 1 & 2 Cities and young, rich & powerful in

terms of Teir 3 & DH.


Positioning:In Tier 1 & 2 cities it is positioned as a leisurely, adventure, curser bike.

But in Tier 3 & DH it is a bike which shows your social status is a symbol of your

power in society.

Communication and distribution • India’s first cult bike.

• Its an iconic brand to stay true to character and be proud of what is represents.

• Customers are value expressive, sense of independent

• Campaigns – use cinema, print media

• Leave Home campaign - Thunderbird

• Exhibitions – Photography

• The art of Motor cycling 2010.

• Sponsors trips/events

• Mark rides, Member rides through out the year

• Organizes “Himalayan Odyssey”

• Publications – The beat, coffee table book etc.

• Forums, clubs, events

• No proper service channel structure

• Limited number of Royal Enfield zones

• Established the field quality RAF

• New company owned showroom

• After sales service is problem.

• Dealerships and expansion

The Missing Communication


If we observe through the Ad word the first Ad of Bullet in year around 1960 shows

bullet as “SHAAN KI SAWARI” , which hits the bulls eye of showcasing it as a

premium product and associated with pride of the owner.

Then we can see the strategy to attract the youth, when Bullet was shown in Sholey

with Jai &Veeru driving it in the famous song “YEH DOSTI HUM NAI

CHORENGE” this gave a boost to brand equity of Royal Enfield. It was the 1970 and

it included the youth in the market base of bullet.

The 1980s saw the entrance of Yamaha & Hero Honda. Yamaha was having

excellent pick up and Hero Honda had excellent mileage. The problem started when

Royal Enfield wrongly identified them as its competitors and started to compete with

them. They shifted their focus from the present loyal customers to the mass & much

younger generation. Their “Bullet- Machismo” Ad clearly shows the confusion in

their strategy. First time in the history a lady model was used, bullets was never

shown as a tool to impress girls. They had shown the impossible stunts which are

impossible with a bike like Bullet. Bullet was for “Joy of Riding”

,”Adventure”,”Shaan”. Thus the phase from 1990 to 2000 can be called a dark phase

and it nearly killed the “Royal Enfield” brand. Even the new masters of “Royal

Enfield” who acquired them in 1994 were planning to shut down the Brand.

But things change a young man who was a die hard fan of Royal Enfield Mr. Lal took

charge of “Royal Enfield” he upgraded the bikes with modern technology but

keeping intact the “Vintage” and “Macho” attributes of Brand. He promoted Fan

Clubs, increased visibility through accessories, Organized events like “Himalayan

Odyssey” and launched the Ad campaign in 2004 “JAB BULLET CHALE TU

DUNIYA RASTA DE”. He re-launched the Bullet “Classic” series. And all this

revived the brand “Royal Enfield”.

Still there are some issues, which Royal Enfield has to solve but never the less it

seems they are on the right track.

The brand Analysis of Iconic Royal Enfield

The year 2000 could have been decisive. That was when the board of directors

at Eicher Motors decided to either shut down or sell off Royal Enfield - the company's


Chennai-based motorcycle division, which manufactured the iconic Bullet

motorbikes. For all its reputation, the sales of the bike was down to 2,000 units a

month against the plant's installed capacity of 6,000; losses had been mounting for

years. Though the bikes had diehard followers, there were also frequent complaints

about them - of engine seizures, snapping of the accelerator or clutch cables, electrical

failures and oil leakages. Many found them too heavy, difficult to maintain, with the

gear lever inconveniently positioned and a daunting kick-start.

Just one person stood up to the board, insisting Royal Enfield should get

another chance. He was Siddhartha Lal, a third generation member of the Delhi-based

Lal family, promoters of the Eicher group of companies. Lal, then 26, was an

unabashed Bullet fan: he even rode a redcoloured Bullet while leading the baraat

(procession) to his wedding venue, instead of the traditional horse.Lal felt Royal

Enfield could still be saved. The bike had its reputation, a cult following, an instantly

recognisable build, and aspirational value. Changes had to be made to keep up with

the times and make the bike more acceptable, and therein lay the problem. Royal

Enfield fans liked the bikes exactly the way they had always been

Retaining the bikes' rugged looks was a given, including the build, the design

of the head lamp and the petrol tank. But should the gears be shifted close to the

rider's left foot - as in most bikes - or retained on the right side? The question gave

Lal and his team many sleepless nights, since long time users were dead opposed to

the change. The engine was another thorny question. The old cast iron engine was a

relic of the past. Its separate gear box and oil sump design made it prone to oil leaks

and it seized up very often. Its ability to meet increasingly strict emission norms was

also suspect. A modern aluminium engine would eliminate these problems, but it

would lack the old engine's pronounced vibrations and beat - which Royal Enfield

customers loved. Laws of physics made it impossible to replicate these with the new

engine.

But the new engine, unlike the old, had hydraulic tappets, a new engine

arrangement, new metal and fewer moving parts. Obviously, it did not produce the

vibrations and the beat of the old, but international experts were consulted and sound


mapping carried outfor over 1,000 hours to ensure it produced the maximum rhythmic

vibrations possible and a beat, which was 70 per cent of the amplitude of the original.

The new engine had 30 per cent fewer parts and produced 30 per cent more

power than the old, with better fuel efficiency. By 2010, all Royal Enfield models had

begun to use the new engine. Two other problems needed to be addressed: the quality

of some of the components Royal Enfield bikes were using, and the sales experience.

To tackle the first, shop floor processes were fine-tuned, while suppliers were

exhorted to improve quality levels. Royal Enfield also embarked on a large scale

internal exercise to tone up performance.

Today, Royal Enfield's problems are of a different kind. How should it scale

up without diluting brand equity? It also faces challenges from iconic global brands

such as Harley-Davidson which has entered the Indian market. With other options

available, will its customers continue to sit out the six-month period it takes to

provide deliveries?

The questions before Royal Enfield now: what is the pen profile of its

prospective buyer? How is this pen profile different for different offerings of Royal

Enfield? For instance, Bajaj says while its 'Pulsar' is an India bike (urban), its Boxer is

a 'Bharat' bike (rural). In this sense the buyers for each of the company's offerings

must be clear. Also will the niche that appealed yesterday, appeal today? What should

Royal Enfield do to get today's aspirers on board? What are the volumes it hopes for

in this niche? How to stay profitable there? These will be the questions for tomorrow.

In order to augment the production for growing market demand, your

company has acquired 50 acres of land for construction of its new manufacturing

facility at Oragadam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This will enhance Royal Enfield’s annual

production capacity to 150,000 units. The new facility is expected to commence

production in first half of 20131.

The Company is strenuously working to ensure that the opportunities are

converted into profitable growth. A critical element in this strategy is to continually

expand the customer offering. At the 2012 Auto Expo, Royal Enfield previewed - its


new motorcycle—Thunderbird 500. It is fitted with UCE (Unit Construction Engine)

and a host of design enhancements. - its all-new Café Racer model which will

launched in 2013 - a range of purpose built motorcycle gear. The collection included

biker apparel, bike and riding accessories.

Every year, the Company conducts a study to develop a comprehensive 360°

view on the opportunities, risks and threats to the business. These include areas such

as markettrends, new competition, changing customer preferences, disruptions in

supplies, product development, talent management etc.

The Company has robust ERP systems based on SAP platform. This ensures

high degree of systems based checks and control.

The Royal Enfield unit was able to produce and sell 42% more motorcycles in

2011 as compared to 2010. Total sales volume of Royal Enfield in 2011 was 74626

motorcycles as compared to 52576 in 2010. Total income for the year was 6,709.5

MINR, 51.6% growth over previous year1.

Even during 2008 recession, when auto sector was severely damaged, Royal Enfield

Bullets had very good performance in terms of sales. It can be seen from the below

bar graph

Conclusion and Recommendations The conclusion is


1. The buying behavior is governed predominantly by the need for Power and

respect for the iconic Brand.

2. The internal locus of control is by and large dependent on the Sense of Control

the motorcycle offers and also on the Sense of Freedom that users associate

with it.

3. Users are mostly Professional Males, 25-45 years of age, including some

students.

4. Users’ display mostly Value-Expressive behavior and Ego-defensive behavior

is not seen amongst responses.

5. People who choose not to buy Bullets do so because of high price,

maintenance and spares hassles and also because some feel they are not built

for it.

6. Advertisements are rarely recalled and are highly ineffective amongst non-

Bullet riders.

7. Bullets are perceived as low on cost-effectiveness, but high on ride comfort

and reliability.

The Recommendations are

1- Improved Sales and Service Network by Franchise or dealership on Profit

Sharing Basis

Royal Enfield doesn’t have a very good sales and service network. Marketing

the product is not limited to sales only. There should be extensive network of

service centers so that customers have a very good bullet experience The

customer should get the service network similar to that of Maruti –Suzuki.

Also a helpline number should be launched, and on calling this, customers can

avail of service even in some remote localities

2. Marketing Communication should focus on satisfying the needs for Respect,

Power and Comfort.

3. A non-flamboyant well-built brand ambassador may be chosen to represent

the Brand. John Abraham was choosen as Brand ambassador for 1 yr but some

macho personality like- Sanjay Dutt or Akshya Kumar should be chosen to


give a young and adventurous personality to the brand. They should display

bullet in some action movie, as it was shown in Sholay to attract the young

towards it.

4. RE should tie up with adventurous students or corporate executives and

arrange adventurous trips on weekends to locations- like Cherapunji, lonaval

etc. brand Amabsaddor should join them occasionally to promote the event.

Television Commercial spots are more remembered than Print Advertisements

even when they are over 6 years old. So users should be given the chance to

video shoot their trips and share with other TV viewers. Lucky users should be

offered a chance to meet the Brand executive on next trip

5. They should tie-up with adventurous brands like Thumps Up or Mountain dew

to give a complete revamp of branding.

6. The RE Apparels available on their exclusive stores should be made available

in college counters to make them available to the young students. It will create

awareness among youth and more of them will feel proud using the apparels

like- bag, jacket, boots etc

7. They can plan to export RE to other developing economies like- Brazil, China

and Russia to capture the market there

Royal Enfield should concentrate on building around the iconic status it already

enjoys if it plans to attract customers migrating to other manufacturers.

brand analysis of royal enfield

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