We worked consistently with our communication activities and have always tried to be innovative.

Manish Saini

Managing Director, Birla TMT Steel

Tell us about one of the most successful brand/ product campaign of the company and the strategy used to reach out to the stakeholders.

Almost a decade ago, the TMT bars industry had a very few but significant players present across India with legacy of many decades alongwith a few regional level players who were quite popular among the distributors of TMT bars. To enter into such a competitive market needed an edge above other brands, therefore, we Introduced 'Birla TMT Steel' high strength ribbed TMT reinforcement bar manufactured using Turboquench & Tegum technology of Germany. Our first TVC campaign talked about the "inner strength" of the TMT bar with tagline “Birla TMT Steel - Andar Se Strong” featuring Anup Soni explaining the key features of Birla TMT Steel Bar. The TVC was run on major national TV hannels which helped establish the brand name in the product category among the dealers, distributors and consumers.

What kind of market survey was done for the promotion of the brand/ product?

Based on our understanding of the market with respect  to TMT steel Industry, the market was led by the dealers and distributors of these products which meant that the buyers believed a great deal in the recommendation of the shopkeepers and the suggestion of the architects.

Therefore, our first milestone in the promotion of the product was to reach out to the dealers & distributors and connect them to our brand. In order to support the efforts of the dealers and distributors, we invested our advertising budgets majorly in TV branding followed by outdoor branding mediums such as wall paintings, flex banners, promotional materials for traders and customers. We also invest our creative efforts and money in social media platforms as they are a great medium to connect with consumers and reassure our offerings to them. We do a number of campaigns throughout the year to stay connected with our audience and maintain the bond with them.

What was the strategy behind introducing this product in the market?

Real estate sector has always been the driving force of the economy. Over the past decade, the Tier 2 cities too have picked up the concept of multi storey buildings for residential purposes, developing real estate sector in these cities and giving a great push to the demand for all kinds of construction materials. Realizing and understanding this growing need and to bridge the gap between the demand and supply, our group introduced the premium brand of TMT steel in the market.

What were the challenges faced while marketing the brand/ product and how did the team overcome them?

Being a new entrant into the market of our product category with the presence of handful but strong brands, it was indeed a challenging process to make a mark of our brand but we always believed that to achieve any milestone, consistency is the key and we followed it. We worked consistently with our communication activities and always tried to be innovative so that it captures the mind of the audience we are talking to. We started with covering the regions, meeting dealers, getting them onboard to slowly and steadily capturing the major states across India.

One thing that fills our hearts with joy and motivates us to keep going is that anybody who chooses us over other brands for once continues to buy our products in future too. This is our biggest return on our investment made over the years. With having captured 20+ states in India, we are working hard towards capturing the remaining states at the soonest we can and continue to build our mark in the minds of people by strengthening their homes and keeping their trust in us always.

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