Fired Up for Success

How do you sell a product to a target audience that has never felt the need for it – never even considered buying it ever! That was the question that confronted Pheroze Engineer in the late eighties – and the reason for such a question was his desire to invest in a new business after the family business of moulded luggage sold out to a rival. Sitting idle with investible capital in hand was not the ideal situation for a constantly churning entrepreneurial mind forever looking for business opportunities.

Even before Engineer knew what his product was to be, he knew who his target audience would be – the housewife! The process of reaching her, however, would be different. He would bypass the middleman and reach out directly – right at her doorstep. Yet, it could not be something she already had; it had to be unique, something not yet offered in the market. Nor could it be highly priced. A door-to-door product that should be economical enough to become an impulse buy.

Bold New Product

After doing plenty of research and going through the process of elimination, the last man standing was the fire extinguisher for home use. Today, in hindsight, it may seem a plausible decision; but back then in 1989, the need for a fire extinguisher in the home was simply laughable. And there were reasons for that.

For one, even though domestic fire was a very real possibility – about twice as much as burglary – households would invest in security elements and devices, but never consider protection against fire. The fallacious thought being that “fire has never happened to my home” and “don’t talk about such things, it’s inauspicious.”

Engineer himself knew nothing about fire extinguishers, but that part did not worry him. Technology and expertise could easily be sourced and bought. The most important thing was to convince the audience about the need for such a product. An education was imperative, and one that had to be delivered in person.

Putting the Jigsaw in Place

Even as the technical and manufacturing aspects were being rolled out, Engineer began focusing on the marketing process. He already had a name for his company: Real Value – a name that suggested everything about the company’s philosophy. The product itself would similarly need a name that told the entire story on its own. Once again, Engineer got it bang on: Ceasefire!

Of course, the product itself had to be designed from scratch. It could have no resemblance to its bulky industrial counterparts. It had to look sleek, be easy to handle; if possible even be a bit of a fashion statement. And so, Ceasefire rolled out in a snazzy, shiny aerosol spray can kind of unit, a smart looking handheld product that would sit comfortably even in the finest designer homes.

Marketing Strategy

The communication was next. It had to be double-edged: while the advertising campaign would draw attention to this brand new concept, the actual selling would happen door-to-door. The proposition shifted from ‘Why do I need a fire extinguisher?’ to ‘Why not!’ And that could only come about by giving the consumer the honest, larger-than-life true picture about domestic fire – scary and uncomfortable as that may be.

Ceasefire was launched into the public consciousness with a combination of door-to door selling, supported by an advertising blitz on mainline media. Or it could well have been the other way around: Mainline communication supported by direct on-ground engagement. The point is, each side of that story was vital to the other.

Realising that the influencer was the housewife, but the decision would come jointly with her husband, the door-to-door engagement was timed for earlier in the morning, later in the evening and weekends. No problem; the marketing ground force would use the rest of the day to target smaller offices where fire extinguishers weren’t mandatory at the time.

Going for Broke

The advertising blitz went hammer and tongs at prime time, and in print specifically limited to the Times of India. What started as a bold four spots a week schedule, quickly ramped up to four a day! The content itself moved from feature selling to emotional – directly addressing everything that was most precious to the breadwinner: his wife, children, home and maybe own office.

It all worked like magic. In Mumbai alone, over 50,000 units were sold in the first year. This for a product that, barely twelve years prior, had zero resonance with the audience. In the span of four years, turnover zoomed from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 20 crore.

More than that, Engineer had achieved what any brand coveted – Ceasefire became a generic. Even after the arrival of rival brands, people asked for ‘ceasefire’ as a generic term for fire extinguisher.

Adapting to Change

There were other unexpected obstacles to overcome. Just two years into the brand timeline. Halon gas – the key component inside the Ceasefire canister – got banned because of its ozone-depleting properties, and had to be mandatorily phased out within a year. While hunting around for a substitute, the price of the fast-disappearing Halon gas shot up, inflating Ceasefire’s retail price nearly 40%. By the time the substitute was found, the domestic market was dismantling. Engineer reluctantly changed philosophy and began routing his flagship brand through retailers.

In the end, he had to even shift focus from his cherished domestic target audience too – the company launched larger extinguishers for corporate and industrial use, while expanding its fire-fighting portfolio… today topping over 300 products that find use in a range of locations and work/institutional/public spaces. The domestic market, which itself helped launch the company, now stands at just 10% of the company’s turnover.

It’s a completely different dynamic today, but if there is one thing that the Ceasefire case study shows – nothing works like the right mix of product, strategy and communication. Oh yes, and it definitely helps to have a great brand name.