INTRODUCTION

Baskin Robbins is a global Chain of ice-cream parlours founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in 1953,from the merging of their respective icecream parlours,in California.Baskin Robbins is part of the Dunkins Brands Inc. family of companies.It claims to be the worlds largest ice-cream franchise,with more than 5800 locations,2800 of which are located in the United States. The Baskin Robbins story in India began in 1993,when the first store opened in Mumbai.Today it is spread across the country with more than 300 outlets in 61 cities.Baskin Robbins also caters to other premium channels like star hotels,leading airlines,malls,multiplexes and top retail chains across India.

ICE CREAM INDUSTRY IN INDIA

The ice cream market growth in India picked up after de-reservation of the sector in 1997. Of the total size of Rs 15-16bn, around 30-32% is in the hands of organized sector valued at Rs 4.9bn, rest all is with the unorganized sector. The Indian government adopted a lot of policy changes for the liberalization regarding the ice cream industry also and it is since then that this sector has shown an annual growth ranging from 15- 20% per annum for last 1- 2 year. In the Budget 2006-07 Excise Duty has been waived off on ice creams. In rural areas, kulfis / ice creams made by small / cottage industry are popular. The market for organized sector is restricted to large metropolitan cities. In small towns and villages, there are thousands of small players who produce ice- creams / kulfis in their home backyard and cater to the local market.

In India the ice cream industry is dominated by a few players. This has made the global giants look at India to drive their growth. The sale of ice cream in India is seasonal and the ice cream makers always bet on the summer sales. For Amul the summer season contributing about 40 per cent of the company's overall sales. Furthermore, to take advantage of the demand during summer the Ice cream makers increase the price of the products marginally .Most of the companies are adding that new and innovative products that keep the consumers excited.

MARKET SHARE OF ICE CREAM BRANDS IN INDIA

OTHERS, 19%

AMUL AMUL, 38% KWALITY WALLS BASKIN ROBBINS, 8% VADILAL MOTHER'S DAIRY BASKIN ROBBINS MOTHER'S DAIRY, 9% OTHERS

VADILAL, 12%

KWALITY WALLS, 14%

Market leader Amul has a huge emotional connection with Indian consumers as it was the nerve centre of the White Revolution in India. Its ice cream is available in no less than 70,000 stores across the country a number it plans to raise to 100,000 in the next one year. Its growth target for the year is 20 per cent. (The market has grown at 15 per cent per annum in the last five years.) Vadilal, the third largest player in the ice cream market with a share of 12 per cent and a strong player in western India (Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat), has drawn up aggressive growth plans

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

In India, the consumption of the ice cream is very less compare to USA and even to Pakinstan.But here in India there is sufficient scope for the ice cream companies to expand their business as because people are becoming more brand conscious.so retailers want to become the part of this growing fields and margin is also very good in comparison to other products.

PERSONAL SELLING EFFORTS

The company has no personal selling efforts though the competitors are very good in that.Baskin Robbin only opened up their exclusive outlets across the country.They can open up their kiosk in different places,like-Railway station,Airport etc.They also can start doing business at the celebration time by giving their stalls in fairs,festivals etc.We have seen that domestic players,like-Amul,Metro Dairy has already started to increase their sales by different personal selling means.

DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

Ice cream distribution in India typically involves a distributor, wholesaler and retailer. Most domestic brands have small regional operations, with plants situated near their major markets due to the lack of cost-effective cold chain facilities. National brands have owned or leased cold storage facilities in major metropolitan areas, which ship to distributors or direct to retailers. Some major brands have begun serving smaller cities by acquiring smaller plants and improving distribution networks. Distributors' margins are about 18-20%. There are an estimated 70,000 retail ice cream outlets in India, including both fixed shops and mobile vendors -- pushcarts, tricycles and three-wheelers.

CUSTOMER ANALYSIS

Baskin Robbins is one of the premium ice cream brands in the world. Its differentiating strategy from other ice cream brands or their brand identity is providing customers with 31 different varieties of flavour and its premium quality. Some of the attributes which customers think of Baskin Robbins are premium, young, feminine (an influence from Pink colours they project), soft, tender and different flavours. Customers would like to take young colleagues or girlfriends who are very peppy to this ice cream store. Even though this brand lives for more than sixty years, they maintain youthfulness in the brand which is amazing.

BRAND STRATEGY
Trends: Few trends that favour the brand strategy in India are:Increasing disposable income of young Indians.Increasing health consciousness of Indians(Low fat ice creams,vegetarian ice creams) 2. Customer Motivations: The customer motivations that could support the growth of the brand are, . Flavours unique to Baskin Robbins . I want to be seen as a premium consumer . I need variety in my life
1.

BRAND POSITIONING
Taste different flavours everyday-Baskin 31 Robbins

The younger generation in India now seek variety in their fast paced lives. They want to try something new every day. Positioning Baskin Robbins in the minds of such consumers would be easy and effective for the brand. We suggest to have a bridged positioning of, Baskin Robbins means TREAT

BRAND PERSONALITY

Product Related Characteristics: Soft/Tender User imagery: Fun loving youth & children Sponsorships: Events that attract todays generation youth & children Age: 60 years & still YOUNG!!!!! Symbol: Baskin Robbins logo,Rich & Inviting .

BRAND IDENTITY

Core Identity: Variety in flavours, 100 percent vegetarian, Quality(Baskin Robbins focuses on providing very high quality ice creams that even a 3 months old baby can consume it without any harm). Extended Identity: Ambience of Stores/Parlours, Packaging, Regional Flavours .

VALUE PROPOSITION
Where the Fun is Unending & Flavour is King
The value proposition is strongly supported by the offerings from Baskin Robbins. Just there needs to be an improvement in Store ambience to provide that Fun element. Brand Logo Evolution: The brand logo has evolved over the years without losing out its core identity of the Original 31 flavours.

CONCLUSION
Baskin Robbins is doing well with excellent offerings. All that has to be changed is the Baskin Robbins caters only to premium and elite customers. In country like India, majorities are middle class. Where, most of the major domestic brands cater to all segments and more popular in India. Baskin Robbins has diversification related to its core product i.e. ice cream cakes, beverages, juices and milk shakes. Product variety is more in Baskin Robbins compared to any other. Baskin Robbins has to mainly concentrate on attracting the middle class audience in India. They can even distribute their products to retail outlets, which is the easy way to reach the customers. The reason that the MNCs indicate for their presence in India is It has the right climate for ice-cream consumption; the country has a very low per capita consumption,which means large untapped potential; and our ability to maintain competitive pricing - all these reasons make us want to be in India. But MNC werent successful in India mainly due to the pricing pressure and margin squeeze. Despite being a hot country with a young population, India has never made ice-cream culture its own, unlike in the West.