To begin with, may we have a brief overview of the Fevicol brand with respect to the history, growth, and the future plans?
Talking about Fevicol, it was launched way back in 1959 when it was more or less just another product. It was only used for bonding two surfaces and primarily the consumers couldn't even see the application where Fevicol was applied. Where Fevicol has reached today and the manner in which it has been able to establish a close connect with the consumers itself was a very daunting task. The first three decades were totally about giving a boost to the concept when white glues were not very pre-dominant. The carpenters were making furniture using glue that was made out of saresh, a product that was made by boiling animal bones. The process was very tedious and time consuming. Towards the first 30 years, Fevicol was fighting with such products. And then the second part of Fevicol journey, the early 90's, comprised brand building when we launched the creative 'Dam Laga ke Haisha'. Throughout these years, Fevicol has been very fortunate that O&M has partnered us. They understood the brand very well and then there was nothing stopping us. It is through which Fevicol could establish a very close connect with the customers where our product has emerged not just as an industrial offering but a brand that is trusted by millions. Throughout various surveys, which are not confined to any particular brand, Fevicol has emerged as one of the most trusted brands among consumers. This is indeed very heartening.
Well, when we think of Fevicol or Pidilite in totality, the first thing that strikes the mind is the creativity of the commercial, such as the one wherein a gentleman cathces four fish with Fevikwik. Is there any specific brainstorming behind the creatives?
Fevicol is synonymous with adhesives but one cannot overlook the fact that competition is brimming at every corner be it counterfeits, other brands or inferior substitutes. What are you doing to sustain the Fevicol brand in such a scenario?
First and foremost, what we have never compromised on all these years is the quality. There have been pressures in the market such as competition and various dynamics, but we have maintained the quality throughout. The reason is very simple; people can spend millions of rupees on interiors and furniture but if the bond is not intact, all these extravagant expenditures may go in vain. As a matter of fact, if you look at any interior project, out of the entire cost, the share of Fevicol is not even 2 percent. And any end-user or contractor wouldn't like to cut corners at this front because even by adopting cheaper substitutes, he's not saving much. This was the above all philosophy that we adopted over the years, which has given us an edge over our competitors. Apart from that, what we did is that we have not confined our products to dealer outlets. In fact, we went a step ahead by connecting closely with the carpenters and applicators by forming the 'Fevicol Champions Club' around ten years back. The purpose of starting this initiative was to give recognition to these applicators. The club's activities include knowledge imparting workshops wherein we educate them on how to better understand interior designs, celebrating festivals together, helping one another and spreading the message of brotherhood. Today, there are close to 300 such clubs across the country and 40,000 applicators are associated with them.
Please shed some light on the concept of 'Design Ideas'.
When you say that Fevicol has established a connect with customers, in tune with this sentiment, how open are Indians to the Do-It- Yourself (DIY) concept?
Well, as far as DIY is concerned, what we see in India is 'supervised DIY'. Even today, when knowledge and awareness have reached new levels, Indian consumers still rely quite heavily on the applicators. For instance, a consumer knows that M-Seal is ideal to counter pipe leakages but he may still prefer to get it done through an applicator under his supervision. He may not be comfortable in doing it himself. However, the DIY category is evolving and we can expect changing trends ahead.
Over the years, we have seen various brands come and go. How would you like to ensure that this brand remains at the top in the market?
Of course competition cannot be sidelined and it keeps us alive and kicking as well. The route which we are taking is based on a timeless philosophy; how do we keep continuously offering more superior solutions to the market so that we not only stay ahead of competitors but also keep widening the distance? Products such as Fevicol Marine, Fevicol SPEEDX, and Fevicol Nail Free, which eliminate nailing applications in woodworking are exponents of this philosophy of ours. For instance, quick-paced completion of projects and interiors is very essential today and bearing this is mind, we have launched a white adhesive called SPEEDX especially for furniture and laminates. This adhesive dries in just two hours and results in an intact bond. The usage of lamination in interiors has tremendously shot up over the past few years and completing work on time was becoming a challenge for contractors and carpenters. SPEEDX has undoubtedly come as a boon since it's equally efficient as Fevicol and dries much quicker. This benefits both the consumers and applicators on various fronts such as costs, time and less labour hours. Also, we have designed a product called Fevicol PVC Fix which is meant for fixing PVC sheets to wood. What we have done is that we are offering tailormade solutions which suit to the current requirements.
Are your products green and do they fetch LEED points?
Yes, they do. Eco-friendliness is very much integral to our policy and we adhere to it quite religiously.
A word on the Pidilite Awards for Excellence (PAFE).
These awards are meant for the students of Architecture and Interior Design. We realised way back in 2004, when we were deliberating on this idea, that although there are various awards for architects and interior designers, there aren't many recognitions for students of this field. Through PAFE, we have strengthened our connectivity with budding architects and interior designers. The awards are meant for Final Year students who have done well in their academics and project work. Today, there are students from 12 different institutes of Delhi participating in this function and we will honour three students from each institute. We wish these bright minds of Delhi who have exhibited sheer brilliance in the field of architecture all the very best for the future. This initiative is now completing eight years of its journey. PAFE was launched in Mumbai in 2004-05 and it has now spread its wings all over. We have felicitated students of more than 150 institutes so far.
