XXX? Sorry, wrong size!

Pic courtesy: imagesfood.com

When I heard the name XXX energy drink, the first thing that struck was, "This would come in a bigger can." Why? Of course, the connotation of XXX.

I get to know that it means Xperience Xtreme Xcitement. Well, not bad. But it doesn't do justice to a great concept hidden in the name XXX. Besides, right below the name it says IMMUNITY ENHANCER.

I guess an amazing concept like XXX has been wasted here.

Who will remember Xperience Xtreme Xcitement? Tough.

Who will remember IMMUNITY ENHANCER? For remember, who will understand the term? Sure, people understand IMMUNITY and ENHANCER as words, but what do they mean in a layperson. Besides, aren't there medicinal supplements which do this job? Chyavanprash does the same job!

To my mind the concepts of ENERGY DRINK and IMMUNITY ENHANCER aren't the same. Perhaps tending towards incredulity.

It's easy to play around in intellectual sounding and good looking words. But the idea to capture one (or a couple at best) important word and tie it with an amazing visual.

Here's my take:

XXX should be offered in bigger cans. The big can would also stand out on the shelves and serve an effective symbol of recognition.

And chuck those words. Just write something to the effect XXX - BIG BIG BIG ON ENERGY.

Papa John's has better ingredients and the right message

Pizza wars are interesting to watch. It's hotting up here in India. More brands are getting launched

Have just come home after having a Red Hot Pepper Pizza at the newly opened Papa John's Pizza outlet here in Powai. Don't want to talk much about the experience, perhaps doesn't fall in the purview of this blog-post.

If you look at the message, it says "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." Pizza Hut for 'having pizza sitting in a restaurant', Domino's for 'home delivered pizzas'. It wouldn't make sense to be yet another Pizza brand for 'having pizza sitting in a restaurant'; there had to be something more to differentiate and clarify the positioning of Papa John's. So the brand focussed its message on 'ingredients' - one of the most important aspects of any recipe, especially pizzas. Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. That does it. Nicely positioned, nicely differentiated.

Since it was the opening day of the outlet I visited, it had many attractions to engage the children. That made me realize that the name is 'Papa John's'. Is it like a McDonald's for pizzas? Probably. McDonald's offers burgers and targets children. Papa John's is for Pizzas and targets children? Could be.

Papa John's, by the way, also delivers at home though they chose not to highlight it. Different from Domino's? Yes. Different from Pizza Hut? Yes - simply because of the message, because of the focus on 'ingredients'.

Let's see, how does this category of Pizzas evolve and diverge further in India. I'll keep a watch, I like pizzas.