Khoday India believes “in old glory” as far as product packaging is concerned. That’s why the company has “not invested any fund in changing the bottles, labels and mono-cartons for a long time. Very small changes have happened in labels and mono-cartons of Peter Scot and Red Knight.” Thus explains Satpal Chaudhry, COO, Khoday India, his company’s penchant for “old glory”.
Explaning his company’s thinking on qualiy and packaging, Satpal says, “Right from the beginning, the Khoday group believed in keeping things simple but concentrated on the quality of their products. They never went overboard with the packaging etc. That is the reason millions of consumers still vouch for the quality of Khoday’s Peter Scot whisky, Red Knight Whisky and Hercules XXX rum etc.”
Satpal justifies Khoday’s approach to packaging by drawing a comparison with popular Scotch whisky brands. “If you see in Duty Free shops, the best Scotch whisky has a very simple label and bottle because for them the quality of the product speaks, not the imaginary look of the bottle.”
However, he agrees that “consumers look for a change in the product packaging and keep expecting similar changes in the future.”
Talking about the consumer’s fascination for packaging, Satpal says, “Basically, people get attracted towards the new shape of the bottle, new design of the label, new artwork of the mono carton which gives a prime look to the entire bottle. Obviously, good packaging is a major attraction for every individual.”
Satpal feels that people’s attraction for packaging means they give relatively less importance to the product quality, as the bottle “states no values”. In fact, he states, “Most of the brands are same in terms of quality and features, so their manufacturers invest huge money on bottle and packaging material to make them distinct.”
The consumer is not a real beneficiary of a company’s investment “on changes the packing material like caps, closure production techniques and label designing” says Satpal.
When asked about the impact packaging on the product sale, he replied “Yes, with the change of packaging, volumes do get increased if there is a proper marketing synergy. The new packaging will create the sale if it is followed by proper marketing.”
Talking about the competitiveness of the packaging technology available in In Satpal says, “India is quite capable and we can get excellent quality of packaging material, right from caps to mono cartons and can meet international standards.”