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News scoop – remember you got it here first!

Our own desi firm, F*khani Shoes, beat multinational brands in product innovation. This is example of Indian industry fighting back and coming out on top. It is well recognised that in times of recessionary slow down every FMCG corporate starts looking at new and innovative marketing ideas to capture market share or even to maintain volumes.

India’s top shoe brand has introduced a new range of “Phenko” shoes. And whats more in a further brilliant move they have used most unsual distribution channels to make these available to customer through kirana counters. The range of “Phenko” shoes has been a rage and is being grabbed by Indian consumers with glee. There are reports of stock outs in few areas of the country leading to near riot. State authorities have already issued warning to hoarders in a bid to control the situation.

According the director of the firm the whole product idea was generated in house on reading news stories doing rounds recently (see examples here, here & here). The product team came up with four point charter for this product:
1. Only one shoe of the pair needed
2. Price it variably depending of type of election season
3. Make and pack it in environmentally friendly materials
4. And most importantly the tremendous cost reduction due to one time use only life

The range was quickly launched and has had grand success with the consumer in the ongoing election season. The catch line Just Throw It captured users imagination like fire. The agency handling this account has reported a rash of new clients sign up.

A very senior marketing guru at a world recognised premier management institute commented that this marketing innovation will make history and get incorporated in annals of management books across the world. It is further understood that this institute, located in Ahmedabad, has put up a proposal to confer honorary Doctorate of management to the marketing genius who has come up with this innovation, as soon as he can be identified.

Anonymous sources, at F*khani Shoes, say that the idea was conceived by a disgruntled union member, who had been agitating for payment of wages, outside the factory gates. He has been daily throwing shoes at the directors when they entered the gates of factory. However the management has refused to comment on veracity of this claim.