Cera is a pioneer in the sanitaryware segment in India today. How has the brand evolved over the years and what factors have contributed to its success?
Cera has been an innovator from the very beginning and the brand has slowly but steadily become a hit with consumers, trade, developers and influencers. We use German-make kilns with natural gas for firing, which give our products extra sheen. Coupled with innovative designs – 21 colors and new concepts – Cera has been able to carve an unique brand identity of its own in the market. Over the years we have rapidly increased the production capacity too – from the initial three lakh pieces to almost three million pieces today. At the same time we also ensured that the sanitaryware category metamorphosised from being a commodity business to becoming a branded enterprise. “Your bathroom is a room too …” campaign by Cera in the 1980s was an epochal brand-building exercise for the sanitaryware category and it is remembered even today.
Cera’s brand-building appears to have paid off well. How do you see the road ahead for the brand?
When Cera was launched in 1980, there were five or six manufacturers. However, today, except for Cera, the other brands are almost non-existent. This shows the power of Brand Cera. After having established the brand, we felt that the there is a lot more that Brand Cera can deliver to its stakeholders. Therefore, gradually, we diversified into other bathroom categories such as Wellness (which includes shower enclosures, steam cubicles, whirlpools, etc.) and Faucets (complete range with high-end single lever to regular quarter turn).The latest from the Cera stable is our tiles offerings. We are launching a complete range of tiles, including the latest range of HD digital wall tiles and digital glazed vitrified tiles. Our vision is to cross the Rs.1,000-crore mark in the next three years and make Cera a strong home solutions provider.
Given the fact that the marketplace today is constantly evolving with fast-changing product designs and consumer preferences, how is Cera positioned to cater to the new market dynamics?
The ethos on which the Cera brand is built, viz. to offer value for money, is apt for the Indian consumer psyche. Cera has always lived up to this brand ethos and will continue to do so in future as well. Coupled with this ethos is our international quality and unmatched service levels, which help us to cater to the evolving needs of the market.
Some of CERA’s innovations in the past have become benchmarks for the industry. Can you describe some of these?
The single-most important innovation by Cera was the twin-flush. Long before green became a fad, we launched the twin-flush system, saving millions of litres of water for each household.
Later, everyone followed it and now it has become an industry standard.
What has been the role of your R&D team in coming up with product innovations?
Can you briefly describe your communication and marketing strategy? Also, what are the best mediums to advertise, according to you?
We have been strong in our advertising communications, which has been one of the main reasons for Cera becoming a successful brand, apart from the product quality, service level and our distribution strength. We have been using celebrities to endorse the brand and have been using popular television channels and programmes, in addition to the print media. In 2003, Bollywood actress Dia Mirza became our brand ambassador. Recently, we even used in-film option with films like Heroine, a Kareena Kapoor starrer. We use the media-mix according to the changing times and are now using the digital media very effectively.
