Social factors matter in India and every start-up needs to take notice

Paper boat- a packaged drink with an ethnic appeal entered the Indian retail stores with a stand-up spout pouch package and the market took notice. Although the package stood out, the brand however never did. Indian consumer market relies more on emotionality than it does on rationality. Although paper boat got some emotion flying, the design alone didn't get the job done.

In the same market, heavily sugared drinks are doing amazingly well with product life cycles lasting epochs, which begs the question

What makes a product tick in the Indian consumer market?

The answer to this question lies in societal factors, almost every Indian society relies on societal opinion when it comes to getting married or choosing a career, societal factors play a huge role. Can the social pressure be created? The answer lies in brand ambassadors with mega influence. Putting the product on TV and then in your nearest retail store almost guarantees success. Social acceptance can also be achieved if your product is super awesome but it does not possess a crystal clear competitive edge, you need a Bollywood actor using your product on TV.

In Paperboat's case, although the packaging brought something drastically new to the market, it failed to generate social conversations around the product. In contrast to Paperboat, the competing brands do well just because of the barrage of ads to put on the TV and that sways the consumer.

Success in the market might come down to your marketing budget.