Report On 10 Day Tenure at DGBR;

I have divided this report into 2 parts as follows;

1) A small scale survey, observations and suggestions on 1965 Rum only.

2) Observations and suggestions regarding other RKL brands.

A small scale survey, observations and suggestions on 1965 Rum;

The Small Scale Survey;

During my tenure at D.G.B.R canteen, I managed to collect data about 1965 rum
using the quota sampling technique. Quota sampling is a method of selecting survey participants that is
non probabilistic version of stratified sampling. This kind of sampling is useful when time is limited, a
sampling frame is not available and the research budget is less. These qualities made this technique
ideal for this procedure.

For this survey, I made mutually exclusive subgroups as shown below;

Consumer of 1965 Rum

First time Consumer Regular Consumer

First Time Consumer;

During my stint at D.G.B.R as I had to make customers aware about the 1965
rum during which I saw a major chunk of customers being first time consumers. To be less time
consuming, after making the sale I asked a fixed set of 5 questions to 50 consumers. The questionnaire is
as follows;

1. What attracted you to buy 1965 Rum for the first time?
a) Presence of an offer with every bottle (A glass with every bottle for the first 6 days of the
survey)
b) Recent information attained regarding the premium quality and flavours of the rum
c) A need to try a new product
d) Recommendation by your friends and work mates
e) A beautifully crafted glass bottle
2. For a premium quality rum is the 1965 Rum well priced?
a) Yes
b) No
3. Should 1965 Rum be available in a Plastic version as well?
a) Yes
 b) No
4. Does the packaging of 1965 Rum give a premium feel?
a) Yes
b) No
5. Would you suggest the 1965 Rum to be encased in a case or a box cover?
a) Yes
b) No

Results;

The results of the survey are arranged in a question wise manner as follows;

Question 1; What Attracted you to buy 1965

A beautifully
Rum for the first time
crafted glass bottle
(8%)

Presence of an
A need to try a offer with every
new product bottle
(16%) (32%)

Recent information
attained regarding
the premium quality Recommendation
and flavours of the by your friends and
rum work mates
(44%) (0%)
Question 2; For a premium rum, is the 1965 Rum
well priced?

No
(46%)
Yes
(54%)

Question 3; Should the 1965 Rum be available in a

plastic version as well?

No
(22%)

Yes
(78%)

Does the packaging of 1965 Rum give a premium

feel?

No
(18%)

Yes
(82%)
 Question 5; Would you suggest 1965 Rum to be
encased in a case or a box cover?

No
(8%)

Yes
(92%)

Key Aspects To Note About The Survey;

a) This procedure was done using Non probability Sampling i. e By Random selection of first time
consumer of the 1965 rum
b) A sample size of 50 consumers was taken out of a total of around 120 first time consumers.

Conclusion;

a) The information about the premium quality of the 1965 rum is still unknown but the consumers
did not hesitate to buy the product as soon as they were made aware about the premium
quality and distinct flavours of the 1965 rum.
b) The addition of an attractive offer along with the 1965 rum aided the sales of the 1965 rum.
c) Regarding the pricing of the 1965 Rum, there was a mixed bag of responses as the slight
majority (54%) felt the price was right but the rest (46%) strongly felt that the price should be
lowered a bit in order to be much more pocket friendly.
d) A major percentage of consumers liked the glass bottle as compared to the plastic version
simply because of the premium feel it provided to the consumers. A few consumers preferred
the plastic bottle as it eased their travel with a lesser chance of breakage.
e) During this survey, the packaging of the bottle of the 1965 rum turned out to be a huge winner
as the packaging was attractive to most of the consumers.
f) A large majority were interested in having 1965 cased so as to ensure the bottle was not broken
while the personnel were in transit to their homes. Some said it ensured that the bottle would
be safe as they are paying a high price for it.
Regular Consumers;

The D.G.B. R canteen provided a reservoir of customers who had previously

bought the 1965 Rum and this further aided the survey. To be less time consuming, after making the
sale I asked a fixed set of 5 questions to 40 consumers. The questionnaire is as follows;

1. What is the one factor that made you choose the 1965 rum again?
a) The rich and premium taste
b) The smoothness
c) The Patriotic message behind 1965 Rum
d) It is easily available
2. For a premium quality rum is the 1965 Rum well priced?
a) Yes
b) No
3. Should 1965 Rum be available in a Plastic version as well?
a) Yes
b) No
4. Would you suggest the 1965 Rum to be encased in a case or a box cover?
a) Yes
b) No
5. In what aspect do you feel The 1965 Rum needs improvement?
a) Addition of new and unique flavours of rum
b) Quality and taste
c) Smoothness
d) Packaging
Results;

The results of the survey are as follows;

Question 1; What is the one factor that made

you choose the 1965 Rum again?
It is easily available
10%

The rich and

premium taste
The 37%
smoothnes
s The Patriotic
53% message behind
1965 Rum
0%

Question 2; For a premium quaity rum, is the

1965 rum well priced?

no
5%

yes
95%
Question 3; Should 1965 rum be available in
plastic version as well?

No
30%

Yes
70%

Question 4; Would you suggest the 1965 Rum

to be encased in a case or a box cover?

No
5%

Yes
95%
 Question 5; In what aspects do you feel The
1965 Rum needs improvment?

Packaging
10%

Addition of new
and unique
Smoothness flavours of rum
28% 40%

Quality & Taste

22%

Key Aspects To Note About The Survey;

a) This procedure was done using Non probability sampling i. e By Random selection of the regular
consumers of the 1965 rum.
b) A sample size of 40 consumers was taken out of a total of around 70 regular consumers.

Conclusion;

1. It has to be noted that once tasted the rich flavour and the smoothness of the rum acted as
major factors for repeat customers of the 1965 Rum.
2. The Defence Personnel had no problem with the price whatsoever as they all expressed that the
price was worth the quality being provided to them.
3. A majority of consumers (70%) were willing to stay with the glass bottle as compared to the pet
bottle as they felt the touch of the premium with the presence of the glass bottle. Still there was
a considerable minority (30%) of consumers who felt it was not safe for travel and should have a
pet bottle option as well.
4. A vast majority felt that a casing or a box like cover of the bottle would add to the premium feel
of the Rum. This could also solve the problem of consumers who want to travel hassle free
without worrying about bottle damage.
5. The consumers without any doubt want options in flavours of rum, a path famously taken by
Bacardi and many major players by bringing out flavours like the Limon and pine apple rum. A
gigantic chunk of the minority felt that there could be an improvement in the quality and
smoothness of the product. Finally a few consumers felt the packaging could use a more
premium touch.
Observations and suggestions on 1965 Rum;

Observations;

The following are the observations made regarding 1965 rum;

a. The Glass Bottle Hinders Travel;

The defence personnel show restraint in buying the 1965 as
they fear that it might break. The personnel who were travelling
preferred the pet bottles as they eliminated the chance of breakage
hence providing a hassle free experience for the travelling personnel.
b. The Price Of The Bottle;
In a price sensitive market, the price of the 1965 has come out as a
major inconvenience to the first time consumer of this rum. In other
words the price hinders the sale to a first time consumer as he has not
tasted the rum and could not tell whether it is worth the price or not.
Another way to see this is that the biggest competitor of the 1965 is the
old monk which is evenly priced at Rs 160 which makes the sale of 1965
Rum much harder.
c. The Lost Message Of the 1965 Rum;

The 1965 rum has two major unique selling points that are the
patriotic message behind the rum and the premium flavour of the rum.
As I retrospect, during my tenure I realised that the personnel were not
well informed regarding the above mentioned points. This has also
come in as a major hindrance when it comes to converting a first time
consumer. In complete contrast, our biggest competitor old monk which
enjoys a vast following has all its aspects and stories well known by the
personnel.

d. The Cult Following Of Old Monk;

Old monk has managed to create a cult like following within the
Defence Forces which has acted as a humungous obstacle in the sales of
the 1965 Rum. The lower price of the old monk acts as an added
advantage to its sales and rather as an inconvenience to the sales of the
1965 Rum.
Suggestions

The following are the suggestions that would have a positive impact on the sales of 1965 Rum;

a. Casing Every Bottle Of 1965;

It is fair enough to say that the glass bottle drives away many potential
consumers due to the risks involved in transit. Adding a case or a box
cover to the bottle will eliminate this as I saw in the case of McDowell
No 1 whiskey and many others as personnel were willing to purchase
glass bottles with casing or covers as it reduced the risk of breakage.
Another advantage of casing would be that it would provide the much
needed space to mention all the unique selling points of the rum. Finally
adding the case or cover would also help create a difference or a niche
between 1986 and other rums as it would be the only rum in CSD with
any sort of cover or casing. It must be considered that Old Monk has
also seen a fall in sales due to the very reason that it also is sold in a
glass bottle.
b. The Unique Selling Points Should Be More Visible;
The unique selling points of the 1965 are the smoothness and the
ingredients that make it an exotic beverage. These selling points need to
be showcased in a more aggressive manner to the consumer in the form
of packaging as mentioned in the point above. In short a much more
premium feel needs to be imparted on the consumer
c. A Rum Of The Forces;
In order to break the cult following of Old Monk, 1965 Rum has to be
portrayed as “The Rum Of The Forces.” In order to make this happen,
we have to look to make the consumers feel closer to the rum. This can
be done with a few simple competitions i.e. one has to understand that
the difference between the forces and the civilians is the training the
personnel undergo to be a part of the defence forces hence meaning
most of them are physically fit. Now the competitions will be for all
units and could be simple competitions like Mr Fit or Mr Defence
Competitions that would involve all units and also touch those who
were never informed about the rum. Such competitions will impart a
sense of unity, appreciation and a feeling that The 1965 Rum is indeed
dedicated to the Defence and will have a rather bigger appeal to the
Defence Personnel. Many more different competitions could be
organised.
Observations and suggestions regarding other brands.

Observations;

The observations for each brand are listed below;

1. Magic Moments;
Magic Moments has been a hugely popular brand as an easy source of a cocktail
among the forces and sells for itself. The flavours of the vodka are widely loved
by the personnel and there is rather a large need of other different flavours. A
matter of concern is the portrayal of the Magic Moments Verve as it only sold
after the flavoured vodkas were out of stock.
2. Contessa Rum;
The Contessa Rum goes off the shelf on its own. The major competition is
coming from other pet bottle brands like old smuggler which is similarly priced
or old fox and Madeira which is significantly lesser priced which has in turn
given consumers many more options to buy from. Still the Contessa has
managed to hold on its own despite facing such a stiff competition from other
brands.
3. 8 PM Whiskey;
The 8 PM whiskey sold extremely well in its segment as the personnel preferred
it to others due to its pet bottle packaging and the low pricing has also acted in
the favour of the sales of 8 PM whiskey. The whiskey holds a fortress of its own
in the market and there is a very low chance that it will ever be displaced by its
rivals. The 8 PM whiskey has rather developed an image as The Poor Man’s
Whiskey and during my tenure at the DGBR I got a lot of complaints regarding
the taste and quality of the whiskey.The only competition to the 8 PM whiskey
is the Royal Arms whiskey and the IGL supreme whiskey which are only surviving
due to their low price
4. Whytehall Whiskey;
The Whytehall whiskey sold particularly well due to the absence of major
players like Royal Stag, McDowell’s whiskey and Royal Challenge. The relatively
low price and deluxe quality aided the sales of the whiskey as well
5. 8 PM Bermuda Rum;
The 8 PM Bermuda Rum sold relatively solidly as it has its own niche market
among the rum consumers. The 8 PM Bermuda Rum has successfully created its
own niche amongst customers. It has to be noted that when I inquired, its
distinct taste and low price acted as a driving factor for the sale of the rum.
Suggestions;

The following are the suggestions that would have a positive impact on the sales of some of the brands;

a. The Pricing Of Contessa;

The Contessa should be priced more aggressively so that it could provide a
stiffer competition to the likes of old smuggler and old foxx. Another advantage
of driving the price down could also help lower the already lowering sales of old
monk as it would also directly compete with it as well and the pet bottle could
play a rather stronger hand than old monk.
b. The Quality Of Magic Moment Verve ;
The magic moments Verve which is premium addition to the Vodka segment has
failed to deliver the message that it is a much cheaper substitute to other
premium vodkas like Absolute Vodka. The quality of the Vodka needs a much
more exquisite mention in order for the sales to rise up rather than be a last
resort to the flavoured magic moment’s vodkas.
c. The Packaging & Quality Of 8 PM Whiskey;
The pet bottle of the 8 PM whiskey needs a slight revamp to add to a more
premium feel rather than the poor man’s whiskey as it has largely been
portrayed in the Defence Community. It should rather an appealing packaging in
order to attract more customers and change this perception. The quality also
needs a little bit of enhancement so as to attract the customers more towards
the brand.