Matchbox marketing mantra

S Balakrishnan *

Matchbox marketing mantra

A small matchbox taught me a marketing mantra in Assam. This happens when we keep our eyes & ears wide open, and our mouth shut tight.

While travelling in the North-Eastern State of Assam recently, I noticed a matchbox with a rhino picture on it. The rhino label attracted me and I snitched it from my friend’s house as a delightful memento of my Assam trip.

I did not notice this rhino matchbox during our 2016 trip which, though, was a short-sweet-hurried one.

On closer observation of the matchbox I found that it was manufactured at, where else but, Thiruthangal in the matchbox manufacturing hub of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, my home State. Sivakasi, needless to say, is also famous for firecrackers and, invariably, notorious for fatal accidents as well.

I was surprised by the marketing strategy of the matchbox manufacturers. As we all know, Assam and the one-horned Rhino are synonymous.

Naturally, therefore, the rhino label would attract buyers in Assam and hence this brand is marketed in the State of Assam. I have not seen this rhino brand matchbox being sold back in Tamil Nadu.

Perhaps this particular brand is meant exclusively to attract the buyers in the Land of Rhinos, that is, Assam.

Manufactured by The Standard Colour Match Works in Thiruthangal, the safety matchbox has 40 sticks and is priced at Rs 3, including all taxes. The tiny label carries the customer care phone number and the e-mail id as well - another marketing strategy!

The rhino matchbox also gave me a chance to boast to a group of kids about Sivakasi’s unique role in the manufacturing of safety matches and fireworks in the whole of India. Their faces lit up when I talked about fireworks and Diwali.

I hope they do spread the name and fame of Sivakasi (and mine as well) among their peers.

To ensure this I peeped over their school compound wall while the morning assembly session was on to remind them - after two days of holiday - my face and my invaluable address. Never undermine the kid ambassadors!

What a big marketing mantra in a small matchbox, I am still unable to contain my surprise!

I would humbly accept an invite from XLRI for a guest lecture on this “out- of-the-(match)box thinking” for its MBA students.