Will BPL regain its lost glory in consumer durables under Reliance?

Nearly four decades back, BPL was quite a well-known name in colour televisions. The company also specialised in medical equipment systems for patient monitoring. During the 1982 Asian Games, when Doordharshan started broadcasting in colour, several brands entered the Indian market with colour television sets. BPL was one of them who expanded its range further and manufactured colour televisions, as well as video cassette recorders, refrigerators, batteries and other consumer electrical and electronics equipment.

BPL, which was earlier known as British Physical Laboratories, was founded in 1963 during the licence raj by TP Nambiar in Kerala’s Palakkad. Nambiar had worked in the UK and US, but returned to India to create a company that manufactured high quality electronic products and had a single-minded objective to make BPL a household name. During its prime, BPL would regularly feature among the top 10 brands in the country. But after the turn of the century, the company gradually faded. However, a combination of circumstances – expansion into several unrelated areas of business, lack of financial discipline, and entry of foreign companies like LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and et el – brought this once mighty group to exit the market as competition increased.

Very recently, Reliance Retail acquired the licence to manufacture and market consumer durable products under BPL and Kelvinator brands. The move will also allow Reliance Retail to enter the electrical and electronic space. While Reliance is already marketing the Kelvinator brand, but now, they have also added BPL which they have started marketing. Reliance will make and sell BPL’s product portfolio, including air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and television sets in addition to light bulbs and fans. There is an aggressive marketing campaign that has been planned for the festive season. The print campaign has already hit the market with full page advertisements across several cities. The brands have also been supported with a vast dealer network to make the product easily available.

BPL as a brand stood for style and design and has a good recall value even today among the old generation. In fact, the brand was endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan in those days. To make it more attractive and hit the consideration set of the current set of audiences, Reliance has to make it contemporary to meet the liking and taste of today’s audiences. Reviving an old brand is always a challenge, but with right offerings and meeting the taste of the audience will certainly help the brand backed with strong customer service support. It will be interesting to note what the competition has at store as the festive season is in front of us and brands are eager to cash on after a wash out last year. Everybody is optimistic about this festive season and brands has really shout top of their voice to stand out in a cluttered market.

The consumer durables space is a cluttered market in India, with several branded and unbranded players. In addition, there are players with regional strongholds and MNC brands that bring in the latest technology at the top end of the market.

Expressing his views on the return of brand BPL, Neeraj Bassi, Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Group India, said, ‘The reality of the Indian market is that brand building takes a long time, and the residual equity continues for years. And given the size of our country, there would still be a sizeable segment that would remember the brand’s iconic stature. Let’s not forget that they were one of the first brands to communicate a global aspiration by taking Amitabh Bachchan to London in their TVC.”

He further said, “As it makes a comeback, BPL will find it easier to re-connect with the mass segment of the market. The residual imagery would put the brand a notch above the unbranded and regional players. Building equity at the top end, against established international competition, would be a difficult task and would depend on the aesthetics and technology that the brand brings to the category.”

According to, Abhijit Awasthi, Co-Founder, Sideways, “It’s an interesting move, at least for a certain section of the audience that has some relationship with BPL as a brand and this is a good way of connecting with them. However, a lot needs to be done in showing that it is not the BPL of the old, but it’s the BPL of the new and how it is all set to take the market by storm with tech and other kinds of offerings for what the audiences are looking for now.”

“I am not very aware of where they are planning to pitch it, like lower, middle, upper, or premium. It totally depends on how and where they want to play, and to what kind of audience. If you look at the residual imagery of BPL, it is only for those above a certain age. Youngsters might have pretty much more association with it and therefore who are they targeting and what's the big play, all these matters a lot andis very important for the brand to create a good presence and strong product differentiation  in an otherwise competitive market,” Awasthi added.

Brand-thinker and practitioner, Harish Bijoor, who runs a unique boutique-consulting outfit, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, remarked, “I do believe BPL as a brand is still a draw. Its equity is solid enough to attract customers into its fold. If the product is able to deliver to the needs and expectations of its first buyers from the Reliance format, it has the potential to fly.”