Deepak's Musings #136: The secret sauce of insugent brands

The secret sauce of insurgent brands

The Economic Times looks at the work done by Bain & Company and DSG Consumer Partners on the traits of successful insurgent brands. The report was first published in May 2023 but the timing of this story is relevant as we see consumer discretionary spending explode and more brands being launched to meet the needs of Indian consumers. Layer on top of that the interest from strategic and financial sponsors to acquire fast-growing insurgent brands as we most recently saw with Tata Consumers’ acquisition of Ching’s and Organic India.

The whisky market is evolving fast

Most consumers connect whisky to Scotland. The word "whisky" comes from the Gaelic "uisge beatha," meaning "water of life." The production of whisky in Scotland dates back to the late 15th century, but distillation was likely practised earlier. Today whisky is produced in over 30 countries.

India too is experiencing a remarkable boom in whisky production and consumption, and at DSGCP we have seen more than a few entrepreneurs building insurgent whisky brands.

IMF: Growth in India is projected to remain strong in both 2024 and 2025

In the January update of its World Economic Outlook, the IMF last week upgraded India’s growth forecast for 2024 and 2025.

Coke removes labels in a trial to become more sustainable

Coca-Cola has removed labels from its Sprite and Sprite Zero products in eight UK stores as part of a trial to boost recyclability and reduce the use of packaging materials

Have you heard of ‘drinkflation’?

Do consumers actually want a lower ABV product or are brands trying to squeeze out savings?

The global sporting goods market

McKinsey just released their report on the global sporting goods market. With Asia showing double-digit growth on the back of rising income, does this offer an opportunity to build an insurgent brand?

Frederic Fernandez’s Seven Key M&A Learnings & Seven Predictions For 2024 For The CPG Industry

A fantastic read. This report is very US-centric but many of the learnings and predictions will apply globally. Some of the interesting nuggets he predicts include Big CPG divesting non-performing acquired assets especially digital and DTC, and that an unprecedented number of indie brands will go bankrupt. But he does also say there will be more M&A in emerging markets especially in F&B brands.

Frederic Fernandez & Associates (FFA) is a global bespoke Strategy Consulting Firm exclusively focused on Organic Growth, Digital GTM and M&A serving the world's largest FMCG companies. Its purpose is to help its clients win today while renewing their competitive advantages to win tomorrow. 14 out of the top world 20 largest FMCG companies are repeat Clients.

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