Gold Flake is a classic Indian brand that has been in the market for over a century. Starting off as a cigarette with a heritage, this brand has many variants across price points.
It is sold in various varieties, including Gold Flake Kings (84 mm), Gold Flake Kings Lights (84mm), Gold Flake and Gold Flake Lights. This brand is owned, manufactured and marketed by ITC Limited.
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History
Gold Flake was produced by the Bristol company of W.D. & H.O. Wills, from 1901 part of Imperial Tobacco. Goldflake was neither a brand nor a process of manufacturing cigarettes. The word "goldflake" refers to cigarettes made using bright rich golden tobacco. Gold Flake has a century old history, starting all the way back in 1912. After 1912, the biggest change in the brand was in 1971 with the introduction of Gold Flake Kings, followed up with the launch of Gold Flake Kings Lights in 1999.
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Product Positioning
1971 saw a big change in the Gold Flake portfolio with the introduction of Gold Flake Kings, a larger sized variant.
ITC In India
ITC launched the brand Gold Flake in India in the sixties. The source of the positioning of Gold Flake can be traced back to its early days. In the seventies, India was a country of the genteel rich. People aspired to be honorable and genteel. The lifestyle of the upper class was what the customers aspired for.
The initial ads positioned the cigarette as a companion. It targeted adult, male SEC A category smokers. It was meant to be a cigarette for the elite and the rich - the gracious people of India. It did not differentiate itself specifically from other brands. Advertising emphasized this comparison to gold. The statement - For the gracious people - summed the core of the brand.
After the introduction of lights as a category, the brand also introduced the positioning of Honeydew Smooth - giving the brand a recognizable differentiator, this positioning was backed by the dew drop symbol. With smoothness being the biggest claim, the brand used symbols like the silk scarf, feather, paint brush, violin, marble vase, hour glass and seashell as visuals to reiterate and associate back with smoothness.
After this, the brand reinvented its image and positioning with a new campaign that moved away from the well-established Honeydew campaign. This was the Go smooth campaign. The campaign was successful in connecting to the Gold Flake consumer and retaining the long standing loyalty.
Pack Variations
Over the years, the Gold Flake pack has evolved to meet the changing audience, however, the connection to the original value and taste proposition still remains strong.
Gold Flake Variants and Price Range
As of 2013, Gold Flake is targeted the youth smokers. It extended beyond the SEC A category to the SEC B as well. The product did not boast any USP. It still differentiated itself on the purity and quality of its experience. The brand stood for a celebratory attitude. "Celebrate the feeling" was the new message. This was simply an extension of the previous message "For the gracious people". ITC has also launched its smallest size which is of 64 mm and price is INR25 for 10 sticks.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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