“Pakde rehna, chodhna nahi hai.”
This five words phrase is one of the most popular phrases known to Indians. It has become the slogan to the Fevicol ads and it always brings a kind of happiness around us. For us, if adhesive had another name it always has to be Fevicol. Such has been its impact not just in India but in some outside countries as well. This brand today is worth approx $1.36 billion. It has turned 60 years recently and this is Fevicol brand story.
Fevicol Man – Balwant Parekh
The first launched Fevicol in the Indian market was just an easy to use replacement for other glues and fat-based adhesives which had to be boiled before it can be used. It was Mr. Balwant Parekh who brought this brand into existence. He started the Pidilite Industries in the year 1959. Aptly renowned as one of the first generation of Post Independence India had created a company which today has become synonymous with adhesive in the Its market. Also, known as the “Fevicol Man” his journey to making Fevicol a household name had its own share of ups and downs.
Balwant Parekh was born in the small town of Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, Mahuva. He went onto studying law in Mumbai but he left his studies midway to join Quit India Movement, launched by Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat. And although he later returned to Mumbai years later and finished his degree he was again reluctant to practice it, owing to the number of lies in the profession. Balwant struggled financially in Mumbai and that led him to work as a peon in a wood trader’s office. He used to live in a warehouse along with his wife.
He had some great business skills which were eventually recognized by an investor who helped him financially. He started with importing cycle, arena nut, paper dyes, etc before launching his own company with the support of his younger brother, Sushil Parekh. This was just a one factory company which he had named as Pidilite Industries as we know today. Over the following years, Fevicol has created a monopoly in the glue sector in the Indian market. It has become a brand carpenter would swear by.
Fevicol Brand
The company perfect wears the tag line “Building Bonds” and has maintained it ever since the emergence of the brand. When Pidilite industries had started, it only had a single product which was Fevicol and today this company manufactures more than seventy-five products. Some of these products are Fevistik, Fevikwik, and Fevicol marine. Its products are available in various sizes like 250 grams, 500 grams, 5kg, 10kg, 30kg, and even 50kg.
Since 2006, the Fevicol brand has started focusing on expansion in foreign countries as well. It has factories set up in the US, Thailand, Egypt, Dubai, and Bangladesh. So far, it has expanded its base in more than seventy countries. Owing to its ever-growing popularity worldwide, this brand has also won the Lion of the Cannes which is comparable to the Oscar award for filmmakers.
Brilliant Marketing Strategy
Fevicol brand has remained quite clinical about its product qualities but apart from that, this brand has worked hard on maintaining close relations with its target audience who are mainly carpenters. They have been constantly churning out brilliant advertising and marketing campaigns to keep the brand floating. Their advertisings often uses the sarcastic and intelligent humor which has found a connection with the masses in the Indian market. One of their early advertisement stated that “Fevicol aise jod lagaye, acche se accha na tod paaye”. This implies that Fevicols binds so good that no one can break it. While most of the ads over time might become irritating, Fevicol has been able to keep the people entertained throughout.
Fevicol has even made its presence in the Bollywood where they had a song “Chipkale Saiyaan Fevicol Se” which featured Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. In 2014, while addressing the relationship between India and Japan, Prime Minister had remarked, “Ye Fevicol se bhi mazbhoot jodh hai, tutega nai.” He again mentioned Fevicol while holding a rally prior to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. He then had stated, “Corruption is the Fevicol which binds the opposition in the Mahagathbandhan.” Even the cautious newspaper brands as such Economic Times could not resist mentioning Fevicol multiple to address news.
It’s evident that re-inventing the taglines is the name of the game which this brand has seemed to Master. They make their taglines in such a manner that whenever people would feel the need of using adhesive, the word “Fevicol” would instantly pop in their head. Such riveting and successful, Fevicol brand’s journey has been that anybody would wish to them to exist even after its 100th year of celebration for indeed this is a brand for which people could forever say, “Pakhde rehna, chodhna nahi hai.”
Banner Image Credit: forbesindia.com & Financial Express
