CHENNAI : What is common among BSA, Hercules and Parry’s? They are renowned brands from the Murugappa stable. As a part of the Chennai chapter of Public Relations Society of India, D Vijayalakshmi, senior AVP, was invited to give a talk on the brand story of Murugappa. The event was held at the Madras Management Association.
Vijayalakshmi has been handling the group corporate communications of Murugappa Group since January 2010. “It is my curiosity for knowledge, flexibility in shifting fields over the years, and aspiration by setting high goals that have brought me this far in life. Murugappa Groups is a family-run business with a rich history of more than 100 years.
The company is known for its reputation, corporate management and leadership skills,” said Vijayalakshmi, whose public relations experience includes works Amara Raja Group, Parryware Roca and Ramco Systems. She completed her BSc Physics from Stella Maris College and gradually moved to the corporate communications sector.
The story of Murugappa is a legacy of entrepreneurship that started in 1934. Headquartered in Chennai, it is one of India’s leading business conglomerates. The group has 28 businesses including nine listed companies traded in NSE and BSE. Some of the major companies of the group include Cholamandalam Investment, Party Agro Industries Ltd and Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd.
“The company is strongly rooted in south India. It grew by acquisitions. It has always been a low key company. The brands have had greater awareness and recognition than the parent company Murugappa itself. Most importantly, it has a legacy recognition. Since 2010 we have been working towards awareness and sense of connectivity by targeting niche factors that might not be of interest to other corporate,” she said.
The Murugappa Group unveiled a bright red peacock as its logo in 2010. “We started focusing on the heritage aspects, events, campaigns, cricket and digital platforms. Our Madras Day events and Murugappa quizzes are very popular. Carpet bombing was never an agenda. We’ve been creating interesting videos that highlight our beliefs and work ethics.
Some include the Madras song, farmer video, ‘Saying it Simply’ and ‘Good Netizen and Good Citizen’. The videos were a huge hit considering the attention span of the viewers. The results were analysed and the reach was more in non-metro areas,” shared Vijayalakshmi. In an effort to bring in recall value and connectivity to the brand name, she has been working towards more initiatives. “Murugappa can coexist and still build awareness,” she said.