Lawfirm

Business Standard  reports that the woes of Axe continues unabated. In the quarter ended June 2014, Axe was relegated to third position,this time by WildStone . Fogg leads the market with 17% share followed by Wildstone with 6.9% and Axe with 6.8% share. The new entrant Engage from ITC has 6.5% share offers further headache for Axe. Surprisingly Axe has been virtually silent atleast in Kerala market with virtually no promotions. If this trend continues, we are going to see this brand fading out from the Rs 2500 crore market which it created.

Maybe this will be a continuing feature, maybe not. Either way, it is not at all unusual for me to see rulings that I find amusing for one reason or another. And, in almost all cases, I know that it is not amusing to the people involved who consider the product involved to be their job. So, I issue a blanket apology to anyone I might offend. Today, I was amused to see a ruling on the Minkomatic 660 and 670 feeder trucks. You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about self-propelled vehicles designed to deliver feed to livestock in pens here . The issue presented to Customs and Border Protection was whether the Minkomatic truck is classifiable as a vehicle of Chapter 87 or as agricultural machinery of Chapter 84. Because it is equally equipped for mink feeding, Customs determined that it is not principally used for transport. That took it out of Chapter 87. Customs then also determined that mink husbandry is an agricultural exercise. That puts the Minkomatic is 8436...

Having tasted success as a women's only scooter, Hero Pleasure has set its sights on the younger ladies. The brand in its push to appeal to the younger crowd has roped in the latest bollywood star Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador.  Watch the new ad here : Hero Pleasure Hero Pleasure was endorsed by Priyanka Chopra and with the change in the brand ambassador to a much younger actress, the brand is trying to bring in a much youthful persona to it. The positioning and the message from the brand remains much the same . Pleasure also has retained the tagline " why should boys have all the fun ".  The theme of the new campaign is of nothing new and many things shown in the ad has been repeated by many brands. So as far as the new communication is concerned, the brand has taken the most- traveled route except for the new face.  If one looks closely at the brand's logo in the TVC, the brand describes itself as a " Light and Zippy " scooter. The emphasis of light a...

Just thinking about the title is bringing on a hot flash.  I am mad at menopause and although I am excited about being in the 50 club, I am not enjoying the hormonal changes that my body is experiencing right now.    I will be talking very candidly about my experience with hormone changes and my body in this blog, and this is not meant to offend anyone, but this is a subject that many are afraid to discuss out of embarrassment, fear, and the belief that these things are to be the “kept secret” of women.  I say bullshit to that.  Health involves discussing all things as it relates to the human body and aging, and I for one am all about sharing, learning, and getting feedback from others on the subject. LIFE SAVER I have been frantically researching hormone imbalance for a few years now, have tried supplementation, herbals, transdermal creams, and natural moisturizers at an attempt to restore balance in my body.  I am very aware of the foods that help wi...

Brand : Revotron Company : Tata Motors Brand Analysis Count : # 544 Revotron is the new hope of Tata Motors. Tata Motors which once was the number 2 in the Indian car market, is now finding it difficult to be in the top 5 thanks to the nagging quality issues coupled with a negative brand perception. This brand is another example of  ingredient branding. But Tatas are known for its resilience and Revotron is the result of a serious introspection and investment in developing an indigenous petrol engine with global standards. And from the media reports , Tata Motors have managed to live up to the high standards set by itself. And after many years, media has been kind to Tata Motors with a fairly good reviews about the engine performance. The 1.2 Ltr engine is being promoted heavily by Tata Motors ahead of the launch of the two major new products - Tata Bolt and Zest. The Revotron brand is endorsed by the Indian F1 Racing star Narain Karthikeyan. Watch the TVC here : Revotron The USP...

A protest is a very important document. When an importer lodges a protest with Customs and Border Protection, the importer is telling CBP that it disagrees with a decision Customs made when liquidating an entry. Absent a protest, the liquidation becomes final and is not subject to challenge. If the importer files a protest and CBP denied it, the importer can go to the Court of International Trade to challenge the denial. In many cases, if there is no valid protest, there is no way to get into court. To be valid, a protest has to be timely. Today, that means 180 days from the date of liquidation. That was not always the case. The protest period used to be 90 days. The transition from 90 to 180 days was not smooth and that seems to be the underlying problem in Puerto Rico Towing & Barge Co. v. United States , a recent decision of the Court of International Trade. The case involves an effort to protest the collection of duties on ship repairs performed on a U.S. flag vessel while it w...

When we last left Dependable Packaging Solutions, Inc. v. U.S., the Court of International Trade agreed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection that certain inexpensive bud vases were properly classified as "glassware of a kind used for . . . indoor decoration or similar purposes" (Heading 7013) rather than as "carboys, bottles . . . and other containers, of glass, of a kind used for the conveyance or packing of goods" (Heading 7010). Dependable appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has now rendered its judgment. The interesting issue Dependable raised on appeal has to do with the Explanatory Notes . [Note from Larry: Dear Thomson Reuters and Boskage, you're welcome.] The Explanatory Notes are not binding on Customs or the Court. Nevertheless, because they represent the views of the folks who wrote the Harmonized Tariff, they are deemed to be relevant and persuasive authority on the meaning of a tariff term. In this case, the Explanat...

This is such a difficult write and I have been away from my blog for several weeks spending time with my family, and my beautiful Mother-in-law who passed away June 18.  She was my second Mom, I loved her dearly and I still struggle with the realism that she is no longer here physically.  I miss her… The journey of life holds such beauty and pain, and it is in the experience of death, and being present during that last breathe of a loved one that truly brings into full light the appreciation of the gift of our life and how we spend every moment.  My Mom-in-law is in heaven now, able to breathe, walk, laugh and exist in the perfect form of her spirit in the presence of God and those who have passed before her that she so loved.  At the same time, I struggle with my human feelings of this “is all not real and weird.”  I expect to go over to my in-laws’ and see her, looking forward to one of our many girl talks.  I can still see her and hear her in my mind, an...

Brand : Choco Moonz Company : Perfetti VanMelle Brand Analysis Count : # 543 Cadbury Shots now has a competition. Perfetti has launched its version of Shots branded as Choco Moonz. The new product has the same form factor as Shots but the difference is that Moonz has almonds inside it.  Cadbury Shots has been a very successful product for Cadbury. It gained almost 3% value share within a year of its launch. The smart pricing and a very good campaign propelled the popularity of the brand. The brand's tagline " Man Main Laddu " has become a part of the lingo. Every successful product attracts competition and Shots has got the match from the market leader of the candy-segment i.e Alpenliebe. Choco Moonz is launched as an independent brand endorsed by Alpenliebe.  One should appreciate the creativity in choosing the brand name- Moonz. The name is superb and apt for the form-factor of the product.  The brand has chosen the value proposition as  - Not only Choco but also A...

I am behind on my blogging. As I have said in the past, that usually happens when I am busy at work, which is a good thing. So, to play a little catch up, I am going to combine several recent cases in this single post. Tempura Tempest First up, the Federal Circuit ruled on the classification of tempura in a case called R.T. Foods, Inc. v. United States . We discussed the Court of International Trade decision here . The government asserted that cut, flour dusted, fried, and flash frozen vegetables are classified in HTSUS 2004.90.85, which covers "Other vegetables prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid, frozen, other than products of heading 2006: Other vegetables and mixtures of vegetables: Other: Other, including mixtures." According to R.T. Foods, the products are classifiable in HTSUS 2106.90.99, which provides for "Food preparations not elsewhere specified or included: Other: Other: Other: Frozen." The latter classification is entitled to ...