Bata is an ubiquitous shoe-product in Bengal, so much so that it gets an honorary mention in the movie 'Namesake' by Mira Nair, where the loving grandmother specifically tells the house-help to pick up a pair of bathroom slippers 'only from Bata' for her visiting NRI grandchildren. It truly captured the spirit of association of the brand with the Bengali middle-class customers that have grown to love the brand for years.
There is very little to dislike about Bata - the products are reasonably priced, quite fashionable for the price and sasta-tikao for Indian use. It is also the inventor of curious style of pricing - where it often charges 1 paisa less than a whole figure, to create a psychological impression on the mind of the customer that a product costs less its price. Say, instead of INR 400, the product is often priced INR 399.99. My entire childhood was spent being trying to riddle this quirky marketing tactic, which Bata became famous for.
With time, Bata has now become more of a middle-class product, not associated with a snob value that it once was in a more stagnant market with fewer players. As a brand, I would think it would want to sell its trusted brand image, or position itself as a fashionable up-market alternative if it wished to change its target customer base. Instead, it goes ahead and decides to stamp the price of its products on the products itself - because reverse snob-value of shaming a customer's cheap shoe can't be such a great idea.
Yes, my feet are pretty small, but that apart, tell me - Why would a company do that ? Shoes in India are opened at doorsteps before entering houses, thereby making the price tag very visible. While it wouldn't impact much of its older customer base, who are more value conscious and less status conscious, it would surely not be a great way to rope in younger generation.
I am at loss to understand why a company like Bata would do this. Then again, it isn't just Bata, but many more Indian shoe makers who keep adopting the same style - Khadims, Heed over Heels, etc.
Again, same question - why ?
