hink Hindustan Lever and an assortment of soaps and detergents come to mind. Consumers may have to reconsider that image. HLL is trying to make its presence felt in the consumer durables market as well with a low-cost water purifier, called Pureit. Though the product has been in the market for some months, the company is beginning to apply its huge marketing clout behind it only now.

HLL�s entry into the durables business, especially into a category bulging with many brands, is intriguing. A corporate spokesperson for the company doesn�t think so. "Our corporate purpose is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere. Affordable safe water is one of them. Therefore, any distinction between FMCG and consumer durables is not meaningful in the context of Pureit, because everyone consumes water every day." He points out that the very fact of HLL�s mould-breaking innovation in the category is evidence that the company "possesses all the competencies required to build this business".... more