Masala in my chai
Queen has arrived
A handbag blocks a seat
A flyaway dupatta
Emails can't find you
Steamed idlis
Masala in my chai
Queen has arrived
A handbag blocks a seat
A flyaway dupatta
Emails can't find you
Steamed idlis
These are not story prompts but names of colours in the 2400 colour swatch of Birla Opus, the newly launched Paints division of Aditya Birla Group. Launched in February 2024, they may be the latest in the competitive Indian paints market, but they are already painting the town red – ‘Ancestral rubies red’ to be precise!
Meera Ganapathi
Author
Colour “Connecting”
Birla Opus plans to make its mark in the market by painting a picture with their colours. The strategy was to create an instant connect with the customer through the names of their colours. Meera Ganapathi, author and content creator who collaborated with Birla Opus was tasked to name 2,400 colours and she did it over 18 months.
“I wanted the names to have a certain poetry and elegance. If the names could evoke feelings that the colours inspire as opposed to simply describing the colours, I knew I'd have achieved what I wanted to. This is why some of the colour names are stories, some are feelings and some are even memories that are common to us all. Ultimately for me each name had to evoke an image in the mind of the reader,” she shares.
Try it for yourself
Read the name and guess the colour
Vacant verandas
Parakeets love mangoes
Gulabi chai from 1894
Malgudi days
Days are shorter
Srikanth SK
Head,
Customer Experience
Colour is the soul of any paint company. When we set out creating “colour craft” – the master Fandeck for Birla Opus, we looked at India as our muse. Inspired by our heritage, art, architecture, fauna, flora & the everyday life – we chose 216 unique colours that represent India Iconic. To arrive at the final 2300+ shades, we looked at colour preferences among Indian consumers and ensured adequate representation of different colour families.
The final step of this journey was the naming of these colours. We wanted to add meaning to the colour selection process and help the customer feel personally connected to their colours. So the names had to be evocative. They had to tell a story.
The Opus team roped in Meera, a writer & editor to work on this project with us. 12 months, countless meetings, and several cups of coffees later – we closed on the final names. From “1 kg of midnight” to “Aam ras” to “BRB” to “Mogambo khush hua” to “wine o clock” – our colours are bound to start conversations for years to come.
Searching for the right shade
In less than six months, Birla Opus's entry has undoubtedly shaken things up. Aggressive marketing strategies, distribution network expansion, a focus on high-quality products, and potentially competitive pricing strategies could entice customers.
Maybe it is time to look beyond eggshell and beige, and paint a swatch of Soft Bhel or samosa brown! After all, shouldn't your walls reflect your unique personality just as much as your outfit? Let your walls be the conversation starter, not a yawn-inducer.
Beyond names
Apart from trying to form this connect, Birla Opus has a two-pronged strategy to conquer the market – a production capacity that exceeds the competitors and to aim for a high single-digit market share by FY25.
Birla Opus is all set to redefine industry standards through a combination of innovative technology, extensive product range from sustainable interior & exterior wall paints and waterproofing paints to enamel paints, with a focus on strategic distribution. The company has added six state of the art manufacturing plants across India, aiming to add 40% to the current industry capacity. Birla Opus plans to capture a significant market share, targeting Rs 10,000 crore in revenue within three years to become the second largest player in the paints business.