NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION & ANALYSIS

SUBMITTED BY:

DIV F, GROUP 5

GAURAV BAJAJ, F005

MEGHANA CHITIBOMMA, F015

VIKRANT SHANGLOO, F025

HARISH R, F035

ABHUDAY AGGARWAL, F045

ABHINAV SINGH RATHAUR, F055

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 3

PROBLEM STATEMENT 3

OPTIONS 3

CRITERIA 4

EVALUATION OF OPTIONS AGAINST EACH CRITERION 4

RECOMMENDATION 5

ACTION PLAN 6

SHORT TERM

LONG TERM

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 A Decision-Making Report
Executive Summary
Racism as an issue has not been this widely discussed in decades. Black Lives Matter and the
George Floyd incident have brought racism back to the forefront of discussions. Brands that
have supported or have had racist policies in the past are facing the brunt of the public and
face major backlash that could lead to losing out on profitability and face value.
Overseer Whisky is the highest selling product in our company’s portfolio and is closely tied
to the history of racism in our country. After our acquisition of the brand, we have tirelessly
worked towards rectifying that image, however, this issue has risen again which can also be
confirmed by Google’s trend analysis indicating a steep increase in searches for ‘Overseer’.
To mitigate the damages that could be caused by this, the company is evaluating multiple
options, including, dissolving the Overseer brand, slightly tweaking the brand name to
preserve its identity but distancing itself from its past, and rebranding it after its successful
brand: Elements Gin. Apart from this they also have the option to do nothing for now and be
reactive in their approach. We’ve evaluated these options and come to a decision based on
what their expected outcomes are.

Situational Analysis

Overseer Whisky was started in the early 19th century by Samuel Vernon, a distiller and
plantation owner in Tennessee. When Cork Beverage took over the brand in 1950, the label
was redesigned to mask its history of racism.
In the aftermath of the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter incidents, the world is more
concerned about the products they purchase and what they stand for. In times like these, we
need to look inwards to identify any possible ways they can help us come out unscathed from
this situation.
We decided to release a press statement recognizing our past issues and demonstrating our
commitment to equality by pledging a constructive transformation and donating $3 million to
groups that help the Black community.

I have met with Carla Tasha and Eric Reid to discuss the next measures for our brand’s future
and deliver on our commitment towards equality and diversity.

Taking into consideration our financial requirements, consumer expectations and our brand
image in the media, a thorough examination of our possible alternatives needs to be done to
come to a final recommendation.

Problem Statement
Our best-selling brand, Overseer Whiskey, has run into problems due to its past issues
regarding racism for which we need to design a strategic as well as sensitive solution to
communicate to the media while also minimizing any negative impact on future sales.

Options
In order to address the problem, the following options can be considered –

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 1. Making no changes to the brand Overseer Whiskey
2. Launching as a new brand
3. Rebranding as Element Whiskey

Criteria
The following criteria were considered while compiling this report –
1. Financial feasibility and profitability
2. Brand association
3. Social Impact

Evaluation of Options against each criterion

1.1 Financial feasibility and profitability

Overseer Whiskey is the Cash cow being the best-selling brand for Cork Beverages.
With limited discounting and minimal advertising, the brand has been most profitable
to the company. With making no changes to the brand the profitability would be
consistent. Although there is a risk of a drop in sales when the Overseer Whiskey’s
name is linked to slavery and racism. The costs for the damage control would be
significantly high.

1.2 Brand Association

The brand name Overseer Whiskey has a history related to racism and slavery. Only
42% of the customers know the actual meaning of Overseer. On research held by the
team, we understand that most customers associate the brand with Assertiveness and
Authority but not slavery. Our research also suggested that the customers did not have
a problem with the name.

1.3 Social Impact

Irrespective of how the brand is perceived by the customers the brand has racist
origins and association to slavery cannot be ignored. Considering the outbreak of
George Floyd being killed by the police, the media, activists, and critics are actively
looking out for the brands that are linked to racism. The Google alerts also indicated
that the searches for Overseer were increasing. No immediate action from the brand
would give the wrong message to the customers.

2. Launching a new brand

Creating a new brand has a huge risk involved although it is in the same taste profile.
The cost involved in branding, advertising, and increasing its reach to the customers
would be very high. In spite of heavy investments, we cannot promise an increase in
sales as there could be a backlash from the customers.

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 2.2 Brand association

By creating a new brand to replace Overseer Whiskey, there is a risk of losing

2.3 Social Impact

Changing the brand name will make Cork beverages stand out and stand against
racism. It gives a message that the company takes steps for social causes. There is
also a risk involved with changing the brand name as it confirms that Overseer
Whiskey is associated with slavery and racism.

3. Rebranding as Element Whiskey

3.1 Financial feasibility and profitability

Rebranding Overseer Whiskey to an inhouse brand Element would incur costs for
rebranding, advertising. Maximum costs would be involved in the transition of the
brand. The element being the second most popular brand, the sales of the product can
be assured. As per analysis with planning and execution, the costs of rebranding can
be recouped and current level sales can be achieved in a year. The acquisition of
Element gin customers is also possible, hence increasing the sales.

3.2 Brand association:

Element Gin is an important brand for Cork beverages and has a brand value in the
industry. Rebranding Overseer Whiskey as Element Whisky would remove the
suspected possible backlash from activists and customers. The credibility of the brand
wouldn’t be questioned by the customers. Although there is a risk of damaging the
brand name of Element Gin. Despite the negative response from the focus group study
conducted previously, we can conduct more detailed research on the impact of
rebranding to assess whether the result of the focus group was an outlier or not.

3.3 Social Impact

Rebranding Overseer Whiskey would emphasize Cork beverage’s intention to stand

Recommendations
We recommend a pilot of 6 months where we can evaluate both options to see what impact it
has on the company as a whole. We will have more knowledge and customer behaviour to
make an informed decision post the pilot run.

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Action Plan

Short-term Plan
1. We have to make sure that in the upcoming press release, our company is represented
by a multicultural group of employees to symbolize our commitment towards equality
and the present views of all employees.
2. The next step has to be conducting extensive market research. The result from the
survey through one focus group cannot determine the impact everywhere and hence
we need to conduct similar surveys in focus groups from multiple locations to get a
more extensive understanding.

Long-term Plan
1. The company should make sure that no future discrepancies or conflicts arise for our
brands with respect to any social issue.
2. Continuous marketing and branding to be done for the acquisition of the customers of
Overseer Whiskey. Future advertisements and marketing initiatives should find a
subtle way to include the rebranding of Overseer Whiskey into Element Whiskey to
ensure our audience never doubts the rebranded product.