Quick vs Kwik: The battle of similar-sounding brand names

What's in a name? A lot if you look at two recent examples. Xiaomi’s blockbuster smartphone brand, Redmi, has got a matching (at least in name) rival in Realme, an online brand launched by Chinese rival Oppo. It’s Mi versus Me. The slugfest is not restricted to the world of smartphones alone.

Back in India, consumers are getting glued to a riveting fight between an industry leader and another company.

ResiQuick, an instant adhesive brand from Ahmedabad-based Astral Poly Technik, has roped in Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan to take on the might of market leader, Fevikwik. It’s Quick versus Kwik.

ResiQuick, according to several brand strategists, stands a strong chance to take on the adhesive brand from the Fevicol family. “The beauty of this space is that it’s niche, one-use oriented and cheap,” contends Harish Bijoor, founder of the eponymous brand consultancy firm. The category still doesn’t have brand recall and preference as a Fevicol, which is a household name. So, it’s largely driven by retailer push.

The fight, however, is now tilted more in favour of Fevikwik. Reason: The adhesive brand piggybacks on the mother equity of Fevicol, which is the mother of all generic brands today. “ResiQuick needs to think of inventing its own magic to battle the Fevi equity,” adds Bijoor.