The United Breweries (UB) group today (2008) boasts a diverse portfolio of businesses - alcoholic beverages, life-sciences, engineering, aviation, agriculture, chemicals, information technology and leisure. The man behind this potent diversity is none other than India's flamboyant tycoon Vijay Mallya (Mallya). Mallya's association with the rich, trendy and the luxurious seems to have rubbed off on his brands. All through his glitzy forays into various fields, Mallya has fastidiously endorsed Brand `Kingfisher'. His entry into aviation with the glamorous launch of Kingfisher Airlines drew a lot of its brand equity from Mallya himself. Media reports often analyze how Mallya promotes the `Kingfisher' brand by associating it with lifestyle events like horse-racing, Formula 1 racing and prestigious launches. Reflecting on how he contributes enormously to it through his own flamboyant lifestyle, it is pertinent to probe into the prospects of Kingfisher's brand extension.

I am the brand ambassador; I am the `King of Good Times',said Mallya, the brainchild of Kingfisher brand launched in the year 1980. Reports say that Mallya, while working in Kolkata (Indian city in the eastern state of West Bengal), felt that none of the existing beer brands Black Label, Kalyani, etc., were stimulating. Mallya, wanting to create a vibrant brand, went back to Bangalore (Mallya's hometown), rummaged through archives and stumbled upon an old label with a picture of Kingfisher on it. That manifested the birth of the iconic brand Kingfisher (Exhibit I). At an impressionable young age of 28, Mallya had become the chairman of UB, following the demise of his father, Vittal Mallya in 1983. Young Mallya, who loved good living and was crazy after fast cars, discos and planes, was criticized by many as a `playboy'. In Mallya's own words, "My industry peers were in their 50's. I stuck out like a sore thumb." Many were sceptical about Mallya's stewardship. Mallya, however, in course of time, proved his cynics wrong. He endured the succession dilemma and guided his empire to unimagined heights. By 2008, UB was a multi-national conglomerate of over 60 companies with an annual turnover of over $1.2 bn.

Marketing Mastermind Magazine, Brand Ambassador, Indian Business Community, Globalization, Information & Broadcasting, I&B, Indian Premier League, IPL, Indian Airline Industry, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, KAL.