ONergy, a for-profit social enterprise in the renewable-energy-based products industry is poised to scale up its operations - namely, providing electricity to the underserved, bottom-of-pyramid market in India. Creating a brand in this market has proved difficult, as competition comprises many large and small players. However, given the government's support of renewable-energy-based products, the company expects substantial and continuous growth and aims to carve out a prominent position in this up-and-coming market. ONergy views investment in brand building as a way to ensure better acceptance by consumers and it is exploring innovative branding strategies that may be adopted by start-up social enterprises to create unique brands in a strategically profitable way. The key question now facing ONergy's founder is how to maintain brand-building momentum and take the brand to the next level.

Centuryply operates in the building materials space - specifically, in interior decoration with plywood, laminates and decorative veneers - alongside other categories like cement, shipping, and logistics. In India, this market is dominated by unorganized players, and plywood has always been treated as a commodity by marketers. Given the boom in real estate across residences and offices, as well as the current rapid lifestyle changes in India, the company expects sustainable and continuous growth and wants to achieve greater success in the wood furnishings category. Centuryply views investment in brand-building as a way to beat commoditization.The focus of the case is to explain innovative branding strategies that may be adopted by marketers to create a brand in the commodity market. In addition, it touches on the difficulties faced by a company to maintain a sustainable brand proposition amid competition. The key question is how to maintain brand-building momentum and take it to the next level.