Monosha Biotech (MB), a social start-up in Baruipur, West Bengal, India, was founded in 2017 to tackle a significant public health issue: snakebites. India had the highest number of snakebite fatalities globally, and the efficacy of anti-snake venom (ASVs) varied significantly depending on the snake’s location. As the prominent snake-venom manufacturer was headquartered in southern India, the existing ASVs had been customized to provide optimal effectiveness in the southern part of the country, and this left individuals in other regions across the country exposed and in danger when they suffered snake bites, consequently adding to the high fatality rate. MB started commercial snake-venom production in 2021, after getting all the necessary clearance and approval from the authorities. Despite the company’s commercial success, in 2023, the company’s founders had concerns about the future of their market expansion, particularly regarding the company’s scalability and potential for continued growth. Their task was difficult, as they had to confront two significant challenges. First, how could they create an authentic brand with the company’s vision, mission, and value proposition as a social enterprise in mind? Second, what alternative for expansion in the anti-snake-venom market would be suitable to ensure further growth?

Monosha Biotech (MB), a social start-up in Baruipur, West Bengal, India, was founded in 2017 to tackle a significant public health issue: snakebites. India had the highest number of snakebite fatalities globally, and the efficacy of anti-snake venom (ASVs) varied significantly depending on the snake's location. As the prominent snake-venom manufacturer was headquartered in southern India, the existing ASVs had been customized to provide optimal effectiveness in the southern part of the country, and this left individuals in other regions across the country exposed and in danger when they suffered snake bites, consequently adding to the high fatality rate. MB started commercial snake-venom production in 2021, after getting all the necessary clearance and approval from the authorities. Despite the company's commercial success, in 2023, the company's founders had concerns about the future of their market expansion, particularly regarding the company's scalability and potential for continued growth. Their task was difficult, as they had to confront two significant challenges. First, how could they create an authentic brand with the company's vision, mission, and value proposition as a social enterprise in mind? Second, what alternative for expansion in the anti-snake-venom market would be suitable to ensure further growth?

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.