The great cola wars dominated headlines and share of mind amongst consumers in the nineties. Ever since there have been many rivalries between corporate biggies to capture consumer mind space, though none as legendary as the cola wars. I intend to discuss the evolution of the Marketing and positioning platforms of Colgate Palmolive India and the sustained attempts by the Market leader to outsmart a determined HUL in the oral care segment.
We have heard of companies that have become synonymous with the categories that they represent (an oft quoted example being Xerox internationally and to some extent Parle in the Indian context of the Glucose biscuits category). Fortunately or unfortunately, Colgate has become synonymous for Oral Care (specifically toothpaste) in the Indian market. Fortunate, because it is extremely difficult for any new player to penetrate with Colgate being such a strong household name and unfortunate because, even if it intends to, any repositioning exercise is that much more difficult for Colgate to execute.
Colgate’s flagship product has been Colgate Dental Cream. It has always been positioned as a toothpaste that ‘Prevents tooth decay’. The thought process could have been to ascertain various dental problems, zero in on the problem that is probably most common and provide a solution to address the problem. It is a simple problem/ resolution sort of an approach and execution, and this theme is more or less consistent even with some recent offerings of Colgate (Active Salt/ Sensitive). Over a period of time, Colgate has also smartly associated itself with the Indian Dental Association to endorse this product though I am guessing this happened only after HUL’s foray into the Oral Care segment.
Let us analyse what HUL has done with its flagship product Pepsodent. HUL entered the category with a big bang. The entry was accompanied with huge ATL and BTL spends. The positioning has been to portray Pepsodent as a hard working toothpaste that ‘Fights Germs’. Though I vaguely remember that the initial communication clearly spelt out the advantages of a Germ fighting toothpaste, the more recent ads have not been too explicit in communicating this. If a consumer were to say the following, would it be justified?
‘I dread germs…. but I would dread them even more if I knew what they do to my teeth….. like causing tooth decay, cavities etc.’
Let’s discuss the second aspect of the communication for both brands. It’s the dentist endorsing the brand in one case versus the child/ mother relationship being the corner-stone of decision making in the other. Now, we know that every mother is integral to the decision making process concerned with purchases for her child and this does strike a chord with the target audience. We have seen similar communication for nutritional beverages/ food products etc. Just some food for thought at this juncture
· Immediacy of a problem takes precedence over anything which is long term. I am more likely to act on a toothache today than another problem which might happen at a later stage (eg. Impact on height/ stamina over a period of time)
· Pain and suffering takes precedence over physical disability (not resulting in pain). I am more likely to act upon a nasty toothache decisively than a problem of lack of stamina
In other words, I will probably do everything to avoid a toothache while I might take a slightly more relaxed and a long term oriented approach to building stamina. In this context, is a communication with a doctor recommending a product likely to be more impactful than a mother’s conviction?? I believe so..
Let’s explore the other brands from the Colgate/ HUL stable. Its got to be between Close-Up and Colgate Maxfresh (with cooling crystals). It’s fair to say that Close-Up has been extremely aggressive in this segment and Colgate had to re-invent themselves and quickly. The response was an innovative product with Cooling crystals and with a celebrity endorsement. Let’s look at the communication more closely.
Close-Up: One of the best jingles (with the exception of maybe Limca) that I have heard. I am sure the recall of the jingle and therefore the product is phenomenal. The execution clearly draws from the brand name and highlights ability, comfort and confidence to get close thro’ product usage…. A most desirable brand promise for the youth. Beautiful visuals and settings with a pleasant cast makes the ad that much more memorable
Do I have any other point of view on the positioning?? Just one….
Food consumption habits vary and eat-outs are a common part of any couple get-together. Does the product deliver throughout the day?? If not, since it is impossible for me as a guy/ girl to brush my teeth in the course of the day, I did rather have a Chewing gum or a candy meet my need.
Colgate Max-Fresh: An innovative product with a first of its kind ingredient based proposition of cooling crystals. In a purely functional category, this was a refreshing product innovation and excitement generator. The launch was supported with Celebrity endorsement. The ad shows Saif Ali Khan waking up to brush and he is hit by a blast of freshness thro’ the cooling crystals. The positioning “Freshen up your day with Colgate Maxfresh”. When you wake up to freshness everday, you hope that you have a bright day ahead. To my mind the freshness is a more tenable positioning platform.
With the white paste and the gel sub-segment covered, what remains is the herbal segment. Traditionally neither Colgate nor HUL recently been able to make much inroads into this segment. The herbal segment operates with a certain degree of sentiment and deference to the age old practices of maintaining oral hygiene and has a cultural angle attached to it. Consequently, brands that have been able to bring about aspect in their communication (Dabur Red/ Meswak) etc. have done exceedingly well.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Music to my ears
I am musically inclined. Years of training in Classical Carnatic Music during school days has equipped me with some ability to be able to analyse and discern various forms of Music. While I dabbled with English Rock and Metal for some time, I must admit that my actual interest lies in Indian Music. I have been following Bollywood/ Kollywood music for quite some time now and it seems interesting to me to able to evaluate the Music style of various contemporary Music directors. From the Marketing perspective, I wish to discuss about how they have differentiated and positioned themselves in the minds of the target audience. I will be discussing this starting with my favourites
AR Rehman – What strikes you immediately is the vast repertoire of Musical styles that Rehman has given us for the last 10 – 12 years. You cannot typecast him as a Music director with a certain style of Music. His compositions cover melodies, classical music (both Hindustani and Carnatic), folk, Indian rock and pop to name a few genres. Apart from versatility, what differentiates him further is his ability to fit the genres remarkably to the situation and the script. Starting from humble origins, today his Music has universal appeal. No wonder then that there is huge anticipation concomitant with any Music release of Rehman’s composition.
Ilayaraja – A legend and an inspiration for a lot of Music Directors atleast in South India. I am a huge fan of Ilayaraja and love his music. Again, apart from the sheer musical genius, the greatness of the man lies in his ability to understand the taste and preference of the target audience and compose music accordingly. While his compositions for Bollywood have been limited (notable ones being ‘Cheeni kum’ and ‘Paa’) he is an icon in every household down South. His compositions again cover all Music styles ranging from melodies, folk, carnatic classical and a fine blend of Western music.
Shankar/ Ehsaan/ Loy – A remarkably talented trio that has given us some outstanding music in this decade. Again, versatile composers, who have managed to capture the imagination of the Indian youth. Compositions are very relevant to the script on most of the occasions (case in point being ‘ Rock On’…. You might not have imagined anybody to have so beautifully enmeshed with the script). With 3 sharp minds from varied backgrounds getting together, it is certain that the musical magic will continue in the days to come.
Salim/ Sulaiman – To be frank, this duo was never under my consideration set until I recently happened to watch the ‘Indian Idol 5’ show. And then, when I went back to see the scores composed by Salim and his brother, I was surprised on how I could have missed it. ‘Chak De’, ‘ Rab ne…’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Race’ to name a few movies that I always knew had great compositions but I never bothered to check who the music director was. Once again, extremely versatile with an ability to compose scores suited to the script. And when there is humility inspite of the accomplishments I can only wonder the heights to which these guys are going to scale in the future.
Pritam – It is fair to state that my respect for the man has gone several notches over the last few months. Some of his recent compositions have been amazing. The fact however remains that Pritam operates within a restricted set of Music Styles. Over a period of time, there is a likelihood that the audience might find the compositions repetitive. However, most of the Music directors also participate as Judges and special guests in different reality shows and seeing Pritam, I get the feeling that he is a smart and talented operator who can re-invent himself when required.
Anu Malik – Certainly quite a few credit-worthy compositions to his account. But in my view, when a man commits to more than what he can deliver, he runs the risk of getting repetitive or running out of ideas. Plus the allegations of plagiarism have only tarnished his image further. Irrespective of what Mr. Malik thinks about himself, what gets evaluated is how much has he been part of the Music Industry in the recent times and the data points that he is moving only in one direction… which is the path to eventual oblivion
Himesh Reshammiya – Amazingly repetitive, irritating to the ears, brazenly non-compliant with the finer nuances of music….. that is how I would like to classify Himesh Reshamiya’s compositions. But to give credit to the man, he was able to generate mass appeal for some of his earlier compositions. The audience found the style to be unique and new. However, the mantra going forward is likely to be ‘Innovate or die’.
Let us try and develop a graphical plot of whatever has been discussed so far. I have proposed looking at the above details from 2 perspectives. One, a generic perspective from a Music follower’s point of view and the other a very specific perspective that evaluates Music in the context of the movie that it is a part of. The first map covers the following factors
a. Music Quotient – The demonstrated ability of the Music director to be able to provide a variety of Music genres. This essentially captures the versatility.
b. Mass Appeal – The extent of Public appreciation and acceptance of the compositions.
The second perceptual map would cover the following factors
a. Script Seamlessness – The ability of the song/ the score to seamlessly fit with the movie script. Herein lies an underlying assumption and acceptance that the script in itself is robust enough
b. Lyrics Seamlessness – Irrespective of the chronology of the Lyrics/ Music development process, the ability of the Music to seamlessly fit with the lyrics.
AR Rehman – What strikes you immediately is the vast repertoire of Musical styles that Rehman has given us for the last 10 – 12 years. You cannot typecast him as a Music director with a certain style of Music. His compositions cover melodies, classical music (both Hindustani and Carnatic), folk, Indian rock and pop to name a few genres. Apart from versatility, what differentiates him further is his ability to fit the genres remarkably to the situation and the script. Starting from humble origins, today his Music has universal appeal. No wonder then that there is huge anticipation concomitant with any Music release of Rehman’s composition.
Ilayaraja – A legend and an inspiration for a lot of Music Directors atleast in South India. I am a huge fan of Ilayaraja and love his music. Again, apart from the sheer musical genius, the greatness of the man lies in his ability to understand the taste and preference of the target audience and compose music accordingly. While his compositions for Bollywood have been limited (notable ones being ‘Cheeni kum’ and ‘Paa’) he is an icon in every household down South. His compositions again cover all Music styles ranging from melodies, folk, carnatic classical and a fine blend of Western music.
Shankar/ Ehsaan/ Loy – A remarkably talented trio that has given us some outstanding music in this decade. Again, versatile composers, who have managed to capture the imagination of the Indian youth. Compositions are very relevant to the script on most of the occasions (case in point being ‘ Rock On’…. You might not have imagined anybody to have so beautifully enmeshed with the script). With 3 sharp minds from varied backgrounds getting together, it is certain that the musical magic will continue in the days to come.
Salim/ Sulaiman – To be frank, this duo was never under my consideration set until I recently happened to watch the ‘Indian Idol 5’ show. And then, when I went back to see the scores composed by Salim and his brother, I was surprised on how I could have missed it. ‘Chak De’, ‘ Rab ne…’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Race’ to name a few movies that I always knew had great compositions but I never bothered to check who the music director was. Once again, extremely versatile with an ability to compose scores suited to the script. And when there is humility inspite of the accomplishments I can only wonder the heights to which these guys are going to scale in the future.
Pritam – It is fair to state that my respect for the man has gone several notches over the last few months. Some of his recent compositions have been amazing. The fact however remains that Pritam operates within a restricted set of Music Styles. Over a period of time, there is a likelihood that the audience might find the compositions repetitive. However, most of the Music directors also participate as Judges and special guests in different reality shows and seeing Pritam, I get the feeling that he is a smart and talented operator who can re-invent himself when required.
Anu Malik – Certainly quite a few credit-worthy compositions to his account. But in my view, when a man commits to more than what he can deliver, he runs the risk of getting repetitive or running out of ideas. Plus the allegations of plagiarism have only tarnished his image further. Irrespective of what Mr. Malik thinks about himself, what gets evaluated is how much has he been part of the Music Industry in the recent times and the data points that he is moving only in one direction… which is the path to eventual oblivion
Himesh Reshammiya – Amazingly repetitive, irritating to the ears, brazenly non-compliant with the finer nuances of music….. that is how I would like to classify Himesh Reshamiya’s compositions. But to give credit to the man, he was able to generate mass appeal for some of his earlier compositions. The audience found the style to be unique and new. However, the mantra going forward is likely to be ‘Innovate or die’.
Let us try and develop a graphical plot of whatever has been discussed so far. I have proposed looking at the above details from 2 perspectives. One, a generic perspective from a Music follower’s point of view and the other a very specific perspective that evaluates Music in the context of the movie that it is a part of. The first map covers the following factors
a. Music Quotient – The demonstrated ability of the Music director to be able to provide a variety of Music genres. This essentially captures the versatility.
b. Mass Appeal – The extent of Public appreciation and acceptance of the compositions.
The second perceptual map would cover the following factors
a. Script Seamlessness – The ability of the song/ the score to seamlessly fit with the movie script. Herein lies an underlying assumption and acceptance that the script in itself is robust enough
b. Lyrics Seamlessness – Irrespective of the chronology of the Lyrics/ Music development process, the ability of the Music to seamlessly fit with the lyrics.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Framework for Inspection4Inspiration
I have been thinking thro' as to what should be the framework for this blog. I might have given the appearance of a 'Blog of a thinker' sort of a feel by choosing such a name but until there is a definite framework, there is immense scope of being 'All over the place'. I have listed the following as a broad layout within which all posts from my side shall operate. I would appreciate comments to improve upon them
Firstly, I intend to discuss topics that have a Business/ Marketing implication. There are 'n' number of topics to be discussed under the sun but I intend to bring about a business/ Marketing perspective to whatever is being talked about. The attempt will also be to lay more emphasis on the ability to evoke thoughts rather than dwelve too much on the numbers. Any capable person can work around numbers but what's more important is to be analytical and creative with the issue in hand to present ideas and thoughts from where numbers can be deep dived into. Broadly I intend to give the following structure to my posts
1) Provide a background to the topic
2) What does conventional wisdom have to say about the topic
3) Is there an alternate wisdom/ hypothesis/ a different way of looking at the issue
4) Constantly monitor the issue and look for indicators that support the conventional/ alternate wisdom
As I write more, I hope to gain in experience and refine the framework in the process. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I will be enjoying writing them. Look for some interesting topics coming your way in the days to come
Firstly, I intend to discuss topics that have a Business/ Marketing implication. There are 'n' number of topics to be discussed under the sun but I intend to bring about a business/ Marketing perspective to whatever is being talked about. The attempt will also be to lay more emphasis on the ability to evoke thoughts rather than dwelve too much on the numbers. Any capable person can work around numbers but what's more important is to be analytical and creative with the issue in hand to present ideas and thoughts from where numbers can be deep dived into. Broadly I intend to give the following structure to my posts
1) Provide a background to the topic
2) What does conventional wisdom have to say about the topic
3) Is there an alternate wisdom/ hypothesis/ a different way of looking at the issue
4) Constantly monitor the issue and look for indicators that support the conventional/ alternate wisdom
As I write more, I hope to gain in experience and refine the framework in the process. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I will be enjoying writing them. Look for some interesting topics coming your way in the days to come
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