“Only One-Third of Rural Homes Use Our Products – It’s A Big Opportunity”
Ajay Dang, Head Marketing – Home Care, Godrej Consumer Products Limited talks about brand innovations in the home care category and how consumer insights lead to effective reach By SALONI DUTTA Q] What were the key insights behind the launch of the new campaign for ‘Lal Hit’? One of the key insights was that there is a huge infestation problem even within homes that are regularly checked and treated for roaches. These are people who are aware that roaches cause diseases and yet, use ordinary low-cost solutions such as chalks and boric powder, believing that these are effective solutions. While they understood the basic issues of health and hygiene, they were lulled into a false sense of security by these superficial solutions –they may work only when a roach actually comes into contact with these products! This is the platform we are using for the new Lal Hit campaign. Q] How has the media mix evolved in the home care category? Traditionally, we have been very heavy on ATL, especially TV and to a limited extent print. Increasingly within this space, we have started using a bit of surrounding media which is fairly innovative - so we are using print fairly innovatively today. For instance, in the past year if there were any dengue related news reports appearing in newspapers, we displayed strong brand presence and warned people about dengue and malaria, which got us good recognition and even a media award. We have been using digital very effectively, with a large social media following through different engagements that we do such as associating with renowned artists to draw people’s attention to dengue. Most of these have contributed to the business significantly. The cherry on the cake is that many juries at various awards have recognised the work and appreciated it. Q] How do you plan to leverage mobile as a medium to reach out to consumers in areas where it is claimed as the best medium to reach them? We have been using mobile in our plan depending on the product and TA. Last year for Ezee, one of the products under the home care category, we undertook a social campaign called ‘Ezee hugs’ and used mobile to encourage people to pass the message across to different sets of people. On Hit, we are using mobile to push pest education and send in alerts about diseases to people. Q] What is the market share that you garner in the home care segment in India? We are the third-largest player in the home care segment after Unilever and Rohit Surfactants. Our brands are ranked amongst the top in the country. Commanding customer loyalty and differentiation is difficult today, yet we are actively engaging audiences and focusing on filling in gaps. Q] How do you plan to leverage your distribution prowess to supplement marketing and communications? After the GCPL (Godrej Consumer Products Limited) identity, we have seen a tremendous gain in distribution and numbers across our product portfolio. Apart from sizable increases in penetration and consumption growth for categories, we have also seen big growth in distribution numbers. We have become the most distributed company across our categories, across regions. We have increased our distribution by over five lakh outlets just in the last two-three years. I think we have done tremendously well because of the innovations we are putting out in the market which are fairly differentiated and consumer focused such as Good Night Fast Card, which is possibly the fastest launch by a FMCG across categories. It has touched an unprecedented 14 lakh plus distribution numbers in just 18-20 months. Q] How do you plan product launches and communication plans with innovation being the buzzword? In our space, differentiation is hard to come by, but we always start with deep consumer insights. Taking some of those, let’s say in the case of Lal Hit, we felt that there are many difficult corners and crevices within kitchens and while spraying is an easy task, a simple innovation of a ‘seek and kill’ applicator is far more effective. While the innovation in typical terms might not look very technologically advanced, it is based on a very sharp consumer understanding. Our brand teams, R&D teams, design teams spend a lot of time with consumers understanding their homesand issues and that helps us get good ideas. Q] What opportunities do you see in the home care business, especially in the next six months? Market penetration is still at only about 47 per cent(urban plus rural). And that includes 90 per cent of our portfolio. Rural is a very big opportunity - only about one third of rural homes are using our products. We see only an upward curve here. Good Night and Hit have a very strong equity in this space and a good record in coming out with successful innovations. The next few months are going to be exciting with many campaigns and products backed by sharp consumer insights. ABOUT THE BRAND Godrej Consumer Products Limited is the largest home-grown home and personal care company in India. GCPL ranks number one in hair colour, household insecticides and liquid detergents and number two in soaps. In India, consumers grow up with our brands - Good Knight, Cinthol, Godrej Expert, Godrej No. 1. In line with their 3X3 approach to international expansion, GCPL is building a presence in three emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across three categories (home care, personal wash, hair care). FACTS CREATIVE AGENCY: LOWE LINTAS MEDIA AGENCY: MADISON SOCIAL & DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING AGENCY: LINTERATIVE BTL/ACTIVATION AGENCY: TRITON COMMUNICATIONS PR AGENCY: IN HOUSE CMO FILE Ajay Dang, Head, Marketing (Home Care) & Media, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad). He joined GCPL in June, 2013 and leads the Household Insecticide business. He is responsible for formulating the business strategy, new product pipeline and delivering profitable growth on the portfolio. In his 17 years of work experience, he has worked with Nestle, Colgate Palmolive, Godrej Saralee, General Electric and HT Media before joining Godrej. This is Dang’s second stint with Godrej. Feedback: saloni.dutta@exchange4media.com
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