I stumbled upon a commercial for Santoor Baby soap in Facebook, thanks to the tip from Bhatnaturally. I was surprised to see this move from one of India's biggest soap brands - Santoor.
Watch the ad here : Santoor Baby
A search in Google yielded no results. I assume that the ad is real and Santoor is now test marketing this brand extension in select markets. Since the ad features the South Indian actress Jyothika, Santoor is serious about the new launch.
Indian baby care market is huge with a size of Rs 3000 crore expected to grow at a rate of 20% according to ASSOCHAM.The baby skin care market is valued at Rs 400 crore and toiletries valued at Rs 380 crore.
Johnson and Johnson has a huge stronghold in this market with a share of over 70% . Many brands like Sparsh from Marico and Babysoft from Wipro tried unsuccessfully to dethrone J&J . It is in this context that Santoor's move becomes relevant and interesting.
Santoor has been very consistent in its positioning. Santoor's core brand's positioning is " for a younger looking skin". The brand through all its campaign effectively reinforced this positioning and became India's second biggest soap brand.
Santoor Baby soap will be trying to leverage this equity . The problem is that Santoor is perceived to be a soap for adults. So when such a brand launches a baby soap, inevitably doubts arises with regard to the mildness of the soap. Wipro earlier tried the Baby Soft brand but couldn't succeed so it is now trying to extend its best brand's equity. The ad shows not an infant but a 2-4 year old kid. So the brand will be trying to target the segment which is slowly growing out of the Johnson and Johnson's baby soap. More over since the child is growing , mothers will not be much bothered about trying out a baby soap from Santoor's portfolio.
Watch the ad here : Santoor Baby
A search in Google yielded no results. I assume that the ad is real and Santoor is now test marketing this brand extension in select markets. Since the ad features the South Indian actress Jyothika, Santoor is serious about the new launch.
Johnson and Johnson has a huge stronghold in this market with a share of over 70% . Many brands like Sparsh from Marico and Babysoft from Wipro tried unsuccessfully to dethrone J&J . It is in this context that Santoor's move becomes relevant and interesting.
Santoor has been very consistent in its positioning. Santoor's core brand's positioning is " for a younger looking skin". The brand through all its campaign effectively reinforced this positioning and became India's second biggest soap brand.
Santoor Baby soap will be trying to leverage this equity . The problem is that Santoor is perceived to be a soap for adults. So when such a brand launches a baby soap, inevitably doubts arises with regard to the mildness of the soap. Wipro earlier tried the Baby Soft brand but couldn't succeed so it is now trying to extend its best brand's equity. The ad shows not an infant but a 2-4 year old kid. So the brand will be trying to target the segment which is slowly growing out of the Johnson and Johnson's baby soap. More over since the child is growing , mothers will not be much bothered about trying out a baby soap from Santoor's portfolio.
Hey Harish,
ReplyDeleteGood update as usual. I'm a long time lurker and reader of your blog.
I have a few suggestions to give you regarding your blogging. Not sure how to reach you.
Please drop me an email. Would love to chat.
Hi Harish,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the Brand Managers for this new product are also targeting at following benefits-
1. The baby will be beautiful / Her beauty will not fade
2. Its a mix of various Ingredients and these essential ingredients are good and healthy for child's skin.
baby will become a miss universe .. funny....hahah
DeleteSantoor is not trying to test anything in tamilnadu. where as it concentrates its campaigns and venture in andhra & karnataka,. May i know what the hidden reason for that?
DeleteLink to the video for the same....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2rdxPk-D3s
I have a feeling that this category extension will work as Santoor has consistently featured mother and daughter in all their campaigns resulting in creation of an emotional connect towards baby products.
ReplyDeleteTough to dethrone J and J..rural marketing,targetting the lower MHI strata to counter the j and J premiumness may help santoor..loads of efforts to get into the rural sector may help the same
ReplyDeleteDoes this soap released in Indian market ?
ReplyDeleteWow...very exiting news on Santoor extends soaps for babies. Moms are very happy to use the best soaps for babies. Thanks for sharing great information with us.
ReplyDeletePl including T F m % and compare other baby soaps .we first know actually what is it .Some companies not include why the government must take some action. T.Q
ReplyDeleteWaterWipes don't contain preservatives, it is recommended that you use them within one month of opening them.
ReplyDeleteIn marketing any product, you have to first read the mindset of your target audience. If you're confused in this regard, all the marketing initiatives will be futile. As Johnson and Johnson have already set a bold image of only baby products in its customers mind, it will be very tough thing for its competitors to displace its position from the Indian baby care product market.
ReplyDeleteBaby Daily Deals