Oral-B : Dentist's Choice

Brand : Oral-B
Company : P&G
Agency : O&M

Brand Analysis Count : 280

Oral-B is a special brand. The brand is the global leader in the toothbrush market. Oral-B is a special brand since it bought so many innovations in a low involvement product like Toothbrush. Infact, Oral-B is a brand that made Toothbrush a high involvement product category.
Oral-B was created in 1950 by a Dentist Dr Robert Hutson. The first product was Oral-B 60 which had 60 tufs. In 1984 Oral-B was acquired by Gillette and in 2006 it came into P&G's fold with its acquisition of Gillette worldwide.
Oral-B came to India in 1996.Although globally Oral-B is a market leader, it could not replicate its global leadership position in India. In India, it is the second largest player behind Colgate.India is considered to be the second largest market for toothbrushes and the market is estimated to be around Rs 600-700 crore.
Oral-B is known worldwide for its innovation. Oral-B is a favorite example in marketing classes for Planned Replacement. The case in point is the innovative brand Oral-B Indicator. Oral-B Indicator was introduced in 1991. It had fading bristles which indicated to the customer that its time for him to change the brush. The innovation won Edison award for product innovation. Through the Indicator Bristles, Oral-B overcame a serious issue of delay in repeated purchases due to overuse. Typically consumers do not have an idea of when to replace a toothbrush. Often they stretch the planned life of the product thus posing a problem for the marketers. Oral-B Indicator changed all that.Dentists recommend that the toothbrush should be replaced every three months. Oral-B indicator is designed to remind the customer that time schedule for replacement. Now Indicator Bristles have become a standard feature in all Oral-B toothbrushes.

Although Indicator was referred in most of the marketing textbooks, the innovations of Oral-B is mind blowing. Some noteworthy innovations are listed below :
1984 : Oral-B revolutionized Kid's toothbrush market with its Star Wars range which had the characters in the toothbrush
1984 : The first Power Toothbrush launched under the Braun brand.
1987 : Oral-B Ultraplus was launched which had round head
1991 : Oral-B Indicator with fading bristles.
For the entire range of innovations , visit the brand website at : Oralb.com
2007 saw another mindblowing futuristic innovation from this brand- Oral-B Triumph with Smart Guide Technology. The toothpaste now comes with a wireless digital monitor which will guide the consumer to use the toothbrush in the ideal manner. The wireless digital monitor have a timer which guide the customer to brush for 2 minutes and also indicates the various motions and even indicates the replacement of the toothbrush head.
For details visit the brand website : Triumph with smartguide

These innovations have made this product category a highly segmented and a high involvement category. Earlier, the choice available for a consumer was whether the bristles are soft medium or hard. Now the choice is numerous. The introduction of power brushes ( battery powered) created a new premium segment of toothbrushes. The shape and the size of the bristles and toothbrushes also have changed. From the typical rectangular head to round shaped head. From straight bristles to Zigzag . Many things are happening to the good old toothbrushes. The interesting fact is that these innovations have created a change in the mindset of consumers. Earlier consumers believed that Toothpaste is the central product in the oral care/hygiene. Toothbrush's role is limited in the oral care. The innovations from these players have prompted the customers to think that toothbrush is also an important product that needs some serious thinking before purchase.

Oral-B is positioned as Dentist's Choice of Toothbrush. The brand uses the tagline " The brand more dentists use themselves worldwide". In India too, the brand uses the same tagline. The brand is currently on a hyperactive mode in India with lot of promotions in the visual media.

Oral-B also is getting on the volume game by launching a variant ShinyClean with a amazing pricetage of Rs 13.ShinyClean comes with five features :
Zigzag bristles for better cleaning
End Rounded Bristles.
Translucent Contour handle for better grip
Hygiene Cap
Indicator
At a price tag of Rs 13, ShinyClean is expected to rejuvenate the toothbrush market for Oral-B. Earlier Oral-B was positioned as a premium brand.
Oral-B is a marketer's icon. A brand which has brought so much value into a dull product category.

Future TV : Media Where it Matters Most

Move away TAM, Move away SEC, Move Away Saas Bahu and Woh, media will never be the same again. There is something now media planners across the country will be watching : the emergence of a new media : In-store media.

This year Kishore Biyani's Future Group kickstarted a new division Future Media which is its aggressive foray into In-store Media. The division which integrates all instore media within the retail formats of the Future Group. The division expects to rake in Rs 200 crore as the non retail revenue for the group.
Future TV is the in-store electronic media offering airtime to the advertisers. The network consists of numerous TV's placed in strategic locations throughout the stores. The concept of in-store TV was pioneered by WalMart. WalMart TV Network which began operation in 1997 is the largest TV Network in US reaching a whopping 127 Million Shoppers. WalMart TV Network is shown in 1,25,000 screens spread across 3100 US Stores.

Future TV is following the same way as WalMart TV and is set to create a trend in the development of this new media.
There is lot of impact of this media over the traditional media like Print and TV. In-store media reached TARGET CONSUMER while traditional media reaches the TARGET AUDIENCE. Future Media uses this beautiful phrase to capture the essence of this media " This media is trying to convert / influence customers in the ambiance of consumption ". Its reaching the customers while shopping compared to reaching the customers while sitting on the couch. That's real targeting. The impact of this media is huge given the fact that most of the purchases (FMCG) in supermarkets are impulse. So catch them with their wallets open !!!!!

For a brand manager, this new media offers yet another opportunity and also more complication. The media again gets fragmented. But its also an opportunity because the reach is more precise. Also for products that need more explanations, in-store electronic media is a boon . For example, in US , Listerine uses WALMART TV effectively since the customers needs to be taught how to use this brand effectively.
For the mediaplanners, once this kind of In-store media become popular, its going to be tough task to allocate the budget. New models of understanding the influence of this kind of media needs to be created.
For the creatives , the task is to make the communication appropriate . In-store ads need more creative juice since it is reaching the customer at the point of sale. The ad is not for building the brand but to make the sale.
For the media owners like Future Media , the challenge is to make this media less annoying for the customer. WalMart TV faced an issue where the customers complained that the screens are put way too above their eyelevel thereby causing inconvenience. WalMart later changed the entire design to keep the screen at convenient eye level. Another challenge is to make the content interesting to the customer. According to reports, a customer spends 6-7 minutes watching WalMart TV. So the task is to get their eyeballs along with the wallet.
For media analysts and academicians, some serious rethinking on concepts like reach , frequency, media effectiveness measurements needs to be done.

Will in-store TVs kill ordinary TV advertising ? No, but its definitely a competition for the traditional media. In-store media acts as a complimentary media for brand managers. I think that in future, traditional media will be used for brand building while in-store TV will be used for sales promotion ( the trend is already there).
In-store media can be defined as all media opportunities available to an advertiser within the retail store. Other than TV, In-store media offers other media formats also like
Kiosks
Staircases
Carrybags
Elevators
Pillars
Trolley
Dropdowns
Shelf branding
Traditional POP's
Banners and what not....
Future Media is now in the process of rolling out Future Radio.
In-store media is in its infancy now in India. The media will grow only with the growth of large retail networks like Big Bazaar. The advertisers will look at this media seriously once it acquires the critical mass.
source : futuremedia.in , financial express,agencyfaqs.

NDTV Good Times : A Unique Co- branding

Brand : NDTV Good Times
Company : NDTV
Agency : Equus Redcell

Brand Count : 279

In September 2007, NDTV launched India's first hardcore lifestyle channel branded NDTV Good Times. This new channel is unique in two ways - its India's first lifestyle channel and secondly its the first time where a product brand has co-branded with a channel.
Co-Branding is where two brands operating in two different domains coming together for a common cause ( objective) . The objective can be anything from tapping a common market or sharing promotions. The oft quoted examples in classrooms were the co-branded credit cards .
NDTV Good Times is promoted by NDTV alone and not with any equity stake by the UB Group.
The new channel is all about lifestyle. In theory , we tend to describe lifestyle with the three descriptors
Activities
Interests &
Opinions ( AIO).
Truly like this concept, Good Times is all about activities, opinions and interests. The channel devotes its time to Health, Fashion, Food, Luxury, Technology , Chats with celebrities, life of rich and the famous etc. The channel also wants to create a class of its own by roping in HOT Properties to anchor respective shows. These include the actor Rajat Kapoor, Chef Manju Malhi, Techie Rajiv Makhni etc. The channel is full of aspirational lifestyle programs and contains about 50-60 original programs per week.
The channel is looking at the target market comprising of socially upbeat 20-40 yr old SEC A viewers.
The questions arises as to the benefit of these two different brands coming together in a channel. For NDTV, the brand association with Kingfisher gives it the revenue cushion. According to Agencyfaqs, UB group has committed around Rs 100 crore worth of ads in the next five years. For NDTV this takes away the risk of launching a lifestyle channel with is atmost a Niche . Kingfisher will provide the much needed ad revenue till the channel began to attract other advertisers.

For UB Group, its a boon. We know that Indian law does not permit Kingfisher Beer to advertise. The rules are getting stricter day by day. Hence there is nothing better than a channel that carries your tagline and the mascot. Besides that every businessman knows the power of having a media under its fold. UB Group may not have the capability to run a media, so why not associate with the best brand in the media domain NDTV. Also Kingfisher as a brand epitomizes lifestyle positioning. Whether its the beer or the airlines, Mallya has built the brand on lifestyle platform . Hence Co-branding with a lifestyle channel makes perfect sense.

But things are not as rosy as it seems. This whole concept will work only if NDTV can bring in quality content to the channel. NDTV has proved its capability in the news front but entertainment is a different ballgame altogether. Right now cost of the new launch maynot be a headache since NDTV has its processes and systems in place. What is going to make or break this channel is the quality of programming and the innovation that this channel will bring in to get the eyeballs sticking. For NDTV , Good Times is testing waters since it plans to roll out an entertainment channel in collaboration with the ace director Karan Johar. For Kingfisher, its a promotional expenditure ( nobody ever has perfectly measured the effectiveness of advertising as yet !!!). I feel that Good Times channel will be an integral part of inflight entertainment in the airlines too in future.
So as of now its a win-win game for both the brands. Time will tell if GOOD TIMES will last.
Related Brand
Kingfisher

Fiama Di Wills : Beautiful You Today , Tomorrow

Brand : Fiama Di Wills
Company : ITC
Agency : Law & Kenneth

Brand Analysis Count : 278

After the success of its super premium brand Essenza Di Wills, ITC has launched a new brand in the fiercely competitive Rs 2500 crore Indian branded shampoo market. The launch is significant since it marks the official entry of this FMCG giant into the mass personal care category.
Fiama Di Wills for sure is a premium brand but not in the super premium league of Essenza Di Wills.
Fiama Di Wills has entered the market with three variants

Every Day Mild : With Thyme and Juniper extracts
Aqua Balance :Moisturizing shampoo with Magnolia Blossoms and Watercress Extracts
Volume Boost : With Rosemary and Sage Extracts.

From the ingredients itself, we can see the positioning of this brand. Fiama Di Wills is positioned as a Shampoo which is a blend of Nature and Science. From the company press release, the brand boasts of the R&D from ITC Research center in collaboration with leading US based personal care research labs. The brand is trying to tap into the growing popularity of Natural Extracts and natural ingredients.
Fiama Di Wills is promoted with the tagline " Beautiful You Today , Tomorrow " . The brand is now promoted heavily through visual media

Watch the TVC Here : Fiama Di Wills

All though the tagline does not fully express the positioning of the brand, the ad throws certain light on the positioning strategy. Fiama is positioned as a Gentle Care shampoo that can be used everyday. Its gentle because it uses the natural extracts. The brand uses the sentence " Gentle Effective Care " to signify the positioning. I think the tagline " Beautiful you today tomorrow " signifies the longterm benefit of using this brand. How ever, the tagline and positioning is not a new idea since brands like Nivea and Garnier uses similar kind of positioning. The brand is also trying to differentiate on the basis of its packaging designed by International experts.

Fiama is priced at Rs 99 for 200 ml and Rs 54 for 100 ml which makes it a masstige brand. With the marketing muscle and distribution strength ITC aims to take on the market leader HUL at the premium segment first. With the heavy noise in the media, Fiama will get the attention of the Innovators and Early Adopters. Will it create a scare for HUL's Sunsilk is something to watchout for.

Related Brand
Essenza Di Wills

Olay : Love the Skin You are In

Brand : Olay
Company : P&G
Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi

Brand Analysis Count : 277

This July P&G launched its premium skin care brand Olay in India. Olay is a $2 Bn global brand has met with phenomenal success in all the markets it entered. Olay was born in the lab of a chemist Mr Graham Wulff in the early 1950's. At that time the brand was named Oil of Olay. Later when P&G acquired it, the brand was renamed Olay.
Olay was available in India as an imported product. Now P&G directly markets this brand with all the relevant marketing mixes in place.
Olay is tapping the premium slice of the Rs 2100 crore Indian skin care market. Olay has launched its first product in the anti-ageing segment with its Total Effects subbrand. Anti-ageing segment is still a niche with a market size of Rs 60 crore. The segment is but growing very fast.

Olay has launched its Total Effects anti ageing solution after much consumer research. It had conducted research on over 6000 ladies of age between 30-69 years from three continents and identified 7 signs of ageing.
1.Fine lines and Wrinkles
2.Sagging skin
3.Uneven skin tones.
4.Age spots
5. Appearance of pores
6. Dull skin
7.Dryness

Total Effects is differentiating itself through the presence of the ingredient VitaNiacin. VitaNiacin is a patented formulation that contains Niacinamide Vitamin B3 ,Vitamin E and Provitamin B5 Pathenol + sunscreen protection.
Olay true to the concept of Global Brand and Local strategy has launched itself with a series of promotional campaigns. The brand has the bollywood diva Sushmita Sen as the brand ambassador. Currently Olay is running two campaigns in the visual media. One campaign is th Olay brand building campaign featuring Sushmita Sen and another is for the Total Effects moisturizing lotion.
Watch the Tvc : Total Effects
For the Total Effects range, the company uses a testimonial type of campaign featuring a Model/TV Anchor. The focus is more on the functional benefits of the product rather than harping on any emotional benefits. The brand is positioned as a brand that celebrates beauty within and outside. The brand worldwide uses the tagline " Love the skin you are in ". The brand believes that Looking Good and Feeling Good are inseparable. Loving the skin we are in is the most beautiful feeling of all.
Olay Total Effects is priced at Rs 599 for a 50 gm bottle. By Indian standards, this accounts for a premium category. Olay Total Effects is targeting ladies between the age 30 - 60. Besides this anti-ageing product, Olay has introduced cleansers, facepack and moisturizing lotions. The brand is expected to introduce its blockbuster range of products in India in a phased manner.

The premium skincare segment was in a vacuum ever since HUL decided to cater to the masstige segment by repositioning Lakme and Ponds. Now with P&G and ITC seriously looking at premium segment, the market is going to witness a marketing war in days to come.

BSA Ladybird : Your Best Friend For Life

Brand : Ladybird
Company : TI Cycles
Agenc : Lowe

Brand Analysis Count : 276

Ladybird is the Sub-brand of BSA targeting the girls . Ladybird was the first brand to come out with a cycle for girls and it was a big hit. The brand targets girls aged 13-18 . BSA Champ has a girl's variant for those below 13 years of age. Ladybird is a classic example for segmentation based on Demographics ( more specific : gender).
Ladybird has been promoting itself heavily through media. It is interesting to see the evolution of this sub-brand. The brand had started with the campaign explaining the benefits of the cycle made exclusively for the girls. The step through feature and the shopping basket in front of the cycle and the ergonomics were promoted heavily.
The next step was to create the brand image. The brand used the message of gender equality to keep the brand appealing to the girls
Watch the TVC here : BSA Ladybird
The brand was not having much issues in the sales front because it had a high top of the mind recall. The new generation was lapping up this product since cycle is a natural step before acquiring the scooterette .
The brand also made sure that it keeps the brand exciting through relevant changes in the product. Ladybird introduced funky colors and even a sporty premium version to keep the brand rocking. The brand kept low at the promotion front and relied more on below the line promotion and positive word of mouth.
This year the brand has stepped up the promotion at the branding front. Currently the brand is running the campaign positioning the brand as one that gives FREEDOM to the girls. It is another case of Laddering Up. I think that the concept is one of the best I have seen in recent times. I strongly believe that Mobility is something that gives a terrific sense of empowerment to girls. Mobility gives freedom and that is what now Ladybird tries to own. No more waiting for the brother/father/boyfriend to drop you to school or beach or to theater. The agency has wonderfully executed this concept. The campaign targeting the urban young generation has rightly put the brand in proper perspective. An interesting fact is that Ladybird is using the same tagline (" Your Best Friend for Life " ) as its parent brand BSA. I feel that Ladybird should have something of its own.
The current campaign may not ring in sales : that is also not what it is meant to be. I feel that this has given some direction to the brand. Also this laddering has given the brand a great amount of energy to create more campaigns which ultimately will drive more sales. Another reason for such a campaign is the brand's idea to bring in more premium versions of cycles.