Kama Sutra, one of India's leading condom brands, will soon hit international markets.
JK Ansell, manufacturers of Kama Sutra condoms, plans to position the brand as a premium product globally through a series of launches in a number of countries.
"The Kama Sutra brand will soon be highly visible in countries like Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan and the CIS,'' JK Ansell's executive director Anirudh Deshmukh said.
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This is likely to be followed by launches in Australia, the US and South America depending upon the success in other countries.
``Till recently, we have merely been distributing Kama Sutra in international markets. In the next few months we will be kicking off a marketing initiative aimed at positioning Kama Sutra in the premium segment in many countries,'' Deshmukh said.
More than just launching Kama Sutra globally, JK Ansell plans to unleash a branding offensive. ``International consumers find the ancient Indian text on Kama Sutra intriguing. We are trying to leverage this fascination to the advantage of the Kama Sutra brand,'' Deshmukh said.
JK Ansell is packaging five packs of the condom along with a free booklet on Kama Sutra. The results are encouraging.
``Retail prices for Kama Sutra in international markets have already been increased by about 30 per cent and this is only the beginning,'' Deshmukh said. Kama Sutra is now selling in international markets at many the times its price in India.
JK Ansell had started exporting condoms without a brand name through the tender route. However, falling prices in the wake of stiff competition forced the company to shift its strategy to the branded segment where margins are higher.
``We have now stopped export of condoms through the tender route,'' Deshmukh said.
JK Ansell is a 50:50 venture between textile-major Raymond and Pacific Dunlop, Australia. Raymond started its condom business through a subsidiary, JK Chemicals. Operations of the subsidiary were transferred to JK Ansell after the joint venture was finalised.