 "Park Avenue")
Helene Curtis has a perceptively different media presence. The category, valued between Rs 2,300-2,000 crore according to sources, is not only crowded with 600 brands, but is characterised by heavy spends from pan-India players that have deep pockets. Besides HUL's Axe, ITC has been pushing its range, Engage (has 5.9 per cent share), while ex-Paras owner, Patel, and now the owner of Vini Cosmetics, has kept pace with Fogg. The ads notching up those spends compete to be racier than the other.
The Park Avenue takes a different tack. "Research into usage and attitude of consumers has shown that in a category that is very flirtatious, they tend to stick with us. One of our strengths is that we are not into the seduction space. We extend the Park Avenue brand positioning of celebrating the man, and ensuring he looks good," says Anil Kulkarni, business director, J K Helene Curtis.
Saying something new
A different positioning is paramount in a noisy space (heavy advertising in mainstream media). Vini Cosmetic's 18 +, the other deo brand that Patel had floated, has not done so well. Patel says, "It is about connecting with the consumer with an answer to their needs. Fogg did it with its 'no-gas' (more deodorant liquid for use) proposition and now we see a lot of other players claiming the same. With 18+, we were unable to offer such a sharp differentiation. There were 100 other more popular alternatives." One of the latest deodorant brands, Rover, by VEMB Retail (which had bought discount chain, Promart from Provogue), too wants to beat the stereotype by focusing on the moods of a multifaceted man and the identity to bind them all. Brand consultant, Alok Nanda, the MD of Alok Nanda & Company, says, "The boy-gets-girl theme has become generic with the category. Even then, many of the players treat the theme with an Indian flavour. Axe has been missing the connect with the audience because it has a cliched theme that has a predominantly international stance."
While Patel has kept his spends high with Fogg, Park Avenue has not spent as much as competition, including Axe and Engage. "Park Avenue has done this (gain market share) without spending as much money as most of the others," says Kulkarni. Though, Park Avenue's marketing spends are being increased by 30 per cent according to Kulkarni. After all, the other players are not letting up on their offensive. Patel says, "We will continue to invest for another year or two with high media spends. My share of voice has to be more than competition." HUL recently ran its high-intensity campaign around the Axe boat party, and a veteran but smaller player, Nivea, has launched a new campaign with actor Arjun Rampal. Rover, is spending Rs 30 crore in its launch year, when it is not taking the bigwigs head-on, according to Punit Agarwal, MD, VEMB Retail.
While Park Avenue has been addressing the working man since launch, Kulkarni says that one thing that a deodorant brand can not afford is lose relevance. Hence, the range undergoes a packaging refresh every two-three years and has atleast one new variant every year. The latest refresh has been to look contemporary and be "livelier, look younger", says Kulkarni. "In a lifestyle category, taste changes, the look and feel of the brand has to change too. The consumer wants to look good," says Kulkarni.
A livelier packaging would help increase the deo brand's appeal for the first-jobber, who has graduated from college to looking sharp on the job. Nanda says, "It helps that Park Avenue talks to first-jobbers who has more disposable income than teenagers and hence, spell out consistent growth for the brand they buy into."
Park Avenue's value market share has also been helped by the premium it retails at - Rs 10-20 to the existing brands, including Axe. It is now hedging its bet with two more packs, a bigger one for economy of use and a small, pocket one for those who are aspiring to try the brand but don't want to shell out as much. The brand reaches over 2.5 lakh outlets, and shares about 600-700 Park Avenue and Raymond apparel stores.
Nanda says, "Park Avenue as a brand is becoming more interesting as it moves away from a hitherto dull image to introduce products like beer shampoos. The deo range has gained from it." The brand is also being diverisified into men's facewash with ingredients such as tomato and coffee.
While the urban deo market was at Rs 2,077 crore in 2013-14, the overall market was worth Rs 2,320 core.
