Ruffled feathers

BRAND LAUNCH LEAST SUCCESSFUL

If the bird's looking a bit frazzled, it's with good reason. Dove Body Wash has been trying to lather up the personal wash market ever since its launch, but with little noticeable success.

In fact, the senior marketing professionals surveyed for the annual Brand Derby gave the product a clear "can do better" report: 43 per cent said the brand was not successful, while just 5 per cent felt it had been very successful. The saving grace: no one named it as their choice for "least successful" brand launch of the year.

Dove Body Wash's performance isn't reflective of its parent, though. Hindustan Lever Limited launched Dove soap in India more than 10 years ago and the brand is now worth Rs 33 crore.

The imported, "ultra-moisturising" body wash is a premium brand extension, available in one variant and a standard, 250 ml pack. It was launched in end-2004 in the metros and other select cities, and is slowly expanding its presence across the country.

Says HLL vice president, skin, Ashok Venkatramani, "We launched Dove Body Wash as we believe that Indian consumers have evolved and are ready to experience superior bathing formats such as liquids."

The market doesn't quite bear that out, though. There are two other brands in the organised body wash market "" Lux and Palmolive "" apart from countless brands in the grey market. But a dipstick survey of large-format and smaller stores in Mumbai showed that while the larger stores manage to sell about eight or nine variants of body wash (any brand) in a day, smaller outlets sell one only every two or three days.

Body wash accounts for less than 1 per cent of the Rs 4,700-crore organised personal wash market. According to IRS 2005 R2, MRUC & Hansa Research, soap is the personal hygiene product for 91 per cent of Indians. That doesn't leave much room for body wash.

Some other companies seem to realise that. Godrej Consumer Products, for instance, markets its body gel only in international markets, saying India is not yet ready for such products. Points out Rakesh Sinha, vice president, marketing, "Body wash is suited for houses that have running water and showers; most Indian houses lack such amenities."

It doesn't help that Dove is more expensive than the other two brands: Rs 120 for 250 ml, compared to Lux (Rs 70) and Palmolive (Rs 90). Since its June 2004 launch, Lux has built up mass appeal, especially after it started offering a loofah free with the prodcuct. Now Dove is trying the same offer.

A smaller pack size may be a better idea, point out market analysts. It would encourage consumers to try the product and may help widen the market. Another option that could have been explored is to have launched the product as a face wash.

The parent Dove beauty bar is used mainly on the face, and Indians as a rule place more importance on skincare for the face, rather than the body. Of course, points out one analyst, per capita consumption of face wash has to be necessarily lower than body wash. So it may not be a financially viable extension.

Ultimately, brand extensions are workable in developed markets. Points out market analyst Anand Halve, "All brands struggle to extend their franchise through line extension. Given the cost and temptation, it's best to introduce the range in a mature market."

What could work is to take the brand beyond its current communication of rich moisture content and exfoliation. Agrees Ashish Mishra, head, strategic planning, Mudra, "There hasn't been any compelling reason for the consumers to drive purchase in India."

Dove Body Wash has no print or TV campaigns, only point-of-purchases displays and in-store promoters who tom-tom the benefits of body wash over soap. In India, consumers need to be educated on the use and benefits of body wash over soap. HLL's Venkatramani agrees.

"That is the only way to attain growth in this category," he says. It would also help if consumers were aware of the product "" 21 per cent of Derby respondents ticked a "don't know" against Dove Body Wash.

 

HLL clarifies

This refers to "Ruffled feathers" (the strategist, January 17). The story lists Dove Body Wash as the third least successful brand launch of 2005, as decided by the Business Standard Brand Derby. We would like to point out the inappropriateness of the inclusion of Dove Body Wash in the survey.

First and foremost, Hindustan Lever Limited has not done any formal mass communication for the Dove Body Wash brand nor has it launched any advertising communication to promote this brand. It is promoted only at the point of sale targeted at the niche consumer segment.

The consumer response has been good and in line with our communication and marketing strategy. And it is only natural that the product does not have a high recall compared to other brands among the respondents of your survey.

The brand was not launched nationally. It was introduced only in the modern trade stores in end-2004 and has only very recently been introduced in top-end cosmetic and fancy stores in major cities and towns.

Since the brand has not been introduced in the regular retail trade channel nationally, logically, it has also not been promoted through mass advertising campaigns in line with our strategy of focusing on the niche consumer.

Given this context it surprises us that Dove Body Wash was a part of the survey pitted against mainline brands that are heavily promoted through advertising.

R Rammohan, Corporate Communications , HLL.