 "Titan Skinn perfume")
From watches to jewellery to eyewear and now perfumes, the Titan brand has taken a few long strides in the transitional journey that it had embarked upon nearly a decade ago. Instead of being a one-product (watches) company, it has been working towards expanding its portfolio to include a wide and divergent basket of brands. Now with Skinn, the company is putting its branding might behind perfumes, a category it entered a few years ago but had left on a slow burn.
Skinn was launched in India in 2013 but advertising so far has been muted; no television or digital campaigns, a few stray promotions were all that the brand had by way of an introduction. But the company has since changed gears. The ongoing campaign apart from shining a bright light on the brand, also defines its identity in a manner that complements the company's overall brand profile. The ads are pitched at the young urban Indian - a demographic that the company also focused on in a recent campaign for Tanishq for self starters and entrepreneurs.
The #BornFrench campaign also builds on the common association that most consumers have with perfumes and France. By talking up the French connection, the underlying message in these advertisements seems to be that while the perfumes are made by the best French perfumers, it is made for India and for Indian consumers.
Skinn's ad campaign marks a first in the way the company has planned its media. The company says that it spent 45 per cent out of its budgeted Rs 4 crore on the online space, instead of the routine 5 to 10 per cent that it has done in the past. "The media plan was sharply targeted at the English speaking urban niche, because the first step is to establish Skinn among people who are even using fragrances. We focused on digital because it overlaps with our audience, which is modern, contemporary, slightly younger consumers," said Ajoy H Chawla, senior vice president, Titan Company. While the TVCs are expected to go off air soon, the digital campaign will carry on for a few more weeks.
He explains that fragrances are a good fit because the product serves both function and style, much like jewellery and eyewear. Besides, the perfume market he says, is under served in India. "We are a very brand driven company, so wherever branding is important, segments where the customer would like to see a brand are our key area. Another thing that works is where design plays a big role," said Chawla, elaborating on the strategy.
Filling a gap
The fragrance category is quite a large opportunity in India. Despite its tropical climate, "Less than 10 per cent of urban India uses fragrances and may be another 10 to 12 per cent of consumers go for deodorants. The rest are not using a product the way we understand it," said Chawla.
The perfume market is largely unorganised and has very few local players offering credible products at affordable prices. There are many homegrown products in the grey market, but urban consumers hesitate to make these purchases and many opt for imported labels instead.
"The market as we understand is about Rs 1,000 crores and this includes everything which is Rs 1,000 upwards" he said. The potential exists for the market to grow to several multiples of Rs 1,000 crore he believes.
Global identity, local roots
The advertisements show a young couple in a perfume store drawn towards each other as a French poem makes up the background score. "We wanted to tell the audience, here is a perfume that is made by the best. It is made specifically for Indians and available at an affordable price," said Kalpana Rangamani, head of fragrances, Titan Company.
In keeping with the company's recent ads, this one too speaks to women who are independent and not afraid to speak their mind. Also the company says that it wanted to position the brand as charming, flirtatious and playful and thereby carve a special niche for itself in a market where most perfume brands occupy the seductive space.
The ads, the company says, have hit the right spot as the number of people viewing it in its entirety, online is far higher than any of the previous ads. "To us that is the measure of how interesting consumers have found the campaign," said Rangamani.
Sales have doubled since the campaign first aired, however, not everything can be attributed to the success of the ads. Promotional offers and end-of-season sales have helped boost the numbers
Skinn perfumes are bottled in France and available across 2,000 points of sale which include exclusive Titan stores, chains such as Shopper Stop, Lifestyle and Central, individual gifting stores and e-commerce sites. The company claims that it has the largest distribution network for any perfume brand in India and is 35 to 40 per cent cheaper than international brands. Soon the company hopes to build its presence on e-commerce sites too. "Right now our online piece is very small and will remain so till a substantial number of people have tried out our brand. Unlocking the online opportunity needs some innovation, some break the mould thinking," said Chawla.
