Kwiknic : Freedom from Tobacco

Brand : Kwiknic
Company : ITC

Brand Analysis Count : # 538

Kwiknic is an interesting brand. A nicotine replacement therapy brand from India's leading cigarette maker . Its a paradox of sorts - India's largest cigarette maker promoting a product that helps you break free from tobacco. So at one end, ITC is encouraging people to smoke and then helping them to quit smoking - marketing has come to a full circle.

Sarcasm apart, the business angle is that the nicotine gum market although small is growing at 45% per annum. The market was estimated at around Rs 20 crore in 2013 ( source ET, Business Standard). So it makes perfect sense to launch a product in a market where there is a huge market for cigarettes.Also the increasing demarketing done by NGOs and Governments also ensure that this product category is bound to grow.

Before the launch of Kwiknic, there were other players also . The main players in the nicotine gum category are : Nicorette by Johnson & Johnson

Nicotex and Nicogum by Cipla.

ITC is trying to leverage the distribution strength to push the product to the consumers. 

What is interesting about the brand is the promotion strategy . The product is used as a tool to reduce dependency of tobacco. So one expects the brand to talk about the harm that tobacco causes with graphic details of cancer and other ailments. But surprisingly Kwiknic chose to use humor to communicate the brand's message. 

The brand also has taken a very different approach to addressing the addiction issues. Rather than scaring the people with gory details of diseases, the brand chose a lighter humorous situations to drive home the point.

Watch the ads here : Kwiknic Hospital ; Kwiknic marriage

One of the advantages of using such an approach is that it takes the seriousness or taboo out of the brand. Consumers may not feel inhibited to buy this product because it is not projected as an addiction therapy. One downside is that it is risky to take the seriousness out of the product so the effectiveness of the product may be doubted.

The ads are hilarious, repeatedly watchable and hence would help the brand in building awareness. Its also interesting to note that Kwiknic talks about freedom from chewing tobacco and not smoking.

Related brand : Nicorette

Parodontax : For people who see blood when they brush

Brand : Parodontax
Company : GSK Consumer Healthcare

Brand Analysis Count : # 521

After the success of Sensodyne, GSK has launched another specialist toothpaste in the Rs 6000 crore Indian toothpaste market. While Sensodyne was a specialist for sensitive teeth, the new launch is in the gum-care category. GSK launched its global niche brand Parodontax recently in the Indian market.

The emergence of the niche products like sensitive , gum-care shows the new phase of the evolution of  Indian toothpaste market. According to ET, Sensodyne which was launched two years back is already a Rs 100 crore brand in India. The niche segments are growing at a faster pace than the core segment and marketers are rushing to cash in on this evolution.

Parodontax is a gum-care specialist. The brand is targeting those who are already suffering from bleeding gums. According to newspaper reports, the incidents of gum-related issues is as high as 33% which itself is a huge market waiting to be tapped.
The brand is now promoting awareness about the gum-related issues and advising customers to take bleeding gums seriously. The brand is now running its standard global TVC in the Indian market.

Not to be left behind , the market leader- Colgate has already launched its Pro-gum variant -Colgate Total Pro-gum health . The leader was quick to spot the threat of this GSK to its stronghold in the Indian market. Sensodyn has infact created a dent in the market position of Colgate. Pepsodent also has Pepsodent Sensitive and Pepsodent -G for the sensitive and gum-care segment respectively. Bu the share of noise of Pepsodent is abysmally low in these segments and I feel that Pepsodent has lost out in the race atleast for now.
Alries and Jack Trout had argued that line-extensions tend to be less effective when fighting specialist brands. Here the market leaders are fighting the specialist brands using variants. It remains to be seen how effective these defense would be .

Odomos : Play it Safe

Brand : Odomos
Company : Dabur

Brand Analysis Count : 519

Odomos is a 40 year old brand which has a generic status in the mosquito repellent cream market in India. The brand which was originally from Balsara came into Dabur's fold after the acquisition  of Balsara Hygiene Products  in 2005. 

The household insecticide market in India is worth around Rs 1600 crore. The smallest of the segment in this market is the mosquito repellent cream segment which is of size Rs 50 crore. The largest segment of the insecticide market is that of mosquito coil which is worth Rs 900 crore. Odomos has a virtual monopoly in the cream market.

The small size of the mosquito repellent cream market is the problem that the brand faces. The major challenge is to make the segment grow. Having said that, creams have found lukewarm response from the consumer. The major reason being the questions regarding the efficacy and safety of the product which needs to be directly applied to the skin. 

As a consumer , I too had these questions regarding Odomos. But should say from my experience that Odomos is very effective. But mosquitoes are smarter lot and they know to search and bite on places where Odomos cream is not applied. 

Odomos as a brand has  tried to address this safety issue by getting endorsement from medical associations. The brand prominently displays the message of  being "Skin Friendly " in their packs. Another bold step that the brand took was to target kids. The move is risky because parents would think twice before using Odomos regularly on kids because the perceived risk is too high.

Odoms now has product forms of Cream, Lotin and Oil. Odomos mosquito repellent oil was created to target rural market because oil product form has more acceptance in that market. More over oil applies better on the skin and is more effective in the job.

The brand owners have invested consistently on the brand. The distribution reach is very good for this product. Earlier, one inhibiting factor was the price which has now being resolved. Odomos have come out with smaller packs of Rs 5 and Rs 10 which I would say will encourage more buys.

The challenge for the brand is to make consumer consider Odomos as the primary defense option against mosquitoes. The product  is has maximum utility outside the house and that is why the brand is promoting it for kids who wants to play outside. The brand is also trying to promote its safety aspect through a variant Odomos Naturals which contains Aloe Vera. 

As a user of this brand, these questions are still  there regarding safety. Odomos despite running so many campaigns so far has still not convinced me that it is safe for regular use. The dilemma for the brand is that it cannot harp too much that it is safe because consumers then will think that it is mild and hence may not be effective .

In times where mosquitoes are now immune to coils and vaporizers , Odomos has proven to be a best bet for a good night sleep.