The campaign centres on the brand’s ‘Body Deodorizer’ range, aimed at male consumers, and promotes the idea that body odour can restrict social interaction, particularly when it comes to scenarios that demand close proximity, such as greetings.
Beiersdorf has long held a dominant place in the country’s male grooming segment, with Nivea’s antiperspirants regularly dominating bestseller lists within India. The new campaign suggests the brand is eager to maintain its position as one of the category’s leaders, especially with the segment predicted to enjoy growth up ahead.
Euromonitor International states that “awareness of hygiene and wellbeing” is on the rise among male and female consumer groups in India, according to the market research firm’s most recent report on the category.
Brand loyalty
The deodorant market in India is driven by impulse buying behaviour, according to Euromonitor, and as a result, brand loyalty is low.
Indeed, body odour can be a tricky topic around which to build brand loyalty, as it can prove a sensitive issue for consumers in India, according the marketing director of Nivea India, Sunil Gadgil.
“Body odour is a problem which is relevant to many, but most avoid talking about it. The challenge for the brand was to create relevance around the problem without triggering the defence mechanism of 'not for me',” he explained to Campaign India.
In a consumer space of low brand loyalty, attention-grabbing marketing campaigns like Nivea’s can become all the more essential.
Pumping it
Looking ahead to upcoming growth in the category, this will be driven in large part by the rise of the popularity of deodorant pump products, according to Euromonitor analysts.
These “displayed remarkable current value growth in 2014, and thus drove growth in deodorants, which otherwise increased at a steady pace,” the research company confirms.
The firm’s analyst also pin potential growth for the segment on the rising demand among women for deodorant products, with “more brands and variants” expected in this segment in the coming period, particularly of those which offer multifunctional benefits, such as skin whitening or hair reduction.