Brand Communication Strategy: A Case Study of Fogg Deodorants in India
Rashmia , Garima Nijhawan¬b a Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India b Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Ms. Rashmi
Affiliation address: Research Scholar, Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, North Campus, Delhi 110007, India. E-mail: rashmiphd@fms.edu
Correspondence (and Permanent) address: A-208 Prashant Vihar, Rohini Sector 14, Delhi 110085, India. Contact No. +91-9899718551, +91-011-47035307
Summary biography: B.E. (Delhi College of Engineering, University of Delhi, India), Post Graduate Program in Management (Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India). Professional work-experience: Deloitte Consulting U.S.-India…show more content… Fogg is one such brand which has been able to leverage its marketing communications to establish itself as the market leader in its product category of deodorants. This case study outlines the brand’s unique positioning, the role of communication, and the results.
Keywords Communication, Fogg, India, Positioning
Introduction
The deodorant market in India is around Rs 2300 crores and is growing at 17-18% per annum for past three years (Mukherjee, 2014). The Indian deodorant market has more than 500 deodorant brands. The market is increasingly expanding to rural India. The rural market segment forms a sizeable 10% of the overall deodorant market, and is growing at 29%. In the past three years, there has been a turnaround in this industry with respect to market dominance and communication strategies. Until the entry of the more recent players, Axe, from the reputed house of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), led the market. The deodorant market has witnessed a change in the pecking order since then; Fogg has displaced Axe from the top position. By value, Fogg has around 18% market share, followed by Wildstone (6.7%), Engage (6.6%) and Axe (6.5%) (Nielson,…show more content… This ensured credible and timely source of information for all those customers who valued the personal touch in information.
Evaluation of Communication Strategy
Fogg’s communication strategy successfully enabled Vini Cosmetics, a company smaller than many of its FMCG competitors, to become the market leader in deodorant category within three years of its launch. Fogg has toppled big players, such as AXE (an HUL product) and Park Avenue, from their top slots. At present, the market share of Fogg is close to 14 % by volume and 18 % by value. Despite being priced slightly higher than its competitors, Fogg has highest sales in terms of volume.
Conclusion
Fogg’s success has led to a mushrooming of new competitors with a copycat strategy, such as the Envy 1000 spray (which gives 1000 guaranteed number of sprays per bottles). Considering the dynamics of an increasingly competitive deodorant market in India, Fogg has sought to differentiate itself in a manner that cannot be copied by others. The focus is also shifting towards building brand attitude and awareness. The company is increasing its presence in social media, such as through Facebook pages, to cater to the increasing number of target consumers on social media, though it still lacks an official