Himalaya Herbal

Sanjay Chandwani with FSM students

Questions
1. What are the major findings about the involvement levels of consumers
in the oral care category that can be understood from the participants
responses regarding their habits and practices with respect to the
category?

2. How many respondents (in percentage) exhibit high and low/medium
involvement with regard to the oral care category, and express high/low
cognitive and affective associations with regard to each of the brands ?
How are the involvement levels associated with each of the brands?

3. How does low category involvement affect brand attitude? Explain the
inconsistency in those instances where brand attitude overwhelms
category involvement.

4. How many consumers expressed consistency between the strength of
their cognitive beliefs and the strength of their affective beliefs
associated with their respective brand choices? How can any
inconsistencies in the same be explained?
Questions
5. Taking into account the category-level and segment-level analyses,
what kind of implications are relevant at the segment level (for each
segment)? How do consumer beliefs relate to the positioning of
brands in each segment?
6. What kind of recommendations would you provide for the Himalaya
brand after taking into consideration the responses to questions 1-5?
7. What should the positioning dimensions of Himalaya be, and how can
it be differentiated? How can Himalaya create an attitude towards its
ads/brand to convey its differentiated proposition?

Question 1:Summary of habits and practices
From Exhibit 6: Table 1 Only 36 per cent of the respondents brushed twice a
day (i) either low awareness of the need to brush twice a day for healthy
teeth, (ii) or of low involvement in the category.
Given that existing brands focus more on the benefits of their respective
brand rather than on driving oral health education, it is likely that the former
is true. Also, 74 per cent had never visited a dentist. Only 13 per cent of the
respondents visited a dentist as frequently as recommended, i.e., once in six
months.
Those consumers who had been to the dentist regularly claimed that their
dentists had not really recommended toothpaste brands often; but in those
cases where the dentists did recommend a brand, six out of seven
respondents switched!!!!!
Question 1 contd
84 per cent of the respondents claimed they had not had oral care problems.
The statistics by WHO indicate that 90 per cent of Indian adults have
problems; this shows that the risk involved in this category is relatively low,
as consumers do not seem to be strongly impacted by their lack of oral
health maintenance. Consumers do not go to the dentist as a preventive but
as curative measure.
When data is broken down according to the benefit segments, most of the
parameters remain the same, except the practice of brushing twice a day. 68
per cent of the respondents in niche category brushed twice a day, as
opposed to 36 per cent in the overall group. mostly users of Colgate
ActiveSalt and Colgate Sensitive, both offer curative benefits. It can be
inferred that awareness and the increased involvement in oral health for
these consumers resulted from the problems they faced. This is evidence of
the change in consumer involvement as a function of potential risk.

Question 2
Summary of involvement with category and attitude towards brands
Exhibit 6: Table 2: Only 41 per cent of the respondents expressed high
involvement. A significant number of consumers did not express extremely
low involvement with the category; their responses indicate a moderate to
low involvement, since the category was considered daily essential,
59 per cent expressed a relatively low to moderate involvement with the
category and product benefits.
The cognitive and affective associations indicate an interesting pattern.
Exhibit 6: Table 3: 69 per cent of the total respondents had strong
cognitive beliefs about their respective brands, whereas only 53 per cent
had strong affective beliefs.
It could be inferred that brands in the toothpaste category have
established their functional benefits better compared to their emotional
benefits in their advertisements. Pepsodent is an example of a brand that
uses strong emotive cues in its communication, with the use of children in
humorous settings; however, the other brands, talk about specific
functional benefits of their products.
Key involvement drivers for toothpaste categories based on Exhibit 5
The set of statements in Exhibit 5: Table 1: Key drivers by which category
involvement was expressed at the total category level. The mean values
in the last column are directionally indicative of levels of involvement.
Although the mean values for category involvement items such as
Toothpaste is essential for me and Toothpaste is beneficial to me
indicate high levels of agreement, consumers across categories also
expressed a strong inclination towards the feeling Toothpaste is
mundane to me. This indicates that although consumers use this
category regularly and acknowledge that it is an integral part of their
lives, they feel that this product (and possibly other related products like
toothbrushes)r may not get them involved, given the low perceived risk
in the oral care category.

Top drivers for category involvement at the overall level
Offered benefits of healthy teeth and healthy gums. Protection against
cavities was also rated as important, possibly because cavities are a
common manifestation of poor oral care and require expensive and painful
treatment.

A similar problem that led to greater involvement was a toothpaste that
could prevent pain when eating hot and cold things. It can be inferred that
although the consumer might not be aware of core oral care problems such
as plaque, tartar, gingivitis, and periodontal diseases, they acknowledge
and try to prevent the more visible or directly experienceable aspects of
these underlying ailments, which increases their involvement.

Other drivers of category involvement
Yet another key element- presence of natural ingredients in the
toothpaste, may or may not be manifested in individual segments, or map
on exactly to the attitude towards a brand. This probably indicates that
there might be a relatively low level of awareness of the segment and the
benefits of natural/herbal toothpastes. Hence, although a large percentage
of the consumers might have expressed this as a key category driver, they
did not use products that were necessarily natural. From an emotional
point of view, a key driver for involvement with the category seemed to be
the need for the toothpaste to keep consumers childrens teeth healthy.
This has been addressed by several brands that use children in their
advertisements.

Key involvement drivers by segment based on Exhibit 5
The set of statements in Exhibit 5: Table 1 : key drivers by which category
involvement was expressed by the respondents at a segment level. The
mean values in the first four columns are directionally indicative of levels
of involvement.

In the freshness category, apart from the category drivers that were
highlighted earlier, certain cosmetic benefits were highlighted as
important. These include the need for a toothpaste to taste good, and
the importance for the toothpaste to give one a dazzling smile and
whiter teeth.
Some of these could have been derived from the awareness of this
categorys typical brand communication, and others by product features
such as cooling crystals that add to the pastes taste and flavor. The
drivers for the herbal category were in line with the overall benefits and
the brands unique proposition of using natural ingredients. The overall
oral care segment, being the most generic in functional benefits, mapped
almost exactly onto the total category involvement drivers such as
protection from cavities, healthy teeth, and healthy gums. In the
niche problem-solving segment, apart from the importance of
fundamental drivers, significant importance was given to the prevention of
sensitivity while eating different types of foods.

Question 3:Low category involvement and high brand attitude according
to various segments and overall category
In certain segments, for some consumers, the brand attitude may be
relatively strong on cognitive and affective beliefs despite low category
involvement.

Exhibit 6: Table 5: The percentages of such consumers by segment. Exhibit
5 provides the mean values, which allows a better understanding of the
connection between category drivers and attitude statements, and helps
explain the inconsistency in those instances where brand attitude
overwhelms category involvement.
Question 3 contd.
1. Freshness segment: 66 per cent of the low-involvement consumers had
a high brand attitude. This can also be examined in the key involvement
parameters and the top attitude drivers. Although theirs was a freshness
brand, the important category drivers for these consumers did not match
their highly rated brand benefits (freshness, confidence to come
closer, etc.). However, both these key brand benefits were strongly
associated in the cognitive and affective attitudes of these consumers
towards the brand as indicated by the average values.

2. Herbal segment: Less than half the consumers who had low category
involvement in this segment had high brand attitude. The top averages
were for category drivers that were in line with the brand benefits,
although the consumers gave more importance to natural ingredients
rather than specifics such as herbal or Ayurvedic. The importance
given to healthy teeth and gums was also relatively high in the
association with brand (cognitive belief section); similarly, aspects such
as feeling in control and protected by an expert had high scores in
affective associations in line with brand communication. Hence,
involvement was mostly consistent with attitude. this segment.

Other segments and involvement
3. Overall oral care segment: Similar to the herbal segment, this segment
had only 46 per cent of low involvement consumers expressing high
attitude towards the brand. Category drivers such as cavity prevention
and healthy teeth were in line with the cognitive beliefs for the brand.
However, some other benefits that this brand did not primarily offer were
also category drivers. Certain drivers that the brand consistently used in
its communication (recommended by dentists, can reach where a
toothbrush cannot reach, decay protection, etc.) were relatively low on
cognitive beliefs. Overall, the affective beliefs for this segment were also
low, indicating that although there was low category involvement, brand
attitude did not trump it significantly.

4. Niche (problem-solving segment): 89 per cent of the low-involvement
consumers in this segment expressed high brand attitude. The problem-
solving nature of this segment indicates that even when consumer
involvement is low, the brand comes out strong on the merit of its
distinctive superiority and its impact on the consumers mind. Cavity
prevention, healthy teeth, and protection from sensitivity rated high
in this segment; therefore, involvement was clearly in line with the
problems faced by the consumer. Although other beliefs existed for this
brand, all the key cognitive and affective drivers that the brand strived to
achieve in its consumers minds were well entrenched.


Question 4: Relationship between cognitive and affective brand beliefs
Exhibit 6: Table 4 Maps the comparison between the strength of the
cognitive responses and that of the affective responses for
respondents in all categories. The objective is to verify whether the
brand has successfully established the link between its cognitive and
affective benefits in the mind of the consumer.

46% of the total respondents had a consistently strong belief for both
the cognitive as well as the affective aspects of the brand. This
segment would also be likely to map onto the high-involvement
segment, as these consumers knew the functional benefits of the
brand, and those benefits had successfully been associated with the
emotional benefits that the brand wished to communicate. Around 24
% had neither strong cognitive beliefs nor strong affective beliefs with
respect to their brand; these consumers mapped onto the low- to
moderate involvement segment.
Q 4 continued..
Among the rest, there was an inconsistency observed between the
cognitive and the affective beliefs for about 30%. One possible reason
for strong cognitive beliefs to go together with weak affective beliefs
could be as follows. The toothpaste category is one of the oldest and
most advertised categories in the Indian FMCG market, and over the
years, the communication by the key brands has consistently been
functional.
Moreover, their single-minded focus on the key benefit proposition
(protection against decay, fighting germs, etc.) has resulted in
consumers developing a high recall of brands functional benefits
without establishing a deep connect.
If there is little connect, consumers will not perceive much
differentiation among brands. Weak cognitive beliefs but strong
affective belief can result from low involvement with category, where
consumer is not seeking a very specific brand benefit as he does not
comprehend these but is rather influenced by the feel of the ad and
peripheral cues like use of humour, drama, etc.
Q5: Implications at segment level and consumer beliefs related to positioning of
the brand
Exhibit 6- Table 1 to 4: Segment based differences in consumer behaviour

Freshness segment- driving its functional and emotional benefits in its
advertising. Involvement is low as the benefit is not unique because it is
offered by all toothpastes as a generic benefit

Herbal- Focus is on features (natural ingredients) and not so much on
benefits which are generic. Very little emotional connect with consumers

Oral care- Much advertised, but no focus on consumer education, depiction
of children but it is the adults who suffer from dental problems due to
improper oral care. Benefits communicated but none superior to the other

Niche problem solving segment- Most effective as it establishes a clear link
between feature, benefit and the problem it solves. Perceived risk of wrong
choice is high and impact noticeable so, trust high, emotional connect high
Brand level analysis and strength of brand positioning
The leading brands for each segment (with at least 60 per cent share of
consumers) are:
i. Freshness segment was led by Closeup;
ii. The herbal segment was led by Dabur Red;
iii. The overall oral care segment was led by Colgate Dental Cream;
iv. and the problem-solving segment was led by Colgate ActiveSalt.
To evaluate the strength of the brands positioning in the consumers
mind, the cognitive and affective strengths of the consumers
responses for these key brands were examined (Exhibit 6: Table 6).
Over the years, Closeup has successfully established its cognitive
benefit of freshness, and hence its positioning is clear in the
consumers mind. It has also consistently used the imagery of romance
and closeness targeted at young adults, and the current campaign line
Paas Aao reinforces the same.
Hence, the affective aspects are also strongly entrenched in the
consumers mind.

Brand level analysis and strength of brand positioning
Dabur Red is not as well established in the consumers mind on either
the cognitive or the affective aspects. This is partly because Dabur Red
is not as significantly advertised as compared to the brands in the
other segments. Additionally, Dabur Reds advertising campaigns have
highlighted the product features; however, the benefits are generic to
the category, and are similar to what the overall oral care segment has
to offer. Moreover, there is very little emotional component in Dabur
Reds advertising.
Colgate Dental Cream is one of the most advertised brands in the oral
care category, and it has the highest market share in the toothpaste
category. This fact, coupled with its consistent communication over the
decades about its decay prevention benefit, has led to the
establishment of a sound cognitive belief among its consumers.
Aspects like endorsement by dentists also come out strongly with
Colgate Dental Cream. However, there is very low emotional connect
with the brand, as it does not speak to the consumer uniquely; it is
more functional in its approach, despite the use of children in its
storyboard.
Clearest positioning
Colgate ActiveSalt has the most effective positioning in the
consumers mind. Its campaign with the salt in your
toothpaste concept is distinct and unique, thereby
resonating strongly in the consumers mind. It also depicts a
problem that consumers can relate to toothache and
hence this builds an affective connect that makes the
consumer feel taken care of and reduces their worries about
oral care problems.

Q6: Recommendations
The three broad approaches that are derived from the data after
examining the current communication of
the brands in this category are:
a. Driving a core benefit
b. Driving inward-directed emotion
c. Developing category involvement
Driving Inward directed emotion
Inward emotion are associated with trust and security in using the brand for
the well being of the consumer rather than what the product leads to.
Given that the toothpaste category is a low-involvement category that is not
intended for conspicuous consumption, this might be a more relevant
route. This can be explained by examining the communication of brands like
Closeup or Colgate MaxFresh, which use confidence as a route to
acceptance as the emotional benefit, while brands like Colgate ActiveSalt
or Colgate Sensitive focus on the secure feeling of freedom from pain and
worry that using these brands promises the consumer.
Although inward emotions can be either positive or negative, given that the
perceived risk for the brand is currently low and that Himalaya is new to the
market, a negative emotion that associates neglect with suffering might be
detrimental to the brand. However, Himalaya can use the positive emotion
associated with the benefits of the brand that can enhance the pleasure of
enjoying various kinds of food (based on its current positioning). The
imagery thus developed would also differentiate Himalaya from other brand
associations.
Driving category involvement
Hasnt happened in toothpaste, has happened in shampoo
Hence, despite instances where brand attitude overwhelms category
involvement, attitude without involvement is difficult to sustain, especially
if switching costs are perceived to be relatively low. Sometimes, the
consumers loyalty is only due to inertia, and eventually the consumer
might lose the connect with the brand in the low-involvement category
when they do not perceive significant differentiation or superiority.
Although it might be more logical for a pioneer in the category to take
charge of primary advertising to develop the category without losing its
share to the competition, another way to perceive this is that since
Himalaya is launching a new range of high-end oral care products under the
HiOra brand, it should strongly consider developing HiOra as a leading
brand in the currently niche problem-solving segment.
This segment has a higher receptivity and attitude, and hence it would be
easier to speak to this segment about the fundamentals of oral health
before driving the brand. Unlike Sensodyne, for instance, which is distinctly
clinical in its approach and treatment, and hence does not have a presence
in the nonniche segment.
Q7: Positioning, differentiation, creating positive attitude
Target audience differentiation: Himalaya has successfully differentiated
itself from a lot of other brands by targeting its communication towards all
adults, rather than focusing on households with children. By speaking to
adults, Himalaya is looking at a slice of the market that is not really
targeted by the other brands.
Emotional benefit based on existing cultural orientation of the brand:
The concept of using the imagery of adults is very unique, and is even
more powerful when it is linked to the concept of food consumption. The
love of food is a very strong Indian concept. Himalaya has taken a very
strong first step in distinguishing its positioning, by occupying the space of
love of food. Although Pepsodent had used this to some extent, the fact
remains that it had been used largely in the context of children, whereas
in reality, adults love food just as much as children do, and have even
more opportunities to succumb to their cravings.
Moreover, food is one of the biggest points of receptivity (inward ) in a
consumers mind when they think of their oral health (apart from when
they have a problem). They want to make sure that they can enjoy all
types of food without restrictions or fear of spoiling their oral health.
Perception/Positioning map
Exhibit 4 shows that brands are clustered around several key points.
There is heavy clustering in the economy tier, where brands strike a
close balance between driving functional benefits (like herbal
ingredients), while using emotional cues such as a paste for the
family in their communication. The freshness segment is the strongest
on emotional benefits; the other segments have not significantly
tapped into this type of communication, although brands like
Pepsodent and Himalaya have used cues such as the imagery of
children and the freedom to eat all kinds of food to drive a greater
emotional connect. Moreover, there are several brands that lean
towards functional communication, most of which are clustered
around the premium tier. However, there is a huge gap in the
emotional communication-themed brands in the premium tier, and
this seems to be a space where Himalaya can strengthen itself.
Q7
Taking into consideration Exhibit 4 and the need for differentiation,
the following dimensions are recommended: premium value of the
imagery, and imagery relevant to the target audience (which could
range from adults to families with children).
Exhibit 2 and Exhibit 3 in the case study indicate that the Closeup and
Himalaya brands have a dominant lifestyle orientation for their
respective themes, despite being associated with some functional
benefits (Colgate ActiveSalt also has a lifestyle orientation to a certain
extent). The inward emotion can be used in conjunction with the
lifestyle imagery to enhance the premium imagery associated with the
Himalaya brand. Mass imagery relies on the direct portrayal of the
functional benefits. Colgate ActiveSalt conveys its functional benefit
using some amount of premium imagery (as shown in Exhibit 2 of the
case study).
Q7
Exhibit TN-1, Suggested Positioning for Himalaya Dental Cream,
summarizes these observations.
1. Himalaya needs to convey its functional benefit (preventing dental
problems) through rich imagery involving adults. This kind of
lifestyle imagery needs to have love of food as its theme.

2. Himalaya also needs to ensure that the lifestyle imagery portrayed
stays within the permitted limits. This can be observed from
Exhibit 2 in the case study, where the intention to kiss is strongly
conveyed by the romantic theme, but the act itself is not overtly
shown (roses are used strategically to hide the couples from
view). Such cultural sensitivity in the Indian context, which has
become more permissive than earlier, still needs to be taken into
consideration.

3. Supplementing the brand with the HiOra line As was highlighted
earlier, there is still an opportunity to drive the category, educate
the consumer, and strengthen the brand on the points of high
receptivity, through HiOra, Himalayas premium range