How Sensodyne charted its place in India’s $1.8 billion oral care market

After Sensodyne toothpaste, the brand also released other products to upsell and cross-market with the flagship offerings. The Sensodyne stock now also involves toothbrushes, and other toothpaste variants less than its entry-stage ‘Essential Care’ array, together with Sensodyne Immediate Aid. 

Commenting on the brand’s distribution technique, Sikka opines that the endeavour is ongoing, like any other FMCG brand. 

“We’re earning sure that we’re existing anywhere the purchaser is – irrespective of whether it is grocery shops, chemists, e-commerce platforms, contemporary trade shops, etcetera. The program is to make confident that we’re accessible at extra shops each 12 months.”

For Gauri Chaudhari, co-founder Brand name Innerworld, a health care brand name consultancy, a new entrant in the space of toothpaste would effectively have to lock horns with Colgate. That, in her opinion, is a dead conclusion considering that Colgate holds a big chunk of oral care pie in India. 

“Colgate has its presence almost everywhere, with the assure of powerful teeth. They have their items for all age teams, including teenagers and elderly. Sensodyne, having carried out its current market investigate right before the launch, realized it could not have long gone the Unilever way. Fortunately for them, the sensitivity market place in India turned out to be monumental.”

For Sensodyne to make a distinctive id, the brand name proposition had to be distinctive, and very clear, as for each Chaudhari. As a substitute of competing with the Daburs and Colgates of the marketplace, the total portfolio of the manufacturer was confined to the walls of sensitivity. But the promoting journey the model embarked experienced a whole lot to do with its origins, she opines.

GlaxoSmithKline, a multinational pharma business that birthed Haleon, has had its internet marketing imprints on Sensodyne, Chaudhari details out. 

“GSK is acknowledged for its critical pharma company. So, the DNA for any brand name that stems from GSK invokes a immediate relationship within just the consumer’s head from a clinical or health care standpoint. The method, consequently, would not have labored for any other manufacturer besides for Sensodyne.”

Specified the clear dilemma-alternative proposition of the brand name, Chaudhari highlights that the manufacturer has no rationale to go the enjoyment route for their messaging. “So, white-coat endorsements designed all the perception. While in India employing doctors for advertisements is not permissible, so they experienced to let go of that. But the brand name managed to retain the clinical aura of the brand name, wherever it caught Colgate napping.”

Praful Akali, founder and MD, Medulla Communications is of the view that the full group of sensitive toothpaste is scientific than the relaxation of the toothpaste industry. “There is a distinct issue in conditions of the delicate class. As opposed to other toothpaste subcategories that purpose for more powerful and preventive teeth, listed here the consumer has a real trouble. Therefore, normally in this subcategory, consumers count on recommendations of dentists, or on brands that communicate the similar language.”

Prior to Sensodyne, there have been other pharma providers that experienced launched their toothpastes for this class, these types of as Sensodent, but the items ended up promoted at dentists. Apparently, Sensodyne entered the classification and directed their item to people immediately, and were the initially to do so.

This had a good deal to do with the form of strategy the model has utilized to target customers, as for every Akali. He claims, “The marketing conversation for Sensodyne can make comprehensive sense, because the manufacturer, in a way, enjoys a monopoly in the category.”

“The method for clinical complications, in particular for models like Sensodyne, is the reliance on professional advisory. This is why their commercials carry the scientific recommendations. Consumers are extra cozy with these kinds of communications in any scientific class.”