Triton bags new business worth Rs 3 crore

Triton Communications, Delhi, has got the estimated Rs 3 crore Peshawar Soaps and Chemicals (Pesco) advertising business for three brands - KESHNIKHAR, NEEM and NIKHAR. While KESHNIKHAR is a hair care soap, NEEM and NIKHAR are bathing soaps. However this gain was not a result of a pitch. Triton approached the client on its own accord. Prior to Triton, Pesco was using the services of small agencies.

"The client's decision to award the business to Triton came out of the realisation that the brands needed more strategic and creative inputs. The company was basically looking for an agency that would offer integrated communications," explains Vivek Srivastava, vice-president, Triton Communications.

The immediate task for the agency is to do some ‘serious communication' for Pesco NEEM. "This is our first assignment. The strategy for the other two brands will follow soon," confirmed Srivastava.

Pesco NEEM has been in the market for a while now; however, it has not been able to create excitement among consumers. Therefore based on consumer feedback and R&D, the company will relaunch the Pesco NEEM in the next 10 days. "Owing to the general perception among people that neem soaps are harsh for the skin, the brand was not catching up. Moreover neem is seen as a problem-solution product because of its anti-bacterial properties. This restricted the use of the product. Now our objective is to alter the perception with regard to Pesco NEEM and position it as an every-time-and-every-season product," emphasis Srivastava.

The new avatar of Pesco NEEM will have two more ingredients - tulsi and coconut oil. The communication, therefore, will be pegged on the benefits of the new formulation of the soap. Says Srivastava "The communication is built around bundling all the benefits of the new ingredients in Pesco NEEM. Coconut oil nourishes and softens the skin, tulsi gives it a glow and neem protects the skin because of the anti-bacterial properties."

Pesco NEEM, which is priced at Rs 9, is positioned in the popular segment (that falls roughly in the price band of Rs 9-Rs 13) of the soap market. It is targeted at women in the lower-middle income group in the 18-25 years' age bracket. "It is around this time women become conscious about personal grooming. And skin care is top of mind."

Print, radio and television will be leveraged for communication. Triton has planned the media strategy according to the monthly purchase cycle of the end consumer. "It's in the first 10 days of the month that most of the household purchasing is done. Keeping this in mind, the print and radio ads are being released in the first week of November. However, the TV commercial will be aired in the last week of November. This is so because the last few days of the month are the days when the homemakers make a list of the items that need to be replenished. Hopefully this strategy would serve the purpose," adds Srivastava.

As the brand has strong regional presence in the north, east and west of India, the communication will be focussed on the vernacular press. Magazines such as Grihshobha, Chitralekha (Marathi) and Saras Salil will carry the ads. On TV, Hindi channels such as Zee TV, Zee Cinema, SABe TV and regional channels like etc, Alpha will be used.

However competition is tough. Pesco NEEM competes with two major players Margo (Henkel) and Hamam (HLL) in the marketplace. A strong distribution network coupled with clever advertising might help stir up the market for Pesco NEEM.

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