Can Ranveer Singh Revive Marico's Set Wet Deo?

In a recent interview with afaqs!, Anuradha Aggarwal, chief marketing officer, Marico, said, a marketer can't always solve a brand problem by throwing money at it. "It's not just about investing money. You can always throw money at a problem, but money doesn't solve fundamental challenges about differentiation, relevance and giving value to consumers. The marketer's role is not just to make good advertising and put it on air; it is about making the right propositions come to life for the consumer," she said.

Interestingly, she is throwing Ranveer Singh at a problem! Deodorant brand Set Wet is facing heat from several competitors in the segment. In a recently uploaded digital video, Ranveer Singh wishes everyone a Happy Women's Day (March 8) and promises to stay sexy always. The hashtag #SadaSexy is being promoted through the video.

She adds, "Though Ranveer has worked on so many brands, there is something unique in his personality that gels well with the positioning that we want to establish for the brand. He is the kind of guy men want to be like - fun, quirky and confident. And he is still the guy who respects women. That's what we want to get out there."

In the aforementioned interview, Marico's Aggarwal said about the company's deo business, "Brands where we're not meeting our full potential would include, for instance... a brand like Set Wet. It has been a fabulous brand in the world of gels; our position in deos has been weak. We've found it difficult to cut through. I don't think we've played the game well enough. We believe the deo category has a lot of juice; so we've done whatever it takes to take this one big pass at it. We've got Ranveer Singh to endorse Set Wet deo - this was one of the things I put into place when I came in. We have a lot riding on this."

About Set Wet deo, in particular, she said, "Set Wet has a unique position. It's not trying to show girls bite their lower lip when they see a man apply deodorant. We know that deodorants are a strong source of confidence for young boys who go out into the world. We've found the Set Wet consumer archetype. Set Wet is a deo designed for the day, not just for partying at night. It talks to young boys between 18 and 25 years of age."

Marico has also revamped the packaging of Set Wet deo; the new bottles have the words 'Swag Avatar' or 'Mischief Avatar' or 'Cool Avatar' or 'Charm Avatar' printed on them. The old bottles carried words like 'Sexy', 'Macho', 'Bite and 'Cool' on them. (See images).

On the Facebook page of brand Set Wet, the video is accompanied by these lines:

The always so awesome Ranveer Singh, knows his sexy side and always does things right,

So, if you know that you are a gentleman from within then why not explore it,

If you know that your hip & happening look can make the world go weak in its knees then why not trend it.

So bros, unleash the Bells & Whistles, pomp n' show.

Let loose the loveable guy within you.

Just let go of those inhibitions, all while being respectful to the women.

Just be Sexy.

Cause Sexy is Good,

Sexy is Respectful.

Sada Sexy Raho.

Next week, Marico will launch a television commercial featuring Ranveer Singh.

Set Wet hair gel is endorsed by actor Aditya Roy Kapur.

Ranveer to the rescue?

Advocating the need to create product differentiation in this segment, Prabhu goes on, "I don't know what the strategy for Set Wet deo is here, but a company like Marico, just like P&G and HUL, would be thorough with it. If a strategy doesn't work, the company will correct it... and now, using a celebrity will definitely work."

Speaking purely about the communication, not sales, she adds about Set Wet's competition, "I don't find the ads for Fogg deo creative at all. The 'Kya Chal Raha Hai? Fogg Chal Raha Hai' campaign was so confusing..."

Communication codes in the deo segment have undergone a noteworthy change over the recent past; the theme has moved from shameless seduction to the whole 'gas-no gas' debate.

Ironically enough, in a move to overthrow the spray-the-deo-get-the-girl category cliché, has saying 'We don't stand for seduction' become the new cliché?