Colgate-Palmolive eyes market dominance with MaxFresh relaunch and "Multiple India" approach

Colgate-Palmolive India recently unveiled a new campaign to reintroduce Colgate MaxFresh. The brand has revisited the manufacturing potion for the premium product, as seen through its comical ad film themed around groggy mornings and the goof-ups that follow.

The campaign's central narrative, vividly portrayed in an ad film featuring a groggy doctor with a bed attached to his back, aims to tackle the relatable issue of morning errors due to lethargy.

Anaswar Rajagopal, marketing director, toothpaste (family and equity) at Colgate-Palmolive India explains, "The campaign is designed to resonate with the common occurrence of morning goof-ups. We all experience those moments of grogginess in the morning, leading to innocent yet amusing mistakes. Colgate Maxfresh positions itself as the remedy, transitioning users from grogginess to wakefulness through the refreshing act of brushing."

For brands in the oral care category, success hinges on a brand's astuteness in identifying and addressing specific consumer problems. The market is marked by its high level of penetration, with nearly 100% reach, necessitating a nuanced understanding of diverse consumer needs and preferences. 

For Colgate, the problem is really simple - grogginess. Elaborating on the brief and creative process behind the campaign, Rajagopal points out, "The one-liner encapsulating our message is clear: 'Colgate MaxFresh is the superior freshness that helps you resolve your morning goof-ups.' The creative approach is anchored in a relatable consumer tension, seamlessly reflected in the ad film's quirky depiction of a doctor with a mattress symbolising sleepiness."

The quintessential truth underlying the oral care category is that consumers gravitate towards brands that offer distinctive solutions to their dental health concerns. Consequently, the onus lies on brands to conduct comprehensive consumer research, delving into the intricacies of individuals' daily routines and oral hygiene challenges. 

Rajagopal opines that the process of atomising the consumer feedback into a creative brief is that much more difficult. He says, “This doesn't happen easily. You meet consumers, you understand their breaking points and then you formalise the communication strategy. Of course, the benefit of the product is broadly strategic.” 

The brand already caters to a wide array of consumer needs, such as freshness through Colgate MaxFresh, a whitening toothpaste in Colgate Visible White, among other offerings. 

“We have a portfolio the benefits are broadly what they are from a strategic standpoint. But what consumer problem we can solve is something we only understand by speaking to consumers.”

The brand's target audience, the 18 to 30-year-old demographic, plays a pivotal role in shaping the campaign's tone and style. Rajagopal emphasises the importance of aligning with the youthful spirit of the brand through humour and relatable content. But the protagonist of the film is noticeably a middle-aged man. How does that register with the audience? 

Rajagopal answers, “The thing is that you don't need to have a youngster in a film for it to appeal to a youngster. Young people in the country like to watch humorous, quirky content. The content doesn't necessarily have to have a younger person, but the style of it has to be something that appeals to the consumer. There are a few parameters that we test, such as enjoyability, persuasion, whether you're landing the brand, and whether you're landing the benefit. All of those were ticked.”

Colgate Maxfresh, positioned as a flagship brand with considerable scale, holds strategic significance for Colgate-Palmolive India. Rajagopal shared insights into the media strategy, which involves leveraging television to achieve broad reach, complemented by digital platforms like YouTube and social media channels such as Meta.

He says, “Our basic mantra when it comes to media is to maximise overall reach. We’ll be starting with television, supplemented by digital. Within digital, there is of course YouTube. And then the social, which includes Meta and various other platforms such as Share Chat, and Moj, which speak to slightly lower tiers of consumers as well. And of course, vehicles such as print, and outdoor will also be employed.”

Considering the high penetration of oral care products in the market, Rajagopal highlighted the brand's objective of driving brand preference. Focus markets, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, have been identified based on a combination of current strength and growth potential.

Rajagopal reveals, “Colgate is very high in terms of its penetration. So on that stretch, our objective is to drive brand preference. There are multiple markets that we identify as a focus. It's a combination of markets where we are strong and markets where there is a huge opportunity for us to grow. So there in those markets, we will over-index our media a little bit in terms of the reach and our objective of course is to drive market share on the back of driving brand preference with consumers in those markets.”

In terms of future marketing endeavours, Rajagopal hinted at potential collaborations with impactful properties, including discussions about securing spots during events like the World Cup. The challenge, he noted, lies in balancing the quality of creative content with the alignment of the target audience consuming specific content.

He says, “We are in the talks with lots of hot properties. The World Cup is of course one of the properties that we are in conversations with right now. Colgate is already advertising on Disney+ Hotstar for Colgate Visible White. We are in conversations to get some spots for the MaxFresh campaign as well. Outside of that we constantly look for impact properties. These conversations are always on. It's always an ROI question because you're spending a lot of money to get those spots. So bang for the buck is our typical evaluation.”

Reflecting on industry trends, Rajagopal underscored the evolving consumer landscape, emphasising that consumers now seek brands with distinctive positioning and clear benefits. Colgate-Palmolive India, with its diverse portfolio catering to varied price segments, continues to innovate based on deep consumer insights.

India's socio-economic diversity dictates that consumers in urban and rural settings possess varied disposable incomes. The oral care category, nearly universally penetrated, requires brands to cater to this economic heterogeneity. While urban consumers may be more inclined towards premium offerings that boast advanced formulations and additional benefits, rural consumers often seek more affordable alternatives without compromising on essential oral health features.

Rajagopal addresses the pricing strategy, emphasising the delicate balance between offering value to consumers and responding to cost inflation. He says, “Price like any other category in this country is important because there is no ‘One India’. You ultimately have to win in multiple Indias. We have a portfolio that caters to needs across all price segments. We constantly look at pricing as a part of the marketing mix that we will keep calibrating depending on how inflation is impacting the consumer.”

Colgate-Palmolive hosts brands like Cibaca, which cater to consumers who are looking for slightly more affordable bundles. The brand also has offerings in the premium end of the spectrum like Colgate Visible White and Colgate Total, that provide value-added benefits. However, the core of the business is formed by Colgate Strong Teeth and Colgate MaxFresh.