A heritage brand from the stable of India’s largest FMCG company. Is Pond’s drying up?
When it comes to ‘beauty’ and ‘elegance’, who’d be a better expert than Pond’s? After a year of silence, the brand from the stable of HUL now promises to bring back youth into the lives of the aged Indian women with its recently launched ‘Age Miracle’. According to the company, it would be offered through 1,000 outlets spread across 23 cities and towns in India. And so comes the primary question – will the brand survive the attempt once again, after its failed foray into anti ageing capsules years back? And while there are already strong competitors riding high on the strong retail formats, the brand surely seems to have a difficult ride in the horizon. According to Juhi Ramakrishnan, Director, mConsult, Group M’s marketing consultancy division, “All these international brands may have a strong equity back home but in India they are still small. Pond’s share of voice in the category in India has been longer. It has a ‘do good’ kind of imagery which has a positive connotation for the brand.’’ And while Pond’s Institute failed to live up to the hype generated, the brand too seems to be heading downhill, as it slipped 25 spots to the 73rd position in the 2007 rankings. Undoubtedly, it needs an anti-aging cream too...
When it comes to ‘beauty’ and ‘elegance’, who’d be a better expert than Pond’s? After a year of silence, the brand from the stable of HUL now promises to bring back youth into the lives of the aged Indian women with its recently launched ‘Age Miracle’. According to the company, it would be offered through 1,000 outlets spread across 23 cities and towns in India. And so comes the primary question – will the brand survive the attempt once again, after its failed foray into anti ageing capsules years back? And while there are already strong competitors riding high on the strong retail formats, the brand surely seems to have a difficult ride in the horizon. According to Juhi Ramakrishnan, Director, mConsult, Group M’s marketing consultancy division, “All these international brands may have a strong equity back home but in India they are still small. Pond’s share of voice in the category in India has been longer. It has a ‘do good’ kind of imagery which has a positive connotation for the brand.’’ And while Pond’s Institute failed to live up to the hype generated, the brand too seems to be heading downhill, as it slipped 25 spots to the 73rd position in the 2007 rankings. Undoubtedly, it needs an anti-aging cream too...
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
