Cinthol fights grime with grit

Now battle "dhool, mitti aur germs" with Cinthol Confidence+, a new soap in a segment dominated by Dettol and Lifebuoy.

The health soap segment, one pegged at around Rs. 3,000 crore, now has a new player. Meet Cinthol Confidence+, a "complete health soap brand" by Godrej Consumer Products.

Positioned as a "new-age soap for young India", the product is being promoted through an ad film created by the Sajan Raj Kurup-led Creativeland Asia, and produced by Mad Studios.

The film was launched online on August 15 and on TV on August 22. Across YouTube and social media platforms, the film has fetched over 2.3 million views so far. The sound track that goes 'Na darr kisi ka aaj...' is a spin-off of 'Hum honge kaamyaab...', a popular song from the yesteryears, one that almost every Indian is familiar with.

The campaign falls under the 'Alive is Awesome' umbrella thought.

In this ad, there's no dearth of what admen and women call the 'product demo'; all through the film, scores of fit, young individuals are shown bathing with the product. In a move to capture what the brand team terms the "spirit of young and dynamic India," the film shows professionals from the armed forces as well as those working at health camps, heritage sites and infrastructure development sites. These youngsters are shown going about their jobs confidently, undaunted by dust and germs.

Says Sunil Kataria, chief operating officer, sales and marketing, SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products, "Currently, the health soap market is focused mainly on kids. However, it is not just children, but even the youth who need protection as they battle dirt and grime while following their passion. However, currently available health soaps are incomplete and are without great sensorials."

Cinthol Confidence+, he explains, is a health soap that offers not only "99.9 per cent germ protection" but also gives users "insta-deo fragrance," as opposed to a 'medical fragrance'. The product, adds Kataria, aids the aspirations of young India.

According to Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairman, Creativeland Asia, "The communication comes from the simple insight that dirt, crowd and germs are fundamental obstacles that come in the way of every Indian's journey to success."

The campaign idea, he adds, is symbolic of the fearlessness and confidence that empowers people to go about their daily lives despite a germ-laden environment.

"The messaging in the health-soap category," Kurup notes, referring to competing brands in the space, "is largely restricted to protection from germs. We have gone beyond touching upon this functional need of the product and have addressed the attitude with which people fight the on-going battle with dirt, crowd and germs."

Brands that currently dominate the health soap segment include Hindustan Unilever's Lifebuoy and Reckitt Benckiser's Dettol, among others.