"Category awareness is the biggest challenge for shower gels today": Sameer Satpathy, ITC

We spoke to Sameer Satpathy, chief executive, personal care products business, ITC, about his recent TVC-led marketing push for Fiama shower gels.

The new ad campaign by Fiama shower gels and gel bars, positions the product as one that generates copious amounts of lather with a little help from a loofah, and one that works as an instant mood-lifter for the hassled young woman after a trying day.

The campaign, led by two TVCs, is titled 'Dil Ko De Lift'.

One ad film is about a young mother whose son's school teacher has complained against him, while the other is about a presumably single working woman who has received an earful from her boss.

Fiama is ITC's premium brand of personal wash products.

Sameer Satpathy, chief executive, personal care products business, ITC, says, "Shower gel is an evolving category and it is early to comment on usage. Shower gel category penetration is still limited.... the primary objective is to grow the category, build awareness, and enhance trials for Fiama Shower Gel. So, category awareness is the biggest challenge for shower gels today. Our efforts will be towards building awareness and educating consumers about the usage and experience.

When asked about the TG, he says, "Urban development and technology are blurring the lines between consumers in Tier I and Tier II cities."

Talking about the ads, Satpathy says, "The 'Fiama woman' effortlessly multi-tasks. Amidst all the responsibilities that she shoulders and the everyday rush of activities that need her attention, this young urban Fiama woman cherishes her me-time, especially during a bath. The campaign presents a blend of Fiama's functional and emotional promise."

The whole bath-as-escape-from-reality idea is not a new one; after all, that's the very premise Liril's famous waterfall fantasy (which first hit TV screens in the late 1970s) is based on.

We notice that both the scenarios shown in the ads are 'end-of-day showers', as opposed to 'morning showers'. Perhaps, the insight at play here is - soap is the preferred option in the morning when women are in a rush to leave home for the day, whereas the 'shower gel-cum-loofah' routine is an indulgence reserved for the evening, when there's time on hand.

"ITC prides itself for its deep understanding of Indian consumers. Intensive consumer interactions, and qualitative and quantitative consumer research is critical in identifying a distinct brand proposition in a cluttered environment of personal wash," says Satpathy.

Pallavi Chakravarti, executive creative director, Taproot Dentsu, the agency behind this campaign, says, in a press release, "Our daily routines are full of cribs and peeves. But, no one can deny that the few minutes we spend in the shower serve as that much-needed oasis in the midst of life's woes. During those moments we feel good about ourselves, we revel in the moment, and we believe that everything's going to be fine after all. It's also when we're at our uninhibited best, doing and saying things that we'd never do in public. The new campaign couples this feeling of optimism and upliftment that is integral to bath-time with the sensorial joy of showering with Fiama - the fragrance and the lather."

Industry Speak

Pooja Gosain, senior creative director - design, DigitasLBi, India, a digital agency from the house of Publicis.Sapient, feels the insight is good, but to restrict the product for end-of-day showers where there is more time for indulgence alone is a strong space. "It should ideally appeal to women who are professionals, as well as housewives. There are numerous other scenarios that can be explored here to appeal to a wider set of women," she says.

Gosain feels that the overall execution style is more slapstick and over-the-top. "They don't appeal to a working woman like me. A well thought out comical approach could have worked well to make the ads unique. The shower gel is supposed to uplift your mood and make you look at the brighter side of life. So, it makes me wonder why has that not been addressed by extending it outside the bathroom? The goodness of natural elements could have been played up along with the product to give it a stronger visual language as opposed to a regular soap ad that only has close-ups with goofy expressions. The selection of songs and the editing are weak points as well," Gosain adds.

Anisha Motwani, founder and managing partner, Storm The Norm Ventures, an innovation consulting firm, says, "The TVCs do convey the message that a great bath does more than just cleansing; it lifts your mood and makes you look at the brighter side of things. This is clear in the ad films. In the first ad, the mother says, "Mera beta banega ek din hero", while in the other, the visibly annoyed woman who, after a shower with the shower gel, says, "Kal ko mujhko star kahega". Here, we can take the analogy of Tata Tea, whose tagline 'Jaago Re' meant getting refreshed. But, the brand amplified it to 'Corruption Ke Khilaf Jago'. Fiama, here, has taken the 'refreshing' feeling from a physical state to a very emotional state."

According to Motwani, most personal care products today stress on a kind of a 'grooming category code' such as using a fairness cream will make you more confident or the use of a certain deodorant will equip you to take up challenges. In these ads, too, the 'grooming' angle is used -- the shower gel instils confidence - "Kal ko mujhko star kahega". However, the execution seems to be a bit stretched. The communication would have been complete even without introducing that thought."