Anchor White toothpaste’s new marketing strategy
Anchor White toothpaste was launched in the year 1997. It stormed the near-monopolistic market (led by Colgate and Pepsodent) with the positioning of ‘100% vegetarian toothpaste’. It redefined the dynamics of the toothpaste market capturing a chunk of Market share within the first few years of launch enough to bring it right behind giants Colgate and Pepsodent.
Unlike other FMCG brands, toothpaste brands ride on high loyalty. Above that… Colgate had become a generic name for toothpaste. I remember my mom asking “Beta… Colgate kiya”. It was a tough decision back in 1997 by Anchor to enter the Rs. 2000 Cr industry. Many experts doubted if it can survive this market; coz of the weird extension…from electrical to FMCG. Just imagine… toothpaste with an electric shock or a brush with a screwdriver (LOL!). But the differentiated positioning and the value for money price point did the magic. It appealed to the Indian market and formed a perfect fit in the Indian culture of vegetarianism. It was a tremendous success!!!
Obviously, the competition was not there to sit and watch…. All started claiming to be vegetarian and soon it becomes an industry mandate. Anchor's positioning was turned into an industry standard. The differentiation vaporized.
Ten years down the line, 2006-07, Kajol came in asking ‘When was the last time you changed your toothpaste?’ Well, honestly speaking I have my doubts if the campaign really worked. I still wonder what the communication is trying to communicate! :s
Now, 2010, with everything from cavity control to germ protection to 12 oral care benefits being offered by the giants, it was critical for Anchor to find and tell a new story…
Strong teeth, the final proof of good oral care was the path that Anchor decided to take… back to the basics… It came up with ‘Daant Fit toh Life Fit’ campaign …. It’s on-air right now; let’s see how the consumer responds…
In my opinion, the ad is fun, cute, and refreshing. Loved the background score… In fact, it’s the music that catches our attention and breaks the clutter. The concept, creative and execution are good… but marketing-wise… will it create an impact in the long term…will the message be as sticky as ‘100% vegetarian toothpaste’… is it good enough to hold the Giants… I guess, for all the answers, the max we can do is WAIT & WATCH!!!
