“The biggest marketing plan was to have SRK as a brand ambassador”

Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) has emerged as one of India’s leading FMCG companies striving to reduce its plastic footprint and adapt corporate sustainability. The company recently launched a new offering under the brand “Godrej Magic Bodywash”, a ready-to-use body wash.

The innovation aims to encourage consumers to reduce their use of plastic and make sustainable choices for other activities of daily living, company officials said. The product was made with 16% plastic and 44% less carbon emissions and diesel consumption.

GCPL also rolled out a campaign, conceptualized by Creativeland Asia, with brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan.

e4m spoke with Somasree Bose Awasthi, Marketing Manager, Godrej Consumer Products, to understand their strategy for marketing the innovative body wash.

Campaign objective

Is GCPL looking to acquire new consumer segments with the recently launched body wash, which is projected as an affordable liquid soap?

Awasthi responds, “GCPL already serves 1.5 billion people around the world with our full line of personal care and other products. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people wanted to use some of our categories, like liquid hand soap, but the cost factor put them off. Then we reduced the price of hand washing by ⅓. »

“We previously launched ready-to-use hand wash, and now we have come up with Godrej Magic ready-to-use body wash. Magic body wash reduces carbon footprint and is an improvement over hand washing. We wanted to make these categories accessible to people but in a sustainable way,” she explains.

If the product is successful, the company will focus on more innovation and research to come up with more sustainable products, Awasthi told e4m.

Marketing plans

The biggest marketing plan was to get a brand ambassador for the body wash, says the GCPL manager.

“Shah Rukh Khan was our natural choice because he is the most influential character today. People aspire to emulate SRK. What is interesting is that people know about his humble past and therefore associate themselves with him and to the characters he plays,” Awasthi said.

“SRK has a huge following among men, women and children. It has a universal appeal that suits our shower gel for all genders. In the commercial, SRK makes fun of himself. How many actors can do that? Only SRK can make fun of himself. Through our product, we wanted to promote environmentally friendly practices. Consumers today are also concerned about climate change and sustainability. SRK is the right person to promote a product that is good for the environment.

Other promotional activities

GCPL has planned 360-degree media campaigns spread across TV, digital and print. An interesting mix of outdoor campaigns is also on the cards, the CMO says.

“To raise awareness of plastic pollution, we have pledged Rs 100 crore. This money would be spent over the next three years on research and development programs to come up with new environmentally friendly products, and also to partner with NGOs to help raise awareness about plastic waste,” said Awasthi.

On inflation

How is GCPL dealing with inflation which is hurting businesses not just in India but across the globe?

“In some categories, we are forced to pass on rising input costs to consumers, without compromising quality. If you compromise on quality, consumers will leave you forever. We miniaturize the bags. At the same time, we are betting on innovation to eliminate frills, reducing plastic – as in the case of Magic Bodywash. This saves fuel and packaging costs,” explained Awasthi.

GCPL continues to be the market leader due to its rational strategy, she noted. “Consumers are affected by inflation, so we’re trying to find new ways to keep them happy.”

Digital spending

GCPL spends nearly Rs 800 crore per year on advertising. The company partnered with ad tech firm InMobi last year to bolster its digital marketing capabilities.

Many FMCG companies have considered cutting their advertising and promotion budgets due to factors such as inflation and the falling rupee.

Asked about GCPL’s measures in this regard, Awasthi said in a cautious response: “With the decline of the COVID pandemic, things like hand sanitizers have disappeared. However, media consumption has grown in digital and continues to grow. We go after consumers wherever they are. We are increasing our digital presence but cannot share any statistics due to the silence period (first quarter results are expected to be announced shortly).

Read more news at (marketing news, latest marketing news, internet marketing, marketing india, digital marketing india, media marketing india, advertising news)

For more updates, be social connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn,
TwitterFacebook & Youtube