FMCG BRANDING

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

LOVE AXE
AUR DHOKA
By Karn Vishwanath Upadhyaya
 KEY POINTS
Case Context
6P solution to Axe Issue
5 data elements to deep dive
Decisions to Revive Axe
What research to do
Market estimation for 2020

CONTENTS TO
02
GO THROUGH
ABOUT THE CASE

PROBLEMS WITH HUL AND AXE

Since in India, the deodorant market is
not of antiperspirants but only of the
fragrances. Rexona as a brand has
struggled(due to its strong association
as a soap brand). Axe is considered to
be premium and its sale has got
impacted in tier 2 and tier 3 because of
same positioning.
 Used deodorants to

INSIGHT
CONSUMER
impress someone

MEN IN 2005

Used deodorants
to stay confident

MEN IN 2019
Proposition
2 Sprays to axe every problem in life.
Show Use cases relevant to daily life
THE 6 P'S
to attract people and dont stay
HUL SHOULD DO FOR
superficial. (Play on relevance)
DEODORANT PORTFOLIO
"Apna Time Apun Layega"

Pack
2 Sprays in one with a use case of
morning fight vs night relax.
Product naming as : "Daily Office
Fighter", "Next Lecture Pump" etc.

Promotion
Social media campaigns - "Gonna Axe this month" - in which
people will mention what they are aiming for this month and
share it across. Hygiene - Use cases digital and video ads(also,
6 sec bumper ads.)
Price
Rs. 70 for 2 in 1 package
Rs. 140 each for new introductory
THE 6 P'S
range
HUL SHOULD DO FOR
Campaign prizes and influencer
DEODORANT PORTFOLIO
giveaways
Place
POS activations - oil diffusers for Axe.
Trade promotions and retailer/distributor benefits for
them to keep the product
Near every men billing counter
Near men waiting areas like airports etc.
Product
New black tinted transparent bottled product
With different occasional naming(Semiotically
choosing colour based on TG)
To help consumers find their best fit.
 5 ELEMENTS TO DEEP DIVE

BRAND HEALTH CHECK

REPORT
It is very important to analyse where does the
category stand as compared to brand perception.
Find out the net promoter score and Axe brand
character. Since, Axe till now is not playing much on
the functional needs which other brands are (like,
Fogg "no. of times you can use"). It is needed to
push a functional benefit as to where brand Axe
stand and provide as compared to other brands. The
premium recall among consumers is because of the
fact that Axe has strong Emotional benefit attached
as compared to functional benefit,
 5 ELEMENTS TO DEEP DIVE
GAIN-LOSS ANALYSIS
It is crucial to understand which brands are gaining buyers
and out of which brands to understand the basic needs
that the people want to be fulfilled out of a deodorant
brand.
Types to look at -
A. Switching Loss- Consumers shifting purchases from
Axe to other brands
B. Market Expansion/Contraction - Drop/Increase in
purchases due to decrease or increase in household needs
of Deodorants (maybe, due to weather)
C. New/Lost Buyers - Those who used to buy an Axe
deodorant before and now dont buy a deodorant OR
Those who never bought and now bought an AXE
deodorant.
 5 ELEMENTS TO DEEP DIVE
MARKETING MIX MODELING
Understand factors like advertising, promotion,
pricing etc. and how all these are impacting the
sales and market share of our brand AXE. Based
on category, realize the TG and for that TG which
marketing mix works the best.
Solving the age-old question of “how can I best
invest my budget?” has never been more crucial or
more complex. With billions of dollars on the line
and consumers shopping across platforms and
media channels, Marketing Mix Modeling gives
marketers the confidence they are making the
right investment decision.
 5 ELEMENTS TO DEEP DIVE
BRAND PYRAMID

In essence, it will include -

Finding the key stakeholders
Perform audit on these stakeholders
Gather feedback and create "Current state"
document
Conduct brainstorming and come up with
new editions to brand pyramid for AXE to
succeed.
 5 ELEMENTS TO DEEP DIVE
CONSUMER JOURNEY

It is required to check what are the

consumer touchpoints so as to tap onto
them through precision marketing.
This will help us better understand our TG
and find their medium of purchase and on
which occasion.
This will in turn give AXE a way as to where
to invest to bring the most conversion rate
in terms of sales and impact.
 Revive AXE
As a Brand Manager, following will be my steps-
1. FIND BASES CONSUMER KEY
MEASURES
It is required to read the purchase intent of the
consumer, what they like or displike the new
product, What value proposition do they derive out
of the offering, What is the USP and what people are
thinking about it and willing to pay for it, Claimed
units, and Claimed Freuency
2. CONCEPT VIABILITY MATRIX
It will include -
1. Salience - Distinct propositon Axe can provide.
The attention grabbing feature which can act as a
gimmick to grab audience.
2. Communication of main idea - Whether the brand
language decided is - clear, concise and relatable.
3. Attraction - Need/Desire to be relavant,
Perceived advantage and credibility of the brand,
4. Point of purchase - How findable is it at POS.
Value proposition that people will derive
5. Endurance/ Post - use - Net promoter score to
determine how brand is performing.
 Revive AXE
As a Brand Manager, following will be my steps-

3. MARKETING MIX TO IMPLEMENT 4. CREATE A BRAND STORY

Analyse what all are the marketing channels that Axe

can use to reach consumer touchpoints and influence
them for the purchase.
Decide the budget and campaign on different
channels based on Axe TG residing in that channel.
Crystal gaze up to 2020, what do the market would look like?
Tier 2, 3 ,4 will
rule
Smaller packs for these cities.
2 in 1 will create a buzz as primary research
suggests TG in these cities rate them higher
in terms of value proposition.

Experience-led
The brands will try to provide entire
experience together. Nivea will provide its
whole range together and will increase its
consumption level in all ranges.
This will pick up as it has happened already
in tech industry.
Meaningful
Consumerism
People will further move towards the
ingredient led benefits on deodorants.
Better proposition in terms of more
functional benefits that it can provide.

Tech-led
In future, we may see tech diffusers as
deoodorants whose refillers needs to be
bought only time to time.