Name: Poonam Pokale

Roll No:.83
Topic:Rural marketing
Sub-topic: Colgate
Colgate

Colgate is an American brand under Colgate Palmolive company

offering a range of products under the Brand 'Colgate' such as
toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss. In India
the company has replicated strong brand awareness and image in
the minds of the consumers that colgate is a household name
among one out of every two consumers using a modern toothpaste.

It is often said that markets are made, not found. This is particularly
true of the rural market of India. It is a market meant for the truly
creative marketer. Promotion has become the biggest challenge to
rural marketers today. Rural marketers have to skillfully
communicate with a much larger but scattered audience
characterized by variations in language, culture and
lifestyles.Companies have to adopt the principle of multinational
companies that is “ think global and act local”.

The toothpaste segment in oral hygiene is largely a two player

industry which includes Colgate Palmolive and Hindustan Unilever
limited together accounting for 85% market share. In which colgate
has Almost 49% of market share among hul and dabur.
Major competition to colgate in rural areas are Pepsodent, close up,
babul, meswak, Dabur red.

High quality products was always a plus point of Colgate all they
had to do was to now tap the still unattended rural markets and
change their habits i.e from the usage of manjans and datoon to
toothpaste and tooth powder.As peoples in rural areas
predominantly clean their teeth with natural items like twigs of neem
tree, salt and ash.

In 1998, 6 million people were contacted in 20,000 villages out of

which 15,000 villages had not experienced the availability of
toothpaste and toothbrush. Colgate hired 'Sampark' a specialist in
rural advertising category for their implementation of rural
promotional scheme Because going for mass media would not only
be costly but also the reach would have been limited as very few
people own and possess Tv Or radio. Many companies find rural
markets as a great opportunity for expanding their sales but find
distribution as a major problem. Therefore 'sampark' decided to
advertise by door to door selling.

Colgate is still the most successful brand in India due to strategic

initiatives and creating demand in rural areas.