From soaps to ACs, brands promise assurance, safety in age of anxiety

Anxious consumers want their fears allayed, or so believe advertisers and the brands they speak for. From Savlon, Godrej Protekt, Blue Star, Lifebuoy, Aquaguard and a long list of health and fitness gear and supplements brands, the positioning lines are being drawn clearly and sharply around the core value of consumer protection—be it the promise of the product or that of the brand in its engagement with stakeholders. While experts see this as a sign of the times, market research company Kantar IMRB predicts that the still undefined, but growing category of ‘protector brands’ will be a money spinner in 2019.

In a recent survey that looked at consumer behaviour in the year of elections (Seeking stability: Predictions for 2019, Kantar IMRB), protector products are loosely grouped as  consumer goods that protect the customer from various health hazards and prevent illness by keeping hygiene and immunity at high levels. Such products have been steadily gaining ground as the levels of stress and worry have risen in the country.

The report says that 47 per cent of Indians say that they feel stressed these days (2018), up from 39 per cent in 2017; and more women feel this way. Nearly 2.2 million people bought health, dietary and fitness brands online in 2018, the numbers tripling over the levels in 2017.

The phenomenon has been discernible since a couple of years and is one of the reasons (as per consumer surveys) why hand sanitizers, for example, have grown by a massive 59 per cent in 2017-18 (Kantar WorldPanel). Similarly too Chyawanprash (all brands), by 26 per cent and air purifiers (40 per cent).

The industry does not define a protector segment. It is a combination of all categories/ brands that have a positioning around protection, say experts. 
 

“It is a combination of categories with different units of volume. In value terms, this would amount to Rs 9000 crore in personal care and homecare alone. If we include food categories such as milk food drinks, ayurvedic tea etc., the value could exceed Rs 12,000 crore,” said K Ramakrishnan, general manager and country head, South Asia, Kantar Worldpanel.

“Consumers look for products that provide benefits that reduce the risk of disease and promote good health,” said a spokesperson for Hindustan Unilever (HUL). Hand wash brands have gained the most from such concerns and the growing market for hygiene-led products has spurred all such brands to expand into the hand sanitiser market. A spokesperson for ITC said, “ITC has recently launched the Savlon liquid hand sanitiser as part of its hand hygiene portfolio. The product has received a positive response.”

Among the protector product segments, hand sanitiser, sun protection and sanitary products have grown at 59.2 per cent, 37.4 per cent and 15.9 per cent respectively, in terms of volume. Harish Bijoor,  CEO Bijoor Consults calls this a sign of prosperous times. 

India has traditionally been a curative market and hence brands have addressed a problem by promising a cure, not a  way to prevent the issue altogether. For example, dandruff removal shampoos, points out Bijoor. Now society is getting into a state of “preventive paranioa” says Bijoor.  “I would really call it prosperous preventive paranoia and it is growing,” he added.

A still from the Godrej Protekt ad

The phenomenon has also seen brands looking for ways to differentiate their promise around the common ‘protection’ positioning platform. One way has been to say that the brand promises safety and wellness because it is made from natural-organic ingredients. Sunil Kataria, CEO (India & SAARC), Godrej Consumer Products said, “Mothers are not just happy with chemical-based germ protection; they look for ‘natural ingredients based, safer’ products. It was based on this insight that we launched Godrej Protekt – a health and wellness brand.” 

However to assume tht such consumers are only from the higher income group would be a fallacy, Kataria added. Stressed consumers are also extremely focused on affordability. According to Kataria, many are constrained by the prohibitive pricing of liquid hand washes and this led the company to launch a powdered concentrate of the liquid hand wash that sells at just ~15 for a 200ml pack. 

The Kantar-IMRB report believes that brands will soon need to expand their protective ring to social concerns too. “Brands will have to create a stable, positive environment and enable support groups to change the discourse of negativity,” it said.