GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) has started its second innings in the Indian oral care market with its biggest and fastest-growing global toothpaste brand, Sensodyne. With annual global sales of $750 million (Rs 3,403 crore), Sensodyne is expected to garner a 5 per cent share of the Rs 1,850-crore urban toothpaste market (the overall toothpaste market is estimated at Rs 2,700 crore) in India in as many years. Globally, oral care accounts for around 30 per cent of the company’s revenues.
Positioned as a toothpaste for sensitive teeth, Sensodyne will be priced at Rs 42 and Rs 45 for its two variants of fresh mint and fresh gel. Focusing on urban markets, GSKCH hopes to reach around 16 lakh outlets in the first year of launch. The company has a budget of Rs 20 crore to promote the brand.
Sensodyne would be supported by mass media ad campaigns that would highlight the problems arising from sensitive teeth. The campaign created by Grey India was launched in the first week of February. Below-the-line communication includes a tie-up with 15,000 dentists across the country and “chill tests” in modern retail stores to spread awareness about sensitive teeth.
GSKCH’s consumer research shows that a sizeable 17 per cent of toothpaste users suffer from sensitive teeth. Little wonder then that the sensitive toothpaste category, which is pegged at Rs 180 crore, is growing at 18 per cent, against the 9 per cent growth for regular toothpaste.
With GSKCH getting aggressive, category leader Colgate has upped the ante with frequent front-page newspaper ads for its Sensitive toothpaste. While Colgate Sensitive is the biggest rival for Sensodyne, other toothpaste brands such as Icpa Health Products’ Thermoseal and Amway’s Glister also target the same audience.
To put things in perspective, GSKCH had an unsuccessful run the first time it launched a toothpaste (Aquafresh in 2000, which was withdrawn in 2003). To keep history from repeating, GSKCH has been testing Sensodyne for a year in four states in the south. GSKCH Marketing General Manager (oral healthcare and over-the-counter) Koushik Gupta says, “We have 1.2 per cent market share in Tamil Nadu, 1.4 per cent in Kerala, 0.3 per cent in Karnataka and 0.4 per cent in Andhra Pradesh already.”
While GlaxoSmithKline’s stronghold remains the east and the south, the company expects its new products such as instant noodles and toothpaste will cement its position in the north and the west.
