Fighting Over A Good Rinse

It will ensure a fresh round of aggressive multinational warfare.

It sure is a battle for a glossy mane. And creating some more excitement in the Rs 350 crore shampoo market is the toiletries and personal care major Procter & Gambles introduction of Head & Shoulders shampoo.

Launched early this week, the anti-dandruff Head & Shoulders is clearly pitted against Hindustan Levers Clinic All Clear. Says a marketing consultant, Now the fight is not going to be so much in the main shampoo category but in the sub-segments.

Already, the number of brands have doubled since 1995. From five brands two years ago, there are nearly 10 established brands claiming a good rinse. Adding to the lather are a handful of herbal concoctions from the unorganised sector. All this has seen the shampoo market leapfrog from 15 per cent three years ago to 35 per cent last December. And as companies put more money behind this category, market expansion will be the name of the game.

 

Today, HLL with its four brands -- Sunsilk, Clinic, Organics and the recently launched Lux -- leads the shampoo sweepstakes with a 58 per cent market share. It is followed by P&G -- Pantene, Mediker -- with 16 per cent; Colgate Palmolive -- Halo and Optima with nine per cent; Lakme-Lever with seven per cent and Laboratories Garniers

Ultra Doux with 2.6 per cent.

But the current action is centered around the niche anti-dandruff segment which accounts for a mere seven per cent of the total 20,000 tonne shampoo market. And here too, the battle will be fought between arch rivals HLL and P&G.

It isnt that there are no other players. Both Colgate Palmolive and Laboratoires Garnier have an anti-dandruff product and together they have a 15 per cent share of this segment. But HLLs Clinic All Clear last upgraded in August 1996 continues to dominate the anti-dandruff category with an 85 per cent market share. But the launch of Head & Shoulders, say market experts could over a year, change the complexion of the game.

Experts attribute Clinics hold on the segment to its early headstart. Launched in 1972, Clinic presently has three variants. These include Clinic Plus, a protein shampoo; Clinic Active with ProV and Clinic All Clear.

The other brands in this segment are Palmolive and Garniers Ultra Doux anti-dandruff. But for the promoters, these are merely variants of an existing range. They have no intentions of spinning the niche product into a stand alone brand. Hence, both Colgate and Garnier did not back their anti-dandruff offerings with mass media communications. Points out Sunita Bhangard, group product manager at Garnier, We want to carve out a niche in hair conditioners and skin care products rather than shampoos. All the same, Garnier which is not promoting its shampoos has revamped the packaging for its Ultra Doux range.

The disinterest however suits the main players. Now, marketers aver that the anti-dandruff segment, like the top end detergents will see better days. According to a market analyst, Head & Shoulders will do to anti-dandruff what Ariel and Surf Ultra did to premium detergents. In other words, this segment like the premium detergents has the potential to be the largest in value terms. Already, the the three-variant Clinic franchise with a 34 per cent share is the largest selling brand.

Today, the shampoo market is broadly divided into two broad segments --- beauty and health. Heading the beauty platform are the shampoos classified under various hair types -- normal, dry and oily. The health segment is promoted as a generic but with high falutin technical jargon with claims of value addition. If Clinic All Clear has Zinc Pyrithione (ZPTO), Head & Shoulders boasts of ZPO and Sunsilk has ceramides. All these are supposed to either contain dandruff controlling microbes, or scalp moisturiser or repair damaged hair.

But these unique selling propositions are apparent in most of the top-of-the line shampoos. Until now, this did not cut much ice with consumers. But today, with both Clinic and Head & Shoulders highlighting Zinc Pyrithione in their ad campaigns, promoting shampoos could see a new aggressiveness.

According to the trade, HLL has upstaged P&G in the current game. The main reason they say, is that much before the launch of Head & Shoulders, HLL had booked prime display space in most retail outlets. With posters of Clinic All Clear plastered all over, P&G, which has been talking about Head & Shoulders since 1991 has to make do with a handful of counters.

Even so, for P&G, it is the flagship brand. And like Ariel detergent, today it will put all its might behind Head & Shoulders. When Ariel was launched in 1992, P&G is said to have spent Rs 30 crore over the years in brand building. While no figures are forthcoming, and with both its other mainline brands -- Ariel and Whisper sanitary napkins stabilised,

Head & Shoulders is P&Gs current passion.

This has no doubt seen marketing managers at HLL working overtime. Advertisements for Clinic All Clear have been making their presence more frequently in print and television ads. The full blast of P&Gs advertising for Head & Shoulders is yet to be launched. When that happens, it could be another round of scrubbing by the multinational players.