Offtake

Last week, the Rs 120 crore Lakme-Lever launched Lip Art, which the company claims is a new category. "It is a concept encouraging every woman to become an artist," explains Sonia Singh, marketing manager at Lakme. The two lipsticks in pure gold and silver shades priced at Rs 52 each are retailing across 40,000 outlets.

Positioned as 'be your own artist', the shades are developed for a gutsy audience with a taste for mix and match. According to Singh, there were two reasons for the launch of Lip Art. "We wanted user involvement and also create excitement in the market," she says. In the Rs 45 crore lip colour market, Lakme has a market share of 66 per cent followed by Modi group promoted Revlon at eight per cent and Bhikubhai Topiwalas Tips & Toes with six per cent.

 

Lip Art is backed by a two-ad colour campaign by Ambience Advertising. While the first is purely educational, the second is image driven. The campaign is currently running in top line women's magazines.

Cosmetic change

The Vijaypat Singhania-backed J K Helene Curtis has repositioned its Premium eau de cologne. Primarily promoted for its therapeutic value -- controlling body temperature -- it is now positioned as the 'daily refreshment for body and soul'. The four-ad colour campaign devised by Everest Advertising shows different occasions for the use of Premium cologne.

Launched in the eighties, Premium has always been a poor second to Tata eau de cologne which dominates the market with a 75 per cent share. Premium's current market share is eight per cent. Company executives are optimistic as they say the new campaign will push shares to 15 -20 per cent range by the end of the year.

Only for moms

Theres a new line extension from SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare. Mothers Horlicks is aimed at lactating moms. This is the fourth product from the Horlicks family which already has elaichi, chocolate and junior. Market leader Horlicks with a 45 per cent share expects to create excitement in a category which is chugging along at five per cent annually. Complan from Heinz India is the number two player in the 60,000 tonne milk beverage market. The category is divided into white (Horlicks and Complan) and brown (Cadburys Bournvita and Jagatjit Industries Boost) beverages. The latter account for only 20-25 per cent of the market.

Mothers Horlicks retails in two sizes:

Rs 118 for 500 gm and Rs 65 for 200 gms.

This is nearly Rs 35-40 more than the other Horlicks brands.