REPOSITIONING THE BRAND AND CAPTURING MINDSHARE

Introduction
Cosmetics are mixtures of surfactants, oils and other ingredients. They are required to be effective, long lasting, stable and last not least safe to human use. The cosmetics industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. New brands of cosmetics to appeal to various population sectors are constantly being developed. The beauty business has another parallel with the growth of Indian Economy it has its own service sector that is growing as fast as the market for product. The sales are rising in the Indian cosmetics market. Increased disposable income has let to growth in demand for premium products. The reasons for the growing demand for cosmetic products in India also include: greater access to television, which has created a growing awareness of the western world; increased advertising in general; a greater product choice and availability. The Indian Miss Worlds and Universe were the triggers and since then there has been an explosion of sorts. Indian women are more conscious of their appearance and more aware of western cosmetic products and brands. Also, a boom in the Indian fashion world has contributed to the rise in demand for professional beauty care products. Women in India increasingly want more sophisticated mass-market cosmetics. They have moved beyond using basic toiletries, shampoo and soap brands, like women all over the world want products to help the take better care of themselves. Looking good is not only important for interpersonal relations, it has become imperative for success in professional lives too. The opening up of the markets has also ensured that the market is competitive globally and with competition this category has blossomed. Nowadays, Organic products are ruling the scene compared to the synthetic stuff. People are becoming more concerned about using natural stuff vis--vis chemicals to enhance and retain beauty. The shift is magnanimous and people are lapping up whatever is natural. With skin being a sensitive issue, natures finds a natural preference with consumers. Natures Essence - born out of a modest budget and inspired thought was created in the year 1998 to carve a niche amongst the beauty jungle where the giants were more than happy to crumble minnows like them.

Company Profile
Nature's Essence has grown from a pigmy to a respectable brand of size and repute and is all set to become a Goliath of the trade, retaining its David mentality. Nature's Essence is a 12 year young enterprise and is growing at the rate of nautical miles growing a steady 100% annually. However with the incredible and firm spirit, Natures Essence has stood the test of time and grown to a US$ 15 million enterprise and growing now at the speed of nautical miles, throwing caution to the winds and to the endearing competition. The company hopes to be a 25 million US$ company by the year end. The company now has 4 established manufacturing facilities at Haridwar in India with a current capacity of around 100 million US$ and every effort is being made to match the sales so that the capacities could be further extended. The company has a robust distribution network with over 2,000 direct distributors and many indirect distributors ably supported by a 1,500 strong field force. The product is now available in around 2,000 cities and towns and plans are being charted for strong rural exploration to extend the reach to the deepest trenches of the nation. The products are currently being sold through around salons and retail counters with an estimated consumption by around 25, 00,000 consumers. Natures Essence currently exports to over 24 countries like South Africa, Mauritius, West Indies, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fuji, Nepal, Bangladesh; Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and is expanding its reach to another 10 countries this year. Infrastructure wise the company rubs shoulder with peers 3-4 times its size and has the best of plant and machinery in its genre. The entire plant is automatic with equipment for every type of packaging and manufacturing requirement. Quality management is a key initiative and the company adheres to stringent checks in line to the requirements of being an ISO 9001-2000 and a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) company. The company now aims to further the accreditations from top notch quality watchdogs and would soon raise the bar to the next level. As far as hotel industry is concerned we are supplying into 100 odd hotels currently with just 3 months into the hotel line and by the end of this year our supplies will be in 500 hotels of India. Natures Essence also has a sister concern in the publishing of magazines on fashion, beauty, lifestyle by the name of Magic Media World with its first high end offering Ravishing Magazine. Natures Essence group of companies have also launched in a big way their Ayurvedic cosmoceutical line Magic Ayurveda with the blend of 5000 year old science and latest in product

manufacturing and development. The treatments include products for acne treatments, pigmentation treatments, hair fall treatment, sex improvement treatment, breast enlargement treatments and lot more. Natures Essence group of companies aims to break into the 100 million dollar club by 2013 and is on track with a very solid infrastructure and momentum to back its high ambitions. Product Range They are the manufacturer, exporter and importer of beauty products that are classified as Hair Care Products, Skin Care Products and Body Care Products. The range of products is as following: Cleansers Toners Scrubs Moisturizers Massage Cream Face Powder Skin Bleach Peel Offs Soaps Hand Cream Foot Care.

Executive Summary
The sun and sales are rising on the Indian cosmetics market. From concept to completion, the cosmetics industry is heading east to India. The Indian Cosmetics market is valued at Rs 5000 crores, and Natures Essence covers about 2% market share targeting the women of middle and upper middle class in India - doing a business of above Rs 100 Crores in the last year, entering the B+ list of Businesses in India. The company has been spending huge amounts on their product promotions. They have been largely using the print media to promote their products. Newspapers like Mid-day are printing advertisements on a regular basis. Their own sister concern in the publishing of magazines on fashion, beauty, lifestyle by the name of Magic Media World with its first high end offering Ravishing Magazine, for their promotions. Apart from that the company has a robust distribution network with over 2000 direct distributors and many indirect distributors ably supported by a 1500 strong field force. But the problem they were facing was that they were not very satisfied with quantity of over the counter sales that were happening with the help of the retail stores. The dealers were not covering the whole market, they were not motivated enough to put in their efforts to force the products to the retailers, and whenever there was a initiation from the company to appoint a new dealer that would cover the remaining areas that the previous dealers could not cover there was agitation amongst the existing dealers of that area and the problem of holding the payments arose. The retailers were not convinced to keep the products on their shelf. When there was an extra effort put in by the sales force and the distributors, the answer was that this shelf would cost you a certain amount of money for a month- sale or no sale, and you would have to return the products if there is no sale. The retailers lacked confidence in the brand, and when drilled down further to know the root of the problem. The problem that emerged was that a lot of potential customers were not asking about the products from the retailers even after knowing the brand. Even though the customers were aware of the brand it had not captured enough MINDSHARE to actually convert it into a SALE.

Marketing Objectives

To establish Natures Essence as a Brand which holds a distinctive place in the minds of the potential customers.

To reenergize the company to deliver the message of credibility in an appropriate way and to get connected with the prospects, and sustain relationship with existing members.

To give the customers a reason to buy their products and thus increasing the market share.

Marketing Strategies
Positioning
Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category. It will happen whether or not a company's management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position. But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions. The marketers through products and services solve the problems of the customer and try to satisfy their needs and wants. They focus on delivering them the benefits. To be effective in marketing, the positioning must promise the benefits the customer will receive and cater the expectation.

Natures Essence adopted the following strategies in positioning their brands

Offering Quality Products

It takes a bit more money to produce a really quality product, especially if youre offering cosmetics. Now they have infused the brand with a distinct personality that is carried to the customers with every detail in their interaction with the brand. From the feel of the containers to the smell of the product to the consistent use of patterns and designs to the way their phones are answered, everything is part of a whole, and adds to a distinct experience. Customers know who they are, what they represents. Apart from that the quality management is a key initiative and the company adheres to stringent checks in line to the requirements of being an ISO 9001-2000 They have now adopted GMP (Good Manufacturing practice) - practices and the systems required to be adapted in pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality control, quality system covering the manufacture and testing of pharmaceuticals or drugs, Many countries have legislated that pharmaceutical and medical device companies must follow GMP procedures, and have created their own GMP guidelines that correspond with their legislation, basic concepts of all these guidelines remains more or less similar that is ultimate goal to safeguard the health of the consumer, and following GMP Natures Essence now wants to expand its reach to 10 other countries by the end of this financial year. Also the company aims to further the accreditations from top notch quality watchdogs and would soon raise the bar to the next level.

Offer Customers a better lifestyle & make them believe that the company will help them achieve their goals.

Natures Essence group of companies have also launched in a big way their Ayurvedic cosmoceutical line Magic Ayurveda with the blend of 5000 year old science and latest in product manufacturing and development. The treatments include products for acne treatments, pigmentation treatments, hair fall treatment, sex improvement treatment, breast enlargement treatments and lot more. The company has done intense research in the natural beauty and cosmetic world with the help of efficient and experienced team members. After setting milestones in the production and marketing of essential oil-based beauty products, our company has launched fruit-based beauty products for the first time in the country under the brand name of ''MAGIC'' with the blend of 5000 year old science and latest in product manufacturing and development. It is highly recommended by practicing beauticians for enhancing the natural beauty without damaging your skin in the long run, and the product is promoted by print media and is also exclusively available at selected outlets and salons for the customers to try and experience free of cost. Besides supplying these products to the salons, the company is currently training the beauticians as well; they are conducting about 200 road shows and seminars across the country. Six teams comprising national as well as international beauty experts will train the staff of about 50,000 salons. This will help in enhancing the awareness levels of the consumers and the make up artists. The company is further expanding its retail network by opening about 50 retail outlets cum training centers within a year and 100 such outlets by the end of two years. Since about 60% of the company's sales revenue comes from these small towns, it will tap these markets first and then expand into metros.

Highlighting the benefits both tangible and intangible that the brand offers to the consumers

The company has been spending huge amounts on their product promotions. They have been largely using the print media to promote their products. Newspapers like Mid-day are printing advertisements on a regular basis. Their own sister concern in the publishing of magazines on fashion, beauty, lifestyle by the name of Magic Media World with its first high end offering Ravishing Magazine, for their promotions. They have now reformatted their print advertisements, previously which were dull and monotonous ads have been replaced by advertisements that look lively and providing the reasons why should the customer by the product and is shown below

Revamping the brand by adapting current styles while celebrating its history
Cashing upon the growing cosmetics industry, Nature's Essence has launched its color cosmetics range under the brand name Coloressence. Nature's Essence developed the new high-end cosmetics range at its Haridwar plant by scaling up its capacity. The company has also launched this range in 16 other countries simultaneously. An investment of Rs. 6 crore was earmarked for the first six months of Coloressence. They will bringing more than 20 categories with many variants in the Coloressence range. In the first year revenues were about Rs 20-30 crore. Initially coloressence products were made available in beauty salons that were already using our products for test marketing and after a positive response they entered the retail market. Since the containers are being imported from Korea and the pigments from Germany, the products will match up to the International standards.

Adding a fancier packaging can make the brand more appealing

When youre offering cosmetics in the market you to have infused the brand with a distinct personality that are carried to the customers with every detail in their interaction with the brand. From the feel of the containers to the smell of the product to the consistent use of patterns and designs, everything has been transformed regarding the natures essence products that are available in the market.

Setting themselves apart from competitors with high-quality merchandise at lower prices
Being a relatively new brand in the luxury market, and occupying a space that was once reserved for beauty's giants, it is challenging to communicate their position to retailers, who are used to independents that service the junior market or larger brands that have their own boutiques. So Nastures Essence in order to mark its presence and to capture the Mindshare of the customers has been opening their exclusive retail outlets. All 200 products of Natures Essence will be present in its own stores, which will not stock products of other companies. They are also planning to introduce the Spa range in the next two-three months The company is planning to invest around Rs 12 crore in the first phase of a retail rollout that will see it opening stores in 25 cities. They will initially go to tier II or smaller cities and then to big cities. The rentals and promotion costs are a safer bet here, Initially Natures Essence will lease properties to set up stores. At a later stage, it plans to buy its own properties. In the first stage the rollout will be confined to north India. and will go to cities such as Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur and Rohtak, and In the second phase, which will start in January 2012, the company plans to focus on south Indian cities such as Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Following these practices they hope to set themselves apart in the market and carve a niche in the market, by offering the products at a lesser price as compared to ther other giants already having a major chunk of the market shares.

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING providing evidence for each and every benefit offered, so that the credibility and trust is established.
Good brands also have a temperament. They are level-headed, like your favorite financial institution, or hot-blooded like your favorite rock band. Great brands make a strong emotional connection with their customers, and a temper makes a brand more human, and easier to relate to. Natures Essence has old-fashion values, is trustworthy and ethical. The brand is anchored in history and it has a heritage by association. As told by the Executive Director of the company Mr. Saurabh Nanda experiential marketing is key, people when they feel the product themselves, theres a higher propensity to purchase. The advertising world is full of clutter and unless you create a lot of noise advertisement is also not fruitful. These trade fairs and seminars fill the void and are great for companies who cant afford to spend big time and can be present physically at these fairs and exhibitions to interact with them. Well best way is to create your own unique way of forging a deep association with your consumers and keep on doing it with great frequency, so that consumers can trust the brand. The company is currently training the beauticians as well; they are conducting about 200 road shows and seminars across the country. Six teams comprising national as well as international beauty experts will train the staff of about 50,000 salons. This will help in enhancing the awareness levels of the consumers and the make up artists and provide them with the experience with the products.

Outcomes
Nature's Essence has grown from a pigmy to a respectable brand of size and repute and is all set to become a Goliath of the trade, retaining its David mentality. Nature's Essence is a 12 year young enterprise and is growing at the rate of nautical miles growing a steady 100% annually. The company has been able to beat the competition and capture more than 2 % of the market share of the Rs. 5000 crore and has entered the B+ segment of the business after crossing a turnover recently and they aspire to reach the A segment in the coming 5 years. All these strategies given above have helped the company to successfully reposition their product in the minds of the customers from a common cosmetic brand to a Luxury brand available at a low cost and the increase in sales over the last year has been proving that.

References
Varshney, R.L & Gupta, S.L, Positioning. Marketing Management Kapoor, Jagdeep. Brand Practices Kapoor, Jagdeep, 18 Brand Astras David F. D'Alessondrohttp://www.amazon.com/Brand-Warfare-Rules-Building-Killer/dp/0071362932
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B001IGQE5U

& Michele Owens, Brand Warfare

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