Male grooming is not the realm of the urban elite only, says Ashwin Moorthy of Godrej Consumer Products

The hair colouring category is a near Rs 6,000-crore industry segment in India, and 50 percent of that can be attributed to male usage.

Godrej, a pioneer in the hair colouring segment in India, rolled out a Rs 15 pack in 2022 to push its crème business. To gauge the impact of the product, a team of experts from Godrej Consumer Products visited certain rural areas. In a defining meeting with a farmer, the experts from Godrej Consumer Products were told that the crème pack gave the farmer’s hair a soft, shiny, and natural appearance.

This meeting sparked a conversation within Godrej Consumer Products on the relevance of male grooming among farmers. This marked the beginning of the #KisanFashion campaign, which is aimed at empowering India’s hardworking farmers and showcasing a completely different side of their personality.

Shattering stereotypes

In the first phase, Godrej Expert Rich Crème partnered with regional content creators and influencers, such as Santosh Jadhav, aka Indian Farmer, Vitthal Patil aka Great Maharashtra, and Shark Tank fame, Kamlesh Ghumare, known as ‘Jugadu Kamlesh’ to highlight the importance of grooming among farmers. At the same time, the brand invited farmers from villages surrounding Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, and Kolhapur in Maharashtra to participate in a unique grooming and fashion photo shoot.

With the aim of challenging stereotypes and showcasing the evolving landscape of men's grooming, this campaign reiterates the brand's commitment to providing premium and affordable grooming products to meet the diverse needs of consumers beyond metros.

Ashwin Moorthy, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Godrej Consumer Products, highlighted that the brand wanted to shatter the stereotype that farmers are hardworking and don’t care much about their appearance. "There is a lot of pride in looking good and feeling young when one has naturally well-coloured hair. In villages, for instance, there are many social gatherings like festivals, weddings, or even a simple visit to the market. The farmer wants people at these social settings to know that he is well groomed," he points out.

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A post shared by Kamlesh Ghumare (@jugadu.kamlesh)

Godrej leveraged salon marketing; the brand took the campaign on the ground and visited 50 salons in 50 odd villages, where the team clicked photos, and got 10 farmers to experience an exclusive grooming session and participate in a photoshoot in Mumbai.

"We shot a print ad and released it in rural Maharashtra. The ad was an ode to the audience, and it reflected that the gentlemen’s story of male grooming is not the realm of the urban elite only," reveals Moorthy.

Marketing insights

Godrej has 40 percent share in the the crème hair colour segment. Its sales come from both urban and rural areas of Maharashtra, UP, and Punjab. Its target consumers are those who have developed grey hair early in life and who want a natural appearance. Godrej solves their need for coverage of grey hair through a product range offering a variety of shades.

Highlighting the trend of shampoo hair colour in the hair colour segment, Moorthy said that Godrej is aiming to offer convenience to its customers. Thus, the Godrej Selfie’, a five-minute quick shampoo hair colour brand, was launched recently in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. Considering the fact that the customer wants a quick and convenient solution for their hair, the selfie saves them the time and effort of having to visit a professional.