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Amit Doshi, chief marketing officer of Britannia Industries Limited recently completed one year of heading the legacy firm’s marketing function. This is his second stint with the company after having spent 9 years at technology company Lenovo. In an exclusive interview with Storyboard18, Doshi talks about how to leverage technology to stay relevant, what legacy brands can learn from D2C brands and why marketers should stay endlessly curious.

Edited excerpts.

<strong>You've moved from a tech category to a foods company. What was that like?</strong>

Professionally speaking, a lot has changed in the FMCG industry since the time I left in 2013. The first year has been full of tremendous learning. Especially at a time, when the category is facing so much disruption in terms of consumer behaviour and changing lifestyles.

In terms of the consumption context, there is increased movement towards healthier snacking whilst people still want to indulge in novel food experiences. I've tried to spend as much time as possible in my first year to deeply understand this shift in consumer behaviour, and its potential implications for our business.

<blockquote>In the FMCG world, digital marketing is slowly but surely moving closer to the centre of the plate.</blockquote>

My time at Lenovo has provided me with a fresh pair of lens to view categories, consumers, markets, and the marketing function, overall. The cross-sectoral experience has proved to be useful in accelerating Britannia’s product innovation program and especially, its digital transformation journey. We've seen consumers rapidly adopt digital lifestyles and most marketers today are dealing with that change. We have a shared vision of becoming a team of cutting-edge marketers and I often find myself dipping into my experiences within the technology industry.

It is really good to see a resonance between the Technology and FMCG industries. In the technology industry, digital plays a vital role, it’s not on the side of the plate but the centre of the plate as far as the marketing mix is concerned. And today, in the FMCG world, digital marketing is slowly but surely moving closer to the centre of the plate as well. To this end, we have also expanded our team of creative partners to include digital native outfits such as Talented and Schbang.

<strong>What are your thoughts on the rise of new age D2C brands and what the likes of legacy companies like Britannia can learn from them? </strong>

New age D2C brands teach us agile innovation, how to test and learn, build metrics within the company to listen more closely to consumers and employees both and to focus on consumer experience and delight metrics. That’s a great learning for mature organisations like ours and we are fast learners. Britannia, for instance, has already adopted a more agile mindset when it comes to innovation, especially in our new businesses. We have been building systems and processes that help us imbibe a deeper and a more real-time understanding of consumers. Another aspect that highlights this effort is our impetus on e-commerce through which business has clipped at a significantly faster growth rate vs. other channels.

Second, these brands teach us about the reframing of existing consumer engagement models. D2C brands are mastering new age media and newer content formats. Again here, Britannia has learnt quickly to explore newer formats, with a recent launch of NutriChoice Protein being a purely Instagram Reels driven one. Our differentiated premium brand Biscafe, which was launched last year, is a digital first brand, born out of keen social listening and launched solely on social media and digital platforms, as opposed to a time-tested traditional media launch.

<blockquote>Britannia has adopted a more agile mindset when it comes to innovation, especially in new businesses. We have been building systems and processes that help us imbibe a deeper and a more real-time understanding of consumers.</blockquote>

In my opinion, it’s a two way learning street. As much as mature brands like ours learn from D2C brands, the reverse is also very much on. Be it their ambition to be large scale, build brands for the long term and gain love and trust of the consumers, or to run businesses profitably, they could watch and learn from companies like Britannia.  

<strong>What are the skill sets companies are looking for on marketers and agencies side?</strong>

Some fundamental skillsets of marketers do not and should not change. The ability to stay connected with the consumer, frame the problem right, bring a healthy dose of data and belief to an argument, all of these are timeless. But the modern marketer also needs to learn to unlearn, stay curious and go down as many rabbit holes as possible. 

The last couple of years have brought seismic shifts in the way we live, interact socially, buy, use and experience products, services, and brands. So companies are looking at marketers and agencies to be agile and nimble, and embrace data, content, and technologies to enhance consumer experience. To stay relevant, we all must think like digital natives as opposed to bifurcating ‘digital’ and ‘non-digital’ consumers. Today, everyone is a digital consumer.

<blockquote>Metaverse is still in its early days. There are a lot of enthusiasts, and also a lot of cynics who are questioning the use cases of the technology. But my philosophy on new technologies is clear. We will watch the space aggressively and learn from it.</blockquote>

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<strong>The media landscape has changed a lot with tech tools such as Web3 opportunities, Gaming, Metaverse etc. How are legacy companies like Britannia seeing it?</strong>

Media habits are varied in a complex market like India. Having said that, digital media habits have seen the most dramatic of changes, be it in the fragmentation of media being consumed or the time spent on digital platforms. With this comes the proliferation of new tech tools for marketers to keep pace with change and even stay ahead of the curve. We see this as an opportunity to engage with consumers differently and more effectively and bring to life ideas that might not have been possible before.

Late last year Britannia Bourbon harnessed the power of AR and launched a campaign, #BourbonFootballFriends that created a platform for best friends to come together to experience an AR generated football game. It was a deeply unique experience, starting with a QR code on the biscuit pack, and leading onto an immersive experience for consumers.

The Britannia NutriChoice Diabetic Friendly Essentials campaign launched on World Diabetes Day is an example of how multiple technologies were put together to deliver a seamless and valuable experience to consumers. The central idea was to deliver personalised diet plans to people managing diabetes. The entry point was through a QR code on print ads run nationally. The diet plans created in collaboration with expect dietician Ryan Fernando were delivered via an interactive WhatsApp Chatbot. We then used AI driven technology to create highly personalized videos to deliver the nutrition advice.

Talking about the Metaverse, it's still in its early days. There are a lot of enthusiasts, and also a lot of cynics who are questioning the use cases of the technology. But my philosophy on new technologies is clear. We will watch the space aggressively and learn from it.

<blockquote>A decade ago, the 1990 rule of engagement was apt. 1 percent created content, 9 percent engaged in some form with the content, and 90 percent stayed passive. That has turned on its head today. Literally every person with a smart phone thinks of himself or herself as a content creator.</blockquote>

<strong>What are your thoughts on working with content creators versus celebrities?</strong>

If you look at the content creator economy today, it has literally exploded. There was a time, a decade ago, when the 1990 rule of engagement was apt. 1 percent created content, 9 percent engaged in some form with the content, and 90 percent stayed passive. That has turned on its head today. Literally every person with a smart phone thinks of himself or herself as a content creator. There are multiple ambitions, from building content-to-commerce models to having a voice on social issues and building social currency.

We have built a clear framework, wherein depending on the brand’s objective, we make decisions on whether to work with celebrities or content creators. But then also, the lines between traditional celebrities and content creators are blurring. And that has implications for us. We have worked on presenting celebrities in their authentic avatars and more as pop culture icons rather than as ‘celebrities’.

<strong>How have client agency relationships changed? What value are new age agencies bringing to the table?</strong>

The one timeless expectation from agencies is laser sharp focus on effectiveness. The work we put out, be it on traditional media or new age media has to deliver for the brand and business objectives. So in a time like this, when media is fragmented, and consumer habits are dynamic in nature, it’s important that both clients and agencies centre themselves on effectiveness metrics. That’s really the end goal that all of us are striving towards.

<blockquote>A modern marketer is one who stays curious and goes down as many rabbit holes as possible.</blockquote>


The traditional AoR (agency on record) paradigm seems to have has got challenged in recent times with the emergence of multiple breakaway boutique agencies. In such a scenario, there is a risk of the client-agency relationship becoming transactional and short term. So it’s incumbent on both partners to invest time and effort towards building a deep and meaningful long-term culture.  

The other thing that is becoming clearer that in today’s times is that an idea can come from anywhere. And while each agency partner plays a specific role, collaboration among agency partners is critical to make the winning idea shine.

Another expectation we have of our agencies is to constantly challenge and push us. While on one hand, agencies have to have a bias for bigger and bolder ideas, on the other hand, clients need to build an appetite to take risks.

<strong>What has been your learning so far on what it takes to be a modern marketer?</strong>

I think a modern marketer is one who stays curious and goes down as many rabbit holes as possible.

At every turn, the cycles of change are getting extremely short. So no marketer, irrespective of industries, can say they are to the top of their craft. It is very important, that the modern marketer is not dogmatic about her views, but is constantly learning from the changing environment around her.

Thus, if there was one thing that I would pick as a must have among many things, I would pick endless curiosity.



Britannia’s CMO Amit Doshi: Think like digital natives, don't bifurcate consumers between ‘digital’ and ‘non-digital’

L’Oreal’s chief digital and marketing officer Asmita Dubey spent about 12 years of her working life in China when she joined the global beauty juggernaut in 2013 as the chief marketing officer for the colossal Asian market. What she saw first hand is modernizing and digitizing large populations. The experience she tells us was “insightful and very impactful” that gave her “...the profound understanding about the middle and the upper middle class of the world - their aspirations, their dreams…” 

But before her over decade-long stint in China, Dubey, who hails from the state of Uttar Pradesh, had spent time in advertising in India at IPG-owned McCann Worldgroup. Her time in advertising gave her “a love for brands and brand building, and what it offers to consumers.”

After the China stint, in 2017 she moved with her family to L'Oreal’s headquarters as its chief digital officer for the consumer products division. Dubey’s rise to the highest marketing echelons of the world's largest beauty company and one of the biggest advertisers, is a tale of “bets and balances”. 

<strong>Watch:</strong> <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/watch-listen/loreals-global-marketing-chief-asmita-dubey-on-beauty-tech-radical-inclusivity-big-consumer-trends-3877.htm">L'Oreal's global marketing chief Asmita Dubey on beauty tech, "radical inclusivity", big consumer trends</a>

During an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18 recently, Dubey shared highlights of her journey and a learning from her own life: 

“Everybody has their own individual journey. I took a lot of bets. You know, when one thinks about bets and balance in life, and I am in my mid 40s, and I live a full life, but a full life has its demand. You have work, you have children, you have aging parents. We have our partnerships and our personal growth. All of us want to have a good physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, personal development journey. But all of that comes exactly at the same time! 

<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/brand-makers/new-epicenters-of-influence-are-growing-asmita-dubey-loreal-global-marketing-chief-3980.htm">New epicenters of influence are growing: Asmita Dubey, L’Oreal global marketing chief </a>

For me, it was less about balance. Of course, you create balance and you nurture yourself, but you take a lot of bets. So I moved to China very early on. I spent 12 years there. I moved from advertising to the world of beauty. I moved from Asia to Europe. With my children, surprisingly, I was quite okay to let them spend time on YouTube in a healthy way. That led them to a wealth of information out there because it's also how you use technology. So you take those bets. 

I think this generation of women is educated, empowered, independent, and very self assured. And I feel extremely happy to see them all around me.” 

L’Oreal’s global marketing boss Asmita Dubey shares career advice for women: All about “bets and balances”

The rise of marketing leaders into the ranks of CEOs continues, it seems, as an impressive list of marketing chiefs turned chief executives could see a new addition. FMCG juggernaut Unilever’s global chief marketing officer for beauty and wellbeing businesses and brands, Priya Nair is in the running for the top position at Hindustan Unilever. 

As per an Economic Times report, Hindustan Unilever has shortlisted possible chief executive candidates to take over from incumbent Sanjiv Mehta when he steps down from the role he took on in 2013. He was last reappointed for five years, until October 2023.

Earlier this year, Nair was moved into a new global role as chief marketing officer - Beauty & Wellbeing, at Unilever. She was previously Hindustan Unilever’s executive director and executive vice president of the South Asia region for the beauty and personal care category. Nair, who has 27 years of experience, started her career with the consumer goods company as a consumer insights manager. She rose through the ranks to become brand manager and general manager handling brands like Dove, Rin and Comfort.

Nair holds a degree in Bachelor of Commerce from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, and is a post graduate in MBA in Marketing from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.

In March, Nair shared with Storyboard18 the lessons that have helped her in a steady and stunning career: “I have learnt that in corporate life if you are fortunate enough to discover your purpose, which I have in my work, you will have the strength to manage all volatility and uncertainty.” 

She added, “I have learnt that it is the power of the inner compass that gives you conviction, energy, and optimism. The second lesson I have learnt is to keep learning. This learning agility is critical in management, as we see the world change at an increasing speed. Constant learning, not just on the job but also learning from peers and industry, is critical for sharpening your skills and for personal development.”

<a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/brand-makers/cmo-to-ceo-companies-are-betting-on-marketers-to-lead-brands-and-business-2708.htm">Read More: CMO to CEO: Companies are betting on marketers to lead brands and business</a>

Nair also mentioned how her mother inspired her to get back to studying after 25 years of work experience. She took on a Harvard Executive Leadership Program and went back to school.

The other candidate according to the ET report is Rohit Jawa who is currently the chief of transformation for Unilever. Jawa joined HUL in 1988 and has held leadership positions at Unilever in markets such as China, Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore. He was also the executive VP - Global Marketing Operations for Unilever. Like Nair, Jawa completed an advanced leadership program at Harvard.  

<strong>From CMO to CEO</strong>

For decades, legacy companies, especially in the FMCG space, have been tapping and grooming marketing and sales talent for C-suite positions. C-level business leaders at legacy companies who have held marketing and sales-oriented roles and/or transitioned from CMO/marketing chiefs to CEO include-

Saugata Gupta, MD & CEO, Marico

Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite

Prabha Narasimhan, MD, Colgate-Palmolive India

Mukul Deoras, President, APAC Division, Colgate Palmolive Company

Ram Raghavan, President - Enterprise Oral Care, Colgate Palmolive Company

Nitin Paranjpe, Non-exec Chairman, Hindustan Unilever, and chief transformation officer, Unilever 

Sudhir Sitapati, CEO, Godrej Consumer Products

Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & MD, Nestlé India

Sameer Satpathy, CEO - personal care division, ITC LTD

Veejay Nakra, CEO, Mahindra & Mahindra, Automotive Sector

Sangeeta Pendurkar, CEO, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail

Puneet Das, President - Packaged Beverages, India & South Asia, Tata Consumer Products

Sameer Suneja, Global CEO, Perfetti Van Melle

Earlier this year, Santosh Iyer, vice president - sales & marketing, Mercedes-Benz India, was elevated to the position of managing director of the German auto major in India. The first Indian in that position.

In October 2022, Mondelez International promoted Anil Viswanathan, a senior marketing executive to lead the firm as managing director for Vietnam, South East Asia.

These appointments affirm a strong trend where an increasing number of companies – both multinationals and startups – are relying on marketing and sales talent to lead their operations.

Nair’s possible ascendance to managing director and chief executive of Hindustan Unilever would be another inspirational journey of a marketer to the highest echelons of corporate leadership.

If Nair does become the top boss, she would also make history as HUL's first-ever female chief executive. 



From CMO to CEO: Unilever’s global CMO Priya Nair in the running for Hindustan Unilever's CEO position?

“We have to move at the speed of culture,” says L’Oreal’s <strong>Asmita Dubey</strong> who has spent years driving the digitalisation of the world’s largest beauty company. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Storyboard18's <strong>Delshad Irani</strong>, Dubey, who is the chief digital and marketing officer of the global beauty juggernaut,  talks about disruptive consumer trends and creating experiences that marry online, offline and on-chain worlds. She also shares her views on the shift from social to equitable and empowered communities, Live and Conversational commerce, exploring Web3 worlds and venturing into the metaverse at a time when it’s hit a few snags. 

<em>Edited for length and clarity.</em>  

<strong>How is the recovery phase going for L'Oréal after the pandemic hiatus?</strong>

Beauty is social by nature. When we talk about the post-pandemic world, people are coming together and meeting each other, and that is a social interaction. In that sense, there is a lot of positive excitement around beauty and fragrance and we're seeing lots of growth. The other thing from a consumer sentiment point of view is health and wellness and concerns about that. Therefore, our dermatology and dermatological skincare business is seeing exceptional growth everywhere. So all in all, we are coming back from the pandemic very well. The beauty market has grown about 6 percent year-on-year this year, globally. Our ability to outperform the market has been great. We've been growing across divisions and zones, and we are gaining market share. 

The Indian beauty industry’s potentially so huge. The penetration in categories is growing everywhere. We have beautiful brands like L'Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Garnier and Lancôme, and even on the haircare and hair color side. So we feel very optimistic about the Indian beauty market and again we have outperformed the market.

<strong>What are the key consumer trends that you are focused on?</strong> 

We have to move at the speed of culture because so much is changing around us. Post pandemic, there is a social and relationship reset. A lot of people are thinking that we need to move from casual to close relationship, quantity to quality in terms of relationship and that impacts the way they are interacting. That impacts the ecosystem in which we are playing. So I'm coming a bit to the digital side of it. There are almost 5 billion people that are online now and India has more than 800 million people who are online. So the social ecosystems are changing because of the social reset that has happened. Then there is the Gen Z and from their point of view what matters most to them. What matters to them is authenticity and proximity. They are also heading out more in the metaverse and gaming. There is a lot of social concern in terms of sustainability and radical inclusivity. At the same time, there is a need for a personalized, relevant, individual beauty. And what we do today in beauty tech, with data and AI, allows us to offer something very unique and individual.



<blockquote>There are new epicenters of influence that are growing. We are continuously moving from social following to more equitable and empowered communities… the digital transformation itself is transmuting from digitalization to virtualization, from Web2 to Web3. So creation is moving from social to empowered equitable communities.</blockquote>



<strong>Can you elaborate on the trend of ‘radical inclusivity’?</strong> 

We believe that the future of beauty is diverse and inclusive and it is sustainable, committed and generous. The future of beauty will be fueled by innovation. It will be nurtured by science. It will be powered by tech. And what we are doing is shaping that future with science, technology and creativity. So all of that is helping us to bring that personalized, unique beauty for everybody. And I can pivot to the point of pioneering Beauty Tech and moving from products to services. We are offering a lot of services to our consumers today. Services like fragrance finders and virtual trials, which are based on augmented reality. These services are both offline and online. For our brand Lancôme, for instance, we have the skin diagnostic service that’s available at the counter in store and it is an online diagnostics. You take a 360 image and it analyzes the skin and gives you routines that are personalized. So that brings an extremely personalized beauty that the consumer is looking for. They look for relevance in the offerings.

<strong>Watch the interview here:</strong> <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/watch-listen/loreals-global-marketing-chief-asmita-dubey-on-beauty-tech-radical-inclusivity-big-consumer-trends-3877.htm">L'Oreal's global marketing chief Asmita Dubey on beauty tech, "radical inclusivity", big consumer trends </a>

<strong>Social and live commerce presents exciting opportunities for marketers especially in countries like India that are witnessing a digital surge. What is L'Oréal doing on that front? Are you excited about the prospects here?</strong> 

We have been experimenting with some fantastic social commerce models because it is an opportunity for our consumers and our prescribers - beauty advisors, the dermatologist, the hairstylist, to get closer to our consumer, but then also offer products and services to them. And maybe make a sale. There can be different business models on social commerce. The first one can be on the platform itself. So if you look at a market like China or Indonesia, TikTok and the commerce there tends to be very interesting. That is the platform commerce. 

There's also affiliate commerce with our partners, where it need not be an external platform, but we could be bringing them together. So the Experts Salon Care in India for our professional products division happened during the pandemic, actually. The salons were closed and we had the whole ecosystem of hair stylists, salons, consumers who wanted to connect with each other and who wanted products. At that point, L'Oréal was the facilitator. What we did was we said we will provide you a platform (on WhatsApp) in which you can come together, share the products, have the conversation, find something, and get it. That is the business model. It now moves into services where they can do a booking there and create a deeper relationship with the consumer.



<blockquote>It is a charged digital space. More than 15 percent of the economy today is based on the digital economy. There are 5 billion people that are online today. And over the coming years it will become 7.5 billion, which means 90 percent of the world will be online. So that direction of change and that positive charge will continue.</blockquote>

 

What is working well in India, and that’s also because WhatsApp is for everybody in India, is what you call conversational commerce. It is really growing and here we are working with a lot of our partners to look at what conversational commerce means. How do we empower our consumers and prescribers to have the conversation, create the relationship and then be able to sell a product or give information or offer a service. And the last point is things like live streaming or live shopping. These are just tools to be able to do all that well. In fact, we do more than 10,000 live streams in a year!  

<strong>As a marketer what’s your take on influencer marketing coming under greater scrutiny from consumers and governments that are calling for more regulation?</strong>

There are new epicenters of influence that are growing. We are continuously moving from social following to more equitable and empowered communities, which means that we are moving into more personalization and more relevance. Individuals talking to each other or more opportunities for individuals to talk to each other. Because the digital transformation itself is transmuting from digitalization to virtualization, from Web2 to Web3. So creation is moving from social to empowered equitable communities, from a look-down smartphone to probably new unabashedly face-forward devices. So, we will have to be prepared for a world which behaves a bit differently. 

We work with a lot of influencers and brand ambassadors - some of them are artists, some of them are stars. We work with prescribers - beauty advisors, dermatologists, makeup artists, hair stylists, and all of them have influence and all of them create advocacy for us. The way we work is we create a values charter. That value charter is available publicly and it's online. We say that these are the values on which we work. So it is an equitable, empowered community. It is about their expression of our brands, but so long as we are within those values charters, which are based on mutual respect, transparency and integrity. That's how we work with all our influences everywhere in the world.

<strong>Moving to things like NFTs and metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse plans have hit a few snags. The sheen seems to be wearing off. From your vantage as a marketer, was it just the shiny new toy or is there a long term strategy in place for these new worlds?</strong>

It is a charged digital space. More than 15 percent of the economy today is based on the digital economy. There are 5 billion people that are online today. And over the coming years it will become 7.5 billion, which means 90 percent of the world will be online. So that direction of change and that positive charge will continue. 

Now, the second thing is digital infrastructure which is the backbone of the digital economy and digital infrastructure continues to grow. 5G connectivity is becoming a reality. One of the lowest 5G costs is going to be there in India. So there will be more immersive technologies that will become very mainstream and consumers will start experiencing it because of that accessibility. 

The reason I say it is a charged space is because there is innovation and in that innovation, we can talk about the metaverse, but startups are fostering innovation. And they continue to question the way we do business otherwise, whether it is the future of work or health and wellness or energy transition, all of that is digitalized. So that direction of change is just inevitable. It is going to happen. 



<blockquote>We have our feet firmly grounded in the Web2 deployment and then we are exploring Web3, the metaverse and gaming.</blockquote>



Yes, there are new digital realities. We are moving from Web 1.0 to Web2 to Web3. It is a reality which is taking shape today. And in that sense, what we are saying is that we have our feet firmly grounded in the Web2 deployment because it is about digital transformation. It is about image recognition, video, live streaming fast, cloud, data, automation, all that is very much here. So at L'Oréal our feet are firmly grounded in the deployment. And then we are exploring Web3, the metaverse and gaming. Moving from offline to online, to offline plus online plus on-chain, based on the blockchain and on the vision of Web3. It comes back to the point of empowering communities, more equality, changes in platform, a new vision. Beauty has always been about self expression. And what we are doing is exploring these new codes of beauty on the web. 

<strong>L'Oréal seems very bullish on the metaverse and the Web3 world, and committed to carving out a competitive edge there.</strong> 

In fact, we had a first-ever multi-brand beauty partnership with Ready Player Me, the leading cross-game avatar platform for the metaverse. Maybelline New York and L’Oréal Professionnel premiered exclusive makeup and hair styles for avatar creation that can be used on more than 4,000 platforms and apps worldwide. We are working with makeup artists, hair stylists, and also new kinds of 3D artists and developers like Evan Rochette. They create those looks together and that is about an expression of beauty. We have a lot of other partnerships.

We just announced a partnership with Meta to launch the first startup acceleration program dedicated to creativity in the metaverse, located at STATION F which is one of the largest startup accelerator programmes in the world.

Creativity in the Web3 is about moving from 2D to 3D buildings, understanding virtual avatars, looking at new kinds of creators, finding the answers to what is loyalty tomorrow. All that is in the making and we are very excited to explore it. We are digital-first. For the last decade we have been digitizing and we continue to explore and remain number one for the coming decades. 

<strong>Gaming is another space which L’Oreal has plunged into especially targeting women gamers.</strong> 

There's more than 3 billion gamers today, that may be casual gamers or very serious gamers. Within that 3 billion, more than 40 percent are women. So it's a very large women audience there. We do a lot of work on that and we are working with gaming influencers to bring an expression of our brand’s salon experience in the gaming world and do it with credibility with these gaming influencers. Armani Beauty worked with Fortnite to create a game called “Rewrite the Code.” It is inspired by the brand’s new scent for men, Armani Code Parfum. So we are very much into the gaming space. 

<em><strong>The interview first aired on Storyboard18 - CNBC-TV18.</strong> </em>

New epicenters of influence are growing: Asmita Dubey, L’Oreal global marketing chief

FMCG major Reckitt sells condoms, hand washes, hair removing creams and a lot more under brands such as Durex, Dettol and Veet. Its marketing is as varied as its product portfolio. The company, which has to customize promotions according to individual markets, has been shifting its mainline media approach to include more digital heavy marketing strategies such as moment marketing, influencer marketing and social media listening.  

In an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18, Dilen Gandhi, regional marketing director, South Asia- Health & Nutrition, Reckitt, talks about marketing innovations, interesting trends and how the company is promoting safe sex through innovative campaigns.

Edited excerpts. 

<strong>What have been the key marketing innovations or initiatives that are underway for Reckitt brands and especially Durex?</strong>

Innovation is at the heart of our business success in India as well as globally – we are continuously looking for opportunities on how we can meet consumer needs better, more completely or faster than competitors. One clear shift we’ve made is to combine our global scale with deep consumer understanding to launch “Made In India, Made For India” innovations. These range all the way from Durex Extra-Thin flavoured condoms, a one-of-its-kind innovation addressing intimacy barriers to make sex a more fulfilling experience. To the recent launch of Dettol Powder to Liquid Handwash which is an affordable and effective solution that has been extremely well received by the consumer because it’s at a very reasonable price point, to our latest launch of Dettol Antiseptic Cream which brings the protection of Dettol in a convenient format.



<blockquote>TV advertising is quite restrictive for the sexual wellness industry which makes us rely heavily on digital and social media to have tough but open conversations. What sets us apart is that we directly started addressing women and their needs; this has been extremely effective for the brand (Durex).</blockquote>

 

While product is where a large amount of innovation lies, marketing has evolved tremendously due to the rise of the internet. Even though the brand core values remain unchanged, it is now important for brands to be visible across multiple mediums. Every medium is addressing a different audience and that involves narratives to change dynamically keeping the audience in mind. Digital Marketing has changed the dynamics of marketing altogether. This has led to brands working relentlessly on getting the right content in place for the right audience and this has subsequently led to a surge in creativity and innovation making it an exciting time for marketers at large.

<strong>What kind of change in consumer demand are you experiencing in India? Is it in line with your global markets?</strong>

Every market has its own dynamics, and it is important to understand the difference and work in accordance. India is a fast-growing consumer market accelerated by favourable demographics, growing urbanisation, growing participation of women in the workforce, rising disposable income and changes in discretionary spending. Other aspects driving consumer demand are increasing aspirations of the educated consumer, fashion consciousness and brand awareness. Penetration of e-commerce with instant availability enhanced during the pandemic and the growing social media influence is also playing its part. There is no doubt that we are evolving, and the underlying forces are changing rapidly. However, the world is shrinking and there are definite overlaps in consumption patterns. Currently, the Indian FMCG sector is interesting and while there is localisation of products and brands there is also a global effect coming into play.

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<strong>What are some of the big trends to watch out for in the marketing space in India?</strong>

As Reckitt, we are crafting new models and frameworks to create scale and make it more meaningful in the ways we engage with our audiences. Purpose is playing an important role where each brand is intertwined with purpose in terms of making a difference to the society we play in. Other trends that do play a part in our marketing strategy include social media influencers, digital marketing and direct-to-consumer sales.

Social media influencers are playing an important role in driving consumer behaviour: influencer marketing is a trend which is here to stay. It is an effective tool in engaging directly with your consumers and it also helps in getting direct consumer inputs and feedback. With an increased adoption of smartphones and the internet, digital marketing will only grow further. Not only does it help reach out to multiple demographics, but it also helps in data analysis and enables us to reach out to a much wider audience segment

Direct-to-consumer sales via e-commerce have never been more important or generated the numbers we see today, and these will be key to any established or growing brand in the years to come.

<strong>Can you give us some deep insights driving growth in urban and semi urban and how you are tailoring unique innovative campaigns to meet these demands?</strong> 

India is vast geographically and demographically. It is imperative to address both urban and rural audiences and a growing set of semi-urban Indians. We tailor our campaigns based on our consumer profile and preferences. This has helped us build a much deeper connection with our users. Our recent Dettol Intense #ShowerCooler campaign with Moj was aimed at reaching the semi-urban/rural audience using the power of Digital to build a stronger connect with our consumers. For our Durex audiences largely based in urban India, we have found that Moment Marketing gives the brand a unique persona that the audience can relate to while engaging with them on topics that are trending. This strategy of deep diving into our TG is common across all of our brands and our innovation emanates keeping these insights in mind.



<blockquote>Digital Marketing has changed the dynamics of marketing, leading to brands working relentlessly on getting the right content in place for the right audience and this has subsequently led to a surge in creativity and innovation making it an exciting time for marketers at large.</blockquote>



<strong>How do you talk about sex in a country where talking about sex is taboo?</strong>

Talking about sex continues to be a taboo in our culture and our endeavour is to find creative ways to normalize conversations around sex while retaining Durex’s brand essence. TV advertising is quite restrictive for the sexual wellness industry which makes us rely heavily on digital and social media to have tough but open conversations. What sets us apart is that we directly started addressing women and their needs; this has been extremely effective for the brand. 

Moment marketing as mentioned earlier has emerged as an effective tool based on our understanding of behaviors and opinions of the social media brand audience. We strategically filter moments based on audience affinity and through social listening tools. People listen to us because our communication is open, honest, quirky and fun.

We have also been successfully running Durex’s The Birds and the Bees programme in the Northeast region. Engaging with adolescents and the youth has helped create a significant impact on having the right conversations around sex.

How do you talk about sex in a country where talking about sex is taboo? We ask Reckitt's Dilen Gandhi

"The number of people who depend on influencers these days before considering a product is too high to ignore," says Vijay Pampana, Marketing Director, Procter & Gamble Health, while talking about their new campaign EvionInBeautyOn. The campaign has celebrities and influencers like Sara Ali Khan, Ritu Varma, and Karishma Tanna on board and aims to help consumers believe in nourishment from within.  In a conversation with Storyboard18, Pampana says, "Consumers nowadays turn towards influencers for suggestions for good products. Be it for recommendations for beauty products or even food habits, consumers are looking up to influencers to lead choices and help products enter their consideration." 

Edited excerpts.

<strong>What's the genesis of the new campaign? </strong>

Evion is the number one Vitamin E brand in India and is trusted by thousands of doctors, consumers, and pharmacists. For more than 40 years, Evion has been at the forefront of conversations to generate awareness about Vitamin E and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which help in the nourishment of the body cells. Through our earlier campaigns, we’ve had consumers engage with influencers on social media. We want to keep this conversation active and educate our consumers on the role of Vitamin E and how Evion works at the cellular level to nourish the cells from the inside which reflects on the outside in the form of healthy skin and hair. The campaign aims to help consumers believe in nourishment from within.

<strong>Collaborations are a big deal in any sort of marketing communication these days. How important is it for your brands? How do you think having Sara Ali Khan and Karishma Tanna on board helps?</strong>

Collaborations are integral for any communications outreach in today’s day and age. While earned content remains the key, collaborations help cast a wider net through owned stories that lead to higher awareness. We always plan integrated 360 campaigns to encourage higher brand recall, while also ensuring better reach and access.

Content creators and influencers in this mix play an important part. Their reach helps the brand with engagement while their popularity helps to increase relatability for the brand. In our case, Sara Ali Khan, Ritu Varma, and Karishma Tanna are admired and followed by our target audience across India – which helps increase our opportunity to be in an audience’s consideration set.

<strong>What is your opinion on influencer-led campaigns? Does a brand need celebrities and influencers?</strong>

Digital penetration across markets is on a rise like never before, with social media making inroads in all possible scenarios. Consumers nowadays turn towards influencers for suggestions for good products. Be it for recommendations for beauty products or even food habits, consumers are looking up to influencers to lead choices and help products enter their consideration.

The choice of using an influencer or a celebrity or both depends on the choice of audience and the objective of the campaign for the brand.

The idea of choosing celebrities over influencers or both, basis the campaign thought remains the same when we look at Bharat. We believe both influencers/celebrities help fortify the campaign as well as have a higher awareness amongst consumers. Over the last year, we have realized that the best way to reach our audiences is through people who they regularly turn to. So yes, working with influencers does help drive conversations better.

<strong>Who is your target group for the campaign? Has your TG widened over the years and moved outside the Tier I markets like it has for most marketers?</strong>

Our target group is women aged 20-45 years in tier 1 and 2 cities. With social media expanding and the increasing purchase power of consumers over the years, our target group too has widened.

<strong>In the wake of the pandemic, health has been the primary focus for consumers in the last two years. Has beauty also been an important subject? What are your observations? </strong>

It is true that since the pandemic, people have been more aware and mindful of their health. Numerous discussions on beauty and wellness in the last two years, suggest it to be an important subject.

Along with that, growing awareness of self-care has also picked up. Today’s hectic lives expose us to a lot of environmental and mental stress. The pressure to juggle multiple roles seamlessly can wreak havoc on our skin and hair. Adding to that, with the ever-changing weather, external pollutants, and unhealthy diet patterns keeping up with our skin and hair care regimen becomes difficult. All this makes it imperative for us to fix the root cause of these problems as they are triggered on the inside at the cellular level.

Hence, I’d say its health and overall wellness have been a recent focus. And that’s where daily supplements can plan an active role. 

<strong>Tell us about the new marketing trends you are witnessing. Especially the new strategies that took off in the last two years during the pandemic and stayed on.</strong>

Digital marketing was already flourishing before the pandemic but in the post-pandemic scenario, it has witnessed a boom. With virtual making up the new normal, the acceleration of digital marketing has gained steady momentum. As a result, digital creators successfully stepped up and made the playing field for the brands a lot wider to reach their consumers. The virality of influencers on social media has completely changed marketing communications behavior. As I mentioned earlier, keeping up with the trend and collaborating with influencers to convey the brand’s message to our consumers has become quite significant. The number of people who depend on influencers these days before considering a product is too high to ignore. I believe the approach of reaching out to the target audience through digital is here to stay.

CMO INTERVIEW