Q] You were the first Indian company to launch adult diapers in the country, and have been doing so now for the past 20+ years. Take us through your brand journey, and how it has grown over the years?
22 years is a long time to spend in one category. We have gathered extensive expertise. When we started off, we had very little idea about who the buyers are and how adult diapers are even going to scale out. We got our big break with adult diapers when we realised that doctors are quite open to having a conversation about them. But then the next level of consumer awareness was needed.
We spent a lot of time and money speaking with senior citizens, working through print advertising, and limited TV placements. Our primary research at that point showed that users are the biggest roadblocks to product adoption. So, rather than talking to the users, we talked to their caretakers, which is the family, and that’s what we’ve been doing. In my personal estimation, it will take at least another 10 years for the category to be fully unlocked. We’ve been growing steadily at about 28-30% CAGR year-on-year, and that’s going to continue for the next half a decade at the very least. Penetration numbers are very small in all our three categories – sanitary napkins, adult diapers, and baby diapers. So, a lot of the growth for the company is going to come from a distribution-led initiative.
Q] Take us through this latest offering from the Friends kitty. What was the thought behind it, and what sets it apart from other similar products in the market?
Throughout our primary research, we kept noticing that the incidence of incontinence was affecting younger people too. Our research agencies found participants as young as 41 to 44, who are already suffering from incontinence. This was a year ago, and when we realized this we said, ‘how can we ensure that there is a product tailor-made for them?’ Because the needs of someone who’s very mobile, still very active in their lives with kids, parents, and in their working years are very different from a senior citizen who’s 70 plus. So, that was the spark.
Over the course of this year when we innovated around it, we realised that one of the main concerns for this target audience is ensuring that the product is not seen. Because it’s still an extremely tabooed topic and an extremely tabooed category. So, we innovated on bringing Friends UltraThinz to the market, which is the thinnest ever adult dry pant made for the first time in India.
With this, we want to create a bridge for a large number of silent sufferers who exist in the market right now. We’re going to start doing targeted advertising for those who suffer deeply from this problem. Prostate issues are very common in men over 45-50 today. For this TG, even though the leakage might not be extraordinary, there are a few drops that come out. Then for women, especially after childbirth, postpartum bleeding, and even postpartum urine leakage is a major problem.
This product innovated from a place where we wanted to ensure that they can go around living a highly active life without any fear.
Q] As you have mentioned, it’s common, relatable and yet a taboo topic. How do you plan to reach out to your target audience and connect with them?
One of the first things that we did was to work on the FMCG placement. Our sales team has been very hard at work in the market, and it’s encouraging when retailers themselves have experienced these problems first-hand, and hence they understand these issues. So, there’s been less hesitancy on that front, and thus, placement has been happening quite successfully.
Moreover, we have also started doing on-ground activations across cities. So a lot of on-ground conversations have started. These events have been hugely successful in getting the word out. We are also making a very snappy DVC around it, showcasing the product itself, which will further prove to our consumers that they’re getting what they see. For the first time, it’s not going to be bulky and is coming in two different colours.
Then we have extremely targeted plans on e-commerce platforms wherein you can target cohorts who’ve been buying similar products.
Q] How do you plan to allocate the marketing budget for this product, and which mediums would you be targeting for brand visibility?
For Friends, we are very experimental, because the product category demands us to be so. It is one of the reasons why we have launched a gendered option for UltraThinz. We usually allocate 50% of our budget to TV. It is important for us because, for a taboo category, ultimately the noise is going to get created and consumer awareness is going to be generated when the brand is on TV.
30 to 35% is spent on Digital platforms, and the remaining 20% goes towards experiential activities, whether that’s working with influencers, or some exciting BTL innovations.
PROFILE
Kartik Johari completed his MBA in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business. He joined Nobel Hygiene as the Vice President - Marketing & Commerce in 2014 with the aim of learning scaling, while increasing awareness for adult diapers. Johari is responsible for tying together the various facets of the company and increasing efficiencies in functions across different verticals. He spearheads the marketing and advertising activities, along with overseeing new product development and human resources, to help the company achieve its yearly goals.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Nobel Hygiene was established in the year 2000 by Kamal Kumar Johari with the aim to provide Indian consumers with world-quality products suited to the Indian body type. Today, it is the undisputed leader in the adult diaper category and India’s leading manufacturer of disposable hygiene products. One of the fastest growing consumer goods companies in India, Nobel Hygiene caters to over 5 million Indian households, and exports its offerings to 20+ countries including Dubai, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, and some parts of Africa.
FACTS
Media agency: Madison
Creative Agency: In-house
PR Agency: Nucleus PR
