Fogg perfume

Fogg perfume

INTRODUCTION

A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent body odder caused by the

bacterial breakdown of perspiration in armpits, feet, and alternative areas of the body. A subgroup of

deodorants, antiperspirants, affect odder as well as prevent sweating by affecting sweat glands.

Deodorants area unit classified and controlled as cosmetics by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration and are designed to eliminate odder. Deodorants are usually alcohol-based.

Alcohol at the start stimulates sweating, but may also temporarily kill bacteria. Deodorants can be

formulated with other, more persistent antimicrobials such or with metal chelant compounds that

slow bacterial growth. Deodorants may contain deodorant fragrances or natural essential

oils intended to mask the odder of perspiration. Over-the-counter products labelled as "natural

FOGGPROFILE

Darshan Patel, the promoter of Vini Cosmetics, appears matter-of-fact about his

success. Sitting in his Ahmadabad office, dressed in his trademark white shirt and trousers, he

explains how he came up with a winning strategy for Fog. At the launch of 18+ in July 2011, his

first deodorant, Patel asked everyone for feedback. "People said it smelt good, the pricing was

fine but one feedback kept surfacing that 'deodorants get over fast'," he says. He decided to

address that concern of consumers by launching Fog, a product without gas. This prevents the

liquid from vaporizing easily, checks its wastage and makes a deodorant bottle last longer. Fog

was thus launched in end-2011 with the tagline Bina gas wala spray (deodorant without gas). The

market response was overwhelming. Media reports, quoting Nielsen data, have said that Fog is

now the leader in the Rs 2,000 Crore deodorant market with a 12 per cent share.

Vini Cosmetics was launched by Patel after he sold his one-third stake in Paras Pharmacy

to private equity (PE) company Actis for $43 million in 2006. "I was just 44 years old then, and

who wants to be unemployed," he says. Indeed, Patel had already built a formidable reputation

for being a market disruptor with some of the over-the-counter brands he built for Paras,

including Krack cream, Itch Guard, Set Wet, Dermicool and Livon. "My ability to seize the

consumer pulse was proven.

How Fogg stays ahead in deos

There’s a saying: It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there. For Ahmedabad-based Vini Cosmetics, the company best known for launching deodorant Fogg, this adage holds true. In six years since launch, the market for deodorants in India has expanded four times to Rs 3,600 crore from Rs 900 crore earlier. The category has also become cluttered with big and small brands vying for consumer attention.

Against this backdrop, there is only one consistent factor: Fogg remains the leader with a value market share of 20 per cent and volume market share of 22 per cent, according to its promoter Darshan Patel. Latest Euromonitor market share was not available to corroborate what Patel has to say, even then, say experts, staying at the top is not easy, given that the domestic deodorant market is competitive.

The question then is how has Fogg managed to do it?

The answer lies in the brand’s ability to reinvent itself, constantly. From being a freshman pitching product attributes like ‘No Gas, Only Perfume’ to a brand talking to youngsters as well as the older generation, Fogg has done it all in a bid to stay relevant to its consumers.

In the method, say experts, Fogg is becoming a difficult player to beat as competitors such as Hindustan Unilever, ITC, JK Helene Curtis, McNroe and Nivea are beginning to realise. Once the leading deodorant brand in India, HUL’s Axe is no longer in the top five list, according to Euromonitor. Data from 2013 to 2015 shows Fogg remains the leader throughout, followed by McNroe’s Wildstone, Nivea, Park Avenue and ITC’s Engage (Check chart: Topping the List). 2016 market share was not available.

Patel admits his strategy has been to expand the toehold that Fogg initially gave him. ‘No Gas, solely Perfume’ was all concerning however the fragrance of the deo lingered on the body instead of vaporising into void, which was a flaw in most deodorants back then.

Fogg additionally publicized  this proposition heavily in its youth, comparing number of sprays of average deos versus its own ability to do so. The consumer was clearly excited. Patel’s marketing acumen, which he’d sharpened while at Paras Pharma, the company that was acquired by Reckitt Benckiser (now RB) in 2010, was clearly at work.

It was at Paras Pharma that Patel, the second of three brothers, had imbibed the importance of identifying clear need gaps. He carried that philosophy into Vini Cosmetics, launched in 2010. Company sources say the ‘no-gas’ product attribute pushed by Fogg has now been adopted by most players in the business. Fogg, they say, has set the benchmarke

Shoor says there are more commercials in the offing that will talk to a “family audience”. At the moment, the brand is busy pushing its premium offering called Fogg Scent, a perfume targeted at both men and women. One commercial shows the brand being introduced to the son by the mother. Another one has a wife telling her husband of the merits of switching to Fogg Scent. Clearly, Fogg knows where it wants to go.

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