Four years ago, the TTK Group had to snap ties with Reckitt Benckiser, losing distribution rights for condom brands Kohinoor and Durex. Today Skore Condoms from the TTK Group has managed to race ahead of the same brands. Vishal Vyas, Head of Marketing, Skore Condoms, talks about the brand’s journey to the No. 3 position in the market
BY NEETA NAIR
Q] Your competitors have roped in actors like Ranveer Singh and Sunny Leone as brand ambassadors, why did you pick cricketers Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo?
Skore is a very new brand in a very cluttered category and thus aspires to be different and disruptive. There is no condom brand in India which is targeted specially at the youth. We found that gap in the market and positioned ourselves accordingly. But to cater to the young Indian, we had to be associated with what they are connected with. IPL and sports seemed like a great fit with Skore condoms. Our all new range of premium condoms is called the ‘Champion series’ and Gayle and Dwayne are undoubtedly the true champions. If I may add, today they are considered as Indian as Caribbean.
Q] But why not an Indian brand ambassador for an Indian brand?
Because of IPL, Gayle and Bravo have become common names in Indian circles. In earlier days a West Indies player might not have had that much fan following and would be considered as a competitor, but here they are, as much loved as any Indian player. Also a personality like theirs gives a lot of edge to the brand overall. That’s why we have chosen them.
Q] So you first roped them in and then named the new product range ‘Champion’ after their famous song or was it the other way around?
Honestly now I don’t remember which of it came first. It’s just that there was a lot of thought we put into the association and then it all fell into place. I hope it works.
Q] How are you going to market the Champion series?
We are recording an Indian version of the popular ‘Champion’ song which featured Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo. We will be releasing that song soon. It would be followed by TVCs for this product range. We will also be exploring OOH and Digital.
Q] How are you engaging with your audiences on the digital medium?
Digital medium plays a very important role for our products. There is a lot of embarrassment still associated with watching a condom ad on TV. People have inhibitions about openly talking about the product. Digital medium offers enough privacy for the user. So Digital works well for promoting condoms. We are still figuring out how to crack it because it is a fast evolving medium. Certain plans like releasing the song first on digital platforms and gauging its success based on the traction we get there, are obviously on track.
Q] In your previous campaign for Skore you played on the lesbian fantasy. Many said there was no connect with the product, what exactly were you trying to convey?
We were doing a makeover for Skore when we launched this campaign which stood for ‘be bad, be fearless’, as the product itself was very advanced. And the communication was simple, we were trying to dispel the myth about condoms being a man’s product. I won’t deny that we wanted to disrupt and get noticed. As a new brand we have to keep trying hard. So we decided to work around an airport set up where during a security check a lady officer finds a condom in the pocket of a woman she was sensuously frisking. She asks why she is carrying a man’s product and the answer she gets is ‘we use it together’. The treatment given to the ad was to create an excitement around it.
Q] Shock advertising is oft-used by Condom brands, would you try something different or play by the same rules for ‘Champion’ condoms campaign?
The definition of shock has changed with times. In olden days when ‘Nirodh’ used to advertise, the mention of the word ‘condom’ itself was shocking. So, it all depends on how you take it. Even today, some people may get shocked simply by seeing a condom ad during prime-time when they are sitting with their family. As far as our previous ad is concerned, we were not trying to shock people but attempting to get noticed. And for that we didn’t want to go with the tried and tested bedroom scene. Who would think of shooting a condom ad with the background of an airport? We just attempt to be different.
Q] Your competitor Durex has invested in branded content. Are you planning to invest in something similar?
I think we should also look at it. The web series is a good avenue which we will seriously consider.
Q] What is the year on year growth of Skore condoms?
Condom as a category is not in good shape, and faced a decline in profits but we grew by 7% in 2015. So while most of the competitor brands faced de-growth, we registered a positive growth.
Q] Which are the markets that have worked for the brand?
We are present all over India, but the better markets for us are the metros and big towns where we have the edge. Also we are doing reasonably well in smaller towns.
Q] So will you be changing your communication in any way to increase your rural penetration?
Yes, we are trying to increase our rural penetration but not by changing our communication, but with the help of efforts on the ground. The tone of our campaign will remain the same. But if you have noticed our brand ambassadors Bravo and Gayle are from smaller towns, so that’s one attempt from our side to make the masses relate to our brand. Apart from doing a lot of activities on the ground, we are working hard to get our distribution act right.
Q] What kind of innovations are you planning to bring to the condom industry?
I can’t reveal much at the moment but as a new brand we are always trying hard to bring in innovations and get noticed. We are always on a mission to give something new to the market. For example, we came out with the disposable pouch for one variant of condoms which was well appreciated by our users. We took that a step ahead by ensuring that the entire new range of Champion condoms come with disposable pouches, adding hygiene to the process of throwing away used condoms. We also launched a condom box which looks like a book from the outside. This was to deal with the problem many people face of stocking condoms and keeping it hidden from the public eye. Using this discreet packaging people can keep condoms anywhere in the room. It’s called ‘The Book’ and is available online.
Q] Are you going to be venturing in other products apart from condoms, in the sexual wellness category?
Yes, work is in progress on that front. We definitely intend to have a strong presence in the sexual wellness category.
Q] Will you be launching into markets outside of India?
We aspire to be a global brand but it will take time. At the moment we are available in India but are working towards launching our products in other countries as well.
Q] In less than four years you have climbed to the number three position. What is the next goal for you?
Now we are aiming for the number two position and will keep trying to get there. Realistically it may take a year’s time to overtake them, even though there is not much gap between them and us. We will get there soon.
Q] What is the USP of Skore and how do you differentiate it from competitors?
Apart from the innovations, the USP of Skore is its entire offering which is tailor-made for the youth. For example, we launched a full range of coloured condoms because there were not too many options in that category earlier. This was to get the youth’s attention.
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