Storm the Norm

by Anisha Motwani

  As an extension of this critical aspect, Sensodyne launched the Dentist Outreach programme in India. It invested heavily in establishing a world-class medical detailing field force to strengthen the professional relationship and drive product education with the dentists on a longterm and consistent basis. Its medical representative teams interacted with dentists, meeting them frequently, educating them about the condition as well as the product. Sensodyne also invested in dentist camps to build salience around the condition. In a first of its kind initiative, Sensodyne partnered with leading experts of the dental-care community to create a ‘sensitivity guideline’ document to help dental experts and professionals make informed decisions on sensitivity and build awareness around the condition.

  The outcomes were heartening. As per research conducted among dentists by TNS (Taylor Nelson Sofres)—an independent market-research firm—in early 2014, Sensodyne emerged as the clear leader in the sensitive toothpaste category and was voted ‘most recommended’ brand by dentists surveyed across the country. Eight out of ten dentists recommended Sensodyne to their patients suffering from sensitivity, helping Sensodyne become the No. 1 brand in the category.

  Marketing campaigns designed to project authenticity

  Unlike western markets, only 4 per cent of Indians visit dentists, the key influencers for this category. To overcome this challenge, Sensodyne got the dentists into the drawing room instead. Unlike other players in the Indian market, Sensodyne did not follow the oft-repeated formula using models, celebrities or catchy jingles in its advertisements. Instead, the brand chose to go with its ‘authentic, professional and understated’ brand promise and used real dentists practising in the UK and other parts of the world in its communication, without scripting their message. This worked wonders for the brand and helped establish Sensodyne as a dentist-recommended brand in India.

  The media strategy matched this step for step. Given the high levels of competitiveness and clutter in the Indian market, with maintenance GRP (gross rating points) levels being 1.5 times higher than global averages, Sensodyne chose to run a unique media outreach programme through various innovations and associations, making it seem larger that it was to the audience. The brand broke through the so-called ‘lifestyle or beauty products’ domain and introduced a product-integration concept with Sensodyne integrations in ongoing popular daily soaps, a category first. It was a strategy that clearly helped the brand garner market share rapidly.

  Solving for the crucial ‘P’: Placement

  The other big challenge for the brand lay in retail outreach. So far, toothpaste brands were seen as ‘just another item on the grocery list’ and were stacked way behind on the shelf—almost to a point of no visibility. To solve this challenge of product visibility, Sensodyne introduced shelf highlighters and shelf-in-shelf concepts, and used bay flags extensively to enhance salience at the point of sale.

  Till the launch of Sensodyne, specialist toothpaste brands had been sold only through pharmacies. Sensodyne was the first in its category to tie up with Big Bazaar in an exclusive ten-day preview. In those days, Big Bazaar, being the largest modern retail chain, provided the brand with a perfect opportunity and platform to drive activation and generate buzz. Sensodyne’s unique retail strategies have not only benefited the brand but also encouraged retailers to provide it prime placement in their outlets.

  Shaping a portfolio strategy

  Over the next two years, Sensodyne strengthened its sensitivity portfolio to four segmented offerings:

  1.Sensodyne (fresh mint and gel)

  2.Sensodyne Rapid Relief, which is clinically proven to instantly relieve pain of sensitive teeth.

  3.Sensodyne Repair and Protect that contains patented NovaMin® technology, which finds vulnerable areas of the tooth where dentine is exposed and forms a tooth-like layer over them.

  4.Sensodyne Toothbrush, designed for sensitive teeth, available in Soft and Extra Soft variants and gentle on sensitive teeth for better care.

  Sensodyne’s offerings cater to specific conditions that people suffer from and provide them with expert solutions and specialist benefits. This helps the brand strengthen its sensitivity expert positioning and leadership in the market.

  Scripting an inspirational success story: From an entrant to an iconic brand in just three years

  Three years into its launch, Sensodyne was an inspirational success story. Within this short span, the brand was already a market leader in its segment, having overtaken a major brand by a huge margin.

  »The brand has crossed numerous milestones in its journey, achieving business of ₹150+ crore in year three of launch. At retail prices, this category was worth over ₹600 crore (FY 2014).

  »It commands over 27 per cent market share in the sensitivity category, boasts a market position 160 per cent of its nearest competitor and has a 3 per cent share of the total toothpaste market in India.

  »Sensodyne became the No. 1 brand retailed by chemists.1

  »In 2013, The Economic Times described Sensodyne as the most successful personal-care launch in recent decades.

  »A key success indicator was the significant rise in India’s sensitivity awareness index to global levels, moving from 17 per cent (2010) to 32 per cent (2013).2

  »Sensodyne’s success continued with it being ranked as the No. 1 sensitive toothpaste brand recommended by dentists across India.3

  For Sensodyne, this was just the beginning of the road. There is still a vast population suffering from sensitivity and doing nothing about the condition. Going forward, the brand aims to grow the category by touching more lives through consistent education. Sensodyne’s vision is focused and simple: to create a future where every life is sensitivity free.

  1Nielsen.

  2TNS Sensitivity Research, 2013.

  3TNS, January 2014.

  THE IDEA STORY

  Our vision is simple. We want to be the number one Telecom Operator in the minds of the customers, the most Trusted Brand and number one Employer in the minds of our employees. We keep challenging ourselves to continuously reinvent, in order to meet the evolving needs of the growing Indian population and employee aspirations.

  —Himanshu Kapania, managing director, Idea Cellular

  It is often said that nothing succeeds like success. In the context of brands, this aphorism assumes a certain predictable momentum in the course of a brand’s journey that not only helps it gain acceptability in the market but also translates the growth in terms of financial strength. But the most optimistic and extravagant interpretation of success can’t even begin to capture the kind of exponential, and almost stratospheric growth that brand Idea has experienced in less than a decade.

  Behind Idea’s success was its audacious belief that it existed to empower India and change the lives of people. It was the cause of action. It is this ‘sense of purpose’ that has made Idea India’s fastest-growing telecom company.

  Numbers that spell a success story

  To highlight just a few parameters, the customer base has grown 10.7 times, from 14 million across eleven circles in March 2007 to a mindboggling 150 million across twenty-two circles by December 2014. In terms of infrastructure too, 29,000 cell sites in March 2007 have increased to over 133,000 sites in December 2014. Consequently, the revenue is estimated to leap 6.9 times, from US$730 million in FY 2007 to over US$5,000 million in FY 2015. Consequently, the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) will witness a similar 6.7 times jump, from US$196 million in FY 2007 to over US$1,660 million in FY 2015. As a result of this stupendous growth, Idea’s customer market share rank has leapfrogged from a shared No. 6 to a clear No. 3. Idea’s journey has taken it from the position of India’s No. 6 telecom operator to that of the world’s No. 6 telecom service provider in terms of subscribers and minutes traffic.

  But the story of brand Idea is not just about market success. It’s a story of the proverbial underdog that overcomes the odds, the story of David, slaying quit
e a few Goliaths along the way. As Idea’s managing director (MD) Himanshu Kapania puts it:

  Our success can be attributed to a transformed mind-set. One could have gone around like a timid bit player, but we held our head high and had the courage and conviction to act like a leader.

  We have transitioned from a marginal, regional player to the fastest growing telecom operator, now one among the top three, from a privately held company to a publicly traded one at multiple times our EBITDA and also one that has seen a structural shift in business from Mobile Voice to Data. But all through these changes, two fundamental cultural tenets have remained the same—Customer Centricity and Employee Orientation.

  History of Idea

  Idea’s journey in India dates back to 1995, when the Aditya Birla Group and AT&T (through Birla AT&T in Maharashtra and Gujarat) and the Tata Group (through Tata Cellular in Andhra Pradesh) were among the pioneering operators to set up cellular networks. In the year 2000, the three players increased their range of operations. A merger and the subsequent acquisition of RPG Cellular, Madhya Pradesh circle, led to the formation of Birla Tata AT&T Limited.

  Till 2002, it was part of a consortium under the umbrella brand of BATATA (Birla, AT&T, Tata). With the mobile landscape dominated by a few big players (Airtel and Vodafone), it was operating in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Maharashtra it operated under the brand name AT&T, in Madhya Pradesh under the brand name RPG and in Andhra Pradesh under the name Tata Cellular. This was also the time the company obtained a licence for Delhi. It was now important to introduce a common identity across all its circle of operations and leverage the benefit of a common brand name. On 1 May 2002, the company changed its brand name from Birla Tata AT&T Limited to Idea Cellular Limited.

  In 2004, Idea Cellular concluded the largest-ever acquisition in the Indian mobile industry with the acquisition of Escotel, enhancing Idea’s network to about 60 per cent of India’s population. However, Idea Cellular was still not a national player and it was only in 2007—eleven years into its existence—that it shed its complex parentage and found its identity as an Aditya Birla Group company.

  Building a brand new Idea

  By 2007, some of the world’s leading telecom brands had entered India with huge advantages in terms of scale, technology, process and financial muscle. Idea, on the other hand, was ranked a lowly No. 7, with even its own investors and employees sceptical about its success.

  With five existing players becoming pan-India GSM (global system for mobile communication) operators and three new players entering the market, the battle for urban India became extremely intense. Idea decided to pursue a contrarian path and explore the market that constituted ‘Bharat’. The hinterland in any case comprised fifteen of Idea’s established markets. Today, these markets deliver a whopping 95 per cent of Idea’s revenues and 100 per cent of its EBITDA. As the result of single-minded pursuit, Idea today has 55 per cent of India’s rural subscribers. More significantly, mobile penetration in rural areas is still just 41 per cent of the 860 million rural population, pointing to huge unmet demand for basic voice-based mobile services.

  Given the fact that Idea in 2007 was a small, marginal player targeting the hinterland with limited resources and up against the world’s largest and most competitive brands, it decided to adopt a bold policy—think, talk and behave like a national brand.

  Consciousness at one level is about understanding where we are in the play. At another level, it is about understanding our position in the play—top dog, underdog or somewhere in the middle. And consciousness at a third or an altogether different level is about stimulating the future.

  Only visionary and path-breaking brands have the ability to see that far into the future. Idea chose to belong to that club. It needed to be that to stand out. And to do that, the brand also adopted three crucial norms—customer centricity, people orientation and the pursuit of excellence through execution.

  To once again quote Himanshu Kapania:

  Despite our size now in 2014, we are still a ₹30,000 crore start-up. Our leaders behave like that—entrepreneurial, nimble, collaborative and agile. Our business model is to ensure that our Circle Heads are empowered to act like mini CEOs, with a customer focus, adaptable to change while pursuing growth and profitability goals.

  The marketing Idea

  The story of Idea is essentially that of a late-entrant, marginalized, challenger brand that joined the big league of the Indian mobile telecom market by the sheer strength of its ability as a brand to create a deeper meaning for people in their lives.

  It’s the engaging tale of a ‘storied brand’, one that delved deep into the power of story-telling with a sharp and insightful cultural context, to establish meaningful brand conversations.

  It’s the engrossing account of a brand that has consistently connected to its audience with relatable episodes that unfailingly prove that ‘an idea can change your life’.

  At the time of its brand launch in 2002, as part of a consortium under the umbrella brand of BATATA, the mobile landscape was dominated by a few big players, brands that today go by the names of Airtel and Vodafone.

  These brands were not only operating in a large number of telecom circles but also dominated the urban areas, especially the leading metros. Their extensive national presence as well as their intensive brand-led communication ensured that these market leaders had an enviable share of mind amongst the influential urban audiences.

  As Himanshu Kapania says, ‘In our brand positioning, we chose not to drumbeat tired attributes like network, product features, price or promotions. We are not the biggest, but that did not stop us from thinking like a champion. Our USP is our bold mind-set.’

  Even in 2007, when the Aditya Birla Group decided to go it alone, the odds were definitely stacked against Idea. Operating in just a few service areas and no metros, Idea had to think different to even register its presence, let alone beat the competition. Every facet of the brand had to be nuanced just right to gain a far greater advantage than the brand’s resources and presence would allow.

  For instance, the brand name was originally conceived in 2002, after much deliberation to connote not just the power of the category but also the power to change cultures, and hence lives, through innovation. It was a simple word, very commonly used and understood. The two-syllable ‘idea’, with its good, positive association was perfect even for those with limited vocabulary. It is amongst the top 100 most commonly used words across the sixteen official languages in India, and, remarkably, it means the same thing in all of them.

  Besides, once the point of view of the brand—an idea can change your life—was coined, it even enabled the brand name to be integrated seamlessly into a phrase. Even visual elements like the bright yellow brand colour, the connotation of a SIM card for the logo and the exclamation mark incorporated into the brand name had the synergistic effect of giving the brand a saliency and recall way beyond what the company’s meagre resources could afford at that point.

  To elaborate, all mass-cultural expressions—whether a film or retail store design or pack graphics—rely on elements for which the meaning has been well established historically in the culture or compose a new one. Cultural codes provide shorthand for consumers, allowing them to easily understand and experience the intended meanings.

  In a telecom world dominated by red and blue, yellow is an uplifting and illuminating colour, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun. In the meaning of colours, yellow inspires original thought and inquisitiveness. Yellow is the colour of creativity, the colour of new ideas, helping find new ways of doing things. It is the colour of the practical thinker, not the dreamer. And above all, it is a colour sacred to Indians and Indian culture.

  The exclamation mark means multiple things in multiple contexts. For Idea, it signifies the ‘Aha!’ moment—the instant at which the solution or idea to any problem becomes clear, the experiential moment of the brand when one had a sudden reali
zation or an insight.

  According to Sashi Shankar, the brand’s chief marketing officer, ‘Idea’s vast management programmes are created to serve new markets for existing products. At Idea, our job is always to create new and difficult markets which competition identifies as unprofitable.’

  The HR Idea

  Up until 2006, Idea was not really big. As it was not yet an aspirational brand, it was tough to attract the right talent and to even be called for campus selections. But with the change in ownership in 2007, everything began to change.

  Not only did Idea retain all 3,000 team members, it also invested heavily in them. It wanted to develop an egalitarian culture, one that was non-hierarchical and driven purely by the quality of ideas that people brought to the table.

  With business expansion came new opportunities. Most of the demand for talent was met by organic growth, through training and promotions.

  All companies access the same talent pool. What differentiates Idea from competition is the ownership of the people who work at Idea that is a shade higher than anywhere else. There is an emotional bond they share with the company and their peer group. This collaborative team spirit is a key driver in today’s business context. Besides, the large base of cross-functional teams helps prepare leaders for the future.

  People orientation was achieved with people satisfaction scores going up and people enjoying working with Idea. From a mere 3,000 people in 2006, Idea today has a staff of 25,000. Last year, Idea won the Best Employer award at the Asian Communications Forum. Yet, it believes in staying grounded in reality rather than becoming intoxicated by success. The Idea team likes to believe that they are ordinary people who deliver extraordinary results.