Chapter 1

Overview

J.K. Helene Curtis Ltd. is a part of The Raymond Group and has been in the Personal
Grooming and Toiletries industry since 1964. The company involves rich consumer brands
like Park Avenue. The name Park Avenue was influenced by an elite, high street in
Manhattan.

Over the years park avenue has been recognized as being the best in the industry. It extended
to its deodorantdorants section in 2009.

Park Avenue, one of the most popular brands, which is known for its amazing, innovative
wardrobe collection. It is Indias premium lifestyle brand. Park Avenue deodorantdorants
have dominated the male grooming segment since the past decade. Men rely on these
fragrances for a sense of freshness and confidence all day. These men are ambitious at an
early point in their career chasing big dreams. It makes you alive every day and gives you
confidence. It creates a kind of an Aura around your body and built up an impressive persona
of yourself. Deodorantdorants are common substitute to perfumes, given the extreme heat and
living conditions.

A story was built around the 12 SKUs, graphic elements in an isometric grid, formed illusions
on the canister. The cap was inspired from the camera lens maintaining the premium look and
feel of the product.

Park Avenue has never been positioned as a chick magnet. It differentiates itself from the rest
by staying true to the brand image of the mother brand Park Avenue. It carries a formal,
business like and aspirational image.
Park Avenues strength is really in the larger towns. Historically, communication used by
Park Avenue was always in English but over the past years they have moved to Hinglish.
They make sure that the language they use to communicate is in a bit more mass.
Chapter 2

Evolution of the Market

To a large extent, what we call 'deodorant' is often a surrogate for perfume. That's what
market reality is about today. That's how the audience has decoded the category so far.
In developed markets, deodorants are used for 'body odor management', after a workout, or
before work, and not just for evening/night time application or as something you spray before
you go to a party. But times are changing now. People are realizing that using a deodorant can
actually make you more productive, that body odor can be detrimental to your career
progression. The deodorant category is evolving and moving away from being 'an equivalent
to perfume'. Over the last couple of years, the deodorant category has developed a 'value'
connotation.

Birth of Park Avenue Deodorants

Grooming was of least concern for the Indian men in earlier times. Only in last 15-20 years
men have become more aware to use beauty products. Post Liberalization, Privatization, and
Globalization (LPG), foreign investments started flowing in giving rise to new jobs and new
lifestyle. The urge for people to have high standards, Park Avenue pitched in creating a new
and big market for their company. They started with apparels and seeing how the wants of
people were increasing for personal care products, Park Avenue boomed in with their range
of deodorant as their image was always premier in the minds of people.

In 2009 JK Helene Curtis, subsidiary of Raymonds, introduced their Park Avenue deodorant
with the variants, namely Storm, Horizon, Alpha, Cool Blue, Tranquil, Cruise, Good
Morning. The company has been selling The Park Avenue Deodorant in the market in the
traditional way, Deodorant with Gas. Initially their marketing was limited to only to their
apparel stores. Their product was kept along with the shirts to get the attention of the
customers. This was also a strategy to make the customers loyal to the product, which
actually worked out for them. However, in the initials days of the product launch, Park
Avenue deodorant were hardly known by anyone and market share was negligible. Keeping
in mind with the product potential, and the customers feedback, JK HC decided to reach out
to mass and launched their product in around 20,000 outlets.
Park Avenue deodorants image was set apart from all the competitive deodorant in the
market. Where everyone was focusing on the word Seduction, Park Avenue targeted their
customers with the word Success. This captured the attention of the consumers and made
them look at the product more practically. Smart, independent, and successful images of the
men in their advertising took off the sales of the product. In 2011, Park Avenue introduced
deodorant testers, which was not present initially in the market, in their outlets and also
introduced smaller sample bottles, Deodorant shots, of their product at Rs. 59/-. This made
the distribution of the product grow and helped the company to reach out to large number of
consumers. Gradually, the demand of the product started increasing and company started
investing more into advertisements. In 2012-13, Park Avenue deodorant were sharing almost
7.8% of the market share and were rated no. 3 in the deodorant category.

Looking at the success in mens category, Park Avenue decided to launch their deodorant for
female section in 2012. The company followed the same mantra for females section too,
Success. And the strategy hit right on spot. The variants in female category were namely,
Empower, Diva, Celeb, Lively, Bounce, and Chic. The design of product bottle was such that
females could relate it to their lives. Strong, fresh, and stylish images of women on the
product bottle made it attractive and helped to reach out to number of females. The company
grew enormously in this category too because of the existing image of them. In the same year,
Park Avenue deodorant were position at no. 3, lead by Axe at no. 1 and Fogg at no. 2.
In 2010, ViNi group introduced its product, FOGG, with a completely unique marketing
strategy, Deodorants without gas. The other taglines like 800 sprays guaranteed changed
the entire dynamics of the sector. Other company, such as Engage and Layer, also started
pitching in their product for the same category, without gas. The competition was growing
and market shares of many leading brands like Axe and Wildstone, started reducing.
However, Park Avenues position was held strong and with many factors like strong brand
image of Raymonds, customers brand loyalty and brand equity. To target this market, Park
Avenue came up with a brand new product IQ. IQ was launched in the category of no gas
deodorant. Initially, the company was skeptical that this might hamper their other gas
deodorant. But, the product was accepted equally well as the other products in this category.
The sales of both gas and non-gas deodorant went up and in 2013-14 Park Avenue
deodorant were sharing 9.7% of the market.

In 2015, the company climbed from 3rd to 2nd position overtaking HULs Axe. Fogg, at no. 1,
positioning the massive market share with 17.3% is the biggest competitor for Park Avenue
who shares market of only 9.7%. However, Park Avenue is coming up with new taglines and
strategies with which they predict to overcome the gap and climb to no. 1 in the next few
coming years.
Chapter 3

The Race

The deodorant category which is valued between Rs. 2,000-2,300 crore approximately, is
crowded with 600 brands.

Axe was leading the market for the longest years, thats when Darshan Patel (owner of Fogg
deodorant) came up with a different strategy. He realized that there was a market for a
deodorant like Fogg because people were looking for a product which had no waste when
applied. This simple approach led to rise in sales of the product giving them the lead and
today Fogg continues to dominate the deodorant sector.

There was a time when most of the deodorant brands use to advertise and promote deodorant
in seduction space. But Park Avenue decided to approach their target group in a different
way. Their research in 2013 - A study called Censidium, in association with Ipsos, attempts to
quantify the motivations of people reveals that seduction is not the only motivation a man has.
They never got in to the seduction space instead extended its brand positioning of celebrating
the man, and ensuring he looks confident and worthy. Park Avenue is not a problem-solution
brand. It emotionally partners the man who seeks success in life. Park Avenue story is about
being prepared, being ready to take on any new challenge that life throws at you. Deodorant
can play a bigger role in the life of a man

While Patel had kept his spends high with Fogg, Park Avenue did not spend as much as
competition, including Axe and Engage. HUL came up with various campaigns including the
high intensity one - the Axe boat party. A veteran but smaller player, Nivea, has launched a
new campaign with actor Arjun Rampal. But, Park Avenue deodorant operated in media
space and increased its ad spends by about 50 per cent.

Outperforming Axe

For Park Avenue it has never been to be at position No.1, No.2 or No.3. To choose a strategy,
one can decide where he intends to play, how to play on distributions, on picking the outlets
and how being in the same outlet can outperform other competitors

Park Avenue stayed away from the eagerness to get into the seduction space; instead, they
had been speaking to the young working man about success. The emotional payoff Park
Avenue offers is success. They have maintained a very premium and international imagery.
Moreover, in the recent past they have tried to correct one of their weaknesses their
distribution momentum and push. Over the past year, Park Avenue increased its distribution
by almost 50,000 outlets. This has come on the back of certain SKU strategies, like their
'Deodorant Shots' range, that comprises small 40 ml deodorant available for Rs. 59 each. It's
an entry level SKU that gives people an option to try the product.
This strategy has given them that incremental trial and incremental distribution in a larger
number of towns, and has helped push its market share.

Revamping the looks

Packaging needs to be handled with a lot of expertise and care. A sudden, jerky change in
packaging can lead to a disaster. It's not just about the color, but also what you put on the
pack or the structure/shape of the pack.
Since there is too much competition and wide number of products on the shelf, one of the
roles that packaging needs to play is to facilitate consumer navigation at the retail level.

The objective was to position Park Avenue deodorant as a brand that offers freshness that
outlasts the day and helps men overcome "Shaam ka budhaapa". The 8-hour freshness lock'
promise is prominently displayed on the new packaging. Design firm Wow Design has
worked on the new bottle. The price stays unchanged Rs. 195 for a 135 ml (100 gm) bottle.
Around eight to ten per cent of the brand's annual revenue has been ear-marked for this
overhaul. The team is hopeful that this effort will generate new trials for the brand.
The product formulations have undergone a huge change. It has increased the fragrance
concentration by 20-40 per cent shares.