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Marico Ltd. (Marico)
a leading Indian business group in consumer products and services, posted a
sales revenue of Rs.19 billion in the year 2007-08.1 The group had been able to
achieve success by following a path of differentiation in all its product and
service offerings. In addition to the domestic market, Marico's products were
sold in Bangladesh, the Middle East, Egypt, and South Africa. The group's
products included food products (including edible refined oils), hair oils, post
wash hair care, anti lice treatment, coconut oil, and fabric care products.
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In the skin care solutions, Marico was present
through Kaya Skin Clinics (Kaya) and the Sundari range of Spa skin care
products. In the food products, the company had the Saffola range of
products. Marico's portfolio of hair oils comprised Parachute, Hair &
Care, Nihar, and Shanti Amla hair oil.
Saffola was one of the first brands in the country to equate health
consciousness with cooking oil. It leveraged on heart problems and
positioned itself as an edible oil which lowered the risk of a heart
attack by reducing cholesterol.
In order to stay in tune with the changing tastes and preferences of the
customer, Saffola came in three variants, Saffola Gold, New Saffola, and
Saffola Tasty Blend. The Saffola brand was extended to salt and sugar
management and cholesterol management products.
The focus across all the food products was on health and wellness and it
was this focus that the company used to differentiate itself from the
competition.
Marico established Kaya skin care clinics to take advantage of the
opportunities presented by the the Indian beauty industry, which stood
at US$3 billion as of 2007.2 Starting with 11 clinics in the year 20053,
the number of clinics had multiplied to 65 (56 in India and 9 in the
Middle East) by 2007.4
According to analysts, Kaya had filled a void in the country for skin
clinics and helped make people look good. Kaya had also expanded its
services through 'Skin Zones', which were information kiosks located at
shopping malls that offered skin care counseling.
Experts attributed Kaya's success to the personalization of services for
the customer and the holistic solutions offered. Kaya's popular services
were laser hair reduction and acne scar and pigmentation reduction.
Kaya had also started selling a range of hypoallergenic products5 for
sensitive skin6. In 2007, Kaya Life was launched to provide holistic
weight loss solutions.7 The weight loss
solutions centered around lifestyle counseling, meal planning,
exercises, and body shaping.
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1] "Marico Maintains All Round Growth," www.marico.com, April 24, 2008.
2] Debdatta Das, "Beauty Industry to Get a Face
Lift," www.thehindubusinessline.com, February 15, 2007.
3] Swetha Kannan, "Not Just Skin Deep," www.thehindubusinessline.com, July 6, 2006.
4] "Marico Maintains All Round Growth," www.marico.com, April 24, 2008.
5] Hypoallergenic cosmetics are products that manufacturers claim produce fewer allergic reactions than other cosmetic products.
6] "Kaya Skin Clinic Unveils New Skincare Products," www.thehindubusinessline.com, March 12, 2005.
7] "Marico Launches Kaya Life Center," www.financialexpress.com, June 8, 2007. |
