Market Analysis of L’Oreal and Garnier
Garnier is a brand that epitomizes smart marketing practice. This is a brand that came to India in 1991 and crafted a special place for itself in the Indian market. This is one global brand, which has understood the dynamics of Indian market. Garnier came to India with its Ultra Duox range of shampoos. The brand is amass market brand from Loreal which has a range of global premium personal care brands like Maybelline, Ralph Lauren. , Diesel ,Vichy etc. Loreal started its operations as a joint venture with MJ Group, Later in 1994, the company started its own operations.
All through these years, Garnier had a very consistent marketing approach. What I liked about this brand was the kind of investment that it had put in for marketing activities. Of course all these happened because it had the support of its parent company. Garnier can be considered as a masstige brand. Although positioned as a premium offering, the brand was wise enough to price it reasonable. Currently Garnier is targeting the middle and upper socio-economic class. Globally Loreal is a company that is famous for its product innovation.
Garnier too has built its brand by launching new products on a regular basis. A strategy based on product innovation works best for a brand like Garnier. When the consumer sees regular new product flow from the brand, it creates a sense of excitement with in the consumer, which will prompt her to stick to this brand. Garnier was the first brand to introduce a cream based hair coloring solution. Garnier is now present in a diverse range of personal care product categories. It is present in the hair-care and skin-care segments.
The brand has two sub-brands: Garnier Fructis and Garnier Ultra Doux. Fructis is an interesting sub-brand which has clicked in the Indian market because of its positioning as a fruit based product. Consumers readily embraced this variant because it made sense to depend on a natural shampoo rather than chemical based one. Garnier is positioned as a nature- based (green) innovative personal care brand, which takes care of your skin. The brand has a very catchy tagline ” Take Care ” Garnier’s positioning strategy is more products based in the sense that it as tried to emphasis individual product properties rather than a common brand image. Most of its commercials are emphasizing on product strengths and innovation. The brand is an example of the success of rational product based advertising success. The brand is also sending a message that Indian consumers are also influenced by rational messages. Another interesting marketing strategy adopted by Garnier is its advertising execution. True to its global parentage, Garnier was careful in its advertising theme. It uses a blend of foreign and Indian models and themes for its campaign.
Garnier ads can be termed as localized international advertising, which has a global touch but does not appear alien to Indian realities. The brand uses a careful blend of celebrities and models in their campaigns without relying much on their individual persona. Their products are always the stars in their campaigns. Whether these innovations fail or succeed, Garnier gains much equity through this steady stream of product launches. The premium positioning, smart pricing, heavy investment in brand promotion, innovative products and strong distribution reach has enabled this brand to create a special place in the Indian personal care industry.
