HIMALAYA HERBAL TOOTHPASTE:

CATEGORY AND BRAND INVOLVEMENT

IN AN EMERGING MARKET

Group 11A
Kanika Agarwal (PGP04017)
Joohi Shrivastava (PGP04066)
Joshika Dikshit (PGP04067)

1.
What are the major findings about the involvement levels of consumers in the
oral care category that can be understood from the participants responses
regarding their habits and practices with respect to the category?

LOW
INVOLVEMENT

NOT A
PREVENTIVE
MEASURE

LOW
AWARENESS

DENTISTS
HIGH
CREDIBILITY

Oral Care
was not as
important
for personal
grooming

Curative measure,
not preventive
measure

28%
brushed
twice a
day

Consumers are
indifferent to
the benefits
and
proposition

Either sample size

was not
proportional to
population size OR
awareness is
extremely low.

Right
toothpaste is
more
important but
importance
given was low

68%
never
visited
dentist

85%
respondents
changed their
toothpaste
(dentists
recommendatio
n)

84%
believes
they don't
have oral
health
problems

Low involvement
towards Oral Care
Category

Dentists are best

influencers
otherwise low
involvement

98% Indians
suffers from
oral health
problems
(WHO)

Q2.
How many respondents (in percentage) exhibit high and low/medium
involvement with regard to the oral care category, and express high/low
cognitive and affective associations with regard to each of the brands ?
How are the involvement levels associated with each of the brands?

Category

High Involvement (in %)

Low Involvement(in%)

Freshness

11.48

38.28

Herbal

16.4

26.68

Oral Care

13.12

26.68

Niche: Problem Solving

26.24

51.62

Segment

Strong Cognitive
belief (%)

Low Cognitive Belief

(%)

Strong Affective
Belief (%)

Low Affective Belief

(%)

Freshness

64

36

60

40

Herbal

64

36

44

56

Overall

56

44

36

64

Niche: Problem
Solving

92

72

28

Total

69

31

53

47

Brands

Strong Cognitive

Low Cognitive

Strong Affective

Low Affective

Closeup (Freshness)

55.2

6.2

31.8

18.8

Dabur Red

26.22

19.22

20.14

29.14

Colgate Dental Cream

41.4

12.4

10.6

37.6

Colgate Active Salt

69

48.76

3.76

CLOSEUP(FRESHNESS
)

DABUR
RED(HERBAL)

COLGATE DENTAL
CREAM

COLGATE ACTIVE
SALT

Strong Cognitive &

Strong Affective

Strong Cognitive &

Low Affective

Strong Cognitive &

Low Affective

Strong Cognitive &

Strong Affective

Brand Attachment Score = 3.3

Niche Problem Solving (Colgate ActiveSalt) has highest cognitive belief, therefore it has
high involvement level
As more of cognitive belief is displayed, it implies that functional attributes have
established better in the brands.

Q3.
How does low category involvement affects brand attitude? Explain the
inconsistency in those instances where brand attitude overwhelms
category involvement.

LOW INVOLVEMENT WITH CATEGORY AND HIGH ATTITUDE

TOWARDS BRAND
Segment

Low Involvement and High Attitude (%)

Freshness

38.28

Herbal

26.68

Overall Oral care

26.68

Niche

51.62

*Low Involvement Respondents = 58%

Category

Deductions from Low

Involvement and High
Attitude

Deductions from the

respondents data in Exhibit
5

Consistency / Inconsistency

Freshness

It is an important
parameter (66%)
Driver for the purchase
intention

Functional attributes
have average score
(3.5)
High cognitive and
affective score

The freshness brand was

not in consistence with the
importance given to
drivers.

46% low involved

respondents showed
high brand attitude

Importance to natural
ingredients
Importance to gum and
health teeth is high

Consistent with respect to

cognitive belief

46% low involved

respondents showed
high brand attitude
Recommendations
from dentist were
considered

Importance given to
oral care is high
Cognitive and Affective
beliefs is low on
parameters like takes
care of oral health
problems)

The attitude towards brand

was average compared to
the importance given

89% low involved

respondents showed
high brand attitude.
High impact on
consumers

Parameters like cavity

protection and Health
teeth has high ratings

Consistent

Herbal

Overall Oral Care

Niche: Problem Solving

Q4.
How many consumers expressed consistency between the strength of their
cognitive beliefs and the strength of their affective beliefs associated with
their respective brand choices?
How can any inconsistencies in the same be explained?

46%

24%
Neither associated with
cognitive nor affective
beliefs with respect to their
brand.

Had a consistently strong

belief of both cognitive &
affective aspects of the
brand they used.

23%

7%
Had strong cognitive but
weak affective beliefs

Had weak cognitive but

strong affective beliefs

Data extracted from Exhibit 6; Table 4

INCONSISTENCIES: Possible reasons

7%

weak
cognitive,
strong
affective

24%

- Product belongs to a

low involvement
category ; consumer
influenced by
peripheral routes not
the central one.
- Consumers are moved
by the emotional
appeal of the
advertisement & not
the functional benefits.

strong
cognitive,
weak
affective

- Toothpaste category
brand communications
involving brand benefits
have had an impact of
strong recall.

- Low involvement
product; Not able to
establish the affective
component.

Q5.
Taking into account the category-level and segment-level analyses, what kind of
implications are relevant at the segment level (for each segment)?
How do consumer beliefs relate to the positioning of brands in each segment?

Relevant implications for each segment (Exhibit 2 & Exhibit 6)

Freshness

Only 28% consumers have high category involvement; thus

affective component needs to be induced more effectively.
Though 66% consumers with low category involvement have
strong cognitive i.e. freshness or affective beliefs.

Herbal

Consumers associate with the cognitive beliefs ( 64%) much

more than the affective beliefs (44%)
It has 40% high-involvement consumers who associate mainly
with the functional benefits & not the emotional appeal of the
product

Overall Oral
Care

40% consumers had neither affective nor cognitive beliefs

associated; thus this category has not been impactful on the
consumers minds.
Used by consumers who want their family to develop good oral
health habits but do not actually take proper care, same is used
during brand communication with kids involved.

Niche : Problem
Solving

Most connected segment with 92% strong cognitive beliefs &

72% affective beliefs of the consumers.
Most effective in terms of both providing a solution to the
relevant problem while building trust & providing assurance
emotionally

Relating consumer beliefs with brand positioning for each segment

Considering the leading brands in each segment to study positioning
form Exhibit 6, Table 6 & Exhibit 2

CloseUp
Both cognitive &
affective beliefs have
been induced in
consumers minds
through advertising.
Benefit of freshness
though generic has
been used exclusively
in line with need for
affiliation for the
consumers through
campaigns like Paas
aao .

Dabur Red
Has not been able to
relate with either
cognitive or affective
beliefs.
Functional benefits
have been focused
upon, therefore
emotional connect is
missing.
Only cognitive belief
component has been
touched upon by the
brands positioning.

Colgate dental
Cream
Consumers cognitive
beliefs are in line with
brands
communication.
However, no focus is
given on the affective
beliefs while
positioning the brand.
Positioned more to
cater towards
functional benefits

Colgate ActiveSalt
It most effectively
relates the consumer
beliefs with the brand
positioning.
It involves a problem
solving approach that
leads to consumers
believing the
functionality of the
product with trusting
the brand for minimum
perceived risk.

What kind of recommendations would you provide for the Himalaya brand after
taking into consideration the responses to questions 1-5?

Recommendations for Himalaya Brand

Enter the niche/ Problem solving segment
1. through HiOra , 2. Problem solving approach in advertising
Develop an emotional connect in line with the current positioning by listing emotional
benefits like trust,security with pleasure of eating all types of food etc.

Launch engaging advertising campaigns like colgate & HULs pappu & papa etc.

Maintain POPs like freshness which is recognised as important by consumers &

advertise accordingly
Link the functional benefits to the aspects of oral health without going niche to drive
brand recall
Driving a core benefit should be the major element as it is the POD of the Himalaya
herbal range of products.

Introduce more product variants

Q7.
What should the positioning dimensions of Himalaya be, and
how can it be differentiated?
How can Himalaya create an attitude towards its ads/brand to
convey its differentiated proposition?

Emotional

Necessity

Price (high)

Quality
(herbal)

Quality (generic)

Functional
Price (low)

Luxury

Focus more on herbal ingredients

and its benefits

Target Audience
differentiation on the
basis of needs

Link the
emotional
benefits to the
unique brand
positioning to
create a POD.

Engage Indian customers with the

brand through stereotyping of
Indian values and beliefs

Position itself as
an advanced
Care product
which is into
problem solving

Company should focus on

awareness of oral health problems