RPSG's Yogesh Tiwari on debunking myths around nature-based products through strategic marketing

With the launch of the new product range Naturali, RPSG aims to strengthen its digital presence with a significant focus on building the influencer community for the brand. Yogesh Tiwari sheds more light on the company's marketing plan.

The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group recently announced the launch of ‘Naturali’ - a nature-inspired personal care brand. It also launched two TVC’s featuring Kriti Sanon and Shanaya Kapoor who represent the haircare and skincare categories respectively. With inputs from Yogesh Tiwari, VP, Marketing, RPSG, FMCG business, we deep dive into the role of the brand ambassadors, RPSG's marketing blueprint for Naturali, and more.

Need for 'Naturali'

In recent years, owing to the vast dissemination of knowledge with regards to the benefits of natural-based personal care products as well as the growing concerns regarding the side effects of harmful chemicals, a large size of the consumer base is going natural.

This has also fueled the personal care market growth, estimated at Rs. 70,000 crores, leading to RPSG's strategic entry into this segment. Within personal care, the company claims to have prioritized haircare and skincare, which is almost 50% of that category, and it's continuing to grow at 10%.

"Having said that, there are also a lot of apprehensions attached to natural products – slow results, priced steeply, etc., says Yogesh Tiwari. "With Naturali, we have tried to find a distinct position in the category."

The Marketing Nama and Role OF Brand Ambassadors

According to a Chrome Data Analytics & Media (Chrome DM) report, in the last 10 years, consumer preference for skincare products labeled organic, herbal, Ayurvedic—broadly categorized as natural products—has almost doubled.

The category is touted to be growing at 2.5 times the rate of non-natural products which has led brands to come up with more nature-based solutions for the consumers. Amidst the rising adoption for chemical-free personal care range, how does Naturali garner the attention?

RPSG aims to target the Sec A and B Gen Z and millennial population with Naturali, who not only make informed decisions when it comes to their lifestyle choices but are also in need of products that can keep up with their fast-paced lifestyle.

Tiwari adds here, "This group of audience is constantly consuming their content on OTT and social media platforms and is not just restricted to television. Hence, a large part of the brand's marketing strategy is leaning towards building a robust digital strategy to reach our desired audience set."

The company plans to create a holistic plan including Digital, TV, OOH, Print to drive awareness & trial for the newly launched product range. During the festive season, there is a lot of media clutter and it is important for brands to ensure to stand out with their communication. RPSG's efforts are directed in the direction so that the brand executions are noticed by consumers and help in accelerating awareness.

Commenting on roping in Kriti Sanon and Shanaya Kapoor as the face for the products, Tiwari shares that they both match the brand values that it proposes- new, bold and trendy. He says, "Both are young, vivacious, and many look up to them for their beauty regime and the lifestyle choices that they make. Hence, the idea is to leverage their equity to drive communication to the right set of consumers as well as enable a positive rub off, leading to strong brand imagery."

Social Media Play

With Gen Z and millennials being the core consumers, social media marketing plays a pivotal role. For the launch announcement, Tiwari informs that the brand leveraged the social follower base of its brand ambassadors Kriti Sanon and Shanaya Kapoor, who represent the hair care and skincare categories respectively, ensuring they created the right buzz by sharing pre-launch posts as well as the TVC on their handles.

The brand claims to have been leveraging social media to build awareness of the Naturali range and the different ingredients in each of its products and their benefit leading to consideration. Naturali products will soon be available across the country on leading e-commerce websites, and subsequently in general trade and modern trade.

Influencers will also play an important role in our rollout. As a brand, we are at a very nascent stage. It has been only a few weeks since the launch, so a lot has yet to uncover, but we intend to be bullish on influencer and content marketing with our overall digital-first strategy. Therefore, for Naturali, the media mix will be skewed towards digital mediums followed by TV, OOH, and radio," asserts Tiwari.

Also Read: Instead of doing influencer marketing in bursts we focused on sustained efforts helping build an engaged community: Nikhil Dhar, IndiGo

The social media world is constantly evolving with newer trends and platforms. He adds, "As per consumer sentiments and our internal research reports – we try to explore various formats to drive maximum resonance. Influencer engagement and brand ambassador collaborations along with video content across IG and YouTube have surely shown results in the past."

Demand & Supply Post Covid-19 Era

When quizzed about how will this year be different in terms of supply & demand in the FMCG category than in the past as things crawl back to normalcy, Tiwari notes that consumers will continue to opt for products that deliver on the solutions they are looking for.

According to him, brands need to continue to ensure they are focusing on the fundamentals and delighting the consumers with their products. In terms of supply, most companies have reinvented themselves during the pandemic of discovering and enabling faster and more agile supply networks. As things get back to normal this will become the base on which companies will build their plans to drive availability and serve demand.

Advertising Trends To Foresee

Listing down the advertising trends and innovations in the upcoming year, Tiwari says-

First, would be an increased focus on regional content; with digitalization penetrating Tier 2 and 3 cities, and towns, digital consumption has accelerated significantly amongst a much wider audience. To satisfy and engage with the audiences across the board, more emphasis needs to be placed on regional content and communication.

Secondly, video commerce has seen massive growth with visual content driving increased engagement across demographics. With most of us spending much of our time online, the video market will be crucial for any business.

Thirdly, with the explosive growth of influencer marketing, it will become extremely crucial for businesses to re-evaluate and adapt their strategies to incorporate newer formats to the mix.