Brands
#Whattheblack : Colgate’s charcoal toothbrush
MUMBAI: Have you ever seen a black egg, black newspaper or a black toothbrush? If not, then behold, Colgate-Palmolive (India) has launched a Colgate SlimSoft Charcoal toothbrush. Yes, charcoal.
The country’s first and only toothbrush with bristles infused with Charcoal is based on the key Indian insight of the traditional oral care benefits of charcoal. The launch is focused towards growing Colgate’s leadership in the toothbrush category, with the present market share of 43.6 per cent (YTD June 2014).
However, what is more interesting is the buzz created on the digital medium before the big announcement.
With the advent of new tools of communications, the digital media channel has increasingly become an integral part of the communications mix for brands today. The platform brings an opportunity to build lasting relationships with consumers, who could become the most vocal champions or brand advocates. So, for a brand with a great product or service, consumers are curious about it and often reach out through the social media.
The #whattheblack campaign, launched a few days before the announcement, was a unique approach to bring alive a category that often witnesses feature related communication. Going beyond traditional marketing techniques, through this campaign Colgate reached out to netizens for building advocacy. “For the first time the digital medium was innovatively used to launch a new product – through teasers, user generated content, creating conversations,” says the Colgate spokesperson.
The campaign was conceptualised by Red Fuse Communications, WPP’s full-service integrated global agency dedicated to serving all of Colgate-Palmolive’s brands worldwide, and was executed by Candid Marketing.
The insight which went into it was that toothbrush has traditionally been a low involvement category. Consumers don’t think or talk about it to others and the concept of word-of-mouth publicity has been non-existential in this category. However, with the launch of the new Colgate Slim Soft Charcoal toothbrush, unique opportunities have opened up, feels the brand and the agency.
Black bristles in a category associated with white bristles is highly disruptive and this presented Colgate with an opportunity of creating brand visibility and advocacy through disruptive communication techniques. “To bring this alive, the approach was to generate curiosity and intrigue amongst the key opinion leaders. The objective of the campaign was to create schema disruption, leveraging the colour black. This was achieved by turning every day white items – such as eggs, newspapers, tissues – into black,” highlights the spokesperson while adding that the items were sent out on different days to media and key opinion leaders such as marketing professionals and bloggers across key metros without any mention of Colgate or the toothbrush. On the last day, the brand was revealed elaborating that the personal toothbrush has now turned black as well.
All the campaign elements were tagged with the hashtag #whattheblack to further amplify visibility on digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. The campaign moniker #whattheblack through the digital platforms further assisted in developing user generated content.
The campaign that was initially targeted towards 200 opinion leaders got amplified to 23.8 million consumers, a never before witnessed in this category.
Brands
Axis Bank named Official Banking Partner of DP World PGTI
Partnership supports all tournaments this season to grow professional golf in India.
MUMBAI: Axis Bank just teed up a hole-in-one partnership because when a bank sponsors golf’s biggest swing in India, even the fairways feel more financially secure. Axis Bank has been appointed Official Banking Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI), strengthening its commitment to sporting excellence and community engagement while backing the growth of professional golf across the country.
Under the partnership, Axis Bank will support all DP World PGTI tournaments this season, contributing to talent development, enhanced tournament experiences and wider fan engagement. The collaboration aligns the bank’s values of precision, discipline and trust with the Tour’s focus on performance and opportunity.
Axis Bank executive director Munish Sharda said, “We are pleased to partner with DP World PGTI as its Official Banking Partner. Golf embodies precision, discipline, and a pursuit of excellence qualities that strongly reflect who we are at Axis Bank. This association also strengthens our engagement with India’s growing premium customer segments, where the sport has a deep and enduring connect.”
Professional Golf Tour of India president Kapil Dev said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Axis Bank as a Tour Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India. Partnerships of this stature play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of the Tour, enhancing opportunities for our players, and expanding the sport’s reach across the country.”
Professional Golf Tour of India CEO Amandeep Johl added, “Axis Bank’s strong legacy of excellence, innovation, and nationwide reach aligns perfectly with DP World PGTI’s goal to elevate professional golf in India and provide greater opportunities for our players.”
In a sport where every stroke counts and every partnership drives distance, Axis Bank isn’t just backing golfers, it’s investing in the fairway to future, turning India’s greens into a stage where precision meets passion and every drive has the power to inspire.
