Unravelling Rivals: FMCG Brand Wars Continue

It may be frequent to see brands firing their competition through interesting advertising ploys, but the FMCG industry palpably rules the chart for slamming their rivals like no other. The recent case of German skincare brand Sebamed directly naming its opponent was as bold as brass. With its first ever ad in the personal care segment, the coverage that the brand has garnered in four days is probably more than what most brands witness in a few months. A stupid or smart move, that’s of course open to debate, but one thing is for sure- it is an almighty smash.

This comes shortly after the top two FMCG giants, Dabur & Marico, exchanging blows with regard to their honey purity claims, alleging that the other one is making false claims in their ads. The ad was triggered after research and advocacy firm Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that 10 brands of honey are adulterated with sugar syrup and failed a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) test. As for now, Bombay High Court has restrained Sebamed commercial from all mediums.

Read- All Eyes On Advertising Watchdog Amidst 'Purity' Claims & Counter-Claims Over Honey

The above two also contested with each other in November 2019 with regards to their coconut oil claims. Cutting the long story short, Marico & Dabur have seen it all forms of engagement- from ambush marketing to legal wrestles.

Ambush marketing and comparative advertising is typically a tactic employed by the smaller brand with lesser money. “The best way to achieve the biggest bang for the buck is by ensuring that a small brand plays big by doing a comparative piece of advertising that has its fingers in the eye of the competition. If the competitor reacts, the brand is in clover, as the ability to garner bigger eyeballs comes to it.

When a small brand compares itself to the big, it aspires to get the eyeballs of all those who use the bigger brand. That, in itself, is a big first achievement in this kind of a tactic at play. Therefore, literally every small brand and every new entrant does consider this play often,” asserts Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults.

He also adds, “Sebamed has taken a Ph war route. With this Ph story, the brand aspires to shake up Hindustan Unilever (HUL). Not easy really. Pure PH science is attempting to shake up long-held and long-established consumer chemistry. A tough game. Not easy.”

Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former APAC Marketing Head of HP Inc. agrees that for many brands, taking on the leader is a smart strategy and the best way to do this is a direct comparison taking on your competitor. He points, “Sebamed in the recent campaign pitched itself directly against the leading soap brands of HUL and precipitated a fresh war. For a minor player priced at 5x the market, this was an interesting route to gain awareness.”

While such marketing gimmicks maybe overtly appreciated, audiences’ reception is as crucial. Dheeraj Sinha, CEO & Chief Strategy Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett expresses, “I don’t think that consumers care for the infighting between brands. We might celebrate these cases in the marketing and advertising circuit. But for the consumer what matters is relevance. Especially in a growth market such as India, there’s a room for everyone - as far as you have a compelling, relevant benefit for your consumer.”

Hammering The History

India’s adland is not oblivious to such comparative advertising. It has often been noticed that FMCG rivalries have been from the point-of-view of products and not the umbrella brand. Brand rivalry exists in every retail counter or modern retail showrooms. And it is most prominent in personal care or hygiene products like detergents, shampoo, soaps and others.

We have a vivid memory of brands locking horns with each other- Pepsodent vs Colgate, Pepsi vs Coke, Parle vs Britannia, Tide vs Rin, Dettol vs Lifebouy, Horlicks vs Complan, Godrej vs Ikea, Amul vs Kwality Walls, Maggi vs Patanjali noodles, etc. These are just a few names to reiterate that brand wars are central to a brand's marketing journey. Let's just say that rivalry has been a dominant entity since time immemorial. History is replete with standoffs between emperors of past known and unknown, sports rivalry to political battles, the same goes for the business world. 

Convinced that trade wars are a part of every game, Arvind Nair, Regional Director, Mirum India comments, “Trade wars have always been a fact of businesses. Every business is always fighting competition, and how you tackle that is the art. There is a reason the art of war is one the most widely referred book on strategy, and it was written over 2000 years ago.”

Regulation Radar

As much as these comparative ads are lauded, they are often under the scanner too. Rival brands have often knocked ASCI’s door for it to adjudicate on false claims and advertisements mis-representing products to consumers. “In the case of the FMCG sector, where we have seen a plethora of comparative advertisements, ASCI can play a vital role in curbing comparative advertising and misleading narratives. This standardisation of advertising will enable healthy competition and help consumers with factful information,” believes Prabeer Patankar, President and National Sales head, Update Geotarget.

Nair also adds, “Advertising has to be responsible, I mean the very science of it demands it to be. Like every industry body , ASCI has a significant role to play in ensuring the industry is working together from both the brand and agency side, while ensuring creativity.”