1. TEAM ID: 120 IIM KOZHIKODE
Anshul Kumar
anshulk15@iimk.ac.in
Ph: 8086087963
MarkGuru, IIM Bangalore, Vista 2012
Niyant Rajapurkar
rajapurkarnn15@iimk.ac.in
Ph: 9539908222
Case Study
Team Lead

2. Establish Himalaya as a science-based, problem-solving, head-to-heel brand, harnessed from nature's wealth and characterized by
trust and healthy lives.
Develop markets worldwide with an in-depth and long-term approach, maintaining at each step the highest ethical standards.
Himalaya Herbal Healthcare Company Mission
The new product segment needs to be aligned
with company’s overall strategy and mission
 Himalaya Herbal Healthcare wants to extend its herbal health care offering into one of Sensitive, Whitening and
Gel toothpaste segments in India
 Given resource constraints, Himalaya can only target one of the above three toothpaste categories
 The major objective is identifying the most lucrative of the three categories and doing a need-gap analysis which
Brand Himalaya can fill in future
 The Product category not only needs to be sustainable but drive Himalaya on a future road map of being a leader
in the toothpaste industry
OBJECTIVE

3. Himalaya’s Strength
1. Himalaya enjoys a strong equity in the Herbal Healthcare
space; its products are known for research, safety and
efficacy and widely prescribed by doctors
2. The brand has already generated substantial awareness in
the oral care market on the strength of its tooth-paste
“Himalaya Dental Cream”, one of the fastest growing
products in its consumer care portfolio
3. There is no other herbal player in the prescription oral care
segment which is growing rapidly
1. Pick a segment where they may use the base of its
research to position itself as a trustworthy brand in the
herbal oral healthcare
2. Use doctors and dentists already associated with
Himalaya as a promotional tool in establishing the new
product segment
3. Use the strong base already established by “Himalaya
Dental Cream” as a starting point/base to draft
marketing strategy for the new product category
ORAL HYGIENE AND HEALTHCARE
Space for leveraging
•Cavities
•Plague and Tartar
•Gum Disease
•Oral Infections and Disorders
•Sensitivity
•Bad Breath
•Dry Mouth
Major Oral Issues
•Whitening
•Fluoride Therapy
•Orthodontics
•Fillings
•Crowns/Bridges
•Root Canal Treatment
•Dental Implants
•Dentures
Oral Treatments
Majority of people want
instant relief and going
to a dentist isn’t on
people’s willingness list;
hence the space for
herbal oral products
*only 55% of the
Indian population
uses toothpaste
and less than 15
percent of the
Indian toothpaste
users brush twice a
day, only indicating
that the market
here remains
largely untapped.
*Data Source: Ideasmakemarket.com

4. PRIMARY RESEARCH: CONSUMER SURVEY/ EXPERT OPINION CONDUCTED ON ORAL ISSUES
We conducted a very small consumer survey on 6 parameters for a typical toothpaste and tried to map the preferences that people
have when it comes to having a toothpaste.
Demographics of the survey
Total Respondents: 81
Male: 61%
Females: 39%
Age Group: Majorly 20-40
Annual Income: Approx > Rs 6,00,000
Attribute Preferred Number of Respondents Percentage
Healthy tooth and gums 24 30
Long lasting freshness 8 10
Prevention of tooth decay 16 20
Whiteness 12 15
Use of natural herbs 15 18
Good Foam 6 7
Use of natural herbs with anti-
teeth sensitivity ingredients as
a combo preferred by most
members of the group
Major Consumer Survey Insights
•People prefer short term/instant solution for issues like teeth
sensitivity- role of an OTC product like toothpaste has a very high
scope of playing an important role
•Health of their tooth and gums is the most important issue for
them, and they would prefer a herbal product over a non herbal
one because of the security associated with it- non- sensitive came
out to be highly important to them
Expert Opinion
Our conversation with dentists with regard to place for a
herbal toothpaste in the market
Dr Anu Virmani, Dr Virmani’s Dental
Centre, New Delhi
“Most patients that we have are of
Whitening/tooth bleaching as compared to
teeth sensitivity. Whitening is a cycle for
which the patients need to consult us again.
Patients often ask us if there are any OTC
products available in the market that can
offer them instant relief from sensitivity ”
Dr Sanjay Nandwani, Dr Nandwani
Dental Clinic, New Delhi
“Leave aside being a dentist, even from a marketer’s point of view I
would see sensitive toothpaste market to be much bigger than any
other segment. Sensitivity is a short term experience that people tend
to forget over time while yellow stained teeth always stay with them.
So discolored teeth make them want us while patients would want a
dependable OTC product to be their sensitive teeth doctor available
with them always for a short term solution”
I BANK UPON MY DENTIST, DO YOU?

5. What is teeth sensitivity?
•‘Sensitive teeth’ is a condition where one feels a sharp, short pain in the tooth while
eating or drinking anything hot, cold or sweet.
•According to a GSK study in 2011, most consumers are unaware of this as a problem
May 2011 survey conducted by Nielsen states
40% of the respondents claimed to suffer from tooth
sensitivity
The incidence of sensitivity increases from 33% (age 18-
25) to 54% (age 51-55)
31% of respondents suffering from tooth sensitivity think
it is just a ‘toothache’
Just 11% of the total respondents use toothpastes
providing sensitivity relief- very low penetration by the
toothpastes here
SENSITIVE TEETH TOOTHPASTE SEGMENT
Industry Scenario
• The incidence of sensitivity in India is currently estimated at 17 per cent, as against 25
per cent globally. And, only 4% of all sensitivity sufferers visit a dentist.- Opportunity
for Himalaya here to position itself as a “dentist 24x7”
• Industry experts say the sensitive toothpaste segment will grow to 12-15 per cent of
the total toothpaste market in the next three to five years.
For comparative analysis of this segment, refer to Appendix
67.19
84
115.62
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2011 2012 2013 2014
Growth Rate(%)
of Sensitive toothpaste market in India
Growth Rate(%)
30386
34943.9
40185.485
46213.30775
1045 1747.19 3214.83
6931.9
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
2011 2012 2013 2014
Sensitive toothpaste market in India
Toothpaste market ( in crs.)
Sensitive toothpaste market
(in crs.)
*Data Source: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), January 2011 *Data Source: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), January 2011
This segment provides a huge
growth opportunity both in
terms of growth
rate, sustainability and
Himalaya’s current positioning as
trustworthy herbal brand –with
doctors and dentists support that
Himalaya has- mass launch of a
product from this segment will
have more appeal ; in line with
prescription sensitive toothpaste
HiOra that Himalaya already has

6. Study Conducted by Pepsodent on teeth sensitivity
•Although tooth sensitivity increases as you get older, it can affect people of all ages
•It more frequently affects women
•It is a common side-effect of tooth bleaching procedures
•People suffering from gum problems almost always have sensitive teeth
•Up to one in three adults suffer from dental hypersensitivity
•Though it affects people of all ages, those between the ages of 20 and 50 report dental
hypersensitivity very frequently, especially between the ages of 20 to 30
•Frequency of dental hypersensitivity is very high in patients suffering from gum problems
Himalaya can pitch in across all age categories and
target it specially towards working women to provide
them an all round protection throughout the day as they
don’t have much time to give to their oral care needs .
This strategy has not been majorly employed by any of
the major rivals.
•Going to the dentist tends not to feature highly on people's lists of favourite activities
•People are aware of tooth sensitivity but there is lack of knowledge about any genuine
solution. Since the awareness about remedy for this condition is low, most consumers avoid
consuming foods that causes this pain. The fear of going to dentist and possibility of painful
interventions often prompt individuals to manage the situation rather than taking remedial
action
•Consumers prefer not to take additional medicines for improving the sensitivity of teeth
•Consumers prefer instant and long lasting relief from sensitivity.
•Dentists advice use of specific toothpastes to help bring down the pain caused by the
condition of sensitivity
Consumer Insights on Teeth Sensitivity
Become people’s dentist 24x7 in providing them oral
healthcare- both prevention and solution to teeth
sensitivity without the need of visiting and consulting a
doctor- position Himalaya sensitive toothpaste as a
genuine solution to their sensitive teethes
Space for Himalaya to pitch in
Space for Himalaya to pitch in
Our conclusions on Sensitive Toothpaste segment
•The market for sensitive category is very nascent without any single brand dominating
the market . The market is highly fragmented among Colgate, Sensodyne,Pepsodent.
Colgate being the first mover has largest presence in the category.
•Points of difference (POD) among the brands is very low. Thus brand loyalty for
sensitive toothpaste is very low as consumers are not able to value the product
•All the brands have adopted pull marketing strategy to attract the customers. The
product offering, promotions employed by the competitions are more or less the same
•All the brands have targeted Urban middle aged class with premium category. The
products have been priced similarly.
“Herbal” category is majorly absent in sensitive toothpaste segment currently in Indian
market
Space for Himalaya to pitch in
Sensitivity is an oral issue and Himalaya can pitch in as a
herbal aid to prevent the issue now rather than prevent
the issue later by medication- scope of pull strategy to
drive sales here- Himalaya the best brand to do so due
to dentist backing, widespread name for quality
research and a herbal product free of harmful
ingredients in the toothpaste*For full competitor comparison in this segment, refer to Appendix given later

7. WHITENING TEETH TOOTHPASTE SEGMENT
What the market says
•Whitening is not an entry level product. It is a brand
penetration rather than brand awareness product
•Analysing the current market, there are lot of variants in same
brands. This shows whitening as exclusive product is perceived
as less valuable.
•There are overlaps in the target segment in whitening
segment. For eg. This segment can be targeted at youth as well
as middle aged people.
•Drinking dark-coloured liquids such as coffee, cola, tea and red wine
•Foods that normally change colour when exposed to air such as cherries, pomegranates
and blueberries
•Unhealthy habits like smoking or chewing tobacco can also stain the
•Teeth
•Poor dental hygiene, which is represented by inadequate flossing and brushing, is
another cause for teeth discoloration
•High fluoride content - present in drinking water of some areas and in some oral hygiene
products such as mouthwashes - can cause staining of the teeth, producing a mottled
appearance
Signs of discoloration include yellow, discoloured, stained or dark spotted teeth
*Data Source: Colgate, Study by HN Shama Rao, Pralhad S Patki
Reasons for yellow stained teeth
Whitening is unlikely to cause serious side effects, although
some people's teeth may become more sensitive for a
short while
Consumer Perception on Whitening
•Consumers prefer to visit dentist once in 6 months for
whitening their teeth
•Indian consumers value whitening as added benefit of
toothpaste rather than toothpaste exclusively focused on
whitening. They value healthy teeth and strong gums more
than white teeth
A recent trend in tooth bleaching has been the
development of at-home treatments- toothpaste plays a
role here
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
2011 2012 2013 2014
Whitening Toothpaste Market
Toothpaste market(in
crs.)
Whitening Toothpaste
market
129.9940762
43.75370246
37.99999985
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2011 2012 2013 2014
Growth rate(%)
Growth rate(%)
Most people prefer doctor
assistance when it comes to
whitening than banking
upon a toothpaste. As per
our conversation with
dentists, whitening is a cycle
that requires constant
dentist intervention and
assistance
State of Whitening OTC products in India
Whitening is still not a developed category in India. Most
major brands have been showing negative growth
UnattractiveSegment:too
underdevelopedinIndia
* Data Source:
gclmagazine

8. GEL TOOTHPASTE SEGMENT
•Mostly Gel toothpastes offer freshness and help fighting bad
breath
•They are majorly targeted towards the youth
•Vibrancy of brands and youth appeal is of utmost importance
to attract the youth
•Medicinal and herbal value is of least importance here
Industry Scenario
Where does Himalaya Stand?
•Himalaya offers herbal products that use the natural pigments
to offer customers fight sensitive health issues
•Here we see, this segment is a bit misaligned with the major
offerings that Himalaya already has in the market, since they
mostly offer herbal values to the customers and vibrancy and
youth appeal is not Himalaya’s forte as of now
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
2011 2012 2013 2014
Gel Toothpaste Market
Toothpaste market(in
crs.)
Gel Market
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1 2 3 4
Growth rate(%) of Gel category
Growth rate(%)
•We see that this segment is
getting highly saturated
•Growth opportunities are
getting minimal
•This segment does not
seem to be aligned with the
company’s appeal to
customers (more medicinal
values than Vibrancy)
•Could be a future
opportunity after
establishing a foothold in
other major segments
More vibrancy of the brand and youth appeal is the need
of the segment. Market is highly saturated with top
brands like close up and Pepsodent having major market
share. Fight here is not a profit deal for Himalaya
Data Source: gclmagazine
•Gel category being targeted at youth has very less brand loyalty among
consumers. Brand switching is very frequent
•The perception of Himalayan drug as herbal and curative brand may not be
compatible in Gel category which is considered a “youthful” and “vibrant”
category
•Negative growth rate for most brands and the average growth is also falling as
shown in the graph above

9. COMPARISON OF THE THREE SEGMENTS AS A GROWTH DRIVER FOR HIMALAYA
Segment
Parameter
Sensitive Whitening Gel
Growth Rate Growing overall (stagnation in the past
few months)
Most Companies growing negatively
bringing down the average growth rate
High Saturation in the segment. Scope
for growth is becoming minimal
Alignment with Himalaya Brand
Image
Perfectly aligned with the herbal
natural problem-solution image of
Himalaya
Aligned with the Himalaya image Not aligned- This segment is more
about vibrancy of youth while
Himalaya is more about a mature
problem solution brand
Requirement of customer- doctor
interaction
Customers prefer not to visit doctors
for sensitivity and want an instant
solution to cure their pain from
sensitivity- huge for herbal OTC
product
Need to visit a doctor is imperative
and cyclic in nature bringing down the
role of an OTC product
Rare chances of interaction in this
segment
Penetration Mostly 11% penetration in India. Huge
opportunity to grow
Underdeveloped market in India. Huge
risk to dive in
23% share in volumes and a totally
saturated market
Competition No major competition in herbal
toothpaste category
Low competition in herbal toothpaste
category
Huge competition with major players
like close up and Pepsodent
Loyalty Trustworthy brands have high loyalty Trustworthy brands have high loyalty Very Low Loyalty as loyalty is generally
considered low with the youth

10. REASONS TO PICK SENSITIVE TOOTHPASTE SEGMENT: CLOSE FIGHT WITH WHITENING SEGMENT
Growth Rate
•Only segment out of the three to show a constant positive
growth rate over the years
•Reasons of stagnation include harmful ingredients used by
some of the non-herbal category players and negative
marketing of major brands henceforth leading to a dip in sales
for major companies
Perfectly aligned with Himalaya Brand Image
Only segment out of the three which is perfectly aligned with
the “herbal, safe and a doctor’s solution” brand image of
Himalaya
Doctors/Dentists Support
Himalaya enjoys a huge support from major doctors and
dentists across India, who can play a major role not just in
terms of prescribing Himalaya sensitive toothpaste but also
acting as a marketing tool to drive retail sales
More scope for OTC sales over whitening
segment
As already shown on the basis of our research and expert
interaction, whitening is a cyclic process which requires doctor
intervention at repeated stages, people bank more on dentist
methods for tooth bleaching than trying a toothpaste or any
OTC product
In case of sensitivity segment, customers want instant solution
to their pain caused by sensitivity and are more reluctant to
visit doctors , though most
Our research also found out that most times the process of
whitening also leads to sensitive teeth. Doctors are best
medium to suggest sensitive toothpaste at that stage to the
patients and Himalaya enjoys healthy dentist and doctors’
support
Least Penetrated Segment
Unlike the underdeveloped whitening segment in
India, Sensitive toothpaste segment is penetrated but only 11%
till early 2011. This gives a huge opportunity to Himalaya to
come in the picture where the market is also not
underdeveloped.
Dentists play a major role in prescribing an OTC sensitive
product, sensitive segment enjoys a good percentage of sales taking
place through them
Mass launching a product would need modern stores and grocery back
up and sensitive segment enjoys a major contribution of sales through it
No major herbal players in the segment
A segment which plays on less differentiation, herbal player has
a chance to leverage on its “herbal” appeal where the
customers attach security and more trust with the brand

11. RISING CONSUMER AWARENESS ABOUT HARMFUL NON HERBAL TOOTHPASTE INGREDIENTS
Rising positive awareness
about herbal products
Almost the right time for Himalaya to
pitch in with herbal toothpaste for
OTC sales

12. ROADMAP FOR HIMALAYA AS SUGGESTED BY US
Launch the herbal sensitive
toothpaste category and
establish trust in customers
as well as retails- already
established brand image will
also help
Look for more consolidation. With the
already developed trust in elders in the
family with the sensitive brand, Himalaya
can further look to consolidate with other
categories like whitening
After winning over
major age groups,
Himalaya can now look
to launch its gel
segment as most elders
in the family by this
time would suggest
Himalaya brand to their
younger ones
Pitch the Himalaya Herbal toothpaste as a
“dentist 24x7”. Target it specially to working
women providing them all round protection
throughout the day
After winning over the sensitive category
and establishing a trust, pitch Himalaya
as a total solution toward all issues
associated with teeth with a whitening
toothpaste
Sensitive and Whitening segments will
make Himalaya a visible brand with the
elders. Youth would the next to target at
this stage making Himalaya an all
segment player
Positioning of Himalaya at different
stages of the roadmap
Whitening toothpaste
Stage 1: Sensitive toothpaste
Gel- providing freshness
Stage 2: Whitening toothpaste
Stage 3: Gel toothpaste

13. APPENDIX
 Competitor Analysis- Sensitive toothpaste segment
 Need-Benefit Analysis at all the three stages suggested
 Features, weight and pricing of various toothpaste brands
 Brand Communication: Print Ads

14. SENSITIVE TEETH TOOTHPASTE SEGMENT PRODUCT OFFERING – COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

15. NEED- BENEFIT ANALYSIS AT ALL THE THREE STAGES
Brand Feature Weight
Price
(Rs)
Oral B
Specially
for
children
100gm 55*
Colgate Total Paste 100gm 35
Gel Gel 100gm 24.50
Ultra
whitenin
g Paste
150gm 39
Sensatio
n
whitenin
g Paste
150gm 39
Calcigua
rd
Paste 100gm 24.50
Pepsode
nt
Germich
eck
Paste 200gm 49.90
2 in 1
Paste+
gel
150gm 45.10
Aquafre
sh
Paste +
gel
100gm 25
Close up Gel 100gm 33
Need
•Consumers require long
lasting and instant relief for
sensitive teeth. There is
lack of trust among the
people for existing brands
in this segment
•They don’t visit dentist for
sensitive teeth and prefer
to avoid the problem
•They must trust the product
and its ingredients
completely
•Currently in the market,
there is space for herbal
product as major brands do
not offer herbal product.
Consumers trust herbal
products with natural
ingredients
•Himalaya Drugs needs to
leverage its competency in
herbal products to satisfy
these needs
Benefit
•Dentist 24x7: Consumers
can use herbal toothpaste
daily and can not only get
rid of the sensitivity
problem but avoid visiting
dentists
•Ayurveda products don’t
have any side effects and
also provide long lasting
solutions for the problem
Need
•Most Consumers visit
dentists for whitening their
teeth. Most don’t use
toothpastes which can solve
their problem. But they can
start using toothpaste
provided they see value in it.
•Young and middle aged
people suffer from this
problem and look for the
product which can provide
distinctive benefits to them
•Also most of the people
suffer from the problem of
sensitive teeth after they
whiten their teeth. They
demand the product which
can avoid the problem of
sensitive teeth
•Thus there will be need for
whitening toothpaste which
is 100% safe and doesn’t
cause sensitive teeth
Benefit
•Himalaya toothpaste being a
herbal product can satisfy
the needs of consumers
without causing the problem
of sensitive teeth
•Herbal products with
Ayurveda contents can treat
the root cause of the
problem giving confidence to
the consumers
Need
•Himalaya needs to cater the
benefits of herbal products in
the youth segment too at stage
3
•Today the importance of herbal
products among youth is
increasing and they demand the
toothpaste which can provide
them overall refreshing
experience with herbal products
•Consumers of gel toothpaste
need various ingredients such as
mint, lemon etc. All these
contents can be provided
through herbal product.
Benefit
•Himalaya will become visible
brand across all the age groups
with this launch.
•With herbal contents in gel
toothpaste, consumers will not
only get refreshing breath but
also make their teeth healthy.
•Thus with the launch of Gel
toothpaste Himalaya can fill the
gaps existing in current market
through its brand image of
herbal products.
Different variants of
major brands
Stage 1: Sensitive toothpaste Stage 2: Whitening toothpaste Stage 3: Gel toothpaste

16. BRAND COMMUNICATION: PRINT ADS

17. A HERBAL
THANK YOU !