MUMBAI: Who doesn’t like to smell amazing and beautiful all the time! While perfumes and deodorants have been available for men for the longest time, it is only recently that Indian brands have begun experimenting with female deodorants and perfumes. The female perfume business has grown at 30 per cent CAGR in the last three years. The industry is seeing an increased demand for deo and perfumes from teenagers, young adults and middle-aged women.

The deodorant and perfume category in India has grown rapidly in the last five years with Vini Cosmetics’ Fogg leading the market with 16 per cent share followed by McNROE which has a share of 14 per cent with Wild Stone and Secret Temptation products in its kitty. It is followed by ITC’s Engage, and Nivea, according to a Nielsen report.

McNROE is the second-biggest deodorant maker in India after Vini Cosmetics. The company has now announced its new brand identity for its female grooming segment, Secret Temptation. The category includes products ranging from perfumes, deodorants, talcum powder and wet wipes for women. The tagline has now been changed to "Own Your Temptation” where the brand now boldly encourages women to pursue their desires with conviction. It also launched a new fragrance to Secret Temptation’s deodorant portfolio called Desire.

The revamp will be promoted through a 360-degree marketing campaign that includes television, digital, print and outdoor. The company has also planned an extensive BTL activity across India which includes mass rallies and multi-city tours. Additionally, Secret Temptation has designed comprehensive digital campaigns to identify and recognise real-time instances of women who have seriously adopted their dreams. The TVC for the campaign is scheduled to launch in the first week of August whereas the digital activity will begin from 15 August.

McNROE MD Narendra Kumar Daga aims to fuel consumer’s desire, increase brand loyalty and acquire new consumer base with the new launch. The renewed brand portfolio includes aesthetically designed deodorant cans of 150 ml configurations which will be available from 19 July 2018 in the Mumbai market. It will be made available across the country by mid-August.

Currently, the brand occupies a 1.6 per cent market share in Maharashtra while Secret Temptation holds 1.3 per cent of market share in Mumbai.

Lately, male grooming has been a growing market in India. While deodorant and fragrances have seen the highest traction, hair grooming solutions are seen as the next most popular category. Widstone has been another star product for McNROE that caters to men and young boys. Wild Stone product portfolio currently includes deodorants, perfumes, after-shave lotions, talcum powders, soaps, shaving creams and shaving brushes. It has grown at 38 per cent since last year and the company is looking at launching new variants in the category. The reception for men’s grooming segment has however been weak in rural due to distribution challenge.

The company currently has 3.4 lakh distributors in India for its deodorant category and wants to increase it to 6 lakh by the end of this financial year. Daga says his focus in the second half of 2018 will on deodorant and perfume category where he wants to launch new products and variants.

The perfume category has become extremely cluttered due to new entrants in the market and international players selling their products at an affordable price for Indians. Daga, however, does not see this as a challenge and rather confidently says, “While everyone is selling fragrances, we try to sell experiences.”

The overall advertising for McNROE is led by television which accounts for 75 per cent of the marketing budget followed by print at 15 per cent and digital by 7 per cent. The company usually advertises its female product Secret Temptation on General Entertainment Channels and Lifestyle channels whereas Wild Stone is advertised on sports, music, movies and news channels.

Being the second largest manufacturer in India, McNROE outsources 70 per cent of its products that fall in the deodorant category and manufactures talcum powder, shaving cream and other non deo products in-house at its Manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand. Daga confirmed that the company is all set to launch its second plant in Haridwar and it should be functional soon.

Deodorants account for 70 per cent of the company’s revenue while non-deo products contribute to a mere 30 per cent. While we see a lot of ads and campaigns for the brand’s perfumes and deodorant category, the company hasn’t really invested any money on promoting talcum powder, shaving products and wet wipes. Daga is of the opinion that he will increase the investment in non-deo products only when the consumption increases as it makes no sense to invest in something which yields low ROI.

While the corporate office in based out of Kolkata, the company boasts of an expansive outreach across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Exports currently account for 4 per cent of its turnover.

Daga believes the brand’s secret mantra has been following the passion for perfume and he encourages everyone to follow their temptation and passion as well. “McNROE came into existence because I didn’t shy away from my love for fragrances. It’s possible to convert ideas to reality if dreams are chased with faith and conviction.”