Friday, October 1, 2010

Cif : Lets You Shine

Brand : Cif
Company : HUL

Brand Analysis Count : 463


Cif is India's first cream based surface cleaner. The brand which was launched in India on June 2009 is World's largest selling domestic cream based surface cleaner. This 50 year old global brand is estimated to be worth 500 Million Euros.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd has been launching a wide range of products from its global portfolio into the Indian market. The launch of Cif also is a testimony to the fact that Indian market has matured enough for such specialty products.

Cif is a cream based surface cleaner. Indian household cleaning care category is worth around Rs 1240 crore. The market is divided as follows :
Utinsils - Rs 950 crores
Toilet cleaners - Rs 180 crore
Floor cleaners - Rs 75 crore
Surface cleaners -Rs 35 crore.

Cif is fighting for share in the surface cleaner market. Surface cleaner category is a niche. This category has emerged because of the changing consumer needs. Cif is a surface cleaner to tackle tough stains. If you look at Indian market four years back, there were no brand which was positioned as a surface cleaner. The consumers also was not keen on adding another product to their consumption basket. The emergence of such a product is the result of the increased care and attention given by consumers towards their kitchen. Now kitchen is not only a place to cook but also a place to make an impression.Kitchens have become a reflection of lifestyle in the new urban households. Hence households are now open to the idea of spending more for products that can sparkle rather than clean. It is in this perspective that Cif found Indian market attractive.

Cif is not alone in this category. The brand is facing competition from other global players like Easy Off Bang from Reckitt & Benckiser and Mr Muscle from SC Johnson.

Cif initially adopted the easy way of importing foreign commercial to the Indian market for launching campaign. The ads showed a busy chef using Cif for removing tough stains. Now the brand has launched a ' made for India ' campaign featuring the famous Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

The brand is positioned as a cleaner that cares while cleans tough stains. The key differentiator for the brand is its creamy form and its stain removing capability. Now the brand is only talking about its use in the kitchen . Its competitors like Easy Off Bang and Mr Muscle has been promoting multiple utility .

The launch of products like Cif and Easy Off Bang has fragmented the surface cleaner market into various sub-segments. The task for these brands is to nurture the niche further. The key is to make encourage repeat purchases for the products.

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