They are still addressing a largely virgin condom market in India - annual sales total just about 53 lakh condoms - necessitating brands to think out of the box.
KamaSutra has Wallet packs where the major part of the couple's image remains hidden. It also boasts of Hardwear packs which are plastic packs easy to carry; Honeymoon packs that bundle condom with fun accessories such as satin blindfold and feather tickler; and Skyn that resembles a high-end perfume pack. "Consumers seek excitement in sex, and packaging innovations go a long way in giving a positive emotional appeal to the users," says Ranjukumar Mohan, director and business head at JK Ansell, the company that manufactures and sells KamaSutra condoms.
Innovation is the need of the hour, say marketing experts. With an ever-evolving sex landscape, society is becoming more open, couples are getting bold and experimentative and sexual attitude is undergoing huge transformation. "When it comes to sex, monotony sets in fast and couples looks for novelty or variety all the time," says Vyas. Skore's 'book' makes an effort to address this issue as well, while helping keep the other contents hidden. The first chapter warms up the readers with do's and don'ts on wearing a condom.
While the second chapter titillates them with various kinds of condoms, the next arouses them with adventurous sexual poses. And, the last section takes them to climax, where they get to see four packs of condoms.
Priced at Rs 240, the book will be available on online store Flipkart starting Monday. It is also available on the company's own website. "The book is for free. We are charging for just four packs of condoms that's inside the book," says Vyas. Launched in November 2012, Skore has been leading the pack with innovations. Take, for instance, Skore Easy.
The water resistant pouches to dispose used condoms was launched last month. It has also rolled out India's first mobile commerce platform for buying condoms. There are Android and iOS apps as well to locate condom stores. Durex, another condom brand that has Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as brand ambassador, is also betting big on innovations. "We will soon introduce a 'Love Pack' exclusively on Snapdeal, which will be an assortment of products and quirky merchandise," says a spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser, which owns the brand.
Apart from flavoured variants such as strawberry, orange and banana and green apple, Durex also has a latex free condom called Real Feel. The Indian condom market is going through an interesting phase. Social segment, which has always been the dominant constituent of the overall condom market in India, fell by 6% in 2012 - currently, it makes up 40% of the condom market. The expansion of the commercial condom market means consumers are opting for for brands of their choice and they are ready to pay a higher price for it.
"This also announces emergence of a new Indian buyer who is assertive and discerning enough," says Skore's Vyas. With millennial generation fiercely guarding their privacy, the 'need to hide' at least in personal living spaces might diminish, says Smitha Sarma Ranganathan, a Bangalore-based brand communication specialist. However the delirious delight of secrecy in matters of passion will prevail, she adds.
On the other hand, the Indian government has finally decided to give its widely distributed condom brand a makeover.
Nirodh condoms will soon come inside wrappers that carry pictures of attractive men and women. The word nirodh means protection in Hindi.
This will be the first major redesign for the 50-year-old brand. Right now, these condoms are sold in text-heavy, white packets. Its customers are usually India’s poor who either get them at subsidised rates or for free as part of the AIDS control programme.
Nirodh was first introduced in 1968, as part of the family planning programme. India had imported as many as 400 million packets from the US, Korea and Japan then.
After it found takers that year, the government decided to manufacture them in India and set up Hindustan Latex Limited in the southern state of Kerala in 1969 to manufacture Nirodh condoms.
But between 1968 and 2015, much has changed in India. Urban young Indians now are well-travelled and have much more disposable income than their parents did. Many private condom companies are aggressively marketing their condoms to these Indians. Their packets have bold colours or images of gorgeous, scantily-clad models.
Nirodh has suffered as a result. Even the poor in India are not attracted to the brand anymore.
“The government-made condom looks sick,” Vinod Poddar, a taxi driver in New Delhi, told Reuters. “We need looks and quality, and it lacks both.”
Nirodh now wants to stage a comeback. According to reports, India’s health ministry has set up a three-member committee to suggest measures on making the condom more attractive. “The packaging will have attractive images of couples, but they will not be erotic,” an unnamed health ministry official told.
Apart from redesigning the condoms, Nirodh will also sell sexual wellness products such as lubricants and lip-shaped vibrating rings.
Marketing wars
Even with the belated makeover, Nirodh has a lot of catching up to do on marketing. The private players upped their game a while ago.
For instance, Durex, the global condom brand owned by Reckitt Benckiser, roped in popular Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as their ambassador in April last year. This is the first time a Bollywood celebrity has endorsed a condom brand.
Skore, owned by Chennai-based TTK Protective Devices, recently started shipping their condoms in a packaging that looks like a book. Indians are known to be awkward and secretive about their sex lives and Skore has tried to hit the nail on its head.
Looks like Nirodh might have to come up with more than just an attractive wrapper to turn on Indians.
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