Manforce, doing it the other way

Take a look at these brand names - Premier, Josh, Ehsaas, Masti, Mauj, Ustaad and Rakshak - Did you get the product category I am referring to? Perhaps not. Okay, now take a look at these brand names - Kohinoor, Kamasutra, Moods, Durex. Did you get it now? Obviously yes! It's monsoon time, and this period is generally characterized not only by increased sales of conventional umbrellas but also by increased sales of these Chota Chatris (a popular slang for condoms). 

           Advertising is something which has always attracted me and hence I would like to focus on the advertising campaign of one of the new entrants in this category - Manforce condoms. Manforce condoms is the new product from the house of Mankind pharma and was launched in 2010. And considering that this category was already dominated by heavy weights like Kohinoor, Kamasutra, Moods etc., Manforce had to come out with an out of the box communication campaign so as to leave a mark on the minds of consumers. Well, traditionally most of the condom ads have had either sensual visual in them or have focused on male fantasies (Kamasutra ad campaigns). Moods was a game changer which brought forward the same message very subtly with the Moods - My Man campaign. These ads were made 5 - 10 years ago and the concepts were quite relevant back then. But considering that the consumer attitude towards this category has matured a great deal and the word condom is no longer considered a taboo, marketers for Manforce had to further dwell into the topic of sex and find some new or unexplored insights for the campaign. And boy-o-boy, didn't they find one?

You all must have heard the famous saying - Women need a reason to have sex, Men just need a place. Research suggests that most of the Indian males feel their partners are either shy or hide the excitement during the act. They are not that open to try out new things. But there is a covert want in the males wherein they want their partners to reciprocate with the same amount of excitement in the act and give pleasures they have only imagined. And this was the insight, Manforce focused upon in the campaign.

The current campaign includes 3 TVCs for the Manforce flavored condoms that have been aired very regularly for the last 5-6 months. What’s different in these ads is that they are not about the men but about the ‘Women’. All these ads show women in their early 20s sharing their sexual experiences. The ads show how the different flavors of Manforce condoms stimulate their desires. The stories used in these ads describe subtle, but naughty nuances of their experiences; for instance, using a strawberry flavored condom, simulation of the virgin experiences of “those early days” and the excitement of using the product.

             The purchaser of condoms in most of the cases is the male partner. And considering the insight that Indian males want their partners to be as excited and reciprocate in the act, Manforce will definitely be one of the brands in their mind while purchasing condoms. And that’s not all – the icing on the cake is the Tagline – “Excitement She can’t hide”. Its bang on!

           Certainly Manforce has got it right in terms of communication. And considering that Mankind pharma already operates in the Over the counter drugs segment, selling and distribution should not be a big issue for Manforce condoms. So, Manforce seems to have got all the right ingredients for the perfect recipe and it would be very interesting to see how the consumers react to this.

Let’s see how they carry their “force” into the market!

-The writer is a MMS-II marketing student at JBIMS