Consequently, the option of ditching red for white was explored. So when powder got converted into paste, both the properties remained.
Lal Manjan was red in colour because of a herbal ingredient and spitting it would cause stains. Reason: A lot happened in the prelude to the launch. (Your powder now comes in the form of paste.) Though launched without hiccups, Dabur didn’t paint the town red. It reached out to its loyal customers of dant manjan with a new communication, and proposition: Aapka manjan ab paste mein aaya. “It was real,” recalls Malhotra, who was made chief executive officer last year. Mohit Malhotra, who was then part of the marketing team and closely working with the consultancy firm on the project, saw the threat. The chyawanprash maker and homegrown FMCG player, which had a sizeable presence in the toothpowder segment with its Lal Dant Manjan since 1930, was keen to enter into the toothpaste category.įor Dabur, though, it was a Catch-22 situation: Powder was predicted to come to a grinding halt, and the probability of being squeezed out of the tube by the ‘Big Boy’ Colgate, on the other hand, was high. ‘Your rival will bleed you to death’ was the forewarning by a global consultancy firm hired by Dabur to identify the future pillars of growth.
We have sounded a red alert, and will soon become the second biggest: Mohit Malhotra CEO, Dabur India
