Published On:Monday 28 May 2012
After Nitin Paranjpe retaining his position, HUL announced launch of Pepsodent toothpaste which will convert white tooth in transparent ones
BRIEF NEWS - BUSINESS, INNOVATION
This interesting product will remove plaque, enamel and every rubbish thing from teeth
Mumbai - Nitin Paranjpe, who is the only CEO in the past two decades to be recommended by the India's largest FMCG company Hindustan Unilever's board for a second stint announced that the company will launch a series of Pepsodent toothpaste which will clean tooth to transparent levels.
HUL is a leading player in the toothpastes along with Colgate India. The company sells its toothpaste varieties under Pepsodent and Close-Up brands. However, after a big bang promotions during last few years the company is now slow in terms of marketing initiatives. Sources said that the company is waiting for Proctor & Gamble, another FMCG major to launch its toothpaste series and fight with Colgate which will weaken its largest competitor in India.
However, denying all such speculations Mr. Paranjpe said "Actually, we were researching a lot in this category. This is lowest penetrated in India and offers huge opportunities. Indians clean their teeth only once a day unlike western countries where people clean their teeth twice a day. For last few years we tried to change this habit of Indians. We let allow Colgate to make rural and urban campaigns so that using their platform and adding some bit of bucks to our marketing we would have sold the toothpastes. However, it seems that Colgate is failed to achieve our target and finally we decided to launch our trump card."
He said "What is the logic in tasting whether your teeth are white, black or yellow by always keeping that useless strip in front of teeth. Even I used Pepsodent toothpaste and that particular strip but couldn't get the required results. For 3 years long my tooth are same colour. So finally I asked our research team to find out such a plaque remover toothpaste which will make teeth more clean and white which could have been recognised without using that hopeless strip. Our research team gave us mind boggling product that directly remove yellowness, whiteness and make teeth so clean that they look transparent."
The company's research official, Sanjeev Bhatia said "Yea all credit goes to me. From the start I directed myself towards such kind of innovation. If a person uses this product the tooth becomes clean gradually removing plaque, enamel and finally everything on the teeth to the levels it become transparent, so there is no need to use that strip at all."
Colgate India, whose toothpaste is recommended by 95% of India's dentists, saw a threat out of this development.
"Yea it's possible, people may switch to this toothpaste. However, right now we can't say what will be our stand," said Mukul Deoras, Chairman of Colgate India.
He thrashed on the critics who say that dentists only recommend Colgate toothpaste to weaken their teeth by increasing the repeat customers and thereby dentist's business.