Mamy Poko pants

Mamy Poko announces the entry of Unicharm, Japan a player in Baby care, Female hygiene market.

The Indian baby care market is more or less saturated with a handful well known players in the organized market. Brands like Huggies, Pampers are well entrenched brands with clear positioning.

Mamy poko has therefore had a challenging entry into the Indian baby care market and it seems they are doing well for themselves.
Yesterday i was at a retail outlet and a 20 something woman came in asking for 'Only Mamy Poko pants'. I frankly had not expected the brand to do well at all. I hadnt even thought that it would be a part of the consideration set as baby care, according to me would be a high involvement and therefore higher brand loyalty segment.

But on deeper dwelling, i feel the brand has had a sensible, well calculated launch, some of the reasons according to me are:

• The product itself is well differentiated as it targets a need that was not addressed at least in the Indian market. These diapers are different from Huggies, Pampers as they are pants with elastic bands. This means ease of usage as they don't need to be folded and stuck. Note that the brand name is Mamy Poko pants and not just Mamy Poko. The differentiator is the need solution and hence an integral part of the offering.
  
• The brand name differentiates itself in the sense that its not a English name like Huggies, Pampers. Imagine another brand of diapers called Comfort or Care etc. (You see i am not that imaginative with diaper brand names). Do you think it would be easy for such a brand to break the clutter? The first time you see the ad with the brand name it does strike you as something different, a new offering, a new brand.
• The use of the brand mascot 'Poko Jang' has all the makings of a Japanese brand. Neither Huggies not Pampers have a brand mascot. The mascot increases the association with the category. Maybe!
• Guessing that it would be at a higher price point than its competitors, it has tried to advertise heavily. Promotions have also gone hand in hand. The photo attached here was of a promotion carried out wherein mothers could send in a SMS and they would get a free diaper. This could be an effective way of introducing trials as well as raising awareness.

Interesting to see how global behemoths like Kimberley Clark and P&G are going to react to this new entrant. Gone are the days of the traditional homemade diapers which i'm sure even my mother would have used. The Indian mother has better options, more indulging and comfortable.

Just as a whacko afterthought, if the technology, material used in diapers is so efficient at absorbing moisture could be modified and used in rainwear?