Sach? Sach's a toothpaste?

Agreed retailers can dally around with their own private label brands. After all, its their space that manufacturer brands take up in the store, and so why not have your own brand jostling with them. But then its also important to note that should you as a retailer want to get into a category that's ruled by established brands, it must be done with infinite care.

That infinite care, according to me is the ability to build a brand that can stand on its own, and not just exist because it uses space in a store from its own parent company. The Kishore Biyani led Future group now has a toothpaste brand on its shelves. And its been christened 'Sach'.

The name Sach is drawn from cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar who's supposed to be a co-creator. I am not sure if that's a stroke of branding genius, though I know the Future Group hopes people will stick 'Sach' into their mouths because they are in awe of the cricketing legend. I for one ain't hopeful. Personally, I think its a lousy choice of name plus banding Sachin and Oralcare together is as smart as praying for rain in the Kalahari.

The choice of a celebrity in the brand building process stems from what their association can contribute. Celebrity endorsers bring with them either credibility or attractiveness. Sachin scores zilch on credibility (note, am talking oralcare) but big on attractiveness driven by the factor of 'likeability'. Will that be enough to sell toothpastes, I doubt it. Of course the Future Group will give Sach the pride of place in its stores and run promos to encourage consumers to buy. And maybe they will. But tell you what, soon they will back onto what they've gotten used to for decades. I mean the Colgates, Pepsodents and the Close-Ups. And again, what about the likes of me that don't shop at Big Bazaar?

What is I see for Sach is an uphill battle. Sure, the brand will stay around and even make some money. But if the gameplan's a ride to the top, I'd recommend better methods at Brand building. A start would be to know cricket and pearlies have nothing to do with each other.

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