Ashland has developed a new brand strategy and identity, which it revealed to the personal care industry at the recent in-cosmetics Asia 2016 event.
The global specialty chemicals company believes that this recent rebrand will enable it to amplify the efficacy, refine the usability, add to the allure, ensure the integrity and improve the profitability of its products and applications.
On-trend marketing
“As we go to market we are essentially making a promise about what it will be like to work with us and what we can accomplish for the personal care industry,” added Vito Consiglio, Vice President, Personal and Home Care, Ashland.
As brands are striving towards creating strategic marketing campaigns that appeal to consumers through multiple channels, Consiglio highlighted that these were “very important” in the APAC marketplace.
In addition to a marketing network, Ashland has also now employed a product anthropologist to understand consumer habits, product regimens, key ingredients to capture consumer needs and emerging trends.
Marketing and advertising efforts in APAC do differ from those in other regions such as the US and Europe as “there are many small to medium size consumer good companies”, which Ashland can provide with an “understanding of market dynamics, new trends and full support in formulation and claims”.
Opportunities and challenges
Consiglio highlighted that the biggest challenges to entering and gaining market share in the Asia-Pacific market are the “regulatory and product registration in different countries [which] may delay the introduction of new ingredients”. Brands are therefore required to keep up to date with the regulatory landscape both in APAC and internationally.
Considerable opportunities are available for the personal care sector, in particular, in the APAC market and as such, “new companies are emerging and multinationals are penetrating across Asia-Pacific and adapting their brands to local consumer needs”.
“This market is dynamic and diverse,” Consiglio goes on to say. “Social media and e-commerce are driving the faster introduction of new products and changing consumer purchasing habits.”
“We are passionate, tenacious solvers who thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems in applied chemistry, always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and advancing the competitiveness of our customers across diverse industries,” Consiglio added.
Part II of this analysis and interview, which will focus on the importance of understanding the key trends in APAC, will be published tomorrow Tuesday 15th November 2016.