The Art of Brand Management: Insights from Anushree, Senior Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble

Brand management is a multifaceted field that plays a crucial role in shaping a company's identity, maintaining its image, and connecting with customers. In this enlightening conversation, Sneha, who oversees account management and video as a business at Pepper, delves into brand management with Anushree Garg, a seasoned professional with extensive experience as the Senior Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble. 

Anushree's journey takes us through the intricacies of brand strategy, media planning, and the evolving landscape of digital commerce. With a focus on understanding the consumer and adapting to dynamic market trends, Anushree offers valuable insights into the challenges and strategies that drive the success of one of the world's leading FMCG companies.

1. Can you introduce yourself and your role as a Senior Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble?

Certainly! I'm Anushree, and I've been part of the Procter & Gamble team since 2019, holding various roles that have provided me with a wide range of experiences. As a Senior Brand Manager, my responsibilities have evolved over time. Initially, I was deeply involved in core business brand management, encompassing everything from strategy development to execution, on-ground results analysis, and managing profit and loss (P&L).

Later, I transitioned to a role with a more focused approach to digital commerce, where I worked on various Procter & Gamble brands. In this capacity, my primary focus is on devising the right media strategy to connect with consumers effectively. I'm responsible for determining the most suitable content, touchpoints, and strategy to reach our target audience. Moreover, I'm actively managing P&L, understanding how our strategies translate into business growth, and building a stronger brand presence.

2. How do you plan your brand strategy and communication with customers in today's saturated market?

Planning a brand strategy in today's saturated market is multifaceted. At Procter & Gamble, our approach is consumer-centric and data-driven. We place consumers at the heart of our decision-making process. We strive to understand their preferences, behaviors, and media consumption patterns.

For instance, competition is fierce in the digital space, and consumers are bombarded with information. To stand out, we create impactful content highlighting our product's benefits and aligning with consumers' values. If a consumer values quality, our content emphasizes the product's premium quality. If we aim to raise awareness, we focus on creating imagery that resonates with our audience.

We tailor our communication strategies according to the consumer's journey. For instance, if a consumer interacts with their hair to indicate its condition, we incorporate visuals that showcase a "good hair day" achieved with our product.

Our touchpoints vary across channels, from offline stores to TV and digital platforms. Each channel caters to different consumer behaviors and preferences, and we adapt accordingly. Ultimately, we aim to engage the consumer and build a strong brand-consumer relationship by delivering what they want to see and hear.

"At the core of it, it is my brand's relationship with the consumer that leads to any category."

3. How do you decide the number of communication strategies for a year, and what's your process for planning them?

Our approach to determining the number of communication strategies for a year is rooted in a bottom-up methodology, starting with our business objectives. We begin by setting our business goals aligned with category growth trends. Suppose a category is growing by 20%. In that case, our aspiration might be to exceed that growth by leading the category with our brand.

We use various models that factor in awareness-to-trial ratios, media allocation, reach, and consumer insights to achieve this. These models help us design a comprehensive media plan that ensures our message reaches the right audience at the right time.

Procter & Gamble has progressively shifted towards a digital-first approach, especially for new product launches. We recognize that our target audience, especially in the mid-tier segment, is highly engaged in the digital space. They use platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and e-commerce websites extensively. Therefore, we prioritize digital strategies for these consumers.

However, we continue investing in traditional media like TV, especially in regions with lower digital penetration. TV still offers extensive reach and remains a critical part of our media mix.

Our communication strategies are fluid, shaped by consumer needs, and backed by robust data analysis. We aim to be present across all channels while ensuring profitability and a meaningful consumer impact.

4. Can you explain how your brand adapts its strategies in regions where it's dominant versus non-dominant?

Procter & Gamble operates in areas where it enjoys dominance and regions where it faces stiff competition. In regions where we are prevalent, such as South India or parts of Maharashtra, our communication strategy is tailored to reinforce our leadership position. Here, we leverage our premium portfolio and invest in digital channels since these areas typically have higher digital engagement.

However, we take a different approach in regions where we are not dominant, especially in North India. We aim to win consumers' trust and offer value. Consumers may be more price-sensitive in these markets, and there could be media-dark areas. To address this, we prioritize reaching consumers via television, a medium with broad reach.

To enter the consideration phase, we focus on understanding consumer needs through research. We adapt our communication to resonate with their specific requirements, using channels they engage with the most. This tailored approach helps us build a stronger presence in regions where we are not dominant.

"Marketing is an ever-evolving thing. It's very rapid, and I think with the different technologies. AI has a very big part to play in it because more data will come, and more data is needed."

5. How do you determine the right platforms and channels for your marketing efforts, especially in the digital commerce space?

Choosing the right platforms and channels in the digital commerce space is a strategic decision based on several factors. It begins with understanding our business objectives and the consumer journey. Here's how we approach it:

We prioritize consumer insights to identify their preferred digital touchpoints. We listen to their feedback, track their online behavior, and learn about their media consumption habits. Our choice of platforms aligns with our business goals. We invest more resources there if we aim to grow a specific category on a particular platform. We assess the proficiency of each platform. For instance, on Amazon, we focus on developing the category and use Amazon DSP and other tools to reach consumers who may need help searching for our category.

Our content strategy varies based on the platform. We ensure that our messaging aligns with consumer behavior on each platform. We optimize our product pages on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. This involves providing comprehensive product information, ratings, reviews, and pricing strategies to influence conversion. We collaborate with influencers who resonate with our target audience. Influencers play a pivotal role in digital marketing by providing authentic recommendations.

Our approach is to be present on every platform profitably. We adapt our strategies according to the unique characteristics of each platform, keeping the consumer at the center of our decisions.

6. How do you leverage fast-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Instamart to reach consumers and drive impulse purchases?

Fast-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Instamart have transformed the consumer shopping experience, offering convenience and speed. Leveraging these platforms effectively requires a specialized approach. Here's how we do it:

Assortment and Availability: We ensure that our products are readily available on these platforms, especially popular SKUs likely to drive impulse purchases.

We collaborate with these platforms for exclusive promotions and deals to capture consumer attention. Flash sales, bundle offers, or limited-time discounts can create a sense of urgency. Our product listings are optimized with eye-catching images, compelling product descriptions, and reviews to encourage impulse buys. We use targeted digital advertising on these platforms to reach actively shopping consumers. This includes sponsored listings and in-app advertisements. We constantly analyze data from these platforms to identify trends and preferences. This helps us fine-tune our strategy and respond quickly to changing consumer behavior.

Fast-commerce platforms present a unique opportunity to tap into spontaneous consumer decisions. We can drive impulse purchases effectively by staying agile and responsive to consumer needs.

7. Could you share an example of a successful brand strategy that your team implemented recently?

One of the successful brand strategies we recently implemented was for a skincare brand within our portfolio. The brand was facing intense competition in the market, and our goal was to elevate it to a leadership position. We conducted extensive consumer research to understand their skincare needs, preferences, and pain points. This helped us identify a gap in the market for a specific skin concern.

Based on consumer insights, we introduced a new product line specifically formulated to address this concern. The product offered unique benefits not available in competitor offerings. We collaborated with skincare influencers to create educational content about the new product. This content emphasized the product's effectiveness through before-and-after demonstrations.

We ensured the product was available across both online and offline channels. In digital commerce, we utilized platforms where consumers research skincare extensively. We closely monitored sales data and consumer feedback to make real-time adjustments to our strategy. This agility allowed us to respond to consumer needs promptly.

As a result, the brand saw a significant increase in market share and consumer loyalty. This success story demonstrates the power of consumer insights, innovation, and agile marketing strategies in brand management.